Thursday, August 23, 2007

ALERT! Decelles wants to send Amendment 38 back to committee

ALERT! Paul Decelles, W7 will make a motion to reconsider the vote on Amendment 38, sending it back to committee for further study.

AGENDA, City Council Meeting, Monday Aug. 20:
http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/citycouncil/agendas/

Announcement in Front Porch Forum, August 18, 2007

If you have an opinion on adding steep slopes into the buildable area calculation, now is the time to speak up! Slopes and wetlands were removed from buildable area by amendment 38, which would prevent over-development of much of the land in and near neighborhoods in Wards 4 and 7. There is intense pressure to increase density downtown and in the neighborhoods. Some people relate this to increasing the tax base, and others say we need fundamental changes in taxation (like assigning cost of services to entities that don't pay for it now -- non-profits, and commercial properties that get tax breaks), not growth that will require more services. Next on the agenda, it says Votes on the other Rewrite amendments are postponed, and then there's a report from the Special Budget Tax Force. These issues are critical to your home investment and the quality of life in your neighborhood.