Pursuant to the requirements of 17 V.S.A. Sec. 2645, the first public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Burlington City Charter will be held on Tuesday, January 20 th, 2026 during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting which begins at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in Contois Auditorium, 2nd Floor, City Hall, Burlington, Vermont and will also be streamed via Zoom.
When: Jan 20, 2026 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Webinar ID: 948 7912 9061
Pursuant to the requirements of 17 V.S.A. Sec. 2645, the second public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Burlington City Charter will be held on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in Contois Auditorium, 2 nd Floor, City Hall, Burlington, Vermont and will also be streamed via Zoom.
When: Jan 22, 2026 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Webinar ID: 927 6422 7810
The following charter amendment is proposed to be voted on at the Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Annual City Election.
“Shall the Charter of the City of Burlington, Acts of 1948, No. 298, as amended, be further amended as follows?:
§ 374 Enumerated:
Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
(a) The City of Burlington shall form an Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (“REIB”) and establish a Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
(b) The REIB Director role shall be a permanent position in the City, selected and hired in accordance with City of Burlington Human Resources policies and procedures, and shall report directly to the Mayor.
(c) The REIB Office shall be under the supervision, direction, and control of the Director, subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council.
(d) The Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging administrative officer shall have all of the powers, duties, and responsibilities as are provided in the Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Director position description.
(e) Subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council, the Mayor and REIB Director shall develop and implement a comprehensive racial equity, inclusion, and belonging strategy for the City of Burlington.
(f) In furtherance of this work, the REIB Director shall, subject to the orders and ordinances of the City Council, have the following rights, powers, and duties, and implement such alongside all City departments:
· To work on behalf of the City to advance equity and social justice by championing diversity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism.
· To develop, coordinate, implement, and administer racial equity and inclusion strategies and projects for the City.
· To provide consultation and recommend to City departments, the Mayor’s Office, and City Council policy and program changes to better advance racial equity and inclusion in the City.
· To enhance representation in City government through decision-making bodies, community engagement initiatives, and policy development processes for folks who hold underserved community identities.
· To coordinate and facilitate constituent engagement in the City that encourages inclusive spaces for engagement with City government.”
* Material underlined added
The official copy of the proposed charter amendments will be posted in the Clerk Treasurer’s office and on the City’s website for public viewing by January 10th, 2026. Should any revisions be made to the proposed charter change amendments, they will be posted by February 11th, 2026.