Teen teachers
Past resort
High school students dispense wisdom to their young counterparts
Museum offers look at bygone ski hill hills that once dotted Vermont
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the JANUARY 23, 2025
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VOLUME 49, NO. 4
City council adopts budget for Town Meeting Day vote
Full circle
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The South Burlington City Council has adopted the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget at $55.9 million and warned the March 4 Town Meeting Day vote. The spending proposal comes in lower than the current year’s budget, but will still lead to a smaller-than-expected increase on the tax rate. The bulk of the spending comes from the city’s proposed general fund budget — which includes all revenues and expenses related to day-to-day city operations. That $36.1 million represents a roughly 2.5 percent increase in spending over
the current year and comprises nearly 65 percent of the overall spending plan. Other drivers in the budget include: • Wastewater: $7.5 million • Stormwater: $6.4 million • Drinking water: $4.5 million • Penny for Paths and Open Space Fund: $872,500 • Rental registry: $373,000. Projected taxes are expected to increase roughly 3.33 percent — significantly lower than what was originally projected in September. That means the average homeowner can anticipate a roughly $73 increase See BUDGET on page 12
City hires first climate manager New staffer will help coordinate city’s green initiatives LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY PHOTO
Isaac Shoulderblade puts the finishing touches on a beaded wood ring in his jewelry workshop located in the basement of his South Burlington home, paying homage to his Indigenous heritage. Story, page 2.
South Burlington has been a local leader in combatting the damaging effects of climate change, from policy decisions to investing municipal dollars into climate actions. Now, officials have taken the next step of hiring the city’s first-ever climate manager. Bettina Miguez, a South Burlington resident since 2019, will act as the city’s fingerprint in reducing its carbon footprint, overseeing climate action throughout all city initiatives across. “To have a staff person who is coor-
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dinating across departments and across subject areas is a big step for our community and a really exciting one,” Paul Conner, the city’s planning and zoning director, said. “We’ve been doing projects of many, many forms for years, and I think what Bettina’s position does is creates the opportunity to do it comprehensively and to do it in a holistic manner.” It’s common for many cities and towns across the country to have some variation of this role within municipalities. For South Burlington, the budget for Miguez’s See CLIMATE MANAGER on page 12
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