Hello Winooski,
On Monday, the City Council approved the FY22 budget and other ballot items for Town Meeting Day - which is on Tuesday, March 2nd. For full Town Meeting Day and voting information, please visit https://www.winooskivt.gov/townmeeting.
City Manager Jessie Baker and I will be presenting the final budget via a special broadcast with Town Meeting TV on Wednesday, February 3, at 5:30 PM. This program will be available live, recorded, and online.
Two notable items will be on the 2021 Town Meeting Day ballot.
First, you will have a chance to vote on whether Winooski should allow retail cannabis businesses when State licensing begins in the fall of 2022 (per Act 164 - Vermont law creating a legal market for commercial cannabis). We approved the following question to appear on the ballot:
"Shall the voters of the City of Winooski permit the operation of cannabis retailers within the City of Winooski, pursuant to 7 V.S.A. §863(a)(1), and subject to such municipal ordinance and regulation as the City Council may lawfully adopt and implement?"
We’ve heard from our Police and Fire chiefs, our Zoning Administrator, the Winooski Partnership for Prevention, residents, and interested entrepreneurs about the topic. After doing so, we felt comfortable placing this on the ballot. If approved, Council and staff would work to update necessary zoning ordinances to ensure a safe market. We did not move forward with allowing cannabis manufacturing type activities given community concerns raised last year with the hemp processing facility. See the meeting agenda for more information: https://www.winooskivt.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01252021-741?html=true.
The second item to vote on is whether the City should advise the State to halt F-35 flights over Winooski. This is a non-binding, advisory item. After we heard from many residents that they want their voices reflected on this matter, and we approved the following question to appear on the ballot:
"Shall the City of Winooski urge the State to halt F-35 training flights in a densely populated area, such as Winooski?"
City Council has taken many actions regarding the F-35s. Currently, we're focused on sound mitigation efforts for homes that qualify. That program should launch in the coming year. You can view all of the previous actions, resolutions, and sound mitigation info at https://winooskivt.gov/soundmitigation.
You'll also vote on candidates for Mayor, Council, and School Trustee. If you missed any part of this process or have remaining questions about Town Meeting Day, I'll be hosting informal/virtual chat sessions for the whole month of February. Feel free to join at any time:
And as always, I am available by phone or email:
Mayor Kristine Lott - klott@winooskivt.gov / 802 766 1988