Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ballot Petition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Winooski Council votes to place nonbinding voter-backed petition on Town Meeting Day ballot
Summary
The City Council approved placing a nonbinding petition on the March 4, 2025 Town Meeting Day ballot after staff confirmed the petition met the 5% signature threshold. Council members debated whether the city could act on the petition’s final sentence if voters approve it.
The Winooski City Council voted Monday to place a voter-backed, nonbinding petition about Palestinians in Israel on the Town Meeting Day ballot.
Jenny, a city clerk staff member, told council the petition met the threshold required for a voter-backed petition, totaling 301 signatures — the 5% mark specified in the city’s cover sheet guidance. The petition’s language asks the city body to take a pledge; the mayor read its closing line into the record as: “we pledge to join others in working to end all support to Israel's apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
Council members discussed whether placing the petition on the ballot would create an obligation for the city to act if voters approved it. Mayor (name not specified) said the clause asking the city to “make this pledge” raised concerns because “I don't know what that means for us” at the local level. Several councilors, including Aurora and Charlie, said they were comfortable allowing voters to decide. Aurora noted the petition resembled past nonbinding resolutions the city has accepted on national or international issues; Charlie said a local vote would show residents’ positions and could be valuable even if perceived as symbolic. Brynn and others also said they would not stand in the way of putting the item to voters.
Councilor Charlie moved to place the petition on the ballot; Aurora seconded. The motion carried on a voice vote and will appear on the Town Meeting Day ballot on March 4, 2025. The petition is nonbinding; Council members stressed that the city has no clear local action tied to the petition should voters approve it.
