by Kolby LaMarche

Spending reductions include shorter clerk office hours, fewer events, and privatizing recycling collection services.

Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has delivered a proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget that closes a projected $10-12 million structural gap while avoiding layoffs of current city employees, marking the third straight year her administration has bridged a significant shortfall in Burlington’s general fund.

The plan, presented to the Board of Finance and City Council this week, relies on a combination of spending reductions totaling $5.7 million, voter-approved revenue increases, and targeted operational changes. 

It sustains core services, makes strategic investments in safety and revitalization, and projects a municipal property tax increase of about $191 for the year on a median-valued home.

“We are extremely proud of this budget,” Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement. “It reflects my commitment to affordability, equity, and strong fiscal stewardship of public funds. We also maintained our commitment to City employees to offer fair salaries and benefits despite a chronic structural budget gap.”

The budget process involved months of collaboration across city departments, unions, and councilors, where the mayor asked departments to slim down their budgets.

Facing ongoing pressures from inflation, rising healthcare costs, and long-term revenue challenges common to many cities, officials described the effort as a balanced approach to right-size government without abrupt service cuts.

At the heart of the spending reductions is a focus on vacant positions. Twenty-seven general fund positions are affected, generating roughly $2.1 million in savings. 

Of those, 24 — or about 89 percent — are currently vacant, minimizing the direct impact on existing workers. Two positions involve recycle truck drivers who are eligible to transfer to equivalent roles within the city, and one shifts from full-time to part-time status.

The changes include 13 position eliminations, 13 “hold opens” with plans to potentially rehire in FY28 or earlier for some bargaining units, and one reduction in hours. The affected roles span 11 non-union positions, 10 with AFSCME, six with BFFA, and one with the new SBPOA union for police sergeants.

Administration officials said they applied lessons from last year’s budget, requiring departments to submit memos detailing how tasks would be redistributed or eliminated to ease any transitions. 

Unions including AFSCME, BFFA, and BPOA were credited for helping navigate the constraints. A voluntary furlough program was also introduced.

Additional adjustments include modest reductions in Clerk/Treasurer’s Office hours, scaling back certain city-run events, trimming seasonal staffing in some parks, and shifting recycling collection services to a private hauler, a move made earlier this year.

On the revenue side, Burlington voters approved a 5-cent increase in the Police and Fire Tax rate during Town Meeting Day in March, with about 70 percent support. That change is expected to generate roughly $3 million for community safety efforts.

The overall municipal property tax rate would rise to $.9097 per $100 of assessed value, up from $.8556 the previous year. 

For a median home or condo assessed at $353,000 — the point at which half of Burlington properties fall above and half below — the annual increase works out to $191, or 6.3 percent. 

That follows a much smaller 2.8 percent bump in FY26 and a larger 10.7 percent increase the year before.

The city also plans to maintain its 2.5 percent gross receipts tax rate, including a 0.5 percent portion that continues to support downtown vitality and safety initiatives. Enhanced efforts to collect unpaid taxes round out the revenue package, the city expects. 

Despite the tight fiscal picture, the budget includes several new investments. In community safety, it adds two new firefighters, funds heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades at the police station, and purchases critical fleet vehicles: five police cruisers, one ambulance, a shift command vehicle for the fire department, and three street maintenance vehicles including a snow plow, dump truck, and sidewalk tractor.

For city revitalization, the plan restores all summer concert nights at Waterfront Park, supports collaborations between BPRW, BCA, and CSM for World Cup-related events, expands the Illuminate Burlington pilot into winter months, and replaces playground equipment at Smalley Park. 

Housing initiatives receive a boost through a 2 percent increase in the Short-Term Rental tax directed to the Housing Trust Fund, along with efforts to spur public-private partnerships and advance PlanBTV 2050 long-term planning.

This marks the third consecutive year the Mulvaney-Stanak administration has closed a multi-million-dollar structural gap. Officials described the ongoing imbalance as a long-building issue and stressed the need for continued right-sizing to achieve long-term sustainability.

The mayor has highlighted a “solidarity budgeting” framework that asked departments less impacted by cuts in FY26 to take on more reductions this year, aiming to distribute the burden more evenly across city operations.

As the proposal moves forward, it will undergo review by the Board of Finance before a final vote by the City Council on June 15. Councilors received early briefings starting in January, providing more opportunities for input than in past cycles.

For many residents, the bottom line will be the tax impact and service levels. 

The proposed $191 increase on a median home comes as housing affordability remains a pressing concern in the Queen City. By leaning heavily on vacant position savings and avoiding cuts to filled roles, the administration has softened the human impact while still delivering meaningful reductions.

Yet the strategy has limits, much like similar tax-lowering mechanisms employed by the state legislature.  

Savings from unfilled jobs offer temporary relief, and service adjustments like privatizing recycling or trimming events will need close monitoring to ensure quality holds up. Broader economic factors, including inflation and healthcare costs, continue to pressure the general fund.

When Progressive Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak first took the reins of government, some in Burlington were weary of how she may handle city finances. While Mulvaney-Stanak has certainly been a proponent of progressive policy, she too has incredibly been quite fiscally conservative – in terms of cleaning up a financial mess she, partly, inherited. 

An argument that she is one of the most fiscally conservative executives in recent Burlington memory could be made, but residents remain concerned about services and, importantly, safety. 

Supporters see the budget as responsible stewardship that keeps Burlington moving forward with investments in safety and downtown life. Critics may argue for deeper structural reforms or question whether the city is truly closing the gap, digging in deep into the numbers, or simply managing it year to year, a new tradition of annual financial crisis. 

If approved, the roughly $112 million budget would take effect July 1. City leaders say the collaborative process this year could help build broader support as final decisions approach.

In her statement, Mulvaney-Stanak expressed optimism. “Balancing the FY27 budget was a monumental effort, but it reflects something many in Burlington can feel: our city is gaining momentum,” she said. 

“My hope is that [the] City Council and I can move through this final phase with the same seriousness, partnership, and shared commitment.”