BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington voters will be asked to approve a property increase to help close a proposed $9 million gap in the city budget. The mayor says the hike is needed to fund public safety improvements, but that’s only one factor in the growth of city spending.
Miro Weinberger is in the final months of a 12-year run as mayor. His final budget includes a proposed three-cent property tax increase that would equate to around $150 for the owners of a $500,000 home
The mayor also wants to raise the hotel portion of the gross receipts by two percent, apply a million dollars of one-time funds, and look for $3 million in cuts to city departments other than public safety.
“We’re taking this on with a variety of strategies. We are looking to make substantial cuts in city costs. We have a couple studies underway that are gonna help us target those costs and make those reductions and that’s gonna solve about a third of the problem,” Weinberger said.
The mayor says the tax increases are needed to offset budget pressures from soaring inflation, the loss of pandemic relief funds, and growth in city government, including the creation of three new departments and big investments in fire, police, and police support staff.
Former GOP council member Kurt Wright says with taxpayers also facing a huge school tax increase, the mayor needs to find more to cut from the municipal budget. “Affordability is probably the number two issue after public safety and policing issues. The gaps closing, I think, because it’s becoming so expensive to live in a city that we love. So, I think they need to honestly redouble their efforts and see if they can squeeze more than $3 million out,” he said.
When Weinberger took office in 2012, the General Fund budget was $65 million. By 2021, it had grown to $78 million. But since then, spending has ramped up more quickly — to $87 million in FY22, $96 million in FY23, and $101 million this year — a 30% increase in just four years.
Weinberger says that growth in spending has not all been on the backs of local taxpayers. “Wome of those budget years include substantial federal funds for costs that go away. Some of them include new services but that are being entirely paid for by new sources of revenue, whether those are opioid settlement dollars or ongoing federal funds,” he said.
The proposed tax increase comes as the school district is asking for a 14% tax increase to help build the new high school. That would add $1,000 to the tax bill of a $500,000 home.
The mayor is presenting his proposed tax rate increase to the council on Monday night. The council is expected to vote next week on whether to put it on the ballot for March.
