BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) -The City Council voted to remove the cap on Burlington’s police force.
It’s been a contentious issue since 2020, the measure passing Monday night by only one vote.
The resolution rolls back the 9 to 3 decision from 2020 to cap the number of Burlington police officers at 74.
The move resulted in a mass exodus from the department. In 2021 the council raised the cap from 74 to 87. But still, recruitment and retention have been difficult.
Under the resolution, the number of police officers will instead be determined by need, hiring goals, and the city budget.
The vote came down to party lines at Monday night’s City Council meeting. Democrats voted in favor while progressive select board members strongly opposed the move.
“This does nothing to improve recruitment or retention. it’s a performative distraction. The removal of the cap without an assessment is not a meaningful policy initiative. Especially when the current number is 64 and there is no likelihood of reaching the cap or the budgeted number this year,” said Progressive Ward 2 City Counselor Eugene Bergman.
That sentiment was shared by progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney Stanak, who called the resolution ‘premature.’
Mulvaney-Stanak said it was a better use of taxpayer money to use peer-reviewed recruitment methods, instead of removing the cap.
She also repeated that with just 64 officers, BPD did not meet its 2024 hiring goals.
Democratic city councilors maintain the resolution would help.
“I’m interested in removing obstacles to recruitment and we’ve been told this is an obstacle to recruitment, there are others and this isn’t the only one. But it seems very simple to me that if we remove this its a gesture and it may actually improve our ability to attract lateral hires,” said Democrat Burlington-North City Counselor Mark Barlow.
Ultimately the resolution passed by one vote, six to five.
