Latest news with #EmmaMulvaneyStanak
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
City Council passes $107 million budget: What was cut to make it balanced?
Burlington City Council has passed the fiscal 2026 budget, locking it in just before the fiscal year begins July 1. Councilors voted unanimously to pass the $107,093,396 budget, a budget 1% smaller than FY25 which was $107.8 million. These first two budgets for Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak have not been easy ones to manage, as she has faced large deficits - $13 million for fiscal 2025 and $9.8 million this upcoming fiscal year. The attempt to close the gap, the end of one-time COVID-related federal funding, rise in costs and other financial adjustments have resulted in tough decisions, according to Mulvaney-Stanak. 'After closing a $14.2 million gap last year, we knew that this year would require making painful decisions,' Mulvaney-Stanak said. One of those decisions was to cut 25 city positions. Mulvaney-Stanak said eliminating those positions, as well as eliminating some city programs, will save the city nearly $4 million. She said the city had structural challenges that negatively impacted annual budgets, including one-time funding positions that continued to operate long-term. Muvaney-Stanak and Chief Administrative Officer Katherine Schad have both stated that a priority of the budget was to not significantly raise taxes. The Municipal Tax rate will increase 2%, or by $0.02. That includes the one cent Public Safety Tax that voters approved March 2024. Gross receipts taxes have been a point of contention between businesses and the city. The 0.5% increased non-lodging tax is applied to admissions, alcohol, amusements, meals and rooms. It was implemented in Fiscal 2025 and was recently extended until August 31. Mulvaney-Stanak proposed that it will remain at 2.5% until September 2026 to allow time for the Council and administration to build a budget for FY27. Mulvaney-Stanak also wanted to remind that a 4% hotel rate currently exists to 'ensure that visitors of Burlington also contribute more to the budget,' and will continue. Mulvaney-Stanak opted to forgo her salary cost of living adjustment increase, or COLA for the next fiscal year, as did department heads until quarter three of the fiscal year. That will save the city $37,000. The budget reflects the mayor's commitment to investing in community safety. That includes funding various initiatives and organizations that focus on public health work, including mental health, drug and addiction treatment and homelessness. A new position within the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) will lead new strategies for housing production in the city. The mayor also wanted to make it clear that the city has used up the last of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Councilors seemed content with the budget, although Ward 1 Councilor Carter Neubieser and Ward 7 Councilor Evan Litwin both made last minute motions to amend parts of the budget. Neubieser moved to remove an allocation of $100,000 to the Visiting Nurses Association, stating that while it's valuable work, the University of Vermont Health Network should supply the funds to pay those employees. While other councilors agreed with his sentiment, they said it was a point that should have been addressed previously to avoid a potential for the program being cut by UVM if the city does not provide funds. Litwin moved to remove $7,500 in funding for the Howard Center and instead move that money to the Turning Point Center. Both motions failed. Other councilors expressed some concern over the Gross Receipts Tax negatively affecting local business, and brought up the point that much of the general fund is going to public health work, and that neighboring municipalities and the state need to be investing more in public safety initiatives as well. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: City Council passes FY 2026 budget
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Community feedback' and threats: Burlington pauses program for homeless before it starts
Just one day after a pilot program was announced that would allow unhoused people to park their cars at Perkins Pier overnight, city officials rolled back the program, stating it was on an 'indefinite pause.' The statement came from Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak's office. The program was slated to begin on the evening of July 4, with interested participants needing to request a permit to park for free between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. At the time the city decided to roll back the program on July 3, city staff had not initiated intake or issued permits for overnight parking. The mayor's office said the administration came to this decision based on 'substantial community feedback, and out of concern for the safety of program participants based on threatening comments made by members of the public on various online platforms.' The pilot program was coming at a critical time, as Vermont's hotel/motel program canceled vouchers and exits dozens of families from the housing program. Data shared by the Agency of Human Services indicates 100 households, including 61 children, were required to leave motels beginning July 1 across Chittenden County. The free and safe parking was just one initiative to help. The mayor's office said it will 'continue to consult with city staff as this situation evolves, and should different responses be necessary from a public health and safety perspective, we will prioritize notice to the community.' The city also shared that 'it is important to note that the city of Burlington does not have the resources or staff capacity to address the need for shelter or services to respond to the crisis of unsheltered homelessness.' The city administration said they will continue to call on state officials to ensure more stable shelter is available to households as they wait for permanent, affordable housing to be secured. Shelter providers and advocates from across Vermont said they will continue to hold emergency meetings and planning sessions to sound the alarm over this crisis caused by mass evictions from the state's General Assistance Emergency Housing Program. Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@ This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington won't permit overnight parking for homeless: What changed
CTV News
10-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Elected representatives from Vermont make a symbolic gesture by buying Quebec products
Vermont Treasury Secretary Mike Pieciak, right, and Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, mayor of Burlington, Vermont, talk with a fruit vendor at the Jean-Talon Market following a Canada and U.S. friendship event in Montreal, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Graham Hughes/ The Canadian Press) (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Small businesses express concern about conditions in Downtown Burlington
BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – An open letter to Burlington's mayor named ten specific concerns about the future of the downtown neighborhood, including the condition of local parking garages, public nudity, and the safety of children. A coalition of over 80 small business owners and other people Friday addressed the letter to Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, saying that safety, cleanliness, and public accountability need urgent improvement in downtown Burlington for it to remain the 'vibrant, welcoming, and locally-owned' heart of the Queen City. 'While newer ventures have come and gone,' reads the letter, 'we have remained—through COVID, economic hardship, and an increasingly difficult downtown environment. But even we have limits.' The letter emphasizes safety above all and asks for 'a consistent security presence' in parking garages and on Church Street itself. Among the letter's suggestions are clearer signage near the construction project on Main Street, a cleanup program for needles, and the relocation of Food not Cops's free lunch program from the Cherry Street parking garage. Burlington's Church Street was first conceived by architecture student Bill Truex who in 1962 witnessed the transformation of downtown Copenhagen, Denmark from a 'traffic-snarled nightmare' into a lively, successful pedestrian mall. With help from Burlington voters and then-senator Patrick Leahy, the Church Street Marketplace was opened to the public in 1981 and then expanded in 1994. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
