I’ve been working hard to make progress on
affordability in Burlington.
Here are some wins worthcelebrating!
1. Increased Investment in Affordable Housing
City Council passed a resolution I introduced that led to around $180,000 more annually for our Housing Trust Fund, starting next year. That new revenue will go to building and maintaining permanently affordable homes.
2. Built a record number of new homes
The City Council passed zoning changes which will expand housing stock in Burlington. In 2024 we saw a record 279 new housing units built. In 2026 we expect over 450 new units of new housing.
3. Expanded affordability programs for electricity & water
In collaboration with the Mayor and Department Heads, Council Progressives voted to lower electricity and water costs for working and middle class residents by expanding affordability programs, increasing incentives & rebates for electrification, and changing fee structures.
4. Advanced Tax Fairness & Sustainable Budgeting.
In 2024, I stepped into office alongside my colleagues, and immediately inherited multi-million dollar structural budget gaps that we are still dealing with today. Under the previous Mayor we over relied on one-time funds to pay for on going expenses, added 98 FTE positions between 2015-2024 often without identifying sustainable funding sources, and the outrageous cost of healthcare are all driving our budget challenges. Nonetheless the City has passed balanced budgets, limited property tax increases, and increased the city’s credit rating which saves taxpayers money.
We are attempting to raise revenue, when needed, from the least-regressive sources working under the current legal-authority we have. At the same time, the Mayor’s tax fairness working group has developed ideas on how to raise taxes on those who can afford to pay more, and lower taxes on people struggling to pay. I am supportive of a number of these proposals.
Some of these proposals can be passed by the council now, while others will require approval by voters, the State Legislature, and the Governor before we can implement them. We will need your help to make these needed changes!
5. Protected publically owned recycling
Maintaining publicly-run recycling is cheaper for every resident every month. Council Progressives have - so far - successfully advocated against privatizing recycling services, which would raise costs on every resident in the City of Burlington. We plan to hold that line and work towards expanding public waste collection to decrease the cost to every household in Burlington even further.
6. Increasing Tenant protections
Council Progressives recently introduced and unanimously passed a resolution aimed at making UVM, one of the largest landlords in our city, address the unsafe housing conditions for their tenants, from mold to rodents to mushrooms growing on ceiling tiles (yes you read that correctly). The Council’s Ordinance Committee will be holding important discussions moving forward. I hope we can use this moment to both hold UVM accountable and build the capacity of the city’s code enforcement team.
Additionally, we successfully increased the fees on vacant buildings and voters approved a council Charter Change that would allow the city to expand the notification period for rent increases. That charter change is still sitting in the legislature.