Burlington budget deficit balloons to $13M

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Burlington’s multi-million dollar budget deficit is higher than original projections. The Weinberger administration had estimated a $9 million shortfall, but it actually comes to more like $13 million. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak on Thursday said the city needs to find a way to close that gap without sacrificing some of her greatest priorities.

“Our budget must reflect the comprehensive safety needs in our community,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.

The mayor says the $4 million under estimate can be attributed to higher personnel costs and a miscalculation of health care and benefits expenses by the chief administrator’s office. She says they are now looking at all departments to find savings. “We can build a budget that is affordable and sustainable while also making sure it reflects our most pressing needs in our city,” she said.

Some options include leveraging the voter-approved three-cent public safety tax increase, doubling the hotel portion of the gross receipts tax from two percent to four percent, and using the leftover federal ARPA funds. Mulvaney-Stanak says layoffs are the last resort. “We are committed to the priorities that we have in the city. And I want to make sure that we do everything we can possibly do generate revenue from other creative places before we get to that step and start asking that question,” she said

The city is also nearly done with two studies that look at raising certain fees and how to make city government more efficient.

City Council President Ben Traverse says he’s not surprised about the bigger budget deficit and is looking forward to solutions. “I’ve been excited for some time and remain excited to learn more about the efficiency study that’s been going on right now. I do think that there’s a number of efficiencies that can be realized in the way that we do business and run and operate our city,” he said.

With personnel costs being the city’s main expense, we asked the mayor if she intended to continue the rebuilding plan of the police department. She says she is committed to the plan, which staffs the department with 87 officers. Right now, the department is at 68.

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