Mayor Floats Mergers, Cuts to Close Burlington Budget Gap

A new spending proposal in Burlington would eliminate at least 10 positions, consolidate city departments and end its longtime recycling program.

Presented at Monday night’s city council meeting, the plan kicked off what’s expected to be a tough budget season in which officials must close a $2.5 million revenue gap before July 1.

The proposal, which is far from final, would combine the Community and Economic Development Office and the Department of Business & Workforce Development, cutting three full-time positions to save about $330,000.

Another $440,000 would be saved by streamlining essential city services — including human resources and accounting — into a new “Department of Finance and Administration.” The move would eliminate four full-time positions.

The city would also stop collecting curbside recycling, leaving residents to hire a private company for the service. An expected $200,000 in savings would come from cutting three already-vacant positions and removing high-maintenance recycling trucks from the city fleet.

Officials say the cuts are necessary to counter rising health care costs and additional spending on fire and police services. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian goods has also cast uncertainty on the city’s projected tourism revenue.

“We’re going to do our best to be proactive with our Canadian neighbors to make sure they understand we are not the  extension of what’s happening in Washington, D.C.,” Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said. “It’s a moving target, so we have to be pragmatic.”

Councilors didn’t vote on the matter Monday night but offered their opinions, mainly on recycling. Both Progressive and Democratic councilors questioned whether residents would end up paying more to a private hauler than they currently do via their tax bill. Progressive councilors said the service is a public good and should be kept under the city’s purview.

Officials will provide a more formal budget proposal in early May.

“Nothing about this is fun nor positive work to do, but it is the responsibility of a mayor who knows we need to be putting our city on an affordability trajectory,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.

Later in the meeting, the council decided that Burlington cats should be allowed to roam free.

Councilors had considered an ordinance that would have required felines to be collared and leashed when outdoors, just like dogs. Failure to comply would have allowed the city to impound cats and fine their owners.

The proposal came from the city’s Dog Task Force, which was formed in 2021 to improve canine-human relations but whose recommendations ultimately included constraints on cats. Besides the leash law, the group had proposed allowing the city to go as far as euthanizing cats if they were deemed an “imminent public safety risk.” At a meeting in January, several residents spoke in favor of the crackdown, testifying that cats were killing songbirds and defecating in their gardens.

Councilors, however, opted to take a lighter touch. The ordinance approved unanimously on Monday still allows cats to go leash-free — so long as they’re not a nuisance — but requires owners to license the animals. Starting in April 2026, cats must either wear an ID tag or microchip, and their owners must pay the city an annual fee.

The new version does contain one proviso that is sure to please: Outdoor cat owners are now officially required to pick up their pet’s poop — or face a $200 fine.

Monday’s meeting marked the last for Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District) after more than two decades of service. Since first being elected in 2003, she spent time as council president and was the Democratic-endorsed candidate for mayor last year.

During the meeting’s public forum, past councilors including David Berezniak, Norm Blais, Dave Hartnett and Kurt Wright took the mic to thank Shannon for her steady leadership and commitment to the city. Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) presented Shannon with a bouquet of purple and white flowers, which she displayed on the council table for the duration of the meeting.

In her parting comments, Shannon thanked city staff, her fellow councilors and her family. She said the city will be well-served by councilors-elect Allie Schachter and Buddy Singh, who will be sworn in on April 7.

“I’m glad to be leaving with the confidence and faith I have in these successors and in all of you,” she said. “I wish you well.”