Burlington Councilors Vote 9-3 to Form Committee on Public Safety Measure

Burlington city councilors voted 9-3 shortly after midnight Monday to create an ad hoc committee tasked with finding common ground on a public safety resolution Democrats first introduced in July.

The committee will include Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 3), Councilor Allie Schachter (D-East District), City Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) and Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. Bergman proposed the group. "If I'm listening to the best angels on everybody's shoulders, I see the possibility of a fruitful conversation," he said. The committee must report to the full council at its December 7 meeting. Democrats had agreed before Monday's session to delay a final vote until December after Mulvaney-Stanak requested more time to work out a compromise.

The resolution calls for more police patrols downtown and stricter enforcement of drug laws. It would bar new needle exchanges and a planned overdose prevention site from opening downtown, direct city employees to patrol public spaces, and establish sanctioned outdoor campsites. The measure also requests more shelter space and resources but does not say how they would be funded. Democrats passed the measure in July and revised it after feedback from the public and other officials. Mulvaney-Stanak and Progressive councilors call the proposal "Burlington Backwards" and say it criminalizes homeless people. Mulvaney-Stanak said she is disturbed by the tone of the debate: "It makes me question why people choose to live here and choose to be in an elected role to represent this city." She has pledged to veto any resolution that blocks new needle exchanges or the overdose prevention site from opening downtown.

Labor groups have also weighed in. A coalition of Howard Center workers and University of Vermont Medical Center nurses and support staff announced opposition to the measure before Monday's meeting. Colby Delaire, president of the local AFSCME chapter representing more than 300 city workers, said members oppose the resolution as written and object to the public space patrols, which would require staff to work outside their job descriptions. Traverse plans to meet with union leadership this week to discuss those concerns, Delaire said.

Police data shows the number of total and violent incidents officers responded to this year is projected to be the lowest since 2023. Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight (D-Ward 6) said Democrats hold a council majority but acknowledged the mayor's veto threat gives Progressives leverage. "I'm really just so tired of my colleagues across the table using their time here to critique process and claim that things are politicized while our city is going down the tubes right outside our door," she said. The council's next regular meeting is scheduled for December 7.