Updated at 8:32 p.m.
Burlington voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a handful of ballot measures that will fix aging infrastructure and amend the city charter.
With 80.7 percent of the vote, residents passed a $152 million plan to fix the city’s wastewater treatment system, according to unofficial results from Town Meeting TV. They also passed a pair of $20 million bonds, one to upgrade the water system and another to address deferred maintenance, such as crumbling sidewalks.
In addition, voters approved charter changes that would ban guns from bars and allow the city council to determine how much notice landlords must give before terminating leases. Both items need approval from lawmakers and the governor before becoming law.
Voters also overwhelmingly passed a $134.8 million school budget, 7,071 votes to 2,588.
Burlington Voters Could See Smaller Wastewater Bond
Burlington Voters Could See Smaller Wastewater Bond
By Courtney Lamdin
News
The money-related infrastructure items will cost taxpayers. The water and wastewater bonds will increase the typical home’s monthly bill from $60 to $112 by 2030. The infrastructure bond will cost the owner of a home valued at $500,000 an extra $139 in taxes in fiscal year 2026.
The voter-approved funds will only tackle a portion of the city’s long list of projects. The majority of the $20 million general obligation bond, which passed with 75.1 percent of the vote, will help fix several miles of streets and sidewalks over the next three years. Other portions could replace city vehicles and provide matching funds for state and federal grants.
The water bond will pay to build a new pump house to replace the existing Victorian-era one on Main Street, among other fixes. The 150-year-old pipes there serve the city’s east side, including the University of Vermont Medical Center, which could be left high and dry if the systems ever failed. The proposal passed with an 83.6 percent yes vote.
The wastewater bond will replace aging and obsolete equipment at the city’s waterfront treatment plant, which hasn’t had a substantial upgrade in 30 years. A chunk of the funds will purchase a device to reduce the amount of phosphorus that flows into the lake, an effort Burlington must complete by 2030 or face hefty fines. The money will also build additional treatment tanks that could be used if one breaks or needs maintenance.
Public works officials made a big push for the bonds, attending every Neighborhood Planning Assembly meeting, hosting tours of the wastewater plant and staging a community meeting in January. Mulvaney-Stanak, using her campaign email list, sent out a newsletter this week urging a yes vote.
The project was once estimated to cost $204 million, but officials agreed to delay some work to make the cost more palatable to voters. As a result, they’ve warned that another multimillion-dollar bond could be coming as soon as 2027.
Water Bond Could Cost Burlington $225 Million
Water Bond Could Cost Burlington $225 Million
By Courtney Lamdin
City
Meantime, the city is looking for federal grants and financing programs to further reduce the burden on ratepayers.
As for the charter changes, the gun ban sailed through with 86.6 percent of the vote. The item is identical to one approved by Burlington voters a decade ago but that was never taken up by state lawmakers. The issue resurfaced this summer after a fatal shooting outside Red Square, a club on the Church Street Marketplace.
Burlington Will Try Again to Ban Guns in Bars
Burlington Will Try Again to Ban Guns in Bars
By Courtney Lamdin
News
“For the second time in recent history, Burlington voters have made clear their support for this important policy change,” the mayor said, pledging to lobby for the change in Montpelier.
The other charter change will allow city councilors to examine an existing rule that allows landlords to provide between 90 and 120 days notice to terminate leases. Councilors had expressed interest in extending the time frames, particularly for renters who are elderly, low-income or have disabilities. The question passed with a 65.2 percent approval rate.