Burlington Mayor Meets Governor to Demand Winter Shelter Funding
City leaders seek state aid for emergency beds and traffic enforcement after months of failed negotiations.
By Julia Wang ·
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and Governor Phil Scott will meet Tuesday to address the city’s growing crisis with drugs and homelessness. The discussion comes after months of city officials requesting more state support for local services.
In the summer, the governor largely dismissed the city's appeals. He stated that the state had already done a lot for Burlington and noted that other areas of Vermont also faced suffering. A spokesperson for the governor on Monday confirmed the meeting but declined to share specific intentions through media channels.
Mulvaney-Stanak plans to focus on securing emergency shelter beds for the approaching winter. She also wants to increase long-term funding for homeless services. The mayor cited staffing shortages at the Burlington Police Department as a key factor in current traffic enforcement struggles. With most officers handling higher-priority calls, the city needs additional help managing roads.
"I’m hoping we can bring that online with the DMV," Mulvaney-Stanak said. "We’ll talk more to see how that looks, but to me that helps us have safer streets, and it’s another important piece here in Burlington that we need."
The mayor also announced additional work sessions with an ad hoc committee in November and December. These sessions will revise the Burlington Forward resolution. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in Burlington.
The state and city have not released a formal agenda for the talks. However, the mayor indicated that traffic enforcement and shelter capacity are the primary topics. The governor's office remained quiet on its strategy before the sit-down.
