The vast majority of Burlingtonians cannot afford to buy a home and struggle to afford rent. The median sale price of a home in Burlington is over half a million dollars. 31% of renters pay more than half of their income on rent in Burlington. We are experiencing record levels of families and individuals forced to sleep outdoors. Burlington can’t do it alone, but we can do quite a bit more.

We must pursue a fair MOU with the University of Vermont and statewide legislation that requires them to house their students and cap enrollment. We must increase the amount of funding we allocate to the city’s Housing Trust Fund - a mechanism by which Burlington builds and maintains affordable housing. We must continue turning up the pressure on predatory and absentee landlords and property owners.

Healthcare costs are out of control. UVM Health Network has a monopoly on healthcare in Vermont - controlling upwards of 60% of the market (the highest of any hospital in the US). Vermonters pay the highest average premiums in the US - more than $1,200 per month.

While the city can’t do it alone, we must work with labor unions, regulators, and other partners to keep up the pressure on the UVM Health Network. It is unacceptable for the hospital to move facilities to NY while cutting services in Vermont. They continue to overcharge patients for services which drives up healthcare costs - a leading cause of the massive property tax increases we’ve faced over the last few years.

Our municipal and state property tax systems are unfair and untenable. During the last reassessment, when COVID hit, the burden of funding our city’s general fund shifted away from commercial property owners, leaving residents with significantly higher tax bills. Statewide, the highest-income Vermonters pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than many in the middle. 

It is time we increase taxes on the wealthiest Vermonters and Burlingtonians. Some of that work will require state action and charter changes. In the meantime, we need to support Mayor Emma’s work to use existing powers of the city to balance our budget in a fair way, not on the backs of working families and renters.

As more and more money flows into campaigns locally and as we slide into oligarchy at the federal level, we must work to be as transparent as possible. We should pursue reforms to depoliticize the redistricting process and require city councilors to file financial disclosure forms to help enforce conflict of interest rules on the council.