The measure is meant to signal support for an agency beleaguered by turnover and shaky morale. But it doesn’t include any concrete steps to increase the number of cops on the beat. Despite generous hiring bonuses and pay raises offered in recent years, the department has fewer than 70 officers on the payroll.
Monday’s vote fell on party lines, with five Progressives voting no. Independent Councilor Mark Barlow (North District) joined the five Democrats in voting yes.
The decision comes about a month after outgoing Police Chief Jon Murad had recommended the city return to a 105-officer roster, the maximum head count before the now-infamous vote in 2020 that cut the department’s size through attrition. The resolution doesn’t impose a new cap. Rather, it says the city budget and its ability to recruit new officers will dictate the department’s size.
“We’ve been told the cap is an obstacle to recruitment,” Barlow said. “It seems very simple to me that if we remove this, it’s a gesture and it may actually unlock our ability” to hire more police.
Monday’s meeting was the fourth vote on the roster cap since the 2020 resolution, which was introduced in response to excessive force cases both nationally and in Burlington. The measure capped the department at 74 officers.
In 2021, councilors upped the allowable head count to 87 officers based on recommendations from CNA, an independent consultant, but rebuilding has been slow.
Democrats attempted to pass a version of Monday’s resolution last fall, but after talks with Progressives, the caucus instead asked Murad to report back on an ideal head count. Besides pushing for 105 officers, Murad’s report suggested the council apologize for the 2020 vote, though it didn’t heed that request. The measure instead acknowledges that officers have felt unsupported by the city government.
The resolution argues that CNA’s analysis was faulty and, being based on 2019 data, doesn’t account for a spike in certain crimes in recent years. And it notes that besides Murad’s impending departure, both deputy chief positions will be vacant come this spring.
It also asks city officials to scour the police budget for funds that could be repurposed for hiring and retention bonuses and to brainstorm ways to attract more locals, including new Americans, to the force. The resolution also endorses the police union’s request to fence in the employee parking lot after an officer was attacked earlier this month on his way to work.
Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2) said Progs support most of those goals but that removing the cap without an “actual assessment” of staffing needs is premature. Letting the budget dictate staffing numbers goes against Murad’s own recommendations, Bergman added, pointing to a section of the chief’s report that says doing so “would be devastating to morale and fail to provide necessary goals for rebuilding.”
Democrats, however, said even a symbolic resolution can telegraph support for officers, which is paramount.
“I’m here to do everything we can to rebuild this police department,” Councilor Becca Brown McKnight (D-Ward 6) said. “They don’t need us to agree on every little detail, but the people of the city are desperate for us to make some forward momentum on this topic, and I’m glad we’ll be able to do that tonight.”
Also on Monday, councilors agreed to put several items on the Town Meeting Day ballot that would amend the city charter and fix aging infrastructure.
Two large bonds would upgrade the city’s water and wastewater treatment systems. What started as a $239 million plan is now down to $172 million after public works officials agreed to defer some of the work to make the cost more palatable to voters. They’ve warned, however, that another multimillion dollar bond could be coming as soon as 2027.
A separate $20 million bond would address a long list of deferred maintenance. Officials haven’t said exactly how they’d spend the money but estimate the bulk would fix up several miles of streets and sidewalks. Other portions would replace city vehicles and provide matching funds to state and federal grants.
If the bond passes, the owner of a home assessed at $500,000 would pay an additional $11.50 in property taxes.
The proposed charter changes include one to ban guns in bars and another that would allow the council to determine how much notice landlords should give renters before terminating their lease. The current charter requires between 90 and 120 days notice, but councilors want to consider longer time frames, particularly for renters who are elderly, low-income or have disabilities.
The gun measure is identical to one approved by Burlington voters a decade ago but that was never taken up by state lawmakers, who — along with the governor — vet all charter changes before they can become law. The issue resurfaced this summer after a fatal shooting outside Red Square, a club on the Church Street Marketplace.
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