On the agenda: Burlington REIB City Council Committee Meeting — Public Safety Camera (Oct 20)

Racial, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)
Held in the Sharon Bushor Conference Room, Ground Floor City Hall
OR
via Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96324562039
Meeting ID: 963 2456 2039
Or Use Phone number: 305-224-1968
Meeting ID: 963 2456 2039

1. Call to Order
2. Approve Agenda & Minutes
Subject

2.1. September 10th Minutes

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

2. Approve Agenda & Minutes

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Recommended Action

3. Public Forum
4. Office of REIB Updates
5. Supporting & Investing in Burlington's Youth
Subject

5.1. Review and Discuss Memo Summarizing Community Discussions

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

5. Supporting & Investing in Burlington's Youth

Page 1 of 157

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Recommended Action
Subject

5.2. Revised Memo: Strategizing and Investing in Burlington's Youth

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

5. Supporting & Investing in Burlington's Youth

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Recommended Action

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward
Subject

6.1. REIB Committee Memo_Impact Assessment for the Burlington Forward
Resolution

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Subject

6.2. Burlington Forward Updates

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Subject

6.3. Burlington Forward Feedback_Vermont Racial Justice Alliance

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Subject

6.4. Burlington Forward Feedback_Street CATS

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Page 2 of 157

Type
Subject

6.5. Burlington Forward Feedback_Office of REIB List of Mark-Ups

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Updates & Next Steps on Burlington Forward

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type

7. Next Steps
8. Adjournment
Subject

8.1. Motion to adjourn

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

8. Adjournment

Department

Council and Board

Type
Recommended Action

9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
Subject

9.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. For more
information on access, call Lori Olberg, Licensing, Voting and Records
Coordinator (802-865-7136)(TTY 802-865-7142). Persons with disabilities who
require assistance or special arrangements to participate are encouraged to
contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours in
advance so that proper arrangements can be made. This meeting will also air
on Town Meeting TV the Wednesday after the meeting, starting at 8:00 pm and
repeating at 1:00 am and 7:00 am the following day. The City of Burlington will
not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or
religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status,
disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information.

Meeting

October 20, 2026 - REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 2026,
5:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

9. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements

Department

Council and Board

Type

Page 3 of 157

Racial, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
(REIB)
Held in the Sharon Bushor Conference Room, Ground Floor City Hall
OR
via Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96324562039
Meeting ID: 963 2456 2039
Or Use Phone number: 305-224-1968
Meeting ID: 963 2456 2039

1. Call to Order
2. Approve Agenda & Minutes
Subject

2.1. September 1st 2026

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

2. Approve Agenda & Minutes

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Recommended Action

3. Public Forum
4. Equity Impact Assessment Memo: Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive
Framework For Safe Public Spaces And A Stronger Community
Subject

4.1. Draft REIB Impact Assessment Memo for the Burlington Forward
Resolution

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Page 4 of 157

Category

4. Equity Impact Assessment Memo: Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive Framework
For Safe Public Spaces And A Stronger Community

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Subject

4.2. VRJA Burlington Forward Resolution Amendments

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

4. Equity Impact Assessment Memo: Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive Framework
For Safe Public Spaces And A Stronger Community

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type
Subject

4.3. DRAFT REIB Impact Assessment Memo_Comments

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

4. Equity Impact Assessment Memo: Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive Framework
For Safe Public Spaces And A Stronger Community

Department

Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (REIB)

Type

5. Recommended Action: Motion for the Committee to approve the memo and
its recommendations and forward it to the City Council for consideration
6. Adjournment
Subject

6.1. Motion to adjourn

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

6. Adjournment

Department

Council and Board

Type
Recommended Action

7. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
Subject

7.1. This agenda is available in alternative formats upon request. For more
information on access, call Lori Olberg, Licensing, Voting and Records
Coordinator (802-865-7136)(TTY 802-865-7142). Persons with disabilities
who require assistance or special arrangements to participate are encouraged
to contact 802-865-7000 (voice) or 802-865-7142 (TTY) at least 72 hours in
advance so that proper arrangements can be made. This meeting will also air
on Town Meeting TV the Wednesday after the meeting, starting at 8:00 pm and
repeating at 1:00 am and 7:00 am the following day. The City of Burlington will
not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or
religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age,
sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status,
disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information.

Page 5 of 157

Meeting

September 10, 2026 - Special REIB City Council Committee Meeting - Thursday,
September 10, 2026, 12:30 PM, Racial, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB)

Category

7. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements

Department

Council and Board

Type

Minutes Taken by Vicky Luciano
Attendees:
Councilor Laura Sanchez-Parkinson (in person)
Vicky Luciano, REIB Admin and Finance Coordinator (in person)
Chris McGrath (in person)
Kelli Perkins, REIB Director (online)
Councilor Melo Grant (online)
Councilor Sarah Carpenter (online)
Aaron Calvin (online)

•
•

•
•

Call to Order
o Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson called the meeting to order at 12:32 pm.
Approve Agenda & Minutes
o Councilor Grant moved to approve the agenda and minutes. Councilor Carpenter seconded. The motion
passed unanimously.
Public Forum
o Public Forum closed with no comments.
Equity Impact Assessment Memo: Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive Framework For Safe Public Spaces
And A Stronger Community
o Councilor Carpenter discussed adding language to clarify that the resolution is intended to address a
subgroup of individuals whose conduct has impacted public safety and use of public spaces, rather than
unhoused people generally.
▪ Councilor Grant expressed concern about identifying or categorizing people and emphasized the
need to distinguish homelessness, substance use, mental illness, poverty, and criminal conduct.
She emphasized that the focus should be on conduct and root causes rather than identifying
groups of people. Refer to the video.
o Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson revised the language to emphasize criminal conduct in public spaces and
beyond/citywide.
o Councilor Carpenter explained that the intent was to use the Council committee structure to gather
feedback on the resolution. Refer to the video.
▪ Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson said there should have been a more intentional community
engagement process before the resolution was introduced.
▪ Councilor Grant emphasized that this concern has been raised previously and that resolutions
should include input from Councilors, City staff, department heads, community stakeholders,
social service organizations, and mutual aid groups.

Page 6 of 157

Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson noted that there was not enough information to verify what preliminary
community input was received before the resolution was introduced. The reference to preliminary input
was removed from the memo.
▪ Councilor Carpenter discussed the challenges of conducting community engagement while
complying with Open Meeting Laws. Refer to the video.
o Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson agreed to include additional written feedback from community members
and organizations as attachments to the memo. Refer to the video.
Recommended Action: Motion for the Committee to approve the memo and its recommendations and
forward it to the City Council for consideration
o Councilor Grant made a motion to approve the memo and its recommendations and forward it to City
Council.
o Councilor Carpenter expressed concern that the memo did not dully acknowledge the intent of the
resolution’s sponsors and was hesitant to endorse it without additional clarification.
▪ Councilor Grant emphasized the importance of considering the impact of the resolution on
community members, not only the intent of its authors. Refer to the video.
o Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson seconded the motion. The motion passed, the memo was approved and
will be forwarded to City Council.
Adjournment
o Councilor Sanchez-Parkinson adjourned the meeting at 1:30 pm.
o

•

•

Page 7 of 157

To: Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) City Council Committee
From: Laura Sánchez-Parkinson, Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) City
Council Committee Chair
Date: October 13, 2026
Subject: Strategizing and Investing in Burlington’s Youth
_____________
Over the past few months, I have worked to better understand the history and the City
of Burlington’s efforts to support youth. For this memo, “youth” refers to school-age
children and adolescents, approximately ages 5–18 (K–12). Although my exploration
has also included young adults ages 18–35, the focus here is on youth.
Through this memo I offer an overview of what I have learned and propose initial ideas
for the committee and community to engage and respond. My hope is that we can
co-create a proposal to inform policy, practices, and/or investments for the mayor and
city council to consider.

Background
In 1981, Mayor Bernie Sanders formed a task force on youth that later led to the
creation of the Youth Office. Its focus was on “providing opportunities to participate
and develop competence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.” The office’s core
efforts included creating a child care center, engaging youth in community service,
supporting the youth-produced Queen City Special community newspaper,
establishing a Teen Center, offering performing arts programs, and advocating for
legislation affecting children and their families. These efforts were supported primarily
by federal funding, supplemented by City Council and Neighborhood Planning
Assembly (NPA) funds.
Over time, these efforts evolved. Some responsibilities shifted to other departments,
and the Youth Office was eventually eliminated.

1
Page 8 of 157

City of Burlington Recent Efforts

Through meetings across all city departments, I have seen a deep commitment to
youth among staff. Programs and services across departments demonstrate a shared
responsibility for supporting young people. These include:
●​ Burlington City Arts: Classes, summer camps, Family Art Saturdays, and school
visits to the gallery.
●​ Fletcher Free Library: Youth book collections, learning resources, and
year-round programming.
●​ Parks, Recreation & Waterfront: Organized youth sports and camps.
●​ Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: The Juneteenth Youth
Leadership Award.
●​ Chittenden County Community Justice Center: Youth services, including
pre-charge referrals and restorative justice processes.
Human Resources has also partnered with departments, including Burlington Electric
and the Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO), to offer youth
internships. Other career exploration and youth input have occurred on an ad hoc basis,
including department visits through Burlington’s City & Lake Semester.
Many broader city services also benefit youth and their families. These include
downtown programming, recreation across our parks and waterfront, police and fire
services, and housing, water, and electricity assistance for families with low incomes.
Despite financial constraints in recent years, the City has continued to award small
grants to organizations such as Lund, Steps to End Domestic Violence, and CVOEO
that serve youth and families.
Community mobilization has also shaped the City’s response to youth support. Over
the past decade, incidents involving the policing of New American youth and youth
violence, have prompted community-led efforts that the City has at times supported
through funding and other resources.
The 2020 resolution on Racial Justice Through Economic and Criminal Justice called on
the city to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding between the Burlington
School District and the Burlington Police Department, ending the full-time use of
School Resource Officers and defining new roles that focus on restorative justice for
students. The resolution also redirected general funds to support a community-based
cultural empowerment center (now known as the Richard Kemp Center) which
supports youth identity and cultural development.

2
Page 9 of 157

Furthermore, after the 2022 death of a young adult from the Somali Bantu community,
the Vermont New American Advisory Council (VNAAC) convened community members
to “understand the root causes of gun violence affecting New American youth in
Burlington and to ultimately create a better system of care.” The resulting report was
shared with the City.
These conversations have resurfaced following the City’s 2026 use-of-force
settlement case involving the Burlington Police Department and a young Black
teenager, as well as the fatal stabbing of a young person from a New American
community. New 2026 data has also reinforced the ongoing challenges that the State
of Vermont is experiencing in retaining young people due to the cost of living.

What I’ve Heard from Community Leaders and Youth

Throughout this exploration, I have met with youth and community leaders including:
●​ Arts So Wonderful
●​ Burlington School District: including the Family and Community Collective, PTO
leaders, Office of Equity, and City & Lake Semester
●​ Boys & Girls Club of Burlington, Inc. (scheduled)
●​ Center City Little League
●​ Family Room (scheduled)
●​ King Street Center
●​ Richard Kemp Center
These initial conversations with city staff, organizational leaders, and youth have
helped me identify recurring themes. There are still more organizations and young
people to engage. But drawing on my experience as a qualitative researcher, I believe
the themes emerging across these conversations provide a useful starting point for
further discussion and community engagement.
Two gaps have consistently emerged:
1.​ A shared citywide strategy. Burlington lacks a clear overarching strategy to
guide how we work with, support, and invest in youth across departments and
community partnerships.
2.​ A dedicated point of contact. Youth, families, and youth-serving organizations
lack a clear, consistent point of contact for connecting with the City.
What I heard most often was a desire for greater coordination: a shared direction for
the City’s efforts and a reliable connection to city government. Addressing these needs

3
Page 10 of 157

would require staff capacity and resources, but could help us make better use of
existing programs, relationships, and investments.

Proposed Areas to Explore
Building on these conversations, I propose three areas for further exploration that
could inform a citywide youth strategy.
Area #1 Civic Engagement and Workforce Development
Municipal government offers important entry points for youth to participate in
democracy and explore careers in public service. Burlington could build on existing
efforts through:
●​ Internships and job shadowing. Advertise and recruit more intentionally for
seasonal jobs and internships, aligning outreach with high school academic and
career planning calendars. Job shadowing could offer additional opportunities to
learn about careers across city departments.
●​ Partnerships with career exploration programs. Strengthen connections with
existing programs, such as the King Street Academic & Career Exploration, and
create opportunities for city staff and elected officials to participate.
●​ A Day at City Hall. Offer opportunities for youth to explore what it means to
work and serve in municipal government. Activities could include educational
sessions, attending a City Council meeting, and having lunch with the mayor.
Together, these opportunities could help young people understand how local
government works, see themselves as participants in civic life, and explore future
employment with the City.
Area #2 Including Youth Voices to Inform Programs and Policy
Young people bring vibrancy to our city and offer critical insights and hope for our
community. Their perspectives help city staff and elected officials understand how
youth navigate Burlington, experience city services, and envision a future for
themselves.
City Council adopted a resolution, Expanding Youth Representation on City Boards, in
2003 (revised in 2021). Although this resolution established an important
commitment, implementation has fallen short. Based on community conversations and
my understanding of the operations, there are no youth currently serving on city
boards or commissions, and no established infrastructure to recruit, support, and
mentor those interested in participating. Without meaningful support and mentorship,

4
Page 11 of 157

these opportunities can become tokenizing and undermine our youth’s confidence in
their leadership.
I propose that we reimagine youth participation by centering their perspectives, needs,
and existing relationships. Initial possibilities include:
●​ Developing a group of paid youth consultants. Partner with programs such as
Burlington School District’s Racial Justice Academy, City & Lake Semester, and
Youth-led Participatory Action Research Program. Participants could build on
their existing leadership training, contribute to city decisions, and further
develop their leadership with support from trusted adult mentors.
●​ Engaging youth through trusted community programs. Build and foster
long-term partnerships with youth-serving organizations to facilitate
discussions on specific programs or policies. City staff and elected officials could
meet young people where they already gather, with support from the adults
and organizations they trust.
Youth engagement should also account for privacy and confidentiality. Before inviting
participation, the City should clarify any applicable public meeting, recording, or
disclosure requirements and explain them in accessible terms to youth and their
families.
Area #3 Convening Youth-Serving Organizations
Burlington has committed staff and organizations working to support youth. A regular
space for coordination could help them share efforts, identify opportunities for
collaboration, and support one another when challenges arise. Possible approaches
include:
●​ An internal city staff youth coalition. Bring together staff from departments
serving youth to develop a shared strategy, coordinate programming, and inform
investments.
●​ A citywide youth engagement coalition. Build on existing community efforts by
convening or supporting a coalition of youth-serving organizations. This could
strengthen communication with the City and ensure that these perspectives
inform program and policy development.
These proposed areas offer a starting point for a more coordinated approach to
supporting Burlington’s youth. Further engagement with young people, families, city
staff, and community partners can help clarify priorities, identify a sustainable point of
contact, and determine the capacity needed to carry this work forward.

5
Page 12 of 157

To: Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) City Council Committee
From: Laura Sánchez-Parkinson, Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) City
Council Committee Chair
Date: October 13, 2026
Subject: Strategizing and Investing in Burlington’s Youth
_____________
Over the past few months, I have worked to better understand the history and the City
of Burlington’s efforts to support youth. For this memo, “youth” refers to school-age
children and adolescents, approximately ages 5–18 (K–12). Although my exploration
has also included young adults ages 18–35, the focus here is on youth.
Through this memo I offer an overview of what I have learned and propose initial ideas
for the committee and community to engage and respond. My hope is that we can cocreate a proposal to inform policy, practices, and/or investments for the mayor and city
council to consider.

Background

In 1981, Mayor Bernie Sanders formed a task force on youth that later led to the
creation of the Youth Office. Its focus was on “providing opportunities to participate
and develop competence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.” The office’s core
efforts included creating a child care center, engaging youth in community service,
supporting the youth-produced Queen City Special community newspaper,
establishing a Teen Center, offering performing arts programs, and advocating for
legislation affecting children and their families. These efforts were supported primarily
by federal funding, supplemented by City Council and Neighborhood Planning
Assembly (NPA) funds.
Over time, these efforts evolved. Some responsibilities shifted to other departments,
and the Youth Office was eventually eliminated.

1
Page 13 of 157

City of Burlington Recent Efforts

Through meetings across all city departments, I have seen a deep commitment to
youth among staff. Programs and services across departments demonstrate a shared
responsibility for supporting young people. These include:
● Burlington City Arts: Classes, summer camps, Family Art Saturdays, and school
visits to the gallery.
● Fletcher Free Library: Youth book collections, learning resources, and yearround programming.
● Parks, Recreation & Waterfront: Organized youth sports and camps.
● Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging: The Juneteenth Youth
Leadership Award.
● Chittenden County Community Justice Center: Youth services, including precharge referrals and restorative justice processes.
Human Resources has also partnered with departments, including Burlington Electric
and the Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO), to offer youth
internships. Other career exploration and youth input have occurred on an ad hoc basis,
including department visits through Burlington’s City & Lake Semester.
Many broader city services also benefit youth and their families. These include
downtown programming, recreation across our parks and waterfront, police and fire
services, and housing, water, and electricity assistance for families with low incomes.
Despite financial constraints in recent years, the City has continued to award small
grants to organizations such as Lund, Steps to End Domestic Violence, and CVOEO
that serve youth and families.
Community mobilization has also shaped the City’s response to youth support. Over
the past decade, incidents involving the policing of New American youth and youth
violence, have prompted community-led efforts that the City has at times supported
through funding and other resources.
The 2020 resolution on Racial Justice Through Economic and Criminal Justice called on
the city to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding between the Burlington
School District and the Burlington Police Department, ending the full-time use of
School Resource Officers and defining new roles that focus on restorative justice for
students. The resolution also redirected general funds to support a community-based
cultural empowerment center (now known as the Richard Kemp Center) which
supports youth identity and cultural development.

2
Page 14 of 157

Furthermore, after the 2022 death of a young adult from the Somali Bantu community,
the Vermont New American Advisory Council (VNAAC) convened community
members to “understand the root causes of gun violence affecting New American
youth in Burlington and to ultimately create a better system of care.” The resulting
report was shared with the City.
These conversations have resurfaced following the City’s 2026 use-of-force
settlement case involving the Burlington Police Department and a young Black
teenager, as well as the fatal stabbing of a young person from a New American
community. New 2026 data has also reinforced the ongoing challenges that the State
of Vermont is experiencing in retaining young people due to the cost of living.

What I’ve Heard from Community Leaders and Youth

Throughout this exploration, I have met with youth and community leaders including:
● Arts So Wonderful
● Burlington School District: including the Family and Community Collective, PTO
leaders, Office of Equity, and City & Lake Semester
● Boys & Girls Club of Burlington, Inc.
● Center City Little League
● Family Room
● King Street Center
● Richard Kemp Center
These initial conversations with city staff, organizational leaders, and youth have
helped me identify recurring themes. There are still more organizations and young
people to engage. But drawing on my experience as a qualitative researcher, I believe
the themes emerging across these conversations provide a useful starting point for
further discussion and community engagement.
Two gaps have consistently emerged:
1. A shared citywide strategy. Burlington lacks a clear overarching strategy to
guide how we work with, support, and invest in youth across departments and
community partnerships.
2. A dedicated point of contact. Youth, families, and youth-serving organizations
lack a clear, consistent point of contact for connecting with the City.
What I heard most often was a desire for greater coordination: a shared direction for
the City’s efforts and a reliable connection to city government. Addressing these needs

3
Page 15 of 157

would require staff capacity and resources, but could help us make better use of
existing programs, relationships, and investments.

Proposed Areas to Explore

Building on these conversations, I propose three areas for further exploration that
could inform a citywide youth strategy.
Area #1 Civic Engagement and Workforce Development
Municipal government offers important entry points for youth to participate in
democracy and explore careers in public service. Burlington could build on existing
efforts through:
● Internships and job shadowing. Advertise and recruit more intentionally for
seasonal jobs and internships, aligning outreach with high school academic and
career planning calendars. Job shadowing could offer additional opportunities to
learn about careers across city departments.
● Partnerships with career exploration programs. Strengthen connections with
existing programs, such as the King Street Academic & Career Exploration, and
create opportunities for city staff and elected officials to participate.
● A Day at City Hall. Offer opportunities for youth to explore what it means to
work and serve in municipal government. Activities could include educational
sessions, attending a City Council meeting, and having lunch with the mayor.
Together, these opportunities could help young people understand how local
government works, see themselves as participants in civic life, and explore future
employment with the City.
Area #2 Including Youth Voices to Inform Programs and Policy
Young people bring vibrancy to our city and offer critical insights and hope for our
community. Their perspectives help city staff and elected officials understand how
youth navigate Burlington, experience city services, and envision a future for
themselves.
City Council adopted a resolution, Expanding Youth Representation on City Boards, in
2003 (revised in 2021). Although this resolution established an important
commitment, implementation has fallen short. Based on community conversations and
my understanding of the operations, there is are no youth currently serving on city
boards or commissions, and no established infrastructure to recruit, support, and
mentor those interested in participating. In the past, young people have served in the
Parks and Recreation Commission and most recently two youth are serving in the

4
Page 16 of 157

Fletcher Free Library Commission. However, wWithout meaningful support and
mentorship, these opportunities can become tokenizing and undermine our youth’s
confidence in their leadership.
I propose that we reimagine youth participation by centering their perspectives, needs,
and existing relationships. Initial possibilities include:
● Developing a group of paid youth consultants. Partner with programs such as
Burlington School District’s Racial Justice Academy, City & Lake Semester, and
Youth-led Participatory Action Research Program. Participants could build on
their existing leadership training, contribute to city decisions, and further
develop their leadership with support from trusted adult mentors.
● Engaging youth through trusted community programs. Build and foster longterm partnerships with youth-serving organizations to facilitate discussions on
specific programs or policies. City staff and elected officials could meet young
people where they already gather, with support from the adults and
organizations they trust.
Youth engagement should also account for privacy and confidentiality. Before inviting
participation, the City should clarify any applicable public meeting, recording, or
disclosure requirements and explain them in accessible terms to youth and their
families.
Area #3 Convening Youth-Serving Organizations
Burlington has committed staff and organizations working to support youth. A regular
space for coordination could help them share efforts, identify opportunities for
collaboration, and support one another when challenges arise. Possible approaches
include:
● An internal city staff youth coalition. Bring together staff from departments
serving youth to develop a shared strategy, coordinate programming, and
inform investments.
● A citywide youth engagement coalition. Build on existing community efforts by
convening or supporting a coalition of youth-serving organizations. This could
strengthen communication with the City and ensure that these perspectives
inform program and policy development.
These proposed areas offer a starting point for a more coordinated approach to
supporting Burlington’s youth. Further engagement with young people, families, city
staff, and community partners can help clarify priorities, identify a sustainable point of
contact, and determine the capacity needed to carry this work forward.
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To: City Council
From: Laura Sánchez-Parkinson, Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (REIB) City
Council Committee Chair
Date: September 11, 2026
Subject: Impact Assessment for the Burlington Forward Resolution
____________________________________________________________________________

Background
On August 3, 2026, the City Council introduced Burlington Forward: A Comprehensive
Framework for Safe Public Spaces and a Stronger Community and referred the
resolution to four committees, including the Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
(REIB) City Council Committee. The City Council’s motion stated:
“Refer the resolution to the Committees on Public Safety, REIB, CDNR, and PAC and
request a report back to the full Council on any recommended amendments on items
within each committee’s jurisdiction by September 14, 2026.”
Our Approach to Review the Resolution
Because the resolution did not identify specific provisions for review by the REIB
Committee, the Committee determined that a broader review of the resolution was
appropriate.
To conduct this review in a thoughtful and systematic way, Committee members
discussed using the State of Vermont Impact Assessment Tool as a guiding framework.
Developed by the Vermont Office of Racial Equity, the tool is designed to help assess
the potential impacts of proposed policies, including identifying unintended
consequences, considering who may be disproportionately affected, and ensuring that
proposed solutions respond to the needs of diverse communities. Using principles from
this framework, the REIB Committee reviewed both the process used to develop the
resolution and its content.

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Expert & Community Engagement
The REIB Committee held three meetings to engage the community and hear from
local and national experts including those with lived experience in the fields of
substance use, community safety, and mental health. Below are the meeting dates and
links to the agenda, minutes, and recordings:
●​ Tuesday, August 18, 2026
burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/10132/files/agenda/20799
●​ Tuesday, August 25, 2026
burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/10148/files/agenda/20859
●​ Tuesday, September 1, 2026
burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/10153/files/agenda/20921
Notably, we want to highlight meeting guests who helped inform the committee
discussions:
●​ Michael Curtin, Chief of Department, Burlington Fire Department
●​ Marsha McCombie, Battalion Chief of Emergency Medical Services, Burlington
Fire Department
●​ Brandon Marshall, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in
Epidemiology and Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University in Rhode
Island
●​ Kellen Russoniello, Director of Public Health, Drug Policy Alliance and Drug
Policy Action
●​ Jess Kirby, Director of Client Services, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform
●​ Rachel Jolly, Assistant Director, Community and Economic Development Office
(CEDO)
●​ Kate O’Neill, Vermont-based writer covering addiction crisis, sex trafficking, and
harm reduction.
Across the three meetings we engaged 50 community attendees, engaging them
during public forums and throughout our discussions for their input and insights.
Additionally, two members of the REIB Committee (Councilors Melo Grant and Laura
Sánchez-Parkinson) are members of the Public Safety Committee and Laura
Sánchez-Parkinson serves on the Community Development and Neighborhood
Revitalization (CDNR) committee where the resolution was also reviewed and
discussed. For meeting agendas, minutes, and recordings, please visit:
burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com

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We want to thank the community members who engaged throughout this process.
Their time and perspectives are critical to the future of the health and wellbeing of our
community.

Three Areas for Consideration
The REIB committee has identified high-level considerations for the resolution and for
future development of resolutions. These considerations were informed by committee
discussions and insights from experts and community members:
1.​ Reconsider the resolution’s structure and framing to reflect a systems-level
understanding of the challenges and clearly distinguish homelessness,
substance use, and mental illness from criminal conduct citywide.
The resolution would be strengthened by grounding its analysis in relevant
historical context and existing evidence-based frameworks. Although these
issues may intersect, treating them as interchangeable risks reinforcing harmful
assumptions and advancing short- and long-term responses that fail to address
their distinct causes and conditions.
2.​ Engage a diverse range of stakeholders early and meaningfully.
Effective policy development requires early input from people directly affected
by a proposal, city staff responsible for implementation, community partners,
and subject-matter experts. Introducing this resolution without sufficient
stakeholder engagement contributed to confusion, frustration, and limited
buy-in. Future proposals should consider incorporating engagement from the
outset to identify potential impacts and unintended consequences, strengthen
proposed solutions, and build shared understanding and support before
reaching the City Council.
3.​ Seek guidance early when considering proposals with potential legal and
budgetary implications.​
Consultation with the mayor and department heads, particularly the City
Attorney and Chief Administrative Officer can help determine whether proposed
actions are legally permissible and achievable. Proposals do not need to be fully
developed before they are introduced; however, the Council should be cautious
about advancing ideas that may create expectations among the public if
significant legal or budgetary limitations could ultimately prevent
implementation.

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The committee wants to thank city staff and community members who took the time to
offer detailed feedback on the resolution (see attachments), this includes:
●​ The Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
●​ Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA)
●​ Street CATs
We hope the City Council will consider the REIB Committee and community’s feedback
for the Burlington Forward resolution and the development of future resolutions.

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Resolution Related to
BURLINGTON FORWARD: A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SAFE PUBLIC SPACES AND A
STRONGER COMMUNITY
WHEREAS, Burlington's downtown, parks, sidewalks, streets, libraries, waterfront, bike paths,
and other public spaces are among the City's greatest civic assets. They are the places where
neighbors gather, children play, businesses and tourism thrives, visitors form lasting
impressions, and community life unfolds every day. Preserving these shared public spaces as
safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and well-maintained for everyone is among the City's most
fundamental responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that equitable access to public spaces requires attention to the
differing experiences, needs, and barriers faced by community members and visitors, including
people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, children and youth, older adults,
New Americans, and historically marginalized racial and ethnic communities; and
WHEREAS, over the past several years, the Burlington City Council has adopted multiple
resolutions and initiatives intended to strengthen public safety, improve community well-being,
expand access to housing and behavioral health services, and respond compassionately to the
challenges of homelessness, substance use, and mental illness; and
WHEREAS, the City of Burlington, together with healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations,
businesses, faith communities, neighborhood organizations, educational institutions, and
countless volunteers, has committed substantial public and private resources toward
emergency shelter, affordable housing, outreach, behavioral health services, recovery
programs, harm reduction initiatives, and other efforts intended to assist vulnerable members
of our community; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding these efforts and the extraordinary commitment of those serving
our community, persistent public safety concerns, including violence, drug and sex trafficking,
property crime, retail theft, and other unlawful conduct, continue to affect many individuals,
including those experiencing homelessness, addictionsubstance use disorder, and mental
illness, continue to be negatively affected by persistent public disorder, criminal activity,
violence, repeated overdoses, open drug dealing and use, prohibited camping, vandalism,
aggressive or threatening behavior, and other conduct that and unreasonably interfere
unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of Burlington's shared public spaces; and

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WHEREAS, Burlington is and will remain a compassionate community where residents
consistently demonstrate kindness and generosity toward neighbors experiencing
homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and other crises. This Resolution builds upon those
values; and
WHEREAS, the City Council also finds that allowing individuals to remain in circumstances that
jeopardize their health, safety, or dignity without meaningful intervention is neither
compassionate nor humane. Lasting compassion requires connecting people to treatment,
recovery, housing, supportive services, and, where appropriate, enforcement and
accountability for unlawful conduct that harms others or unreasonably interferes with the
public's use and enjoyment of shared public spaces; and
WHEREAS, the City Council rejects the false choice between compassion and public safety and
affirms that accountability, treatment, housing, recovery, public health, public safety, and
public order are complementary, interdependent responsibilities that must be pursued
together to advance the public interest and the dignity of every person; and
WHEREAS, the City further recognizes that Burlington cannot reasonably or sustainably serve as
the exclusive or primary provider of shelter, behavioral health services, and substance use
treatment for individuals from throughout Vermont and outside our state, and that these
challenges require sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont,
healthcare institutions, nonprofit organizations, and regional service providers to ensure that
responsibility is shared equitably throughout the region; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that systemic inequities—including racism, poverty, ableism,
discrimination, and unequal access to housing, healthcare, behavioral health services, and
economic opportunity—have contributed to the conditions addressed in this Resolution, and
that effective public policy should include a focus on reducing disparities while improving safety
and well-being for all residents; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that children and vulnerable adults who regularly witness openair drug use, drug transactions, and unmanaged mental health crises in public spaces may
experience significant psychological, developmental, and safety harms, including normalization
of substance use, exposure to trauma, disruption of a sense of safety and stability, and
increased risk of accidental contact with drug paraphernalia or hazardous materials; and
WHEREAS, sustained exposure to visible drug dealing and open-air drug markets in areas
frequented by families, including parks, schools, playgrounds, and public transit corridors, can
contribute to children’s fear, anxiety, and diminished use of public spaces intended for their
recreation and education; and

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WHEREAS, the presencenumber of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness or acute
mental health crisis in public spaces reflects broader gaps in the City’s housing, behavioral
health, and crisis response systems, and the City recognizes that effective, compassionate, and
adequately resourced responses to these conditions are essential both to protecting the dignity
and safety of the individuals experiencing them and to reducing the secondary impacts on
public spaces used by children and families; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes Burlington's longstanding commitment to racial justice,
including the objectives identified in its 2020 Racial Justice Through Economic and Criminal
Justice Resolution, and acknowledges that prior initiatives have experienced varying degrees of
implementation and effectiveness. The City Council further recognizes the importance of
evaluating both the intended objectives and actual outcomes of prior policies, preserving
successful initiatives, addressing unfinished work, or modifying approaches where necessary to
better advance public safety, racial equity, and community well-being; and
WHEREAS, in implementing this Resolution, the City shall ensure its Office of Racial Equity,
Inclusion, and Belonging is involved in identifying and addressing disparate impacts on
historically marginalized and underserved communities; protecting the dignity and civil rights of
all people; and ensuring reasonable opportunities for affected communities to participate in
decisions that impact them. The City shall seek to ensure that public safety, public health,
housing, behavioral health, enforcement, and policies governing our public spaces are
implemented consistently and in ways that do not disproportionately burden any racial, ethnic,
socioeconomic, disability, or other historically marginalized community; and
WHEREAS, restoring and preserving Burlington's public spaces requires clearly articulated
values, public policy, measurable implementation, meaningful accountability, prioritized
enforcement of our existing laws and ordinances, sustained regional partnership, and a
continuing commitment by every level of government and every community partner; and
WHEREAS, since this resolution was introduced on August 3, 2026, the City and its partners
have taken a number of actions consistent with the goals identified herein, including targeted
drug-enforcement operations in and around City Hall Park; expanded City-funded security to
support public events, including the Burlington Concert Band; and a series of new measures
specifically directed at improving conditions in City Hall Park, including the blocking of several
parking spaces along College Street and the temporary closure and replacement of the park’s
permanent restroom to reduce drug-related activity, the temporary installation of a mobile
360-degree local-use security camera, coordinated cleanups of the College Street sidewalk, a
new “Conversation Table” initiative to provide service and community connections in real time,
and the clearing of makeshift campsites consistent with City policies and applicable legal

Page 24 of 157

requirements. These actions, together with a bipartisan City Council resolution seeking
additional State assistance with homelessness and expanded shelter capacity, substance use,
mental health, and supplemental law enforcement resources, demonstrate growing recognition
that the goals identified in this Resolution require sustained action and coordinated efforts at
the local, regional, and State levels; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding these developments, recent events also demonstrate the difficulty
of achieving a sustainable regional response when surrounding communities are unwilling or
unable to share responsibility for addressing these challenges. Most notably, a neighboring
municipality recently opposed efforts to establish a proposed 100-bed, low-barrier emergency
shelter in an area zoned for this use. Such circumstances underscore the need for a more
equitable regional approach in which Burlington is not expected to bear a disproportionate
share of the responsibility for shelter, behavioral health, substance use, and related public
safety challenges affecting communities throughout the region.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Burlington City Council hereby adopts the
following policy framework to restore and preserve safe, welcoming, orderly, and accessible
public spaces; expand meaningful pathways to housing, treatment, and recovery; strengthen
accountability for unlawful conduct and conduct that unreasonably interferes with the use and
enjoyment of our shared public spaces; and promote shared regional responsibility for and
investment in addressing the complex challenges of homelessness, substance use disorder, and
behavioral health challengesoncerns.
ARTICLE I
Declaration of Purpose and General City Policy
Section 1.01. Purpose.
The purpose of this Resolution is to establish a comprehensive policy framework for restoring
and preserving Burlington's public spaces as safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and wellmaintained places for all residents and visitors, while continuing Burlington's longstanding
commitment to compassion, dignity, and meaningful support for individuals experiencing
homelessness, substance use disorder, behavioral health challenges, and other circumstances
requiring public assistance. To achieve these objectives, Burlington must realign its values and
related efforts using evidence, community input, and measurable outcomes to assess existing
approaches and develop revised strategies that advance safety, dignity, inclusion, belonging,
and equitable access to services. An honest assessment indicates that neither the current nor

Page 25 of 157

previous policy frameworks have achieved their intended results, making a revised strategiesy
necessary moving forward.
The City Council recognizes and deeply appreciates the substantial work already being
performed by City employees, community organizations, healthcare providers, law
enforcement personnel, businesses, faith communities, mutual aid groups, volunteers, and
other partners to address these complex challenges. The Council further recognizes that the
individuals carrying out this work are committed to serving the community and nothing in this
Resolution is intended to diminish, displace, or criticize that work. Rather, this Resolution is
intended to be supplemental and complementary to existing efforts, to strengthen
coordination and identify opportunities to improve outcomes, and to support those already
doing this work with the policies, resources, and partnerships necessary to succeed. The City
Council does not intend for City employees or community partners to be expected to
accomplish additional objectives without appropriate resources and support.
Section 1.02. General Policy.
It shall be the policy of the City Council that:
A. Burlington's public spaces belong to everyone. Every resident and visitor should be able to
use and enjoy the City's parks, streets, sidewalks, libraries, waterfront, bike paths, public
buildings, downtown, neighborhood business districts, and other public spaces safely and
without unreasonable interference or exposure to unlawful activity and disruptive behavior.
B. Compassion without accountability is not compassion. The City Council rejects the notion
that public safety requires choosing between compassion and accountabilitytolerance of
unlawful conduct is itself an act of compassion. No individual has the right to engage in
unlawful conduct or conduct that unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of
shared public spaces. Effective public policy requires both meaningful opportunities for
prevention, outreach, treatment, recovery, housing, and supportive services and while
consistent enforcingcement of criminal laws and municipal ordinances consistently, fairly, and
in accordance with due process. Enforcement shall focus on unlawful conduct and actual harm,
not on a person’s housing status, disability, health condition, or other protected characteristic.
that protect the public's health, safety, and welfare. The City shall pursue both objectives
compassion and accountability simultaneously to ensure that Burlington's public spaces remain
safe, welcoming, and accessible to all.
C. Individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, or behavioral health
challenges deserve meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services,
and long-term stability. Burlington shall continue advocating for coordinated regional and

Page 26 of 157

statewide responses to homelessness, behavioral health challenges, and substance use
disorder, recognizing that these challenges extend beyond Burlington's borders and require
sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont, healthcare providers,
nonprofit organizations, and other community partners.
D. Decisions affecting public spaces, public health services, municipal resources, and zoning
policy shall be guided by objective evidence, public transparency, measurable outcomes, and
accountability to the public. Public accountability requires admitting when systems and policies
have fallen short, and when existing social services lack the capacity to deliver the interventions
needed for consistent improved outcomes.
E. Public safety and equal protection under the law are complementary responsibilities. In
carrying out this Resolution, the City shall seek to ensure that public safety strategies are
implemented equitably, consistently, and without unlawful discrimination, while preserving the
City's ability to respond effectively to criminal activity, protect individuals from harm, and
maintain safe and accessible public spaces for all.
ARTICLE II
Protecting Burlington’s Public Spaces
Section 2.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to ensure restore and preserve Burlington and its public spaces
ares safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and well-maintained places that may be comfortably
enjoyed by residents and visitors of all ages while respecting the dignity of every person and
ensuring that public spaces remain available for their intended public use.
Section 2.02. Public Space Policy.
The City shall prioritize ensuring that the restoration and preservation of Burlington's public
spaces for the benefit of all residents and visitors regardless of housing status, disability, health
condition, or other protected characteristic. Public spaces shall be managed to encourage
lawful activity, positive broad community use, economic vitality, recreation, civic engagement,
and public enjoyment.
Public spaces should not merely be accessible; they should be places where residents and
visitors choose to gather and should reasonably expect to feel safe doing so.

Page 27 of 157

The City shall make it a top priority to ensure public spaces remain reasonably free from
unlawful conduct and conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of those spaces.
The City shall also ensure, and that such spaces are well maintained, clean, and reasonably free
of graffiti, litter, unattended personal belongings, and other conditions that detract from their
safety, accessibility, and public enjoyment. For unattended personal belongings, the City
Council requests that iImplementation of this Resolution shall include reasonable procedures to
protect and store unattended personal belongings, and the City Council supports the Mayor
and otherwise commits to acting in alignment with the City’s purchasing policy to support
sensible budget adjustments as necessary to support this Section’s goals.
Section 2.03. Activation of Public Spaces.
The City finds that well-programmed, well-maintained, and actively used public spaces are
among the most effective long-term strategies for promoting public safety, strengthening
community life, and discouraging unlawful and disruptive activity.
The City shall expand the activation of Burlington's public spaces through community
programming, arts and cultural events, recreational opportunities, family-oriented activities,
and partnerships that increase positive public use of parks, downtown, neighborhood business
districts, and other civic spaces. Consistent with the FY27 budget resolution, the City Council
requests that the Administration continue coordinating with the City Council's Parks, Arts &
Culture Committee to develop and implement these efforts.

Section 2.04. City Hall Park and Organized Activities.
The City Council further reaffirms its prior policies regarding the restoration and stewardship of
City Hall Park as outlined in the Council's August 2025 resolution concerning the management,
activation, and preservation of the Park. The City Council declares again that City Hall Park shall
remain one of Burlington's principal civic gathering spaces—welcoming, accessible, wellmaintained, and available for the broad enjoyment of residents and visitors.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council asks that the City
Attorney’s Office prepare and submit to the Council any ordinance amendments necessary to
clarify where organized activities may occur within City-owned public spaces, establish when
permits are required for such activities, and ensure that such activities do not materially
interfere with the intended public use of City Hall Park or other public spaces.

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The City Council requests that the Administration renew stalled efforts, in accordance with
applicable law and constitutional protections, to assist with navigating how to better
coordinate social service activities in City Hall Park with other events, programming, and public
uses of the Park. secure any available and necessary permits for, or if permits are unavailable,
offer alternative locations to unpermitted social service activities where participants could be
better served while preserving the Park's role as Burlington's principal civic gathering space. If
necessary to identify alternative locations, the City Council asks that the Administration
evaluate appropriate indoor and outdoor municipal facilities, including Contois Auditorium
where practicable and consistent with operational needs. Any relocation or alternative site for
social service activities shall be developed in consultation with affected service users and
providers, and reasonable efforts should be made to offer comparable or improved access,
accessibility, safety, and continuity of services.
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this ResolutionPrior to the spring season of 2027,
the City Council requests that the Department of Parks, Recreation & WaterfrontCity issue a
request for proposals seeking one or more vendors, nonprofit organizations, or other qualified
operators to activate the patio area located in the northeast corner of City Hall Park through
food and beverage concessions, retail kiosks, recreational uses, cultural programming, public
amenities, or other uses that increase positive public activity and enhance the visitor
experience. Any request for proposals shall encourage creative, seasonal, and year-round
activation strategies that promote regular public use of the space and are consistent with City
Hall Park's role as Burlington's principal civic gathering space.
Alternatively or in addition to these efforts, the Administration City may evaluate repurposing
the patio area or another area of the park as a centralized operational hub for public safety
personnel working alongside dedicated community resources and supports, in alignment with
similar proven strategies like those implemented at the Fletcher Free Library and the intent of
the City Council’s September 2024 resolution on establishing a downtown public safety hub, to
provide a visible, accessible, and continuous public safety presence within City Hall Park
alongside connections to community resources and services. This may require securing
additional physical space in the vicinity of City Hall Park for confidential conversations, deescalation support, and storing personal belongings.
In implementing the initiatives set forth in this Section, the City shall seek to engage a broad
and representative range of community organizations, including neighborhood associations,
youth-serving organizations, cultural organizations, and organizations representing historically
underserved and marginalized communities, to ensure that public-space programming reflects
Burlington's diversity and provides meaningful opportunities for participation and belonging.

Page 29 of 157

Section 2.045. Expansion of Public Safety Personnel and Public Space Response
Capacity.
The City’s sworn police officers, Community Service Officers, Urban Park Rangers, and other
civilian public safety personnel continue to perform their duties with exceptional dedication
and professionalism in protecting and preserving our public spaces. A number of these roles,
particularly sworn police officers, unfortunately continue to face significant challenges to
staffing, with available police officers consistently remaining at or below current levels since
2023. As the City continues with long-term efforts to rebuild its public safety infrastructure,
there is an immediate need to strengthen the City's visible presence within its public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council requests that the Administration act within sixty (60) days
following enactment of the Resolution to present recommendations to the Council on which
public safety roles can be most immediately and substantially increased, if even on a temporary
basis, to ensure more personnel are assigned to visible public safety and public space response
functions. Moreover, the City Council asks that the Chief of Police continue to regularly update
the Council’s Public Safety Committee on recruitment efforts at the Burlington Police
Department.
Immediately following enactment of this Resolution and in alignment with the goals of the “hot
spots” working group, and prior to delivering the above-requested recommendations, the City
Council requests that the Mayor continue to take the steps necessary to expand the visible
presence of public safety personnel in areas experiencing persistent public safety and public
order concerns, which the Mayor’s Administration has previously attempted to address through
its working group on “hot spots,” where ongoing conditions threaten public safety, diminish the
public's use and enjoyment of these spaces, and risk undermining the success of generational
projects like that at Burlington Square. For this purpose, the Mayor may use, as necessary, the
monies allocated by the City Council in the FY27 budget to contract with third-party public
safety personnel, including certified police officers. Additionally, to the extent permitted by
existing agreements with contracted public safety personnel, such as those currently assigned
to patrol municipal garages, the Mayor, in consultation with the Chief of Police, is authorized to
repurpose these personnel to higher priority areas. The City Council affirms that the use of any
contracted public safety personnel should be temporary in nature as the Burlington Police
Department continues to rebuild, that third-party agreements should be time-limited, and that
these contracts should include provisions by which contracted personnel will be subject to
municipal oversight and directives on, among other issues, use of force and Fair and Impartial
Policing.
Moreover, to the extent practicable and permitted by applicable collective bargaining
agreements, the City Council requests that the Administration recruit and organize one or more

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Public Space Response Teams comprised of City employees and employees of other local
organizations committed to the vitality of Burlington who voluntarily elect to participate and
successfully complete appropriate training. Modeled on coordinated public-space management
initiatives employed in other municipalities, these teams are intended to bring together existing
personnel with complementary skills, responsibilities, and areas of expertise to improve publicspace conditions through coordinated engagement, observation, maintenance, outreach, and
appropriate enforcement by duly authorized personnel. Public Space Response Teams shall
supplement, but not replace, traditional public safety resources by increasing the City's visible
presence within public spaces, promoting lawful and welcoming public use, and assisting in the
preservation of City property.
Public Space Response Teams shall operate under the direction and supervision of the City,
pursuant to clearly established operational protocols developed in consultation with the Chief
of Police and relevant department leadership. Such teams shall not constitute independent
enforcement organizations, and participation shall not confer any law enforcement or other
regulatory authority beyond that otherwise expressly authorized by applicable law. Personnel
shall exercise only those powers appropriate to their designated roles, training, and legal
authority, with matters requiring police intervention referred to sworn law enforcement
personnel.
If the City’s unionized staff are interested in this volunteer opportunity, the Council
acknowledges the potential need to submit proposals to municipal unions as necessary to
accommodate this. While participation by both unionized and non-union City employees would
be voluntary rather than mandated, it is the intent of this Resolution that City employees
participate on paid time. All public safety personnel and Public Space Response Teams shall
receive training in racial equity, implicit bias, de-escalation, disability awareness, traumainformed practices, cultural responsiveness, and constitutional and civil rights protections.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and consistent with appropriate training and supervision,
members of Public Space Response Teams may be authorized to:
A. Address and intercede conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of Burlington's public spaces, including, but not limited to, the open use of drugs
and alcohol, public intoxication, smoking where prohibited, disorderly behavior, and the
encumbrance of sidewalks and walking paths;
B. Issue municipal ordinance citations within the scope of their legal authority;
C. Issue notices against trespass to the extent permitted by local ordinance and take other
lawful actions necessary to protect City property and public spaces;

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D. Promote cleanliness and sanitation, identify maintenance concerns, and coordinate the
prompt removal of graffiti and other public nuisances; andor
E. Connect individuals experiencing crisis, homelessness, substance use disorder, or other
behavioral health needs with appropriate treatment, recovery, housing, and supportive
services.
The City Attorney and Chief Administrative Officer shall prepare and submit for Council
consideration any ordinance amendments, budget proposals, administrative policies, or other
measures necessary to implement this Section.
Section 2.056. Public Safety Cameras and Public Notification.
The City Council finds that visible public safety cameras, when lawfully deployed and
appropriately identified, deter unlawful conduct, assist in criminal investigations, and promote
public confidence in the safety of Burlington's public spaces.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council asks that the Chief
Information Officer prepare and submit to the Council a report identifying all City-owned or
City-operated public safety cameras currently operating within Burlington's downtown and
other public spaces. The report shall identify each camera's general location, operational status,
and any significant gaps in camera coverage requiring future consideration, provided that
nothing in this Section shall require disclosure of information that would compromise public
safety or law enforcement operations and the report will be provided confidentially to the
extent permitted by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law. Moreover, in carrying out this Section and
any future expansion of public safety camera systems, the City shall remain mindful of the
importance of protecting individual privacy and civil liberties and shall ensure that the
deployment, operation, and management of such systems are conducted in accordance with
applicable law and appropriate safeguards governing the collection, retention, access to, and
use of recorded data, including but not limited to the City’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.
After receiving this report, tThe City Council’s Public Safety Committee, in consultation with the
Parks, Arts & Culture Committee, may submit recommendations requestings that the
Administration install and maintain clear, visible signage at appropriate locations notifying the
public that public safety cameras are in operation. The Public Safety Committee may also
recommend how, if at all, the use of public safety cameras should be expanded or discontinued.
Such signage shall be designed to deter unlawful conduct while promoting public awareness
that public spaces are actively monitored for the protection of residents, visitors, businesses,
and City property.

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Moreover, in carrying out this Section and any future use of public safety camera systems, the
City shall remain mindful of the importance of protecting individual privacy and civil liberties
and shall ensure that the deployment, operation, and management of such systems are
conducted in accordance with applicable law and appropriate safeguards governing the
collection, retention, access to, and use of recorded data, including but not limited to the City’s
Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. The City shall not purchase, lease, install, operate, or
otherwise use automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras or systems, including Flock
Safety and any substantially similar technology, whether provided directly by a vendor or
accessed through a third party.
Section 2.067. Public Space Stewardship and Graffiti Removal.
Recognizing that clean, well-maintained public spaces contribute to public safety, civic pride,
and neighborhood vitality, the City Council requests that the Mayor coordinate with the
Council’s Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee to establish a public
space stewardship program to encourage and support volunteer participation in the prompt
removal of graffiti from public spaces and other beautification initiatives consistent with the
purposes of this Resolution. In establishing this public space stewardship program, the
Administration and CDNR Committee may collaborate with organizations and individuals
already volunteering to perform the expanded work called for in this Section. The Council also
encourages the Administration and CDNR Committee to work in partnership with
Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) and neighborhood residents in deciding
beautification priorities, especially communities that have historically been underinvested in.
Any program shall provide participating residents with appropriate training, safety guidance,
equipment, supplies, and other resources necessary to assist the City in removing graffiti from
publicly owned property in a safe, lawful, and coordinated manner.
The City Council reaffirms that the prompt removal of graffiti from privately owned property
remains the primary responsibility of the property owner. Any public space stewardship
program should also provide a mechanism through which private property owners may
authorize trained City employees or approved volunteers participating in the program to enter
their property for the purpose of removing graffiti, subject to such reasonable conditions and
limitations as the property owner may establish.
Section 2.078. Expanded Partnerships with Nonprofit Organizations and Private Property
Owners.
The City Council recognizes that restoring Burlington's public spaces requires meaningful
collaboration with businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith communities, and other private

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property owners whose properties directly influence the experience of surrounding
neighborhoods.
Accordingly, the City Council asks the Mayor to develop and make publicly available for private
property owners educational materials on:
A. Procedures for issuing notices against trespass as authorized by law;
B. Crime prevention and environmental design strategies; and
C. Details on the extent to which private property owners can be held criminally or civilly liable
for unlawful or other wrongful conduct permitted to continue on their premises;
DC. Other available tools to assist property owners in responding to unlawful activity while
promoting safe, welcoming, and well-maintained properties.
The City Council further asks the Mayor to engage with nonprofit organizations that provide
services to individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, mental health
challenges, or other vulnerabilities, and to relay the City’s request that such organizations
adopt reasonable expectations for respectful and lawful behavior on the organization's
property and within adjacent public rights-of-way and public spaces immediately surrounding
the organization's facilities, including expectations designed to discourage conduct that creates
public safety risks, interferes with the use and enjoyment of neighboring properties and public
spaces, or otherwise adversely affects the surrounding community. The City encourages
nonprofit organizations to communicate these expectations in a manner that preserves the
dignity of those receiving services while reinforcing shared responsibility for maintaining safe,
welcoming, and accessible neighborhoods.
Section 2.09. Public Space Performance Standards.
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Mayor collaborate with the City Council's Public Safety and Parks, Arts & Culture Committees to
adopt measurable performance standards for evaluating the condition of Burlington's public
spaces, which shall be publicly posted on the City’s Data Hub.
The standards shall include objective performance measures relating to, as appropriate:
A. Public safety conditions, including but not limited to the number of incidents, offenses, and
arrests in public spaces. Where possible and legally permissible, performance data should be
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, housing status, and other relevant
demographic factors to identify and address disparate impacts;

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B. Quality-of-life complaints, including but not limited to SeeClickFix reports on cleanliness and
sanitation, and graffiti response;
C. Public space activation and programming;
D. Visitor and resident use of public spaces; and
E. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines appropriate to
enable the City Council and the public to evaluate progress over time.
ARTICLE III
Sustainable Intervention and Regional Responsibility
Section 3.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to establish a sustainable framework for responding to
homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health challenges. The City Council
reaffirms Burlington's longstanding commitment to ensuring that individuals experiencing crisis
are afforded meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services, and
permanent housing while recognizing that emergency interventions must ultimately lead to
greater long-term stability, independenceautonomy, and well-being, and improved health
outcomes.
The City Council further recognizes that compassion requires meaningful intervention,
measurable results, and shared regional responsibility. Emergency measures are intended to
stabilize individuals and connect them to long-term solutions and should not become
permanent substitutes for housing, treatment, recovery, or personal stability. The Council
acknowledges that meaningful long-term strategies require time and resources to be
implemented, and that they should be trauma-informed, culturally responsive, accessible to
people with disabilities, and implemented consistently and fairly.
Section 3.02. Establishing Service Capacity.
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Mayor convene representatives of organizations providing emergency shelter, affordable
housing, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, healthcare, emergency response,
outreach, and other appropriate public and private partners to evaluate Burlington's
sustainable capacity to responsibly provide emergency shelter, sanctioned camping, outreach,
treatment, recovery services, and related supports. To the extent the City is already convening

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a group that includes the above-referenced stakeholders, the Administration may expand the
scope of that group’s work to include developing the assessment called for in this Section.
The assessment shall evaluate available staffing, financial resources, healthcare capacity,
emergency response capability, housing availability, case management, sanitation, public safety
impacts, fiscal sustainability, and such other operational considerations as may be appropriate.
Based upon that assessment, the City Council requests that the Mayor recommend the
maximum number of individuals that Burlington can sustainably and humanely serve at any
given time through the coordinated provision of emergency shelter, sanctioned camping,
outreach, treatment, recovery services, and related supports. The term “humanely,” for the
purposes of this Section, shall include but not be limited to consideration of the lived
experiences of people accessing services and whether services are accessible, culturally
responsive, disability-inclusive, trauma-informed, and effective. The recommendation shall
identify the methodology and assumptions used to establish that number and shall include
objective indicators by which the City may determine when Burlington has reached or exceeded
its sustainable service capacity.
The Mayor may periodically review the recommended sustainable service capacity and
recommend revisions to the City Council as conditions, available resources, or regional
participation materially change.

Section 3.023. Regional Responsibility.
The City Council affirms that homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health
challenges are regional and statewide challenges requiring regional and statewide solutions.
The City Council further finds that current conditions strongly indicate that Burlington is
providing services beyond what can be sustainably supported by its existing housing, shelter,
behavioral health, public safety, and municipal resources. While the assessment required by
Section 3.02 will establish a recommended sustainable service capacity, the City Council finds
that immediate action to promote greater regional responsibility should not await completion
of that assessment.
Burlington will continue to lead with compassion. Leadership, however, does not require
Burlington to serve as the exclusive or primary provider of services for individuals from
throughout Vermont.
The City Council requests that the Administration implement equitable policies and procedures
to ensure that, when Burlington has reached or exceeded its ability to sustainably and

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humanelye service capacity, individuals in need, it will continue to ensure individuals seeking
services are connected with available housing, shelter, treatment, recovery, behavioral health,
and other supportive services in other communities, including through transportation
assistance where appropriate. The City shall actively work with the State of Vermont,
neighboring municipalities, healthcare providers, housing organizations, and regional service
providers to expand service capacity throughout the region so that responsibility for serving
vulnerable individuals is shared more equitably. Regional responsibility shall be pursued
through shared investment and expanded service capacity across municipalities, rather than
through exclusion or displacement of individuals based on their place of origin or current
residence.

Section 3.034. Expanded Temporary Emergency Shelter Space and Sanctioned
Camping.
Within ninety (90)thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council
requests a formal memo from the City Attorney’s Office regarding the possibility of that the
Administration designatinge one or more locations for expanded temporary emergency shelter
space or sanctioned camping to be utilized only when necessary to supplement available
capacity at established emergency shelters.
Any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping location shall be
subject to approval by the City Council and generally situated outside Burlington's downtown
core, waterfront, shared-use path network, and heavily utilized public parks and shall be
selected with due consideration for surrounding neighborhoods, public infrastructure,
environmental impacts, and the availability of supportive services. To best serve individuals
able to utilize this location or locations, efforts will be made to designate locations with access
to drinking water, toilets, shower facilities and handwashing stations, laundry, electricity, and
dumpsters. To that end, the City Council acknowledges that while temporary emergency shelter
space is preferable to sanctioned camping, neither should be considered a permanent housing
solution and should be utilized only for the duration necessary to transition individuals to more
appropriate placementshousing options.
Prior to approving any designated locations under this Section, the City Council will expect that
the location will adopt and enforce operational standards governing admission, sanitation,
security, storage of belongings, code of conduct, outreach, behavioral health services,
treatment referrals, housing navigation, transportation, case management, and ongoing
program evaluation.

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The City Council asks that the Administration establish measurable performance standards for
any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping and shall publish the
resulting performance data in an anonymized, publicly accessible format on the City's website
no less frequently than monthly. At a minimum, the publicly reported data shall include:
A. The number of individuals served during the reporting period and cumulatively;
B. The average daily occupancy and utilization rate;
C. The number and percentage of participants successfully transitioned to emergency shelter,
treatment, recovery programs, permanent supportive housing, permanent housing, or other
stable housing placements;
D. The average length of stay for participants;
E. The number of emergency service responses to a location; and
F. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines are appropriate to
evaluate whether a location is functioning as a temporary intervention that promotes health,
safety, and successful transitions to more appropriate placements.
Section 3.045. Unauthorized Encampments.
The City Council finds that unauthorized encampments located in areas where camping is
specifically prohibited are inconsistent with the policies established by this Resolution.
Consistent with applicable legal requirements and in accordance with the City’s Sheltering on
Public Lands Policy, the City Council requests that the Administration act more promptly upon
discovery of a prohibited encampment, generally within twenty-four (24) hours, to provide
notice of a specified date on which the encampment will face ticketing, no trespass orders,
other legal action, and removal of any remaining items. This date should be as soon as
reasonably practicable following the provision of notice, allowing sufficient time for affected
individuals to make alternative arrangements while protecting public health, public safety,
environmental resources, and the public's continued use and enjoyment of Burlington's public
spaces.
Prior to removal, the City shall make reasonable efforts to identify and offer accessible
alternatives, provide adequate notice consistent with applicable law, protect and store personal
property, and connect individuals with housing and services. In accordance with the City’s
policy regarding Ssheltering on Ppublic Llands Policy, encampments noticed for removal will be
provided contact information from local social service organizations serving unsheltered

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residents, the State of Vermont’s Coordinated Entry Screening Form with instructions,
information on other available community resources, information on the officials responsible
for an encampment that is not removed, and details on where any collected personal property
will be stored.
For the purposes of this Article, the City Council notes that Section 22-7 of the Burlington Code
of Ordinances provides that “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to camp in any public park in
the city.” Section 22-1 enumerates the City’s parks and Section 22-23 further provides that “the
land known as Urban Reserve … shall be considered a city park subject to this chapter.”
To the extent the City does not have sufficient staffing capacity to comply with this Section, the
City Council asks that the Mayor’s Administration act within sixty (60) days following enactment
of this Resolution to present recommendations to the Council detailing how it will promptly
increase the number of personnel authorized and trained to provide notices of removal and
conduct associated outreach. The recommendations shall identify the staffing, organizational
changes, funding, and implementation timeline necessary to ensure that notices of removal are
issued consistently throughout the City.
The City Council requests that the Administration establish measurable performance standards
governing the City's response to prohibited encampments and shall publish the resulting
performance data in a publicly accessible format on the City's website no less frequently than
monthly. At a minimum, the publicly reported data shall include:
A. The number of prohibited encampments identified during the reporting period;
B. The average time between identification of a prohibited encampment and issuance of a
notice of removal;
C. The average time between issuance of notice and removal of the encampment;
D. The number and percentage of individuals contacted who accepted referrals or were
successfully connected to shelter, a sanctioned camping location, coordinated entry, behavioral
health services, treatment, recovery services, or other supportive services prior to or following
removal of the encampment; and
E. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines are appropriate to
evaluate the effectiveness of the City's outreach and enforcement efforts.
Section 3.056. Accountability and Enforcement.

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The City Council reaffirms that every individual is entitled to dignity, due process, and
meaningful opportunities to obtain treatment, recovery services, shelter, and supportive
services. The City further reaffirms its commitment to prevention, treatment, recovery, and
other evidence-based public health interventions.
The City Council rejects the notion that enforcing our laws and ordinances in response to
unlawful conduct is an uncaring or unempathetic act, or that tolerance of unlawful conduct is
itself an act of compassion. Effective public policy requires meaningful opportunities for
treatment and recovery together with consistent enforcement of criminal laws that protect the
public and preserve Burlington's shared public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that Burlington will not tolerate drug trafficking, violent
crime, or illegal activity that impacts the unlawful open use of controlled substances, retail theft
and other property crimes that frequently support substance use disorder, or other criminal
conduct that threatens public safety or unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of shared public spaces.
The City Council further declares that enforcement of local and statethese laws shall remain a
priority of the City. The Council supports proactive investigation, lawful detention where
appropriate, arrest when supported by the facts and authorized by law, and referral for
prosecution of individuals engaged in such criminal activity. Nothing in this Resolution shall be
construed to discourage law enforcement officers from taking appropriate enforcement action
authorized by law in response to these offenses.
The City shall continue pursuing treatment and recovery for those willing to accept assistance
while supporting the investigation, arrest where authorized by law, prosecution, and
appropriate proportionate and lawful consequencespunishment forof individuals whose
criminal conduct perpetuates addiction, victimizes residents and businesses, or undermines the
safety and vitality of Burlington's public spaces, including treatment, diversion, restorative
justice, or other alternatives where appropriate. Refusal or failure to participate in options
offered shall not result in the City ceasing efforts to address criminal conduct.
The City further recognizes the misdemeanor classification of drug trafficking under current law
limits the tools available to the Burlington Police Department and other law enforcement
agencies, hindering their ability to meaningfully disrupt the open operation of drug dealers in
our downtown core.
The City Council and Mayor’s Office shall make every effort to engage with the State’s
legislative delegation, State policymakers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other relevant
partners to examine how Vermont law addresses repeat offenses involving the unlawful sale

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and distribution of regulated drugs, including lower-level offenses that may not meet the
statutory thresholds for more serious charges, and to consider whether statutory changes are
warranted to better equip municipalities, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts to
effectively address persistent open-air drug dealing and trafficking in shared public spaces.
The City Council's Public Safety Committee and Ordinance Committee, in conjunction with the
City Attorney's Office, will also further examine current local ordinances under Chapter 21,
Articles I and III, including but not limited to those establishing the “city circle” initiative, to
assess their effectiveness and recommend any changes necessary to ensure a greater level of
accountability for offenses and related harm in our community. In conducting this review, these
Committees will examine why current violations addressed through the “city circle” or related
initiatives that rise to the level of criminal penalties have not yet been referred to the judicial
system. To the extent these Committees recommend continuing with the “city circle” or any
related initiatives, the Council seeks a better understanding of which types of offenses are, and
should be, referred to the judicial system in the future.
Furthermore, the City Council notes that both the Situation Table and City Circle initiatives were
implemented to improve outcomes for individuals at elevated risk of involvement with the
criminal justice system, behavioral health crises, substance use, and homelessness, including by
reducing emergency department utilization, overdoses, and other preventable harms, while
also providing a more immediate and consistent system of accountability for individuals who
repeatedly violate municipal ordinances.
The City Council is particularly concerned that the City Circle initiative, which was previously
identified by the Mayor's Administration as a key component of Burlington's strategy to
improve public safety and accountability, appears to have been substantially curtailed or
discontinued. The Council further understands that this change may have been attributable, in
whole or in part, to reductions in available funding, and seeks clarification regarding the status
of the initiative, the reasons for any changes in its implementation, and whether alternative
funding sources or program models have been considered. The Council is also concerned that,
to its knowledge, the accountability mechanisms contemplated by the City Circle model,
including prosecution or other consequences for participants who failed to comply with
restorative justice requirements, have not been meaningfully utilized, and requests information
sufficient to evaluate whether the program has operated as originally intended.
Within thirty (30) days of the adoption of this Resolution, the City Council's Public Safety
Committee shall prepare and deliver a list of questions to the Mayor's Administration, the City
Attorney's Office, and the Community Justice Center, the responses to which shall provide the
Council with a comprehensive update regarding the Situation Table and City Circle initiatives,

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including, at a minimum: (i) the current operational status of each initiative; (ii) participation
levels and measurable outcomes for individuals served; (iii) data concerning compliance with
restorative justice requirements and any enforcement or prosecutorial actions taken in
response to noncompliance, to the extent permitted by law; (iv) the funding sources supporting
each initiative, including any reductions or anticipated funding gaps; and (v) recommendations
for the continuation, modification, expansion, or replacement of these initiatives based on their
first year of implementation.
Section 3.067. Request for Ongoing Assistance From State Public Safety Personnel
Recognizing Burlington's ongoing public safety resource challenges, the City Council calls upon
the Vermont State Police to continue partnering with the Burlington Police Department by
providing supplemental law enforcement resources in and around the City's downtown and
other locations where additional law enforcement presence is necessary to protect public
safety, address criminal activity, and restore public confidence in Burlington's public spaces.
Separately, the City Council calls upon the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement
Division to expand traffic enforcement efforts within the City of Burlington’s principal
transportation corridors, including the new Champlain Parkway, where speeding, reckless
driving, excessive engine noise, and other traffic violations have become persistent public
safety and quality-of-life concerns.
The City Council affirms that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, it welcomes and
consents to the enforcement of both the laws of the State of Vermont and the ordinances of
the City of Burlington by duly authorized State law enforcement officers operating within the
City, consistent with their statutory authority and any applicable intergovernmental
agreements governing such enforcement. In addition, state and local law enforcement agencies
should coordinate to ensure consistent standards, accountability, community engagement, and
compliance with racial equity and civil rights protections.
Section 3.07. Community Stabilization and Diversion Center.
The City Council recognizes that law enforcement officers, social service agencies, and
emergency medical personnel frequently encounter individuals experiencing public intoxication
or substance use-related crises for whom neither incarceration nor emergency hospitalization
may be the most appropriate response. The Council further recognizes that the absence of
readily accessible alternatives can strain limited public safety, social services, and emergency
medical resources, while leaving vulnerable individuals without a safe, supervised environment
in which to stabilize and access needed support.

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Accordingly, the City Council expresses its support for exploring the establishment or expansion
of a Community Stabilization and Diversion Center, modeled after programs in San Francisco,
California; Austin, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Grants Pass, Oregon, among other
communities, as well as previous public inebriate programs available in Burlington. Such a
facility could provide a safe, supervised alternative to incarceration or unnecessary emergency
hospitalization, offering short-term stabilization and opportunities to connect individuals with
treatment, recovery, housing, and other supportive services.
The City Council requests that its Public Safety Committee, in consultation with the
Administration, Burlington Police Department, Burlington Fire Department, and other
appropriate community partners, review the feasibility of such a facility and develop a
proposed resolution establishing the City's position on its creation or expansion. In conducting
this review, the Committee should consider:
1. Existing Resources and Community Needs: The availability, capacity, and limitations of
existing services and the need for additional stabilization and diversion capacity.
2. Facility Operations: Potential models providing 24-hour access, short-term stays,
appropriate medical supervision, trained peer support, low-barrier admission, and
voluntary connections to treatment and supportive services.
3. Coordination with Public Safety, Social Services, and Healthcare Partners: Procedures for
referral, transportation, admission, and discharge, including opportunities for law
enforcement, emergency medicine providers, and outreach personnel to divert eligible
individuals from incarceration or unnecessary emergency department utilization.
4. Implementation and Funding: Potential locations, operating partners, estimated costs,
funding sources, and opportunities for municipal, regional, state, healthcare, and
nonprofit collaboration.
5. Legal Considerations: Applicable Vermont laws governing consent, protective custody,
admission and discharge authority, and the legal safeguards necessary to protect
participants, staff, and the public.
The Committee should also consider whether complementary low-barrier daytime respite or
engagement facilities could provide individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use
disorder, or other behavioral health issues with safe, supervised places to spend time outside of

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public spaces, while facilitating access to outreach, treatment, recovery, housing, and other
supportive services.
The Public Safety Committee is requested to complete its review and present a proposed
resolution to the full City Council within one hundred twenty (120) days following enactment of
this Resolution.
ARTICLE IV
Public Health Policy and Permitted Uses
Section 4.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to establish the City's policy regarding the implementation of
significant public health initiatives, to reaffirm the City Council's legislative role in establishing
zoning policy, and to strengthen collaboration between the City of Burlington and the State of
Vermont in addressing public safety, behavioral health, and substance use challenges.
Section 4.02. Public Health Policy and Zoning.
The City Council continues to support accessible, evidence-based public health initiatives that
improve individual and community health while recognizing that the location, operation, and
long-term impacts of significant public health services should be considered through
transparent public processes consistent with the City's Comprehensive Development Ordinance
and adopted zoning policy. Zoning decisions shall also consider potential disparate impacts on
historically marginalized communities.
The City Council finds that significant public health services with that may have substantial
neighborhood impacts should not be established through administrative interpretation where
doing so effectively creates a new principal use not expressly identified within the
Comprehensive Development Ordinance.
Section 4.03. Overdose Prevention Centers.
The City Council finds that overdose prevention centers are not presently identified as expressly
permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive Development Ordinance.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize overdose prevention
centers within the City of Burlington should proceed only through amendment of the

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Comprehensive Development Ordinance following public notice, public hearing, and legislative
action by the City Council.
The City Council further declares that, should such an amendment be proposed, overdose
prevention centers should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown Improvement
District, as defined by the City’s Charter.
The Council stands by its previous acknowledgments that overdose prevention centers may
serve populations experiencing significant health disparities. They may also help reduce the
amount of public drug use occurring in our shared public spaces. Any consideration of a
potential overdose prevention center location shall include an evidence-based assessment of
public health outcomes, anticipated community impacts, equity, accessibility, and the potential
benefits and risks to people who use drugs and the broader community.
Section 4.04. Syringe Service Programs.
The City Council finds that syringe service programs are a valuable public health strategy but
are not presently identified as expressly permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance and should not be deemed to constitute any currently permitted
principal use absent express legislative authorization.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize syringe service programs
as a principal use should proceed only through amendment of the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance through the City's legislative zoning amendment process.
The City Council further declares that while syringe service programs should continue to be
supported in Burlington, they should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown
Improvement District, as defined by the City’s Charter. The City Council opposes the continued
operation or establishment of syringe service programs within Burlington's downtown core and
calls upon the Vermont Department of Health to work collaboratively with the City and local
operating partners to identify an accessible alternative location that better advances public
health objectives while supporting the restoration and preservation of Burlington's public
spaces.
The City Council further calls upon the Vermont Department of Health to consult and
collaborate with the City before establishing, relocating, or materially expanding significant
public health services within Burlington so that public health objectives, zoning policy,
neighborhood compatibility, and impacts upon public spaces may all be appropriately
considered. The Mayor’s Administration shall promptly notify the City Council upon learning of
State-sanctioned efforts to expand public health services within Burlington.

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Additionally, within sixty (60) days following enactment of this Resolution, the City Council’s
Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee shall begin meeting to develop
a resolution that reaffirms, revises, or develops new recommendations from its previously
developed report on syringe litter that will further the goals of this Section.
The City Council affirms that the positions taken in this Article regarding an Overdose
Prevention Center or Syringe Service Programs are in alignment with Burlington’s current
comprehensive municipal plan, which acknowledges the difficulties associated with the
proximity of drug trafficking and use to those in recovery, and provides in pertinent part that:
[H]igh concentration of social service providers can become easily
unmanageable if all stakeholders are not working together,
keeping an eye on some of the larger interactions and their
implications. For example, the downtown is arguably not the best
environment for people recovering from alcohol and drug
addiction. The presence of active drug dealing and the highest
concentration of drinking establishments in the state create
serious challenges for those in recovery.
ARTICLE V
Implementation, Accountability, State Partnership, and Continuing Oversight
Section 5.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to ensure that the policies established by this Resolution are
translated into coordinated action through measurable implementation, public accountability,
regular reporting, and continuing oversight by the City Council.
Section 5.02. Partnership with the State of Vermont.
The City Council appreciates the Governor’s most recent efforts to support Burlington with
additional public safety resources and calls upon the Governor to establish a sustained
partnership with the City of Burlington to continue addressing the unique public safety,
behavioral health, homelessness, and substance use challenges confronting Vermont's largest
municipality.
The City Council requests that the Mayor invite representatives of the Governor's Office and
appropriate State agencies to meet annually with the Administration, City Council, State
legislators, and other regional leaders to evaluate regional progress, identify barriers to

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collaboration, and recommend additional actions to strengthen the partnership between the
City of Burlington, surrounding communities, and the State of Vermont.
The City Council specifically reaffirms the goals and requests set forth in its unanimously
supported August 24, 2026 resolution seeking State support to address homelessness,
substance use disorder, mental health concerns, and public safety, including, but not limited to,
establishing expanded year-round, low-barrier emergency shelter capacity for both overnight
and daytime services; increasing access to mental health treatment and substance-use recovery
services; and strengthening coordinated State and local law enforcement efforts.
The City Council further requests that State partnerships supported by this Resolution advance
equitable access to public safety, housing, behavioral health, substance use treatment,
recovery, and related supportive services, with attention to reducing disparities in service
access and outcomes. These partnerships should incorporate measurable public health and
community well-being objectives alongside public safety objectives.
The City Council specifically refers back to the requests included in its August 2025 resolution
on City Hall Park and its asks for the following specific actions by the State of Vermont and
Governor to support Burlington in addressing chronic safety and health challenges: (1) Convene
a county-wide committee of local, county and state law enforcement agencies to develop a
coordinated response to drug trafficking and related crimes; (2) Convene youth service
providers, schools, and staff from the Agency of Human Services to specifically examine trends
among juveniles engaged in violence, drugs, and gun possession to identify strategies to
interrupt these trends for at-risk juveniles; and (3) Convene a public health strategy discussion
between members of the Department of Health and Department of Mental Health to examine
how to remove barriers to treatment and address limited capacity to existing drug treatment
centers to support people living with substance use disorder finding easier pathways to
treatment and recovery.
The City Council further recognizes the substantial progress achieved through the Chittenden
County Accountability Docket, which demonstrated that dedicated judicial resources could
promote more timely case resolution, meaningful accountability, improved access to treatment
and services, and greater confidence in the administration of justice for harm done to our
communities. Accordingly, the City Council requests that the Governor, in coordination with the
Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and other appropriate State officials, continue and,
as appropriate, institutionalize this model in Chittenden County by supporting the continued
assignment of a dedicated judge, prosecutor, public defender, and necessary court personnel
and resources to ensure the prompt adjudication of cases involving repeat offenders and
individuals with multiple pending criminal matters.

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Section 5.03. Legislative Partnership with the Vermont General Assembly.
The City Council calls upon the members of the Chittenden County Senate and House
delegations, together with members of the Vermont General Assembly representing
communities throughout the State, to support the enactment and strengthening of laws that
advance the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further calls upon the General Assembly to work collaboratively with
municipalities, public safety agencies, healthcare providers, service organizations, and other
stakeholders to enact legislation that:
A. Strengthens public safety while protecting individual civil rights, advancing equity, and
ensuring due process and equal protection under the law;
B. Expands access to and investment in behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery
services, and permanent supportive housing throughout Vermont;
C. Promotes equitable regional responsibility for addressing homelessness and behavioral
health challenges while ensuring that individuals are not denied access to essential services
based on race, ethnicity, disability, income, housing status, or place of origin;
D. Provides municipalities with appropriate legal authority and resources to restore and
preserve public spaces;
E. EncouragesSupports timely access to appropriate support intervention for individuals
experiencing behavioral health crises or substance use disorder;
F. Improves coordination among State agencies and municipalities; and
G. Otherwise advances the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further directs the Mayor and the City's legislative representatives to advocate
for legislation consistent with these principles and to report to the City Council regarding
significant legislative developments affecting implementation of this Resolution.
Section 5.04. Continuing Commitment.
The City Council adopts this Resolution not merely as a response to current conditions, but as a
continuing statement of municipal policy intended to guide future legislative decisions,
strengthen public confidence in local government, and restore and preserve Burlington's public
spaces for future generations.

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The City Council believes that the strength of a community is measured not only by how it
responds to those in crisis, but also by how faithfully it preserves the public spaces that belong
to everyone. Through this Resolution, Burlington recommits itself to both responsibilities and
affirms that they are inseparable from one another. A community is strongest when every
person can participate in public life with dignity, safety, and a meaningful sense of belonging.

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Resolution Related to
BURLINGTON FORWARD: A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SAFE PUBLIC SPACES AND A
STRONGER COMMUNITY
WHEREAS, Burlington's downtown, parks, sidewalks, streets, libraries, waterfront, bike paths,
and other public spaces are among the City's greatest civic assets. They are the places where
neighbors gather, children play, businesses and tourism thrives, visitors form lasting
impressions, and community life unfolds every day. Preserving these shared public spaces as
safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and well-maintained for everyone is among the City's most
fundamental responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that equitable access to public spaces requires attention to the
differing experiences, needs, and barriers faced by community members and visitors, including
people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, children and youth, older adults,
New Americans, and historically marginalized racial and ethnic communities; and
WHEREAS, over the past several years, the Burlington City Council has adopted multiple
resolutions and initiatives intended to strengthen public safety, improve community well-being,
expand access to housing and behavioral health services, and respond compassionately to the
challenges of homelessness, substance use, and mental illness; and
WHEREAS, the City of Burlington, together with healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations,
businesses, faith communities, neighborhood organizations, educational institutions, and
countless volunteers, has committed substantial public and private resources toward
emergency shelter, affordable housing, outreach, behavioral health services, recovery
programs, harm reduction initiatives, and other efforts intended to assist vulnerable members
of our community; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding these efforts and the extraordinary commitment of those serving
our community, persistent public safety concerns, including violence, drug and sex trafficking,
property crime, retail theft, and other unlawful conduct, continue to affect many individuals,
including those experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, and mental illness, and
unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of Burlington's shared public spaces; and
WHEREAS, Burlington is and will remain a compassionate community where residents
consistently demonstrate kindness and generosity toward neighbors experiencing

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homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and other crises. This Resolution builds upon those
values; and
WHEREAS, the City Council also finds that allowing individuals to remain in circumstances that
jeopardize their health, safety, or dignity without meaningful intervention is neither
compassionate nor humane. Lasting compassion requires connecting people to treatment,
recovery, housing, supportive services, and, where appropriate, enforcement and
accountability for unlawful conduct that harms others or unreasonably interferes with the
public's use and enjoyment of shared public spaces; and
WHEREAS, the City Council rejects the false choice between compassion and public safety and
affirms that accountability, treatment, housing, recovery, public health, public safety, and
public order are complementary, interdependent responsibilities that must be pursued
together to advance the public interest and the dignity of every person; and
WHEREAS, the City further recognizes that Burlington cannot reasonably or sustainably serve as
the exclusive or primary provider of shelter, behavioral health services, and substance use
treatment for individuals from throughout Vermont and outside our state, and that these
challenges require sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont,
healthcare institutions, nonprofit organizations, and regional service providers to ensure that
responsibility is shared equitably throughout the region; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that systemic inequities—including racism, poverty, ableism,
discrimination, and unequal access to housing, healthcare, behavioral health services, and
economic opportunity—have contributed to the conditions addressed in this Resolution, and
that effective public policy should include a focus on reducing disparities while improving safety
and well-being for all residents; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes that children and vulnerable adults who regularly witness openair drug use, drug transactions, and unmanaged mental health crises in public spaces may
experience significant psychological, developmental, and safety harms, including normalization
of substance use, exposure to trauma, disruption of a sense of safety and stability, and
increased risk of accidental contact with drug paraphernalia or hazardous materials; and
WHEREAS, sustained exposure to visible drug dealing and open-air drug markets in areas
frequented by families, including parks, schools, playgrounds, and public transit corridors, can
contribute to children’s fear, anxiety, and diminished use of public spaces intended for their
recreation and education; and

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WHEREAS, the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness or acute mental
health crisis in public spaces reflects broader gaps in housing, behavioral health, and crisis
response systems, and the City recognizes that effective, compassionate, and adequately
resourced responses to these conditions are essential both to protecting the dignity and safety
of the individuals experiencing them and to reducing the secondary impacts on public spaces
used by children and families; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes Burlington's longstanding commitment to racial justice,
including the objectives identified in its 2020 Racial Justice Through Economic and Criminal
Justice Resolution, and acknowledges that prior initiatives have experienced varying degrees of
implementation and effectiveness. The City Council further recognizes the importance of
evaluating both the intended objectives and actual outcomes of prior policies, preserving
successful initiatives, addressing unfinished work, or modifying approaches where necessary to
better advance public safety, racial equity, and community well-being; and
WHEREAS, in implementing this Resolution, the City shall ensure its Office of Racial Equity,
Inclusion, and Belonging is involved in identifying and addressing disparate impacts on
historically marginalized and underserved communities; protecting the dignity and civil rights of
all people; and ensuring reasonable opportunities for affected communities to participate in
decisions that impact them. The City shall seek to ensure that public safety, public health,
housing, behavioral health, enforcement, and policies governing our public spaces are
implemented consistently and in ways that do not disproportionately burden any racial, ethnic,
socioeconomic, disability, or other historically marginalized community; and
WHEREAS, restoring and preserving Burlington's public spaces requires clearly articulated
values, public policy, measurable implementation, meaningful accountability, prioritized
enforcement of our existing laws and ordinances, sustained regional partnership, and a
continuing commitment by every level of government and every community partner; and
WHEREAS, since this resolution was introduced on August 3, 2026, the City and its partners
have taken a number of actions consistent with the goals identified herein, including targeted
drug-enforcement operations in and around City Hall Park; expanded City-funded security to
support public events, including the Burlington Concert Band; and a series of new measures
specifically directed at improving conditions in City Hall Park, including the blocking of several
parking spaces along College Street and the temporary closure and replacement of the park’s
permanent restroom to reduce drug-related activity, the temporary installation of a mobile
360-degree local-use security camera, coordinated cleanups of the College Street sidewalk, a
new “Conversation Table” initiative to provide service and community connections in real time,
and the clearing of makeshift campsites consistent with City policies and applicable legal

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requirements. These actions, together with a bipartisan City Council resolution seeking
additional State assistance with homelessness and expanded shelter capacity, substance use,
mental health, and supplemental law enforcement resources, demonstrate growing recognition
that the goals identified in this Resolution require sustained action and coordinated efforts at
the local, regional, and State levels; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding these developments, recent events also demonstrate the difficulty
of achieving a sustainable regional response when surrounding communities are unwilling or
unable to share responsibility for addressing these challenges. Most notably, a neighboring
municipality recently opposed efforts to establish a proposed 100-bed, low-barrier emergency
shelter in an area zoned for this use. Such circumstances underscore the need for a more
equitable regional approach in which Burlington is not expected to bear a disproportionate
share of the responsibility for shelter, behavioral health, substance use, and related public
safety challenges affecting communities throughout the region.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Burlington City Council hereby adopts the
following policy framework to restore and preserve safe, welcoming, and accessible public
spaces; expand meaningful pathways to housing, treatment, and recovery; strengthen
accountability for unlawful conduct; and promote shared regional responsibility for and
investment in the complex challenges of homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral
health concerns.
ARTICLE I
Declaration of Purpose and General City Policy
Section 1.01. Purpose.
The purpose of this Resolution is to establish a comprehensive policy framework for restoring
and preserving Burlington's public spaces as safe, welcoming, accessible, and well-maintained
places for all residents and visitors, while continuing Burlington's longstanding commitment to
compassion, dignity, and meaningful support for individuals experiencing homelessness,
substance use disorder, behavioral health challenges, and other circumstances requiring public
assistance. To achieve these objectives, Burlington must realign its efforts using evidence,
community input, and measurable outcomes to assess existing approaches and develop revised
strategies that advance safety, dignity, inclusion, belonging, and equitable access to services.
An honest assessment indicates that neither the current nor previous policy frameworks have
achieved their intended results, making revised strategies necessary moving forward.

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The City Council recognizes and deeply appreciates the substantial work already being
performed by City employees, community organizations, healthcare providers, law
enforcement personnel, businesses, faith communities, mutual aid groups, volunteers, and
other partners to address these complex challenges. The Council further recognizes that the
individuals carrying out this work are committed to serving the community and nothing in this
Resolution is intended to diminish, displace, or criticize that work. Rather, this Resolution is
intended to be supplemental and complementary to existing efforts, to strengthen
coordination and identify opportunities to improve outcomes, and to support those already
doing this work with the policies, resources, and partnerships necessary to succeed. The City
Council does not intend for City employees or community partners to be expected to
accomplish additional objectives without appropriate resources and support.Section 1.02.
General Policy.
It shall be the policy of the City Council that:
A. Burlington's public spaces belong to everyone. Every resident and visitor should be able to
use and enjoy the City's parks, streets, sidewalks, libraries, waterfront, bike paths, public
buildings, downtown, neighborhood business districts, and other public spaces safely.
B. The City Council rejects the notion that public safety requires choosing between compassion
and accountability. No individual has the right to engage in unlawful conduct or conduct that
unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of shared public spaces. Effective public
policy requires both meaningful opportunities for prevention, outreach, treatment, recovery,
housing, and supportive services while enforcing laws and ordinances consistently, fairly, and in
accordance with due process. Enforcement shall focus on unlawful conduct and actual harm,
not on a person’s housing status, disability, health condition, or other protected characteristic.
The City shall pursue both compassion and accountability simultaneously to ensure that
Burlington's public spaces remain safe, welcoming, and accessible to all.
C. Individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, or behavioral health
challenges deserve meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services,
and long-term stability. Burlington shall continue advocating for coordinated regional and
statewide responses to homelessness, behavioral health challenges, and substance use
disorder, recognizing that these challenges extend beyond Burlington's borders and require
sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont, healthcare providers,
nonprofit organizations, and other community partners.
D. Decisions affecting public spaces, public health services, municipal resources, and zoning
policy shall be guided by objective evidence, public transparency, measurable outcomes, and
accountability to the public. Public accountability requires admitting when systems and policies

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have fallen short, and when existing services lack the capacity to deliver the interventions
needed for consistent improved outcomes.
E. Public safety and equal protection under the law are complementary responsibilities. In
carrying out this Resolution, the City shall seek to ensure that public safety strategies are
implemented equitably, consistently, and without unlawful discrimination, while preserving the
City's ability to respond effectively to criminal activity, protect individuals from harm, and
maintain safe and accessible public spaces for all.
ARTICLE II
Protecting Burlington’s Public Spaces
Section 2.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to ensure Burlington and its public spaces are safe, welcoming,
accessible, and well-maintained places that may be comfortably enjoyed by residents and
visitors of all ages while respecting the dignity of every person and ensuring that public spaces
remain available for their intended public use.
Section 2.02. Public Space Policy.
The City shall prioritize ensuring that Burlington's public spaces benefit all residents and visitors
regardless of housing status, disability, health condition, or other protected characteristic.
Public spaces shall be managed to encourage lawful activity, broad community use, economic
vitality, recreation, civic engagement, and public enjoyment.
Public spaces should not merely be accessible; they should be places where residents and
visitors choose to gather and should reasonably expect to feel safe doing so.
The City shall make it a top priority to ensure public spaces remain reasonably free from
unlawful conduct and conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of those spaces.
The City shall also ensure such spaces are well maintained, clean, and reasonably free of graffiti,
litter, unattended personal belongings, and other conditions that detract from their
accessibility and public enjoyment. For unattended personal belongings, the City Council
requests that implementation of this Resolution include reasonable procedures to protect and
store unattended personal belongings, and the City Council supports the Mayor and otherwise

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commits to acting in alignment with the City’s purchasing policy to support sensible budget
adjustments as necessary to support this Section’s goals.
Section 2.03. Activation of Public Spaces.
The City finds that well-programmed, well-maintained, and actively used public spaces are
among the most effective long-term strategies for promoting public safety, strengthening
community life, and discouraging unlawful and disruptive activity.
The City shall expand the activation of Burlington's public spaces through community
programming, arts and cultural events, recreational opportunities, family-oriented activities,
and partnerships that increase positive public use of parks, downtown, neighborhood business
districts, and other civic spaces. Consistent with the FY27 budget resolution, the City Council
requests that the Administration continue coordinating with the City Council's Parks, Arts &
Culture Committee to develop and implement these efforts.The City Council further reaffirms
its prior policies regarding the restoration and stewardship of City Hall Park as outlined in the
Council's August 2025 resolution concerning the management, activation, and preservation of
the Park. The City Council declares again that City Hall Park shall remain one of Burlington's
principal civic gathering spaces—welcoming, accessible, well-maintained, and available for the
broad enjoyment of residents and visitors.
Prior to the spring season of 2027, the City Council requests that the City issue a request for
proposals seeking one or more vendors, nonprofit organizations, or other qualified operators to
activate the patio area located in the northeast corner of City Hall Park through food and
beverage concessions, retail kiosks, recreational uses, cultural programming, public amenities,
or other uses that increase positive public activity and enhance the visitor experience. Any
request for proposals shall encourage creative, seasonal, and year-round activation strategies
that promote regular public use of the space and are consistent with City Hall Park's role as
Burlington's principal civic gathering space.
Alternatively or in addition to these efforts, the City may evaluate repurposing the patio area or
another area of the park as a centralized operational hub for public safety personnel working
alongside dedicated community resources and supports, in alignment with similar proven
strategies like those implemented at the Fletcher Free Library and the intent of the City
Council’s September 2024 resolution on establishing a downtown public safety hub to provide a
visible, accessible, and continuous public safety presence within City Hall Park alongside
connections to community resources and services. This may require securing additional physical
space in the vicinity of City Hall Park for confidential conversations, de-escalation support, and
storing personal belongings.

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In implementing the initiatives set forth in this Section, the City shall seek to engage a broad
and representative range of community organizations, including neighborhood associations,
youth-serving organizations, cultural organizations, and organizations representing historically
underserved and marginalized communities, to ensure that public-space programming reflects
Burlington's diversity and provides meaningful opportunities for participation and belonging.

Section 2.04. Expansion of Public Safety Personnel and Public Space Response
Capacity.
The City’s sworn police officers, Community Service Officers, Urban Park Rangers, and other
civilian public safety personnel continue to perform their duties with exceptional dedication
and professionalism in protecting and preserving our public spaces. A number of these roles,
particularly sworn police officers, unfortunately continue to face significant challenges to
staffing, with available police officers consistently remaining at or below current levels since
2023. As the City continues with long-term efforts to rebuild its public safety infrastructure,
there is an immediate need to strengthen the City's visible presence within its public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council requests that the Administration act within sixty (60) days
following enactment of the Resolution to present recommendations to the Council on which
public safety roles can be most immediately and substantially increased, if even on a temporary
basis, to ensure more personnel are assigned to visible public safety and public space response
functions. Moreover, the City Council asks that the Chief of Police continue to regularly update
the Council’s Public Safety Committee on recruitment efforts at the Burlington Police
Department.
Immediately following enactment of this Resolution and in alignment with the goals of the “hot
spots” working group, the City Council requests that the Mayor continue to take the steps
necessary to expand the visible presence of public safety personnel in areas experiencing
persistent public safety and public order concerns, where ongoing conditions threaten public
safety, diminish the public's use and enjoyment of these spaces, and risk undermining the
success of generational projects like that at Burlington Square. For this purpose, the Mayor may
use, as necessary, the monies allocated by the City Council in the FY27 budget to contract with
third-party public safety personnel, including certified police officers. Additionally, to the extent
permitted by existing agreements with contracted public safety personnel, such as those
currently assigned to patrol municipal garages, the Mayor, in consultation with the Chief of
Police, is authorized to repurpose these personnel to higher priority areas. The City Council
affirms that the use of any contracted public safety personnel should be temporary in nature as
the Burlington Police Department continues to rebuild, that third-party agreements should be
time-limited, and that these contracts should include provisions by which contracted personnel

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will be subject to municipal oversight and directives on, among other issues, use of force and
Fair and Impartial Policing.
Moreover, to the extent practicable and permitted by applicable collective bargaining
agreements, the City Council requests that the Administration recruit and organize one or more
Public Space Response Teams comprised of City employees and employees of other local
organizations committed to the vitality of Burlington who voluntarily elect to participate and
successfully complete appropriate training. Modeled on coordinated public-space management
initiatives employed in other municipalities, these teams are intended to bring together existing
personnel with complementary skills, responsibilities, and areas of expertise to improve publicspace conditions through coordinated engagement, observation, maintenance, outreach, and
appropriate enforcement by duly authorized personnel. Public Space Response Teams shall
supplement, but not replace, traditional public safety resources by increasing the City's visible
presence within public spaces, promoting lawful and welcoming public use, and assisting in the
preservation of City property.
Public Space Response Teams shall operate under the direction and supervision of the City,
pursuant to clearly established operational protocols developed in consultation with the Chief
of Police and relevant department leadership. Such teams shall not constitute independent
enforcement organizations, and participation shall not confer any law enforcement or other
regulatory authority beyond that otherwise expressly authorized by applicable law. Personnel
shall exercise only those powers appropriate to their designated roles, training, and legal
authority, with matters requiring police intervention referred to sworn law enforcement
personnel.
If the City’s unionized staff are interested in this opportunity, the Council acknowledges the
potential need to submit proposals to municipal unions as necessary to accommodate this.
While participation by both unionized and non-union City employees would be voluntary rather
than mandated, it is the intent of this Resolution that City employees participate on paid time.
All public safety personnel and Public Space Response Teams shall receive training in racial
equity, implicit bias, de-escalation, disability awareness, trauma-informed practices, cultural
responsiveness, and constitutional and civil rights protections.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and consistent with appropriate training and supervision,
members of Public Space Response Teams may be authorized to:
A. Address and intercede conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of Burlington's public spaces, including, but not limited to, the open use of drugs
and alcohol, public intoxication, smoking where prohibited, disorderly behavior, and the
encumbrance of sidewalks and walking paths;

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B. Issue municipal ordinance citations within the scope of their legal authority;
C. Issue notices against trespass to the extent permitted by local ordinance and take other
lawful actions necessary to protect City property and public spaces;
D. Promote cleanliness and sanitation, identify maintenance concerns, and coordinate the
prompt removal of graffiti and other public nuisances; or
E. Connect individuals experiencing crisis, homelessness, substance use disorder, or other
behavioral health needs with appropriate treatment, recovery, housing, and supportive
services.
The City Attorney and Chief Administrative Officer shall prepare and submit for Council
consideration any ordinance amendments, budget proposals, administrative policies, or other
measures necessary to implement this Section.
Section 2.05. Public Safety Cameras and Public Notification.
The City Council finds that visible public safety cameras, when lawfully deployed and
appropriately identified, deter unlawful conduct, assist in criminal investigations, and promote
public confidence in the safety of Burlington's public spaces.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council asks that the Chief
Information Officer prepare and submit to the Council a report identifying all City-owned or
City-operated public safety cameras currently operating within Burlington's downtown and
other public spaces. The report shall identify each camera's general location, operational status,
and any significant gaps in camera coverage requiring future consideration, provided that
nothing in this Section shall require disclosure of information that would compromise public
safety or law enforcement operations and the report will be provided confidentially to the
extent permitted by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law.
After receiving this report, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, in consultation with the
Parks, Arts & Culture Committee, may submit recommendations requesting that the
Administration install and maintain clear, visible signage at appropriate locations notifying the
public that public safety cameras are in operation. The Public Safety Committee may also
recommend how, if at all, the use of public safety cameras should be expanded or discontinued.
Moreover, in carrying out this Section and any future use of public safety camera systems, the
City shall remain mindful of the importance of protecting individual privacy and civil liberties
and shall ensure that the deployment, operation, and management of such systems are
conducted in accordance with applicable law and appropriate safeguards governing the

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collection, retention, access to, and use of recorded data, including but not limited to the City’s
Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. The City shall not purchase, lease, install, operate, or
otherwise use automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras or systems, including Flock
Safety and any substantially similar technology, whether provided directly by a vendor or
accessed through a third party.
Section 2.06. Public Space Stewardship and Graffiti Removal.
Recognizing that clean, well-maintained public spaces contribute to public safety, civic pride,
and neighborhood vitality, the City Council requests that the Mayor coordinate with the
Council’s Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee to establish a public
space stewardship program to encourage and support volunteer participation in the prompt
removal of graffiti from public spaces and other beautification initiatives consistent with the
purposes of this Resolution. In establishing this public space stewardship program, the
Administration and CDNR Committee may collaborate with organizations and individuals
already volunteering to perform the expanded work called for in this Section. The Council also
encourages the Administration and CDNR Committee to work in partnership with
Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) and neighborhood residents in deciding
beautification priorities, especially communities that have historically been underinvested in.
Any program shall provide participating residents with appropriate training, safety guidance,
equipment, supplies, and other resources necessary to assist the City in removing graffiti from
publicly owned property in a safe, lawful, and coordinated manner.
The City Council reaffirms that the prompt removal of graffiti from privately owned property
remains the primary responsibility of the property owner. Any public space stewardship
program should also provide a mechanism through which private property owners may
authorize trained City employees or approved volunteers participating in the program to enter
their property for the purpose of removing graffiti, subject to such reasonable conditions and
limitations as the property owner may establish.
Section 2.07. Expanded Partnerships with Nonprofit Organizations and Private Property
Owners.
The City Council recognizes that restoring Burlington's public spaces requires meaningful
collaboration with businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith communities, and other private
property owners whose properties directly influence the experience of surrounding
neighborhoods.

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Accordingly, the City Council asks the Mayor to develop and make publicly available for private
property owners educational materials on:
A. Procedures for issuing notices against trespass as authorized by law;
B. Crime prevention and environmental design strategies; and
C. Other available tools to assist property owners in responding to unlawful activity while
promoting safe, welcoming, and well-maintained properties.
The City Council further asks the Mayor to engage with nonprofit organizations that provide
services to individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, mental health
challenges, or other vulnerabilities, and to relay the City’s request that such organizations
adopt reasonable expectations for respectful and lawful behavior on the organization's
property and within adjacent public rights-of-way and public spaces immediately surrounding
the organization's facilities, including expectations designed to discourage conduct that creates
public safety risks, interferes with the use and enjoyment of neighboring properties and public
spaces, or otherwise adversely affects the surrounding community. The City encourages
nonprofit organizations to communicate these expectations in a manner that preserves the
dignity of those receiving services while reinforcing shared responsibility for maintaining safe,
welcoming, and accessible neighborhoods.
Section 2.09. Public Space Performance Standards.
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Mayor collaborate with the City Council's Public Safety and Parks, Arts & Culture Committees to
adopt measurable performance standards for evaluating the condition of Burlington's public
spaces, which shall be publicly posted on the City’s Data Hub.
The standards shall include objective performance measures relating to, as appropriate:
A. Public safety conditions, including but not limited to the number of incidents, offenses, and
arrests in public spaces. Where possible and legally permissible, performance data should be
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, housing status, and other relevant
demographic factors to identify and address disparate impacts;
B. Quality-of-life complaints, including but not limited to SeeClickFix reports on cleanliness and
sanitation, and graffiti response;
C. Public space activation and programming;

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D. Visitor and resident use of public spaces; and
E. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines appropriate to
enable the City Council and the public to evaluate progress over time.
ARTICLE III
Sustainable Intervention and Regional Responsibility
Section 3.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to establish a sustainable framework for responding to
homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health challenges. The City Council
reaffirms Burlington's longstanding commitment to ensuring that individuals experiencing crisis
are afforded meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services, and
permanent housing while recognizing that emergency interventions must ultimately lead to
long-term stability, autonomy, and well-being, and improved health outcomes.
The City Council further recognizes that compassion requires meaningful intervention,
measurable results, and shared regional responsibility. Emergency measures are intended to
stabilize individuals and connect them to long-term solutions and should not become
permanent substitutes for housing, treatment, recovery, or personal stability. The Council
acknowledges that meaningful long-term strategies require time and resources to be
implemented, and that they should be trauma-informed, culturally responsive, accessible to
people with disabilities, and implemented consistently and fairly.

Section 3.02. Regional Responsibility.
The City Council affirms that homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health
challenges are regional and statewide challenges requiring regional and statewide solutions.
The City Council further finds that current conditions strongly indicate that Burlington is
providing services beyond what can be sustainably supported by its existing housing, shelter,
behavioral health, public safety, and municipal resources.
Burlington will continue to lead with compassion. Leadership, however, does not require
Burlington to serve as the exclusive or primary provider of services for individuals from
throughout Vermont.

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The City Council requests that the Administration implement equitable policies and procedures
to ensure that, when Burlington has reached or exceeded its ability to sustainably and
humanely serve individuals in need, it will continue to ensure individuals seeking services are
connected with available housing, shelter, treatment, recovery, behavioral health, and other
supportive services in other communities, including through transportation assistance where
appropriate. The City shall actively work with the State of Vermont, neighboring municipalities,
healthcare providers, housing organizations, and regional service providers to expand service
capacity throughout the region so that responsibility for serving vulnerable individuals is shared
more equitably. Regional responsibility shall be pursued through shared investment and
expanded service capacity across municipalities, rather than through exclusion or displacement
of individuals based on their place of origin or current residence.

Section 3.03. Expanded Temporary Emergency Shelter Space and Sanctioned Camping.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests a formal
memo from the City Attorney’s Office regarding the possibility of designating one or more
locations for expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping to be
utilized only when necessary to supplement available capacity at established emergency
shelters.
Any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping location shall be
subject to approval by the City Council and shall be selected with due consideration for
surrounding neighborhoods, public infrastructure, environmental impacts, and the availability
of supportive services. To best serve individuals able to utilize this location or locations, efforts
will be made to designate locations with access to drinking water, toilets, shower facilities and
handwashing stations, laundry, electricity, and dumpsters. To that end, the City Council
acknowledges that while temporary emergency shelter space is preferable to sanctioned
camping, neither should be considered a permanent housing solution and should be utilized
only for the duration necessary to transition individuals to more appropriate housing options.
Prior to approving any designated locations under this Section, the City Council will expect that
the location will adopt and enforce operational standards governing admission, sanitation,
security, storage of belongings, code of conduct, outreach, behavioral health services,
treatment referrals, housing navigation, transportation, case management, and ongoing
program evaluation.
The City Council asks that the Administration establish measurable performance standards for
any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping and shall publish the

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resulting performance data in an anonymized, publicly accessible format on the City's website
no less frequently than monthly. At a minimum, the publicly reported data shall include:
A. The number of individuals served during the reporting period and cumulatively;
B. The average daily occupancy and utilization rate;
C. The number and percentage of participants successfully transitioned to emergency shelter,
treatment, recovery programs, permanent supportive housing, permanent housing, or other
stable housing placements;
D. The average length of stay for participants;
E. The number of emergency service responses to a location; and
F. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines are appropriate to
evaluate whether a location is functioning as a temporary intervention that promotes health,
safety, and successful transitions to more appropriate placements.
Section 3.04. Unauthorized Encampments.
The City Council finds that unauthorized encampments located in areas where camping is
specifically prohibited are inconsistent with the policies established by this Resolution.
Consistent with applicable legal requirements and in accordance with the City’s Sheltering on
Public Lands Policy, the City Council requests that the Administration act more promptly upon
discovery of a prohibited encampment, generally within twenty-four (24) hours, to provide
notice of a specified date on which the encampment will face ticketing, no trespass orders, and
removal of any remaining items. This date should be as soon as reasonably practicable
following the provision of notice, allowing sufficient time for affected individuals to make
alternative arrangements while protecting public health, public safety, environmental
resources, and the public's continued use and enjoyment of Burlington's public spaces.
Prior to removal, the City shall make reasonable efforts to identify and offer accessible
alternatives, provide adequate notice consistent with applicable law, protect and store personal
property, and connect individuals with housing and services. In accordance with the City’s
Sheltering on Public Lands Policy, encampments noticed for removal will be provided contact
information from local social service organizations serving unsheltered residents, the State of
Vermont’s Coordinated Entry Screening Form with instructions, information on other available
community resources, information on the officials responsible for an encampment that is not
removed, and details on where any collected personal property will be stored.

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For the purposes of this Article, the City Council notes that Section 22-7 of the Burlington Code
of Ordinances provides that “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to camp in any public park in
the city.” Section 22-1 enumerates the City’s parks and Section 22-23 further provides that “the
land known as Urban Reserve … shall be considered a city park subject to this chapter.”
To the extent the City does not have sufficient staffing capacity to comply with this Section, the
City Council asks that the Mayor’s Administration act within sixty (60) days following enactment
of this Resolution to present recommendations to the Council detailing how it will promptly
increase the number of personnel authorized and trained to provide notices of removal and
conduct associated outreach. The recommendations shall identify the staffing, organizational
changes, funding, and implementation timeline necessary to ensure that notices of removal are
issued consistently throughout the City.
Section 3.05. Accountability and Enforcement.
The City Council reaffirms that every individual is entitled to dignity, due process, and
meaningful opportunities to obtain treatment, recovery services, shelter, and supportive
services. The City further reaffirms its commitment to prevention, treatment, recovery, and
other evidence-based public health interventions.
The City Council rejects the notion that enforcing our laws and ordinances in response to
unlawful conduct is an uncaring or unempathetic act, or that tolerance of unlawful conduct is
itself an act of compassion. Effective public policy requires meaningful opportunities for
treatment and recovery together with consistent enforcement of criminal laws that protect the
public and preserve Burlington's shared public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that Burlington will not tolerate drug trafficking, violent
crime, or illegal activity that impacts public safety or the public's use and enjoyment of shared
public spaces.
The City Council further declares that enforcement of local and state laws shall remain a priority
of the City. The Council supports proactive investigation, lawful detention where appropriate,
arrest when supported by the facts and authorized by law, and referral for prosecution of
individuals engaged in such criminal activity. Nothing in this Resolution shall be construed to
discourage law enforcement officers from taking appropriate enforcement action authorized by
law in response to these offenses.
The City shall continue pursuing treatment and recovery for those willing to accept assistance
while supporting the investigation, arrest where authorized by law, prosecution, and
proportionate and lawful consequences for individuals whose criminal conduct perpetuates

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addiction, victimizes residents and businesses, or undermines the safety and vitality of
Burlington's public spaces, including treatment, diversion, restorative justice, or other
alternatives where appropriate. Refusal or failure to participate in options offered shall not
result in the City ceasing efforts to address criminal conduct.
The City further recognizes the misdemeanor classification of drug trafficking under current law
limits the tools available to the Burlington Police Department and other law enforcement
agencies, hindering their ability to meaningfully disrupt the open operation of drug dealers in
our downtown core.
The City Council and Mayor’s Office shall make every effort to engage with the State’s
legislative delegation, State policymakers, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other relevant
partners to examine how Vermont law addresses repeat offenses involving the unlawful sale
and distribution of regulated drugs, including lower-level offenses that may not meet the
statutory thresholds for more serious charges, and to consider whether statutory changes are
warranted to better equip municipalities, law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts to
effectively address persistent open-air drug dealing and trafficking in shared public spaces.
The City Council's Public Safety Committee and Ordinance Committee, in conjunction with the
City Attorney's Office, will also further examine current local ordinances under Chapter 21,
Articles I and III, including but not limited to those establishing the “city circle” initiative, to
assess their effectiveness and recommend any changes necessary to ensure a greater level of
accountability for offenses and related harm in our community. In conducting this review, these
Committees will examine why current violations addressed through the “city circle” or related
initiatives that rise to the level of criminal penalties have not yet been referred to the judicial
system. To the extent these Committees recommend continuing with the “city circle” or any
related initiatives, the Council seeks a better understanding of which types of offenses are, and
should be, referred to the judicial system in the future.
Section 3.06. Request for Ongoing Assistance From State Public Safety Personnel
Recognizing Burlington's ongoing public safety resource challenges, the City Council calls upon
the Vermont State Police to continue partnering with the Burlington Police Department by
providing supplemental law enforcement resources in and around the City's downtown and
other locations where additional law enforcement presence is necessary to protect public
safety, address criminal activity, and restore public confidence in Burlington's public spaces.
Separately, the City Council calls upon the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement
Division to expand traffic enforcement efforts within the City of Burlington’s principal
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driving, excessive engine noise, and other traffic violations have become persistent public
safety and quality-of-life concerns.
The City Council affirms that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, it welcomes and
consents to the enforcement of both the laws of the State of Vermont and the ordinances of
the City of Burlington by duly authorized State law enforcement officers operating within the
City, consistent with their statutory authority and any applicable intergovernmental
agreements governing such enforcement. In addition, state and local law enforcement agencies
should coordinate to ensure consistent standards, accountability, community engagement, and
compliance with racial equity and civil rights protections.
Section 3.07. Community Stabilization and Diversion Center.
The City Council recognizes that law enforcement officers, social service agencies, and
emergency medical personnel frequently encounter individuals experiencing public intoxication
or substance use-related crises for whom neither incarceration nor emergency hospitalization
may be the most appropriate response. The Council further recognizes that the absence of
readily accessible alternatives can strain limited public safety, social services, and emergency
medical resources, while leaving vulnerable individuals without a safe, supervised environment
in which to stabilize and access needed support.
Accordingly, the City Council expresses its support for exploring the establishment or expansion
of a Community Stabilization and Diversion Center, modeled after programs in San Francisco,
California; Austin, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Grants Pass, Oregon, among other
communities, as well as previous public inebriate programs available in Burlington. Such a
facility could provide a safe, supervised alternative to incarceration or unnecessary emergency
hospitalization, offering short-term stabilization and opportunities to connect individuals with
treatment, recovery, housing, and other supportive services.
The City Council requests that its Public Safety Committee, in consultation with the
Administration, Burlington Police Department, Burlington Fire Department, and other
appropriate community partners, review the feasibility of such a facility and develop a
proposed resolution establishing the City's position on its creation or expansion. In conducting
this review, the Committee should consider:
1. Existing Resources and Community Needs: The availability, capacity, and limitations of
existing services and the need for additional stabilization and diversion capacity.

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2. Facility Operations: Potential models providing 24-hour access, short-term stays,
appropriate medical supervision, trained peer support, low-barrier admission, and
voluntary connections to treatment and supportive services.
3. Coordination with Public Safety, Social Services, and Healthcare Partners: Procedures for
referral, transportation, admission, and discharge, including opportunities for law
enforcement, emergency medicine providers, and outreach personnel to divert eligible
individuals from incarceration or unnecessary emergency department utilization.
4. Implementation and Funding: Potential locations, operating partners, estimated costs,
funding sources, and opportunities for municipal, regional, state, healthcare, and
nonprofit collaboration.
5. Legal Considerations: Applicable Vermont laws governing consent, protective custody,
admission and discharge authority, and the legal safeguards necessary to protect
participants, staff, and the public.
The Committee should also consider whether complementary low-barrier daytime respite or
engagement facilities could provide individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use
disorder, or other behavioral health issues with safe, supervised places to spend time outside of
public spaces, while facilitating access to outreach, treatment, recovery, housing, and other
supportive services.
The Public Safety Committee is requested to complete its review and present a proposed
resolution to the full City Council within one hundred twenty (120) days following enactment of
this Resolution.

ARTICLE IV
Public Health Policy and Permitted Uses
Section 4.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to establish the City's policy regarding the implementation of
significant public health initiatives, to reaffirm the City Council's legislative role in establishing
zoning policy, and to strengthen collaboration between the City of Burlington and the State of
Vermont in addressing public safety, behavioral health, and substance use challenges.

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Section 4.02. Public Health Policy and Zoning.
The City Council continues to support accessible, evidence-based public health initiatives that
improve individual and community health while recognizing that the location, operation, and
long-term impacts of significant public health services should be considered through
transparent public processes consistent with the City's Comprehensive Development Ordinance
and adopted zoning policy. Zoning decisions shall also consider potential disparate impacts on
historically marginalized communities.
The City Council finds that significant public health services that may have substantial
neighborhood impacts should not be established through administrative interpretation where
doing so effectively creates a new principal use not expressly identified within the
Comprehensive Development Ordinance.
Section 4.03. Overdose Prevention Centers.
The City Council finds that overdose prevention centers are not presently identified as expressly
permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive Development Ordinance.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize overdose prevention
centers within the City of Burlington should proceed only through amendment of the
Comprehensive Development Ordinance following public notice, public hearing, and legislative
action by the City Council.
The City Council further declares that, should such an amendment be proposed, overdose
prevention centers should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown Improvement
District, as defined by the City’s Charter.
The Council stands by its previous acknowledgments that overdose prevention centers may
serve populations experiencing significant health disparities. They may also help reduce the
amount of public drug use occurring in our shared public spaces. Any consideration of a
potential overdose prevention center location shall include an evidence-based assessment of
public health outcomes, anticipated community impacts, equity, accessibility, and the potential
benefits and risks to people who use drugs and the broader community.
Section 4.04. Syringe Service Programs.
The City Council finds that syringe service programs are a valuable public health strategy but
are not presently identified as expressly permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive

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Development Ordinance and should not be deemed to constitute any currently permitted
principal use absent express legislative authorization.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize syringe service programs
as a principal use should proceed only through amendment of the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance through the City's legislative zoning amendment process.
The City Council further declares that while syringe service programs should continue to be
supported in Burlington, they should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown
Improvement District, as defined by the City’s Charter. The City Council calls upon the Vermont
Department of Health to work collaboratively with the City and local operating partners to
identify an accessible alternative location that better advances public health objectives while
supporting the restoration and preservation of Burlington's public spaces.
The City Council further calls upon the Vermont Department of Health to consult and
collaborate with the City before establishing, relocating, or materially expanding significant
public health services within Burlington so that public health objectives, zoning policy,
neighborhood compatibility, and impacts upon public spaces may all be appropriately
considered. The Mayor’s Administration shall promptly notify the City Council upon learning of
State-sanctioned efforts to expand public health services within Burlington.
Additionally, within sixty (60) days following enactment of this Resolution, the City Council’s
Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee shall begin meeting to develop
a resolution that reaffirms, revises, or develops new recommendations from its previously
developed report on syringe litter that will further the goals of this Section.
The City Council affirms that the positions taken in this Article regarding an Overdose
Prevention Center or Syringe Service Programs are in alignment with Burlington’s current
comprehensive municipal plan, which acknowledges the difficulties associated with the
proximity of drug trafficking and use to those in recovery, and provides in pertinent part that:
[H]igh concentration of social service providers can become easily
unmanageable if all stakeholders are not working together,
keeping an eye on some of the larger interactions and their
implications. For example, the downtown is arguably not the best
environment for people recovering from alcohol and drug
addiction. The presence of active drug dealing and the highest
concentration of drinking establishments in the state create
serious challenges for those in recovery.

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ARTICLE V
Implementation, Accountability, State Partnership, and Continuing Oversight
Section 5.01. Statement of Intent.
The purpose of this Article is to ensure that the policies established by this Resolution are
translated into coordinated action through measurable implementation, public accountability,
regular reporting, and continuing oversight by the City Council.
Section 5.02. Partnership with the State of Vermont.
The City Council appreciates the Governor’s most recent efforts to support Burlington with
additional public safety resources and calls upon the Governor to establish a sustained
partnership with the City of Burlington to continue addressing the unique public safety,
behavioral health, homelessness, and substance use challenges confronting Vermont's largest
municipality.
The City Council requests that the Mayor invite representatives of the Governor's Office and
appropriate State agencies to meet annually with the Administration, City Council, State
legislators, and other regional leaders to evaluate regional progress, identify barriers to
collaboration, and recommend additional actions to strengthen the partnership between the
City of Burlington, surrounding communities, and the State of Vermont.
The City Council specifically reaffirms the goals and requests set forth in its unanimously
supported August 24, 2026 resolution seeking State support to address homelessness,
substance use disorder, mental health concerns, and public safety, including, but not limited to,
establishing expanded year-round, low-barrier emergency shelter capacity for both overnight
and daytime services; increasing access to mental health treatment and substance-use recovery
services; and strengthening coordinated State and local law enforcement efforts.
The City Council further requests that State partnerships supported by this Resolution advance
equitable access to public safety, housing, behavioral health, substance use treatment,
recovery, and related supportive services, with attention to reducing disparities in service
access and outcomes. These partnerships should incorporate measurable public health and
community well-being objectives alongside public safety objectives.
Section 5.03. Legislative Partnership with the Vermont General Assembly.
The City Council calls upon the members of the Chittenden County Senate and House
delegations, together with members of the Vermont General Assembly representing

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communities throughout the State, to support the enactment and strengthening of laws that
advance the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further calls upon the General Assembly to work collaboratively with
municipalities, public safety agencies, healthcare providers, service organizations, and other
stakeholders to enact legislation that:
A. Strengthens public safety while protecting civil rights, advancing equity, and ensuring due
process and equal protection under the law;
B. Expands access to and investment in behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery
services, and permanent supportive housing throughout Vermont;
C. Promotes equitable regional responsibility for addressing homelessness and behavioral
health challenges while ensuring that individuals are not denied access to essential services
based on race, ethnicity, disability, income, housing status, or place of origin;
D. Provides municipalities with appropriate resources to restore and preserve public spaces;
E. Encourages timely access to appropriate support for individuals experiencing behavioral
health crises or substance use disorder;
F. Improves coordination among State agencies and municipalities; and
G. Otherwise advances the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further directs the Mayor and the City's legislative representatives to advocate
for legislation consistent with these principles and to report to the City Council regarding
significant legislative developments affecting implementation of this Resolution.
Section 5.04. Continuing Commitment.
The City Council adopts this Resolution not merely as a response to current conditions, but as a
continuing statement of municipal policy intended to guide future legislative decisions,
strengthen public confidence in local government, and preserve Burlington's public spaces for
future generations.
The City Council believes that the strength of a community is measured not only by how it
responds to those in crisis, but also by how faithfully it preserves the public spaces that belong
to everyone. Through this Resolution, Burlington recommits itself to both responsibilities and
affirms that they are inseparable from one another. A community is strongest when every
person can participate in public life with dignity, safety, and a meaningful sense of belonging.

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REVIEW, ANALYSIS​
AND DEMANDS
Burlington Forward and the Unfinished Business of Racial Justice

Prepared for the Burlington City Council​
Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee

FOUNDATIONAL PREMISE​

Racism causes severe, measurable damage to community wealth, economic growth, health,
democratic participation, and public safety. A public-safety strategy that does not confront
those harms is incomplete by design.

Updated September 13, 2026

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Executive Overview
Burlington Forward must be reviewed against what the City Council already approved and what
remains unfinished. On August 3, 2026, the Council voted 7-5 to approve and advance the
original resolution and referred it to four committees before it returned to the full Council. A later
sponsor-posted redline contains proposed adjustments circulating during that review; this report
does not treat those edits as committee-adopted amendments. VRJA addresses both the
August 3 text and the sponsors’ pending revisions. [13][22][27]
Burlington’s racial-justice and public-safety work did not begin with Burlington Forward. From
2015 through 2019, high-profile use-of-force incidents and racial disparities drove demands for
a Citywide equity function whose transformational work would involve policy, data, training,
hiring, public safety, health, and economic opportunity. The goal was a whole-of-government
response to a systemic problem. George Floyd’s murder and COVID-19 then exposed the
urgency of that work. [1][3][5][21]
In June 2020, VRJA introduced Operation Phoenix R.I.S.E. (Restructuring Public Safety,
Implementing Cultural Empowerment, Securing Equal Opportunity, and Expanding Racial
Equity Inclusion and Belonging). This work informed the historic Racial Justice Through
Economic and Criminal Justice Resolution. The resolution offered extensive findings including
that “diverse approaches to public safety through the use of social workers, addiction and
recovery specialists…rather than solely policing, have been shown to decrease crime, increase
public safety, and de-escalate potentially dangerous situations for community members.” It
declared racism a citywide health crisis, reduced the authorized police cap through attrition from
105 to 74, and directed “freed General Fund dollars toward social services and racial and
justice”. It also called for cultural empowerment, minority-owned procurement, capital access,
REIB capacity, a BPD assessment, systemic-oppression training, reparations, race data, and
stronger oversight. [1][2]
The City implemented parts of that framework, but it did not fully institutionalize the system it
adopted. Major pieces were narrowed, paused, changed, or never completed, including the
divest-reinvest accounting, procurement and capital-access work, recurring
systemic-oppression training, racial-health structure, and an independent civil-rights function.
VRJA’s assessment is that Burlington is now seeing consequences of that
non-implementation. No single unfinished component of the operating system explains every
safety problem, but leaving root conditions unresolved has increased crisis exposure, distrust,
instability, and pressure on downstream enforcement; if those conditions remain
unaddressed, that cycle will intensify. [5][7][8][21]
The 2020 Battery Park occupation is part of that cause-and-effect story. Protesters occupied the
park for about 35 days to demand police accountability, release of video, and reinvestment in
housing and health care. The occupation was a democratic response to injustice, but sustained
protest and conflict also created added public-space and safety pressures. The lesson is that
unresolved injustice can produce community response and further instability when the
underlying harm is left unaddressed. [9][10][11][12]

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The national and local racial climate makes unfinished local work more consequential. Federal
civil-rights enforcement has been upended and weaponized across all federal departments.
Locally, 2025 BPD data showed 99 use-of-force incidents involving Black people, 28% of all
subjects while Black people were about 4.7% of Burlington’s population in the analysis; relative
to police interactions, the Black rate was nearly three times the White rate. These numbers are
at unprecedented levels. The Mayor called the disparity a serious equity concern requiring
meaningful response. [14][23][24][25]
Against that record, three parts of Burlington Forward are among VRJA’s most serious
concerns. First, the approved text and pending sponsor revisions authorize added visible
public-safety personnel, including third-party certified police. Second, they would allow Public
Space Response Teams made up of City and partner employees to issue citations and trespass
notices where legally authorized — a form of quasi-deputizing civilians into discretionary
enforcement. Third, the sponsor revision assigns the REIB Office, and therefore its leadership,
responsibility for identifying disparate impacts and protecting civil rights during implementation.
REIB should lead internal racial-equity transformation, but it cannot substitute for an
independent civil-rights oversight and enforcement function. [13]
Burlington Forward responds to real concerns about violence, drug activity, theft, disorder,
homelessness, behavioral health, and public spaces. The sponsors’ pending revisions add
equity, civil-rights, disability, due-process, demographic-data, and REIB language. Those
additions matter, but they do not change the core imbalance: downstream enforcement
has clear deadlines and powers while unfinished upstream racial-justice work has no
comparable implementation article, budget requirement, timetable, or independent
enforcement structure. [13]
VRJA does not ask Burlington to choose between safety and racial justice. The City should
protect people from violence and unlawful conduct and also from discriminatory enforcement,
displacement, untreated illness, racial economic exclusion, and weak civil-rights accountability.
Burlington should reduce dependence on systems that respond after harm and increase
investment in housing, health, treatment, youth, culture, economic security, civil rights, and
Black-led community infrastructure. [1][5]
VRJA demands that the Council ground Burlington Forward in the systemic-racism mitigation
framework it adopted in 2020. The present conditions are not evidence that the earlier
framework failed; they show why leaving it unfinished is dangerous to economic security,
health, public safety, equal protection, public trust, and democratic participation.

CENTRAL DEMAND​

Amend Burlington Forward so that upstream social and racial justice investments carry the
same force, deadlines, funding, measurement, and public accountability as enforcement
provisions. The City should finish the racial-justice transformation it already began before it
expands new enforcement authority.
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I. The Evidence Behind the Foundational Premise
1.​ The City already adopted the structural finding. The 2020 resolution states that systemic
racism is at the heart of the economy and affects employment, housing, education, health
services, justice, economic development, and government. [1]
2.​ The City already linked public safety to economic justice. The same resolution directed
General Fund dollars freed by police attrition toward social services, racial justice, economic
justice, cultural empowerment, minority-owned procurement, capital access, and REIB
capacity. [1][2]
3.​ National labor data show a persistent Black-White unemployment gap. BLS reported 2025
annual unemployment of 6.9% for Black workers and 3.8% for White workers. In August
2026, the seasonally adjusted rates were 6.0% and 3.7%. The ratio changes by year, but
the long-run gap remains large. [16]
4.​ Federal Reserve data show a large racial wealth gap. In 2022, median family wealth was
about $285,000 for White families and $44,900 for Black families. The current ratio is about
6.3 to 1. The 13-to-1 figure used in Burlington's 2020 record reflects an earlier period and
should be treated as historical context, not the current ratio. [15]
5.​ Racial exclusion damages economic growth. Citi estimated that closing major Black-White
gaps in wages, education, housing, and investment twenty years earlier could have added
$16 trillion to the U.S. economy. Citi's 2024 update estimated that gaps in income, business
ownership, and homeownership represented up to $3.9 trillion in unrealized economic
activity from 2020 through 2024. These are scenario estimates, not direct accounting totals.
[17]
6.​ Segregation and disinvestment affect safety. Urban Institute research links racial exclusion
in housing and lending to concentrated poverty, weaker access to jobs and services, lower
wealth growth, and higher exposure to crime and violence. The research also warns that
intensive enforcement often falls most heavily on communities of color. [18]
7.​ Burlington's current police data show that the racial disparity remains urgent. In 2025, Black
people were involved in 99 BPD use-of-force incidents, the highest count on record. Black
people were 28% of use-of-force subjects while representing about 4.7% of the population
in the analysis. Relative to police interactions, Black people appeared in use-of-force
incidents at nearly three times the White rate. [14]
8.​ Federal civil-rights enforcement has been sharply reoriented. The U.S. Department of
Justice removed disparate-impact liability from its Title VI regulations in December 2025. In
June 2026, DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded that EEOC disparate-impact
guidelines under Title VII were unconstitutional. Federal legal theory and enforcement
priorities have shifted away from some tools used to identify systemic discrimination, making
strong local and state protections more important. [23][24][25]
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9.​ Non-implementation has public-safety consequences. Burlington’s 2020 framework was
designed to reduce demand for police by investing upstream in health, housing, culture,
opportunity, civil rights, and community capacity. When those systems remain incomplete,
crisis exposure and reliance on enforcement persist. VRJA’s assessment is that leaving the
work unfinished has and continues to deepen that cycle, especially while racial disparities in
police contact and force remain unresolved. [1][5][14]
These facts do not prove that every incident of disorder has one cause. They establish a more
limited and important point: racial economic exclusion, weak access to housing and health care,
and unequal contact with the justice system are part of the conditions that shape community
stability. A public-safety policy should respond to both immediate harm and the systems that
contribute to producing risk.

II. What Burlington Knew and What It Started
Burlington's racial-equity work predates 2020. The City created a Diversity and Equity
Committee in 2012. The Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity later helped develop the
City's Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan. In 2019, the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance pushed
the City toward a standing equity committee, a senior racial-equity function (which would
become the Racial Equity Inclusion and Belonging Office), and stronger civil-rights
accountability. [4][21]
Operation Phoenix R.I.S.E. and the June 29, 2020 resolution moved the City from general
equity work toward systemic transformation. The resolution declared racism a citywide health
crisis, ordered the City to prioritize eradication of systemic racism in the budget, reduced the
authorized police cap through attrition from 105 to 74, tied freed funds to upstream social,
racial, and economic justice, and called for a BPD assessment, community participation,
recurring systemic-oppression training, reparations, data, and stronger police oversight. [1][2]
The July public-health declaration expanded that approach across the social conditions that
shape health. The City created new racial-equity and public-health capacity and a $1 million
racial-justice fund. The Racial Equity Strategic Roadmap later called for data, community
power, BIPOC leadership, budget line items, public reporting, and recurring review. [3][5]
The CNA assessment and later review continued the public-safety transformation work. The
record also shows conflict over how later CNA recommendations were interpreted and
implemented. VRJA supported the independent assessment but later withdrew from the
implementation process out of protest over the process and rejected being described as
endorsing the working-group report. That distinction matters when Burlington Forward cites past
public-safety work as background. [6]
VRJA established the Richard Kemp Center in November 2021 in response to the commitment
for a community cultural empowerment center. Grants and private donations sustained the
Center without City financial support until a $25,000 City investment in August 2026. The
Center is therefore evidence that the community carried part of the promised upstream work
even when City investment did not match the original vision. [8]
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What unfinished implementation means
The City initiated some of the work after 2020, but the framework was never implemented as
one sustained operating system. That matters because the original strategy was explicitly
preventive: reduce the demand for police by changing the conditions that generate crises and
unequal outcomes. Present-day disorder cannot fairly be assigned to one cause, but the
absence of a complete upstream system removes part of the counterweight the City itself said
was necessary. The longer that gap remains, the more Burlington is likely to rely on the same
downstream systems it set out to transform. [1][5][7][21]

Battery Park: injustice, democratic response, and public-safety consequences
Battery Park has repeatedly been a place where public order and public rights collide. In 1979,
police moved to clear youth gatherings amid complaints involving drinking, drugs, and late-night
disorder; repeated clashes helped lead to the park’s permanent closure to car traffic. In 2020,
the conflict was different in purpose. Racial-justice protesters occupied Battery Park for about
35 days and demanded action on three officers tied to high-profile use-of-force cases, release
of police video, and reinvestment in housing and health care. The City reached a separation
agreement with Sergeant Jason Bellavance during the occupation while other reform work
continued. [9][10][11][12][26]
Battery Park matters to Burlington Forward for two reasons. First, public space is also
democratic space: protest, assembly, petition, mutual aid, outreach, and dissent require legal
protection. Second, the occupation demonstrates how unresolved injustice can generate
collective response, distrust, disruption, and added public-safety demands. That does not
equate protest with crime. It means the government should address both the underlying
injustice and any secondary safety concerns without using public-space rules to erase
protected civic action.

III. Business Influence, Public Safety, and the Question of
Government Urgency
There is significant business advocacy around downtown safety and economic conditions. In
May 2025, more than 170 businesses signed an open letter asking the City for immediate
action on public safety, construction, and downtown conditions. The Council then adopted
measures aimed at business support, visible police presence, parking-garage safety, and other
downtown concerns. [19][20]
The Burlington Forward resolution also gives substantial attention to businesses, tourism,
economic vitality, private property, visitor experience, and public confidence. Business concerns
are a major part of the policy setting in which Burlington Forward developed. [13][19][20]

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VRJA does not argue that business concerns are illegitimate. Jobs, stores, restaurants,
workers, and a functioning downtown matter to the whole City. The racial-justice question is
whether the City applies the same speed, staffing, budget attention, deadlines, and public
measurement to racial harm. The 2020 work identified Black wealth, homeownership,
procurement, capital, health, culture, civil rights, and policing as public-safety issues. Those
commitments should not receive less institutional force than commercial and public-order
concerns.

IV. The Work That Remains Unfinished
The current crisis should not be reduced to a single cause. At the same time, Burlington cannot
evaluate Burlington Forward as if the 2020 framework had been fully implemented and failed.
The table below identifies some of the major commitments that remain incomplete and the
upstream capacity that is still missing.
Commitment / issue

Current position

Required next step

Divest and reinvest

The officer cap reduction
occurred, but the City did not
publish a full public ledger
showing how police savings
moved into the promised
upstream systems.

Publish a complete
divest-reinvest accounting
and set recurring upstream
investment targets.

Racism as a Public Health
Emergency

The City created racial-health
capacity, but the original
structure changed over time.

Restore a permanent
racial-health function, annual
plan, budget, and public
outcomes.

REIB whole-of-government
system

REIB exists and has been
strengthened, but parts of the
original policy, training, data,
HR, and economic-justice
structure changed or paused.

Fund permanent Policy,
Training, Data, HR,
Economic Justice, and
Health functions with
Citywide authority.

Civil-rights enforcement

REIB is an internal City
equity office. The sponsor
revision would ask REIB to
identify disparate impacts
and protect civil rights during
implementation, but REIB is
not independent of the City
agencies and policies it
would be reviewing.

Keep REIB focused on
whole-of-government
racial-equity transformation.
Create a separate City
Office of Civil Rights or
equivalent independent
function for complaint
intake, compliance,
investigation, pattern review,
referral, and public reporting.

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Commitment / issue

Current position

Required next step

Economic justice

The City has grants, loans,
and business programs, but
procurement, capital, home
and land ownership, and
racial wealth goals remain
incomplete.

Adopt measurable
procurement, capital, Black
homeownership, land
access, and
anti-displacement plans.

Community cultural
empowerment

VRJA created the Richard
Kemp Center and sustained
it largely outside City funding
until 2025.

Create a recurring City
investment partnership that
supports Black-led
community infrastructure
while preserving community
control.

Reparations

The Task Force was created,
but the work was never
completed and no next step
defined.

Recommission the study with
an enhanced definition and
mandate. Charge the Task
Force with producing
actionable recommendations.

Police disparity and
oversight

BPD has changed policy and
training, but 2025
use-of-force data show a
serious racial disparity. The
approved resolution and
sponsor revision still
contemplate added sworn or
contracted police and new
civilian enforcement roles.

Require independent review,
corrective action, public
reporting, and stronger
oversight before expanding
sworn, contracted, or civilian
discretionary enforcement.

V. Section-by-Section Review and Amendment Demands
On August 3, 2026, the City Council voted 7-5 to approve and advance the original Burlington
Forward resolution and referred it to four committees for further review. That Council-approved
text is the baseline for this analysis. A later redline posted by the sponsors contains proposed
adjustments circulating during committee review. The REIB Committee separately issued a
racial-equity impact assessment calling for systems-level reframing. Each entry below therefore
identifies: (1) the issue in the approved text, (2) the sponsor-proposed adjustment, if any, and
(3) VRJA’s amendment demand addressing both. [13][22][27]

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Preamble / Findings
1. Topic / issue

What problem does the Council-approved
Burlington Forward text define, and how do
the sponsors’ pending revisions change that
frame? [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor-posted revision adds findings on
equitable access, systemic inequities,
vulnerable groups, civil rights, and REIB
involvement. It also assigns the REIB Office
a role in identifying disparate impacts and
protecting dignity and civil rights. The main
frame still centers public disorder, crime, drug
activity, public-space use, and regional
service pressure. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Add findings that Burlington already declared
racism a public-health crisis and adopted a
systemic public-safety and economic-justice
response in 2020. State that unfinished
racial-justice commitments and current racial
disparities are part of the factual basis for this
resolution. Add: “The City recognizes that
racism causes measurable harm to
community wealth, economic growth, health,
democratic participation, and public safety,
and that public-safety policy must address
both immediate harm and the systems that
produce unequal risk.” Keep REIB
responsible for internal equity analysis and
implementation support, but do not assign
REIB or its Director as the City’s independent
civil-rights oversight body. Create a separate
City Office of Civil Rights or equivalent
independent function. [1][13]

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Section 1.01
1. Topic / issue

Purpose and treatment of previous policy
frameworks in the Council-approved text.
[13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision says neither current nor
previous policy frameworks achieved
intended results and calls for revised
strategies based on evidence, community
input, and measurable outcomes. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Do not treat the 2020 racial-justice framework
as a failed framework when it was never fully
implemented. Require a public review of what
the City completed, changed, paused,
funded, or never implemented. State that
Burlington Forward supplements and must
complete the unfinished racial-justice,
public-health, civil-rights, and upstream
investment work; it does not supersede it.
[1][5][7]

Section 1.02(D)
1. Topic / issue

Evidence, transparency, outcomes, and
accountability in the approved text. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision retains the requirement
for objective evidence, public transparency,
measurable outcomes, and accountability,
and adds that the government should admit
when systems and services fall short. [13]

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3. VRJA proposed amendment

Apply the same rule to racial justice. Require
race-disaggregated data, public targets, and
corrective action when a policy produces a
serious disparity. Add a 60-day public
accounting of the 2020 commitments, the $1
million racial-justice fund, and the
divest-reinvest plan. [1][3][5]

Sections 2.01-2.03
1. Topic / issue

How the approved resolution defines safety
and public-space use. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision removes some “orderly”
language, adds civic engagement, and
strengthens equitable-access language. It
still does not define safety through equal
protection, racial justice, and freedom from
discriminatory enforcement. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Define “equitable public safety” to include
freedom from violence and disorder, freedom
from discriminatory policing, access to health
and treatment, housing security, economic
opportunity, civil rights, cultural belonging,
and accountable government. Require
public-space activation grants to include
Black-led, youth, cultural, and neighborhood
groups. [1][5]

Section 2.04
1. Topic / issue

Organized activities in City Hall Park and
other public spaces under the approved
resolution. [13][22]

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2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds constitutional
protections, consultation with affected service
users, and comparable access when
activities move. It still asks the City Attorney
to clarify permits and where organized
activities may occur. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Add explicit protection for protest, assembly,
petition, mutual aid, and civic dissent. State
that protected political activity cannot be
treated as unlawful camping or public
disorder solely because it is sustained,
visible, or critical of the government. Require
written First Amendment and civil-rights
review before new permit, trespass, or
relocation rules take effect. Battery Park
shows why this distinction is necessary.
[9][10][13]

Section 2.05
1. Topic / issue

Expansion of sworn and contracted police
and creation of Public Space Response
Teams with potential citation and trespass
powers. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds training in racial
equity, de-escalation, disability, trauma,
cultural responsiveness, and constitutional
rights. It still authorizes immediate expansion
of visible public-safety personnel; permits
FY27 funds to be used for third-party certified
police; recruits City and partner-organization
employees to Public Space Response Teams
on paid time; and allows those civilians,
where legally authorized, to issue municipal
citations and trespass notices. [13]

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3. VRJA proposed amendment

Delete the blanket authorization for
immediate sworn or contracted police
expansion until the City completes an
independent review of the 2025 Black
use-of-force disparity and a written
racial-impact, alternatives, cost, scope, and
accountability analysis. Do not
quasi-deputize civilian employees. Remove
citation, trespass, detention-like, and other
coercive authority from Public Space
Response Teams. Limit those teams to
outreach, stewardship, navigation,
de-escalation, sanitation, and service
connection. Any later contracted-police
proposal must return separately to the
Council with common Burlington reporting,
complaint, training, use-of-force, and
civil-rights rules. [13][14]

Section 2.06
1. Topic / issue

Public-safety cameras and surveillance in the
approved resolution. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds privacy and
civil-liberties language and references
safeguards for collection, retention, access,
and use of recorded data. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Require a public surveillance policy before
expansion. The policy must define purpose,
location standards, retention limits, access
logs, facial-recognition restrictions, audit
rules, public reporting, complaint rights, and
racial-impact review. No new analytics or
camera expansion should occur before
Council approval of these safeguards. [13]

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Sections 2.07-2.08
1. Topic / issue

Public-space stewardship, nonprofit partners,
businesses, private property, and trespass
tools. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds attention to
historically underinvested neighborhoods and
asks property owners and nonprofits to use
lawful tools, including trespass notices, while
preserving dignity. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Add anti-discrimination safeguards for
trespass referrals and private-property
partnerships. Track race, housing status,
disability, location, referring property, and
outcome where lawful. Fund neighborhood
stewardship in underinvested communities,
not only downtown commercial areas.
Require service providers and affected
residents to help design standards affecting
access to food, shelter, outreach, or public
space. [13]

Section 2.09
1. Topic / issue

Performance standards and racial-disparity
data in the approved resolution. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds demographic
breakdowns, where lawful, to identify and
address unequal impacts. [13]

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3. VRJA proposed amendment

Data must trigger action. Set baseline
racial-disparity measures, public targets,
quarterly review, and a mandatory corrective
plan when disparities rise. Measure more
than incidents and arrests. Include successful
service connections, housing stability,
complaints, use of force, displacement,
civil-rights complaints, and community trust.
[13][14]

Sections 3.01-3.04
1. Topic / issue

Homelessness, behavioral health, service
capacity, shelter, and sanctioned camping.
[13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds accessible,
culturally responsive, disability-inclusive,
trauma-informed services and removes some
geographic exclusions for temporary shelter
or sanctioned camping. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Do not define service capacity as a ceiling on
human need. Use the assessment to identify
the gap between need and available housing,
treatment, crisis response, and outreach,
then set an investment plan to close that gap
with regional and State partners. Include
racial-justice advocates, people with lived
experience, disability advocates, service
users, and Black-led community
organizations in the assessment. [13]

Section 3.05
1. Topic / issue

Unauthorized encampments and removal
under the approved resolution. [13][22]

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2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds notice, protection
and storage of property, accessible
alternatives, service connection, and
compliance with the Sheltering on Public
Lands Policy. It still calls for rapid notice and
removal where camping is prohibited. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Make housing and health outcomes the main
measures, not speed of removal. Do not
remove an encampment without lawful
notice, property protection, outreach, and a
documented offer of an accessible alternative
when such an alternative exists. Track
displacement and repeat removals. Add an
explicit clause protecting political protest and
assembly from being treated as ordinary
unauthorized camping. [9][13]

Section 3.06
1. Topic / issue

Accountability, enforcement, treatment,
diversion, and restorative justice. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision narrows some
language to unlawful conduct and actual
harm and adds proportionate consequences,
treatment, diversion, and restorative justice
where appropriate. [13]

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3. VRJA proposed amendment

Insert “equal protection of the law to ensure
justice and” before the goal of preserving
public spaces. Require enforcement priorities
to undergo racial-impact review. Require
annual reporting on arrest, citation, diversion,
prosecution, use of force, and case outcomes
by race and other relevant factors. Expand
investment in treatment, restorative justice,
mental health, youth support, and
community-based alternatives at the same
time as any enforcement expansion. [13][14]

Section 3.07
1. Topic / issue

Ongoing Vermont State Police and DMV
enforcement assistance. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds language calling
for common standards, accountability,
community engagement, and compliance
with racial-equity and civil-rights protections,
while retaining the standing invitation for
outside enforcement. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Remove the standing open-ended invitation.
If outside law enforcement is used, require a
written, time-limited agreement approved by
the Council. The agreement must state
mission, location, authority, duration, cost,
training, use-of-force rules, data collection,
complaint process, records duties,
immigration limits, and civil-rights review.
Publish deployment and outcome data. [13]

Article IV, Sections 4.01-4.04
1. Topic / issue

Public-health services, zoning, overdose
prevention, and syringe services. [13][22]

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2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision adds evidence, equity,
accessibility, and disparate-impact
considerations. It still excludes overdose
prevention centers and syringe service
programs from the Downtown Improvement
District. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Remove categorical geographic exclusions
unless the City can support them with
public-health evidence and an access
analysis. Require review of health outcomes,
transportation, disability access, racial
impact, service-user safety, neighborhood
impact, and drug-market conditions. Public
health should be governed by evidence, not
visibility alone. [13]

Section 5.02
1. Topic / issue

Partnership with the State of Vermont in the
approved resolution. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision retains a State
partnership that includes public safety,
behavioral health, homelessness, treatment,
youth, and court resources. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Make the State partnership a public-health
and racial-justice partnership as well as a
law-enforcement partnership. Require
participation by the Agency of Human
Services, Health, Mental Health, housing
agencies, designated agencies,
economic-development partners, civil-rights
agencies, and affected-community
organizations. Set shared targets for housing,
treatment, racial disparity, economic stability,
and safety. [13]

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Section 5.03
1. Topic / issue

Legislative partnership with the Vermont
General Assembly. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision expressly includes civil
rights, equity, due process, and equal
protection under the law. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Keep that language and add a separate
legislative goal to strengthen State civil-rights
enforcement, independent police oversight,
racial-disparity data, housing and land
access, and upstream prevention funding.
Use the term “equitable public safety”
throughout. [13]

Section 5.04
1. Topic / issue

Continuing municipal commitment in the
approved resolution. [13][22]

2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment (pending)

The sponsor revision states that the resolution
will guide future policy and that dignity, safety,
belonging, crisis response, and public spaces are
linked. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Add a continuing commitment to racial justice,
civil rights, equal protection, Racism as a Public
Health Emergency, reparations, economic justice,
and completion of the 2020 commitments. State
that Burlington Forward does not supersede
those commitments. [1][3][13]

New Article VI
1. Topic / issue

Missing implementation structure for racial
justice and civil rights. [13][22]

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2. Sponsor-proposed adjustment
(pending)

The sponsor revision does not add a
separate article giving the unfinished
racial-justice work the same structure,
deadlines, and accountability as the
enforcement and public-space articles. [13]

3. VRJA proposed amendment

Add a Racial Justice and Civil Rights
Implementation Article. It must require: a
2020 commitment reconciliation; a
divest-reinvest ledger; a fully funded REIB
whole-of-government system focused on
policy, training, data, HR, economic justice,
and racial health; a separate City Office of
Civil Rights or equivalent independent
enforcement function; a race-data dashboard
with corrective triggers; economic-justice,
procurement, capital, home and land
ownership plans; reparations implementation;
recurring investment in Black-led community
infrastructure, including the Richard Kemp
Center; and quarterly public reporting.
[1][5][7][8][13]

VI. Conditional Demands Before Enforcement Expansion
If the Council retains the enforcement provisions above, VRJA asks the City Council to make
the following conditions part of the resolution or companion action:
●​ Do not expand sworn or contracted police capacity, or grant civilian Public Space Response
Teams citation or trespass authority, until the City completes an independent review of the
2025 Black use-of-force disparity and publishes a corrective-action plan, racial-impact
analysis, alternatives analysis, and implementation safeguards.
●​ Create common civil-rights, use-of-force, complaint, data, records, and training standards for
City, contracted, and outside public-safety personnel.
●​ Do not assign REIB or its Director as the City’s independent civil-rights oversight body. Keep
REIB focused on whole-of-government racial-equity transformation and create a separate
City Office of Civil Rights or equivalent independent municipal function with public
complaint intake, compliance review, pattern analysis, investigation/referral, and public
reporting authority.
●​ Restore recurring REIB policy, training, data, HR, economic-justice, and racial-health
functions across City government.
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●​ Publish a 60-day accounting of the 2020 commitments, the $1 million racial-justice fund, and
the divest-reinvest promise.
●​ Adopt a recurring upstream investment plan for housing, treatment, mental health, youth,
cultural empowerment, Black home and land ownership, minority-owned procurement,
capital access, and Black-led community infrastructure.
●​ Require written First Amendment and civil-rights safeguards for public-space rules,
organized activities, encampment enforcement, trespass, and surveillance.
●​ Require quarterly public review by the REIB Committee of racial impacts, civil-rights
complaints, service outcomes, and enforcement outcomes.

VII. Conclusion: Burlington Forward Must Finish the Work
Burlington Forward should not erase the City’s earlier diagnosis or treat this abandoned
framework as a failed one. In 2020, Burlington said systemic racism affected the economy,
health, justice, housing, education, and government. The City linked that diagnosis to public
safety and committed to a partial divestment from uniformed policing and a reinvestment in
human services and social and racial justice approaches. The present pressures on
Burlington are occurring after work were left unfinished. [1][2][5][7]
Battery Park reinforces the cause-and-effect point. In 2020, people occupied a public park to
demand police accountability and reinvestment in housing and health care. The occupation was
a response to injustice, and the sustained protest itself created additional public-space and
safety pressures. That is precisely why public safety cannot be separated from justice: when
underlying harms go unanswered, community response, distrust, instability, and enforcement
pressure can compound one another. [9][10][11][12]
It was backlash and a coordinated dis-information campaign that contributed to the work
receding and left much of it unfinished. We continue to urge the city to hold true to its
commitments that were made to the VRJA and the people of Burlington at the intersection of
public safety and racial justice. This is a time where much of the federal civil rights enforcement
infrastructure has been dismantled and/or weaponized. Violence and policy violence is
targeting Black people and many are remaining silent as this plays out. Meanwhile in
Burlington there is unprecedented contact, arrests and use of force against Black people
with no apparent intervention or mitigation strategy. To pass the Burlington Forward
resolution in this climate suggests that the city council is either ignorant, indifferent or malicious.
Business owners, workers, families, unhoused people, people with substance use disorder,
disabled people, Black and Brown residents, and visitors all have legitimate safety interests.
City policy must protect them fairly. [13][14][23][24]
Burlington Forward responds to real concerns about violence, public drug activity, theft,
disorder, homelessness, behavioral health, and the condition of public spaces. The circulating
proposed updates to the Burlington Forward resolution addresses equity, civil rights, disability,
due process, demographic data, and REIB involvement. Those changes matter. However, even
with these additions what results is that the clearest deadlines, staffing authority, and
enforcement tools are targeted to downstream systems. [13]
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Adding sworn or contracted police, quasi-deputizing civilians with citation and trespass
authority, and assigning REIB a civil-rights oversight role without creating an independent
civil-rights function moves Burlington further downstream while the upstream work remains
unfinished
VRJA's position is that Burlington should not have to choose between safety and racial justice.
The City should protect people from violence and serious unlawful conduct. It should also
protect people from discriminatory enforcement, forced displacement, untreated illness, racial
economic exclusion, and weak civil-rights accountability. The City should reduce dependence
on systems that respond after harm occurs and increase investment in housing, health,
treatment, youth, culture, economic security, civil rights, and Black-led community infrastructure.
The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance (VRJA) demands that the City Council ground Burlington
Forward in the extensive systemic racism mitigation framework adopted in in good faith
partnership with the VRJA in 2020. We urge the city to return to the work as a good faith
partner with us to the full implementation of Operation Phoenix R.I.S.E, the Racial Justice
Through Economic and Criminal Justice Resolution, the Declaration that Racism is a Public
Health Emergency, the City of Burlington Racial Equity Strategic Roadmap and the CNA
Assessment. Racial injustice (overt or systemic) adversely impacts public health, economic
advancement, public safety, societal stability, the rule of law and our democracy. We are excited
to work with you as you return to the commitment that we together made to “the sustained and
deep work of eradicating systemic racism as organizations, actively fighting racist practices and
participating in the creation of more just and equitable systems” in our Declaration that Racism
is a Public Health Emergency!

VRJA FINAL DEMAND​

Do not replace unfinished racial-justice transformation with a narrower public-order strategy.
Amend Burlington Forward so it protects vulnerable people, enforces civil rights and equal
protection, reduces reliance on failing downstream systems, and reinvests in upstream social
and racial justice approaches that improve health, economic security, community stability, and
safety for all.

Sources and Verification Notes
[1] City of Burlington, Resolution 5.12, Racial Justice Through Economic and Criminal Justice, adopted June 29,
2020. User-supplied primary document; City record also summarized in the BPD assessment RFP.
[2] Burlington City Council minutes, June 29, 2020.
https://www2.burlingtonvt.gov/Archives/Minutes/?id=BQWHC547CB94
[3] City of Burlington 2020 Annual Report and racism-as-public-health-emergency records.
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3203/Annual-Report-2020
[4] City Diversity and Equity Strategic Plan and 2012-2014 committee history; Vermont Partnership for Fairness &
Diversity role. https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1650/Diversity-and-Equity-Strategic-Plan
[5] City of Burlington, Racial Equity Strategic Roadmap, July 2021. User-supplied primary document.
[6] CNA assessment/recommendations records and 2022 VRJA-Council correspondence. User-supplied primary
records.
[7] VRJA open letter and City response concerning REIB, 2024. User-supplied primary email record.
[8] Richard Kemp Center feasibility study and strategic plan; VRJA funding history. User-supplied organizational
records.
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance | Burlington Forward Review, Analysis and Demands | September 2026
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[9] Seven Days, “After 30-Plus Days, Protesters Pack Up Battery Park Encampment,” Oct. 1, 2020.
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/after-30-plus-days-protesters-pack-up-battery-park-encampment-31332647
/
[10] VTDigger, “Battery Park protesters continue to camp outside BPD, call for firing of 3 officers,” Aug. 27, 2020.
https://vtdigger.org/2020/08/27/battery-park-protesters-continue-to-camp-outside-bpd-call-for-firing-of-3-officers/
[11] WCAX, “City officials say Battery Park encampment led to key reforms,” Oct. 1, 2020.
https://www.wcax.com/2020/10/01/city-officials-say-battery-park-encampment-led-to-key-reforms/
[12] City of Burlington, statement on separation agreement with Sergeant Jason Bellavance, Sept. 21, 2020.
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3394
[13] Burlington Forward sponsor website, original resolution and sponsor-posted proposed redline /
“What’s Changed,” reviewed Sept. 13, 2026. The site describes the revised draft as under committee
review; this report does not treat the posted redline as a formally adopted REIB Committee amendment.
https://burlingtonforward.info/changes
[14] VTDigger, “Payouts soar as use of force by Burlington police on Black residents hits record high,” Aug. 17,
2026.
https://vtdigger.org/2026/08/17/payouts-soar-as-use-of-force-by-burlington-police-on-black-residents-hits-record
-high/
[15] Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances racial wealth
analysis.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/greater-wealth-greater-uncertainty-changes-in-racial-i
nequality-in-the-survey-of-consumer-finances-20231018.html
[16] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 annual race unemployment data and August 2026 Employment
Situation tables. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat05.htm ; https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm
[17] Citi GPS, Closing the Racial Inequality Gaps (2020) and Closing the Racial Wealth Gap (2024).
https://www.citigroup.com/global/insights/closing-the-racial-inequality-gaps-20200922 ;
https://www.citigroup.com/global/insights/closing-the-racial-wealth-gap
[18] Urban Institute, Causes and Consequences of Separate and Unequal Neighborhoods.
https://www.urban.org/racial-equity-analytics-lab/structural-racism-explainer-collection/causes-and-consequence
s-separate-and-unequal-neighborhoods
[19] WCAX, “Burlington businesses appeal to city leaders for help,” May 15, 2025.
https://www.wcax.com/2025/05/15/burlington-businesses-appeal-city-leaders-help/
[20] WCAX and VTDigger reporting on May/August 2025 Burlington Council business/public-safety actions.
https://www.wcax.com/2025/05/20/city-council-passes-resolution-supporting-downtown-business/ ;
https://vtdigger.org/2025/08/26/burlington-city-council-passes-resolution-to-make-city-hall-park-safer/
[21] City of Burlington, History and Status of REIB Department and 2020 racial-justice resolutions, updated Dec.
10, 2024. https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7322/Update_REIB_121624
[22] Seven Days, “Burlington Dems Push Through Public Safety Resolution Despite Criticism,” Aug. 4, 2026.
Reports the 7-5 Council vote advancing Burlington Forward and referral to four committees.
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/burlington-dems-push-through-public-safety-resolution-despite-criticism/
[23] U.S. Department of Justice, final Title VI rule eliminating disparate-impact liability from DOJ Title VI
regulations, Dec. 9, 2025.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-rule-restores-equal-protection-all-civil-rights-enforcement
[24] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel opinion concerning EEOC disparate-impact guidelines
under Title VII, June 9, 2026.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-concludes-eeoc-disparate-impact-guidelines-violate-constitution
[25] U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division press room and current enforcement activity, reviewed Sept.
13, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/crt/press-room
[26] WCAX, “This Day in History: A tense confrontation in Burlington’s Battery Park,” June 3, 2026, recounting the
1979 clashes and later closure of the park to car traffic.
https://www.wcax.com/2026/06/03/this-day-history-tense-confrontation-burlingtons-battery-park/
[27] Burlington Daily News, “Racial equity committee urges overhaul of Burlington Forward resolution in new
memo, amendments remain uncertain,” Sept. 9, 2026. Reports the REIB Committee’s separate impact assessment
and that amendments remained pending.
https://burlingtondailynews.net/2026/09/09/racial-equity-committee-urges-overhaul-of-burlington-forward-resolution
-in-new-memo-amendments-remain-uncertain/
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance | Burlington Forward Review, Analysis and Demands | September 2026
23

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Resolution Related to[KP1]

BURLINGTON FORWARD: A COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK FOR SAFE PUBLIC SPACES AND A
STRONGER COMMUNITY[KP2]
WHEREAS,[KP3] Burlington's downtown, parks, sidewalks, streets, libraries, waterfront, bike
paths, and other public spaces are among the City's greatest civic assets. They are the places
where neighbors gather, children play, businesses and tourism thrives, visitors form lasting
impressions, and community life unfolds every day. Preserving these shared public spaces as
safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and well-maintained for everyone is among the City's most
fundamental responsibilities; and[KP4]
WHEREAS, over the past several years, the Burlington City Council has adopted multiple
resolutions and initiatives intended to strengthen public safety, improve community well-being,
expand access to housing and behavioral health services, and respond compassionately to the
challenges of homelessness, substance use, and mental illness; and
WHEREAS, the City of Burlington, together with healthcare providers, nonprofit organizations,
businesses, faith communities, neighborhood organizations, educational institutions, and
countless volunteers, has committed substantial public and private resources toward
emergency shelter, affordable housing, outreach, behavioral health services, recovery
programs, harm reduction initiatives, and other efforts intended to assist vulnerable members
of our community; and[KP5]
WHEREAS, notwithstanding these efforts and the extraordinary commitment of those serving
our community, many individuals, including those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and
mental illness, continue to be negatively affected by persistent public disorder[KP6], criminal
activity, violence, repeated overdoses, open drug dealing and use, prohibited camping,
vandalism, aggressive or threatening behavior, and other conduct that unreasonably interferes
with the use and enjoyment of Burlington's shared public spaces; and[KP7]
WHEREAS, these conditions have diminished public confidence, strained municipal resources,
adversely affected neighborhoods and businesses, discouraged investment and tourism,
harmed morale and recruitment of police and other city staff, and undermined Burlington's
reputation while also failing many individuals who continue to experience homelessness,
addiction, or untreated mental illness without achieving lasting stability, recovery, or improved
health outcomes; and[KP8]

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WHEREAS, Burlington is and will remain a compassionate community where residents
consistently demonstrate kindness and generosity toward neighbors experiencing
homelessness, addiction, mental illness, and other crises. This resolution builds upon those
values; and[KP9]
WHEREAS, the City Council also finds that allowing individuals to remain in circumstances that
jeopardize their health, safety, or dignity without meaningful intervention is neither
compassionate nor humane. Lasting compassion requires connecting people to treatment,
recovery, housing, supportive services, and, where appropriate, enforcement and
accountability for unlawful conduct that harms others or unreasonably interferes with the
public's use and enjoyment of shared public spaces; and[KP10]
WHEREAS, the City Council rejects the false choice between compassion and public safety and
affirms that accountability, treatment, housing, recovery, public safety, and public order are
complementary, interdependent responsibilities that must be pursued together to advance the
public interest and the dignity of every person; and[KP11]
WHEREAS, the City further recognizes that Burlington cannot reasonably or sustainably serve as
the exclusive or primary provider of shelter, behavioral health services, and substance use
treatment for individuals from throughout Vermont and outside our state, and that these
challenges require sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont,
healthcare institutions, nonprofit organizations, and regional service providers to ensure that
responsibility is shared equitably throughout the region; and[KP12]
WHEREAS, restoring and preserving Burlington's public spaces requires clearly articulated
values, public policy, measurable implementation, meaningful accountability, prioritized
enforcement of our existing laws and ordinances, sustained regional partnership, and a
continuing commitment by every level of government and every community partner.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED [KP13]that the Burlington City Council hereby adopts the
following policy framework to restore and preserve safe, welcoming, orderly, and accessible
public spaces; expand meaningful pathways to housing, treatment, and recovery; strengthen
accountability for unlawful conduct and conduct that unreasonably interferes with the use and
enjoyment of our shared public spaces; and promote shared regional responsibility for
addressing the complex challenges of homelessness, substance use, and behavioral health.

ARTICLE I
General Policy

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Section 1.01. Purpose.[KP14][KP15]
The purpose of this Resolution is to establish a comprehensive policy framework for restoring
and preserving Burlington's public spaces as safe, welcoming, orderly, accessible, and wellmaintained places for all residents and visitors, while continuing Burlington's longstanding
commitment to compassion, dignity, and meaningful support for individuals experiencing
homelessness, substance use disorder, behavioral health challenges, and other circumstances
requiring public assistance. To achieve these objectives, Burlington must realign its values and
related efforts. An honest assessment indicates that neither the current nor previous policy
frameworks have achieved their intended results, making a revised strategy necessary moving
forward.
Section 1.02. General Policy.
It shall be the policy of the City Council that:
A.[KP16] Burlington's public spaces belong to everyone. Every resident and visitor should be able
to use and enjoy the City's parks, streets, sidewalks, libraries, waterfront, bike paths, public
buildings, downtown, neighborhood business districts, and other public spaces safely and
without unreasonable interference or exposure to unlawful activity and disruptive behavior.
B.[KP17] Compassion without accountability is not compassion.[KP18] The City Council rejects the
notion that tolerance of unlawful conduct is itself an act of compassion. No individual has the
right to engage in unlawful conduct or conduct that unreasonably interferes with the use and
enjoyment of shared public spaces. Effective public policy requires both meaningful
opportunities for prevention, outreach, treatment, recovery, housing, and supportive services
and consistent enforcement of criminal laws and municipal ordinances that protect the public's
health, safety, and welfare. The City shall pursue both objectives simultaneously to ensure that
Burlington's public spaces remain safe, welcoming, and accessible to all.
C.[KP19] Individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, or behavioral health
challenges deserve meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services,
and long-term stability. Burlington shall continue advocating for coordinated regional and
statewide responses to homelessness, behavioral health challenges, and substance use
disorder, recognizing that these challenges extend beyond Burlington's borders and require
sustained partnership among municipalities, the State of Vermont, healthcare providers,
nonprofit organizations, and other community partners.
D.[KP20][KP21] Decisions affecting public spaces, public health services, municipal resources, and
zoning policy shall be guided by objective evidence, public transparency, measurable outcomes,

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and accountability to the public. Public accountability requires admitting when systems and
policies have fallen short, and when existing social services lack the capacity to deliver the
interventions needed for consistent improved outcomes.

ARTICLE II
Protecting Burlington’s Public Spaces
Section 2.01. Statement of Intent.[KP22]
The purpose of this Article is to restore and preserve Burlington and its public spaces as safe,
welcoming, orderly, accessible, and well-maintained places that may be comfortably enjoyed by
residents and visitors of all ages while respecting the dignity of every person and ensuring that
public spaces remain available for their intended public use.
Section 2.02. Public Space Policy.[KP23]
The City shall prioritize the restoration and preservation of Burlington's public spaces for the
benefit of all residents and visitors. Public spaces shall be managed to encourage lawful activity,
positive community use, economic vitality, recreation, civic engagement, and public enjoyment.
Public spaces should not merely be accessible; they should be places where residents and
visitors choose to gather and should reasonably expect to feel safe doing so.
The City shall make it a top priority to ensure public spaces remain reasonably free from
unlawful conduct and conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of those spaces, and that such spaces are well maintained, clean, and reasonably
free of graffiti, litter, unattended personal belongings, and other conditions that detract from
their safety, accessibility, and public enjoyment.
Section 2.03. Activation of Public Spaces.[KP24]
The City finds that well-programmed, well-maintained, and actively used public spaces are
among the most effective long-term strategies for promoting public safety, strengthening
community life, and discouraging unlawful and disruptive activity.
The City shall expand the activation of Burlington's public spaces through community
programming, arts and cultural events, recreational opportunities, family-oriented activities,
and partnerships that increase positive public use of parks, downtown, neighborhood business
districts, and other civic spaces. Consistent with the FY27 budget resolution, the City Council

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requests that the Administration continue coordinating with the City Council's Parks, Arts &
Culture Committee to develop and implement these efforts.

Section 2.04. City Hall Park and Organized Activities.[KP25]
The City Council reaffirms its prior policies regarding the restoration and stewardship of City
Hall Park as outlined in the Council's August 2025 resolution concerning the management,
activation, and preservation of the Park. The City Council declares again that City Hall Park shall
remain one of Burlington's principal civic gathering spaces—welcoming, accessible, wellmaintained, and available for the broad enjoyment of residents and visitors.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council asks that the City
Attorney’s Office prepare and submit to the Council any ordinance amendments necessary to
clarify where organized activities may occur within City-owned public spaces, establish when
permits are required for such activities, and ensure that such activities do not materially
interfere with the intended public use of City Hall Park or other public spaces.
The City Council requests that the Administration renew stalled efforts to assist with navigating
how to secure any available and necessary permits for, or if permits are unavailable, offer
alternative locations to unpermitted social service activities where participants could be better
served while preserving the Park's role as Burlington's principal civic gathering space. If
necessary to identify alternative locations, the City Council asks that the Administration
evaluate appropriate indoor and outdoor municipal facilities, including Contois Auditorium
where practicable and consistent with operational needs.
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Department of Parks, Recreation & Waterfront issue a request for proposals seeking one or
more vendors, nonprofit organizations, or other qualified operators to activate the patio area
located in the northeast corner of City Hall Park through food and beverage concessions, retail
kiosks, recreational uses, cultural programming, public amenities, or other uses that increase
positive public activity and enhance the visitor experience. Any request for proposals shall
encourage creative, seasonal, and year-round activation strategies that promote regular public
use of the space and are consistent with City Hall Park's role as Burlington's principal civic
gathering space. Alternatively, the Administration may evaluate repurposing the patio area as a
centralized operational hub for public safety personnel, in alignment with the intent of the City
Council’s September 2024 resolution on establishing a downtown public safety hub, to provide
a visible, accessible, and continuous public safety presence within City Hall Park.

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Section 2.05. Expansion of Public Safety Personnel and Public Space Response
Capacity.[KP26]
The City’s sworn police officers, Community Service Officers, Urban Park Rangers, and other
civilian public safety personnel continue to perform their duties with exceptional dedication
and professionalism in protecting and preserving our public spaces. A number of these roles,
particularly sworn police officers, unfortunately continue to face significant challenges to
staffing, with available police officers consistently remaining at or below current levels since
2023. As the City continues with long-term efforts to rebuild its public safety infrastructure,
there is an immediate need to strengthen the City's visible presence within its public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council requests that the Administration act within sixty (60) days
following enactment of the Resolution to present recommendations to the Council on which
public safety roles can be most immediately and substantially increased, if even on a temporary
basis, to ensure more personnel are assigned to visible public safety and public space response
functions. Moreover, the City Council asks that the Chief of Police continue to regularly update
the Council’s Public Safety Committee on recruitment efforts at the Burlington Police
Department.
Immediately following enactment of this Resolution and prior to delivering the aboverequested recommendations, the City Council requests that the Mayor take the steps necessary
to expand the visible presence of public safety personnel in areas experiencing persistent public
safety and public order concerns, which the Mayor’s Administration has previously attempted
to address through its working group on “hot spots,” where ongoing conditions threaten public
safety, diminish the public's use and enjoyment of these spaces, and risk undermining the
success of generational projects like that at Burlington Square. For this purpose, the Mayor may
use, as necessary, the monies allocated by the City Council in the FY27 budget to contract with
third-party public safety personnel, including certified police officers. Additionally, to the extent
permitted by existing agreements with contracted public safety personnel, such as those
currently assigned to patrol municipal garages, the Mayor is authorized to repurpose these
personnel to higher priority areas.
Moreover, to the extent practicable, the City Council requests that the Administration recruit
and organize one or more Public Space Response Teams comprised of City employees and
employees of other local organizations committed to the vitality of Burlington who voluntarily
elect to participate and successfully complete appropriate training. [KP27]Public Space Response
Teams shall supplement, but not replace, traditional public safety resources by increasing the
City's visible presence within public spaces, promoting lawful and welcoming public use, and
assisting in the preservation of City property. If the City’s unionized staff are interested in this

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volunteer opportunity, the Council acknowledges the potential need to submit proposals to
municipal unions as necessary to accommodate this.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and consistent with appropriate training and supervision,
members of Public Space Response Teams [KP28]may be authorized to:
A. Address and intercede conduct that unreasonably interferes with the public's use and
enjoyment of Burlington's public spaces, including, but not limited to, the open use of drugs
and alcohol, public intoxication, smoking where prohibited, disorderly behavior, and the
encumbrance of sidewalks and walking paths;
B. Issue municipal ordinance citations within the scope of their legal authority;
C. Issue notices against trespass and take other lawful actions necessary to protect City
property and public spaces;
D. Promote cleanliness and sanitation, identify maintenance concerns, and coordinate the
prompt removal of graffiti and other public nuisances; and
E. Connect individuals experiencing crisis, homelessness, substance use disorder, or other
behavioral health needs with appropriate treatment, recovery, housing, and supportive
services.
The City Attorney and Chief Administrative Officer shall prepare and submit for Council
consideration any ordinance amendments, budget proposals, administrative policies, or other
measures necessary to implement this Section.
Section 2.06. Public Safety Cameras and Public Notification.[KP29]
The City Council finds that visible public safety cameras, when lawfully deployed and
appropriately identified, deter unlawful conduct, assist in criminal investigations[KP30], and
promote public confidence in the safety of Burlington's public spaces.
Within thirty (30) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council asks that the Chief
Information Officer prepare and submit to the Council a report identifying all City-owned or
City-operated public safety cameras currently operating within Burlington's downtown and
other public spaces. The report shall identify each camera's general location, operational status,
and any significant gaps in camera coverage requiring future consideration, provided that
nothing in this Section shall require disclosure of information that would compromise public
safety or law enforcement operations and the report will be provided confidentially to the
extent permitted by Vermont’s Open Meeting Law. Moreover, in carrying out this Section and

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any future expansion of public safety camera systems, the City shall remain mindful of the
importance of protecting individual privacy and civil liberties and shall ensure that the
deployment, operation, and management of such systems are conducted in accordance with
applicable law and appropriate safeguards governing the collection, retention, access to, and
use of recorded data, including but not limited to the City’s Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.
The City Council requests that the Administration install and maintain clear, visible signage at
appropriate locations notifying the public that public safety cameras are in operation. Such
signage shall be designed to deter unlawful conduct while promoting public awareness that
public spaces are actively monitored for the protection of residents, visitors, businesses, and
City property.
Section 2.07. Public Space Stewardship and Graffiti Removal.[KP31]
Recognizing that clean, well-maintained public spaces contribute to public safety, civic pride,
and neighborhood vitality, the City Council requests that the Mayor coordinate with the
Council’s Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee to establish a public
space stewardship program to encourage and support volunteer participation in the prompt
removal of graffiti from public spaces and other beautification initiatives consistent with the
purposes of this Resolution.[KP32] In establishing this public space stewardship program, the
Administration and CDNR Committee may collaborate with organizations and individuals
already volunteering to perform the expanded work called for in this Section.
Any program shall provide participating residents with appropriate training, safety guidance,
equipment, supplies, and other resources necessary to assist the City in removing graffiti from
publicly owned property in a safe, lawful, and coordinated manner.
The City Council reaffirms that the prompt removal of graffiti from privately owned property
remains the primary responsibility of the property owner. Any public space stewardship
program should also provide a mechanism through which private property owners may
authorize trained City employees or approved volunteers participating in the program to enter
their property for the purpose of removing graffiti, subject to such reasonable conditions and
limitations as the property owner may establish.
Section 2.08. Expanded Partnerships with Nonprofit Organizations and Private Property
Owners.[KP33]
The City Council recognizes that restoring Burlington's public spaces requires meaningful
collaboration with businesses, nonprofit organizations, faith communities, and other private

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property owners whose properties directly influence the experience of surrounding
neighborhoods.
Accordingly, the City Council asks the Mayor to develop and make publicly available for private
property owners educational materials on:
A. Procedures for issuing notices against trespass as authorized by law;
B. Crime prevention and environmental design strategies;
C. Details on the extent to which private property owners can be held criminally or civilly liable
for unlawful or other wrongful conduct permitted to continue on their premises;
D. Other available tools to assist property owners in responding to unlawful activity while
promoting safe, welcoming, and well-maintained properties.
The City Council further asks the Mayor to engage with nonprofit organizations that provide
services to individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, mental health
challenges, or other vulnerabilities, and to relay the City’s request that such organizations
adopt reasonable expectations for respectful and lawful behavior on the organization's
property and within adjacent public rights-of-way and public spaces immediately surrounding
the organization's facilities, including expectations designed to discourage conduct that creates
public safety risks, interferes with the use and enjoyment of neighboring properties and public
spaces, or otherwise adversely affects the surrounding community. The City encourages
nonprofit organizations to communicate these expectations in a manner that preserves the
dignity of those receiving services while reinforcing shared responsibility for maintaining safe,
welcoming, and accessible neighborhoods.
Section 2.09. Public Space Performance Standards.[KP34][KP35]
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Mayor collaborate with the City Council's Public Safety and Parks, Arts & Culture Committees to
adopt measurable performance standards for evaluating the condition of Burlington's public
spaces, which shall be publicly posted on the City’s Data Hub.
The standards shall include objective performance measures relating to, as appropriate:
A. Public safety conditions, including but not limited to the number of incidents, offenses, and
arrests in public spaces;

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B. Quality-of-life complaints, including but not limited to SeeClickFix reports on cleanliness and
sanitation, and graffiti response;
C. Public space activation and programming;
D. Visitor and resident use of public spaces; and
E. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines appropriate to
enable the City Council and the public to evaluate progress over time.

ARTICLE III
Sustainable Intervention and Regional Responsibility
Section 3.01. Statement of Intent.[KP36]
The purpose of this Article is to establish a sustainable framework for responding to
homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health challenges. The City Council
reaffirms Burlington's longstanding commitment to ensuring that individuals experiencing crisis
are afforded meaningful opportunities to obtain shelter, treatment, recovery services, and
permanent housing while recognizing that emergency interventions must ultimately lead to
greater stability, independence, and improved health outcomes.
The City Council further recognizes that compassion requires meaningful intervention,
measurable results, and shared regional responsibility. Emergency measures are intended to
stabilize individuals and connect them to long-term solutions and should not become
permanent substitutes for housing, treatment, recovery, or personal stability.
Section 3.02. Establishing Service Capacity.[KP37]
Within sixty (60) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Mayor convene representatives of organizations providing emergency shelter, affordable
housing, behavioral health services, substance use treatment, healthcare, emergency response,
outreach, and other appropriate public and private partners to evaluate Burlington's
sustainable capacity to responsibly provide emergency shelter, sanctioned camping, outreach,
treatment, recovery services, and related supports. To the extent the City is already convening
a group that includes the above-referenced stakeholders, the Administration may expand the
scope of that group’s work to include developing the assessment called for in this Section.

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The assessment shall evaluate available staffing, financial resources, healthcare capacity,
emergency response capability, housing availability, case management, sanitation, public safety
impacts, fiscal sustainability, and such other operational considerations as may be appropriate.
Based upon that assessment, the City Council requests that the Mayor recommend the
maximum number of individuals that Burlington can sustainably and humanely serve at any
given time through the coordinated provision of emergency shelter, sanctioned camping,[KP38]
outreach, treatment, recovery services, and related supports. The recommendation shall
identify the methodology and assumptions used to establish that number and shall include
objective indicators by which the City may determine when Burlington has reached or exceeded
its sustainable service capacity.
The Mayor may periodically review the recommended sustainable service capacity and
recommend revisions to the City Council as conditions, available resources, or regional
participation materially change.

Section 3.03. Regional Responsibility.[KP39]
The City Council affirms that homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health
challenges are regional and statewide challenges requiring regional and statewide solutions.
The City Council further finds that current conditions strongly indicate that Burlington is
providing services beyond what can be sustainably supported by its existing housing, shelter,
behavioral health, public safety, and municipal resources. While the assessment required by
Section 3.02 will establish a recommended sustainable service capacity, the City Council finds
that immediate action to promote greater regional responsibility should not await completion
of that assessment.
Burlington will continue to lead with compassion. Leadership, however, does not require
Burlington to serve as the exclusive or primary provider of services for individuals from
throughout Vermont.
The City Council requests that the Administration implement equitable policies and procedures
to ensure that, when Burlington has reached or exceeded its sustainable service capacity,
individuals seeking services are connected with available housing, shelter, treatment, recovery,
behavioral health, and other supportive services in other communities, including through
transportation assistance where appropriate. The City shall actively work with the State of
Vermont, neighboring municipalities, healthcare providers, housing organizations, and regional
service providers to expand service capacity throughout the region so that responsibility for
serving vulnerable individuals is shared more equitably.

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Section 3.04. Expanded Temporary Emergency Shelter Space and Sanctioned
Camping.[KP40]
Within ninety (90) days following adoption of this Resolution, the City Council requests that the
Administration designate one or more locations for expanded temporary emergency shelter
space or sanctioned camping to be utilized only when necessary to supplement available
capacity at established emergency shelters. [KP41]
Any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping location shall be
subject to approval by the City Council and generally situated outside Burlington's downtown
core, waterfront, shared-use path network, and heavily utilized public parks and shall be
selected with due consideration for surrounding neighborhoods, public infrastructure,
environmental impacts, and the availability of supportive services. To best serve individuals
able to utilize this location or locations, efforts will be made to designate locations with access
to drinking water, toilets, shower facilities and handwashing stations, laundry, electricity, and
dumpsters. To that end, the City Council acknowledges that while temporary emergency shelter
space is preferable to sanctioned camping, neither should be considered a permanent housing
solution and should be utilized only for the duration necessary to transition individuals to more
appropriate placements.
Prior to approving any designated locations under this Section, the City Council will expect that
the location will adopt and enforce operational standards governing admission, sanitation,
security, storage of belongings, code of conduct, outreach, behavioral health services,
treatment referrals, housing navigation, transportation, case management, and ongoing
program evaluation.
The City Council asks that the Administration establish measurable performance standards for
any expanded temporary emergency shelter space or sanctioned camping and shall publish the
resulting performance data in a publicly accessible format [KP42]on the City's website no less
frequently than monthly. At a minimum, the publicly reported data shall include:
A. The number of individuals served during the reporting period and cumulatively;
B. The average daily occupancy and utilization rate;
C. The number and percentage of participants successfully transitioned to emergency shelter,
treatment, recovery programs, permanent supportive housing, permanent housing, or other
stable housing placements;
D. The average length of stay for participants;

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E. The number of emergency service responses to a location; and
F. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines are appropriate to
evaluate whether a location is functioning as a temporary intervention that promotes health,
safety, and successful transitions to more appropriate placements.
Section 3.05. Unauthorized Encampments.[KP43][KP44]
The City Council finds that unauthorized encampments located in areas where camping is
specifically prohibited are inconsistent with the policies established by this Resolution.
Consistent with applicable legal requirements, the City Council requests that the Administration
act more promptly upon discovery of a prohibited encampment, generally within twenty-four
(24) hours, to provide notice of a specified date on which the encampment will face ticketing,
no trespass orders, other legal action, and removal of any remaining items. This date should be
as soon as reasonably practicable following the provision of notice, allowing sufficient time for
affected individuals to make alternative arrangements while protecting public health, public
safety, environmental resources, and the public's continued use and enjoyment of Burlington's
public spaces.
In accordance with City policy regarding sheltering on public lands, encampments noticed for
removal will be provided contact information from local social service organizations serving
unsheltered residents, the State of Vermont’s Coordinated Entry Screening Form with
instructions, information on other available community resources, information on the officials
responsible for an encampment that is not removed, and details on where any collected
personal property will be stored.
For the purposes of this Article, the City Council notes that Section 22-7 of the Burlington Code
of Ordinances provides that “[i]t shall be unlawful for any person to camp in any public park in
the city.” Section 22-1 enumerates the City’s parks and Section 22-23 further provides that “the
land known as Urban Reserve … shall be considered a city park subject to this chapter.”
To the extent the City does not have sufficient staffing capacity to comply with this Section, the
City Council asks that the Mayor’s Administration act within sixty (60) days following enactment
of this Resolution to present recommendations to the Council detailing how it will promptly
increase the number of personnel authorized and trained to provide notices of removal and
conduct associated outreach. The recommendations shall identify the staffing, organizational
changes, funding, and implementation timeline necessary to ensure that notices of removal are
issued consistently throughout the City.

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The City Council requests that the Administration establish measurable performance standards
governing the City's response to prohibited encampments and shall publish the resulting
[KP45]performance data in a publicly accessible format on the City's website no less frequently
than monthly. At a minimum, the publicly reported data shall include:
A. The number of prohibited encampments identified during the reporting period;
B. The average time between identification of a prohibited encampment and issuance of a
notice of removal;
C. The average time between issuance of notice and removal of the encampment;
D. The number and percentage of individuals contacted who accepted referrals or were
successfully connected to shelter, a sanctioned camping location, coordinated entry, behavioral
health services, treatment, recovery services, or other supportive services prior to or following
removal of the encampment; and
E. Such additional performance measures as the Administration determines are appropriate to
evaluate the effectiveness of the City's outreach and enforcement efforts.
Section 3.06. Accountability and Enforcement.[KP46][KP47]
The City Council reaffirms that every individual is entitled to dignity, due process, and
meaningful opportunities to obtain treatment, recovery services, shelter, and supportive
services. The City further reaffirms its commitment to prevention, treatment, recovery, and
other evidence-based public health interventions.
The City Council rejects the notion that enforcing our laws and ordinances in response to
unlawful conduct is an uncaring or unempathetic act, or that tolerance of unlawful conduct is
itself an act of compassion. Effective public policy requires meaningful opportunities for
treatment and recovery together with consistent enforcement of criminal laws that protect the
public and preserve Burlington's shared public spaces.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that Burlington will not tolerate drug trafficking, the
unlawful open use of controlled substances, retail theft and other property crimes that
frequently support substance use disorder, or other criminal conduct that threatens public
safety or unreasonably interferes with the public's use and enjoyment of shared public spaces.
The City Council further declares that enforcement of these laws shall remain a priority of the
City. The Council supports proactive investigation, lawful detention where appropriate, arrest
when supported by the facts and authorized by law, and referral for prosecution of individuals

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engaged in such criminal activity. Nothing in this Resolution shall be construed to discourage
law enforcement officers from taking appropriate enforcement action authorized by law in
response to these offenses.
The City shall continue pursuing treatment and recovery for those willing to accept assistance
while supporting the investigation, arrest where authorized by law, prosecution, and
appropriate punishment of individuals whose criminal conduct perpetuates addiction,
victimizes residents and businesses, or undermines the safety and vitality of Burlington's public
spaces.
Furthermore, the City Council notes that both the Situation Table and City Circle initiatives were
implemented to improve outcomes for individuals at elevated risk of involvement with the
criminal justice system, behavioral health crises, substance use, and homelessness, including by
reducing emergency department utilization, overdoses, and other preventable harms, while
also providing a more immediate and consistent system of accountability for individuals who
repeatedly violate municipal ordinances.
The City Council is particularly concerned that the City Circle initiative, which was previously
identified by the Mayor's Administration as a key component of Burlington's strategy to
improve public safety and accountability, appears to have been substantially curtailed or
discontinued. The Council further understands that this change may have been attributable, in
whole or in part, to reductions in available funding, and seeks clarification regarding the status
of the initiative, the reasons for any changes in its implementation, and whether alternative
funding sources or program models have been considered. The Council is also concerned that,
to its knowledge, the accountability mechanisms contemplated by the City Circle model,
including prosecution or other consequences for participants who failed to comply with
restorative justice requirements, have not been meaningfully utilized, and requests information
sufficient to evaluate whether the program has operated as originally intended.
Within thirty (30) days of the adoption of this Resolution, the City Council's Public Safety
Committee shall prepare and deliver a list of questions to the Mayor's Administration, the City
Attorney's Office, and the Community Justice Center, the responses to which shall provide the
Council with a comprehensive update regarding the Situation Table and City Circle initiatives,
including, at a minimum: (i) the current operational status of each initiative; (ii) participation
levels and measurable outcomes for individuals served; (iii) data concerning compliance with
restorative justice requirements and any enforcement or prosecutorial actions taken in
response to noncompliance, to the extent permitted by law; (iv) the funding sources supporting
each initiative, including any reductions or anticipated funding gaps; and (v) recommendations

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for the continuation, modification, expansion, or replacement of these initiatives based on their
first year of implementation.
Section 3.07. Request for Ongoing Assistance From State Public Safety Personnel[KP48]
Recognizing Burlington's ongoing public safety resource challenges, the City Council calls upon
the Vermont State Police to continue partnering with the Burlington Police Department by
providing supplemental law enforcement resources in and around the City's downtown and
other locations where additional law enforcement presence is necessary to protect public
safety, address criminal activity, and restore public confidence in Burlington's public spaces.
Separately, the City Council calls upon the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement
Division to expand traffic enforcement efforts within the City of Burlington’s principal
transportation corridors, including the new Champlain Parkway, where speeding, reckless
driving, excessive engine noise, and other traffic violations have become persistent public
safety and quality-of-life concerns.
The City Council affirms that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, it welcomes and
consents to the enforcement of both the laws of the State of Vermont and the ordinances of
the City of Burlington by duly authorized State law enforcement officers operating within the
City, consistent with their statutory authority and any applicable intergovernmental
agreements governing such enforcement.

ARTICLE IV
Public Health Policy and Permitted Uses
Section 4.01. Statement of Intent.[KP49]
The purpose of this Article is to establish the City's policy regarding the implementation of
significant public health initiatives, to reaffirm the City Council's legislative role in establishing
zoning policy, and to strengthen collaboration between the City of Burlington and the State of
Vermont in addressing public safety, behavioral health, and substance use challenges.
Section 4.02. Public Health Policy and Zoning.[KP50]
The City Council continues to support evidence-based public health initiatives that improve
individual and community health while recognizing that the location, operation, and long-term
impacts of significant public health services should be considered through transparent public

Page 134 of 157

processes consistent with the City's Comprehensive Development Ordinance and adopted
zoning policy.
The City Council finds that significant public health services with substantial neighborhood
impacts should not be established through administrative interpretation where doing so
effectively creates a new principal use not expressly identified within the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance.
Section 4.03. Overdose Prevention Centers.[KP51][KP52]
The City Council finds that overdose prevention centers are not presently identified as expressly
permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive Development Ordinance.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize overdose prevention
centers within the City of Burlington should proceed only through amendment of the
Comprehensive Development Ordinance following public notice, public hearing, and legislative
action by the City Council.
The City Council further declares that, should such an amendment be proposed, overdose
prevention centers should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown Improvement
District, as defined by the City’s Charter.
Section 4.04. Syringe Service Programs.[KP53][KP54]
The City Council finds that syringe service programs are a valuable public health strategy but
are not presently identified as expressly permitted principal uses within the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance and should not be deemed to constitute any currently permitted
principal use absent express legislative authorization.
Accordingly, the City Council declares that any proposal to authorize syringe service programs
as a principal use should proceed only through amendment of the Comprehensive
Development Ordinance through the City's legislative zoning amendment process.
The City Council further declares that while syringe service programs should continue to be
supported in Burlington, they should not be permitted within Burlington's Downtown
Improvement District. The City Council opposes the continued operation or establishment of
syringe service programs within Burlington's downtown core and calls upon the Vermont
Department of Health to work collaboratively with the City and local operating partners to
identify an alternative location that better advances public health objectives while supporting
the restoration and preservation of Burlington's public spaces.

Page 135 of 157

The City Council further calls upon the Vermont Department of Health to consult and
collaborate with the City before establishing, relocating, or materially expanding significant
public health services within Burlington so that public health objectives, zoning policy,
neighborhood compatibility, and impacts upon public spaces may all be appropriately
considered. The Mayor’s Administration shall promptly notify the City Council upon learning of
State-sanctioned efforts to expand public health services within Burlington.
Additionally, within sixty (60) days following enactment of this Resolution, the City Council’s
Community Development & Neighbor Revitalization Committee shall begin meeting to develop
a resolution that reaffirms, revises, or develops new recommendations from its previously
developed report on syringe litter that will further the goals of this Section.
The City Council affirms that the positions taken in this Article regarding an Overdose
Prevention Center or Syringe Service Programs are in alignment with Burlington’s current
comprehensive municipal plan, which acknowledges the difficulties associated with the
proximity of drug trafficking and use to those in recovery, and provides in pertinent part that:
[H]igh concentration of social service providers can become easily
unmanageable if all stakeholders are not working together,
keeping an eye on some of the larger interactions and their
implications. For example, the downtown is arguably not the best
environment for people recovering from alcohol and drug
addiction. The presence of active drug dealing and the highest
concentration of drinking establishments in the state create
serious challenges for those in recovery.

ARTICLE V
Implementation, Accountability, State Partnership, and Continuing Oversight
Section 5.01. Statement of Intent.[KP55]
The purpose of this Article is to ensure that the policies established by this Resolution are
translated into coordinated action through measurable implementation, public accountability,
regular reporting, and continuing oversight by the City Council.
Section 5.02. Partnership with the State of Vermont.[KP56]
The City Council appreciates the Governor’s most recent efforts to support Burlington with
additional public safety resources and calls upon the Governor to establish a sustained

Page 136 of 157

partnership with the City of Burlington to continue addressing the unique public safety,
behavioral health, homelessness, and substance use challenges confronting Vermont's largest
municipality.
The City Council requests that the Mayor invite representatives of the Governor's Office and
appropriate State agencies to meet annually with the Administration, City Council, State
legislators, and other regional leaders to evaluate regional progress, identify barriers to
collaboration, and recommend additional actions to strengthen the partnership between the
City of Burlington, surrounding communities, and the State of Vermont.
The City Council specifically refers back to the requests included in its August 2025 resolution
on City Hall Park and its asks for the following specific actions by the State of Vermont and
Governor to support Burlington in addressing chronic safety and health challenges: (1) Convene
a county-wide committee of local, county and state law enforcement agencies to develop a
coordinated response to drug trafficking and related crimes; (2) Convene youth service
providers, schools, and staff from the Agency of Human Services to specifically examine trends
among juveniles engaged in violence, drugs, and gun possession to identify strategies to
interrupt these trends for at-risk juveniles; and (3) Convene a public health strategy discussion
between members of the Department of Health and Department of Mental Health to examine
how to remove barriers to treatment and address limited capacity to existing drug treatment
centers to support people living with substance use disorder finding easier pathways to
treatment and recovery.
The City Council further recognizes the substantial progress achieved through the Chittenden
County Accountability Docket, which demonstrated that dedicated judicial resources could
promote more timely case resolution, meaningful accountability, improved access to treatment
and services, and greater confidence in the administration of justice for harm done to our
communities. Accordingly, the City Council requests that the Governor, in coordination with the
Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court and other appropriate State officials, continue and,
as appropriate, institutionalize this model in Chittenden County by supporting the continued
assignment of a dedicated judge, prosecutor, public defender, and necessary court personnel
and resources to ensure the prompt adjudication of cases involving repeat offenders and
individuals with multiple pending criminal matters.
Section 5.03. Legislative Partnership with the Vermont General Assembly.[KP57]
The City Council calls upon the members of the Chittenden County Senate and House
delegations, together with members of the Vermont General Assembly representing

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communities throughout the State, to support the enactment and strengthening of laws that
advance the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further calls upon the General Assembly to work collaboratively with
municipalities, public safety agencies, healthcare providers, service organizations, and other
stakeholders to enact legislation that:
A. Strengthens public safety while protecting individual rights;
B. Expands access to and investment in behavioral health, substance use treatment, recovery
services, and permanent supportive housing throughout Vermont;
C. Promotes equitable regional responsibility for addressing homelessness and behavioral
health challenges;
D. Provides municipalities with appropriate legal authority and resources to restore and
preserve public spaces;
E. Supports timely intervention for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises or
substance use disorder;
F. Improves coordination among State agencies and municipalities; and
G. Otherwise advances the purposes of this Resolution.
The City Council further directs the Mayor and the City's legislative representatives to advocate
for legislation consistent with these principles and to report to the City Council regarding
significant legislative developments affecting implementation of this Resolution.
Section 5.04. Continuing Commitment.[KP58][KP59]
The City Council adopts this Resolution not merely as a response to current conditions, but as a
continuing statement of municipal policy intended to guide future legislative decisions,
strengthen public confidence in local government, and restore and preserve Burlington's public
spaces for future generations.
The City Council believes that the strength of a community is measured not only by how it
responds to those in crisis, but also by how faithfully it preserves the public spaces that belong
to everyone. Through this Resolution, Burlington recommits itself to both responsibilities and
affirms that they are inseparable from one another.[KP60]

Page 138 of 157

2026.07.23 Burlington Forward - REIB Feedback (003) v1

Main document changes and comments
Page 1: Commented [KP1]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:04:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Highest-Priority Changes
If the goal is to make the resolution substantially stronger through a racial equity, inclusion,
belonging, and social responsibility lens, I would prioritize these 10 changes:
1. Add an explicit equity and civil rights framework that applies to the entire
resolution.
2. Separate homelessness, substance use, mental illness, and poverty from
criminal conduct so that vulnerability is not implicitly equated with criminality.
3. Require racial equity impact assessments for major enforcement, surveillance,
public health, zoning, and service-location decisions.
4. Require disaggregated data on arrests, citations, trespass orders, enforcement
actions, service access, and outcomes.
5. Add protections against disparate enforcement, including regular review of racial
and demographic disparities.
6. Require meaningful participation by people with lived experience in decisions
regarding shelters, encampments, public health services, and public space policies.
7. Strengthen access and accessibility requirements for relocated services, shelters,
sanctioned camping, and public programming.
8. Revise encampment policies to prioritize adequate notice, personal property
protection, accessible alternatives, and documented service connections before removal.
9. Reframe regional responsibility around shared investment and service capacity
rather than moving vulnerable people from one jurisdiction to another.
10. Revise the public health provisions to ensure that decisions about overdose
prevention and syringe services are evidence-based and evaluated for racial equity,
accessibility, health outcomes, and disparate impacts.

Page 1: Commented [KP2]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:13:00 PM

Christian’s feedback: I recommend adding a overarching equity statement near the
beginning of the resolution, perhaps after the "NOW, THEREFORE" clause:
Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Social Responsibility. In implementing this
Resolution, the City shall advance racial equity, inclusion, belonging, and social responsibility by
identifying and addressing disparate impacts on historically marginalized and underserved
communities; protecting the dignity and civil rights of all people; ensuring meaningful
opportunities for affected communities to participate in decisions that impact them; and using
transparent, disaggregated data to evaluate outcomes. The City shall seek to ensure that public
safety, public health, housing, behavioral health, enforcement, and public space policies are

Page 139 of 157

implemented fairly, consistently, and in ways that do not disproportionately burden any racial,
ethnic, socioeconomic, disability, or other historically marginalized community.
This would give the rest of the resolution a clear equity framework rather than
requiring equity considerations to be inferred.
Page 1: Commented [KP3]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 11:49:00 AM

Add a WHEREAS statement that speaks to and sets an equity framework for the resolution, so that it is
clear that producing equitable outcomes is not an afterthought. Suggested language: WHEREAS, the
City recognizes that systemic inequities—including racism, poverty, ableism, discrimination, and
unequal access to housing, healthcare, behavioral health services, and economic opportunity—
have contributed to the conditions addressed in this Resolution, and that effective public policy
must reduce disparities while improving safety and well-being for all residents.
Page 1: Commented [KP4]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:17:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:
Equity:
The language establishes that public spaces belong to everyone, which is an important equity
principle. However, it does not acknowledge that different communities may experience public
spaces differently or that some residents face greater barriers to accessing them.
Inclusion:
"Everyone" is broad but could be strengthened by recognizing community members with
disabilities, families, youth, elders, people experiencing homelessness, and communities
historically excluded from civic spaces.
Belonging:
The language supports belonging by framing public spaces as shared civic assets.
Social Responsibility:
The City appropriately identifies preservation of public spaces as a municipal responsibility.
Suggested improvement: Add language acknowledging equitable access and the City's
responsibility to ensure public spaces are welcoming to people with different needs and
circumstances.
"The City recognizes that equitable access to public spaces requires attention to the differing
experiences, needs, and barriers faced by community members and visitors, including people
with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, youth, older adults, and historically
marginalized racial and ethnic communities."
Page 1: Commented [KP5]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:22:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:
Equity:
The resolution recognizes significant investments but does not ask whether resources have been
equitably distributed or whether they reach communities with the greatest need.
Inclusion:
Community organizations are included, but people directly affected by the policies are not
explicitly included.
Belonging:
The language is service-oriented rather than community-oriented.

Page 140 of 157

Social Responsibility:
Strong foundation, but accountability for resource allocation could be clearer.
Suggested improvement: Add a commitment to evaluate whether public resources are
producing equitable outcomes.
Page 1: Commented [KP6]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 11:48:00 AM

Consider revising this so that homelessness is not repeatedly framed alongside criminal activity. The
resolution should distinguish housing status from unlawful conduct. Separate the reference to people
experiencing homelessness from the subsequent list of unlawful or harmful conduct, and add that
enforcement is directed at conduct, not a person's housing status.
Page 1: Commented [KP7]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:25:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

This is one of the most important areas for revision.
Equity:
The clause combines homelessness, addiction, mental illness, criminal activity, violence, drug
use, camping, vandalism, and aggressive behavior in a single narrative. These risks reinforcing
an association between poverty, homelessness, disability, mental illness, substance
use, and criminality, which may contribute to racialized and stigmatizing perceptions.
Inclusion:
The language may unintentionally position people experiencing homelessness or behavioral
health challenges as threats rather than community members.
Belonging:
The phrase "many individuals, including those experiencing homelessness..." places people with
multiple vulnerabilities within a public disorder framework.
Social Responsibility:
The City has a responsibility to address harm, but also to distinguish between unlawful conduct
and conditions of poverty, disability, or homelessness.
Suggested improvement: Separate these concepts. For example:
"WHEREAS, persistent public safety concerns, including violence, drug trafficking, property
crime, and other unlawful conduct, affect community members, businesses, visitors, and
individuals experiencing homelessness and other vulnerabilities; and WHEREAS, individuals
experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, and behavioral health challenges may
themselves experience significant harm, victimization, and barriers to safety and stability..."
This avoids conflating being vulnerable with committing unlawful conduct.
Page 2: Commented [KP8]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:27:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The clause should recognize that public disorder and enforcement policies can also have unequal
impacts on marginalized communities.
Inclusion:
Businesses and neighborhoods are mentioned, but not the voices of people directly experiencing
homelessness or behavioral health challenges.
Belonging:
The framing risks creating an "us and them" distinction.

Page 141 of 157

Social Responsibility:
Strong recognition of broad community impacts, but should include responsibility to avoid
unintended harms.
Suggested improvement: Add:
"The City recognizes that responses to these conditions must also avoid creating or exacerbating
racial, socioeconomic, disability-related, or other disparities in enforcement, access to services,
or treatment."
Page 2: Commented [KP9]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:28:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong values statement, but could be more explicit about dignity and equity.
Inclusion/Belonging:
Strong foundation.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested improvement: Define "compassion" as both individual and institutional
responsibility.
Page 2: Commented [KP10]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:29:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The phrase "meaningful intervention" is positive, but "where appropriate, enforcement" should
include safeguards against disproportionate enforcement.
Inclusion:
Consider voluntary, accessible, culturally responsive services.
Belonging:
The language of dignity is positive.
Social Responsibility:
Strong, but accountability should apply to government systems as well as individuals.
Suggested improvement:
"...while ensuring that interventions are trauma-informed, culturally responsive, accessible to
people with disabilities, and implemented consistently and fairly."
Page 2: Commented [KP11]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:30:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The false-choice framing is useful, but the resolution should also reject a false choice between
public safety and social justice/equity.
Suggested improvement:
"The City rejects the false choice between compassion, public safety, and equity and affirms that
effective public safety must protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all members of the
community."

Page 142 of 157

Page 2: Commented [KP12]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:31:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong opportunity to discuss regional inequities in service availability.
Inclusion:
Could include affected communities in regional planning.
Belonging:
Avoid language suggesting that vulnerable people are "from outside" and therefore less
deserving of services.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested improvement: Emphasize that regional responsibility is about shared
investment, not simply redirecting people elsewhere.
Page 2: Commented [KP13]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 11:52:00 AM

I would add another whereas clause here to drill down on the need for the contents of this resolution to be
executed with equity at the center. Suggested language: WHEREAS, The City recognizes that public
trust requires fair, impartial, and equitable treatment across all communities and commits to
implementing this Resolution in ways that strengthen trust among populations historically
experiencing disparate treatment within public systems.
Page 3: Commented [KP14]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 11:55:00 AM

Add equity as an explicit purpose of the resolution. Suggested language: ‘...while continuing
Burlington’s longstanding commitment to advancing racial equity, inclusion, accessibility,
belonging, compassion, dignity, and meaningful support...’ Also acknowledge that structural
inequities in housing, healthcare, behavioral health services, employment, and economic opportunity
contribute to the conditions addressed by this resolution.
Page 3: Commented [KP15]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:32:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The phrase "realign our values" is vague and may suggest a shift away from compassion without
defining what equity principles will guide the new strategy.
Inclusion:
No explicit commitment to affected communities participating in policy development.
Belonging:
The commitment to dignity is positive.
Social Responsibility:
The acknowledgment that previous policies have fallen short is good, but should include
learning from evidence.
Suggested improvement:
"The City shall use evidence, community input, racial equity analysis, and measurable outcomes
to assess existing approaches and develop revised strategies that advance safety, dignity,
inclusion, belonging, and equitable access to services."
Page 3: Commented [KP16]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:33:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Page 143 of 157

Equity:
Strong foundational language. Add explicit recognition of equitable access.
Inclusion:
Consider accessibility for people with disabilities and people with different mobility, sensory,
and communication needs.
Belonging:
Strong.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"...with particular attention to removing barriers experienced by historically marginalized and
underserved communities."
Page 3: Commented [KP17]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:33:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
This is one of the most consequential sections. The statement "Compassion without
accountability is not compassion" creates a strong rhetorical frame but may unintentionally
equate enforcement with compassion.
Inclusion:
The section should distinguish unlawful conduct from homelessness, disability, or substance
use.
Belonging:
Repeated references to unlawful conduct alongside vulnerable populations may contribute to
stigma.
Social Responsibility:
Strong emphasis on dual responsibility, but accountability should also apply to institutions.
Suggested replacement:
"Compassion and accountability are complementary responsibilities." The City
rejects the notion that public safety requires choosing between compassion and accountability.
The City shall pursue meaningful opportunities for prevention, outreach, treatment, recovery,
housing, and supportive services while enforcing laws and ordinances consistently, fairly, and in
accordance with due process. Enforcement shall focus on unlawful conduct and actual harm
rather than on a person's housing status, disability, health condition, or other protected
characteristic.
This would be significantly stronger from a racial equity perspective.
Page 3: Commented [KP18]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 11:56:00 AM

The repeated framing of compassion primarily as enforcement/accountability risks creates a
false equivalence between homelessness, substance use, and unlawful conduct. The opening
sentence should be replaced with language that balances individual and institutional
accountability. Suggested language: Effective public policy requires both accountability for
unlawful conduct and accountability by public systems to ensure equitable access to
housing, treatment, prevention, and supportive services.

Page 144 of 157

Page 4: Commented [KP19]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:34:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong but should include culturally responsive services and equitable access.
Inclusion:
Add language access and disability access.
Belonging:
Frame people as community members rather than recipients of services.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"Services should be accessible, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and available without
discrimination."
Page 4: Commented [KP20]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:03:00 PM

Add an explicit racial equity impact requirement. Suggested language: Decisions shall be
guided by objective evidence, public transparency, measurable outcomes, equity impact
analysis, and accountability to the public. Where policies may have disparate impacts,
the City shall identify and address those impacts before implementation.
Page 4: Commented [KP21]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:35:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
This is a strong foundation. Add disaggregated data.
Inclusion:
Public transparency should include accessible formats and meaningful opportunities for
community input.
Belonging:
Community members should have a role in interpreting outcomes.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"Where legally permissible, performance data should be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age,
disability, gender, housing status, and other relevant demographic factors to identify and
address disparate impacts."
Page 4: Commented [KP22]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:35:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Good emphasis on dignity, but "comfortable enjoyment" should be balanced with equitable
access.
Inclusion:
Add accessibility and reasonable accommodation.

Page 145 of 157

Belonging:
Strong potential.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"...while respecting the dignity, civil rights, accessibility needs, and diverse experiences of every
person."
Page 4: Commented [KP23]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:36:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The focus on cleanliness and "unattended personal belongings" could disproportionately affect
people experiencing homelessness.
Inclusion:
The policy should distinguish abandoned property from personal belongings and establish
procedures to protect property rights.
Belonging:
People experiencing homelessness should not be implicitly excluded from "public enjoyment."
Social Responsibility:
Add a responsibility to avoid displacement without meaningful alternatives.
Suggested addition:
"Implementation shall include reasonable procedures to protect and store personal property and
shall avoid unnecessary displacement of individuals without consideration of available shelter,
housing, or supportive services."
Page 5: Commented [KP24]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:37:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong, but programming should be accessible and representative of diverse communities.
Inclusion:
Add free/low-cost programming and accessibility.
Belonging:
Strong opportunity to build belonging.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"Programming should reflect the diversity of Burlington's communities and be designed with
input from residents who have historically experienced barriers to participation."
Page 5: Commented [KP25]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:38:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The relocation of social services raises significant equity concerns. Moving services away from
downtown may create transportation and access barriers.

Page 146 of 157

Inclusion:
Alternative locations must be evaluated with service users, not solely by government officials.
Belonging:
A public space should be welcoming to all, including people who use social services.
Social Responsibility:
The City should not simply relocate vulnerable populations without ensuring continuity of care.
Suggested improvement:
"Any relocation or alternative site for social service activities shall be developed in consultation
with affected service users and providers and shall ensure comparable or improved access,
transportation, accessibility, safety, and continuity of services."
The "public safety hub" alternative should also undergo an equity and community impact
assessment.
Page 6: Commented [KP26]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:45:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
This section needs a clear racial equity analysis. Expanding enforcement personnel can
disproportionately affect BIPOC residents, people with disabilities, and people experiencing
homelessness.
Inclusion:
Public Space Response Teams should include community representatives and people with lived
experience.
Belonging:
A highly enforcement-centered presence may increase feelings of surveillance among some
communities.
Social Responsibility:
Strong need for training, oversight, and accountability.
Recommended addition:
"All public safety personnel and Public Space Response Teams shall receive training in racial
equity, implicit bias, de-escalation, disability awareness, trauma-informed practices, cultural
responsiveness, and constitutional and civil rights protections."
Strong recommendation:
Add requirements for:
 complaint mechanisms;


data collection;



demographic analysis of citations, trespass orders, and other enforcement;



regular public reporting;



independent review of disparate impacts.

The powers in subsection A–C should also be carefully limited to prevent inconsistent or
discretionary enforcement.
Page 7: Commented [KP27]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:45:00 PM

Page 147 of 157

City employees as volunteers in this venture will exacerbate the burnout currently running rampant
among the City government staff. I wonder if this is an opportunity to activate our NPAs, especially
because we know there are varying levels of engagement depending on the ward—this could be a way to
more actively involve residents as solving the issues in the City will take all of us.
Page 7: Commented [KP28]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:41:00 PM

Because these teams may intervene, issue citations, and issue trespass notices, require mandatory
training in racial equity, implicit bias, de-escalation, trauma-informed practice, disability awareness,
cultural responsiveness, and constitutional/legal protections. Also require demographic monitoring of
contacts and enforcement actions to identify disparate impacts. The CJC and REIB should be involved in
this this training effort.
Page 8: Commented [KP29]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:46:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Surveillance technologies can have disparate impacts and should be evaluated for racial and civil
liberties implications.
Inclusion:
Public notification is good, but community participation in camera expansion should be
required.
Belonging:
Over-surveillance can undermine trust.
Social Responsibility:
Strong privacy language, but stronger accountability is needed.
Suggested addition:
"Prior to significant expansion of public safety camera systems, the City shall conduct and
publicly report a privacy, civil liberties, and racial equity impact assessment."
Page 8: Commented [KP30]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:53:00 PM

Strengthen the civil-rights safeguards. In addition to privacy and data-management requirements,
consider explicit limits on facial recognition or other biometric uses, retention periods, access controls,
periodic equity/bias audits, and public reporting on camera use and outcomes.
Page 9: Commented [KP31]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:49:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Neutral overall.
Inclusion:
Volunteer opportunities are positive, but participation should be accessible.
Belonging:
Strong civic engagement potential.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition: Include neighborhood residents in deciding beautification priorities,
especially communities historically underinvested in.
Page 9: Commented [KP32]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:47:00 PM

Page 148 of 157

I know CDNR was working on contracting with an organization that would supply recycled paint to help
with the cost of removing graffiti and other similar beautification efforts—is that work that has been
completed and if so has the process been shared publicly?
Page 9: Commented [KP33]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:50:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The provision directing nonprofit organizations to establish behavioral expectations should be
paired with expectations for the City and property owners.
Inclusion:
People receiving services should have a voice in establishing expectations.
Belonging:
Good language about dignity.
Social Responsibility:
Strong shared-responsibility concept.
Suggested addition:
"Such expectations should be developed, where practicable, with input from individuals who use
or are directly affected by the services and should be applied consistently, fairly, and without
discrimination."
Page 10: Commented [KP34]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:53:00 PM

Add equity measures to the performance framework. Current measures focus on incidents, complaints,
activation, and use. Add demographic analysis of citations, arrests, police contacts, complaints, and other
enforcement activity, where legally permissible, and assess whether improvements in public-space
conditions are being achieved equitably across communities.
Page 10: Commented [KP35]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:50:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
This section is an important opportunity to embed equity.
Inclusion:
Add community perception and participation measures.
Belonging:
Measure whether residents feel welcomed and safe, not only whether incidents decline.
Social Responsibility:
Strong transparency.
Add measures for:
 racial disparities in enforcement;


citations and arrests by race and ethnicity;



use of force;



trespass orders;



access to services;



community perceptions of safety;



resident sense of belonging;

Page 149 of 157



accessibility;



complaints regarding discriminatory treatment.

Page 11: Commented [KP36]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:51:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong commitment to long-term stability, but "independence" should not be treated as the only
successful outcome. Some people will need ongoing supportive services.
Suggested change:
Replace "independence" with "long-term stability, health, autonomy, and well-being."
Page 11: Commented [KP37]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:52:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The concept of a "maximum number" of people Burlington can serve risks turning people into a
capacity calculation.
Inclusion:
Affected individuals and service providers should participate in defining capacity.
Belonging:
The framing should avoid suggesting that some people are "too many" for the community.
Social Responsibility:
The City should recognize a continuing obligation to meet urgent humanitarian needs.
Recommended addition:
"Capacity assessments shall be informed by the lived experiences of people accessing services
and shall evaluate not only the number of individuals served but also whether services are
accessible, culturally responsive, disability-inclusive, trauma-informed, and effective."
Page 12: Commented [KP38]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 12:58:00 PM

Establishing a ‘maximum number’ of people Burlington can serve raises equity and access
concerns. The methodology should not create a ceiling that results in denial of basic services.
Require the assessment to identify unmet need, legal obligations, disparate impacts, and a plan
for expanding statewide/regional capacity. Include people with lived experience in developing
the methodology.
Page 12: Commented [KP39]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:52:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The principle is strong, but "individuals from throughout Vermont" may encourage geographic
exclusion.
Inclusion:
Regional responsibility should mean expanding services everywhere, not redirecting people
elsewhere.

Page 150 of 157

Belonging:
People should not lose access to services because of where they originated.
Social Responsibility:
Strongest opportunity for regional equity.
Suggested change:
"Regional responsibility shall be pursued through shared investment and expanded service
capacity across municipalities, rather than through exclusion or displacement of individuals
based on their place of origin or current residence."
Page 13: Commented [KP40]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:53:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Locating shelters outside downtown can disproportionately burden people with limited
transportation and disabilities.
Inclusion:
Accessibility and transportation need stronger requirements.
Belonging:
The language could unintentionally frame shelter residents as incompatible with public spaces.
Social Responsibility:
Strong operational standards, but equity should be explicit.
Add requirements for:
 accessible transportation;


ADA compliance;



language access;



culturally responsive services;



community engagement;



resident participation in site selection;



racial equity impact assessment.

Page 13: Commented [KP41]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:01:00 PM

Add explicit equity and accessibility criteria for site selection. Consider proximity to transit, healthcare,
food, employment, disability access, culturally responsive services, and environmental impacts. Avoid
concentrating temporary shelter or sanctioned camping in communities that already experience
disproportionate burdens or figure out what mechanisms can be put in place to better support these
communities if site selection is limited due to the aforementioned concerns around proximity to transit,
health care, food, employment, and other services.
Page 14: Commented [KP42]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:02:00 PM

Add equity outcomes to the required monthly reporting. In addition to utilization and transitions, report
outcomes by race/ethnicity and other legally appropriate demographic categories, including referrals
accepted, successful housing transitions, length of stay, and emergency responses. The goal should be
both effectiveness and equitable access/outcomes.
Page 14: Commented [KP43]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:03:00 PM

Page 151 of 157

Add trauma-informed and disability-responsive safeguards before removal. Require documented
outreach, meaningful notice, efforts to connect people to appropriate alternatives, and procedures
protecting medications, identification, assistive devices, and essential personal property. Consider
requiring an equity review of encampment enforcement patterns to identify disparate impacts.
Page 14: Commented [KP44]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:55:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Encampment enforcement can disproportionately affect people with the fewest housing options
and may have disparate racial impacts.
Inclusion:
The proposed 24-hour response should be balanced with meaningful notice and accessible
alternatives.
Belonging:
Removal without adequate alternatives may increase exclusion and displacement.
Social Responsibility:
The City has a responsibility to protect public spaces while also protecting people from avoidable
displacement and loss of essential property.
Recommended additions:
"Prior to removal, the City shall make reasonable efforts to identify and offer accessible
alternatives, provide adequate notice consistent with applicable law, protect and store personal
property, and connect individuals with housing and services."
Performance data should include:
 race and ethnicity;


disability status where voluntarily provided;



number of people displaced;



number offered shelter;



number accepting shelter;



number for whom no alternative was available.

Page 15: Commented [KP45]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:03:00 PM

Expand the performance measures beyond speed of removal. Include the percentage of people
offered appropriate alternatives, accepted referrals, maintained continuity of care, retained
essential belongings, and obtained stable housing after intervention. Report outcomes by
race/ethnicity and other appropriate demographic categories to assess disparate impacts.
Page 16: Commented [KP46]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:04:00 PM

Balance the strong emphasis on individual enforcement with institutional accountability. Add a
requirement that the City evaluate whether enforcement strategies produce disparate racial,
disability, or other demographic impacts and modify practices when inequities are identified.
Consider explicitly distinguishing drug trafficking and other criminal conduct from substance use
disorder or homelessness itself.

Page 152 of 157

Page 16: Commented [KP47]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:55:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

This is perhaps the section requiring the most substantial racial equity revision.
Equity:
The language strongly emphasizes arrest, prosecution, and punishment. Without explicit
safeguards, enforcement can contribute to racial disparities in policing and criminal justice.
Inclusion:
People should have meaningful access to diversion and treatment before or alongside
prosecution.
Belonging:
The language may reinforce an "insiders versus offenders" framework.
Social Responsibility:
Accountability is appropriate, but the City should also be accountable for ensuring equitable
enforcement.
Recommended addition:
"Enforcement priorities shall be implemented in a manner consistent with racial equity and civil
rights principles. The City shall regularly evaluate enforcement activity for disparate impacts
and shall take corrective action where disparities cannot be justified by differences in underlying
conduct or other legitimate factors."
Strongly recommend adding:
 diversion;


restorative justice;



treatment alternatives;



procedural justice;



data transparency;



racial disparity monitoring.

The phrase "appropriate punishment" should be reconsidered in favor of "proportionate
and lawful consequences, including treatment, diversion, restorative justice, or
other alternatives where appropriate."
Page 17: Commented [KP48]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:56:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Additional law enforcement presence should be accompanied by safeguards against disparate
enforcement.
Inclusion:
Community members should be informed about roles and responsibilities of state personnel.
Belonging:
Increased enforcement may affect community trust.
Social Responsibility:
Strong intergovernmental coordination.

Page 153 of 157

Suggested addition:
"State and local law enforcement agencies should coordinate to ensure consistent standards,
accountability, community engagement, and compliance with racial equity and civil rights
protections."
Page 18: Commented [KP49]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:57:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Good emphasis on evidence-based public health.
Inclusion:
Public participation should explicitly include people directly affected by substance use and harm
reduction services.
Belonging:
Public health services should be framed as part of community health rather than as
incompatible with public spaces.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Page 18: Commented [KP50]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:57:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Neutral on its face, but zoning decisions can produce racial and socioeconomic disparities.
Inclusion:
Public processes should include affected service users.
Belonging:
Potential tension between neighborhood compatibility and inclusion.
Suggested addition:
"Zoning decisions shall consider potential disparate impacts on historically marginalized
communities and individuals who rely on public health services."
Page 19: Commented [KP51]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:06:00 PM

If the Council is evaluating the location of overdose prevention centers, the equity analysis
should be explicit. Consider requiring evidence regarding overdose prevention, health
outcomes, racial/ethnic disparities in overdose mortality, access to treatment, and impacts on
people in recovery alongside neighborhood and zoning considerations.
Page 19: Commented [KP52]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:58:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
The section should acknowledge that overdose prevention centers may serve populations
experiencing significant health disparities.
Inclusion:
A public hearing is important, but meaningful participation should include people with lived
experience.

Page 154 of 157

Belonging:
The prohibition in the Downtown Improvement District raises concerns about equitable access.
Social Responsibility:
The City should rely on evidence and health outcomes.
Recommended addition:
"Any consideration of an overdose prevention center shall include an evidence-based assessment of public
health outcomes, community impacts, racial equity, accessibility, and the potential benefits and risks to
people who use drugs and the broader community."
Page 19: Commented [KP53]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:06:00 PM

The resolution recognizes syringe service programs as valuable public health interventions but
proposes excluding them from the Downtown Improvement District. Add a health-equity analysis
to the location decision, including access for people who use drugs, overdose prevention, racial
disparities in substance-use harms, transit access, and continuity with other health services.
Avoid relocating services solely to areas that make access more difficult for the populations they
serve in the interest of spreading out the expected impacts in certain neighborhoods. If the
service is not accessible, then it will not work.
Page 19: Commented [KP54]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:58:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

This section presents substantial racial equity concerns.
Equity:
Restricting harm reduction services from the downtown core may disproportionately affect
people who rely on walking, public transit, or proximity to services.
Inclusion:
Relocation may reduce access.
Belonging:
The language risks treating people who use harm reduction services as incompatible with
downtown.
Social Responsibility:
The City should balance neighborhood concerns with evidence-based public health obligations.
The reference to the comprehensive plan should also be updated to avoid using a historical
statement about people in recovery as a justification for exclusion.
Recommended language:
"Any proposed relocation of syringe service programs shall be evaluated based on evidence,
accessibility, transportation, health outcomes, racial equity, community impact, and the needs
of people who use the services. The City shall not relocate or restrict services in a manner that
creates unreasonable barriers to access."
I would also recommend replacing:
"The City opposes the continued operation or establishment..."
with language that expresses a preference for collaborative site planning rather than
categorical opposition.
Page 20: Commented [KP55]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:01:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Page 155 of 157

Equity:
Strong opportunity to make equity an implementation requirement.
Suggested addition:
"Implementation shall include ongoing racial equity, inclusion, belonging, and social impact
assessment."
Page 21: Commented [KP56]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:01:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Equity:
Strong focus on regional coordination. Add equitable access to treatment and services.
Inclusion:
State partnership should include community voices.
Belonging:
Regional strategies should avoid displacement.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Suggested addition:
"State and regional strategies shall prioritize equitable access to services regardless of race,
ethnicity, disability, income, housing status, or place of origin."
Page 22: Commented [KP57]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:02:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

This section already contains a strong equity provision in subsection C.
Section 5.03(C)
"Promotes equitable regional responsibility..."
This should be expanded to:
"Promotes equitable regional responsibility for addressing homelessness and behavioral health
challenges while ensuring that individuals are not denied access to essential services based on
race, ethnicity, disability, income, housing status, or place of origin."
Section 5.03(A)
"Strengthens public safety while protecting individual rights" could be strengthened:
"Strengthens public safety while protecting civil rights, advancing racial equity, and ensuring
due process and equal protection under the law."
Page 22: Commented [KP58]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 1:07:00 PM

Add an explicit statement that the success of the resolution will be judged not only by publicspace conditions and public confidence, but also by whether implementation reduces disparities
and strengthens belonging and trust among communities historically experiencing disparate
treatment by public systems.
Page 22: Commented [KP59]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:03:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

Section 5.04 — Continuing Commitment

Page 156 of 157

Equity:
Strong values-based conclusion, but equity is not explicitly named.
Inclusion:
Strong potential.
Belonging:
The phrase "public spaces that belong to everyone" is powerful.
Social Responsibility:
Strong.
Recommended addition:
"Burlington further recognizes that public safety, racial equity, inclusion, belonging, and social
responsibility are mutually reinforcing responsibilities. A community is strongest when every
person can participate in public life with dignity, safety, and a meaningful sense of belonging."
Page 23: Commented [KP60]

Kelli Perkins

8/18/2026 2:05:00 PM

Christian’s feedback:

The resolution has a potentially strong foundation for social responsibility because it
recognizes that public safety, public health, housing, behavioral health, and regional cooperation
are interconnected. It also contains important commitments to dignity, due process,
transparency, measurable outcomes, and public accountability.
However, racial equity, inclusion, and belonging are largely implicit rather than
explicit. The greatest concern is that some provisions—particularly those involving increased
enforcement, public space response teams, surveillance, encampment removal,
relocation of social services, and restrictions on harm reduction services—could
produce disparate impacts without explicit safeguards, data monitoring, or community
participation.
The strongest revision would therefore shift the resolution from a framework that primarily asks
"How do we restore public order?" to one that asks:
"How do we create safe, welcoming, and accessible public spaces while ensuring
that the policies we use to achieve that goal do not disproportionately burden the
people and communities who have historically experienced exclusion,
discrimination, and unequal treatment?"
That framing would allow the City to pursue public safety and public order while
simultaneously strengthening racial equity, inclusion, belonging, and social
responsibility—rather than treating these as competing objectives.
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Page 157 of 157