Burlington city officials are making last-minute adjustments to next year’s fiscal budget after discovering a significant $1.8 million error in projected revenues, city leaders announced this week. The mistake involved double-counting commercial property tax revenues, inflating the budget just weeks before the new fiscal year starts on July 1.Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak revealed a “shared-sacrifice” plan designed to close the budget gap without imposing a heavy burden on taxpayers. At a press conference Tuesday, she emphasized leadership accountability and department-wide cooperation as key elements of the solution.“I will not take a cost-of-living adjustment increase for the entire next year, and I have asked all department heads to also forgo COLA increases for six months,” said Mulvaney-Stanak. This pay freeze reduces spending within city administration but is only one part of the multifaceted approach.The city will also increase the surcharge on rideshare trips to and from the airport by 25 cents starting in January, targeting mostly tourists and visitors rather than residents. For homeowners, the financial impact will be minimal, with the revised budget capping municipal tax increases to approximately $100 annually on a median-value home. Combined with a school tax rollback, most property taxpayers are expected to see a net decrease in total property taxes next year.The revised plan also affects police staffing, reducing the proposed number of new hires from 10 officers to eight.Additional cost-saving measures include hiring freezes, deferred expenditures and targeted fees, potentially generating up to $2.4 million in savings. To prevent similar errors in the future, the city has removed the commercial tax assessment line item from accounting software, said Katherine Schad, chief administrative officer.Mulvaney-Stanak expressed optimism about finalizing the budget promptly.“We will make sure this doesn’t happen again and continue to implement tighter and better practices,” she said. The city council is expected to vote on the revised budget Monday.
Burlington city officials are making last-minute adjustments to next year’s fiscal budget after discovering a significant $1.8 million error in projected revenues, city leaders announced this week.
The mistake involved double-counting commercial property tax revenues, inflating the budget just weeks before the new fiscal year starts on July 1.
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Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak revealed a “shared-sacrifice” plan designed to close the budget gap without imposing a heavy burden on taxpayers.
At a press conference Tuesday, she emphasized leadership accountability and department-wide cooperation as key elements of the solution.
“I will not take a cost-of-living adjustment increase for the entire next year, and I have asked all department heads to also forgo COLA increases for six months,” said Mulvaney-Stanak.
This pay freeze reduces spending within city administration but is only one part of the multifaceted approach.
The city will also increase the surcharge on rideshare trips to and from the airport by 25 cents starting in January, targeting mostly tourists and visitors rather than residents.
For homeowners, the financial impact will be minimal, with the revised budget capping municipal tax increases to approximately $100 annually on a median-value home.
Combined with a school tax rollback, most property taxpayers are expected to see a net decrease in total property taxes next year.
The revised plan also affects police staffing, reducing the proposed number of new hires from 10 officers to eight.
Additional cost-saving measures include hiring freezes, deferred expenditures and targeted fees, potentially generating up to $2.4 million in savings.
To prevent similar errors in the future, the city has removed the commercial tax assessment line item from accounting software, said Katherine Schad, chief administrative officer.
Mulvaney-Stanak expressed optimism about finalizing the budget promptly.
“We will make sure this doesn’t happen again and continue to implement tighter and better practices,” she said.
The city council is expected to vote on the revised budget Monday.
