Burlington city councilors received mixed news on Monday about a pricey plan to fix the city’s aging wastewater treatment system.
The upside: City officials trimmed several million dollars from the price tag by agreeing to delay parts of the project. The cost is now $152 million, down from $204 million.
The downside: That work can only be put off for so long, meaning another multimillion dollar bond could be coming as soon as 2027.
Such is the dilemma that Burlington officials face as they craft a bond to address decades of deferred maintenance at a cost that’s palatable to voters. Councilors will vote on the proposal later this month before it goes on the March ballot.
If approved, the revised bond would be paired with a separate $20 million proposal to upgrade the city’s drinking water system. Officials estimate the bonds would increase residents’ water bills by about 89 percent over five years, a reduction from the 107 percent jump once forecasted.
Public works officials say the projects are necessary to keep the plant running and prevent spillages into Lake Champlain. The money would replace defunct machines, build additional tanks and install equipment to filter phosphorus from treated wastewater.
On Monday, water division director Megan Moir said officials removed the least urgent projects from the proposal. That includes shaving off $25 million by putting off a plan to replace the Riverside Avenue treatment plant with a pump station. Another $13.6 million in savings would come from delaying upgrades to the city’s treatment plant in the New North End, Moir said.
But she also issued a warning: “It is extremely important that people realize that these two projects have to happen and will happen,” she said.
Moir said the city is still seeking grants to bring down the bond amount even more.
Earlier in the meeting, councilors discussed a controversial report by outgoing Police Chief Jon Murad that recommends a police force of 105 officers — the maximum allowed before the now-infamous vote in 2020 to shrink the department’s size through attrition.
Councilors had also planned to vote on a resolution that would have removed the roster cap altogether, but the item was delayed as the meeting neared the six-hour mark.
Murad’s report says the city should maintain hiring bonuses, invest in training opportunities, increase the pay scale for supervisors and address the aging police station at 1 North Avenue.
Other recommendations were redacted by city attorneys, who determined that sharing the information publicly could harm the city’s position in upcoming negotiations with the police union. Murad, however, has already shared the unredacted version with the rank and file.
The report was a source of debate at Monday’s meeting. Democratic councilors complimented the document as informative and comprehensive. Progressives, meantime, said the chief failed to include analysis of recruitment trends in Burlington and nationwide or new ideas to attract officers.
Democrats — and Murad himself, at one point — charged that Progressives’ sharp critiques of the department contribute to officers’ low morale. Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2) countered that councilors can be critical of the department and still support its officers.
In a lighter moment on Monday, councilors unanimously approved a resolution congratulating the University of Vermont men’s soccer team on its NCAA championship win last month.
Members of the team, which includes Nash Barlow, son of Councilor Mark Barlow (I-North District), attended the meeting and received a standing ovation in the council chamber. A parade celebrating the squad is planned for January 26.
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