Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said Burlington was in a “state of emergency” due to the coronavirus during his annual State of the City address, but stressed he was optimistic the city could come together to weather the storm.
Weinberger said while Burlington and Chittenden County residents were succeeding in flattening the curve, the future remains uncertain.
“It is an emergency that is likely to last in some form for many months and that threatens us all, regardless of class, race, or age,” he said. “And it is an emergency in which we each have a role to perform to save as many of our neighbors as possible, and to ensure that the Burlington of tomorrow is a city that emerges with renewed and even increased strength and vitality.”
After Weinberger’s speech, Progressive Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, was unanimously elected City Council president, and the city took action to extend tax deadlines to help those affected by coronavirus.
Organization Day is usually an upbeat affair, in which mayors have highlighted their work over the past year and laid out goals for the next. This year, almost the entirety of Weinberger’s state of the city speech on Zoom was about the coronavirus pandemic and the city’s response.
Weinberger said because of social distancing, the city was on course to stay “well within” the capacity of the health care system, which has been the main goal since the start of the crisis.
But Weinberger said that the city had to remain in the “stay home” stage until the state sees a sustained reduction in cases for approximately two weeks and the community dramatically expands its capacity to battle the virus.
Once those two standards are met, the next stage of the response will be a phased reopening of society, Weinberger said.
“Here’s the hard reality: public health experts believe that stage 2 will probably last for 12-18 months,” Weinberger said. “Stage 3 will be essentially going back to our lives before coronavirus, and we are unlikely to be able to get there until a vaccine has been developed and most people can be immunized.”
Weinberger announced that the city and the Burlington Electric Department would be launching a “green stimulus package” that would include initiatives to lower energy bills and transfer to efficient appliances.
The mayor highlighted additional city actions in response to the pandemic, including its initiative to produce masks, its Resource and Recovery Center that is helping direct citizens to available resources and the council’s action to delay tax deadlines.
Burlington will get through the pandemic together, Weinberger said.
“Burlington continues to be a place where we leave chalk messages of greeting on the sidewalk for our neighbors walking by, where we volunteer to deliver meals to the front doors of seniors, and where, quite simply, we look out for each other,” he said. “I know that we will get through these weeks and months ahead the same way we’ve gotten through the past few, together.”
Tracy said that he was honored to be elected as City Council president.
“It is an honor that comes with responsibility, and a lot of it,” he said. “Responsibility that is certainly heightened by this particular moment, and I take this role incredibly seriously.”
Councilors Karen Paul, D-Ward 6, and Brian Pine, P-Ward 3, were reelected and Councilor Ali Dieng, I-Ward 7, was elected to the Board of Finance. Paul and Pine were reelected with unanimous support, while every councilor except Councilor Joan Shannon, D-South District, voted for Dieng. Tracy and Weinberger make up the remainder of the board.
Councilors Sarah Carpenter, D-Ward 4; Jane Stromberg, P-Ward 8; and Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1, the first woman of color ever elected to the council, were sworn in Monday after winning election on Town Meeting Day.
The council approved a resolution which will allow property owners an extension on their property taxes from June 12 to Aug. 12.
Taxpayers who became unemployed, furloughed, or lost 30% or more in gross income due to the virus are eligible for the extension, as are taxpayers who own businesses that can demonstrate a significant financial impact. Taxpayers whose income is 80% or less of the area median income also qualify.
The city is projecting that up to 70% of taxes will be paid late, which would leave the city $20 million short in city and education taxes. The council approved $20 million in Tax Anticipation Note borrowing to cover the difference, at a 1.75% interest rate.
Taxpayers who opt in to the tax relief will be required to sign an affidavit that they will not charge penalties or interest on late rent or evict tenants for nonpayment before their property taxes are fully paid, according to a memo by Chief Administrative Officer Katherine Schad.
CORRECTION: Councilor Ali Dieng’s district was incorrect in an earlier version.
