Updated at 9:51 p.m.
Burlington voters on Tuesday approved all seven ballot items up for a vote on Town Meeting Day by wide margins — including “just cause” eviction protections, ranked choice voting in City Council races and new authority for the city to impose carbon fees on buildings.
Four of those questions, including the new eviction protections, will require changes to the city’s charter — meaning that they must be approved by the state Legislature before they can take effect.
Other ballot measures that passed include approval for local cannabis sales, the 2022 school district budget, changes to Burlington’s airport commission, and an advisory question on climate justice.
The success of the ballot items represented a victory for Burlington’s Progressives, who had led the charge to put several of the most high-profile items on the ballot, including ranked choice voting and just cause evictions.
“Passing all seven ballot measures really showed that we want to push forward with progressive measures,” said Tom Proctor, a local activist. “We are a city that wants to look forward.”
Question No. 1: School Budget
Burlington voters approved the school district’s $95.1 million budget for fiscal year 2022. The budget won the support of 77% of voters.
The new budget is up 4% from the current fiscal year. It includes about $1 million in cuts to operational costs to balance out unexpected expenses from relocating Burlington High School and the pandemic.
The property tax rate is expected to rise about 6.9% as a result of the new budget, though much of that increase is due to a decline in the state’s appraisal of local property value.
Question No. 2: Airport Commission
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Voters also approved changes to Burlington’s airport commission, with 81% voting in favor of the measure.
A representative from the city of Winooski will now join the commission, which oversees some airport operations. Another Burlington representative will also be added, bringing the total number of commissioners to seven.
Currently, the airport commission has four members from Burlington and one from South Burlington, where the airport is located. Winooski has long requested a greater say in the management of the airport, which has significant noise impacts on Winooski residents.
Because the proposal requires changes to Burlington’s city charter, it must be approved by the state legislature before it can take effect.
Question No. 3: Carbon Fees
Voters approved changes to Burlington’s charter to allow the imposition of carbon fees on buildings whose heating systems run on fossil fuels.
The measure passed with 61% of the vote, the closest margin of any of the ballot questions.
Currently, the city lacks the authority to regulate heating systems in buildings — which proponents of the change, including Mayor Miro Weinberger, say is a critical component of Burlington’s climate policy. The city’s plan to reach net-zero emissions, for instance, requires building decarbonization.
The charter change, if it is approved by state lawmakers, would allow Burlington to tax building owners for their carbon emissions and otherwise regulate heating systems. It would impact both residential and commercial buildings.
It would not put any immediate restrictions on fossil fuels into place. Any proposed carbon tax must go to the ballot and be approved again by voters before it is imposed.
City Councilor Jack Hanson celebrated the measure’s success on a livestream Tuesday, saying it was part of a movement that would “make Burlington a leader on the climate crisis.”
Question No. 4: Ranked Choice Voting
More than a decade after ranked-choice voting was repealed, in 2010, Burlington voters have reinstated the voting system — though only for City Council races.
The measure passed with 64% of voters in favor.
Currently, council candidates can win with 40% of the vote. If no candidate takes 40% or more, a runoff election is held later.
Ranked-choice voting would allow voters to rank candidates by preference instead of casting a single vote — which helps diversify the field, proponents say. When no candidate gains a majority of first-choice votes, secondary preferences are redistributed in rounds until a majority winner emerges.
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Burlington implemented ranked-choice voting for mayoral elections in 2005, but voters repealed it in 2010, after some blamed the system for sending Progressive Bob Kiss to the mayor’s office without broad support.
A proposal to reinstate ranked-choice voting in all city elections was greenlighted by the City Council in July, but failed to make the ballot when Weinberger vetoed the measure.
If the charter change is approved by state lawmakers, it would be implemented for council races but not mayoral or school board elections.
Question No. 5: Just Cause Evictions
Voters have approved the ballot item on “just cause” evictions, which would bar landlords from evicting tenants without providing legal cause. The measure passed with 63% of the vote.
If the Legislature signs off on the change, Burlington landlords would no longer be able to evict tenants when a lease expires unless they could provide legal justification.
Under the policy, “just cause” for an eviction would include violation of a lease, missed rent payments or breaking the law. And if a landlord was taking their property off the rental market or renovating it, they would be exempted from the policy. Certain properties, including owner-occupied duplexes and in-unit rentals, would also be exempt.
Tenant advocates have fought for just cause protections in Burlington for decades, arguing that they provide needed protection from unfair evictions. However, some local landlords launched a vocal campaign against the policy, arguing that landlords have a need for “no cause” evictions in certain circumstances.
Last week, lawn signs put up around the city by an anonymous group opposed to the measure drew protest, intensifying the already-heated debate around just cause.
Local leaders condemned the signs, which suggested that voting down just cause protections would help people of color, as “inappropriate” and misleading, given the well-documented racial discrimination in housing.
The success of the ballot measure, Proctor said, “showed the city that we abhor negative campaigning, manipulative campaigning. The people of Burlington really wanted to stand firm when it comes to tenants’ rights.”
The charter change now heads to the Statehouse for final approval from lawmakers. Sen. Kesha Ram, D-Chittenden, has pledged her support for the item, saying she will help move the change through.
Question No. 6: Cannabis Retailers
Voters overwhelmingly passed a measure that authorizes cannabis retailers to set up shop in Burlington as of October 2022. The measure was approved 80% to 20%.
Although Vermont legalized recreational marijuana sales statewide in October, the bill required that municipalities vote on the issue locally. At least 23 other communities were voting on local cannabis sales Tuesday, including Winooski, Montpelier and Brattleboro.
The state plans to start issuing retail licenses to established medical dispensaries in May 2022, before new retailers can obtain licenses. Burlington’s timeline will remove dispensaries’ head start by setting October 2022 as the start date — though delays in rolling out the market on the state level may complicate that.
Question No. 7: Climate Policy
Voters approved a ballot question directing the city to ensure equity in climate policy, with 76% voting in favor.
The question referred specifically to a policy that would regulate or tax fossil fuel heating in buildings, described in the third ballot question.
Voters advised the city to prioritize programs that “deliver the benefits of the transition of clean energy to low- and moderate-income Burlingtonians, to Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and to otherwise disadvantaged community members.”
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