The Burlington City Council held several work sessions during their meeting Monday night, including updates on a planned Overdose Prevention Center and recycling plans for the 2026 fiscal year.
In 2024, the Vermont Legislature passed a bill allowing Burlington to create a pilot overdose prevention site. The bill included $1.1 million for the Department of Health to provide grants to the city to establish the center, generally referred to as an OPC.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a Progressive, said the evening’s presentation was an important milestone before councilors decide on April 28th whether to approve the proposal.
“My administration is not only committed but very much passionate about deep community engagement. And OPC’s are part of that,” the Mayor noted. “So the next piece of work will be about how we continue to engage the community both through education, talk about site location and selection. But always using data to inform the implementation of this important tool.”
Theresa Vezina was hired by the mayor to serve as Special Assistant on OPC Implementation.
“Tonight we’re going to focus on how we’ll move forward with the Overdose Prevention Center in a way that’s responsible, collaborative and in full alignment with the legal and operational framework outlined in Act 178 and through the Vermont Health Department’s Overdose Prevention Center operating guidelines,” explained Vezina. “This has been a long-awaited work session and our task tonight is to walk through the proposal, the compliance plan and ensure that we as a city and as a partner to VCJR are prepared to carry our project forward with care and integrity.”
VCJR is the acronym for Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, which has been contracted to
Implement the center. Program Director Jess Kirby told councilors VCJR is uniquely qualified and a good fit to create the project.
“We, collectively our staff, has been implementing harm reduction programs responsibly and successfully in Burlington for many, many years. We’re working with a really high-risk population and a population that’s been asking for this for many years,” reported Kirby. “We feel like this will be a really natural addition to services we’re already providing. We know that this is really the next step for helping people stay alive, stay safe, access treatment, have support. And we’re really committed to making sure that this works for Burlington.”
Councilors also held a work session on a Department of Public Works proposal to contract with private haulers for residential recycling pickup. The department also seeks over the long-term to create zones and award franchises to private haulers. The idea was panned by Ward 6 resident Michelle Sagalchik during public comments.
“Initially we were told that the concern here was a budgetary one and that we needed to potentially consider cutting recycling services, municipal recycling services, for a savings of $200,000, which is a real slap in the face suggestion,” Sagalchik said. “Now the proposal has shifted to suggest that actually public services would be privatized for even less of a savings, city savings, of general funds. Now that that savings has shrunk it’s suggested that it’s actually about the jobs. And it’s really concerning that our current proposal is just to move that into the private sector.”
DPW Director Chapin Spencer noted that Burlington’s recycling program has encountered a number of operational challenges including high staff turnover and old equipment with frequent breakdowns.
“Burlington was a leader in recycling back in the 1990s. Not many communities in Vermont were doing it. I think we were the first in a city-wide municipal approach. And recycling remains an absolutely critical element, as does organics, to reducing trash,” Spencer emphasized. “Burlington is not, and this has been a misunderstanding, Burlington is not considering whether to recycle, just how is the best to collect recyclables. There are two important intertwined issues. One is how do we handle recycling operation in the next three to five years and then really what’s the best long-term operational model for collecting all three solid waste streams: recycling, trash and compost.”
No action was taken following both work sessions.
