Burlington Town Meeting Approves $18.6 Million in Capital and Utility Spending

BURLINGTON -- May 14, 2025, Burlington Town Meeting approved more than $18.6 million in capital and utility spending at its May 14 session, with the largest single item a $5.3 million borrowing for Town Hall HVAC, generator, and site work that passed 80 to 9, clearing the required two-thirds threshold. Director of Public Works Brian White told members the building's shared chiller is 27 years old and that a replacement carries a six-month lead time, warning that a failure before next summer would leave the town with only window-unit air conditioning as a fallback. Town Meeting also approved $1.71 million to resurface the Marshall Simonds Middle School turf field and track, now in its 13th year against a 10-year lifespan, averaging a G-Max impact rating of 159, and $1 million to launch a multi-year water meter replacement program White estimated will cost $4 million to $5 million in total. Three union contracts covering firefighters, police patrol officers, and police command staff were withdrawn after negotiations stalled; a fourth-quarter debate over restructuring the town's stormwater bylaw, led by Conservation Commission Vice Chair Bill Boivin, was ongoing at the close of the recorded session.