Carla Occaso
This drops the property tax increase from 11% to 9.5%
By Carla Occaso
Montpelier’s City Council adopted the FY27 municipal budget on Jan. 7, which residents can weigh in on during public hearings to be held Jan. 14 and Jan. 21. Council members cut out around $197,000, which reduced the overall increase as proposed by the city manager’s office Dec. 10. On that date, Acting City Manager Kelly Murphy had presented a total budget of $21,138,820, which would have been an 11% increase from the previous year. However, no city council member wanted to bring that level of increase to the voters this year.
“I can’t support an eleven percent increase,” said Councilor Ben Doyle. He then asked about what expenses could be cut that would also not cause an increase in spending in the long run.
For example, adding back in a police officer position that had been cut previously had the potential of reducing overtime costs and other associated costs that would exceed the expense of adding back in the position, according to Police Chief Eric Nordensen.
Former Finance Director Sarah LaCroix had presented a “recommended budget” with an 11% increase, alongside a “bare bones” version at 2.5%. The 11% version added back in staff positions that had been cut over previous years. City council members asked department heads to address their staffing needs and how it would affect the budget.
Police Chief Eric Nordensen highlighted the need for a 17th officer to ensure safety and de-escalation; the department currently relies heavily on overtime. In other words, adding in the 17th officer position would most likely decrease actual expenses in the police department.
Department of Public Works Director Kurt Motyka reported having only 10 people for 13 plow routes. This situation causes the supervisor to be out plowing, and adds to overtime costs. Additionally, if staff members are out plowing all night, they can’t come back in the morning to remove snow, which has caused problems in downtown Montpelier. Additionally, the department is relying on staff members from the water department to plow snow, which means they must often choose between fixing water leaks and plowing snow if a water leak happens during a snowstorm.
And Planning Director Mike Miller said hundreds of flood-soaked permit boxes need scanning, and some areas have literally run out of E911 house numbers. He said rectifying this requires more staff time in the planning department.
And finally, the city manager’s office currently lacks an administrative assistant, forcing directors to handle public records requests and clerical work, leading to burnout.
The council expressed deep concern over the tax impact on residents, particularly those on fixed incomes. Councilor Adrienne Gil noted that while dual-income families might manage, an 11% increase is a significant burden for many.
Following discussion, the council voted to approve the city manager’s budget as a placeholder, but with an immediate $196,248 in cuts identified by McCullough. Cuts would include the city manager’s administrative assistant, part of a position in the planning department, a “city council — miscellaneous” line item, and money earmarked for economic development.
The reduced budget passed unanimously (with the city clerk’s portion voted on separately). The city clerk’s portion of the budget had to be voted on separately so Councilor Cary Brown, who is married to City Clerk John Odum, could recuse herself from voting for that portion of the budget because of a conflict of interest. Councilors also unanimously adopted the clerk’s budget.
Council Adopts New Public Comment Pilot Program
The council debated and ultimately passed a motion introduced by Councilor Ben Doyle to change how the public interacts during meetings. The goal is to address concerns that the current tone and length of meetings discourage participation. Therefore, for a 6-month pilot period, public comment will only be taken at the beginning (during the “General Business” portion of the meeting) and at the end of the meeting. Public comment will no longer be taken during individual agenda items as they occur. Success will be measured by an increased number of individual participants, shorter meeting times, and council self-evaluation of meeting effectiveness.
Residents such as Jen Duggan supported the move to prevent meetings from being dominated by a “small group” and ending late. Others, such as Peter Kelman and Thomas Weiss, argued the move is “undemocratic” and prevents informed commentary on specific items. Councilor Jim Sheridan was the sole “no” vote, arguing that people should be allowed to speak when they have heard the relevant information.
