On March 3, the citizens of Burlington took to the polls for the city’s annual Town Meeting Day.

This year, each ward voted on a new city councilor, school commissioner and inspector of election, as well as four new proposals for the city. 

Ward 7 chose between Democratic candidate Evan Litwin and Progressive candidate Bill Standen. Litwin has been the Ward 7 City Councilor for the past two years and was running for reelection.

As for Ward 8, city council member and Progressive candidate Marek Broderick ran for reelection against the Democratic candidate Ryan Nick.

Litwin and Broderick retained their seats as city councilors for Ward 7 and Ward 8 with margins of 79% and 61%, respectively, according to the City of Burlington.  

The four proposals for the City of Burlington were to increase the Burlington School District budget for fiscal year 2027, increase the fire and police tax rates, provide compensation for school board members and enshrine the Office for Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

Voter and UVM junior Maya Krishnan emphasized the importance of increasing the schools’ budget and the fire and police tax rate.

“I really care about increasing the budget of [Burlington schools],” Krishnan said. “I think that, if done properly, increasing the budget on our police could be beneficial.”

The school budget increase passed, raising per-pupil spending to $15,774.58, a 6.4% jump from the current year. The property tax rate impact will be 4.7%, according to the district’s 2025 annual report. 

Both as a response to decreased enrollment and as an effort to reduce costs, the school district will cut 10 teaching and district office positions, according to the 2025 annual report.

The police and fire tax rate increase of $0.05 passed, which will boost revenue for the public safety budget by about $3 million, helping to close the current budget’s gaps. 

This additional revenue will also allow the city to hire two new firefighters and purchase six new vehicles to replace current vehicles on the “urgent/dire” needs list, according to the city’s website.

The charter change to make the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging permanent in the city’s government passed by a margin of 57%, according to the official results.

“I think that without equality for everybody, this society cannot function correctly, and I think equality for everyone should be the number one priority,” one voter said regarding the OREIB proposal. 

The final proposal was to offer school board members an annual $2,000 compensation, which passed by a margin of 62%.

“I feel like in most cases, people on the school board are people with time and money. I hope this bill will be able to open the doors a little bit for a more diverse school board for people of all social classes,” said voter James Daly. 

Voter turnout for the election was 30.29% compared to 33.93% at the 2025 annual election, according to the unofficial Statement of Votes Cast.

Ward 8 specifically has seen a streak of low voter turnout, averaging 24% over the past five years, according to the Statements of Votes Cast. 

Visit the City of Burlington’s website for more information on voter registration, eligibility and important dates.