Mayor outlines ‘modern gov’ restructuring: DFA and a reimagined CEDO to start July 1

The Burlington mayor’s office presented details of a “modern gov” initiative that will reorganize municipal operations with the stated goals of improving continuity, reducing duplication and better aligning staff resources to city priorities.

City staff said a Department of Finance & Administration (DFA) will be launched July 1, consolidating accounting, treasury, human resources, information technology and assessor functions. Scott Barker and other staff walked councilors through org charts showing centralized accounting, pooled grant management and shared financial systems designed to reduce backlogs and balance workloads across departments.

The mayor also proposed a reconfiguration of the Community and Economic Development Office (often referred to as CEDO) that would merge elements of the Department of Business and Workforce Development (BWD) and bring the Church Street Marketplace functions into a reimagined office labeled CEDO 2. Staff said the change would prioritize a stronger housing strategy, workforce development aligned to city goals (weatherization, construction trades), and improved language-access and community-engagement capacity.

Mayor Mulvaney Stanek said the city intends to pilot the organizational changes for one year before pursuing any charter amendments; the mayor’s office and staff emphasized they want to “get the design right” before asking voters to approve permanent charter changes. Staff said unions and department employees had been consulted during the planning.

Highlights the presenters emphasized:

- DFA aims to centralize accounting and enable cross-training so that departments are less vulnerable during high-season workloads (for example, construction season for the Department of Public Works).

- The reimagined CEDO would create a senior housing adviser in the mayor’s office for an incubation year and a homelessness specialist moved into the mayor’s policy team; the aim is to scale an integrated housing strategy over multiple years.

- The mayor’s office flagged federal uncertainty about Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in fiscal 2026 and said the new structure would address grant management and continuity of knowledge.

- Church Street Marketplace functions will be retained; Samantha McGinnis is the mayor’s appointee to lead the Marketplace and will support the commission during the transition.

Council members pressed staff on community engagement, placement of the Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) and the best long-term governance model for the Church Street Marketplace (options discussed included city-run, a hybrid model or a standalone nonprofit). Councilors also raised fire and life-safety concerns for denser built forms discussed later in the agenda (row houses and pocket neighborhoods).

Why it matters: The reorganization is aimed at improving operational efficiency and supporting city priorities—housing, community safety and climate adaptation—but it also involves changes to how some functions are managed and may prompt future charter changes. Staff said the changes will launch July 1 as a pilot year and then be reviewed before any permanent legal changes are proposed.

What’s next: Staff signaled an after-action review of the pilot in summer/fall and indicated more public communications and targeted outreach to employees, unions and residents would follow. Councilors and the administration expect follow-up sessions linked to the FY26 budget and upcoming charter discussions.

Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the meeting transcript.