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Police, fire chiefs warn of staffing strains; council budgets temporary support for outreach and justice programs
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Summary
Police reported 25% officer vacancies and rising incident volumes; the Community Justice Center faces an uncertain state funding shift, so the FY26 proposed budget includes city general‑fund support to keep local pre‑charge restorative services operating while legislature resolves funding changes.
At the Dec. 12 budget retreat, South Burlington police and fire leaders described a mix of persistent staffing pressures and programmatic changes that the council must consider as it finalizes the FY26 budget.
Police Chief Sean Burke said the department responded to 12,799 incidents in FY24 — an 11% increase — and recorded 798 arrests. He said property crime and stolen-vehicle incidents are up and warned the department is operating with a high vacancy rate: “Today, as I sit here, we're 25% vacant. We've got 10 openings,” Burke said. He told the council recruitment and retention are the department’s top priorities and that the city is boosting recruitment advertising and screening more candidates to refill patrol and specialty roles.
Burke described a programmatic shift: beginning in the fourth quarter of FY24, the community outreach team (Howard Center) became the primary responder to certain behavioral-health and welfare-check calls where there is no immediate safety risk; police continue to respond where a safety risk exists. He said this change frees officer time but that state funding cuts to portions of outreach and pre‑charge restorative justice work are creating budget uncertainty.
The Community Justice Center (CJC), Burke said, historically received about $149,000 a year from the Department of Corrections for pre‑charge restorative work. A change in state law moved responsibility for those services to the Attorney General’s office but did not appropriate continuing funds; as a result, Burke said the local CJC faces a likely funding gap until the Attorney General requests and the legislature appropriates funds. The FY26 draft budget includes general‑fund support to sustain CJC operations while the state process unfolds.
Police also described dispatch and technology upgrades: the department completed a dispatch remodel and implemented FireCAD to improve coordination between police, fire and EMS.
Fire department leadership reported an organizational rebound after earlier staffing challenges. The department runs three 24‑hour platoons and is moving some schedules for better work/life balance. The fire department said it now has 14 paramedics, with three more in school, and received a private $150,000 donation to support paramedic training. Chiefs said the department plans ongoing capital replacements — ambulances and apparatus — and listed station improvements, including sprinkler installation at Station 1, as priorities to reduce a risk posed by modern battery-powered equipment.
Ending: Council members asked for details on the short-term budget support for the CJC and community outreach; staff said that the FY26 proposal includes partial general‑fund funding and that they will return with clearer options as legislative action becomes known.
