Like every ward 8 resident, I worry about our future
You can’t lower rents, cut emissions, or rebuild trust without measuring what’s working — and you definitely can’t do it with slogans.
Below are some of the issues I believe we should be tracking, working on, and demonstrating real progress on.
How Burlington’s Grid Shifts Over a Day
A simplified view of how generation typically changes as demand and daylight shift.
What powers Burlington
What Powers Burlington Right Now
Burlington’s electricity doesn’t come from one place — it’s a mix. This graphic shows where our power comes from, based on the Burlington Electric Department’s most recent full-year portfolio. It’s a simple way to see the whole system at a glance: local generation, regional renewables, and the pieces that keep the grid reliable.
You’ll also see an “Right now (estimated)” view. That’s not a real-time meter; it’s a visualization to help show how the mix can shift across a day as solar rises and falls and demand changes.
Why this page changed
I believe climate policy should reduce emissions and keep energy affordable and reliable. After conversations with residents and local energy experts, this page was updated to better reflect how Burlington can continue making progress through innovation, grid modernization, and responsible long-term planning — not just symbolism.
How fast is rent climbing?
Burlington is a student-heavy city. When demand spikes, everyone feels it — students, working families, and longtime residents. This chart shows a consistent, apples-to-apples yardstick over time.
This chart shows how rent in Burlington has steadily risen over time, year after year, using the same yardstick across more than a decade. It’s not based on cherry-picked listings or worst-case examples, and it’s not a projection of what might happen — it reflects typical rents people have actually faced, shown clearly in dollars so the trend is easy to see. You can toggle between a typical renter and a typical one-bedroom to reflect different living situations, but the story is the same: small increases compound, and over time they reshape what people can afford, where they can live, and whether they can stay.
Rent doesn’t jump — it creeps 📈
Are we keeping up with the need for housing?
(no, we Aren’t 👎🏼 )
So many residents ask wether or not we are building enough housing. The answer is no. This chart shows how many new homes Burlington actually completed each year — plus what’s in the pipeline (permitted or under construction).
The dashed line marks the pace implied by the City’s own goal of adding 1,250 homes by 2026. It’s not a perfect measure of affordability on its own, but it’s a hard reality check: if we’re consistently building below the pace we say we need, rents don’t magically cool down. Hover or tap a year to see the details.
Are we building enough housing?
Completed homes (Built) plus the pipeline (Permitted / Under Construction), shown by year. Hover (or tap) a bar for details. The dashed line marks the pace implied by the City’s “1,250 by 2026” goal (~250 units/year).
Source: City of Burlington “New Housing Units” open data (CSV export). “Completed” = Status = Built. “Pipeline” = Status = Permitted or Current Construction. Values are summed from change_in_residential_units by year.
Where does the General Fund go?
Each square is $1 out of $100 in the City’s General Fund (Fund 101) spending for FY26. Hover (or tap) a category to see the exact dollars + share.
A city’s values show up in its budget. This chart turns Burlington’s General Fund into something tangible: $100 at a time. Hover to see how that money is split across services, and what those categories really include.
Budgets aren’t abstract documents. They reflect real tradeoffs about what the city maintains, what it protects, and where it invests. Seeing the budget this way makes it easier to understand how priorities are set — and how those choices affect daily life in Burlington.
Budgets are priorities 🤓
City Response Times should Matter.
What people report to the City (311), by category
Live pull from Burlington’s public SeeClickFix feed. Numbers come from timestamps on each issue (created/closed).
| Category | Requests | Median days to close |
|---|---|---|
| Loading… | ||
Every 311 request starts with someone noticing a problem and taking the time to report it. Taken together, those reports tell a clear story about what residents are dealing with across the city. This table groups those requests by category and shows how long it typically takes to close them. It is a simple way to see what needs attention and how responsive the city is in practice.