This commentary is by Carter Neubieser, a Progressive city councilor representing Ward 1 in Burlington.
It is hard to focus on anything other than Trump and his oligarch friends at the federal level. Reports of ICE in Burlington, federal funding freezes that threaten critical services we all rely on, and open-air-corruption feels overwhelming, but we cannot give in to despair or fear.
If that sounds radical or alarmist it shouldn’t — here’s a small but truly horrifying example. Because of expected Trump administration cuts to Section 8 vouchers, the Burlington Housing Authority has suspended rental vouchers for about 70 low-income households currently searching for housing.
So let’s take a moment to discuss the economic realities facing the vast majority of our neighbors. Realities that many elected officials, the media, and the wealthy and well-connected do not talk about enough or ignore entirely.
The vast majority of Burlingtonians cannot afford to buy a home and struggle to afford rent. The median sale price of a home in Burlington is over half a million dollars. 31% of renters pay more than half of their income on rent in Burlington.
The University of Vermont does not take responsibility for its effect on our housing market. Montpelier hasn’t taken action to force their hand. Many colleges house students all four years, but not UVM. This is a major driver of our 1.5% vacancy rate, leading to skyrocketing rents and poor housing conditions.
Health care costs are out of control. 71% of the money UVM Medical Center spends on salaries goes to administrative and oversight positions, while comparable hospitals average only 43%. Vermonters pay among the highest average insurance premiums in the U.S., largely driven by price gouging from the hospital and pharmaceutical industry.
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Our municipal and state property tax system is unfair and untenable. Statewide, the highest-income Vermonters pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than many in the middle. Locally, our municipal property taxes are regressive, meaning those with less get hit the hardest compared to those with more.
You will hear, and you already have heard, a whole lot of rhetoric in local, state and federal elections over the next few years. I encourage folks to ask those who are seeking their vote some tough questions:
- Are you prepared to stand up to private developers and the largest landlords and demand that we build and maintain more permanently affordable housing by making historic investments to support housing trust funds across our state?
- Do you commit to rejecting donations from corporate interests — including money funneled through your political party of choice?
- Are you ready to hold the University of Vermont, the UVM Health Network and the politicians that enable their behavior accountable?
- Are you going to ask the wealthiest businesses, residents and tourists to pay more, so that the vast majority of us can get a break?
You will hear folks talking about the need for more housing. Yes we need more housing, but specifically we need more permanently affordable housing. Trickle-down housing and policy will not deliver results for working and middle income people.
We tried to build our way out of the housing crisis for 10 years in Burlington under the previous Mayor. On average we built more new housing units compared to any time the city has public data on — who has that worked for? A 1,306 square foot, 2-bed 2-bath apartment in one of these new developments is currently renting for $5,750 a month. This “market-rate” housing isn’t for the vast, vast majority of us who live and work here.
We are lucky that Bernie’s administration, and many from his movement, have spent a lifetime creating world-renowned models for building permanently affordable rentals and homeownership opportunities. Now we need to properly fund those models.
We must build grassroots political power that puts working families first — not large institutions and not the ultra-wealthy. I remain hopeful that Burlington can be a model for how we build a city for working families in spite of a dangerous Trump Administration.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Carter Neubieser: Let’s put working families first, in spite of Trump.