| COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
V. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT NEEDSThis section of the Plan describes the non-housing community development needs and conditions in the community, as well as what currently exists to meet those needs. Economic ConditionsThis section examines trends in job growth; commuting patterns; the diversity of the local economy, by sector and by company size; leading industry sectors by size and by growth; opportunities for industry sector growth based on whether the city is satisfying its needs locally and/or able to export goods and services; wage and income levels, wage trends, and the ability of available wages to meet basic living needs; and unemployment levels. It also looks at other indicators of economic health such as commercial vacancy rates and revenues from sales and entertainment. Much of the data and analysis in this section is drawn from Jobs & People IV: Towards a Sustainable Economy, a report prepared by the Seminar on Local Economic Development, Department of Economics, UVM, Spring 2007. Burlington is the largest job center in Chittenden County, with one-third of the county’s total jobs in 2006 according to the Vermont Department of Labor’s Covered Employment statistics. From 1980 through 1989, job growth in Burlington (as well as in Chittenden County and in Vermont) outpaced the national job growth rate. After that, while the city continued to see job growth, the rate of growth lagged behind regional, state and national levels.
*NOTE: 2006 Data for Vermont, Chittenden County and Burlington is an average of quarters 1, 2 and 3 only. Job Growth and Commuting PatternsThere are several factors which contribute to the slower growth rate in the city. First, job growth – like population growth – is limited by the fact that the city is largely built out, with limited land available for new commercial development. Second, while employment growth normally outpaces population growth, the two are related: slow population growth will limit job growth. (This is true even given population growth in the surrounding region and increased commuting.) Between 1990 and 2003, Burlington’s total employment grew at 3% while its population grew by only 0.1%. As of the 2000 Census, 11,154 Burlington residents worked in the city, and there were 19,124 people commuting into the city to work. The percent of residents working in the same community where they live was higher in Burlington (52%) than in other Chittenden County communities. At the same time, however, 6% more Burlington residents were commuting out of town to work than in 1990. The greatest growth was in Burlington workers commuting to Colchester, Williston and Essex. There was a 3% growth in workers commuting into the city from 1990 to 2000.
In raw numbers, the greatest job growth within the county over the last fifteen years has been in the communities of Colchester, South Burlington and Williston. For Colchester and Williston, job growth corresponds with increases in Burlington residents commuting to work in those communities.
Industry Sectors, Wage Levels and UnemploymentEach of the three communities with the greatest job growth has experienced growth in different sectors, with overlap only in the education and health services and government sectors. (The job numbers in a several sectors are suppressed for confidentiality reasons, so growth there is not public information.)
Within Burlington, health care, social services and government have traditionally been, and continue to be, the largest job sectors.
Arts, entertainment and recreation is the leading growth sector in Burlington. While this sector is still a very small component of the economy, it grew by 128% during the period from 1990 to 2006. Other sectors with double-digit growth include professional, scientific and technical services, health care and social assistance, and government. Shrinking sectors are finance and insurance, transportation and warehousing, information, manufacturing and retail.
Manufacturing plays a larger role in Chittenden County than in Burlington, with IBM as the largest employer. Declines in manufacturing in the city and the county mirror national trends.
Location quotients are a measure of the extent to which an urban area specializes in a particular industry. A location quotient is the percentage of total employment in an urban area in a particular industry divided by the corresponding percentage for the nation as a whole. A location quotient great than 1 indicates that the city is probably producing the good or service for export outside its own area, and is thus importing money into the local economy. These are focus sectors for additional growth.
A location quotient less than 1 indicates that the city is probably importing the good or service, and that there may be an opportunity for new business start-ups in that sector. Of particular interest here is the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector, where the city is not meeting local demand despite triple-digit growth in jobs over the last sixteen years.
In Burlington, the numbers and percentages of the self-employed continue to rise:
Small business is a critical part of the local economy. Half the jobs in Chittenden County are provided by companies which employ less than 50 people.
The local and state economies depend less on very large employers than does the country as a whole:
IBM continues to be the largest employer both regionally and in the state. In Burlington, Fletcher Allen Health Care and the University of Vermont are by far the largest employers. Both are nonprofit institutions which own large amounts of land, affecting the distribution of taxes and funding of public services in the city – but also providing resiliency to the local economy.
The unemployment rate in Burlington consistently runs below national and state rates. The local economy is anchored by employment at the University of Vermont and Fletcher Allen Health Care, which are less affected by economic downturns. Beyond those two employers, the local economy is relatively diversified, making it more resilient and able to absorb changes in economic activity.
The chart below compares income distribution for taxpayers by adjusted gross income in 2000 and 2006. It shows that the largest income gains over the last six years appear in the higher income brackets – i.e., the largest increases in numbers of taxpayers are in the three highest income levels.
Wages were stagnant in many industries in the early 1990’s, and have remained relatively flat in certain sectors over the last fifteen years.
Real wages are lowest in the arts, entertainment and recreation and agriculture/forestry sectors. This is important because Burlington and the region are interested in expanding the role of the arts and sustainable agriculture in the local economy. On the other hand, information and professional/business services have above average wages and are also sectors that Burlington is interested in targeting as components of its growing creative economy.
The gap between what entry-level jobs pay and what it costs to live independently in the city continues to grow. The Joint Fiscal Office of the Vermont Legislature calculates the wages necessary to cover food, housing, childcare, transportation, health care, clothing, household and personal expenses and insurance plus federal and state taxes, for various household types. The Vermont livable wage is almost three times the federal poverty level and the full-time minimum wage earnings. A single parent with one child needs to earn at least $21.57 an hour if the employer provides health benefits and $24.60 if the employer doesn’t. The table below shows the monthly basic needs budget in 2007 for a single parent with one child in Burlington:
In contrast, poverty level annual income for that single parent, as measured by the Census in 2006, was $13,896. Poverty levels continue to be defined on the basis of food costs. In the 1930’s, when that definition was adopted, food costs were the most significant household expense. As the chart above illustrates, that is no longer true, and food costs are no longer an appropriate basis on which to determine need levels. The chart below gives a rough measure of how many of the 112,130 jobs in the local Metropolitan Statistical Area (which includes all of Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties) met the livable wage needs of various household types in 2006.
The charts below compare the average hourly wages in major job categories, as found by the Occupational Employment Statistics survey of wages in the Burlington – South Burlington Metropolitan Statistical Area in May 2006, with the livable wage for six household compositions according to the Basic Needs Budget (pdf) released by the Joint Fiscal Office in 2007 (using 2006 data). The six household types that appear on the charts are, descending order: 2P2C1WEHB: 2 Parents with 2 children, 1 Wage Earner, with Health Benefits SP1CHB: Single Parent with 1 Child with Health Benefits 2WE2Cw/oHB: 2 Wage Earners with 2 Children without Health Benefits (per wage earner) 2WE2CHB: Wage Earners with 2 Children with Health Benefits (per wage earner) Sw/oHB: Single Person without Health Benefits SHB: Single Person with Health Benefits The jobs that allow a family with one wage earner to be self-sufficient are principally in the areas of business and financial operations; management; legal, architecture and engineering services; computer, mathematics, life, physical and social sciences; and in some occupations in the health and sales fields. All are jobs that require high levels of skills and education. For most jobs, a family would need at least two wage earners (or more than two full-time jobs) in order to meet basic living expenses.
Commercial Vacancy Rates and Revenues from Sales and EntertainmentIn addition to job growth and unemployment rates, commercial and industrial vacancy rates and revenues from sales and entertainment are also indicators of the overall health of the local economy. The industrial vacancy rate in Burlington in December 2007 was 2.7%, as compared to a countywide industrial vacancy rate of 6.1%.
With the completion of renovations to the downtown mall space in the Burlington Town Center, the downtown retail vacancy rate rebounded. As of December 2007, the downtown retail vacancy rate was 4.6% and the downtown office vacancy rate was 2.0%. Those compare to a suburban retail vacancy rate of 4.8% and a suburban office vacancy rate of 9.2%.
*Central Business District The chart below shows merchant revenues from sales and entertainment activities in Burlington, as reported by the Vermont Department of Taxes. Gross receipts numbers are not verified, and may contain some inaccuracies. However, the chart shows gross receipts rather than taxable retail receipts because a change in state policy making clothing purchases under $110 exempt from sales tax means that taxable sales don’t accurately measure the strength of retailing, especially in the city.
The city’s share of county entertainment revenues has remained at or above 30% since 2000. The city’s share of county sales revenues is lower (hovering around 20%), reflecting competition from suburban big box stores.
Factors Affecting Economic OpportunityThis section of the Plan looks at the major factors that support or impede economic opportunity for local residents, and describes some of what exists to help meet existing needs. EducationBurlington residents as a whole are well-educated, with 65% of those age 25 and older reporting some post-secondary education in the 2000 Census and 42% having at least a bachelor’s degree. The city’s rate for residents having at least a bachelor’s degree (26%) was substantially higher than state (18.3%) and national (15.5%) norms. The city’s rate for residents with a graduate or professional degree (15.6%) is also higher than state (11.1%) and national (8.9%) averages.
And, Burlington residents are becoming more well-educated over time:
At the same time, however, 12% of the city’s adult
residents – and over a quarter of adult residents in some Old North
End neighborhoods (especially census tract 3) – had less than a high
school diploma. (There is a map of the city’s census tracts on page
B-1.)
For women, but not men, lack of a high school diploma or equivalency is related to age; for both women and men, the 2000 Census showed high school completion trending in the wrong direction among the youngest (18 to 24 year old) group.
However, the drop out rate in Burlington has
improved significantly over the last seven years:
The Burlington Truancy Project, begun in 1999, is part of that success. The project works with parents, social work support from the Howard Center and the State’s Attorney’s Office to increase school attendance. After six years of implementation (through the 2005-06 school year), the number of students who missed five or more days of school (for any reason including illness) dropped by more than 25%. Post-secondary education/training is necessary for almost all livable wage jobs. In 2007, 85% of students in the Burlington High School graduating class were going on to post-secondary education at a college or university. There are several local programs aimed at helping disadvantaged residents aim for and complete post-secondary education. The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) manages several federally-funded educational opportunity programs that help low-income students become the first generation in their family to attend college. Last year, VSAC reached 93 Burlington residents through its High School Outreach Services and 142 Burlington residents through its Adult Outreach Services. Community College of Vermont offers a variety of English, math, computer, and other courses (called Developmental Skills Courses) to help students become ready for college-level courses. The Single Parent Program at Champlain College has increased its Single Parent Scholarship. In addition to covering tuition costs for financially eligible, full time single parent students, this program provides support services which include a summer orientation workshop; free tutoring and counseling; and referral to full-time, part-time, seasonal, temporary and work study jobs. There are also programs to help residents complete their high school equivalency and further their life-long learning and skills upgrading. Vermont Adult Learning and Mercy Connections, Inc., offer help with obtaining a General Education Development (GED) certificate. In 1984, Vermont became the only state in the country to offer non-degree grants for continuing education and skills improvement. One hundred and twenty-five Burlington residents received non-degree grants last year. Traditionally, VSAC was not able to meet the demand for these grants, but funding has now substantially increased through the work of Vermont’s Next Generation Commission (pdf). Early school success fosters long-term educational success. In 1998, only 66% of Burlington second graders were meeting the state reading standard. Scores have showed gains since then, though not always consistently trending higher. Factors mitigating against rising scores include a high level of children with identified special education needs (13%), a high level of children coming from at-risk environments (20% of Burlington children were living in poverty in 2000), and rising levels of children with limited English proficiency (discussed further below), particularly at neighborhood schools located in high poverty areas of the city. The School District and the community are in the middle of an extended discussion about school equity and about structural changes which would best ensure that all students can achieve to their highest potential.
Having children ready for kindergarten, and prepared to succeed in school, is a focus for the state, the region and the city. Kindergarten readiness is measured by surveys completed each year by kindergarten teachers across five domains: approaches to learning; cognitive development/general knowledge; communication; socio-emotional development; and health. Burlington lags slightly behind the statewide averages for readiness, and trends are not moving in the right direction.
In September 2002, the Burlington School District entered into a formal partnership with community early childhood programs to increase and support the accessibility, affordability, and quality of preschool programs for young children and their families in order to maximize young children’s learning and development before they enter kindergarten. Through the Early Learning Partnership (ELP), qualified early care providers can access public education funds. The ELP requires programs to be NAEYC accredited and/or have received at least 4 stars through Vermont’s Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) and to have at least one teacher who has a current Vermont teaching license. ELP funds help to:
In the FY07 school year, 253 Burlington preschoolers (or around 35% of all preschoolers) were enrolled in an ELP program. There was a drop in ELP enrollment after the FY03 school year because of a clarification of state rules regarding the minimum age allowable for enrollment. The number of private programs participating in the ELP has increased from eight to nineteen.
HeadStart services are delivered locally by the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (the local Community Action agency), and are integrated with a number of the ELP programs. Currently, HeadStart is serving 81 Burlington children. The Vermont Early Education Initiative (EEI) funds collaborative, community-based early childhood education services to three- and four-year-old children at risk of school failure, identifying those children early and funding gaps when other services are unavailable or insufficient. EEI services are also integrated with a number of the ELP programs. The Essential Early Education (EEE) program provides early intervention for those children 3–5 who have significant developmental delays and/or disabilities. Children from birth to three years of age who require early intervention services are served by the Family-Infant Toddler Program. English ProficiencyAround 10% of the city’s population speaks a language other than English at home. The ability to speak more than one language is an increasing valuable asset in the job market. However, limited English proficiency is a barrier to economic opportunity in the local job market. In 2000, a total of 414 households (2.6% of the city’s households) identified themselves as “linguistically isolated,” i.e., a household in which no person 14 years old and over speaks only English and – for those household members who speak a language other than English – no person 14 years old and over speaks English “very well.” In Burlington, the principal household languages other than English are Serbo-Croatian, Vietnamese, Russian, French and Mai Mai.
Most residents with limited English proficiency are working-age adults:
However, there are increasing numbers of children who need improved English proficiency. There are 47 different languages spoken by children in the Burlington School District, and 11% have an identified need for English for Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) services. ESOL services are available through the School District, through the city’s Fletcher Free Library (for both adults and children), through the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, at the Community College of Vermont and St. Michael’s College, and through Vermont Adult Learning. DisabilitiesThe 2000 Census reported the following numbers of residents age 5 and older living with a disability:
Seven percent of children age 5 to 15 had a reported disability; a mental disability was the most frequently reported type of disability, mentioned in over 80% of the reports. Ten percent of residents age 16 to 20 and 16% of residents age 21 to 64 reported some kind of disability. For children and working age adults, disabilities clearly affect poverty status:
The employment rate for residents age 21 to 64 reporting a disability was 56%, as contrasted with 81% for residents in that age group reporting no disability. The Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VocRehab Vermont) works with the Vermont Association of Business, Industry & Rehabilitation (VABIR) and with community-based mental health and developmental disability agencies to help disabled residents become and stay employed. VocRehab Vermont is currently focusing in particular on transition age youth as well as serving TANF recipients and ex-offenders with disabilities. VocRehab Vermont helps public benefits beneficiaries take advantage of work incentives programs and increase their income without losing benefits. Vermont was one of four states chosen by the Social Security Administration in 2005 to test what would happen if the “benefits cliff” were eliminated for SSDI beneficiaries. RaceAs of the 2000 Census, median household income for black residents was less than 60% that of white residents; poverty rates were 1.5 times higher for individual black residents, and 2.6 times higher for black families, than for white households; the unemployment rate for black residents was 1.5 times higher that for white residents; and over twice as many black residents as white did not have a high school diploma or equivalency. Residents who identified themselves as American Indian and as “some other race” were experiencing similar disparities in income and unemployment, while disparities in education appeared for all minorities reported by the Census. And, as discussed previously, income disparities are significantly trending in the wrong direction.
As part of its Legacy Project, the city has hired a Social Equity Coordinator to work on city and school employment practices and on other opportunities for economic and social advancement for ethnically and culturally diverse populations. The Social Equity Coordinator has developed an inclusive Social Equity Investment Project (SEIP) to help Burlington adequately support increased ethnic and cultural diversity, “cultural shifting,” and the associated growing pains. The objective of the SEIP is to identify and support leadership that can collaborate and help facilitate sustainable effective social change. The SEIP, including the city and partners, meets monthly to identify and support non-adversarial work to remove systematic barriers and accommodation of differences so that ethnically and culturally diverse populations can benefit equally. Uncommon Alliance, a collaboration between committed community people of color and local law enforcement, is examining data around racial profiling. The city is also participating as one of nine cities nationally in the Communities Creating Racial Equity (CRE) initiative, funded by the Mott and Kellogg Foundation and the National Study Circle Resource Center. Domestic ViolenceAbusive partners often discourage or prevent their victims from working, harass their victims at work, or create economic insecurity through interference with bank accounts, credit history or rental history. Sample research has shown that:
Sources: Voices of Survival (pdf): The Economic Impacts of Domestic Violence, A Blueprint for Action (October 2002) and Domestic Violence (pdf): Prevalence and Implications for Employment Among Welfare Recipients, U.S. General Accounting Office (November 1998), summarizing research findings. ChildcareAs of the 2000 Census, 65% of all Burlington children under six – and 75% of all children age 6 to 17 – were living with parents who were all working. Those were higher percentages than the national averages of 59% and 67%, respectively. Available, affordable childcare is a prerequisite to labor force participation for many households, and particularly for female-headed households. The availability of childcare also affects the ability of parents to upgrade their skills through career education and vocational training. The remaining information in this section comes from Child Care Resource and the Child Development Division of the Vermont Department for Children and Families. The affordability of childcare for families is a pressing issue. The income eligibility levels to qualify for childcare subsidy assistance have not changed since 1999. Originally set to offer help to families up to 225% of the poverty level, the program now offers help to fewer and fewer eligible families. In 2000, there were 768 Burlington children receiving a subsidy; in 2003, there were 729 Burlington children receiving a subsidy; now, there are 503 Burlington children receiving a subsidy. The chart below gives a sense of the percent of subsidy paid at various income levels:
There continues to be a significant gap between the actual market rate for care and the amount covered by the childcare subsidy. The objective of the subsidy program is to ensure that lower-income families have equal access to childcare and pay no more than 10% of their income as a co-pay. Right now, however, a single parent with two young children would pay up to 46% of his/her income in out-of-pocket childcare expenses.
There are four basic categories of child care providers in Vermont. Registered Home Child Care programs are in the caretakers’ home and are state-regulated. Licensed Child programs are most often center-based and are also regulated by the state. Legally Exempt Child Care takes place in the provider’s home, with the provider caring for children from two or fewer families; the state oversees these programs but the providers are not required to attend trainings. Informal Child Care is not regulated by the state. The availability of childcare in Burlington depends on the type of setting:
Since February 2006, two Family Child Care programs (with 16 slots) closed, but four have opened, adding 26 new slots to the community inventory. One Licensed Child Care Center closed, with a loss of 20 slots. Accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is an indicator of quality in the childcare field. Of the 25 licensed child care centers in Burlington, 16 are NAEYC accredited. Of the total 41 NAEYC-accredited programs in the county, 39% are located in Burlington. Consistency among caretakers is key to quality care. In 2006, Child Care Resource funded a Chittenden County survey of childcare center wages, benefits and staffing challenges. About half (49%) of the centers that responded to the survey reported losing at least one employee during the three months prior to the survey. The overall turnover rate averaged 8% during this period, and the assistant teacher turnover rate averaged 20%.
While there were no clear relationships between turnover rates and characteristics of centers or wages, some specific benefits were associated with lower turnover rates among some positions. Centers offering health insurance and financial support for professional development (including continuing education and college courses) had lower turnover rates, particularly among head teachers, teachers, and assistant teachers. Programs offering reduced rates for children of staff to attend the program had lower assistant teacher turnover rates. Childcare is in itself an industry, employing around 225 people in Burlington in full-time licensed and registered settings. Many workers in this industry, however, do not make a livable wage:
In the 2006 survey, there were no differences in wages for most positions due to center characteristics and quality indicators. Directors’ and head teachers’ wages, however, did differ on some of these measures: Centers serving more children paid higher director wages, and centers with accreditation paid higher director and head teacher wages than those without accreditation. Director and teacher wages were also significantly related to staff credentials. Specifically, as the number of staff members with bachelor’s degrees increased, so did the directors’ and teachers’ wages. In addition, as the number of staff members with master’s degrees increased, wages increased for directors, head teachers, and teachers. Most of the issues affecting the affordability and availability of childcare are federal and state, and not local, ones. However, the city will continue to work with the childcare community to find solutions, including current efforts such as participating in the Regional Early Childhood Planning Group and supporting the Early Learning Partnership. The city will also provide business advice and technical assistance to providers. TransportationSingle-occupancy vehicles remain a primary means of transportation to work. According to the 2000 Census, 62% of Burlington workers drove alone in their cars to get to work. Transportation costs for those who drive to work are increasing. In December 2001, the average retail price per gallon of gasoline in Vermont was $1.12; in December 2007, it had almost tripled, rising to $3.11. As of the 2000 Census, around 3,500 residents – or 17% of the Burlington workforce – were walking to work, and around 800 Burlington residents were using public transportation to get to work. Burlington workers represented two-thirds of the county workforce using public transportation. For Burlington workers who use the bus to get to work in the city, there is fairly good coverage Monday through Saturday during regular work hours. Service during second and third shift hours and on Sundays and holidays is more limited. Public transportation to areas outside the city does not reach a number of significant job centers because the local bus system (the Chittenden County Transportation Authority, or CCTA) is dependant on local property tax revenues from only five local participating municipalities – Burlington, South Burlington, Essex, Winooski, and Shelburne – and its services are concentrated in those member communities. CCTA does offer ridesharing services in other communities, bus service outside the county to Middlebury, Montpelier and St. Albans, a fixed-route segment in Colchester, and services in the town of Williston under the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program. CCTA provides ADA complementary paratransit and some Medicaid transportation services through a contract with the Special Services Transportation Agency (SSTA), a private non-profit organization that provides van transportation services for people with specialized mobility needs, primarily the elderly and persons with disabilities. There is general consensus that there needs to be an alternative to the property tax to adequately fund public transportation and to provide for growth in its use, but there is no consensus on what alternative funding mechanisms should be. The Good News Garage, which began in Burlington in 1996, provides donated refurbished vehicles to low-income workers as well as job-related rides to low-income Vermonters through its Ready to Go service. Through its NEWheels program, Opportunities Credit Union is partnering with three local car dealers to offer new cars at greatly reduced prices. Chittenden Community Action can provide bus passes to low-income residents. And, a car share program will be starting up this year. Transportation assistance is also available through employer Transportation Management Associations (TMAs). The Campus Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA) is a highly successful TMA which offers employees and students of the institutions located in the Hill section of the city a variety of benefits designed to shift them away from single-occupant-vehicle commuting, including:
A similar organization and focus is needed for the downtown/waterfront area. CATMA has expressed willingness to provide assistance in getting the organization going, and the Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) has set aside funds in its work program to assist in forming a downtown TMA. The city should do anything it can to help such an organization get launched, including participating as an important downtown employer. Financial LiteracyOn a national level, the total debt Americans owe exceeds the total income they earn, personal savings have fallen below zero percent, and more children will now suffer through their parents' bankruptcy than their parents' divorce. As of 2004, according to a study by CardWeb.Com, Inc., the average Vermont family was carrying a staggering $17,000 in credit card debt – the highest in the nation and almost double the national average of $9,205. No amount of financial education can help a family balance their budget and live within their means when basic living costs exceed income. However, evidence from local financial education classes for low- and moderate-income residents shows that financial education can lead to reduced debt, increased savings, less use of predatory lenders, and increased feelings of financial security. Financial education and credit counseling are available on a regular through members of the CASH Coalition of Chittenden County. Factors Affecting a Suitable Living EnvironmentIn 2007, the University of Vermont, working with the city, surveyed residents in Burlington’s Old North End to see what residents viewed as major quality of life challenges. Residents identified the quality of the general environment (noise, parking, trash dumping, traffic); crime and safety (especially theft, violence, property destruction, fighting and domestic abuse); alcohol and drug abuse; and tension with college students as their most pressing concerns. This section of the Plan examines a number of those issues as well as looking at community facilities and infrastructure, energy conservation and historic preservation. CrimeVermont is a low-crime state, ranking consistently among the three lowest violent crime rates in the nation. As an urban center, Burlington’s violent crime rate is higher than the state average. The city’s rate is lower than the national rate; it is lower than some other urban areas in the region, but higher than others.
Incidents of violent crimes (homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault), drug offenses, simple assault and vandalism are generally falling, although the numbers were trending in the wrong direction from 2004 to 2006.
Broken out by neighborhoods, crime incidents in 2007 in Burlington look like this:
*The definition of violent crime is different here than in the charts above. Area A includes Wards 4 and 7. Area B is the north section of Ward 3. Area C includes Wards 1 and 2. Area D is the downtown area of the city. Area E includes Wards 5 and 6. You can view a map of the these areas on the Burlington Police Department website (scroll down to the bottom of the page). The Burlington Police Department moved to Community Policing in 1999, partnering with stakeholders from other city departments, the community and various service sectors to carry out mutually agreed solutions to problems which may vary from an emphasize on compliance with liquor control laws and ordinances to maintain a high quality of life in the downtown area to an emphasis on noise issues in the hill section (close to the University) to working citywide to reduce drug activity and to keep roads and highways safe. The Community Support Program makes a certified mediator available to city residents to help resolve neighborhood or neighbor disputes. Last year, the program responded to over 150 disputes ranging from noise, trash and disorder, parking, landlord/tenant or roommate disputes, to animal or children’s behavior. The Public Safety Program (later the Burlington Neighborhood Project) was started in the 1990’s to promote actual and perceived public safety in Burlington's neighborhoods by improving the physical and social environment of low-income areas. Beginning with three street-level neighborhood associations, the project expanded to over 50 active associations. At the city’s Community Justice Center, the community works to rebuild the trust destroyed by crime through volunteers who fix broken windows, meet with people who have committed a crime, clean graffiti, and provide support and information to victims. In 2007, 252 offenders worked with panels of community volunteers to repair the harm they had caused. The Parallel Justice Project provides support to victims of crime regardless of whether the offender is caught, assisting 228 victims last year. The city has historically funded the Women’s Rape Crisis Center to provide both community education and support for victims of sexual assault. The city has also provided funding to SafeSpace to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQQ) victims of sexual, domestic and hate crimes. Safety in the Home
Noise, Graffiti and TrashThe city updated its noise ordinance in 2003 to increase monetary penalties. The ordinance includes a range of sanctions (from fines and community service to criminal sanctions) that can be imposed when there are noise disturbances. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
