Fiscal Responsibility

Rory Nisan's plan begins with a simple principle: residents should be able to see the value of every dollar City Hall manages, and those dollars must be used to improve the lives of residents.

Burlington's completed 2026 budget included a 5.80 percent increase in the City's budget and an estimated 4.49 percent overall property tax increase once the regional, police, and education portions were included. At a time when households are already stretched thin due to rising housing, grocery, transportation, and utility costs, City Hall must prove that every increase, every program, and every position is pulling its weight for Burlington citizens.

Fiscal responsibility does not mean abandoning the services that provide value for Burlington residents. Rory believes that libraries, transit, parks, public safety, road maintenance, and other core services must remain available, dependable, and viable. The objective is not to balance the books by cutting the services that citizens rely on, but to protect frontline services by imposing far greater discipline behind the scenes, setting sharper priorities, and demanding proof that every dollar spent improves residents' lives.

Rory will also restore accountability to the budget process and deliver inflation-anchored budgets. Rory has committed to building a collaborative majority on council where debate is welcomed and major decisions receive honest scrutiny. He has opposed the concentration of ordinary council authority through Strong Mayor powers and has stated he would relinquish those powers where possible, while advocating for their removal.

Every dollar working for you. That's the Promise of Burlington.

For more information on Rory's full platform, click here.