Will More Enforcement Change City Hall Park? Burlington Council Weighs a Safety Plan Tonight
The proposal calls for a visible public-safety presence during all open hours, clearing the park when it’s closed overnight, and stricter enforcement of existing laws and rules in and around the park.
What’s on the table tonight
The Burlington City Council is scheduled to take up a resolution led by Council President Ben Traverse that pushes for a stronger safety posture in City Hall Park. The proposal calls for a visible public-safety presence during all open hours, clearing the park when it’s closed overnight, and stricter enforcement of existing laws and rules in and around the park, according to Seven Days. The meeting starts at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, August 25.
Why now: recent incidents and economic pressure
The push follows a string of violent episodes in or near the park this month, including an August 11 assault in the alley by the park (the victim later died at the hospital; the cause of death has not yet been confirmed) and a separate August 17 incident in which a man was struck with what appeared to be a rifle and a shot was fired into the air on College Street, according to police reports and local news coverage.
Downtown business owners have also pressed city leaders for relief, saying sales are down and disorder is deterring customers, according to WCAX. Governor Phil Scott has said he is open to partnering with Burlington on public-safety support, while Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has argued the city also needs more state help on homelessness and addiction, according to WCAX.
What the law already says
City Hall Park is already closed to the public from midnight to 6 a.m., and camping in city parks is prohibited, according to city ordinances. Enforcement has been inconsistent at times due to staffing and policy priorities, but the overnight closure has been in place since the park reopened.
What Traverse’s resolution would change—and what’s unknown
Traverse has said police patrols downtown are up 160% since Interim Chief Shawn Burke took over in March, but he wants more sustained presence at City Hall Park, clearer clearing of the park after hours, and “enforcement of all applicable statutes, ordinances and regulations” to curb criminal activity and “unwelcome behaviors,” according to WCAX and Seven Days. The exact legal tools the city will rely on—such as citations, arrests, or civil trespass notices—were not fully detailed in public materials ahead of the meeting.
The mayor’s position
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has cautioned against simply “clearing” the park, arguing that such actions can displace problems into nearby neighborhoods and that the city must align any enforcement with limited staffing and broader public-health responses. She has said the administration is exploring how non-police staff could help maintain daytime presence while reserving sworn officers for acute calls, according to Seven Days.
Legal backdrop: “no-trespass” orders and due process
If the city leans on trespass tools, there’s recent history to navigate. In 2019, Burlington settled a lawsuit with the ACLU of Vermont that challenged the city’s past use of “no-trespass” orders in City Hall Park. The settlement committed the city to policy and ordinance changes to ensure due process before excluding people from public spaces. Any renewed use of trespass orders will need to conform to those limits, according to the ACLU of Vermont and reporting by VTDigger at the time.
Staffing and feasibility
BPD remains in a rebuilding phase. The city removed its hiring cap in January and has continued recruitment, but the department is still short of historical staffing levels. That raises practical questions about how to staff a dedicated, all-day presence in the park, especially overnight. Interim Chief Burke was appointed in March to serve while a permanent search proceeds, according to public statements and local coverage.
City Hall Park also has two urban park rangers who focus on education and rules compliance, but they do not work overnight, according to Seven Days. If the council expects round-the-clock coverage, the city would need either new scheduling or additional personnel.
The park’s dual identity: family programming and disruption
City Hall Park is both a civic commons and a stress point. The city spent $5.8 million on a 2020 redesign that added lighting, a fountain, paths and programming space, according to WAMC and WCAX. In the summers, Burlington City Arts hosts concerts and movies, and food kiosks have operated on site, even as complaints about open drug use and dealing have persisted, according to Seven Days.
What supporters say vs. what critics fear
Supporters argue that consistent enforcement of existing rules—especially the midnight-to-6 a.m. closure—plus an all-day safety presence will reduce violent incidents, restore public use, and help nearby businesses recover, according to WCAX and Seven Days.
Critics, including the mayor and civil-liberties advocates, warn that “clear-outs” can simply move unsheltered people and drug activity a block away without addressing root causes, and that any exclusion policies must respect due-process protections established after the 2019 settlement, according to Seven Days and the ACLU of Vermont.
What to watch for in tonight’s debate
Specifics of enforcement: Will the resolution spell out tools such as citations, arrests, or limited trespass orders, and how due process will be handled? Seven Days reported the exact text was not posted late last week.
Who stands in the park—and when: Will the city rely on sworn police, park rangers, contracted security, or other staff to maintain presence during open hours and handle the midnight closure?
Metrics and timeline: Will leaders define how they’ll measure success, such as calls for service, reported crimes, business sales trends, or park-use counts? Traverse has cited a 160% increase in downtown patrols since March; how will that be sustained or shifted?
Coordination with the state: After a public back-and-forth last week, does Burlington request specific state resources—such as state police details, treatment beds, or outreach workers—and how does Montpelier respond?
Bottom line
The policy choice isn’t simply “more police” or “none.” City Hall Park already has a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew and anti-camping rules; the new question is whether adding an all-day safety presence and tightening after-hours enforcement will meaningfully reduce violence and disorder without violating civil rights or just displacing problems. Tonight’s vote will signal whether Burlington prioritizes visible enforcement, expands non-police presence, or pursues a hybrid—and how it plans to pay for and staff it.