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Burlington wants another $1.1M for delayed overdose center
by VDC Staff
Vermont has already allocated $2.5 million to the safe injection site in Burlington. This week, a House committee discussed allocating another $1.1 million for the controversial site. The Overdose Prevention Center, established under Act 178 (2024), was initially appropriated $1.1 million with an additional $300,000 for consultants. However, little has been done to make the project operational and now a Vermont lawmaker has described the progress as “stalled”.
The Vermont House Committee on Human Services is putting finishing touches on H.660, the Opioid Settlement Bill, which annually appropriates funds distributed to Vermont and multiple other states from a shared $21 billion lawsuit settlement. The committee has heard from the city of Burlington that they are seeking additional funds from the bill—in a request that was called “obviously very late evolving”, and committee discussion suggests that this is the second year in a row that the city has been late with their request.
Information for In Committee news reports are sourced from GoldenDomeVt.com and the General Assembly website.
As stated in Act 178, it was the intention of the 2024 legislature that the Overdose Prevention Center in Burlington receives annual appropriations through fiscal year 2028 for their operating expenses. In 2025, the OPC received $1.1 million from the 2025 Opioid Settlement Bill and they are now asking for an additional $1.1 million in 2026. According to committee discussion, of the funds they received in past years, they have already spent $781,000.
Little has been done to move forward with the project since Act 178 was passed in the spring of 2024, but that is now expected to change. The city of Burlington has identified a property to purchase and expects that it will cost $1 million to purchase and renovate. According to House Human Services Committee Vice Chair Rep. Golrang Garofano (D-Chittenden 23), the OPC is expecting to begin operations in 2026 after partnering with a community organization. They anticipate spending the unspent remainder of the $2.5 million that they received from 2024-2025, so they fear they will be left without funding with additional help from the legislature this year.
In January 2025, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stannak described the OPC as a “life-saving policy” and praised the program as a way to address substance abuse and needle litter in the city. However, some lawmakers on the House Human Services Committee are pushing back on the program over its cost and practicality.
During committee discussion on Wednesday, Representative Brenda Steady (R-Chittenden 25) had concerns about the viability of the project and how the additional funding for the OPC will be spent. “And if they purchase the building, is it going to be in the state’s name? Because this isn’t gonna last forever because most of the other states have already stopped it. Who’s gonna own that building? Burlington? On taxpayer dollars?”, said Steady.
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Categories: Burlington, Drugs and Crime
So, the OPC is in need of more OPM (other peoples’ money)? A location has been identified? When will this be revealed so the neighbors can mobilize to oppose it? It took years to get the Howard Center needle distribution “safe recovery” craphole (formerly referred to as a needle “exchange”) on Clarke Street shut down after very persistent problems plagued that neighborhood.
Hard pass, the city council and useless mayor love to spend money the city doesn’t have, on projects nobody wants.
Hey, this is other people’s money, the state isn’t hurting for money, it’s hurting for responsible common sense people. How many homes have been auctioned off? Answer basic questions.
Please explain to me how this can be done legally. You Are illegally encouraging drug addicts to shoot up in a public building paid by taxpayers. Every bit of that screams illegal. When are we going to start prosecuting the idiots that are making these places?? we are now prosecuting drug dealers for supplying drugs, and that’s exactly what this is.
Over a million dollars for a place to legally use drugs. Meanwhile, the Burlington Police are arresting people for using drugs. What gives?
Really? A drug user at one of our local public housing facilities has become an incredible nuisance with so many local druggies visiting him on a nightly basis. The building owners had to hire a security guard at night to monitor what happens. I asked the security guard why these folks are not being arrested. He told me that BPD will not show up unless there is a medical event, an assault, or one of the visitors requests it.
Thanks for that information. I spoke without enough info.
Try doing your shopping business in another location away from Burlington Vermont.
No , no , no ! We taxpayers just about had it .
Kind of a lot of money for a sting operation, isn’t it? Police set outside, stop the user for DUI Drugs, cite him into court, the judge does nothing, the user goes free, the police are now known by the suppliers, and now, nobody is safe. Remember, the cops won’t be able to wear masks. Oh, well, just another sparsely thought out plan.
Of course, this won’t be a place criminals hang out, will it?
The closest thing that Burlington had to this proposed facility, run by Howard, paid for by Vermont taxpayers, located over on Clarke St. was a magnet for trouble…dealers looking for their captive market. That “safe recovery site” gave needles out by the hundreds and never demanded any old ones be turned in. Neighbors finally had enough and sued to have it shut down. Please tell us, Mayor Emma-Hyphen, where is this new magnet for trouble going to be located?
I’ve got an idea hire the orchestrators of the EB-5 program they’ve got great experience in wasting money and getting nothing done!
This plan is such an absurd, inane, and unconscionable waste of taxpayers’ money, not to mention that it does nothing to help those who are enslaved by this deadly addiction, that it beggars belief.
But perhaps what is even more perplexing and insane is that those who are elected to ostensibly represent the citizens of Vermont are devising these demonic plans. It almost appears that there is some hellish contest out of a horror movie in which the inhabitants of the Vermont statehouse are in a contest to see who can come up with the most asinine, wasteful, and destructive policies, and at taxpayer expense.
And further, how is it that these people keep getting elected?
What’s next? Safe prostitution sites paid for by our taxes?
I’m sorry, but it is a complete oxymoron to ever use the word “safe” in the same sentence with activities which are fundamentally immoral and illegal.
But this time it will be different. We don’t care that every single one of these sites around the country were abject failures. We just have to spend more money.
“One of the most important reasons for studying history is that virtually every stupid idea that is in vogue today has been tried before and proved disastrous before, time and again.”
— Thomas Sowell
Why have a “safe place” to inject themselves?? Just use the 1.1 million to get them OFF the drugs instead of enabling them to take drugs
Big pharma is laughing all the way to the bank and do not forget the stock holders whom make money on all these programs.
I recall a previous US Attorney for Vermont indicated those who operated facilities like this violated federal laws and were subject to prosecution! Who wants to step up and take the hit?
Who, please? We should learn the details and find out how to call this operation on the carpet.
Would someone please explain to me how a safe injection site prevents overdoses and saves lives? Am I missing something? What’s the difference between injecting on a street corner or the site? Either way, one can overdose and die.
This is such a huge waste of money and contributing to the crime problems created by Mulvaney-Stannak, ignored by Sarah George and the clean-up paid for by the taxpayer.
If George, Mulvaney-Stanek or the council don’t want to stop this, they all need to resign in favor of people that will fix it. Thank God I’m living abroad these days.