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.