Municipal finances are looking up in Springfield, Massachusetts which had faced bankruptcy just a decade ago.
Mayor Domenic Sarno is recommending a budget for the next fiscal year that keeps city services and programs intact, results in no employee layoffs, and adds more police officers, firefighters and building inspectors in anticipation of hundreds of millions of dollars in construction beginning in the city.
" I am very proud of it. It is unheard of at times that you are able to balance a budget without using stabilization funds," said Sarno.
The budget released by the mayor Thursday calls for spending $616.8 million, an increase of almost 4 percent over the current fiscal year.
A planned police academy class of 60 cadets would be the largest single hire of new police officers in Springfield since the 199o's.
The budget allows for the hiring of 12 firefighters for the Springfield Fire Dept.
The budget now goes to the city council. The fiscal year begins July 1st
