With the July 1st start of the new fiscal year now about a month-and-a-half away, the City Council in Springfield, Massachusetts is making plans for reviewing and voting on a new budget.
By the end of this week, Mayor Domenic Sarno is expected to announce a proposed budget of more than $820 million – an increase of about 6 percent over this year.
The higher spending is being driven by factors that include price inflation on such essentials as fuel for vehicles in almost every city department and by new union contracts that come with pay raises for hundreds of city employees including cops and firefighters.
At the same time, the city is banking on less than a 2 percent increase in state aid, said TJ Plante, the city’s Chief Administration and Finance Officer.
“We are 60 percent-funded by the state, so we don’t control a lot of our destiny in terms of revenue,” Plante said. Revenue generated locally, he said, comes from property taxes and local portions of the tax levied on hotel rooms and restaurant meals.
In addition to holding public meetings in City Hall where Councilors will question department heads and agency managers about the budget specifics, City Council President Jesse Lederman has scheduled three community budget hearings, where members of the public can ask questions.
“The additional three meetings I have scheduled as part of our budget process will allow not only for the public to speak out about their budget priorities but also receive a presentation from the finance team to get a better understanding of how the budget is assembled and some of the challenges the city of Springfield faces and other highlights that exist within that document,” Lederman said.
The public speak outs on the budget will take place on June 7, 8, and 15th. The locations have yet to be announced.
A large part of the municipal budget is nondiscretionary spending, Lederman notes, on such things as school transportation, health insurance, and contributions to the underfunded pension system.
“Part of our responsibility is to make sure we are meeting (those)requirements but also delivering strong city services to the people of Springfield,” Lederman said.
Under the city charter, the Council can only cut the spending proposed by the mayor.
“What I think is important is to utilize the platform of the City Council to highlight what our priorities are,” Lederman said.
If the Council does not vote on a budget within 45 days after it is filed by the mayor, then the executive’s budget automatically takes effect on July 1st.
