CITY OF WORCESTER

Finance Committee Meeting

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Council Chamber

Convened: 4:07 P.M.

Adjourned: 6:40 P.M.


Mayor
Konstantina B. Lukes

 

www.ci.worcester.ma.us

 

Clerk of the City Council
David J. Rushford

Committee Members

Chairperson Konstantina B Lukes
Councilor Paul P Clancy Jr.
Councilor William J Eddy
 
Councilor Michael J Germain
Councilor Barbara G Haller
Councilor Philip P Palmieri
Councilor Joseph M Petty
Councilor Gary Rosen
Councilor Frederick C Rushton
Councilor Joffrey A Smith
Councilor Kathleen M Toomey

City Hall - 455 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts


Present Were:All committee members present with the Mayor in the chair except Councilors Eddy, Petty and Rushton. Councilor Eddy arrived at 4:10 P.M. and Councilor Rushton arrived at 5:40 P.M.
 
Also:City Manager Michael V. O'Brien
Chief Financial Officer Thomas F. Zidelis
City Auditor James A. DelSignore
Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio
Police Chief Gary J. Gemme
Director of Communications David Clemons
Acting Commissioner of Inspectional Services Joseph Mikielian
City Clerk David J. Rushford, clerk
 
1.

Public Safety Budget Hearings

1a.

Fire Department - IX-1

View Budget

Budget Approved

Chairman's Orders

Request City Manager provide City Council with a report inventorying the quality, condition and future needs for equipment at the Worcester Fire Department. (Rosen)

Request City Manager report to City Council with periodic updates for solutions relative to decreasing the response times for emergency vehicles to the Salisbury St. area; including the possibility of using the Town of Holden as a resource for personnel and equipment and the siting of a new fire station. (Smith)

1b.

Police Department - IX-2

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Motion Rushton @#1b - Request City Manager provide City Council's Standing Committee on Municipal Operations for it's May 28th committee meeting the reasons for adjustments to proposed FY 2009 budget. - Not put.

Budget approved

Chairman's Orders

Request City Manager provide City Council with a historical report before the end of the Finance Committee's budget deliberation regarding the reasons for not participating in a contract for locking a fixed rate for the purchasing of fuel. (Toomey)

Request City Manager provide City Council with a report regarding the analysis of costs, benefits and timeline for implementing wireless technology for city departments. (Smith)

Request City Manager provide City Council with the status of the pending legislation concerning surveillance cameras. (Palmieri)

Request City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning the condition, design and functionality of the police headquarters building and its deficiencies as well as future needs for a new facility. Further, request the report include the cost of a precinct station. (Clancy, Haller)

1c.

Communications Department - IX-3

View Budget

Budget approved

Chairman's Orders

Request City Manager provide City Council with a report regarding the breakdown of telephone calls to 911 as to the number that are true emergency calls and the number that are non emergency calls. (Rushton)

1d.

License Commission - IX-4

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Motion Lukes @#1d - Request to be recused. - Approved on a roll call vote of 7 Yeas (Eddy, Germain, Haller, Palmieri, Rosen, Rushton, Smith) and 0 Nays.

Budget approved

2.

Inspectional Services Budget Hearing

2a.

Inspectional Services - X-1

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Budget approved

Chairman's Orders

Request City Manager provide a report to City Council concerning the ability to apply inspection fines and costs for enforcement to the owners of problem properties, known as the green ticket legislation. (Haller)

3.

Communications of the City Manager

3a.

Recommend City Council Approval of the Attached Fiscal Year 2009 Budget.
# 8.30A CM May 06, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3b.

Transmitting the City's Five Year Capital Improvement Program. I Respectfully Recommend City Council's Review, Consideration and Approval to Advertise the Associated Loan Orders, City Council Agenda Numbers 8.31A through 8.31NN.
# 8.30A CM July 17, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3c.

Transmitting informational communication relative to the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget.
# 10.37C CM August 14, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3d.

Transmitting informational communication regarding the adoption and implementation of Chapter 32B, Section 18.
# 8.6A CM August 28, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3e.

Transmitting informational communication relative to a Legal Opinion as to the City Council's Legal Jurisdiction and Powers regarding the City budget for FY 2008 which has been previously voted by City Council.
# 8.28A CM August 28, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3f.

Ttransmitting informational communication regarding a Financial Update of the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget.
# 5b CCSeptember 25, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3g.

Transmitting informational communication regarding an Update on the City's Five Year Plan and Quarterly Report.
# 8.30A CM December 03, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3h.

Transmitting informational communication regarding the Five Point January 2008 Financial Plan Update.
# 13a CC January 29, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3i.

Transmitting informational communication regarding the Commonwealth's Proposed Fiscal Year 09 Spending Plan.
# 10.30A CM February 12, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3j.

Transmitting informational communication relative to the Mid-Year Review of Fiscal Year 2008 Health Insurance Reforms enacted for the City and School Department.
# 10.30A CM February 26, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3k.

Transmitting informational communication relative to Historic Trends in State and Federal Funding.
# 10.30B CM February 26, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3l.

Transmitting informational communication relative to the Analysis of Outsourcing Certain City Trade Labor Services.
# 10.31A CM February 26, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

3m.

Transmitting communication relative to a Cost Comparison of the Expenditures of the Election Commission Prior to and Since its Merger with the City Clerk's Department.
# 7.38A CM April 01, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4.

Communications of the City Auditor

4a.

Transmitting communication relative the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007.
# 9a CC December 18, 2007

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4b.

Transmitting communication relative to the November 2007 Auditor's Report.
# 16a CC January 08, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4c.

Transmitting communication relative to a financial analysis of the City's General Fund and Enterprise Funds.
# 13b CC January 29, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4d.

Transmitting communication relative to the December 2007 Auditor's Report.
# 13a CC February 12, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4e.

Transmitting communication relative to January 2008 Auditor's Report.
# 13a CC February 26, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4f.

Transmitting communication relative to the February 2008 Auditor's Report.
# 10b CC March 18, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4g.

Transmitting communication relative to a financial analysis of the City's General Fund and Enterprise Funds.
# 5a CC March 25, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

4h.

Transmitting communicaton relative to the March 2008 Auditor's Report.
# 9a CC April 15, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

5.

Miscellaneous

5a.

Order of Councilor Paul P. Clancy, Jr. and Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes - Request City Council's Standing Committee on Finance meet with a representative from Sullivan & Rogers, LLC for an exit interview on latest audits.
# 12b CC February 26, 2008

Attachments

Recommend Hold

CHAIRMAN'S ORDERS

1.

Request City Manager report to City Council concerning issues relative to equity pay as it relates to gender issues in the management level of the administration before the end of Finance Committee's deliberation of the budget. (Clancy)

2.

Request City Auditor provide City Council with a report concerning comparative salaries between the city and school administration before the end of Finance Committee's deliberation of the budget. (Clancy)

3.

Request the City Council's Standing Committee on Municipal Operations review the salaries for the City Auditor and the Assistant City Clerks and report to City Council before the end of Finance Committee's deliberation of the budget. (Clancy)