CITY OF WORCESTER | Finance Committee Meeting | Tuesday, June 3, 2014 | Esther Howland (South) Chamber | Convened: 4:10 P.M. | Adjourned: 6:00 P.M. |
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Mayor
Joseph M. Petty | 
www.worcesterma.gov |
Clerk of the City Council
David J. Rushford | Committee Members | | Chairperson Joseph M Petty | | Councilor Morris A Bergman | | Councilor Tony Economou |
| | Councilor Michael T Gaffney | | Councilor Konstantina B Lukes | | Councilor Philip P Palmieri | | Councilor Sarai Rivera | | Councilor Gary Rosen | | Councilor Frederick C Rushton | | Councilor George J Russell | | Councilor Kathleen M Toomey |
City Hall - 455 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts | |
| Present Were: | All members present with the Mayor in the Chair except for Councilors Rushton and Toomey. Councilor Toomey arrived at 4:23 P.M., Councilor Rushton arrived at 4:50 P.M.
City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer Thomas F. Zidelis | | | | | Also: | City Auditor Robert V. Stearns
Assistant City Manager Kathleen G. Johnson
Veterans' Agent Karen R. Greenwood
Director of Elder Affairs Amy Waters
President of the Board of the Public Library Deborah Packard
Assistant Director of Human Resources Dori Vecchio
Chief Information Officer Paul R. Covello
Deputy Chief Information Officer Eileen Cazaropoul
City Assesor William J. Ford
City Clerk David J. Rushford, clerk | | | |
| 1. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - City Manager's Office | |
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| | | 1a. | Administration / Human Services (Human Rights & Disabilities and Veterans Services) - pg. 57 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager consider purchasing machine used for engraving replacement plates on Veterans’ plaques for Worcester Technical High School as a way to teach students how to use the machinery, as well as to reduce the costs for Veterans’ Services. (Rosen) | |
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| | | 1b. | City Manager's Contingency - pg. 63 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 1c. | Elder Affairs - pg. 65 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council, prior to September, with a report regarding the probabilities of pursuing development initiatives at the vacant brick building adjacent to the Senior Center. Further, request City Manager update City Council as to the development possibilities for the fourth floor of the Senior Center. (Lukes, Rosen) | | | | Request City Manager report to City Council regarding the possibility of offering bids for the naming rights to the Senior Center. (Toomey) | | | | Request City Manager arrange for a walking tour of the vacant brick building adjacent to the Senior Center. (Lukes) | |
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| | | 1d. | Public Library - pg. 69 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report regarding finances of the café and bookstore within the Main Public Library. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council a report as to what funds are being generated by the Public Library and how those monies are being allocated. Further, request City Manager include in the report private donations given to the library. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report regarding what percentage of people attending the Public Library park in the library’s parking lot. (Bergman) | |
| 2. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Human Resources | |
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| | | 2a. | Human Resources - pg. 115 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager report to City Council as to the outreach efforts, measurements of success, and employee satisfaction levels in the City. (Gaffney) | |
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| | | 2b. | Worker's Compensation & Public Safety IOD - pg. 121 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a breakdown regarding the monitoring of Worker’s Compensation from 2008 forward. (Rushton) | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report as to the possible effects of the Cadillac Tax. Further, request City Manager report to City Council as to the ways in which the City is working to combat the issues concerning the Cadillac Tax. (Rushton) | |
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| | | 2c. | Unemployment Compensation - pg. 126 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2d. | Health Insurance - pg. 128 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
| 3. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Administration & Finance | |
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| | | 3a. | Finance (Administration, Budget, Treasurer & Collector and Purchasing) - pg. 241 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3b. | Assessing - pg. 248 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3c. | Technical Services - pg. 252 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3d. | City Energy and Asset Management - pg. 262 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3e. | Debt Service Obligations - pg. 266 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3f. | Pension Obligation Bonds - pg. 276 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 3g. | DCU Center - pg. 281 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
| 4. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - City Manager's Five Point Plan Funds | |
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| | | 4a. | Five Point Plan Funds - pg. 286 | | | | | | | | Budget approved on a roll call vote of 9 Yeas and 1 Nay (Yeas - Bergman, Economou, Lukes, Palmieri, Rivera, Rosen, Rushton, Russell, Toomey) (Nay - Gaffney) (Petty absent). | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report as to the plan for funding OPEB. (Gaffney) | |
| 5. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Line Item Budget | |
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| | | 5a. | Line Item Budget - pg. 288 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 6a. | Communication of the City Manager transmitting communication relative to the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Recommendation.
# 8.32D CM May 13, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Budget adopted
Motion Lukes - Request City Councilor to Suspend the Rules to allow City Council to consider the Reports of the Standing Committee on Finance on the City Council agenda for June 10, 2014. Order adopted on a roll call vote of 10 Yeas and 0 Nays (Yeas - Bergman, Economou, Gaffney, Lukes, Palmieri, Rivera, Rosen, Rushton, Russell, Toomey) (Absent - Petty) | |
| 7. | Communications of the City Manager | |
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| | | 7a. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the FY15 Capital Improvement Plan.
# 9.32B CM May 27, 2014 | Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7b. | Requesting the opportunity to make a PowerPoint presentation as an informational overview of the Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Budget.
# 10a CC May 06, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7c. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the amounts of monies generated by the Hotel/Motel Tax for the past three years and how those amounts have been spent and allocated.
# 8.27A CC April 29, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7d. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the City's Revenues and Expenditures through March for Fiscal Year 2014, per the City's Five Point Plan.
# 8.24A CC April 29, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7e. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the Governor's Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Proposal.
# 9.24B CM February 04, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7f. | Transmitting informational communication relative to Outside Legal Counsel Spending.
# 10.24B CM June 18, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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| | | 7g. | Transmitting information communication relative to the Debt Service Schedule for the City’s issuance of $500,000.00 in Bonds Associated with the Downtown Urban Renewal Project Proposed in the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget to be Undertaken by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority.
# 10.24A CM June 18, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
| 8. | Miscellaneous Communication | |
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| | | 8a. | Dr. Roberta Schaefer, President & CEO of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, transmitting communication relative to "Worcester's FY14 Budget: Making Ends Meet".
# 12a CC June 11, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
In Committee May 27, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend File | |
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