CITY OF WORCESTER | Finance Committee Meeting | Tuesday, May 24, 2016 | Esther Howland (South) Chamber | Convened: 4:25 P.M. | Recessed: 6:39 P.M.
Reconvened: 9:10 P.M.
Adjourned: 10:00 P.M. |
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Mayor
Joseph M. Petty | 
www.worcesterma.gov |
Clerk of the City Council
Susan M. Ledoux | Committee Members | | Chairperson Joseph M Petty | | Councilor Morris A Bergman | | Councilor Tony Economou |
| | Councilor Michael T Gaffney | | Councilor Khrystian E King | | Councilor Konstantina B Lukes | | Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson | | Councilor Sarai Rivera | | Councilor Gary Rosen | | Councilor George J Russell | | Councilor Kathleen M Toomey |
City Hall - 455 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts | |
| Present Were: | All members were present with Mayor in the Chair except for Councilors King and Mero-Carlson. Councilors King and Mero-Carlson arrived at 4:27 P.M. City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer Thomas F. Zidelis
Director of Budget Jarrett B. Conner
City Auditor Robert V. Stearns
City Clerk Susan M. Ledoux, clerk | | | | | Also: | Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools Maureen Binienda
WPS Chief Financial Officer Brian Allen
Chief of Police Steven Sargent
Director of Communications Richard Fiske, III
Executive Secretary for Retirement Elizabeth Early
Chief Development Officer Michael E. Traynor, Esq.
Assistant Chief Development Officer for Administration and Special Projects Heather Gould
Assistant Chief Development Officer for Business and Community Development Paul Morano, Jr. | | | |
| 1. | FY 2017 Budget Hearing - Worcester Public Schools | |
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| | | 1a. | Public Schools - XIII-1 pg. 187 | View Budget | | | | | | | Mayor Petty recognized School Committee Member John F. Monfredo, who addressed the Committee concerning the Worcester Public Schools budget.
Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools hold a training course to learn how to review the school budget for City Councilors who may not be familiar with it. (Toomey) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools provide City Council with a report breaking down class sizes based on the student to teacher ratio, typically provided as a supplemental report to the School Committee. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools provide City Council with a report as to the ratio of academic versus nonacademic administrative staff persons, regardless of whether or not their salaries are funded through tax levies. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools reach out to traditional print media outlets in the City to volunteer space in the newspaper to list colleges the public school students have gotten into. Further, request City Manager include in City’s August tax bills a list of colleges those high school students have gotten into. (Bergman) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools provide City Council with a report concerning what the ratio of school adjustment counselors per student is in the City, and further, what the ratio should be ideally. (King) | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a comprehensive report concerning the tracking of police resource responses and arrests in the Worcester Public Schools. (King) | | | | Request City Manager work with the Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools to explore options for ensuring appropriate clinical support is available to students in the Worcester Public Schools. (King) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools provide City Council with a report concerning the correlation between the end of school days coinciding with an uptick in crimes throughout the City. Further, request said report provide information concerning whether or not an uptick would provide a basis for receiving afterschool grant monies. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager request Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools provide City Council with a report as to whether the legal counsel of Worcester Public Schools feels their response in dealing with the issue of gender neutral bathrooms is appropriate. (Lukes) | |
| 2. | FY 2017 Budget Hearing - Worcester Police Department | |
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| | | 2a. | Police Department - IX-1, pg. 143 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager request Police Chief provide City Council with the percentage of the number of police calls received dealing with mental health issues. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager request Police Chief provide City Council with a breakdown of the different types of police calls received over each of the last seven (7) years. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager request Police Chief work with the Superintendent of Schools to identify services that are necessary for police officers who are assigned to work in the City’s schools to have in order to ensure they are prepared for various issues that may arise in those schools. (Lukes) | |
| 3. | FY 2017 Budget Hearing - Emergency Communications & Management | |
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| | | 3a. | Emergency Communications/Emergency Management - XI-1, pg. 175 | View Budget | | | | | | | Motion Lukes @ #3a – Request City Manager request City Solicitor review the process regarding leases and whether or not it is appropriate to sign a lease without it coming before City Council. (Lukes) – Not Put
Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report of what the payback would be if the City bought the equipment for the radio system and financed it, rather than leasing the equipment. Further, request report include whether the equipment has to be purchased all at once, or if it could be purchased in pieces. (Russell) | |
| 4. | FY 2017 Budget Hearings - Department of Economic Development | |
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| | | 4a. | Economic Development - VI-1, pg. 89 | View Budget | | | | | | | Councilor Russell moved to adjourn the Standing Committee on Finance meeting and hear the remaining items at the next session.
Motion denied on a roll call vote of 2 Yeas (Lukes, Russell) and 9 Nays (Bergman, Economou, Gaffney, King, Mero-Carlson, Rivera, Rosen, Toomey, Petty)
Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager consider drafting a special legislation to create a design review team. (Lukes) | | | | Request City Manager consider for future budgets developing a down payment incentive program for employees, especially including public safety personnel, to purchase owner occupied properties in the City. (Russell) | |
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| | | 4b. | Union Station/Worcester Redevelopment Authority - VI-2, pg. 97 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning the process the City plans to utilize to revitalize properties of owners out of compliance with the Downtown Urban Revitalization Plan. Further, request said report include information concerning City Council’s role in this process. (Gaffney) | | | | Request City Manager request City Solicitor provide City Council with a legal opinion concerning possible restrictions against taking properties in the Downtown Urban Revitalization Plan away from one business and providing the property to another business. (Russell) | |
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| | | 4c. | Workforce Investment Board - VI-3, pg. 101 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | |
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| | | 4d. | Workforce Central Career Center - VI-4, pg. 105 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | |
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| | | 4e. | Marketing Campaign - VI-5, pg. 109 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning what benefits other towns receive from advertising and what has been produced from advertising efforts thus far. (Russell) | |
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| | | 4f. | Cable Services - VI-6, pg. 111 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide City Council with a report concerning the ramifications of Time Warner’s purchase of Charter Communications, including the impact it may have on the City’s franchise agreement as well as the services provided to the City. (Lukes) | |
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| | | 4g. | License Commission - VI-7, pg. 115 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | |
| 5. | FY 2017 Budget Hearings - Legislative Offices | |
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| | | 5a. | City Auditor - III-5, pg. 45 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Held | |
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| | | 5b. | Retirement - (Contributory and Non-Contributory Pensions) - III-6, pg. 49 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Approved | |
| 6. | FY 2017 Budget Hearings - Law Department | |
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| | | 6a. | Law Department - VIII-1, pg. 135 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Held | |
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| | | 6b. | Property and Casualty Insurance - VIII-2, pg. 139 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Held | |
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| | | 6c. | Court Judgments - VIII-3, pg. 141 | View Budget | | | | | | | Budget Held | |
| 7. | FY 2017 Budget Recessed Hearings - Legislative Offices | |
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| | | 7a. | City Council - III-1, pg. 31
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
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| | | 7b. | Mayor's Office - III-2, pg. 35
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
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| | | 7c. | City Clerk - III-3, pg. 37
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
| 8. | Motions Held in Committee | |
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| | | 8a. | Motion of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes – That $8,611 of salary increases be cut from the City Council Budget. | View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
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| | | 8b. | Motion of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes – That a cut be made to level fund the Mayor’s Office Budget. | View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
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| | | 8c. | Motion of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes – That City Council cut $42,000 from the recommended City Clerk budget. | View Budget | | | | | | | No action taken | |
| 9. | Fiscal Year 2017 Budget | |
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| | | 9a. | Communication of the City Manager transmitting informational communication relative to the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget proposal.
# 8.36A CM May 10, 2016
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
| 10. | Communications of the City Manager | |
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| | | 10a. | Transmitting informational communication relative to an estimated assessor's tax recap using the proposed FY16 tax levy with current real estate assessed values and actual FY15 assessed values.
# 8.23A CM June 09, 2015
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 10b. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the Bond Anticipation Notes (BAN) rating.
# 8.28A CM June 09, 2015
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 10c. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the FY16 Capital Improvement Plan.
# 9.24A CM June 23, 2015
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
| 11. | Communications of the City Auditor | |
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| | | 11a. | Transmitting unaudited financial reports on the budgetary basis for results of operations in Fiscal Year 2015 for the General and Enterprise Funds (Schedules A through B-3). Also attached are summaries of the activities in the Special Revenue, Capital Project, Debt Service and Trust Funds (Schedules C-1 through C-5).
# 11a CC November 10, 2015
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 11b. | Transmitting the Monthly Report on the Status of the City Budget.
# 10a CC May 10, 2016
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 11c. | Transmitting report concerning recommendations as to where cuts may be made in the City's budget.
# 10b CC May 10, 2016
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 11d. | Transmitting a corrected copy of the Monthly Report on the Status of the City Budget.
# 10d CC May 10, 2016
In Committee May 17, 2016 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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