6.19.2019 Fall River City Council ( FY2020 Budget Discussion)

The Fall River City Council Committee on Finance met on June 19, 2019, to continue detailed hearings on the Fiscal Year 2020 municipal budget. The committee reviewed several departmental budgets within Community Maintenance, Financial Services, and Community Services, followed by an examination of projected city revenues. Department heads and administration officials, including City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros and Director of Financial Services Mary Sahady, appeared before the council to provide overviews and answer questions regarding operating expenses, equipment needs, and staffing allocations.

During the review of Facilities Maintenance, councilors uncovered an $84,786 overstatement in the salary line, stemming from a double-counted electrical position ($54,786) and an enterprise fund offset for a safety officer position ($30,000). The council voted to request an administrative transfer of that $84,786 to the cemetery and tree maintenance budget to hire outside contractors for citywide tree removal and stump grinding. Councilors also debated capital needs across departments, discussing maintenance at the aging Stanley Street fire station, equipment shortages in the parks and cemeteries divisions, and operational impacts of solid waste disposal contracts following the elimination of the pay-as-you-throw purple bag program.

In the final portion of the meeting, the council reviewed the FY2020 revenue estimates totaling $297,491,414. Significant discussion focused on the loss of approximately $2.3 million from the elimination of the pay-as-you-throw bag program, offset in part by projected cannabis revenues totaling $1.8 million ($900,000 in local excise and $900,000 from local impact fees). Councilors expressed caution regarding declining free cash reserves and stabilization funds while debating potential caps on recreational cannabis licenses. The committee adjourned to resume hearings the following evening on public safety, EMS, and enterprise funds.

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