City Manager Thomas Ambrosino brought a budget proposal of just under $181,500,000 for Fiscal Year 2020 before the City Council at Monday’s meeting.
The total proposed budget breaks down as follows: $86,095,981 for city expenditures and $95,391,784 for schools, combining to $181,487,765. Compared to the FY19 budget, this represents an increase of approximately $6.5 million, or 3.71 percent.
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“The FY20 budget continues support for many
programs we have implemented over the past few years,” Ambrosino wrote in correspondence to the City Council.
Among the budget’s priorities is full funding for downtown social services initiatives, specifically the Navigators and Youth Navigator program. The Health and Human Services budget line also allocates resources for a new social services contract supporting the ISD housing program.
Several city departments will see staffing additions under this budget proposal. E-911, DPW, and Elder Services are slated to receive new positions, while the Licensing Department will convert one role from part-time to full-time status. The E-911 department’s three new full-time positions follow a personnel assessment conducted by the department’s incoming director.
DPW staffing increases will support the launch of a new 311 system as well as personnel needed for the city to manage its own Water and Sewer Department operations.
The FY20 budget allocates salary reserve funds to account for anticipated expenses related to ongoing union contract negotiations with City Hall employees. Municipal union contracts, excluding police and fire agreements, expire June 30 of this year.
•During other council business, members approved an order from councillors Giovanni Recupero, Enio Lopez, Luis Tejada, and Damali Vidot that would standardize street cleaning duration across all city streets. Recupero and Lopez emphasized that residents in areas requiring five-hour parking restrictions experience greater inconvenience than those where street cleaning lasts two hours.
•A public hearing was also conducted regarding zoning amendments designed to permit outdoor dining while enhancing signage and building facades throughout the city.
Business owners and municipal officials who spoke at the hearing expressed support for the amendments, citing improvements to downtown aesthetics and enhanced vibrancy and safety for the city.