20240606 City Council Finance and Property Committee Meeting Minutes Matthew J. St. Hilaire-Chair
Julie R. Flowers
Brendan S. Sweeney
Finance and Property/ City Council Committee of the Whole
Budget Meeting Minutes
Thursday, June 6, 2024, 6:30pm
City Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot St.
Matthew St. Hilaire called the meeting to order at 6:30pm.
Committee Members Present: Julie Flowers, Brendan Sweeney, Matthew St. Hilaire
Councilors Present: Hannah Bowen, Steven Crowley, Kathleen Feldman, Danielle Spang
Absent: Scott Houseman, Todd Rotondo
Order#161-Mayor's FY2025 Budget- Department Budget Sessions
Planning-Darlene Wynne
St. Hilaire and Sweeney asked what the consulting line is being used for this year.
Wynne stated that it includes membership in the North Shore Alliance for Economic
Development, some of it is expected to be used as a match for the sign ordinance update grant,
and some is being held to use as a potential match for other grants that have been applied for.
There will also be work with a consultant to make edits to the design standards packet before it
gets submitted.
Bowen asked if the consulting line includes the MBTA Communities project.
Wynne said the state provided a lot of assistance for that at no charge.
Feldman asked about the shuttle bus line and Salem Skipper.
Wynne stated the shuttle bus line goes towards the CATA bus and ARPA money is being used
for the Salem Skipper. As that program is piloted and data comes in,there will be conversations
about the efficiencies and the best kind of transit.
Library—Allison Babin
Babin stated this is a level-services budget and gave some statistics on library usage and services
for the year.
Flowers asked if there are any concerns about this budget and about the funding for the
Bookmobile.
Babin stated one area that is difficult is building repairs. The buildings are aging and have a lot
of issues. Babin stated the Bookmobile does have its own maintenance and fuel line which
allows for patching small issues that come up. There have been challenges with the generator on
the Bookmobile that are still being evaluated.
Bowen asked what negative impacts might be expected for having not moved forward with the
HVAC at this time and if there are any plans in this budget or outside of this budget to help
address some of the bigger issues.
Babin stated it is definitely a concern. There may be some days in the summer or winter where
the library will have to close because it cannot be cooled or heated sufficiently. This budget does
not begin to address that.
Babin spoke about the requirements for the state aid program.
Community Services, Parks & Recreation, Enterprise Funds—Bruce Doig
Doig gave an update on some of the improvements being made at city parks.
Feldman asked about the need for seawall repairs at Lynch Park and Obear Park and asked if that
is through other funding sources.
Mayor Michael Cahill stated there are some minor repairs that need to be made sooner. The
bigger work that needs to be done may be comparable to something like the Bridge Street road
reconstruction. Cahill spoke about some of the grants available. Largely, the big chunks of
money will need to come from state and federal grant funding. The consulting line includes
money that can go as a match towards these kinds of grants.
Spang asked about the CPC funding for the carriage house.
Cahill stated that money is being let go to allow for more time to better define the project.
There was a brief discussion of the park of the year line and upcoming park improvements.
Health Director Laura DelleChiaie spoke to the increase in the consulting line for inspecting
biotech facilities, since it requires a very specific background. DelleChiaie spoke of the benefits
in the last year from the additional sanitarian position.
Solicitor—Stephanie Williams
Williams gave an overview of the services the department provides.
Public Services,Engineering & Public Works and Airport, Golf& Tennis,Water/Sewer
Enterprise Funds—Mike Collins
Collins stated over the last two years there have been almost 15 new employees and 18
departures. There was discussion about some reorganization of positions which changed where
they appear in the budget, not the amount of positions.
There was discussion about the highway and maintenance line 58757 (purchase equipment under
capital outlay). Collins stated $350,000 is about the price of a single truck, so the hope would be
to buy a truck this year.
Ayles stated generally the types of capital that are rolled into the operating budget are when there
is a department that has an annual recurring need for capital investment like DPW or the police
department.
There was discussion about the sanitation contract, staff training, equipment repairs and
purchases, an equipment plan, enterprise funds, cemeteries, internships to fill staffing needs, and
work on roads and sidewalks.
A motion to adjourn was made and seconded. A vote was taken, and the motion carried(3-0).
The meeting adjourned at 8:32pm.
Beverly City Council Committee on Finance and Property Meeting Minutes—June 6,2024 page 2 of 2