2014-05-27Regular Meeting Page 1 of 3
Beverly Meeting Minutes
From: Kathy Connolly [kconnolly @beverlyma.gov]
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 9 :25 AM
To: councilors @beverlyma.gov; minutes @beverlyma.gov; BETTERGOV1@aol.com
Subject: may27,2014
Special Meeting
Beverly City Council 6:00 PM May 27, 2014
Roll Call: Councilors: John P. Frates Jr., Scott D. Houseman, David J. Lang, James F. Latter, Donald G. Martin, Estelle M.
Rand, Matthew J. St.Hilaire, Paul M. Guanci Councilor Jason C. Silva was absent
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: Mayor Cahill
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Call for Special Meeting
Communications from His Honor the Mayor:
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2015 Budget
Refer to Finance & Property
BUDGET MESSAGE
Dear Honorable Council:
It is my sincere pleasure to present to you my administration's proposed fiscal year 2015 municipal operating budget for the city of
Beverly. Our goals for this budget are twofold:
1) Deliver outstanding core city services efficiently and effectively in the coming year
2) Invest our resources to sustain these critically important services and improve people's lives throughout Beverly and the
surrounding region for years to come.
By investing in water, sewer, and other city infrastructure and improving our roads, by updating our zoning and better staffing our Planning
and Economic Development Department to bring the smart economic growth our city needs, by providing our public school children rich
and varied learning opportunities, by protecting our natural resources and the character of our neighborhoods, by strengthening our public
safety capacity, and by providing needed services to our seniors and veterans, we can meet our budget goals: to deliver needed services
now, and ensure our municipal government's ability to deliver outstanding services and promote opportunity in Beverly well into the future.
As Beverly and our region rebound from the Great Recession of 2008, we are benefiting from steady residential development, particularly
in our downtown, as well as continued business investment throughout our community, all of which help to create a healthy, balanced tax
base. We as city officials must work to ensure a diverse tax base, thus best positioning Beverly to weather future tough economic times
and thrive in better times.
Although the budget before you represents an increase of 3.7% when compared to the originally approved FY 2014 budget, it is a mere
0.8% above the revised FY 2014 operating budget. Contract settlements, insurance premium increases, veterans benefit increases and a
number of other unforeseen expenses required supplemental appropriations in FY 2014 by both the prior administration and my
administration to provide a funding level that could support the needs of our city. These areas when fully funded in FY 2015 account for a
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Regular Meeting Page 2 of 3
significant amount of the increase over the originally approved FY 2014 budget. The remaining increase coupled with some one -time cost
savings initiatives will allow the city to make significant investments in the areas of road and sidewalk repairs, public safety and education,
while enhancing existing services.
As noted above, my proposed budget calls for a robust investment in the City's water, sewer and road infrastructure. These projects are
long overdue and are necessary to ensure consistent and appropriate service levels in the provision of clean drinking water, safe and
comfortable passage over our roads, and proper sewage flow. Significant reductions in our South Essex Sewer District assessments over
the next three years will allow the city to afford debt payments related to the sewer projects, and despite performing a significant level of
work in both our water and sewer systems, we are proposing the lowest combined water /sewer rate increase in six years. We are also
able to take advantage of roughly $600,000 this year in one -time health care contribution savings, which we propose be invested into our
roads and sidewalk budget. We propose investing nearly $3 Million in roads and sidewalks in FY 2015 alone, and hope that FY 2016 will
provide similar opportunity. Upgrading our roads to an acceptable level will require a sustained level of investment. We can take a strong
step in that direction this year.
For many reasons, public safety is an important priority for our community. In FY 2014, we launched a Community Impact Unit to place
more police officers on the street, particularly in the downtown area, and it has proven successful. In this budget, I propose three new
positions in the police department. This will increase capacity within the Community Impact Unit as well as in traffic enforcement; the
majority of this cost will be offset by an estimated $200,000 reduction in overtime costs.
While our municipal workforce excels at delivering high quality services to the citizens of Beverly, there is more that we can do.
Specifically, as a community, I believe we can better identify and secure grant funding, which will allow us to take additional steps to
increase opportunities and strengthen services to Beverly residents. I propose a Grant Coordinator position. This person will coordinate
and support grant writing efforts across city departments, the Beverly Public Schools, and in partnership with our many wonderful
community based organizations. This person will lead a more deliberate proactive citywide grants effort that will empower us as a
community to provide critically important services that we currently lack capacity to deliver. One first year priority for this position will be to
help secure funds for a summer learning initiative for at -risk Beverly school children to be launched in summer 2015. 1 believe that this
position will pay for itself many times over with the resources it will bring to our city.
I propose a restructuring of our budget for employee buyouts upon separation. Historically, the city has included
Budget lines within departmental budgets for these buyouts. These amounts tend to be speculative and remain within department budgets
if under spent. I have removed these budgets from the departmental level and consolidated them into a reserve account in the general
government section of our proposed FY 2015 budget. This will allow for distribution to departments based on actual costs incurred. As
with any reserve account, council approval will be required. This will provide more transparency for those costs and more stringent
allocation of those resources.
While this budget represents the twelve months that comprise Fiscal Year 2015, 1 want to highlight that the decisions and priorities outlined
in the budget have been developed with an eye towards the future. In coming years, we will need to fund the middle school project and
modernize our public safety and public services facilities. All of these require planning now. That is why this Honorable City Council and
my administration recently established formal policies regarding our municipal stabilization fund. That is why my administration has been
extremely thoughtful with the modest cost increases we recommend in this proposed budget. It is why we collectively need to manage
responsibly, maintain our capital assets wisely, and secure the appropriate economic growth necessary to ensure our children are able to
enjoy Beverly and all it has to offer for decades to come.
Sincerely yours,
Michael P. Cahill, Mayor
Communications from other City Officers and Boards:
Communications, Applications and Petitions:
Reports from Committees:
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The Committee on Finance and Property / Committee of the Whole to whom was referred the matter of 2015 Budget have considered said
matter and beg leave to report as follows, to wit:
Submit the accompanying order and recommend its adoption
5/30/2014
Regular Meeting
Page 3 of 3
Ordered: That the City Council of the City of Beverly hold a Public Hearing on Monday, June 16, 2014 at 7:30 PM in City Hall Council
Chambers, Third Floor, 191 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA relative the 2015 Budget
First Passage: May 27, 2014
Public Hearing: June 16, 2014
Final Passage: June 19, 2014
Order read once and adopted 8 -0 Vote
Unfinished Business:
Motions and Orders:
Meeting Adjourned: 6:05 PM
Attest: Kathleen P. Connolly, CMC
City Clerk
5/30/2014