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1998-06-02Special Meeting of Beverly City Council, June 2, 1998 Roll Call: council Members present: F/aherty, Martin, McGlynn, McMahon, Rollins, Van tiara, Gilmore. Councilors Murray and rroubetaris were absent Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.. ledby Councilor Van tiere Communications from His Honor the Mayor: #201 Frances A. Macdonald City Clerk Beverly, MA 01915 Dear Fran: I hereby request a Special Meeting of the Beverly City Council to be held on Wednesday, June 2, 1999 at 7:00 P. m. in the city Council Chamber, Third Ftoor, Beverly City Hall, for the purpose of submitting theFY99-2000 Budget: AGENDA Roll Call Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag Communications from His Honor the Mayor Communications from other City Officers and Boards Communications, Applications and Petitions Committee Reports Unfinished Business Motions and Orders Very truly yours, William F. ScanIon, Mayor Receive and Place on File #202 Presentation of Budget with Budget Message Honorable City Council City Hall Beverly, MA 01915 Dear Honorable Council: It is my pleasure tonight to present to the Council the operating budget for the Fiscal Year 2000. This budget continues the trend of the last five years of making modest improvements to the quality of life in Beverly. While the budget appears smaller, because water and sewer are no longer carried in the general fund, there is in fact growth of 5.9%. The FY 2000 budget places particular emphasis on education and infrastructure improvements. The renovations and enlargements of the Hannah and Cove Schools will begin. A letter requesting the necessary appropriation will be forthcoming separately. The Chase Street drainage project will begin as will Lawrence Brook and Cbubbs Brook. The public safety facility will be designed. In fact the RFP for design services was issued today. Work to bring Briscoe to a reasonable standard pending its total renovation in four years will be done. With the completion of the Briscoe improvements, all our schools will be in reasonably acceptable shape as we continue to pursue our plan of one complete renovation and enlargement each year. Our plan which will improve every school in our system is likely the most ambitious in the entire State of Massachusetts. Before I talk further about the budget and discuss various matters on a ward by ward basis, let me report to you about the year soon to end. It is always easier to build a good budget if one is coming off a good year. And FY 1999 has been a good year. It has seen the renovations to the Ayers School, now nearly complete, the improvements to our Common, which is as beautiful as any anywhere. Veterans' Park and other parks have been improved. Our City was more beautiful and in better shape for Memorial Day than at any time in my memory. It was a year where Beverly's streets were the best in the area during snowstorms. Dozens and dozens of drainage problems were fixed and the planning completed to correct the major drainage issues in Wards 3, 4 and 6. It was the year we began construction of the Airport Connector Road, Sam Fonzo Drive, along which two new buildings are soon to be constructed. It was also the year of the largest new growth of the commercial and industrial tax base in Beverly in the last fifteen years. It was the year the landfill capping began and the environmental resolution of possibly contaminated sites near the airport also got underway. These issues had gone without any progress for more than a decade. Looked at from a financial viewpoint, As with each of the past five years during my time as Mayor, the City will finish the year showing positive variances vs. budget for its sixth straight successful financial year. While expenditures will be very close to budget levels, revenues will indeed exceed budget by approximately $1,000,000. This result is due in particular to strong collections of overdue real estate taxes, strong excise tax collections, and some additional lottery assistance received beyond expectations. It is no secret that a very important issue in our City is the funding of our schools. Under our new superintendent much progress is being made. Beverly's scores on MCAS tests compare well with other cities although we still have a very long way to go. I am pleased to tell you that the FY 2000 budget will yield more than 9% in new money to our schools, which is, in my opinion, a remarkable achievement given the realities of Proposition 2 I/2. In order to achieve this goal I will request by separate letter that $400,000 of FY 1999's positive revenue variances be appropriated to pre-pay a portion of the school budget. I will also request by separate letter that the balance of $175,000 to complete the Briscoe improvements be appropriated from the current year's positive revenue variances and that any favorable variance from the Briscoe Project be made available to the school superintendent. With these additions plus $50,000 in increased Medicaid receipts from the City to the school system and $100,000 in additional school choice funds, the total new money to the schools will approximate $2,800,000 including $550,000 of new state funds. And further the Superintendent and I have agreed that if special circumstances develop which would cause Special Education costs to spiral that we will work together to achieve a solution. Let me now speak on a Ward by Ward basis. In Ward One the Riverview sewer improvements are underway. The State Legislature is now considering, with approval likely within 45 days, funding for the Route 62 project that will significantly improve traffic on this major city road and also improve drainage in the Sunset Drive area near the Danvers line. Assuming we can reach consensus, I would intend to spend the Stop & Shop mitigation money on a new access road to the Ayers School from Bridge Street and to perform that construction next summer while the Ayers School is empty. In Ward Two there is continued interest in acquiring the Ventron property. Discussions as recent as last week continue to be very promising at a price not to exceed $925,000 for 3.6 acres. There is much interest in the new road from Cabot to Summit to improve traffic flow near the bridge, but we need to ensure that no one is penalized by this road. A review committee to evaluate the recently received RFP's regarding the waterfronl is currently being established. In Ward Three the Chase Street drainage project will be advertised in June. The Briscoe School will be improved as discussed. Designer selection and design of the public safety facility will become reality. The RFP was issued this very day. The long awaited Route IA project which also affects Ward Five will begin when the appropriation bill before the State Legislature, which i previously mentioned, is approved as expected. In Ward Four the most important project will be drainage improvements all the way from Palmer Road to Brimbal Avenue to Lothrop Street to the ocean. These improvements are in final design now and we will soon be meeting with residents to discuss specifics of the project. We expect to begin work late this summer. We are also looking very seriously at repairing Brimbal Avenue all the way from Essex Street to Laurel Street in Ward 5. I expect to have more to say about that soon. In Ward Five we will pursue the question of an ice skating facility near the airport as well as the new athletic field at Moraine Farm. We will also consider acquiring additional cemetery space. The design of a new interchange near the Burger King which would take all Music Theatre traffic off our local roads will be further discussed. The issues related to recreational space use and limited access to the Norwood Pond area are currently being considered by the Norwood Pond Commission and input from the public is welcome. At this time Ward Five has very little in the way of playing fields. We are also actively investigating drainage problems in Ward Five. Ward Five is, of course, interested in Brimbal Avenue and Route 1A both previously discussed. In Ward Six the Chubbs Brook drainage project will begin. Grover Street preliminary design is nearly complete and will be ready for public input soon. We hope to begin construction on the section between Middlebury Lane and Old Planters Road this construction season. i should mention one oddity in the budget. Each year has 365 days, except that every fourth year there are 366 days. If one divides by 7 to turn the days into weeks, the answer is never an even number of weeks. There is always a remainder. That means that every few years a year occurs with 53 pay weeks. FY 2000 is one such year. To be fair to everyone, to union and non-union alike, we have budgeted 53 pay weeks next year. This budget has been prepared and is presented for your consideration on the basis that all city employees who are paid weekly will receive an extra week of pay in FY 2000. We are bound by contract to pay all union members this way. The cost is not insignificant but treating everyone alike seems to me the only fair thing to do. And while we are talking numbers, this is the first budget presented with water and sewer revenues separated from the general fund and placed in special revenue accounts. As a result, the budget appears to shrink in size made smaller by the exclusion of water and sewer. Having made that change, expenditures such as education, as a percentage of the total budget, appear bigger and indeed are well over 50% of the budget with water and sewer set aside and nearly 50% with these utilities included. I mention this only because some people like to throw around figures and compare Beverly badly with our neighbors. The strides we are making in education with more new $$ than any previous year compare well with anyone. In recent weeks, several labor contracts have been settled. These relate to the four-year period 1999-2002 with, actually one contract for FY 1999 and another for FY 2000-2002. in the case of our police officers, both the patrol officer union and the superior officer union have agreed to new contracts. As part of that settlement, we have granted and will put before you by separate letter approval of the Quinn bill, a State sponsored education incentive for police officers. The fact is that most of the cost of the Quinn Bill is borne by the State and it is also true that our officers have not received this benefit while those in neighboring Danvers, Salem and Peabody, have received this benefit for years. Our philosophy is to have a lean sized workforce and to pay our people a little better than average. With these contracts we have taken an important step. We have also negotiated important management rights language which will benefit the City for years to come. Some time ago you received the Capital Expenditure Plan. Each year it must be updated. I will note for you tonight that the running track at the High School needs serious consideration this coming year along with the stands at Hurd Stadium. I take pride in announcing the receipt of a $260,000 grant made possible with the help of Congressman Tierhey to assist in Phase I1 of the water and, sewer improvements along Cabot and Trask Streets and Henderson Road near the Airport. It is our goal to provide a sanitary sewer to essentially every home in our City. As the new road nears completion, we will shortly look at leasing of the several parcels of Airport land being made accessible by Sam Fonzo Drive. Other highlights in this budget include some modest further improvements at the Common and significant progress with our parks, playgrounds and equipment. The Master Plan will become a reality. We will shortly be creating a steering committee. Please send expressions of interest to Tina Cassidy, our Planning Director. Our City is alive. Our City is on the move. Not everything is perfect, nor will it ever be but we are making Beverly better and with your continued help, the sky is the limit. Lastly, I urge every Beverly citizen to visit and enjoy and respect the Common. It is a place of history, beauty and serenity. Very truly yours, William F. ScanIon, Jr. Mayor Mayors Budget Letter Receive and Place on File 770 Budpet referred to Finance and Prooertv Communications, Applications and Petitions Reports from Committees: #202 The Committee on Finance and Property to whom was referred the matter of FY2000 Budget have considered said matter and beg leave to report as follows, to wit: Submit the accompanying order and recommend its adoption ORDERED: That the City Council of the City of Beverly hold a public hearing on Tuesday, June 22, 1999 at 7:30 PM at 191 Cabot Street, Third Floor, Beverly, MA relative to the FY2000 Budget Order read once and adopted 7-0 Vote Motions and Orders: #203 By Councilor Gilmore: Ordered: That the City council honor Keith Manville and Lawrence Drouin n on the occasion of their retirement from the Beverly School System. Order read once and adopted 7-0 Vote Meeting ad]ourned: 7:22 PM Frances A. Macdonald, CMC City Clerk