City Council budget hearings on a proposed $245 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget are scheduled to get underway on Monday, May 13 and run through Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
City manager Fidel Maltez officially presented the council with the FY25 budget Monday night.
“The Budget funds City expenditures at $104,694,321 and School Department expenditures at $140,307,816, for a total budget of $245,002,137,” stated Maltez. “The School Department Budget has increased by 6.00%, most of it paid from new Chapter 70 funding generated by the Student Opportunity Act. The City expenditures have increased by 6.00%.”
Most of the increases on the city side of the budget are reflected in the salary accounts, due mostly to raises required in collective bargaining agreements and the addition of new positions in the operating budget.
“These new positions, a total of nine, will improve the delivery of services to residents and allow the city to increase internal capacity for handling new projects and programming implemented with ARPA funding,” stated Maltez.
The city will be able to absorb the increase in new personnel because of its favorable financial position, Maltez said.
“This year, the City will propose the modest use of reserves to support the budget ($706,908), an amount that aligns with prior years,” said Maltez.
The new positions include four in the executive department that Maltez filled earlier this year as part of the realignment of the city manager’s office. They included two deputy city managers, a director of constituent services, and an executive assistant.
Maltez is proposing adding a senior financial analyst to the auditing department, a purchasing agent/buyer to the purchasing department, and a deputy commissioner for administration and operations to the public works department.
In addition, he is proposing a deputy director for the inspectional services department and a part-time administrative assistant in the human resources department.
Maltez also noted that this year’s Regional School District expenditure has increased by $655,763 to $2,092,200.
“That line item now includes the third payment on the debt for the new Northeast Regional Vocational High School, a total debt service payment of $976,402,” stated Maltez. “That debt service figure will rise gradually to approximately $1.65 million starting in FY26.”
The council’s budget subcommittee meetings are scheduled for May 13, 14, and 15 with a tentative public hearing date for the budget on June 3.