Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.

Council to get budget briefing

Date: 11/4/2008

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD The City Council will receive a formal presentation on the financial status of the city on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at the City Council chambers but without some key numbers and predictions.

Mayor Domenic Sarno requested the meeting. "It is essential we work together in this situation," he said.

At a press conference conducted Tuesday and at a subsequent council committee meeting on Friday chaired by Timothy Rook, Acting Chief Financial Officer Timothy Plante said that he didn't want to discuss possible financial scenarios for the immediate future until Gov.Deval Patrick makes any additional mid-year budget cuts.

The first round of budget cuts made by Patrick has cost the city $375,000. Sarno said the city has in place a number of contingency plans to react to more cuts from the 1 to 7 percent range all the way to 13.9 percent, which he said would be "catastrophic."

Sarno said his goal in any cuts would be to "hold harmless public safety."

"We will fight tooth and nail to avert layoffs," he added.

He said the city's current $531 million budget uses $2.3 million in reserves and that the city is in better shape than it was when it faced mid-year budget cuts in 2003.

Sarno said the city has about $42 million in reserves, which does not count the remaining $20 million of the original bailout loan made by the state to the city. He noted the legislation introduced in the last session of the Legislature to extend the payback period for the loan was not passed.

"If that marker is called in, we're in the hole again," Sarno said.

Plante told Rooke and City Councilor Bruce Stebbins that there has been "already anxiety among department heads" about the impact of cuts from the governor. Plante said the city department heads have been asked to suggest cuts in their departments as well as possible new sources for revenue.

"Everything is on the table in our discussion," Plante told the councilors.

Plante added that essentially there is a hiring freeze already in the city. A committee must approve each requested new position, he explained, before the job can be filled.

At the mayor's press conference, the following snapshot was released on the city's budget:

The city is "trending fine both in terms of revenues and expenditures for the first fiscal quarter in FY09. The revenues are at 25 percent, which is slightly higher than last year at this time. The expenditures are at 29 percent, which includes encumbrances or commitments paid through the year."

"Mayor Sarno meets with the Acting CFO frequently to monitor and assess the current budget situation for FY09."

Currently the Finance Department reviews and approves all city requisitions in the MUNIS software system."

"The city for the first time has multi-year budget projections through 2015."

Sarno added he is looking forward to the coming year when the Finance Control Board will be dissolved and Springfield will return to local governance. He said though that time will be an opportunity to "show our mettle."