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Date: 7/5/2023
CHICOPEE — Several city employees and department heads shared an overview of their fiscal year 2024 budgets during a public hearing with the City Council on June 26.
Liquor License Commission Chair Joe Martin shared that the License Commission’s FY24 requested salaries are $29,214.40, and printing, binding and office supplies are $800 — bringing the total budget to $30,014.40. This is a slight increase from the FY23 budget of $29,603.28.
Golf Course Director Mike O’Neill explained that “everything here [in the Golf Commission budget] is pretty much level funded except for the contractual increases.”
He noted that water was the only increase because of the dry season.
Facilities Department Director David Rice said the first major increase in City Hall maintenance is $50,000 to the special services budget line item. That money was taken from the Fire Department, as Rice explained that his department will be taking over some of the preventive maintenance at the fire station.
Another increase includes $25,000 to special services as the department is also taking over more budget items from the library.
Rice shared that there are salary increases per union contracts, an increase to building improvement, an increase for the purchase of departmental equipment, if necessary, among others.
Veterans Services Director Stephanie Shaw said her department has a fluctuation in the salary line item as a staff member resigned and it was filled at a lower pay grade, while another position increased to 40 hours. The only increase in the budget was in light and power as there are utility increases.
The Chicopee Public Library budget had a few changes from last year, with the first being an increase in salaries. One position — the community services librarian — went from 30 to 40 hours, however, the request is lower than FY23, because the person in this position before was more senior.
The library’s special services line decreased from $41,000 to $16,000 as a result of the coverage of the Facilities Department. The only increase is the books, records and periodical line which is $228,112.56, to meet the materials expenditures which allows the library to qualify for state aid. That line item must always be 12% of the total budget.
For the Health Department, Director Lisa Sanders said health expenses have two increases, including one for special services, which is the doctor. She noted that this increased from $1,800 to $4,200. Membership also increased to $5,500 for the Mosquito Control Board.
Treasurer Marie Laflamme said one change in her budget is the addition of a new clerk position. She shared that she has lost a lot of “key people” over the years and is in need of a new position, as the department is in a “rebuilding phase.”
Laflamme said there are also a couple of increases with postage, printing and binding.
Planning and Development Director Lee Pouliot shared a review of salary accounts — most of which are by contract. One change, as explained by Pouliot, is that they “zeroed out” the environmental stipend because the development manager moved from a 35 to 40 hour work week. That manager receives an environmental stipend of $10,000, which essentially covers that extra five hours of work, Pouliot said.
Board of Assessors Chair Laura McCarthy said salary accounts have changed according to contract. There are also two changes in expenses including registration fees increasing from $6,000 to $7,800 for educational courses, and a decrease in membership fees which is $250.
Andrew Vernon from the Management Information System Department said there is a salary increase from a 35 to 40-hour work week for most of city staff. The second increase is in public safety, as MIS works with them in taking over technology management in the Public Safety Complex.
Human Resources Department Assistant Richard Merchant said the “most significant” difference in salaries is the addition of a new position and elimination of the director of safety position — which was replaced by an occupational safety manager.
Merchant said some of the expenses were consolidated, however, the largest change is the $1 million increase in medical insurance.
Police Chief Patrick Major said the Police Department’s FY23 budget had 120 funded patrol positions, but in FY24, it dropped to 116. “That was based on the fact that the difficulties in recruiting people — getting them through the academy — I didn’t foresee us getting to 120,” he said.
Some of the other changes include a slight increase in the uniform budget and a telephone request of $87,010, which will issue cell phones to all officers in a department. The main reason for this is so that a victim or witness can reconnect with an officer easily.
Motions were made, seconded and approved to tentatively approve all the budgets presented.