Mayor's Proposed FY 11-12 Budget - UPDATED 6/12/11

Update: BOA passed an amended budget with no net $ change and thus NO tax increase for FY 11-12.  Please link to this blogpage for the Amendment Summary.

The Mayor has presented his Proposed FY 11-12 Budget to the Board of Aldermen.  The BOA's Finance Committee will hold several public hearings as we review this proposal ahead of adopting this or an amended version by the end of May.  This year I am a member of the BOA Finance Committee.

Budget Calendar from pg 2-26

Download the pdf version: Mayor's Proposed FY 11-12 Budget

Download the pdf version of the Board of Education's budget:
FY2011-12 BOE Site Based Budget

This year's BOE budget is much more transparent.   The BOA will vote the total appropriation but has no line item say in the BOE's budget per City Charter.

Budget Presentation and Q&A

Wednesday evening (3/10), the Mayor and a dozen City staff and department heads came to Edgewood School to present the Mayor's FY11 Proposed Budget Briefing and to answer questions from neighbors.  About twenty neighbors and several other city residents came to listen and ask questions.  For those that couldn't attend, the next Community Budget Briefing will be at Nathan Hale School, March 10th @ 6:30.

Now available on the City's website are answers to questions raised by residents and many FAQs regarding the budget, decisions, taxes, the process, contact info for related city departments and info, etc.  Also, you can submit questions.  I recommend you visit the City's Budget Q&A page.  The Mayor's FY11 Proposed Budget document is also available here.  I recommend you at least read the Mayor's message and also find the Calendar of public hearings on page 2-22.

Also, please contact me directly with any budget related questions, comments, or issues.  Scrutinizing, changing as necessary, and finalizing the City's annual Budget is one of the most import roles of the BOA.

Mayor's FY10-11 Budget available - Community Presentation 3/10

This week the Mayor presented his Proposed FY10-11 Budget to the BOA. Today, Wed., March 3rd, I attended the Mayor's briefing to the BOA on his proposed budget.

The Mayor's Proposed Budget is available as a PDF on the City's website here.  (I may be able to get some hard copies for those that want one.)   The BOA's review process is underway, and there is a calendar on page 2-29 which includes dates for several public hearings.  My colleagues and I look forward to close scrutiny of this proposal ahead of the approval of the BOA's version set for May 24th.  That gives us all time to analyze, discuss, and debate.

NEXT Wednesday, March 10th, 6:30pm @ Edgewood School
The Mayor invites you to his first
Community Budget Presentation

I urge you to attend this presentation. 

BOA Meeting Report - 3/1/10

There is now a lot more before the BOA since the eight minute meeting 2/16.   Alderman Antunes (Ward 12) opened the meeting with his version of Divine Guidance which he said was mostly just guidance.   His guidance then came in the form of a very brief City history lesson, and from this historical perspective, understanding, and learning from history, he hoped would lead to future historians looking back on the 2010 BOA to see a "progressive, effective, and unified body." 

The next hour was mostly discussion, background, urging of support, and a bit of debate for the two significant Zoning changes before the full board to be put to a vote.  Those being: Yale's petition for a Planned Development District (PDD) allowing for a new School of Management campus to be built on Whitney Ave., and a new zoning district in Fair Haven along Grand Avenue.  The Grand Ave. zoning text and map amendments, facilitating what will be a new Neighborhood Center Mixed Use zoning district along Grand Ave. between James to Perkins St., passed unanimously.  The Yale PDD  was also approved by all Alders present except Alderman Goldson (Ward 30) who voted against the PDD out of concerns for the PDD zoning designation and process and not Yale's project specifically.  Please read more about these zoning changes in previous Blogs.

Three Orders were passed unanimously: permission to Koji restaurant to install awnings over the city sidewalk, Labyrinth Books given permission to install a sign over the city sidewalk, and tax refunds due.  One Resolution was also unanimously approved expressing the full support for the "Safe Routes to School Program" project which will include infrastructure improvements around Fair Haven Shcool using Federal grant money.

13 new items were Communicated - including the Mayor's Proposed FY10-11 Budget - which will all most likely be distributed to Committees by BOA President Goldfield.

Also moving along in the process, seven items moving out of Committees were given their First Readings and thus will most likely come up for a vote at the next regular meeting.  These items include Mayoral appointments and re-appointments to several commissions which were favorably moved from the Aldermanic Affairs Committee.  Items favorably moved out of the City Services and Environmental Policy Committee (I'm a member; read this Blog).  And, items favorably moved from the Finance Committee including: recommending to approve a change to the way the Whalley Ave. Special Services District (WSSD) taxes its members, acceptance of the Audit for FY 09, transfering some bond $ internally to Parks, and acceptance of the required monthly budget statements.

As always this is but a brief summary.  The minutes/journal should be available here.  And, please contact me for more details...

Budget "boot camp" for new Alders

Jan. 14th, Ina Silverman hosted a meeting for new Alders focused on finance and budgeting.  Budget Director Larry Rusconi, Comptroller Mark Pietrosimone, Chief Financial Administrator Sal DeCola, and Rebecca Bombero explained the budgeting process including outlining the time-line for the annual process and highlighted key pages in the budget, monthly financial reports, and audit documents. 

The City's Charter requires the Mayor to submit a Budget to the Board of Alderman by March 1st.  Public hearings, Finance Committee workshops, addition public hearing(s), and deliberations will culminate in the BOA adopting a Budget for 2010/2011 to go into effect July 1, 2010, by the end of May (currently scheduled for 5/24/10).  This calendar will be in the first section of the Mayor's proposed Budget document.

The Audit of the year ending June 30, 2009 has been presented to the BOA and will be analyzed at the next Finance Committee meeting.  The Finance Committee also scrutinizes the Charter required Monthly Report which is presented to all BOA members.  The review of the Report for Nov 30, 2009 will also be on the Finance Committee's agenda for their next meeting.  These monthly reports keep Alders up-to-date and provide monthly summaries of "concerns" and a Charter required Action Plan to address any concerns.

Another key component for the revenue side of the equation, the Grand List (tax base), will be set by Jan. 31, 2010. 

The BOA Committee assignments will be set in the next few days.  BOA President Carl Goldfield (Ward 29) makes these assignments.  While freshmen Alders are not usually assigned a spot on the Finance Committee, all Alders are encouraged to attend meetings, will be included in discussion and debate, and may even be called upon to vote if their participation is required to fill a quorum.  I plan to attend these important meetings schedule permitting.

If anyone ever wants to chat more about budget and/or finance issues, please call me.  I will also share any documentation that may interest you.  Financial oversight is an extremely important role of the Board of Alderman, and I will indeed participate.