Not everyone’s budget wishes were fulfilled for FY 2024, as last-minute revisions and allocations were made for the final vote.

By Beatriz Leite

In the FY2024 budget final vote on Thursday, June 22, the City Council decided not to approve Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley Jr.’s order that asked the Council to send back the FY2024 budget until it incorporates the demands of residents, including funding for a new Winter Hill School, housing security, and unarmed alternative emergency response outside of the Police Department. The order was placed on file, however, and some smaller resolutions that attack those problems were approved.

At the June 5 meeting of the Finance Committee, Somerville residents were advocating for those items to be included in the city’s budget planning. Most participants were parents and educators trying to highlight the importance of dedicating a part of the budget to rebuilding Winter Hill Community Innovation School after concrete fell in the building on June 2.

In the final budget meeting, the Council approved the transfer of $12,800 from the Unemployment Compensation Account to the Recreation/Youth Program Salaries and Wages Temporary Account to provide additional staff support for the displaced Winter Hill Community Innovation School students. The School Building Facilities and Maintenance Special Committee will meet on June 28 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the redesign and construction of Winter Hill Community Innovation School to propose the inclusion of this project in the FY 2024 budget.

Also highlighted at that meeting was the lack of affordable housing. The Community Organizing Director at Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) spoke of how the organization has distributed more than $691,000 in the last 5 months for Somerville’s low-income residents in need of utilities and housing assistance, and still was not sufficient for all families in need.

The mayor proposed allocation of $1,413,992 to maintain housing stability in Somerville in the 2024 budget. The Council, this past Thursday, approved distributing all available Free Cash ($82,715) to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, $57,000 to line 01-19052, the Housing Stability Professional and Technical Services Account 530000 for contracted legal services for tenants, and adding $86,594.57 to the Personal Services line in the Economic Development Department to fund a Program Manager for Prevailing Wage, Living Wage, and Wage Theft Ordinance Oversight under a Workforce Development Division.

The last citizen concern was the lack of an unarmed alternative emergency response. The Police Department and the organization Defund Somerville Police Department both argued their sides, being against and pro an alternative, respectively. In this final budget meeting, the Council approved adding $1.5 million to the FY 2024 budget for an alternative emergency response program.

For official documents and an agenda, a minute, and a video of the meeting access somervillema.legistar.com.