Mayor Curtatone formally submitted his proposed FY19 city budget to the Somerville Board of Aldermen last week, now the subject of upcoming debate and possible revision.

By Cole Hilaire-Dubreuil

Last Wednesday, June 6, Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone presented to the Board of Aldermen a breakdown of his proposed budget for the city’s 2019 fiscal year. An estimated $800,000+ in new equity investment is proposed.

Click here to view the proposed FY19 budget.

Much of the budgetary allocation dealt with over the course of Wednesday’s presentation revolves around the betterment of the city’s education services, specifically the strengthening of its OST (Out-Of-School-Time) enrichment and early childhood support programs. To this end, these four specific investments (totaling $142,779 of FY19 spend) are proposed: the expansion of the SomerPromise Director position from part-time to full-time engagement ($27,779); appointment of a new OST coordinator ($60,000); development of a “single point of entry for OST options” ($25,000), and further expansion of the SomerBaby Initiative ($30,000).

The Office of Housing Stability, whose primary concern is increasing the awareness of and accessibility to housing rights and organizations auxiliary to housing stability, will see an approximate $135,000 in supplementary investment. This investment is intended to finance the employment of 4 full-time staff members ($125,000) to support the work of the OHS Director and to cover initial organizational operating costs ($10,000).

The budget also accounts for a second set of Personal Protective Equipment for all Firefighters ($200,000) and a $275,000 investment in the Vision Zero initiative. Vision Zero aims to eliminate pedestrian fatalities. This investment draws upon TNC (Transportation Network Companies) revenue. State law requires rideshare companies operating in Massachusetts such as Uber and Lyft to contribute, for each ride, 10c to the municipality in which the ride originates. According to the Mayor’s presentation, the 2.7 million+ rideshare (TNC) trips originating in Somerville in 2017 generated an additional $275,000 in city revenue; if replicable, a figure that fully funds the projected Vision Zero budgetary need.

Some of the relatively smaller investments include: $25,000 to launch a new public mural program and to enhance the Illuminations Tour; $20,000 to fund operational costs of the Office of Sustainability and Energy in its efforts to improve recycling in schools; $40,000 in additional funding for per-diem school nurses; $48,439 for the appointment of a new Librarian I and $24,000 to expand the Personnel Recruiter from part-time to full-time.

Over the course of next 3 weeks, several follow-up meetings are expected to take place as the BOA finalize allocation and implementation of the FY19 budget.

The session, initially streamed live on the City’s website, continues to be available for retrospective viewing: somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2703.

The minutes of previous years’ meetings remain viewable via the Archived Meeting Minutes link on the Board’s website here: http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/board-aldermen/board-aldermenarchived-meeting-minutes.

There will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen’s Committee on Finance on Tuesday, June 26, at 6:00 p.m., in the Aldermen’s Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, on the Order of Finance Committee Chairman Alderman William White, Jr., for public input on the proposed FY 2019 budget.