The proposed FY2017 budget has been submitted for scrutiny and debate by city officials and the general public alike.

By Amy Swain

On Tuesday, June 7 the city’s Budget Analyst Mike Mastrobuoni made himself available, along with Deputy Director of Communications Jackie Rossetti, at City Hall to discuss the budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017.

Mastrobuoni stated, to begin, that the city has been very tactical with its spending over the past year, trying mostly to accomplish the large projects in process. That focus has afforded the expenses that will be necessary this year to reveal themselves. This includes roughly twenty-six new paid positions for the city.

Thirteen of these proposed positions are for the public school system. This accounts for one of the largest growths in spending, at an increase of approximately 3 million dollars. This is not related to developments on the high school, as money was allotted last year for large projects, and still suffices. Additionally, the Net State Aid for Somerville schools has risen roughly 3.7%.

A breakdown of where the money is going.

Public Safety is requiring about the same increase as the school system. Previous years have seen fire department employees injured or sick for long periods of time that led to the need for an increased overtime budget for coming years. Somerville has also joined the Regional Response team for the area this year, and so will require some extra funds allotted for officers doing work for that team.

Other increases proposed were relatively minor. The city would like to add a Fields Division to the Parks and Recreation Dept., and so will require an increase for salaries. They are also seeking to make Water and Sewer a standalone department, separate from the DPW, which it is currently a sub-department of. There is a lot of work to be done in water and sewer, and in order to limit downsizing, they would like a larger budget to ensure things are handled properly. The Board of Aldermen is also looking for more help that would be paid for by the city, namely creating a Researcher position, as well as hiring a Legislative Liaison in the mayor’s office. These would all be full-time positions.

While some of these amount increases are large, residents may be pleased to hear that this is the first year in many that the city hasn’t found it necessary to raise property taxes the maximum amount they are legally allowed to. While there is an increase proposed, they have been able to keep the total $650,000 below the maximum, creating roughly a 5.1% increase. There are no proposed increases to city fees.

Contributors to the need for less tax on residents include growth in revenue from meals, motor vehicles, and lodging. The city has projected a 13.3% increase in revenue in these areas for the coming fiscal year. Whether this is due to Somerville becoming a destination, or more Boston overflow is not evident, but it works for us. The total revenue growth is projected to be roughly 5.6%.

Another contributor is the city’s tightened purse strings. In previous years, the city has given itself a 3.5 million dollar budget for general operation, and this coming year they are aiming to lower that to 2.5 million, leaving a million more available for large projects.

Mayor Curtatone made a presentation Tuesday evening to the Board of Aldermen regarding these proposed adjustments and projections. They will be reviewed and assessed accordingly before anything is definite.

Links to upcoming meetings and videos of each of the meetings being held can be found on the city’s website at http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/finance.

There will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen’s Committee on Finance on Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 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 Tony Lafuente, for public input on the proposed FY 2017 budget. The public is invited to attend and be heard.