$337.4 million budget delivers on urgent needs and advances longer-term progress, with equity and sustainability at the core 

On June 22, 2023, the Somerville City Council passed the Ballantyne administration’s proposed $337.4 million Fiscal Year 2024 budget, delivering on Mayor Katjana Ballantyne’s key investments in city services, programs, and the advancement of community priorities. The budget prioritizes investments in core services such as schools, rodent control, traffic safety, and ADA compliance, as well as in resources needed to advance the community’s ambitious goals, from supporting youth, seniors, and vulnerable residents to advancing affordability, taking on infrastructure challenges, developing equity across all functions, and pursuing climate action goals. 

— Photo by Bobbie Toner

Green Line train service between Lechmere and Union Square Stations will be suspended for 42 days from July 18 to August 28. This service change is due to critical repair work by MassDOT on the Squire Bridge, which crosses over tracks near Union Square Station. Alternate travel options include the following:

More than 35 community groups receiving funds from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne announces the award of $10 million by the City of Somerville to more than 35 local nonprofit groups to help strengthen and grow their organization and programming. The $10 million distribution is part of the city’s investment of its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation to support community organizations.

Mrs. Joan M. Merritt, 84, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at Beverly Hospital. Born in Wellesley, she was the daughter of the late Willard H. and Sadie (Doyle) Bennett. She was the beloved wife of Travis M. Merritt, with whom she celebrated 64 years of marriage.

Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

I love all kinds of trees. We have a couple of blooming trees in our front yard did get more beautiful every year. But the city is having a problem with trees destroying sidewalks and it’s the thought that the trees can’t be altered or augmented in anyway. They are protected under some strange rules that forbids messing around with their roots, etc.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville will host a Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Trum Field on Thursday, June 29 (rain date: Friday, June 30).

“Procession (The People Make the Party)” by Lauren O’Neal. — Photos by Maile Blume

By Maile Blume

For over 35 years, Brickbottom Artists Association (BAA) has created a space for artists to live and work together in a tight-knit community. Chris Mesarch, one of the founding members of the association, said on the importance of art-making for the community, “It’s really a way of life…that’s the glue that holds us together.”

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.