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| 1a. | Chairman's Order from The Committee on Education - Request City Council's Standing Committee on Education meet with the Worcester School Committee's Sub-Committee on Business to discuss the development of the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget.
# 9i CC March 11, 2008 | Attachments |
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| | Recommend Hold
Speakers:
Colleen Fahey
Dawn Johnson
Debbie Stiegman
Stephanie Orne
Michael Kaslowski
Kevin Austin
Beth Proko | |
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| | Chairman's Orders | |
| | Request City Manager and the Deputy Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools communicate with the Colleges of Worcester Consortium as well as the college presidents to determine whether or not there are any resources they might provide to the Worcester Public Schools. | |
| | Request City Manager report to City Council on or before the May budget hearings regarding the following Bills from the House of Representatives and how these amendments would affect the City of Worcester's overall budget: 1) House of Representatives Amendment 43, filed by Representative Peter Kocot that would permit cities and towns to impose a local meals tax up to 3%; 2) House of Representatives Amendment 459 filed by Representative Kulik and 32 co-sponsors that would provide a $3M increase for PILOT over the level-funded figure contained in H. 4700; 3) House of Representatives Amendment 460 filed by Representatives Kulik, Bosley, and Donnelan that would provide $5.5M for the traditional Chapter 70 "Pothole Account"; 4) House of Representatives Amendment 496 and 1045, filed by Representatives Michael Costello and Karyn Polito that would limit (in different ways) municipal and school district chapter 70 school aid reductions used to pay tuition to charter schools; 5) House of Representatives Amendment 1415, filed by Representative Carl Scortino and 44 co-sponsors that would close the telecommunication tax loophole and allow cities and towns to collect personal property taxes of poles, wires, and equipment; 6) House of Representatives Amendment 1146-1151, filed by Representative Barbara L'Italien and 23 co-sponsors to expand the special education "circuit breaker" program by increasing the state share of costs and by adding transportation to eligible costs; 7) House of Representatives Amendment 1491, filed by Representative Stephen Canessa and 42 co-sponsors that would add $4M to the Shannon Grant Program for municipal police departments to combat gang violence.
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| | Request the School Committee and the City Council send a letter of support to our colleagues at the State House showing support for the identified Massachusetts Municipal Association's-endorsed amendments that would be beneficial to local government. | |
| | Request the School Committee Standing Committee on Business and the City Council Standing Committee on Education meet in a mutually convenient time in the Fall of calendar 2008 to consider early options and potential sources of revenue related to planning the Fiscal Year 2010 budget. | |
| | Request the School Department Administration provide the City Council with a summary report concerning the Medicaid reimbursement process encompassing revenues derived and expenses incurred with the program. | |
| | Request the School Department Administration invite the School Committee to all Fiscal year 2009 budget sessions revealing that these are open, transparent, forthright, and direct, and seeking review and advice from the City Council during the budget process. | |
| | Request the School Department Administration provide the City Council with a breakdown, on or before the May budget hearings, as to where the city stands compared to the other 12 cities in Massachusetts both percentage-wise, but also dollar-wise, per student, in spending for administrative costs. | |
| | Request the School Department Administration provide the City Council with a report concerning the use of consultants in the School Department and how they are funded. | |
| | Request the City Council postpone making budget cuts until the end of the budget cycle in order to review what additional funds might be available. | |
| | Request the School Department Administration provide the City Council with a report, on or before the May budget hearings, identifying the potential additional sources of revenue that might become available during the next fiscal year (total of number of grants applied for and the indication level is for those particular grants). | |
| | Request the School Department Administration provide the City Council with a report identifying five cost saving centers at the operational level. | |
| | Request the Chairperson of the City Council Standing Committee on Education and the School Committee Standing Committee on Business schedule to meet during the Fiscal Year 2009 budget cycle. | |
| | Request City Manager request the City Solicitor report to the City Council whether there are or are not any guidelines the City might employ to limit who would be impacted by the real estate tax increase and whether or not the City might put in place an income level cutoff or other caveat if the City were to raise taxes; what, if any, legal tools that the City might employ to exempt those people who are impoverished and are unable to pay additional real estate taxes, but enable others who are able to do so. | |
| | Request the Chairpersons of the City Council Standing Committee on Education and the School Committee Standing Committee on Business meet with Congressman James McGovern to discuss issues of federal funding. | |
