CITY OF WORCESTER | Finance Committee Meeting | Tuesday, May 27, 2014 | Esther Howland (South) Chamber | Convened: 4:07 P.M. | Adjourned: 6:46 P.M. |
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Mayor
Joseph M. Petty | 
www.worcesterma.gov |
Clerk of the City Council
David J. Rushford | Committee Members | | Chairperson Joseph M Petty | | Councilor Morris A Bergman | | Councilor Tony Economou |
| | Councilor Michael T Gaffney | | Councilor Konstantina B Lukes | | Councilor Philip P Palmieri | | Councilor Sarai Rivera | | Councilor Gary Rosen | | Councilor Frederick C Rushton | | Councilor George J Russell | | Councilor Kathleen M Toomey |
City Hall - 455 Main Street Worcester, Massachusetts | |
| Present Were: | All members present with the Mayor in the Chair except for Councilors Lukes, Palmieri and Rushton. Councilor Rushton arrived at 4:09 P.M., Councilor Lukes arrived at 4:23 P.M. and Councilor Palmieri arrived at 5:22 P.M.
City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr.
Chief Financial Officer Thomas F. Zidelis
City Clerk David J. Rushford, clerk | | | | | Also: | WPS Superintendent Dr. Melinda J. Boone
WPS CFO Brian Allen
Commissioner of PW&P Paul J. Moosey
Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Michael Hirsch
Director of Public Health Derek Brindisi
Acting Director of Economic Development Michael E. Traynor | | | |
| 1. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget - Worcester School Department | |
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| | | 1a. | Worcester Public Schools - pg 184.
Mayor Petty recognized the following speakers:
1. Dante Comparetto, Worcester resident
2. Chris Horton, Worcester resident | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request the City Clerk request the Superintendent of Public Schools provide City Council with a listing of colleges to which high school graduates have been accepted and will attend in the fall of 2014. (Toomey) | | | | Request the City Clerk request the Superintendent of Public Schools provide City Council with a plan that projects extracurricular events resulting from Stem/Steam and athletic achievements and may require fund raising. (Toomey) | |
| 2. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Department of Public Works & Parks | |
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| | | 2a. | Auditorium - pg. 189 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2b. | Administrative/Finance Division - pg. 191 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2c. | Engineering/Architectural Division - pg. 198 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2d. | Streets Division - pg. 200 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2e. | Sanitation Division - pg. 202 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager report the percentage of tax levy that is relied upon for trash collection in other “pay as you throw” communities (Palmieri) | |
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| | | 2f. | Central Garage Division - pg. 204 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2g. | Parks, Recreation & Hope Cemetery Division - pg. 206 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2h. | Enterprise - Green Hill Golf Course - pg. 214 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide a report that compares the costs of private golf courses with the city’s. (Gaffney) | |
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| | | 2i. | Snow Removal - pg. 219 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2j. | Street Lights Division - pg. 222 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2k. | Enterprise - Sewer Division - pg. 224 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request Commissioner of Public Works & Parks post to their web page the report regarding the Proposed FY15 Water and Sewer Rate Increases and Impact if Rates Are Not Approved. (Toomey) | | | | Request City Manager consider promoting to residents the option to pay water and sewer bills on account. (Bergman) | |
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| | | 2l. | Enterprise - Water Division - pg. 230 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 2m. | Off-Street Parking Program - pg. 237 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request the Commissioner of Public Works & Parks report why there are so many downtown thirty minutes or less parking meters and why they cannot be made to have two hour limits. (Bergman) | | | | Request City Manager provide a zoning opinion or recommendation as to how to prevent the tearing down of historic buildings, especially on Main St., for construction of a parking garage or lot. (Lukes) | |
| 3. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Public Health | |
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| | | 3a. | Public Health - pg. 104 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide the status of all Public Health initiatives at the end of the year for review. (Petty) | |
| 4. | Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Hearing - Economic Development | |
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| | | 4a. | Economic Development - pg. 76 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 4b. | Worcester Redevelopment Authority/Union Station - pg. 83 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 4c. | Workforce Investment Board - pg. 87 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 4d. | Workforce Central Career Center - pg. 91 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 4e. | Marketing Campaign - pg. 95 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager provide a detailed report concerning the city’s future marketing plan. (Lukes) | |
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| | | 4f. | Cable Services - pg. 97 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | | | | | | | | Chairman's Orders | | | | Request City Manager amend the FY 2015 Line Item Budget to include Cable Services budget. (Gaffney) | | | | Request City Manager provide as previously requested a breakdown of the Cable Services Ordinary Maintenance budget. (Gaffney) | | | | Request City Manager forward to City Council the policy that Cable Services uses regarding filming events. (Gaffney) | |
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| | | 4g. | License Commission - pg. 101 | | | | | | | | Budget approved | |
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| | | 5a. | Communication of the City Manager transmitting communication relative to the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Recommendation.
# 8.32D CM May 13, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
| 6. | Communications of the City Manager | |
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| | | 6a. | Requesting the opportunity to make a PowerPoint presentation as an informational overview of the Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Budget.
# 10a CC May 06, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 6b. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the amounts of monies generated by the Hotel/Motel Tax for the past three years and how those amounts have been spent and allocated.
# 8.27A CM April 29, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 6c. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the City's Revenues and Expenditures through March for Fiscal Year 2014, per the City's Five Point Plan.
# 8.24A CM April 29, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 6d. | Transmitting informational communication relative to the Governor's Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Proposal.
# 9.24B CM February 04, 2014
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 6e. | Transmitting informational communication relative to Outside Legal Counsel Spending.
# 10.24B CM June 18, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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| | | 6f. | Transmitting information communication relative to the Debt Service Schedule for the City’s issuance of $500,000.00 in Bonds Associated with the Downtown Urban Renewal Project Proposed in the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget to be Undertaken by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority.
# 10.24A CM June 18, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
| 7. | Miscellaneous Communication | |
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| | | 7a. | Dr. Roberta Schaefer, President & CEO of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, transmitting communication relative to "Worcester's FY14 Budget: Making Ends Meet".
# 12a CC June 11, 2013
In Committee May 20, 2014 - Held
| Attachments | | | | | | | Recommend Hold | |
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