Latest news with #Chapter74
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
McCabe presents $163.8 million budget to City Council for review
WESTFIELD — Mayor Michael McCabe presented the fiscal year 2026 budget of $163.8 million for review to the City Council at its meeting on June 5. 'This budget has been a difficult budget to prepare,' McCabe said, and specifically thanked City Council President John Beltrandi and Finance Committee Chair Ralph Figy for helping sit in on some of the budget hearings. 'I came before you in March or April and we spoke briefly about issues this budget was going to face and a number of unexpected increases that were beyond the control of the city's management staff or financial team to be able to foresee,' he said, listing special education increases of $1.1 million, transportation increases of $1.3 million, mandatory staff increases of just under a million, contractual obligations of $1.8 million, a health care increase of $5.8 million, utilities cost increase of 15 percent across the board and trash and recycling fees that had a $2.3 million deficit. He said there were also $5 million in inflationary cost increases. McCabe said in FY25 there was also a tax decrease to residents. 'When we used free cash last year to give a tax decrease to folks and offset the budget deficit … that came out to negative one percent,' he said, adding that all in all costs were $17 million over the previous year's budget. He said last year the city used $5 million in free cash to balance the FY25 budget, and the funding is not available to do that again in FY26. Later he said $2 million in free cash was used to balance the FY26 budget. 'Our budget looks like it's going to come in on a free cash balance of 3%. The DOR recommends 5%. I'm not too worried about it, I think when the new free cash number comes in November, I think there will be more than 5 percent overall,' he said. McCabe said there are no new personnel across the board, no vehicles across the board, and an appropriate level of services will be kept status quo. 'There is no real decrease in services in FY26 over FY25, even though we've had this $17 million gap to close.' McCabe said the city closed a couple of schools, specifically Fort Meadow, Abner Gibbs and Franklin Avenue, and added a state-of-the-art Westfield River Elementary School. He said the consolidation in elementary schools helped to reduce costs in personnel and services. Without getting into details about the levy limit and levy ceiling and their interrelatedness to city financing, which he said currently stands at $12.5 million in excess capacity, he said, 'I remember sitting through council meetings in the cheap seats over the last 15 years, and I remember hearing that it was a really good thing if we had excess capacity built into our levy. As as it turns out, the state doesn't want to see excess capacity in our levy, because when you go to them for help, they say 'spend your own money.' ' McCabe said the city expected help from increases in Chapter 70, Chapter 74 and Chapter 90, the state's funding sources, but 'there really was not a lot of help at all.' He said unrestricted government aid went up $120,000, 'which isn't really an awful lot of anything.' In his letter to the council, McCabe said the plan is to spend $3.5 million of the excess capacity in FY26. 'By doing so, better positions to receive state funding, especially Chapter 70 and Chapter 74. This also means we will return to using only minimal free cash this year, and hopefully no free cash in FY27.' McCabe suggested in reviewing the budget, that councilors go to the Mayor's recap in the beginning of the budget for a thumbnail read. He also suggested looking at pages 194-214, the appendices in the back of the budget, 'they will walk you through all the items I just talked about.' 'If you're looking at it, you'll see how we tried to balance the budget. There are only three ways to balance the budget; through new growth, you can pick up through some local receipts — this year we're going to get an advantage of a local recept that is significantly higher than it's been before, and you can do it through taxation and excess capacity monetary use,' McCabe said, referring to the additional $2 million that will be generated by the increase in the trash collection fee. He said without new growth, the only thing left to do is tax at 2.5 percent and then tax the excess capacity at 2.5 percent, which added to the $2 million in free cash and $2 million increase in local revenues was how the budget was balanced. He said the mayor's cut sheet shows the cuts made to city departments of $3.2 million, It also shows a positive offset of $3.5 million in the insurance category. He said the School Department budget was cut by $5.2 million, but saw a four percent increase over FY25. 'It's important to realize that a four percent increase, while greater than the city budget, is a necessary increase. Unfunded mandates are crushing the School Department budget and crushing the taxpayer,' McCabe said. 'I've tried to address it with the governor. The problem lies within the legislature - the body that creates the rule and then they don't fulfill the rule that they create. They're the only ones that can fix that rule. If you have any influence with your state legislators, I would urge you to ask them to fund where they say they're supposed to fund,' he added. McCabe gave two examples of funding disparities from the state. He said the Massachusetts School Building Authority is supposed to be funded at 80 percent. The Westfield River Elementary School cost $16 million, and the city was reimbursed $32 million, roughly 50 percent. He said to be fair, the MSBA created their own exemptions. 'If they exempt pieces of the puzzle, they can still say that they're funding 80 percent of the non-exempted pieces of the puzzle,' he said. The other exemption was the funding of Circuit Breaker for special education expenses. McCabe said they are supposed to be funding at 75 percent, but are instead funding at 44 percent. 'That little difference is worth about $1.5 million,' he said. Before running off to the Westfield Technical Academy graduation, McCabe thanked Auditor Vicki Moro, who created the 214 page document, Assessor Ashlie Brown, Personnel Director Anne Larkham, Treasurer/Collector Matt Barnes, School Business Manager Shannon Barry, Solicitor Shanna Reed, City Councilors Ralph Figy and President John Beltrandi and Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski for all the help they have been in working collaboratively on the budget. 'I greatly appreciate their assistance,' he said. The budget was sent by the Council to the Finance Committee for review. Finance Committee reviews were scheduled for June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in various rooms in City Hall. A financial overview and public hearing for the budget is scheduled for June 23 at 6 p.m. in Room 207, City Council Chambers. On June 24, also in Room 207, city councilors will review the entire budget and make recommendations. On June 30, councilors will vote on the budget. The schedule of meetings is posted on the city website at The budget is also posted on the website under departments, auditor, Fiscal Year 2026. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New FM station coming to Westfield
WESTFIELD — A new FM radio station is coming to Westfield. Westfield programming at WSKB is moving to WSFD-LP at 107.5 FM at the beginning of July. Westfield Media Specialist Peter Cowles said in late 2023, the Federal Communications Commission opened a one-month filing period for a low power FM station for the first time in a decade. Cowles received permission from Mayor Mike McCabe to apply as a public safety entity and jumped on it, he said. Westfield was one of two applicants out of eight that were selected. Cowles said Westfield had an original partnership with the Westfield State University student station WSKB, but the students at the university have been wanting it back. WSFD will be city-owned, with students at Westfield Technical Academy, where the studio is located, as the primary technicians on the station. He said it will also be open to the community at large for programming. The city is licensed with all three businesses, ASCAP, BMI and CESAC to play music. The station will also broadcast all emergency alerts in the city. On May 12, the Finance committee voted to recommend a transfer of $20,222 from the PEG Undesignated fiscal year 2025 account to the PEG Additional/Capital Equipment Account to purchase equipment for the station to finish off a 300 watt transmitter chain for the emergency Services alarm system. Cowles said they already have the computer, audio board and mics. Information Technology Manager Lenore Bernashe was able to get additional savings from Westfield Gas & Electric, who will increase the 80-foot tower located at the Water Department by adding 20 feet. Cowles said there are public safety receivers on it now that were put in six to seven years ago, and have a good range. Cowles said the 100-watt LPV station will reach Springfield and Northampton. 'That's why this site was perfect, and it's backed up on a mountain in Granby,' he said, adding that they will transition over on July 1 when the work is done. The new station is only one of the changes going on in the studio. On April 14, the City Council approved an expenditure of $296,915 from the PEG Undesignated Account, which is an enterprise fund, for a Mobile Sprinter Van. The van will cost $80,000 with $217,000 for customization and equipment including a 40-foot mast and camera, and will be used as a mobile television unit, able to cover city meetings and sporting events, and also able to be used as a short-term mobile command post as needed by the Police Department. Also in the works is a Chapter 74 certification for digital media, formerly called television and radio, as another career technical education program under graphic arts at WTA. 'I think it's a huge advantage for the program,' Cowles said. He said students will be able to run the radio programming and staff the vehicle, with a lot of opportunities to use the equipment and to train. He said they are presently rewriting the frameworks for the program. The school will be meeting with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in the next two weeks for the final word on Chapter 74, and have already toured the television station at WTA and made suggestions. Cowles said all in all they were impressed by the setup at the school. 'I can't believe what you did in such a small space — that's a quote from DESE,' he said. He said next year when the students return to school, the radio station WSFD will be up and running, and the mobile production unit will be on its way. 'A lot of changes happening all at once,' Cowles said. Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayor asks for help from City Council to address budget gap
WESTFIELD — Mayor Michael McCabe asked the City Council on April 17 for help in addressing a $16 million gap in the fiscal year 2026 budget over last year. McCabe, who referred to a spreadsheet he had sent the councilors, said some of the cost drivers are outside of the control of the City Council or of the city itself. 'Health care costs are 36% higher, which includes costs to the city side of $5.8 million, and inflation rate costs are roughly at $5 million.' He said in the School Department, contractual obligations have increased by $1.8 million to Units A, B, D and E. There is a transportation increase of $1.3 million and a special education increase of $1.1 million, both of which he said are mandated and 'not funded as they are supposed to be.' On the city side, trash collection and recycling are up by $300,000, and he also expects a utility cost increase of 15 percent or $100,000 across the board, McCabe said. 'The school budget came in at $80 million, with a real budget of $74 million — we cut back $5.2 million. There are 43 positions in those cuts from the School Department,' he said. McCabe asked for the councilors help for anticipated city budget cuts of $3 million, including $1.5 million in free cash from the engineering department. 'In FY26 there is $1 million work to do on sidewalks — we have a bunch that aren't in good shape. We lose the sidewalk contract in October, which means their rates are set from now to October,' he said, adding that as soon as October hits, the costs are expected to move from $175 per square yard to $460 per square yard. He said the other half a million in engineering was to complete the work on the Little River Levee. McCabe then called Proposition 2 ½ 'a sticky wicket.' 'It's always good to lower taxes from the point of view of a politician, but you can actually lower taxes so much it hurts you. Over the last three years of my administration, we have never raised taxes. Last year, we had a net decrease — $3.5 million not used in the budget,' he said. 'Year after year for a decade, we were told the closer the gap to the levy ceiling, the more dangerous. Over the past three years, we've seen that gap increase from $4 million to $12.5 million.' McCabe said the problem with increasing the gap between the levy limit and the levy ceiling to $12.5 million is when he goes to the Statehouse or asks the Legislature for help him understand why Westfield doesn't get more money in Chapter 90, Chapter 70 and Chapter 74, 'They say to me, 'What's your gap?' They're telling me, you have a $12.5 million gap — that means spend your money — because you have more of your own money that you should have been spending all along.' 'I am suggesting in this budget that we tax 2.5% — that's $2.2M. I am also suggesting that we spend another 2.5% and reach into that gap, which brings it down to $9.5 million. Then we can ask [the state] for more money,' McCabe said, adding that it drives School Committee member Bo Sullivan 'crazy' that Pittsfield, a similar-sized community, gets so much more money than Westfield does. McCabe also talked about the shortage in revenue for trash services, which he said has been undercharging customers for years. '12,000 residences, all paying $85 a year — nowhere close to the expenses,' he said, which are closer to $265 a year. He recommended several fixes, including having the department establish an enterprise fund for trash services, making it a revenue account. He said $65 a quarter matches the actual costs. 'I don't think we should keep paying them through taxes.' The City Council recently voted to continue to set the rate for trash services two meetings ago, voting against sending that responsibility to the DPW. McCabe said local receipts are forecasted to bring in $900,000 in the next fiscal year, and new growth, only $500,000. McCabe said he will present his budget to the City Council on May 5, after which they will have 45 days to review it. In the meantime, he said he is open to ideas. After the meeting, Ralph Figy, who chairs the Finance Committee that will be in charge of the budget review for the City Council, said the mayor came to the council to explain how he is going to finance the budget. 'The mayor is open to solutions right now. Once he finalizes the budget, the council cannot add anything to the budget, we can only take away,' Figy said. 'We're really in a tough spot, and it's been coming. Every year, we've been using free cash to balance the budget, and it catches up on you. Last year, we used $4 million [in free cash] to balance the budget, and another $1 million to set the shift.' 'Taxes have to go up,' Figy said, adding that new growth, anticipated to be $500,000 next year, keeps going down. 'He is in a very difficult position. This fiscal crisis has been building over the years. Every time a new business that wants to come into town is not permitted — If you don't have the commercial basis, it's going to fall on the taxpayers.' Figy said the mayor is proposing a 5% increase in taxes, the 2.5% allowed by Proposition 2 ½, and an additional 2.5% from the levy limit, for a total of $4.4 million 'We are allowed to tax up to our levy limit,' he said, adding that is how he is proposing to close the gap between income and expenses. 'The state's not going to help us because of potential revenue we're not accessing,' Figy said. 'If we don't want to do the [2.5%], we're going to have to come up with $2.2 million worth of cuts on top of the cuts that have already been made. That would mean positions. That means people. We're already cutting 43 out of the School Department, and I have no idea how much we're cutting on the city side.' Figy said the mayor is trying to get away from using free cash in the budget, which is what creates the problem. 'We're all in this together. We've got to put our heads together and come up with solutions. This isn't going to go away easily,' he said.
