Markeshia Ricks Photo
Anna Festa, who limited open-ended new Tennis Open money.
The Board of Alders gave final passage to a new city budget that shaves another $2.4 million off Mayor Toni Harp’s original proposal — and acknowledged that what happens in Hartford might force more cuts mid-year.
At a meeting Monday night at City Hall, the alders voted to approve an operating budget of $538.9 million — down from the revised budget of $541.3 million that the Harp administration presented last month — for the next fiscal year which starts July 1.
The budget alders passed Monday keeps mill rate for real estate and personal property at 38.64 (or $38.64 for every $1,000 of net assessed value) and for motor vehicles at 37 mills. The new budget also revises downward the expected increase of state aid from $21 million to $18.6 million. (The city had originally counted on $31 million until the state discovered a $5.1 billion two-year projected deficit.)
The Board of Education will bear the brunt of those new cuts with a fresh $3 million reduction, though it is possible it could get some of that money back. Alders are holding $1 million of that money in sequestration pending the outcome of deliberations in Hartford over a new state budget. The legislative session is slated to end Wednesday, but legislators aren’t expected to pass a budget until a subsequent special sessions.
The mayor’s original proposed budget from March would have increased the BOE’s budget by $8 million; the final budget the alders passed Monday night increases it by only $4 million.
Local 3144 out in force to back raises for legislative staffers.
Annex Alder Alphonse Paolillo Jr., who also pulls double duty as a state representative, led the amendment process Monday evening, which also included increasing the city’s savings plan by $400,000 by not filling certain vacancies.
He praised city Budget Director Joe Clerkin for finding additional savings through vacancies given that there is a strong possibility that the state will not have its budget in place by July 1.
“We want to be cautious and conservative,” Paolillo said, “and this is part of getting savings from all city departments through vacancies so that that money cannot be moved or used in other line items in order to cover the deficits in other city departments.”
He also praised interim schools Superintendent Reginald Mayo and Chief Operating Officer Will Clark for sounding the alarm about a budget deficit six months ago so that alders had time to act.
Paolillo Jr. leading the amendment process from the floor.
Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen Jr. added a budget amendment that transfers $60,000 from contract reserves to the other contractual service budget line item for the Office of Legislative Services. The money will pay for salary increases for five senior staffers in that office who have been there at least 14 years, pending the conclusion of contract negotiations between the city and Local 3144.
Several alders stood Monday night to give full support to raises for members of AFSCME Local 3144, which represents professional and supervisory workers who have not seen a significant increase in their salaries in the last four years. Legislative Services staffers have not seen a salary increase since 1998, according to Brackeen.
“Since the last Office of Legislative Services reorganization in 1998 and resulting salary increase, the workload, duties, and expectations have increased exponentially, yet no additional staff has been hired,” he said. “OLS duties have significantly expanded and grown more complex over time.”
“We’ve given back,” said Local 3144 Vice President Harold Brooks. “In our last contract, we took home less money and so we went in hole because medical costs rose, pension cost rose, and the cost of living has gone up. I think we’ve given back to help balance the budget and I think it’s time now that if we’re going to give out raises for executive management it’s only fair that we give raises to 3144.”
Tennis Tourney Bump — For Now
Brackeen, at left, whose amendment provides salary increases for five senior OLS staffers.
East Rock Alder Anna Festa made a friendly amendment that supports providing an additional $100,000 to the Connecticut Open, which increases the city’s contribution from $100,000 to $200,000. But the amendment contains with a caveat.
The tournament will get the additional funds for the coming fiscal year only. If it still needs the money the following fiscal year it would have to come back to the board and make the ask.
The Harp administration made the ask on behalf of the tournament during its revised presentation last month because of budget cuts at the state level. Fest, a Finance Committee member, had tried to block the funding in committee but was overruled.
“This was a very difficult budget year,” she said. “We say every year is a difficult year but particularly this year because of the state’s deficit. Not knowing what we’re going to get from the state makes it extremely difficult to work on a budget that makes sense for the livelihood of the residents of the city of New Haven.
“I think everyone in this room and the residents of the city enjoy the tennis tournament,” she added. “I know I do with my family, and we support any type of economic development. My friendly amendment is that we give the $100,000 for [fiscal year] ‘17-‘18, but only for that year. If any other requests to be made thereafter that it comes to the Board of Alders.”
Finance Committee Chair Evette Hamilton, pictured, alluded to budget challenges ahead.
Paolillo supported Festa’s amendment, pointing out that the city provides up to 5 percent of the tournament’s budget through in-kind police, fire, and other city services. He admonished the tournament for not acknowledging that additional contribution from the city, which he estimated is worth at least $125,000.
Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison had initially opposed Festa’s amendment after some slight confusion about whether it was an attempt to keep the tournament, which provides short-term part-time jobs for local people, from receiving the additional money. She ultimately joined her colleagues in supporting it
Westville Alders Adam Marchand and Brackeen both supported the amendment. Marchand saying that the requesters need to be ready to defend any additional request in the future. Brackeen noted the strong support in the neighborhood for the event and the impact it has made on his life as a native of the community.
Alders approved the following policy amendments to the budget:
• One bars the corporation counsel from spending money for outside contracts until a summary report on investigation that has been requested by Board President Tyisha Walker provided; requires the corporation counsel to forward all outside contracts to the board for an alder committee hearing prior to being entered into; and also bars the office from spending any city money until a report is produced on “all pending investigations, audits, reviews, inquiries concerning city departments that are currently underway.”
•Another bars the police department from spending money on salary increases for assistant chiefs until a new police union contract is settled. The department also is barred from spending on new lieutenant salaries or reassigning sergeants until a deployment plan for supervisors and patrol officers is presented and discussed with alders. Paolillo said the amendment’s purpose is to maintain “open lines of communication unlike with the past administration and to be crystal clear as to the direction of the department.”
• Alders commit to acting on any executive management salary increases proposed by the mayor within 120 days of the meeting that it is communicated to the board. Paolillo said the reason the charter requires the involvement of the Board of Alders in the budget process is “so that it can exercise its sound judgment as to whether or not certain costs and policies are reasonably necessary. The board is responsible for the total amount of money that needs to be spent. To ignore the requirements in that charter in that regard is to ignore the electors and approval — a situation expressly prohibited by the charter.”
• City funding for the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP) will be reduced by $1.6 million. Paolillo said that the Harp administration had budgeted both the city and the state’s share of this reimbursement program (for road paving) anticipating that the state might not come through with its portion. Alders removed the state’s portion to see what happens in the upcoming budget votes. Should the state money not come through, leftover money in capital project line items will be used to fill the gaps.
• Funds for the embattled Teen Escape Center are sequestered until a committee of alders reviews the plans and approves the release of the money. “This is a terrific idea and a terrific vision,” Paolillo said of the teen center. “But it also has to be a vision backed by professional support both on the construction side and on the legal side and that’s where we stand currently.”