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Pittsfield Council Moves 10 Department Budgets Forward
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council preliminarily approved 10 departmental budgets totaling $5,811,456 on Wednesday that included the creation of an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with a half-year budget of about $100,000.
There were no alterations made to budget line items despite several attempted amendments but the council did reject a request by the Country Club of Pittsfield for project funding through the Community Preservation Act Fund. That fund is replenished 1 percent surcharge on certain property taxes.
The council did take a swipe at the Health Department when a motion to cut $30,000 out of its budget failed by one vote. The five councilors voting to cut the budget referenced the Health Departments reticence in taking up the cell tower health issues brought forward by residents last year.
The budgets for RSVP, Information Technology, Berkshire Athenaeum, Building Maintenance, Pittsfield Municipal Airport, Human Resources, the new Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Community Development, Community Preservation, Health Department and Building Inspector were reviewed during the three-hour meeting.
The next meeting of the Committee of the Whole is Monday at 6 p.m. when the School Department budget will be reviewed.
RSVP
Ward 4 Councilor Chris Connell made a motion to cut the $1,000 supplies line item in half. The motion failed 7-3 with Councilors Kevin Morandi and Earl Persip III joining Connell against. The line item has been funded at $1,400-$1,500 and was zeroed this year during the pandemic. The preliminary approval passed 9-1 with Connell opposing. Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo abstained both motions because of technological issues.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | ||
Director of RSVP | $34,984 | $36,486 | $36,678 | $37,944 | $40,235 | ||
Volunteer Coordinator | $15,753 | $14,685 | $21,915 | $22,346 | $24,974 | ||
Administrative Assistant | $19,638 | $19,703 | $23,187 | $23,740 | $25,500 | ||
Membership and Dues | $1,253 | $400 | $400 | $0 | $50 | ||
Postage | $400 | $500 | $600 | $750 | $750 | ||
Staff Training | $300 | $300 | $300 | $0 | $250 | ||
Advertising | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Telephone | $6 | $6 | $6 | $0 | $0 | ||
Supplies | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,400 | $0 | $1,000 | ||
Staff Travel | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 | ||
Volunteer Recognition | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $0 | $2,000 | ||
Equipment and Copier Lease | $1,981 | $1,981 | $1,981 | $1,665 | $1,665 | ||
Total | $79,045 | $79,061 | $89,967 | $86,445 | $96,424 |
Information Technology
Steben explained that the city is in the process of moving to a different licensing strategy and this change has to be done to prevent having an incomplete cloud cybersecurity strategy and not having access to the latest productivity enhancements.
The department budget was unanimously preliminarily approved.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | ||
IT Manager | $64,824 | $67,606 | $72,518 | $78,815 | $78,875 | ||
IT Support Specialists II | - | - | $0 | $0 | $71,000 | ||
Info Systems Specialists | $168,104 | $115,598 | $124,738 | $129,245 | $133,474 | ||
Network Administrator | $62,957 | $125,005 | $125,287 | $129,002 | $126,611 | ||
Computer Upgrade and Repair | $70,000 | $46,500 | $46,500 | $23,975 | $27,500 | ||
Computer License/Support | $230,000 | $232,000 | $255,000 | $266,000 | $376,086 | ||
Supplies | $3,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | ||
Total | $598,885 | $587,709 | $625,043 | $625,037 | $814,546 |
Berkshire Athenaeum
"The minimum wage increases have the highest percentage impact on there, we also have had fluctuations over the past year, we had six full-time staff changes," he said. "Over the past year, we've had a senior technician step up to be your supervisor, we've had a part-time staff member step up to being the senior technician, part-time staff members step up to be a library technician, as we had a senior technician position opening, so this year, I will admit is still part of a large transition."
Connell motioned to reduce the library's Education and Training by $500, which did not pass. The departmental budget was preliminarily approved in a 10-1 vote with Connell opposing.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | ||
Senior Supervisors | $195,763 | $192,982 | $201,242 | $203,251 | $211,268 | ||
Supervisor Specialist | $36,820 | $38,605 | $42,269 | $42,903 | $47,035 | ||
Supervisor Specialist | $121,997 | $126,594 | $132,277 | $118,736 | $130,943 | ||
Library Assistant II | $63,528 | $65,149 | $75,587 | $147,678 | $163,932 | ||
Senior Technicians | $106,373 | $106,929 | $110,956 | $150,005 | $159,835 | ||
Senior Assistants | $81,194 | $91,302 | $99,169 | $123,392 | $132,720 | ||
Director of Athenaeum | $67,673 | $70,409 | $74,419 | $75,988 | $81,343 | ||
Library Custodians | $64,276 | $71,865 | $77,788 | $78,562 | $82,413 | ||
Library Assistant I | $65,433 | $66,563 | $77,888 | $85,317 | $98,011 | ||
Library Technicians | $64,751 | $66,565 | $70,202 | $35,645 | $37,388 | ||
Library Shelvers | $54,664 | $59,014 | $68,328 | $6,727 | $2,874 | ||
Equipment Maintenance | $1,000 | $950 | $950 | $950 | $950 | ||
Library Staff Development | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $3,000 | ||
Supplies - General | $13,000 | $12,770 | $12,770 | $12,770 | $12,770 | ||
Supplies - Custodial | $6,500 | $6,450 | $6,450 | $6,450 | $6,450 | ||
Binding and Microfilm | $3,648 | $3,575 | $3,575 | $3,575 | $3,575 | ||
Newspapers and Periodicals | $13,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $7,000 | $7,000 | ||
Books and Audio Visual | $29,365 | $29,365 | $64,039 | $30,000 | $30,000 | ||
Travel | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | ||
Reimbursement | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Unclassified - Library | $2,000 | $1,900 | $1,900 | $1,500 | $1,500 | ||
Library Networking Fees | $49,980 | $50,420 | $50,420 | $50,000 | $50,000 | ||
Theft Deterrent System | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,280 | $1,280 | ||
Total | $1,044,965 | $1,075,407 | $1,184,229 | $1,184,229 | $1,265,737 |
Maintenance: City
Director of Building Maintenance Brian Filiault explained some of the decreased line items. The city hired a new painter who came in at a lower rate, he said, and a senior plumber retired who was at the top of his pay scale.
Persip addressed Tyer during the meeting with his concerns.
"I have some concerns because of these rates and if not this year, or maybe even next year, we are setting ourselves up for failure if we don't start moving these rates up," he said.
Tyer said the city will be starting negotiations for the positions "fairly shortly" and will take Persip's sentiments into consideration.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | |||
Director of Maintenance | $64,022 | $69,297 | $72,518 | $74,047 | $79,263 | |||
Boiler/HVAC Repairman | $45,846 | $48,016 | $46,980 | $46,232 | $47,621 | |||
Painter | $43,721 | $45,255 | $47,798 | $50,009 | $47,648 | |||
Parking Garage Manager (Transferred to Public Services) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
Parking Control Officers (Transferred to Public Services) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
Working Foreman Craft | $52,311 | $54,424 | $55,803 | $57,410 | $59,874 | |||
Plumber | $96,023 | $100,359 | $106,177 | $110,741 | $104,316 | |||
Carpenters | $142,919 | $143,670 | $150,542 | $157,187 | $163,799 | |||
Principal Clerk | $37,375 | $38,887 | $39,872 | $41,213 | $42,981 | |||
HVAC Technician | $93,603 | $96,630 | $102,001 | $106,451 | $110,303 | |||
Custodian | $34,747 | $36,322 | $38,336 | $40,020 | $35,380 | |||
Custodian (Transferred to Public Services) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
Office Manager | $49,542 | $51,547 | $52,852 | $54,753 | $57,102 | |||
Electricians | $139,969 | $146,744 | $155,081 | $161,873 | $168,102 | |||
Seasonal Labor | $10,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
Temporary Labor | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | |||||
Scheduled Overtime | $40,000 | $40,000 | ||||||
Custodial Labor Rentals | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |||
Assistant Director of Maintenance | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
Contractual Allowances | $4,400 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,5000 | |||
Utilities | $520,000 | $555,000 | $575,000 | $560,000 | $545,000 | |||
Repairs Municipal | $239,826 | $260,000 | $275,000 | $263,026 | $260,000 | |||
Abandoned Property | $10,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | |||
Repairs/Services Garage (Transferred to Public Services) |
|
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Total | $1,649,703 | $1,720,651 | $1,792,460 | $1,792,462 | $1,790,890 |
Maintenance: School
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval |
Contractual Services | $325,000 | $270,000 | $375,000 | $375,000 | $375,000 |
Maintenance Supplies | $295,000 | $350,000 | $395,000 | $395,000 | $395,000 |
Total | $620,000 | $620,000 | $770,000 | $770,000 | $770,000 |
Airport
During this segment, the conversation became tense between Council President Peter Marchetti and Connell, as Connell's audio over the Zoom platform was hard to hear.
"That's why we need to have these meetings in person," Connell said, to which Marchetti replied that he is the only member of the council who "cannot seem to figure it out."
The budget preliminarily passed in a 10-1 vote with Connell opposing.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | ||
Airport Manager | $59,659 | $61,460 | $61,837 | $62,445 | $66,265 | ||
Assistant Airport Manager | $47,755 | $49,220 | $50,696 | $51,566 | $54,768 | ||
Airport Inspector | $34,155 | $39,598 | $40,785 | $41,396 | $45,623 | ||
Scheduled Overtime | $15,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | ||
Commission Clerk | $1,872 | $1,872 | $1,872 | $1,872 | $1,872 | ||
Contractual Services | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | ||
Utilities | $56,800 | $56,800 | $56,800 | $55,000 | $55,000 | ||
Telephone | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,200 | $2,200 | ||
Maintenance | $33,500 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $28,000 | $28,000 | ||
Snow Removal | $4,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||
Membership and Dues | $0 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | ||
Supplies | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 | ||
Equipment | $1,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Total | $270,941 | $277,150 | $275,190 | $273,479 | $284,728 |
Human Resources
The budget of $218,982 is $17,277 more than the previous year and is attributed to salary increases.
Ward 1 Councilor Helen Moon asked the Director of Huma Resources Michael Taylor why there is a line item for Diversity and Inclusion when the city is implementing a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department.
Taylor said there will still be an element of DEI that falls under his department despite the new office.
"We're still going to work very collaboratively with this new office, whether it's on recruitment and retention efforts, or it's on professional development," he explained. "And instituting the recommendations on that DEI group had a pretty heavy professional development component and training requirement, not just for city employees, also city boards, commissions, elected officials and so forth."
Ward 2 Councilor Kevin Morandi motioned to reduce the department's medical services by $5,000 which did not pass.
The budget was passed in a 7-4 vote with Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, Morandi, and Connell opposing.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | |
Director of Human Resources | - | - | - | $76,951 | $90,430 | |
Human Resources Specialist | - | - | - | $44,654 | $48,452 | |
Training | $4,500 | $3,500 | $5,000 | $13,500 | $13,500 | |
Educational Opportunity | $4,500 | $3,500 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | |
City Physician/ Medical Services | $45,000 | $45,000 | $40,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | |
Online Application Program | $5,600 | $5,600 | $5,600 | $5,600 | $5,600 | |
Advertising | $2,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | |
Diversity and Inclusion | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | ||
Postage | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Supplies | $3,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | $3,500 | $3,500 | |
Assessment Centers | $26,000 | $19,500 | $19,500 | $19,500 | $19,500 | |
Total | $194,322 | $196,825 | $200,857 | $201,705 | $218,982 |
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The council preliminarily approved a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion six-month budget of $99,760.
"It's important to point out that if the city council approved this budget this evening, that there will be some administrative work that has to be undertaken," Mayor Tyer said in regard to the new department.
"For example, we will have to draft an ordinance to create the department which you will then have an opportunity to review, we will be assigned tuning the job descriptions, those job descriptions will go through the personnel Review Board process, and we will also have a chance to review and vote on those, so there's administrative work to do in, which is why you're seeing only a six-month budget."
Connell had a failed motion to cut the department's expenses in half, deducting $10,750. He cited concerns about the new department and worried that the administration has overestimated its spending.
City officials said budget was made to be "fairly conservative" and requires these figures to properly educate and pay its staff.
Morandi said he does not approve of this new department "at all," citing concerns of the financial impact of COVID-19.
The departmental budget was preliminarily approved in a 9-2 vote with Connell and Morandi voting in opposition.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval |
Chief Diversity Officer | - | - | - | - | $51,610 |
Administrative Assistant | - | - | - | - | $18,250 |
DEI Ambassadors | - | - | - | - | $8,400 |
Contractual Services | - | - | - | - | $10,000 |
Recruitment and Retention | - | - | - | - | $5,000 |
Professional Development | - | - | - | - | $5,000 |
Supplies | - | - | - | - | $1,000 |
Travel & Dues | - | - | - | - | $500 |
Total | - | - | - | - | $99,760 |
Community Development
In this budget, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. had a 19.9 percent increase in funding partly because of the "significant role" it had in helping downtown businesses during the pandemic.
Connell questioned Finance Director Matthew Kerwood, City Planner CJ Hoss, and Director of Community Development Deanna Ruffer on the administrative costs associated with Community Preservation Act funds.
The council reportedly received an email from Ruffer regarding the excess revenues that were not applied in specific line items and Connell assumed these were administrative costs. He asked why the department doesn't reduce a line item in the amount of the approximate administrative revenue from the CPA funds so that residents are not taxed on it.
"The general fund does not pay for any of the expenses associated with the operation and functioning of the Community Preservation. So I want to certainly make that clear," Kerwood said. "There's a formula that allocates the number of administrative costs, the amount of the cost to go into each of the buckets. And that's set by statute."
Account Name | 2017 Approval | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2022 Approval |
Director | $40,851 | $41,712 | $45,148 | $46,788 | $50,644 |
Parks Open Space Planner | $64,001 | $64,000 | $67,842 | $70,306 | $75,727 |
City Planner | $61,150 | $60,916 | $62,998 | $65,286 | $70,666 |
Conservation Agent | $50,851 | $52,833 | $54,028 | $55,647 | $58,171 |
Planning Administrator | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Administrative Coordinator | $40,905 | $41,671 | $35,853 | $36,553 | $39,273 |
Business Development Manager | $0 | $0 | $29,071 | $30,880 | $32,778 |
Community Development Specialist | $47,579 | $50,677 | $63,460 | $87,316 | $93,074 |
Administrative Assistant | $7,192 | $6,381 | $6,639 | $6,274 | $6,722 |
Playground Leaders | $18,879 | $18,356 | $17,700 | $20,400 | $2,000 |
ZBA Clerk | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Seasonal Labor | $17,195 | $15,000 | $14,625 | $15,000 | $10,000 |
Recreation Coordinator | $40,905 | $41,671 | $42,613 | $43,686 | $48,441 |
Human Services | $138,000 | $107,000 | $84,000 | $71,750 | $71,750 |
Regional Brownfields Program | $2,000 | ||||
Land Use and Zoning | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | |
Lake Management | $35,000 | $54,950 | $51,950 | $52,000 | $60,000 |
Supplies | $8,000 | $7,995 | $9,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
Recreation Programs | $7,500 | $7,500 | $7,300 | $7,500 | $7,500 |
Downtown Inc. | $32,250 | $24,185 | $24,185 | $29,185 | $35,000 |
Tyler Street Business Group | $10,000 | $2,500 | $0 | $0 | |
Planning Studies | $15,000 | $5,000 | $7,000 | $7,000 | $25,000 |
BRPC Assessment | $0 | $33,928 | $34,776 | $35,645 | $35,645 |
Total | $641,258 | $666,938 | $660,188 | $690,716 | $734,391 |
Community Preservation
The sum of $743,451.75 was preliminarily approved for the FY22 Community Preservation fund as follows:
- $29,106.60 for Administrative Expenses
- $58,213.20 for Historic Resources
- $58,213.20 for Community Housing
- $58,213.20 for Open Space and Recreation
- $378,385.80 of FY2022 revenues and $161,319.75 of FY2021 for Community Preservation Fund purposes
The panel voted to support 12 of the 13 projects proposed for Community Preservation Act funds totaling $1,140,509.95.
In a 6-4 vote supported by Councilor Dina Guiel Lampiasi, Helen Moon, Patrick Kavey, Kevin Morandi, Anthony Maffuccio, Christopher Connell, and Nicholas Caccamo, the panel voted not to fund a $15,000 Chimney Restoration Project at the Country Club of Pittsfield.
Persip abstained because he is a member of the club.
Councilors cited concerns of Community Preservation Funds being awarded to a private club that is known to have an "affluent" member base.
Health Department
In Marchetti's first count, he forgot to include himself in the vote which made the motion fail. He then recounted and confirmed that the budget was preliminarily passed in a close vote.
Connell made a failed motion to defund the Health Department by $100,000 because of "some of the events that have taken place in the past year, especially regarding the lack of response to residents that live in proximity to the South Street cell tower."
"In the 1800s when ships are on high waters, and they want to send a warning shot, this is a shot across the bow," Connell said. "So I'm going to make a reduction or amendment or reduction, monitor $100,000 to the entire department. So the possibly the director can redo her staff, and use the extra money to possibly hire experts going forward."
The council does not have the ability to make motions that interfere with contractual obligations such as salaries so Connell had to change the motion to reduce the department by $30,000.
Moon pointed out that reducing the department's funding would impact response times to residents' concerns negatively because they would have fewer resources.
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | ||
Board of Health Director | $64,023 | $67,606 | $70,062 | $71,814 | $80,500 | ||
Senior Sanitarian | $46,918 | $48,822 | $50,918 | $52,832 | $57,411 | ||
Inspector of Weights and Measures | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Animal Inspector | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | ||
Sanitarians | $83,565 | $86,935 | $90,663 | $94,174 | $98,593 | ||
Senior Code Enforcement Inspector | $46,918 | $48,822 | $50,918 | $48,703 | $50,988 | ||
Nuisance Control Officer | $33,279 | $36,835 | $38,406 | $37,657 | $39,424 | ||
Officer Manager | $34,956 | $37,745 | $39,371 | $40,850 | $41,622 | ||
Public Health Nurse | $48,920 | $51,659 | $54,605 | $68,690 | $72,537 | ||
Administrative Assistant | $29,266 | $30,831 | $35,489 | $36,911 | $32,838 | ||
Board of Health Clerk | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,500 | ||
Water Testing | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,500 | $1,500 | ||
Uniforms | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,200 | $1,700 | $1,700 | ||
Contractual Services | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | ||
Telephone | $3,450 | $1,500 | $1,500 | $1,700 | $1,500 | ||
Equipment Maintenance | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $4,500 | $3,000 | ||
Education and Training | $3,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | ||
Nuisance Abatement | $10,000 | $10,000 | $7,000 | $7,000 | $5,000 | ||
Code Enforcement | $4,300 | $2,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 | $2,500 | ||
Advertising | $300 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||
Property Demolitions | $25,000 | $23,00 | $23,000 | $0 | $0 | ||
Medical Supplies | $7,000 | $7,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | ||
Supplies |
|
$2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | |
Total |
$456,795 |
$471,155 | $492,832 | $492,031 | $510,113 |
Building Inspectors
Account Name | 2018 Approval | 2019 Approval | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | |
Senior Wire Inspector | $52,835 | $54,700 | $56,075 | $57,532 | $58,395 | |
Building Commissioner | $64,022 | $67,606 | $70,062 | $76,398 | $81,783 | |
Head Clerk | $33,525 | $34,900 | $34,890 | $36,061 | $37,609 | |
Senior Clerk | $0 | $0 | $15,350 | $15,350 | $29,543 | |
Building Inspectors | $149,205 | $152,600 | $158,816 | $163,757 | $169,180 | |
Plumbing and Gas Inspector | $49,305 | $51,305 | $53,911 | $48,890 | $50,987 | |
Inspector of Weights and Measures | $41,578 | $44,164 | $46,059 | |||
Temporary Labor | $6,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 | $4,800 | $4,800 | |
Uniforms | $1,500 | $3,000 | $3,600 | $3,600 | $3,600 | |
Telephone | $3,500 | $3,500 | $3,500 | $3,665 | $3,666 | |
Supplies | $10,000 | $10,000 | $7,500 | $9,416 | $6,000 | |
Total | $369,892 | $383,611 | $448,282 | $463,633 | $491,622 |
Tags: fiscal 2022, pittsfield_budget,