Watertown City Council
Tuesday October 10, 2023
Clickable Transcript Printable Transcript Agenda
The order of items in transcripts appear in the chronological order in which they were taken up. Some Agenda items may have been skipped.
Section 7
During the session, a brief statement was given about the successful open house event at the Lowell School, highlighting its well-received reopening to classrooms. The session then shifted focus to a public hearing and vote on a proposed loan of $315,000 dedicated to design and engineering services for HVAC system upgrades, including air conditioning, at Watertown Middle School. City officials, including the superintendent and public buildings director, were present to address any questions. City Council members expressed satisfaction with the commitment to enhancing school facilities, acknowledging positive community feedback and the importance of maintaining and improving building infrastructure.
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8A
In the discussion on item 8A, a resolution to transfer $27,000 from the fiscal year 2024 City Clerk full-time salaries account to elections, printing, and forms was brought up. This transfer aims to fund the purchase of a high-speed monochrome inkjet address printer, an Ovation 306, and an Evolopener with a high-speed jet printer and cover associated expenses. Initially, the funds were requested through ARPA, but due to the availability of additional funding in the full-time salaries account because of unfilled positions, it was decided to reallocate these funds. Proakis emphasized the need for this system to enhance the efficiency of the vote-by-mail system, which currently requires significant manual labor for labeling and sorting. The new printer and envelope machine are expected to greatly improve these operations. Consequently, Proakis sought the council's support to move the funds to facilitate this purchase, highlighting its anticipated benefits for the clerk's office's functionality.
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8B
The City Council discussed amending a previously passed loan order for funding the high school project, increasing the authorized borrowing amount from $198,844,252 to $216,118,750. This amendment is necessary to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to secure funding and support for the project. The increase in the authorized borrowing amount accounts for the full cost of the school project, which has changed since the initial vote. It also includes the MSBA's reimbursement of $45,309,315, which may rise due to additional state funding for communities experiencing cost escalations. The focus remains on ensuring that the city does not exceed the planned borrowing limit of $150,000,000 for the school, as outlined in the capital improvement plan. This is the first reading of the amendment, and further discussion is anticipated at the next meeting, with hopes that the Council will approve moving forward with the MSBA process and securing reimbursements.
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8C
A proposed amendment to the fiscal year 24 budget Amendment One, specifically regarding the tax rate, was discussed. This topic, introduced by Sideris during the first reading, was briefly addressed by Proakis, who indicated a more detailed discussion would be included in his preliminary budget overview later in the evening.
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8D
Proakis addressed the council regarding the funding of the fiscal year 2023 retroactive costs under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Firefighters union, emphasizing the need for a transfer from council reserves to cover fiscal year 2024 expenses. He mentioned that fiscal year 2025 costs would be budgeted accordingly in that fiscal year. Proakis indicated that this was a first reading and he would seek actual votes from the Council at the next meeting.
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8E
Sideris introduced consideration for amending special legislation H 2910 concerning property tax classification to establish new minimum residential factors for fiscal years 24, 25, and 26. Proakis explained the importance of adjusting the minimum residential factors, which impact the division of taxes between residential and commercial properties. Due to legislative inaction on a previous request for fiscal years 23, 24, and 25, and confusion over including an already past fiscal year, a new bill omitting fiscal year 23 but adding fiscal year 26 was proposed. This change offers an additional year of tax relief. Working closely with the legislative delegation, Proakis urged the Council to approve this revised bill promptly to facilitate legislative action, highlighting the tight timeline to secure approval and implement the changes in tax classification for the specified fiscal years.
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9A
At the Arts And Culture Committee meeting on September 27th, chaired by Lisa Feltner with John Gannon as Vice Chair and Vincent Piccirilli as Secretary, Barbara Epstein, a long-standing figure in Watertown's arts and culture scene, was interviewed. Having contributed over 30 years, including roles in Watertown Schools and the Arsenal Center for the Arts, Epstein's aim to develop Watertown's arts infrastructure and mentor future leaders was highlighted. The committee unanimously voted to appoint Epstein to the committee until November 15, 2024, filling a newly added position from a resolution updated on May 23rd, 2023, which expanded eligibility to adults and increased committee membership to nine. The meeting concluded at 5:55 PM, with a report prepared by Councilor Piccirilli.
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11A
Proakis delivered a presentation on the fiscal year plans, emphasizing past introductions of a leadership formula and strategic priorities which guide city government operations based on ethics, collaboration, customer service, transparency, and unique solutions. The presentation detailed the fiscal closeout of FY23, showing better-than-expected revenues, particularly from real and personal property tax, hotel and excise taxes, permit fees, and investment income, leading to an $8.7 million positive variance. Proakis highlighted the city's strong financial position, managing substantial borrowing for school projects while maintaining fiscal stability. He described the strategic priorities for FY24 and beyond, focusing on economic development, environmental efforts, infrastructure projects like the high school and elementary schools, and enhancing organizational effectiveness, supported by targeted budget amendments and cautious revenue projections. Proakis concluded with a look ahead to FY25, noting a preliminary $2.4 million budget deficit but expressing cautious optimism about the city's financial future and its ability to close the gap through careful management and prioritization of strategic goals.
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11B
Proakis introduced a new agenda item focused on initiating the search process for a future director of the health team, acknowledging its intersection with ongoing work related to the HHS study. He expressed the desire to engage in a discussion with the council regarding this matter and sought a referral to the committee to further explore the appointment of the new health team director.
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Section 13
At a public meeting, Proakis informed attendees of the upcoming municipal election details, including the need for voters to apply for mail voting, available online and at the city clerk's office. He announced the schedule for early in-person voting and noted the availability of specimen ballots online. He also mentioned the celebration of Indigenous People's Day and Italian Heritage Month through themed lighting at the Delta. Proakis appreciated the contributions of the acting HR director and announced the arrival of a permanent HR director while expressing well wishes for the temp HR director moving to a new position. He reminded everyone about the Watertown Square project meetings and the nearing end of the farmers market season. Feltner then requested an update on the screening process for the HVAC system at 48 North Beacon Street as per the zoning board's decision.
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