Pittsfield City Council Gives Initial OK to Police, Public Services Budgets
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On the last day of fiscal 2024 budget hearings last week, the City Council preliminarily approved five departmental spending plans and a $205 million city budget.
The council is expected to vote on the spending plan at its meeting on Tuesday night.
The $205,584,497 operating budget is almost $17 million, or 8.9 percent, higher than this year's budget of $188,822,018.
It breaks down into $109,300,895 for city operations, $78,088,016 for the School Department, and $18,195,586 for the enterprise which includes the Department of Public Utilities water treatment, sewer, and wastewater.
Included is a $50,000 reduction to the Worker's Compensation budget for medical payments that was approved on the second day of hearings.
"The budget does do something for our citizens. It does a lot for our citizens," Mayor Linda Tyer said in response to criticism.
"We educate over 5,000 kids, we keep the city safe with police and fire services, so the budget is not a punishment on citizens. It's actually a way to provide services to the community."
Councilor at Large Karen Kalinowsky, Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren and Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick voted against the budget. Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Sherman and Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio were absent.
Kalinowsky and Kronick have repeatedly expressed concern for the burden on the taxpayer. Warren said the budget doesn't meet statutory requirements per basic guidance from the state Department of Local Services and is not consistent with what other cities do.
"Besides the impact on property owners, which I have discussed, I don't feel that I'm legally justified in supporting and voting for this budget," he said.
The council also approved the borrowing of $10,648,000 for general fund capital expenditures with Kronick voting in opposition.
This includes $1 million in repairs to the Taconic High School track. At the beginning of the meeting, community members in favor of the renovation filled council chambers.
Student Kailynne Errichetto said the school has been unable to host track meets because of the conditions of the facility and drainage issues, calling some aspects an "accident waiting to happen."
She said some of the cancellations could have been avoided if the drainage system had worked, explaining that the track was soaked and the infield was a "disgusting muddy mess."
"The community and the Taconic and PHS athletes would really benefit from this proposed capital infusion towards the renovation of the track because we want good training," Errichetto added. "The track is home to so many different people and events."
She said people of all ages utilize the track and it is time for an upgrade.
Longtime Pittsfield educator and athletic coach Joseph Albano described the history of the track, which was built in the late 1960s, and the city high schools' struggles with insufficient facilities.
"It's been 30 years of pleading and begging to redo the track at Taconic High School," he said.
The council also approved an allocation of $1 million in free cash to reduce the tax rate with Kalinowsky, Warren, and Kronick in opposition.
Kalinowsky wanted to see $5 million allocated from free cash but Tyer said this was not possible as the city will only have $6 million in free cash after the $1 million appropriation.
Police Department
The police budget of $14,364,673 was preliminarily approved after generating significant conversation. It is a $2,437,236, or 20.43 percent, increase from the previous year.
Kronick voted against this line after unsuccessfully motioning to reduce the police captains salary line by $30,000 and the finance and administration manager line by $2,000.
Warren wanted to see a $25,000 line item added to the Police Department budget or another appropriate department for a study that investigates alternative community emergency response services. He made a motion but withdrew it after receiving pushback.
He cited the police killings of residents Miguel Estrella and Daniel Gillis during mental health crises and the community's ask for alternatives to policing for such situations.
"The need of this item goes without saying," Warren explained. "All over the country, this issue keeps coming up."
The councilor said if the study cannot be put together, the money will go back into the General Fund.
"So we lose nothing," he added. "It's a win-win in attempting to deal with a situation that, like I said, doesn't go away."
Fellow councilors and city officials are supportive of the effort but not putting it in the police budget.
"I'm fully supportive of this study," Chief Michael Wynn said. "I'm apprehensive that this money can be placed in the Police Department's budget."
Councilor at Large Peter White said he supports the idea but the community has called for resources outside of the department, so it would not make sense to allocate the money to police.
Tyer believes it is an important and very valid discussion but should not be in the budget.
"I am not saying we shouldn't examine it or explore it," she said. "But I don't think it should be part of the budget discussion. I think it should be a public policy discussion."
| Account Name | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | 2023 Approval | 2024 Approval |
| Police Chief | $123,936 | $127,034 | $133,491 | $143,503 | $199,491 |
| Police Captains | $333,760 | $352,266 | $366,548 | $372,046 | $434,538 |
| Police Lieutenants | $661,000 | $696,319 | $712,548 | $731,762 | $868,191 |
| Police Sergeants | $1,139,536 | $1,223,386 | $1,236,564 | $1,403,359 | $1,859,250 |
| Safety Officer | $93,530 | $67,511 | $72,750 | $75,242 | $90,959 |
| Detectives | $596,198 | $634,091 | $643,602 | $649,597 | $770,761 |
| Patrol Officers | $4,422,120 | $4,187,207 | $4,182,428 | $4,221,188 | $4,881,175 |
| Mechanic | $53,893 | $56,733 | $58,672 | $59,552 | $63,712 |
| Traffic Enforcement | $0 | $0 | $0 | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| Drug Enforcement | $225,000 | $215,000 | $248,685 | $252,415 | $302,898 |
| Dispatchers | $523,680 | $573,049 | $599,046 | $634,552 | $659,085 |
| Animal Control Officer | $66,398 | $66,398 | $71,131 | $67,009 | $58,962 |
| Special Response Team | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Custodian | $42,406 | $44.526 | $46,032 | $51,557 | $58,479 |
| Finance and Admin Manager | $65,607 | $68,591 | $72,433 | $77,865 | $84,211 |
| Exe. Admin Assist & Police Chief Ass | - | $83,416 | $99,772 | $85,946 | $90,836 |
| Limited Duty Officer | $0 | $0 | $0 | $23,200 | - |
| Senior Clerk Typist | $72,364 | $72,837 | $75,327 | $78,473 | $75,404 |
| Animal Control Comm Clerk | $1,000 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,200 |
| Matrons | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $16,500 |
| Temporary Labor | $9,742 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Special Investigation OT | $60,000 | $60,000 | $60,000 | $60,900 | $73,080 |
| Special Events OT | $120,000 | $70,000 | $50,000 | $50,750 | $60,900 |
| Scheduled Overtime | $1,000,000 | $1,275,000 | $1,275,500 | $1,294,125 | $1,552,950 |
| Dispatchers OT | $110,000 | $110,000 | $110,000 | $111,650 | $116,116 |
| Crime Analyst | $53,928 | $56,165 | $58,902 | $63,320 | $64,976 |
| Community Outreach OT | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,500 | $12,688 | $15,226 |
| In Service | $70,000 | $70,000 | $70,000 | $113,000 | $124,300 |
| Contracted Services | $85,000 | $85,000 | $85,000 | - | |
| Student Officer Expenses | $55,200 | $115,000 | $125,000 | $115,600 | $115,600 |
| Shotspotter | $240,000 | $240,000 | $240,000 | $204,750 | $510,000 |
| Animal Control Testing Fees | $200 | $200 | $200 | $200 | $220 |
| Uniforms | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | $33,000 |
| Computer license/Support | - | - | $162,712 | $197,000 | $287,533 |
| Social Worker and Co Responder | - | - | - | - | $210,368 |
| Maintenance/Support | $213,000 | $239,600 | $92,888 | $92,888 | $100,000 |
| Police Education | $15,000 | $15,000 | $45,000 | $45,000 | $49,500 |
| Shipping/Postage | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 | $550 |
| Printing | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $2,200 |
| K9 Care and Supplies | $7,000 | $8,000 | $10,000 | $12,500 | $13,750 |
| Office Supplies | $10,000 | $11,000 | $11,000 | $11,000 | $12,100 |
| Drug Enforcement Expenses | $10,000 | $16,800 | $16,800 | $16,800 | $18,840 |
| Ammunition | $30,000 | $30,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $44,000 |
| Special Investigation Expenses | $6,500 | $6,500 | $6,500 | $6,500 | $6,825 |
| Care of Prisoners | $10,000 | $14,000 | $14,000 | $14,000 | $15,400 |
| Custodial Supplies | $10,000 | $10,000 | $19,000 | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Equipment | $95,000 | $95,000 | $95,000 | $110,000 | $110,000 |
| Fleet Maintenance | $50,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 |
| Contractual Allowances | $150,852 | $177,000 | $168,000 | $168,000 | $184,800 |
| Total | $10,899,632 | $11,324,229 | $11,516,231 | $11,927,437 | $14,364,673 |
Department of Public Services
The public services budget of $11,095,563 was preliminarily approved with Kronick in opposition. It is a $1,125,056, or 11.28 percent, increase from this year.
"This is just a fake budget. This is just not planning," he said. "This is not being honest."
Snow and ice overtime line items, for example, are unpredictable because the city cannot predict how many storms will occur in the winter season and the intensity of them.
Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi appreciated the way that the budget was presented and said it is an effort to have a more honest budget.
"I fully also recognize that this is a conversation that we routinely have, that we don't know what's going to happen in the winter," she said.
| Account Name | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | 2023 Approval | 2024 Approval |
| Commissioner of Public Service | $50,209 | $47,406 | $51,794 | $55,702 | $60,242 |
| Business Manager | - | - | $40,000 | $42,251 | $45,362 |
| City Engineer | $84,652 | $85,593 | $43,235 | $47,407 | $44,364 |
| Office Manager | $43,367 | $50,838 | $51,601 | $53,149 | $57,294 |
| Traffic Superintendent | $65,711 | $65,000 | $66,950 | $66,002 | |
| Highway Superintendent | $69,066 | $72,174 | $74,339 | $74,567 | |
| ROW Inspector | - | - | $45,000 | $46,350 | $59,664 |
| Traffic Maintenance Person | $38,024 | $38,024 | $39,165 | $39,100 | |
| Highway Maintenance Craftsman | $238,565 | $249,304 | $302,950 | $381,759 | $328,005 |
| Highway Maintenance Person | - | - | $70,000 | $72,100 | $80,188 |
| Parking Garage Manager | $56,370 | $57,798 | $60,399 | $62,211 | $70,529 |
| Parking Control Officers | $68,057 | $72,140 | $75,386 | $77,648 | $76,300 |
| Administrative Assistant | $76,065 | $83,743 | $86,088 | $88,671 | $91,950 |
| Fleet Manager | $58,639 | $60,896 | $63,636 | $65,545 | $71,598 |
| Working Foreman | $54,169 | $56,751 | $59,305 | $61,084 | $122,698 |
| Motor Equipment Repairman | $227,540 | $243,515 | $254,473 | $262,107 | $270,000 |
| MEO-2 | $48,966 | $51,933 | $54,270 | $55,898 | $45,646 |
| Parks Craftsman | $34,273 | $36,412 | $76,100 | $80,100 | $86,864 |
| Custodian | $32,480 | $33,822 | $35,344 | $36,404 | $37,004 |
| Signal Maintainer | $36,399 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $55,000 |
| Park Maintenance Men | $142,992 | $158,847 | $207,494 | $360,000 | $328,700 |
| Parks Foreman | - | - | $50,000 | $54,000 | $59,644 |
| Park Maintenance Superintendent | $63,473 | $64,267 | $67,159 | $69,174 | $67,817 |
| Seasonal Labor | $80,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $45,000 |
| Scheduled Overtime | $200,000 | $200,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 |
| Snow/Ice Overtime | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Equipment Operators | $252,457 | $260,604 | $327,937 | ||
| Contractual Services | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $55,750 |
| Contractual Allowances | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $29,000 |
| Traffic Signal Maintenance | $100,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $130,000 | $130,000 |
| Utilities | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $40,250 |
| Street Lighting | $350,000 | $250,000 | $200,000 | $200,000 | $230,000 |
| Maintenance | $100,000 | $100,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $172,500 |
| Maintenance of School Fields | $15,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $40,000 | $44,000 |
| Garage Maintenance | $200,000 | $200,000 | $220,000 | $220,000 | $220,000 |
| Rental Expense | $73,200$ | $73,000 | $75,000 | $70,000 | $75,000 |
| Repairs - Streets | $250,000 | $250,000 | $275,000 | $300,000 | $345,000 |
| Streetscape Maintenance | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Solid Waste Collection | $1,300,262 | $1,800,000 | $1,950,000 | $2,242,500 | $2,500,000 |
| Solid Waste Disposal | $1,321,183 | $1,350,000 | $1,790,000 | $2,058,500 | $2,500,000 |
| Solid Waste Recycle | $794,029 | $187,000 | $180,000 | $182,888 | $200,000 |
| Household Haz Waste Collection | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | $6,000 | - |
| Landfill Monitoring | $70,000 | $70,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $165,000 |
| Winter Operations | $700,000 | $700,000 | $700,000 | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| Professional Services | $15,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $22,250 |
| Garage Supplies | $13,000 | $13,000 | $20,000 | $20,000 | $22,000 |
| Office Supplies | $10,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Maintenance of Parks | $100,000 | $110,000 | $110,000 | $110,000 | $121,000 |
| Gasoline and Diesel Oil | $300,000 | $300,000 | $330,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Tree Operations | $60,000 | $85,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Equipment | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $17,500 |
| Highway and Traffic Supplies | $20,000 | $32,000 | $32,000 | $36,000 | $40,000 |
| Total | $8,076,245 | $8,076,388 | $9,050,721 | $9,970,506 | $11,095,563 |
Water Treatment
The water treatment budget of $6,199,738 was preliminarily approved with little discussion. It is a $983,321, or 18.9 percent, increase from the previous year.
This department saw a $500,000 increase in chemicals that are used at the plant including laboratory chemicals, supplies, and testing.
Warren asked if the city is looking into bidding on a regional basis and Morales explained that there is a limited number of communities in the county with water treatment plants that use the same equipment.
"The type of chemicals we use for the specific uses we have are not regionally available in that sense," he explained. "I would say there's a lot of things that go into that one of them being the type of treatment we do versus what other communities have to do."
| Account Name | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | 2023 Approval | 2024 Approval |
| Commissioner of Public Utilities | $25,105 | $23,703 | $25,897 | $27,851 | $30,121 |
| Business Manager | - | - | $20,000 | $21,126 | $22,681 |
| City Engineer | - | - | $21,618 | $23,704 | $22,182 |
| Water Superintendent | $68,352 | $70,813 | $66,257 | $68,244 | $73,567 |
| Administrative Assistant | $20,435 | $20,606 | $21,491 | $22,135 | $27,135 |
| Working Foreman | $62,838 | $63,991 | $55,194 | $56,850 | $61,284 |
| Working Foreman/ Mach Repairman | - | - | - | $50,000 | $59,810 |
| Sr. Civil Engineer | $32,043 | $32,875 | $33,368 | $34,369 | $37,050 |
| Wtr./Swr. Maintenance Person | $176,691 | $184,117 | $188,532 | $194,188 | $208,034 |
| GIS Coordinator | $32,043 | $32,875 | $33,368 | $34,369 | $37,050 |
| Water Mach. Repairman | $79,103 | $89,518 | $85,990 | $88,570 | $150,000 |
| Chief TPO Non-Shift | $61,612 | $63,991 | $66,737 | $68,739 | $127,763 |
| TPO Non-Shift | $253,209 | $266,646 | $351,786 | $362,340 | $234,261 |
| Meter Reader | $40,280 | $42,477 | $42,656 | $43,936 | $45,843 |
| Seasonal Labor | $38,400 | $38,400 | $40,000 | $30,000 | $25,000 |
| Overtime | $95,000 | $95,000 | $95,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Contractual Allowances | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $12,650 |
| Utilities | $375,000 | $375,000 | $375,000 | $300,000 | $400,000 |
| Taxes | $160,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 | $160,000 | $178,000 |
| Maintenance | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $275,000 |
| Contractual Services | $230,000 | $230,000 | $230,000 | $230,000 | $295,000 |
| Professional Services | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $230,000 | $200,000 |
| Supplies | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $30,000 |
| Chemicals | $270,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | $300,000 | $800,000 |
| Maturing Debt | $1,090,546 | $1,167,208 | $1,111,682 | $1,202,054 | $1,301,813 |
| Interest on Debt | $539,500 | $535,041 | $539,453 | $553,364 | $771,060 |
| Short-term Debt Issuance | $120,000 | $120,000 | $200,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Debt Issuance Cost | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Allocation to General Fund | $950,474 | $930,441 | $845,253 | $659,578 | $609,434 |
| Total | $5,375,631 | $5,472,703 | $5,614,281 | $5,216,417 | $6,199,738 |
Wastewater
The wastewater budget of $10,993,692 was preliminarily approved with little discussion and Kronick in opposition. It is a $968,875, or 9.7 percent, increase from the previous year.
This department also saw a significant increase in chemicals, $400,000, which include laboratory chemicals, supplies, and testing.
| Account Name | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | 2023 Approval | 2024 Approval |
| Commissioner of Public Works | $25,105 | $23,703 | $25,897 | $27,851 | $30,121 |
| Sewer Superintendent | $70,054 | $72,760 | $75,882 | $78.158 | $84,254 |
| Business Manager | - | - | $20,000 | $21,126 | $22,681 |
| City Engineer | - | - | $21,618 | $23,704 | $22,182 |
| Administrative Assistant | $20,435 | $20,606 | $21,491 | $22,136 | $27,135 |
| Work Foreman Water Machine Repairmen | $54,820 | $56,041 | $58,271 | $60,019 | $64,701 |
| Sr. Civil Engineer | $32,043 | $32,875 | $33,368 | $34,369 | $37,050 |
| Chemist | $62,838 | $65,750 | $66,737 | $68,739 | $74,100 |
| GIS Coordinator | $32,043 | $32,875 | $33,368 | $34,369 | $37,050 |
| Water Machine Repairmen | $163,979 | $176,975 | $188,200 | $193,846 | $189,181 |
| Lab Technicians | $82,943 | $87,092 | $90,680 | $93,400 | $107,756 |
| Chief TPO Shift | $55,803 | $57,410 | $59,874 | $61,670 | $66,748 |
| Head TPO Shift | $512,038 | $531,050 | $596,365 | $614,256 | $652,990 |
| TPO Shift | $133,203 | $139,629 | $134,117 | $138,141 | $176,656 |
| Head TPO Float Shift | $47,790 | $49,972 | $50,653 | $51,173 | - |
| Electrician | $55,803 | $57,410 | $59,874 | $61,670 | $61,670 |
| Seasonal Labor | $38,400 | $38,400 | $40,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Overtime | $95,000 | $95,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |
| Contractual Allowances | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $16,200 |
| Utilities | $700,000 | $700,000 | $1,200,000 | $1,200,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Chemical Process | $200,000 | $300,000 | $580,000 | $600,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Maintenance | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | $300,000 | $330,000 |
| Sludge Handling | $375,000 | $400,000 | $803,300 | $812,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Contractual Services | $100,000 | $100,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Professional Services | $200,000 | $200,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | $180,000 |
| Supplies | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $30,000 |
| Maturing Debt | $1,098,663 | $1,198,215 | $2,918,281 | $3,132,721 | $3,444,505 |
| Interest on Debt | $822,469 | $786,220 | $1,732,744 | $1,007,759 | $1,044,340 |
| Debt Issuance Costs | $15,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 |
| Short-term Debt Interest | $200,500 | $200,500 | $200,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Allocation to the General Fund | $1,011,692 | $1,009,310 | $997,530 | $906,709 | $819,642 |
| Total | $6,580,621 | $6,741,794 | $10,658,249 | $10,024,816 | $10,993,692 |
Sewer Enterprise
The sewer budget of $1,002,156 was preliminarily approved with little discussion. It is a $46,740, or 4.5 percent, decrease from the previous year.
| Account Name | 2020 Approval | 2021 Approval | 2022 Approval | 2023 Approval | 2024 Approval |
| Working Foreman | $55,803 | $55,874 | $56,712 | $58,413 | $62,969 |
| Wtr./Swr. Maintenance Persons | $168,342 | $185,928 | $177,896 | $183,233 | $181,831 |
| Wtr./Swr. Laborer | - | - | $75,000 | $77,250 | $81,356 |
| Overtime | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| Contractual Allowances | $2,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| Utilities | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Maintenance | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $40,000 | $45,000 |
| Stormwater Services | $15,000 | $30,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $80,000 |
| Contractual Services | $95,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 | $350,000 |
| Mains and Manhole Supplies | $14,000 | $15,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $110,000 |
| Total | $475,145 | $816,802 | $1,039,608 | $1,048,896 | $1,002,156 |
Tags: fiscal 2024, pittsfield_budget,
