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Budget season starts to bloom in Springfield, across Massachusetts

Representatives from the Springfield, Massachusetts, Fire Department huddle with Mayor Domenic Sarno (head of table) and other city officials during a budget hearing on March 30, 2023.
Adam Frenier
/
NEPM
Representatives from the Springfield, Massachusetts, Fire Department huddle with Mayor Domenic Sarno (head of table) and other city officials during a budget hearing on March 30, 2023.

Spring in Massachusetts can mean many things — longer days, warmer weather, flowers in bloom. It also means budget season for communities across the state.

The process began this week in Springfield, with a series of hearings held by Mayor Domenic Sarno, when city departments made their pitches for the upcoming fiscal year.

The police department is looking for an 18% increase, to nearly $61.3 million. Much of that would cover the cost of a new contract with the patrolman's union and higher prices of goods and services.

Deputy Chief Bill Cochran said during Thursday’s session there are also additional funds needed to support the department's body-worn camera program.

"We're into our second full year of implementation and that's going rather well, but there's a cost to that with regards to cloud storage and so forth," Cochran said.

The department is also requesting funding to recruit and train 50 new officers to help fill current and expected vacancies.

Currently, there are 25 vacancies on the department. Cochran said it’s been difficult to fill training classes enough to keep up with retirements and departures from the police department.

As for the overall Springfield budget, Sarno said he expects his proposal will be in the range of $860 million and it will be a “level service” budget that will not need to draw from city financial reserves. That would mean about a 4% increase from the 2023 fiscal year.

"It's been seven or eight years in a row we've been able to balance the budget, which is unheard of in urban centers without the use of reserves," Sarno said. "We're hopeful to continue that trend."

During Thursday’s hearing, it was mentioned that Sarno’s budget proposal will likely be presented to the City Council in mid-May. The council will then go through its own budget process before voting on a final spending plan to take effect July 1.

All cities and towns in Massachusetts will keep a watchful eye on how lawmakers on Beacon Hill reconcile Gov. Maura Healey’s budget with proposal from the House and Senate, which have yet to be released. Any adjustments from the governor’s proposal could impact local budgets.

Adam joined NEPM as a freelance reporter and fill-in operations assistant during the summer of 2011. For more than 15 years, Adam has had a number stops throughout his broadcast career, including as a news reporter and anchor, sports host and play-by-play announcer as well as a producer and technician.
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