WESTFIELD — On May 18, Mayor Michael McCabe presented his fiscal 2024 budget of $171,916,438 to the City Council with a focus on parks, roads and people. The budget was then referred for review to the Finance Committee, chaired by Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane.
Matthews-Kane said as in other recent years, the Finance Committee will host a series of public meetings on the budget, scheduled as meetings of the whole council. Reductions will be proposed and voted on after each department presents its budget, followed by a budget reconciliation June 22 in a special City Council meeting.
The process begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 30, with a public hearing on the budget in Council Chambers at City Hall, 59 Court St., Westfield. A summary of the budget will be posted before the public hearing on the Auditor Department page at www.cityofwestfield.org.
Matthews-Kane said her goal is to have as many people as possible involved in the budget discussions.
“Ultimately, a budget is a statement of values. When people speak at the public hearing, they can share what their values are and how they would like to see that reflected in the budget even if they don’t know the exact numbers of each department’s proposed expenditures. Each member of the public can ask themselves where the city should be focusing its efforts and why. What deserves our support? What should our goals be? Where would you like the city to spend less or more money? Council can take such comments into consideration as we comb through the details of the budget,” Matthews-Kane said.
She said If people cannot attend the public hearing, there will be public participation at the start of every budget hearing.
“While it would be most helpful to comment on the departments we are reviewing that evening, people are free to give more holistic overview comments as well,” she said.
Subsequent meetings will also be at 6:30 p.m. Department budgets to be reviewed at each meeting are:
- Wednesday, May 31: Public assessor, collector-treasurer, auditor, mayor’s office, purchasing, law, personnel, information technology and cable television.
- Thursday, June 8: Public safety, animal control, emergency management, public safety communication (dispatch), and fire and ambulance.
- Monday, June 12: Inspection services, including public health; nurses, the transfer station, building, weights and measures, and the Conservation Commission.
- Tuesday, June 13: Council on Aging, veterans services, Westfield Athenaeum and Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport.
- Wednesday, June 14: School Department, Police Department and traffic control.
- Wednesday, June 21: Engineering, flood control, Department of Public Works, water, sewer and stormwater enterprise funds, and sewerage and wastewater treatment.
The full City Council meeting for budget reconciliation is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22. Matthews-Kane said this meeting will be run by City Council President John Beltrandi.
“I hope people will come and let the council know how they would like the city to prioritize funding,” Matthews-Kane said.
