Fiscal Year 2025 City Budget approved by City Council; scholarships awarded

By Neil Zolot

EVERETT – The City Council approved a Fiscal 2025 budget of $281,761,273 at their meeting on Monday, June 24. “We reduced it by $500,000,” Council President Robert Van Campen noted in reference to deliberations that reduced the number from its original total of $281,892,702. The Fiscal 2024 budget is $265.2 million.

Nevertheless, he cautioned about reliance on Free Cash to fund the budget, likening it to using a tax return to pay a mortgage. “We need to start weaning ourselves off Free Cash,” he said. “Eventually, your tax refund won’t support the mortgage payment. At some point the numbers will be too low.”

Councillor At-Large Guerline Alcy Jabouin was the lone vote against.

The Council also approved a Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund budget of $22,492,927, up from $21,610,128 in Fiscal 2024.

Within that, Mass. Water Resources Authority (MWRA) assessments are rising from $16,414,339 to $17,333,203 and the salary of Superintendent Ernie Lariviere from $118,459 to $122,012. Debt Interest is down, however, from $78,585 to $63,713.

The Council also unanimously approved the Water and Sewer Enterprise Capital Improvement Plan of $7,229,800 and General Capital Improvement Plan Fund of $55,033,741, 8-2, with Councillor At-Large Stephanie Smith and Ward 4 Councillor Holly Garcia dissenting.

“The CIP is incomplete,” Smith said after the meeting. “Many upcoming projects, including a new High School and Junior High, were not included and there are no details behind the line items as to why we need to complete the projects or which ones are a priority. We need to start holding the administration accountable for submitting a realistic 5-year plan for capital improvements with projects prioritized so we can forecast any borrowing and update our infrastructure accurately.”

Van Campen described the CIPs as “a blueprint, not an appropriation. We have to adopt a plan, but individual appropriations will come before the City Council separately.”

$565,832 was also approved for the ECTV Enterprise Fund.

The Council also accepted a grant of $128,081.25 from the Mass. Hire Metro North Workforce Board for use by the Youth Development and Enrichment Department to provide young residents with workforce skills.

They also accepted a grant of $2,148.57 from the state Department of Environmental Protection Recycling Dividends Program of the Sustainable Materials Recovery Program.

They also accepted $150 in donations from city employees to for the Fire Victims Fund

A request to appropriate $3 million through borrowing for improvements to Everett Square was postponed to July 22 at the request of Transportation Planner Jay Monty.

As is customary, the Council voted to cancel meetings July 8, August 12 and August 16. Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio voted against the measure.

Smith commented city councillors are not on vacation and are available to residents in the summer.

A proposal for the City to honor the “distinguished and exemplary” service of Mary Aleo in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II was referred to the Director of Veterans Services. “We have to figure out a way to honor female veterans,” Van Campen feels.

On a humorous note, a request by Pietrantonio for the DPW Director to provide an update on a port-a-potty ordered for the Northern Trail on Wellington Avenue was rendered moot, when Pietrantonio reported it was found.

“Mystery solved,” Van Campen reacted.

At the beginning of the meeting, recipients of six Everett ‘75 student scholarships were announced, of whom Neeysa Denning and Adoni Santos were present. Each student received $600 from taxpayers who designated a donation be made to the fund on their tax bills. Money has been collected since 1975, but this is the first year of it being distributed.