CFO presents $294M FY25 city budget proposal to City Council

School Supt. Dianne Kelly presents $150M school budget

By Barbara Taormina

The City Council began a three-night marathon review of Mayor Patrick Keefe’s FY2024/2025 city budget proposal on Monday night. Department heads met with city councillors to describe accomplishments and answer questions about the requested amount of money needed for each department. There were no significant disputes or questions about department spending, only questions about reorganization and the use of grant funding to fill positions on which the city and School Department now depend.

City CFO Richard Viscay kicked things off with some big picture facts and figures. “We are presenting a budget with $294,679,700 in revenue and $294,679,700 in expenditures. This is a balanced, responsible budget with reasonable estimates. I encourage you to vote the budget as submitted,” Viscay told the council.

Viscay ran through the city’s major streams of revenue. Property taxes bring in $120 million while the city collects $22 million in local receipts, excise tax, hotel room tax and meals taxes. Revere will receive $117 million in state aid, or cherry sheet funding, $102.1 million of which goes to city schools.

Tom Skwierawski, chief of Planning and Community Development, was the first to talk about his department’s accomplishments, which included zoning that put the city in compliance with the MBTA’s Communities Act, new zoning for childcare, 100 project reviews and $14 million in grants. Skwierawski said his department would continue to search for new federal and state grant opportunities and a grant writer will be brought on board. He also mentioned cannabis as a potential resource.

Several city councillors asked about staff being paid through grants and ARPA funding, federal aid granted to states in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Skwierawski, like other department heads, said those staff members are being gradually included in the regular budget.

“I hope the grant writer position pays for itself,” said Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto. “We’re on a ridiculously tight schedule. We’re talking debt exclusion and that scares me and the taxpayers.”

City Solicitor Paul Capizzi explained his department’s need for $250,000 in outside legal services. Capizzi said there’s no way to know when the money will be needed. In cases that involve a legal specialty, such as eminent domain, the city will hire an expert in the field.

Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley asked Capizzi if he expects an increase in litigation in 2025. Capizzi wasn’t sure but he did say the cost of legal services is embedded in the bond the council approved for the purchase of the Wonderland site.

Paul Fahey of the Elections Commission and Nick Rystrom of the Engineering Department answered a handful of questions from the council but faced no complaints or disputes about spending.

The highlight of the budget review on Tuesday night was Gerry Visconti’s presentation of the new Workforce Development and Youth Engagement Department. Visconti explained that the department was launching a paid internship program to place young people in jobs within the city and local businesses – all will be paid through a grant. Visconti also explained plans to offer a certificate program for slightly older residents that will allow them to earn a workforce credential. Staff salaries for the department are covered by grants, and the total operating budget is $17,000.

School Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly presented the $150,714,834 school budget, which includes $83.4 million for instructional salaries, $13.8 for other student services and $14 million for tuition for students who attend school outside the district. Kelly said that the School Department budget was up $7.7 million from last year but the money went quickly, bringing grant-funded staff into the regular budget, and covering the costs of raises and cost of living adjustments.

Dana Brangiforte of the Assessor’s Office said his department was the only one to see a reduction from last year due to the office’s decision not to hire an assistant. Brangiforte said the city’s investment in technology and software made the additional help unnecessary.

Viscay also presented some fixed costs, including health care insurance, debt service, property insurance and retirement funds. The council cannot reduce those costs but Viscay said it provides a full picture of the budget.