New Bedford City Council Quasi Committee of the Whole Budget Hearing - June 9, 2025

The New Bedford City Council held a budget hearing on Monday, June 9, 2025, beginning at 7:00 PM and adjourning at 9:32 PM. The meeting was live-streamed and recorded. Council President noted that Councilman Burgo had a family emergency and was absent. The hearing covered the proposed FY26 budgets for the Police, Fire, Department of Public Infrastructure (DPI), Sullivan's Ledge, Wastewater Special Revenue Fund, and Water Enterprise Fund.

Discussion Items

Police Department (Pages 157-165)

Acting Chief B Long presented the police budget. He reported 204 current officers with nine in the academy, aiming to reach 230 officers by year-end. The budget includes $150,000 for sign-on bonuses for 30 new recruits, elimination of seven dispatcher positions (saving $349,673), and addition of a communications officer for public records and an associate solicitor ($94,213) to handle growing record requests, especially from body cameras. Chief Long expressed full support for the ShotSpotter subscription ($157,000+), citing improved efficiency. Councilmembers questioned overtime (projected $2.7M in FY26 vs. $2.3M in FY24), the need for an associate solicitor, and vacancies (night advocate, public health manager). Council Baptist raised concerns about a discontinued overtime grant for patrol officers; Chief Long noted the grantor restricted use to lower ranks and alternative programs exist. Council Morad questioned the high number of open positions and the Fire department's overtime budget increase.

Fire Department (Pages 91-100)

Chief Kruger presented a level-funded FY26 budget ($22,979,572.96, $60,000 less than projected FY25). He highlighted receipt of several grants (e.g., $29,000 FEMA officer training, $62,500 state safety equipment, $550,000 for passenger rail rescue). Budget enhancements include $7,500 for hydrostatic testing of breathing cylinders, $15,530 for radio battery replacements, and $18,595 as 10% match for the FEMA training grant. The department seeks to convert a vacant firefighter position to an administrative manager role for data analysis. Chief Kruger emphasized the department remains fully staffed with 219 FTEs, avoiding vacancy savings. Councilmembers discussed overtime (budgeted $1.8M, projected spend $1.42M), the floating district chief position, and the EMT stipend increase. Council Morad requested historical overtime data.

Department of Public Infrastructure (Pages 166-175)

Commissioner Jamie Pont presented the DPI general fund budget, which includes a 5% vacancy savings. He noted 30 vacancies across all DPI budgets, with a third being CDL drivers, affecting snow operations and construction crews. The NB Connect 311 app (annual fee $16,000) is replacing the older C Click Fix system; usage is growing. Council discussed a pilot program for smart street lights (self-diagnosing brightness and outages), currently using overtime for manual nighttime inspections. Council Oliver requested data on park project management to avoid redundancy with the Parks Department. Council Morad questioned long-vacant positions such as supervising civil engineer.

Sullivan's Ledge (Pages 251-252)

Commissioner Pont explained that the site is a Superfund cleanup requiring ongoing operation and maintenance (budget $20,963 for onsite repairs). The plant is 20+ years old and a study is underway to determine whether to rebuild or replace, with costs potentially in the millions. Council discussed the $15,000 consent decree escrow, vegetation management, and electricity costs ($87,939 in FY25 vs. $102,700 proposed). Council Morad asked about federal funding; CFO Extrom noted the city and Superfund group are still involved. Council Gomes urged seeking federal help for the upgrade.

Wastewater Special Revenue Fund (Pages 286-292)

Commissioner Pont presented a budget reflecting increases for contracted services to meet regulatory compliance and a 3% vacancy savings. Printing costs are budgeted at $134,000 but actual spending has been ~$80,000 due to in-house work. Electricity costs jumped ~$800,000; Council Pereira requested justification from the energy manager. Street sweeping schedules were questioned by Council Giest.

Water Enterprise Fund (Pages 276-283)

Commissioner Pont noted a 3% vacancy savings and 15 open positions out of 93 budgeted. The budget includes a $300,000 increase in electricity. The water board set a five-year rate structure with 8.5% annual increases, but last year the rate was lowered to ~3.4% due to lower debt service. This year the 8.5% increase is needed to maintain capital project funding. Combined water and sewer rates will increase ~15%.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken; this was a budget hearing for discussion and information gathering.
• The Council requested additional data: breakdown of overtime budgets for Fire since FY18 (Council Pereira), comparison of C Click Fix vs. NB311 usage (Council Pereira), justification for electricity increases in Water and Wastewater (Council Pereira), and a list of street sweeping routes in Ward 2 (Council Giest).
• The Fire Department's request to convert a firefighter position to administrative manager was discussed but no decision made.
• The Police Department's need for an associate solicitor will be considered further.
• Sullivan's Ledge study and potential federal funding will be pursued.