New Bedford City Council Finance Committee Meeting - May 27, 2026
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New Bedford City Council Finance Committee Meeting - May 27, 2026
The New Bedford City Council Finance Committee convened at 6:59 PM on May 27, 2026, under the chairmanship of Councillor Joseph P. Lopes. The meeting focused on approving interim loan financing from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust at zero percent interest. Seven members were initially present, with Councillor Baptiste arriving later, bringing the total to eight for the required vote.
Letters of Absence
- Letters from Councillors Oliver, Carrera, Baptiste (late), Carney (late), and Gomes (late due to Traffic Commission meeting) were read into the record and placed on file.
Discussion Items
- Interim Loan Financing Request (Item #1): John Tassachus, Treasurer-Collector, presented a request for interim loan financing for several Massachusetts Clean Water Trust projects. All loans are available at 0.00% interest on a two-year note, rolling into a permanent 20-year loan at 2% interest. The projects and amounts are:
- CWP-24-49: $9,579,495 for wastewater treatment plant improvements (loan order approved June 15, 2022, for $119 million).
- CWP-24-74: $15,614,498 for wastewater collection system improvements (same loan order).
- CWP-24-74A: $1,900,502 for wastewater collection system improvements (same loan order).
- DWPLC-24-65: $20,503,601 for lead service line removal, Phase 3 (loan order approved August 14, 2024, for $34.8 million).
- CW-24-77: $13,485,000 for wastewater pumping station improvements (loan order approved July 25, 2023, for $20 million).
- Attorney Guratkowski noted that a borrowing item before the committee required eight votes, with only seven members present. Councillor Carney subsequently stated that eight votes were available, and the meeting proceeded without recess.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted 8-0 (roll call: Councillors Abreu, Baptiste, Burgo, Carney, Choquette, Lopes, Pemberton, Roy all in favor) to approve the interim loan financing as presented.
- A motion to waive referral of the item to the full city council for no further action was approved by voice vote.
- The meeting adjourned at 7:07 PM.
Meeting Transcript
You're gonna have me read the letters. Nope. We're not moving. Okay, okay. It is 659 p.m. on May 27, 2026 for the City Council Finance Agenda. We do have letters to be read into the record. I will ask the clerk to read the letters into the record. From Councillor Oliver, I'm writing to inform you that I've unable to attend tonight's committee meeting due to a prior commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my absence. This is from Councillor Carrera. I'm writing to inform you that I've been able to attend tonight's committee meeting due to a prior commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of my absence. And this is from Councilor Baptiste. I'm writing to inform you that I expect to be late for tonight's committee meeting due to a prior commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my delayed arrival. He's here. Okay. Um this is from Councillor Carney. I'm ready to inform you that I expect to be late for tonight's committee meeting due to a prior commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues and the public of the reason for my delayed arrival. Councillor Gomes, I am writing to inform you that I expect to be late for tonight's committee meeting as I will be attending the traffic commission meeting at this time. Please read these letters into the record to make my colleagues and the public aware of the reason for my delayed arrival. Second second. Made by Council Abris, second by Councillor Shouquette. All of them in favor, oppose the eyes have it. Notice this meeting is being live streamed and recorded. Attorney Guratkowski. So Mr. Chairman, um, it appears that there's a borrowing item before the before the committee that um would require eight votes. There's seven members of the committee present. So um I do know that there's some expectation that we may get another member here at some point of the night. I know there's an ordinance committee meeting that's supposed to follow. What this committee could do is recess this meeting with the intention of um reconvening tonight so that anybody wanting to know what the outcome is this doesn't leave and thinking that the meeting is over. So we recess the meeting, you could then go do the ordinance committee and then reconvene the finance committee to see if you can get the requisite number of members to vote on this or to pass it. Not to vote on it, but requisite. A councillor Gert uh Councilor County. So we don't need to recess, we have eight votes. Now you we waited long enough. Thank you. All right. Item number one is a communication from John Taxa Chusets. We're gonna keep going, Gus. Uh communication, John Taxa Chus, Treasurer collected to Councillor Joseph P. Loops, Chair of the Committee on Finance presenting a request for the interim loan financing for the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust project. The interim loans are available to the city at an interest rate of zero point zero percent. It was received on May sixth, twenty twenty-six. And the invitees are uh Robert Extram, Chief Financial Officer John Jamie Pont, Commissioner of Public Infrastructure, and John Tassachus. Can I get a motion? Motion to receive in place on file.
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