The New Bedford City Council Committee on Finance met on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 7:01 p.m. to 8:25 p.m. to consider several transfers and a tax exemption age change. Key items included lowering the property tax exemption eligibility age from 70 to 65, a $2,099,535 transfer from stabilization for snow removal and related repairs, a $43,000 transfer to the mayor's office personnel account, and a $750,000 transfer from multiple departments to cover city utility overruns. A $85,000 transfer from stabilization to facilities and fleet was also approved.
It is Wednesday, June 17th at 7 01 p.m. calling the city council committee on finance to order in attendance. We have Councilor at Lodge Ian Abrew, Councilor Ward 2, Scott Pemberton, Councilor at Lodge and First Vice President Shane Burgo, Councillor of Ward 3, Sean Oliver, Councilor at Lodge Naomi Carney, and Councillor at Large, James Roy. I'm Joe Lopes. I'm the counselor of Ward 5, and I'm the Chairman of Finance. Do we have any letters to be read into the record? We do. We have three letters to read into the record. This one's from Councillor Pereira. I'm writing to inform you that I expect to be late for tonight's committee meeting due to a prior personal commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues in the public aware of the reason for my delayed arrival. This next one is from Councillor Gomes. I'm writing to inform you that I've been able to attend tonight's committee meeting due to a personal commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues and the public aware of the reason for my absence. And this one is from Councillor Choquett. I'm writing to inform you that I'm unable to attend tonight's committee meeting due to a personal commitment. Please read this letter into the record to make my colleagues and the public aware of the reason for my absence. Note this meeting is being live streamed and recorded. City Council and Committee meetings can be viewed on the City of New Brefort's homepage under quick links, then meetings. Second by Council Burgo. All those in favor, the ayes have it. Um Council Oliver, who would you like first to the podium? Bob is here. Sherry, please. Good evening. Good evening, Sherry. How are you? Good. Thank you for coming. Um I think the last time that we uh convened, we were kind of uh we kind of left it to work on the language. Is that is it am I remembering that correctly? You um it was mentioned to me about an ordinance, which I don't believe we need. Yeah. Yeah. So in your to have it written is it is it something that the council will just have to adopt? Is that what I would assume that it would just need a well attorney? Yeah to be put in front of the council to to be voted on. Yep. And all it does is it changed it leaves everything exactly the way it is except for the age. It brings it down. Correct. Every other requirement stays the same, income, um assets, all that stuff. Correct. So it's just a simple motion from someone, probably myself. Uh and the council to vote on it. Correct. And it'll and how long will it take to take to go into effect, I guess. Is it a full calendar year or a fiscal year or do we know? I mean the exemption period is July one through uh April first. So if you put it on record for fiscal twenty-seven, once it's voted on, I'm assuming you could do it right away later.