The Finance Committee voted to Approve (see Report and watch the NewTV video):
- Reappointment of Allan S. Cohen to the Board of Assessors. The Committee voted to approve 7-0, Councilor Micley not voting)
- Accept and expend $500 in a donation from the Newton Highlands Congregational Church. According to the report, the City expects to use the money during June Pride month. The Committee voted to approve 7-0, Councilor Micley not voting) for LGBTQ+ celebrations.
- Accept and expend $18,720 grant from the State 911 Department for the Emergency Medical Dispatch Grant Program to be used to team up with the Denise Amber Lee Foundation to help with quality assurance checks. According to the report, the Department also does internal quality control checks. The Committee voted to approve 7-0, Councilor Micley not voting.
- Appropriate $925,000 from Certified Free Cash to the Newton Public Schools Curriculum Investments as part of a multi-year approach to meet state standards in elementary science. The Committee voted to approve 8-0.
- Appropriate $11,475,000 for Newton Public Schools and Municipal Infrastructure:
- Newton North Pool – Air Handling Unit ($425,000)
- Replace Entire Roof System – Peirce Elementary ($1,200,000)
- Replace Entire Roof System – Mason Rice Elementary ($1,100,000)
- Repave Parking Area – Brown Middle School ($300,000)
- Replace Chiller – Newton South, Building H ($350,000)
- Repair Auditorium Ceiling, Playground Improvement and Toilet Room Installation – Williams Elementary ($325,000)
- Install PA Systems – Bigelow & Brown Middle Schools ($300,000)
- Toilet Room Upgrades – Day Middle, Mason Rice, Bowen, Memorial Spaulding, and Peirce Elementary Schools ($1,275,000) to replace finishes, including flooring, ceilings, light fixtures and paint, to make the bathrooms “less gross for students”
- Paving, Road Improvements & Traffic Calming ($5,250,000)
- Police Headquarters – Repave Parking Lot & Fencing ($600,000) to keep pedestrians out of the lot for safety reasons
- Fire Station 2 – Heat Pumps for staff area HVAC ($350,000). Fire Station 2’s boiler is 65 years old.
If approved, work can begin immediately.
The Committee voted to approve 8-0.