The Finance Committee voted to approve the following (see report and watch the meeting video):
- Expenditure of $2,000 for a Disability Pride Month event (8–0). The July 9th event at the Newton Free Library will commemorate the ADA’s 35th anniversary with speaker Emily Ladau. Funding comes from the Commission on Disability’s Accessible Parking Fines Account.
- Expenditure of $10,000 for a shower chair and two wheelchairs at Gath Pools (8–0). The equipment will improve accessibility for adults and children to pool and splash pad. Funding comes from the Commission on Disability’s Accessible Parking Fines Account.
- Increase in FY2025 FTEs in the Comptroller’s Office from 6.4 to 7.0 (8–0). This reflects restructuring without increasing costs.
- Appropriation of $50,000 for a heat pump in the IT Department (6–1–1, Councilor Grossman opposed, Bixby abstaining). The project supports staff relocation out of the basement and into a repurposed server room without air conditioning (the servers are no longer necessary because IT is moving into the cloud) and reduces reliance on fossil fuels. Councilors raised concerns about unair-conditioned schools and the source of funding (budget reserves) being the same as Free Cash.
- Authorization to accept and expend a grant of $17,314 (8-0) from Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Department of Fire Safety. Grant to be spent on a new gear dry rack and firefighter turnout gear.
- Authorization to accept and expend a grant of $2,900 (8-0) from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services for Senior Safe smoke and CO detectors and other senior-safe items.
- Appropriation of $40,000 to purchase equipment for the Emergency Operations Center at Fire Headquarters (8-0) to purchase equipment to update 2017 technology.
- Community Preservation Committee (CPC) recommendation to appropriate $75,000 in CPA funding to replace the deck at the Newton Community Farm (8-0)
- CPC recommendation to appropriate $189,300 in CPA funding for phase one in the process to restore the War Memorial stairs (8-0) total project expected to cost $4 million. Phase one is for architecture and engineering expenses.
- Authorization to transfer and expend $65,000 to settle a worker’s compensation claim (8-0) The heavy equipment operator’s back injury claim was initially denied after the worker was seen driving people and because of a pre-existing condition.
- Request for ordinance amendment to create Department of Sustainability (2-0-6, Councilors Malakie, Gentile, Bixby, Lipof, Micley, and Grossman abstaining) No new money required for the Department, members would be the current sustainability team plus the approved new BERDO coordinator hire. “The establishment of a Sustainability department will solidify the core sustainability team and allow them to work together with the other departments, creating metrics we can measure against.” The key focus of 2026 is implementing BERDO by getting the reports from the 46 buildings required to do so. Several councilors questioned why ‘resiliency’ was not in the department title. Others questioned the need for another City department. Sustainability Presentation/Report
The Finance Committee voted to hold the following:
- Appropriation of $40,000 to repair the fountain at Chestnut and Highland Streets (7–1, Councilor Micley opposed). Concerns were raised about whether CPA funding was more appropriate.
- Appropriation of $50,000 for restroom improvements at Jeannete West Recreation Center (6–2, Councilors Humphrey and Micley opposed). Some councilors questioned the timing and scope of the work. The building is used by Mason-Rice afterschool program and the Parks, Rcreation & Culture Department.
Present: Councilors Gentile (Chair), Malakie, Greenberg, Micley, Bixby, Lipof, Humphrey, and Grossman
Also present: Councilor Kelley
City staff present: Comptroller Steve Curley; Financial Planning & Analysis Manager Perry Rosenfield;;
Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux; Senior Analyst Endrit Poreci; Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Yeo; Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Culture Nicole Banks; Director of Parks and
Open Space Luis Demorizi; Commissioner of Public Buildings Joshua Morse; Director of Assessment
Administration Jim Shaughnessy; Director of Human Resources Michelle Pizzi O’Brien (MPO); Deputy
Director of Human Resources Francoise Charlot; Worker’s Compensation & Safety Manager Kelly
Brown; Fire Chief Gregory Gentile; CPA Program Manager Mollie Hutchings; Co-Director of
Sustainability Samuel Nighman; Co-Director of Sustainability Ann Berwick; Climate Action Coordinator Caroline Weiss