The recently released report of the Finance Committee’s 6/27/2022 meeting (video of the meeting is here on NewTV) says that the Committee voted to approve the following:
- Request to accept the recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee to appropriate a total of $3,000,000 from Community Preservation Act funding – $2,373,470.71 from FY22 Unrestricted Funds and $626.529.29 from Prior Year Undesignated Funds to the Planning and Development Department for a grant to the project team of Metro West Community Development and Civico Development for the development and construction of 43 units of 100% affordable housing at the former West Newton Armory site. See Planning Memo
- Request to appropriate $890,000 of the City’s Inclusionary Housing Funds to Metro West Collaborative Development/Civico Development to support the redevelopment of the West Newton Armory into 43 units of permanently affordable housing. See Planning Memo
- Request to accept the recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee to reallocate the $475,876.14 in CPA funds remaining in the Covid-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Project Account to the CPA Program’s Unrestricted Prior Year Funding Account for use in another CPA-eligible project in the future.
- Request to increase the salary of the City Clerk/Clerk of the City Council to $131,313 effective July 1, 2022 to match the percentage increase included in the FY2023 budget for H-grade employees.
- Request to appropriate and expend $49,300,000 and authorize a general obligation borrowing of an equal amount for the renovation/addition to 150 Jackson Road, the new home of the Lincoln Eliot Elementary School, and to apply any premium received upon the sale of the bonds or notes, less the cost of preparing, issuing, and marketing them, and any accrued interest received upon the delivery of the bonds or notes to the costs of the project, and to reduce the amount authorized to be borrowed for the project by like amount.
The Committee reviewed the June 30, 2021 Independent Financial Audit Report with Matt Hunt of Clifton, Larson, Allen, LLC, the City’s independent auditor. Please see Management Letter, Single Audit Reports, and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2021 for the following item:
- Comptroller transmitting the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and external audit reports for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, for City Council review/acceptance.
- Request for a review and potential amendment to the Tiger Parking Permit Program (Sec. TPR-204. Newton North High School Tiger Parking Permits) including a review of the number of permits issued, the lottery process for permits, and locations included in the Tiger Parking Permit Program and potential amendment to the fees. NOTE: Finance approved a Permit Fee of $60.
- Request for discussion of possible amendments to strengthen the ordinances relating to leaf blower activity, including adjustment of fines to $300 after a warning, (and consolidation of leaf blower violation fines into one section).
- Reappointment of Edward Gourdeau, Jr. as a Constable
- Reappointment of Councilor Humphrey to the Emerson Community Center Trust
All other items were held.