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Holyoke city councilors cut Mayor Elaine Pluta's $120 million budget and criticize it for 'fluff'

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The mayor said the proposed budget funds essential services and avoids layoffs and furloughs.

holyoke city hall.jpgHolyoke City Hall.

HOLYOKE – The City Council cut about $80,000 from the $120.2 million budget that Mayor Elaine A. Pluta has proposed to run the city in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The council also voted 7-6 against endorsing Pluta’s budget Wednesday at City Hall.

The lack of council endorsement is mostly symbolic. State law requires that the city have a budget once the fiscal year begins and the council’s 45-day window to take additional action on the budget expires at midnight Friday, council President Joseph M. McGiverin said.

Cuts were made in the budgets for the police, fire, mayor and personnel departments.

Pluta on May 3 presented the budget, which is $3 million, or 2.5 percent, higher than the $117 million approved for the current fiscal year.

The budget funds essential services and avoids layoffs or furloughs, Pluta said. The council can cut but not add to the budget.

Councilor at Large Kevin A. Jourdain voted against the budget. He objected to decisions made in the funding of the sewer fund and the personnel department. He also said City Hall needs only two full-time custodians, not three as Pluta’s budget proposes.

“To me, there’s still too much fluff in this budget,” Jourdain said.

Pluta, a city councilor for 14 years before becoming mayor in January 2010, took the cuts in stride.

“This is not the first time the City Council voted against the budget. I did that myself in my time on the council,” Pluta said later.

The largest cut was $49,847 for the police comptroller salary. The position is vacant with the recent departure of comptroller Melinda Lane.

“That person left last week and I don’t think there’s any need for that,” said Ward 1 Councilor Donald R. Welch, who proposed the cut.

Another $10,000 was cut in the Fire Department line item for repair and maintenance to motor vehicles, reducing that to $50,000.

Jourdain also proposed the largest cut, which failed: slashing from $6.4 million to $6.1 million the fee paid to United Water, a private firm that runs the wastewater treatment plant.

Among the issues are that the sewer fund is unbalanced and half a million dollars in unpaid sewer bills is outstanding, Jourdain and others said.

“That needs to be reconciled,” Jourdain said.

But only five councilors voted for that cut and eight voted no.

Voting against the budget were councilors Anthony M. Keane, Rebecca Lisi, Todd A. McGee, John J. O’Neill, Timothy W. Purington, Linda L. Vacon and Jourdain.

Voting in favor of the budget were council President Joseph M. McGiverin and councilors Diosdado Lopez, Peter R. Tallman, Brenna E. Murphy, James M. Leahy and Welch.

Councilors Patricia C. Devine and Aaron M. Vega were absent.

More than half the budget consists of funding from the state, with the rest covered mostly by revenue from property taxes, excise taxes and other fees.

State aid to Holyoke is projected at $77.4 million in the next fiscal year compared to the current $76 million, the Department of Revenue said.

Among the increases in the budget is $500,000 in city contributions to employee pensions, a cost that will rise to $10 million from the current $9.5 million, Pluta said.


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