Finance subcommittee advances $174 million level-funded Marlborough budget on 5-0 vote

MARLBOROUGH — May 17, 2021 — Marlborough Finance Subcommittee advances $174M level-funded FY22 budget on 5-0 vote. The panel, chaired by Councilor Edward Irish, recommended the mayor's $173,983,364 plan after a roughly two-hour walkthrough with City Auditor Diane Smith, Finance Director Patrick Jones and Superintendent Michael Bergeron. State aid rises about 1 percent or $430,000; the charter assessment is up roughly 2 percent; workers' compensation is unfunded for the year because the self-insurance reserve carries enough balance; and the City Hall capital outlay line is zeroed. Roughly $1.5 million in salary reserve will absorb settled union contracts, including a new command-staff agreement at the Police Department effective July 1. Bergeron said Marlborough is maintaining tuition-free full-day preschool — what he called a first in the commonwealth — while receiving only an additional $156,000 in Chapter 70 aid under a hold-harmless calculation. DPW Commissioner Sean Divoll confirmed the printed budget had rubbish collection and curbside recycling lines transposed on page 98, with rubbish collection correctly at $3,074,000 and curbside recycling at $740,000. Councilor Laura Dumas warned the administration to carry "level funding" discipline into mid-year transfers given state pandemic debt.