Finance Committee Meeting June 12, 2024

Posted June 7, 2024, 11:16 AM

City Council
Holyoke Massachusetts
Pursuant to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25,
and Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2023,
notice is hereby given of a meeting of the committee on
Finance

Wednesday, June 12, 2024
6:30 PM

Meeting to take place at
Holyoke City Hall, 536 Dwight St
and can be accessed remotely on Zoom Meetings
Per order of the Chair: Patti Devine
Remote access via www.zoom.us
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87308181136?pwd=SHZXaFZFNkYxOHRTS2lCeHl6WmI3Zz09
Meeting ID: 873 0818 1136 Meeting Passcode: 912071 or by call in at 1 (646) 558-8656 with
the same Meeting ID and Passcode.

Live Spanish interpretation will be available on local access channel 15 using the television’s SAP option, through the live stream on the city website, as well as on the Zoom feed by clicking the interpretation option and choosing Spanish.

Agenda

Item 1: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, FIVE HUNDRED AND 00/100 Dollars ($500) as follows:
FROM:
15101-51203   PAY-BOH SUBSTITUTE NURSE     $500
TOTAL:                       $500
TO:
15101-51300   PAY-BOH OVERTIME           $500
TOTAL:                       $500

Item 2: 6-4-24 Devine- Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, NINE THOUSAND AND 00/100 Dollars ($9,000) as follows:
FROM:
11751-51223   OPED-DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST          $9,000
TOTAL:           $9,000
TO:
11751-53010   OPED-OTHER CONTRACTED SERVICES $9,000
TOTAL:           $9,000

Item 3: 6-4-24 Rivera I.- Order that DPW and Sewer put together a study and present on the potential benefits of adopting a sewer maintenance program similar to the one run at the Water Department.

Item 4: 6-4-24 Devine- Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, SIXTEEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND 00/100 Dollars ($16,300) as follows:
FROM:
12101-51312   HPD-SNOW REMOVAL OVERTIME $6,300
12101-51915   HPD-EDUCATION PLAN      10,000 TOTAL:           $16,300
TO:
12101-51321   HPD-SPECIAL EVENTS OVERTIME           $16,300
TOTAL:           $16,300

Item 5: 6-4-24 Devine- Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, TWENTY ONE THOUSAND AND 00/100 Dollars ($21,000) as follows
FROM:
12101-51107   PATROLMEN $21,000
TOTAL:                       $21,000
TO:
12102-52100   ENERGY        $21,000
TOTAL:           $21,000

Item 6: 4-2-24 (referred back 5-21-24) Devine- ORDER:
WHEREAS:: Mass. General Law, Chapter 440, Section 5B authorizes a municipality to create a stabilization fund for a specified purpose and to appropriate amounts thereto, provided that such action is effective for at least three years and;
WHEREAS: Chapter 77 of the General Acts of 2023 eliminated the minimum three year provision and authorizes a municipality to terminate a specialized stabilization fund at any time and;
WHEREAS: the City of Holyoke, through its City Council, had voted in June, 2023 to create such a fund to accumulate revenue received from the Massachusetts Statewide Opioid Settlement and;
WHEREAS; The City of Holyoke now wishes to terminate the Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund and the dedication of revenues received from the settlement as authorized under Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023. and to create a special revenue fund for ongoing opioid settlement revenues as authorized by the Department of Revenue (as per attached DOR Bulletin-2023-7).
NOW THEREFORE BE IT ORDERED;
The stabilization fund created in June, 2023 to receive opioid settlement funds and the dedication of any revenues thereto is hereby terminated as authorized by Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023 and under MGL Chapter 40, Section 5B.

Item 7: 6-4-24 Jourdain- That the City Treasurer please provide the City Council with a review and analysis of the Pacific Legal foundation report (https://homeequitytheft.org/massachusetts) that states that $83,000 in home equity from 13 Holyoke homes was inappropriately taken from our residents pursuing Holyoke property tax liens. Please provide us the details on these 13 properties and how this could happen to Holyoke residents; including the names of any entity pursuing our liens. Please advise the City Council if Holyoke has done business with Tallage Davis LLC. Please notify the City Council if proper safeguards are in place so we only collect back taxes and not allow the city or anyone purporting to be acting on our behalf to take residents’ home equity.

Item 8: 8-2-22 (referred back 6-4-24) JOURDAIN, ANDERSON-BURGOS, RIVERA_I — That the City Council conduct a comprehensive study of employee safety for the benefit of our Holyoke municipal employees and our taxpayers.  The City Council should invite in the Personnel Director, our Workers’ Comp representatives, Mayor, law department, department heads, union leadership, and others as needed to gather all of the information we need to study the root causes of employee injuries, how they are handled, how are they mitigated, how are we handling risk management to avoid future losses.  Our goal should be to keep employees safe, reduce lost hours, productivity and overall cost to the city.  We need to collect all relevant data including a prior 3 year report tracking injury claims, workers’ comp claims, injured on duty claims, and related.  Ideally, the City Council will produce a report within 6 months on its findings in conjunction with all key stakeholders.

Item 9: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, FIVE HUNDRED AND 00/100 Dollars ($500) as follows:
FROM:
12202-51105   FIREFIGHTERS         $500
TOTAL:                       $500
TO:
12201-51301   ARSON OVERTIME  $500
TOTAL:                       $500

Item 10: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, TWENTY-FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY AND 00/100 ($24,570) as follows:
FROM:
1376-10400     SMART GROWTH ZONING  $24,570
TOTAL:                       $24,570
TO:
GRANT-VOTE           FY 2023 SAFE STREETS     $24,570
TOTAL:                       $24,570

Item 11: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 44 Sec. 53A, the City Council hereby accepts the provisions of the “FY2023 SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL, $197,850, LOCAL FUNDS $24,570/IN KIND MATCH $15,000” grant and authorizes the establishment of a Fund or other method appropriate for the accounting of the receipts and expenditures of all resources associated with the administration of said grant.

Item 12: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, SEVEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FIFTEEN AND 42/100 ($7,615.42) as follows:
FROM:
11521-51104   PERSONNEL-HEAD ADMIN CLERK           $7,615.42
TOTAL:                       $7,615.42
TO:
11522-53009   PERSONNEL-CONTRACTED PROF SERV $7,615.42
TOTAL:                       $7,615.42

Item 13: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, THIRTY THREE THOUSAND AND 00/100 ($33,000) as follows:
FROM:
12941-51104   PAY-TREE CLIMBER $15,000
14101-51105   PAY-SR CIVIL ENGINEER    12,000
14251-51105   PAY-POWER SHOVEL OPERATOR 6,000
TOTAL:                       $33,000
TO:
16942-52500   R&M EXHIBIT HALL  $1,000
14222-52504   R&M PELLISSIER BUILDING           5,000
14222-52505   R&M SENIOR CENTER                    10,000
14222-52509   R&M POLICE STATION                    12,000
14222-52510   R&M CENTRAL FIRE STATION                   1,000
14222-52512   R&M HIGHLAND FIRE STATION     2,000
14222-52514   R&M W HOLYOKE FIRE STATION  2,000
TOTAL:                       $33,000

Item 14: 6-4-24 Devine – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, SIXTEEN THOUSAND AND 00/100 Dollars ($16,000) as follows:
FROM:
14251-51105   PAY-HIGHWAYS POWER SHOVEL OPERATOR   $16,000
TOTAL:                       $16,000
TO:
14301-51102   PAY-REFUSE HMEO $16,000
TOTAL:                       $16,000

LAID ON THE TABLE:
(Discussion may or may not take place)

Item 15: 6-21-22 JOURDAIN — Acting DPW Superintendent please provide the City Council & Parking committee the following report:  for the prior 5 years (need to consider pre/post pandemic usage changes), amount of meter revenue and amount of parking garage revenue.  Please provide total usage % (used spaces divided total spaces) at both parking garages annually.  Please also provide any analysis of cost to get all meters fully operational.  Please provide the expected life cycle of the new meters if purchased.  Please also provide us the current amortization schedule for the Mayor Taupier Suffolk Street Parking Garage
*Tabled 6-7-23, 1-31-24

Item 16: 8-1-23 (copy) JOURDAIN — Ordered, That Cook and Company be invited to a future finance subcommittee meeting to review their recent health insurance analysis for the city.
*Tabled 1-17-24

Item 17: 4-2-24 Devine- Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2024, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND AND 00/100 Dollars ($150,000) as follows:
FROM:
12101-51103   CAPTAINS     $40,000
12101-51117   DISPATCHERS         80,000
12101-51920   QUINN BILL    30,000
TOTAL:           $150,000
TO:
19412-57630   CLAIMS & DAMAGES           $150,000
TOTAL:           $150,000
*Tabled 4-17-24

Administrative Assistant: Jeffery Anderson-Burgos
The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. Also one or two items may require the committee to enter into executive session at this meeting. Agenda subject to change up to two business days (48 hours) prior to posted meeting time.