Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Good morning and welcome to Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch for our weekly City hall update. What a surprise, Mayor, it's going to rain again.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: I know.
Really set up paving back. Can't be paving in the rain.
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I know. Independence Avenue is supposed to be worked on. Is that happening at all?
[00:00:17] Speaker B: Well, I know that they continue to work on things around the paving portion. You know, the iron out, the curbing and the rough stuff. You can't do finish paving or finish concrete in the rain. So is what it is.
[00:00:31] Speaker A: There we go. Yes. What happened to May flowers after all the April showers?
[00:00:35] Speaker B: I know, we may have to flip.
[00:00:37] Speaker A: It after this year the May flowers are running late.
Fortunately though, they did cooperate nicely for cleaner, greener Quincy. Back on Saturday, it was like a summer day.
[00:00:49] Speaker B: It was beautiful Saturday. Yeah, indeed. We had a great turnout citywide. Once again, all ages and people pick their local park, their local beach or their school marsh area, whatever it may be.
The city's a whole lot cleaner than it used to be, Joe. We don't pick up nearly the amount of debris and tonnage as we used to. And the beaches weren't too bad. Sometimes you get these winter storms and you get a lot of debris that washes up, but those weren't too bad either. So we nice crowd up at Passion Field for a little burger and dog afterwards. It was a great day and we thank Reworld for all the sponsors of the event. Helped cover the cost of the cookout and T shirts. So good day all around.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: Very nice. Just the beginning and a special shout out, Joe.
[00:01:37] Speaker B: The boys and Girl Scouts because they spent hours and hours last fall. Over the last two weeks, we've seen the work, all their work with the planting of bulbs all around the city. We've seen tulips and daffodils and I want to thank them. It was a great thing.
[00:01:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I think Ray T. Bird said something like over 10,000 bulbs were planted across the city.
[00:02:00] Speaker B: Well, that's just with the Boy Scouts. We had another 8 or 10,000 with our own employees.
It really makes a huge difference.
[00:02:08] Speaker A: That's great. Very nice.
There is fruit being reaped from the efforts. That's good.
Last night, opening ceremonies for the 41st annual Quincy Senior Olympics this year. Wow.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: Hard to believe. Hard to believe. Joe really is for a long time, a lot of great people involved with it over the years too.
But still, still going strong and because I couldn't be there last night because I was at the council, but I know they got a pretty robust registration this year for the various sports and programs they do, you know, bowling and bocce and swimming and golf and you name it, the track. And it's pretty amazing spirit of these seniors. They take it seriously, they don't get in their way.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: I didn't hear yet who won the exhibition volleyball game, but typically the seniors take it.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: Yeah. And they have a great advantage by playing in that gym on a regular basis. It's a low ceiling and they know how to do that.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: Oh, I see. Is that it?
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Definitely got home code advantage.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Okay, we'll go with that one.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: But yeah, as you mentioned, of course you were at the council presenting next year's city budget. How did that go?
[00:03:29] Speaker B: Well, the first night always goes really well. You know, we make a presentation summary form, we present the documents, the city budget, sewer budget, the water budget. And then of course, as you know, Joe, the council accepted because in the finance committee and then the finance chair Kathy will set up some committee meetings. I believe they've already set up a public hearing on it. And then they have the departments in one by one and drill down. I mean, one of the things that I find it interesting, I know that some folks in the public are crying more scrutiny and et cetera, et cetera, some of the candidates. But this isn't a zero based budget. You know, councilors are familiar with what they passed last year.
And you know, it's little tweaking, a few more patrolmen, you know, thanks to a federal grant, few more firefighters, tweaks here and there. We added a position at the Council on Aging to help seniors learn about how not to get involved in scams or fraud schemes and so forth. So this, there's a whole, there's not a whole lot of tweaking. There's of course fixed costs that go up every year. You know, energy rubbish and recycling, for example, health insurance, the employees, it's up statewide in every plan, 8, 10, 12%.
So, you know, those are fixed costs that we can't do a whole lot about. And of course the big number that's driving our debt service up this year is the pension obligation bond that the city council adopted at my recommendation a few years back, which is saving us about 168 million up over the next 12 years. So good stuff for sure. But this year is a peak year for the debt service because of that. So we, it's going to be a tight year in that regard.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: So is that as I understand it, the overall budget is up $36 million, but 20 million of that's for the pension bond payment. Is that right?
[00:05:26] Speaker B: That's about right, Joe. Yeah.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Okay. And the new position in the Council on Aging, Mayor, I'm curious about that. What's the funding allocated for that?
[00:05:36] Speaker B: I'd have to look at the book, Joe. I don't know off the top of my head, but I think it's an important position. We hear time and time again about seniors getting scammed and I think having somebody solely on that getting out to the senior buildings, doing newsletters, social media, reminding seniors essentially what to look for and don't get sucked in. A lot of times once it happens, there's not much the police can do to get the money back because it's the transaction such that's non traceable. So I just think we have a lot of seniors in the city. We got to do everything we can to protect them.
[00:06:11] Speaker A: Sure. And on the school side, Mayor, what is the increase on the budget there?
[00:06:17] Speaker B: Just, just the general normal increases.
[00:06:22] Speaker A: You.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: Know, obviously a very robust school budget. And I'd also say that the school budget itself is not the total per pupil expenditure. For example, Joe, some communities, the health insurance is in the school budget. That's all. On the city side, the park department does the grounds for the schools, obviously the police department, the school resource officers, traffic supervisors, that's in the police budget, public buildings does all the maintenance of the buildings and the schools, that's in the public buildings budget. So when you add up all of the other contributions by the departments, it's pretty healthy per pupil spending formula that we have in Quincy. So a healthy budget and look forward to getting it passed.
[00:07:07] Speaker A: So yeah. Now the prize you mentioned the process is a public hearing. It's actually next Monday night and then finance committee.
And the new fiscal year begins July 1st, is that right?
[00:07:17] Speaker B: That's correct. Under the law, we have to submit the budget 45 days before the end of the fiscal year. So we certainly got plenty of room there. It's just a reminder for those that are listening, Joe, that the city council can only cut the bottom line on the school budget. It's up to the school committee to really, I give the bottom line, but then it's up to the school department, while actually the superintendent's leadership team working with the school committee then to determine how to spend that money, how to allocate that. So I become one of seven members then in that discussion and voting on that budget, there'll be a separate public hearing on the school budget. I don't know it off the top of my head.
[00:07:53] Speaker A: Okay, right. So yeah, the council can go Line by line of the city budget. Is that right?
[00:07:58] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. Not the school budget. I see.
Finally, Mayor, it's here. The new Quincy Animal Care center is opening this Saturday.
Woof woof and meow meow and everything else.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: Yeah, it's been a long time coming, that's for sure. As you know, we ran into some issues with that. Particularly the site issues with asbestos in the ground. Some of those were old landfill quarries. And who knew, you know. However that's been cleaned, it's been done. And taking what was kind of a crappy piece of land. We got a nice dog park up there now. Now, animal care shelter, state of the art. I know our volunteers are very excited about it. They put a lot of time in.
And of course our own, you know, Officer Nick Melvesti and Rhett Hale who be kind of around the building itself. They're all excited about it. It's good stuff. I mean we went from a very primitive facility on Broad Street. Essentially a tin shed with chain link around it.
[00:09:00] Speaker A: That's true.
[00:09:02] Speaker B: There's something far more humane. So we're grateful for everybody involved putting this together.
[00:09:08] Speaker A: Very good. So it'll be this Saturday. As I understand it, it's gonna be more. A more full time facility.
The shelter itself has hired a full time kind of intake person. So it'll be open more often.
[00:09:21] Speaker B: That's correct. Absolutely. And of course Lieutenant Gillen and the K9 unit will also have a couple of bays in there. They can operate out of there, which I like because it gives us more visibility at night presence there. So you know, we'll see how it evolves. But it's certainly a beautiful layout and state of the art in every aspect.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: Sure.
Mayor, had a little time. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about an order to establish a public art commission.
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Yeah, so Councillor Asch and I had a discussion about.
Came up a number of years ago as well. And it just never went forward. But looking at a public eyes commission.
And the trick is we got to make sure that avoid reword this and really put it together in the audiences that it doesn't conflict with other things. For example, the school department has control over school land. The park and Recreation board has control over parkland. The cemetery board of management has control over the cemetery land. So we got to figure out how we interact with those departments in. In such a example. If we're doing a new public memorial, it's going to land on one of those pieces of property. So we got some work to do on it. But you know, I think that it has some merit and look forward to figuring it out.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: So was this kind of prompted by the controversy over the statues for the public safety complex?
[00:10:48] Speaker B: Well, it's one. The two is going back. I mean, you know, when we did the statues on the common, the magnificent, and we had the issue of the Abigail, which we had plans for, but it wasn't soon enough and understood. I understand that in some people's minds. So the commission might have been helpful in sorting some of that out as well along the way. So I think it has merit.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: See how the process goes. I believe the ordinance committee will be taking that up in the future.
[00:11:16] Speaker B: I know that people listen in on us, Joe and I. I was tempted to say last night that there are no new statues in this budget, but I'm afraid not, as many people have a sense of humor these days. So they left it alone.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: Very good.
Good to talk to you, Mayor. Appreciate your time.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: Have a great gloomy day, Joe.
[00:11:36] Speaker A: I know, you too.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Bye bye. See Mayor Thomas Koch. Our weekly City hall update here on AM Quincy.
