LYNN — The City Council has voted to approve a $4.15 million budget increase for fiscal year 2021.
The budget amendment increases the city’s spending for FY21 to approximately $387 million.
Chief Financial Officer Michael Bertino said at Tuesday’s meeting that the additional funding is coming from a larger-than-anticipated increase in state aid, which was allocated through the recently-approved FY21 state budget.
The $4.15 million increase will not be used to fund additional city hires or expenses, said Bertino, explaining that the funds will go directly into two reserve accounts.
Approximately $1.15 million will be added to the city’s general reserve fund and $3 million will be added to the capital stabilization fund, according to the budget public hearing notice.
The supplemental budget approved by the council Tuesday marks the second such budget amendment over the past month. The council approved a $6.67 million budget increase Dec. 8, which was also funded by additional state aid.
In that instance, the increase went toward funding additional hires that had previously been placed on hold, the city’s net school spending requirement, and funding other line items that had been previously reduced to balance the original FY21 budget in the spring, according to Mayor Thomas M. McGee.
The city council also approved a request from McGee Tuesday that would allow the city to enter into a five-year contract to purchase body cameras for members of the Lynn Police Department.
Lynn Police officers will be required to wear body cameras, beginning on Feb. 1, following an agreement between the mayor and the Lynn Police Association.
The agreement resulted from months of conversations between the city, police and community stakeholders, which were centered around how to achieve racial and social justice, and how to provide more transparency and accountability around interactions between civilians and police.
The council voted to authorize a transfer from the city’s reserve account to purchase the body camera system, which is anticipated to cost approximately $250,000 annually.
An additional cost of $75,000 will be incurred annually, based on the $400 stipend for each member of the Lynn Police Association that was negotiated as part of the agreement, according to McGee’s office.
