LYNN — The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a $407 million city budget for fiscal year 2022.
The budget represents a $19.1 million increase over last year’s spending.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee presented what he called a “fair and balanced budget” before the vote, touting what he described as his administration’s careful fiscal planning since he took office and inherited a fiscal crisis four years ago. It will be McGee’s last budget, as he is not seeking reelection in the fall.
“It is because of the city’s careful fiscal planning over the past three years and the department heads’ willingness to prudently spend during tough times that I am able to present a balanced budget for the fiscal year 2022,” McGee said.
The FY22 budget includes an $8 million investment in capital improvements — through a combination of cash capital and bonding capital projects — and includes the replacement of two fire pumpers, five police vehicles, antiquated parking technology, the replacement of seven Department of Public Works (DPW) vehicles and six vehicle replacements for other departments, irrigation replacements at Gannon Golf Course and Gallagher and Frey parks, and improvements to Fraser and Manning fields.
The budget also adds a DPW position, which will focus on keeping recreational areas litter-free and maintained; a grants manager in the city comptroller’s office; and a position in the health department.
Sean Cronin, a state-appointed fiscal stability officer for the city, said the budget includes an $11 million increase in funding to the schools — the school department’s budget is $180.7 million. Seventy-three percent of the budget is focused on city employees, with 52 percent of that amount allotted for wages and 21 percent set aside for benefits, he said.
But Cronin said a major issue he sees with the budget is that it anticipates that the city will only have to spend $30 million each for the potential new West Lynn and Pickering middle schools, which the city is seeking to build to replace the current Pickering Middle School. The city has been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) for replacement.
As a member of the MSBA board of directors, Cronin said these projects, which will cost about $100 million each, will not happen with the city only paying $30 million. The cost of school buildings now is huge, he said, explaining that with the way reimbursement rates work, the caps and additional fees will make this process difficult.
“I don’t think that two separate major school projects will cost the city $30 million each, but we will see what time shows,” Cronin said.
In 2021, McGee said his administration added budgetary commitments to ending systemic racism and promoting equity and inclusion. The results of that commitment included the hiring of the city’s first diversity, equity and inclusion officer; implementing body cameras in the police department; and moving toward an unarmed crisis response team in the city.
That commitment will continue in the FY22 budget with $500,000 built into the approved budget to further the ongoing work related to the All Lynn Emergency Response Team (ALERT), or unarmed crisis response team, initiative.
“My team and I have been meeting regularly with the Lynn Racial Justice Coalition discussing and advancing many social justice topics this year,” McGee said. “That topic has improved our community in many ways, but we have a ways to go before justice for all is reached.”
The FY22 budget also maintains the snow and ice budget to a realistic average, and directs more funding to quality-of-life programs including sidewalks, traffic lights and transportation and parking.
In total, 60 new vehicles — which McGee said are mostly fuel-efficient since Lynn has been designated a green community — have been added to the city’s fleet.
Through the Complete Streets and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the city has also unlocked the ability to access $63 million for infrastructure projects, McGee said. In addition, he said the federal American Rescue Plan is going to provide the city with about $70 million in emergency funding to provide relief and assistance to those impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting economic recession.
Each year when making the budget, McGee said his team focuses on fiscal stability, responsible spending of taxpayer dollars, taking advantage of savings through efficiencies and grant funding, fostering smart and economic growth, and ensuring access to municipal government services have been at the forefront of building each balanced budget.
This year, McGee said, the budget was built with those same pillars, noting that his administration planned the budget by keeping the importance of sustainable investments for “today and tomorrow” in mind.
“Financial footing was my No. 1 priority,” McGee said.
Under his administration, McGee said the city’s total reserve accounts have improved from $1 million available in 2018 to almost $28 million available in 2021. He also said the city’s bond rating has improved from an A- to an A with a positive outlook.
“This is a major step forward for the city,” McGee said. “My hope is that the good fiscal work and strong stewardship that has been carried out over the past four years will continue in the coming year so that our community can continue to live, work and thrive in the best of situations.”
The School Committee will be asked to vote on the $180.7 million budget proposed by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. The school budget is part of the overall city budget.
