CHICOPEE ? The City Council approved a $163 million budget for fiscal year 2013 that added several new positions, some part-time, to enhance the city clerk?s office, the department of public works and the planning department.
Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette and City Council President George R. Moreau said they met a number of times over the past two weeks and said both sides compromised on proposals.
The 12-0 votes on nearly all the items and the cooperative attitude between Bissonnette and city councilors was a far cry from last year when the council cut a number of positions, including the mayor?s chief of staff and his administrative assistant, and Bissonnette stormed out of the meeting. Even some of the city councilors were criticizing their colleagues for the cuts.
?The process went very well for us as far as I?m concerned. There were compromises on both sides,? Moreau said.
The City Council agreed for the first time to create a full-time city solicitor at a salary of about $75,000. Bissonnette has asked the council several times for the position and members have repeatedly rejected it. Karen T. Betournay, the city solicitor, had been working part-time heading the office for $47,000 and served as the property custodian, earning $28,000.
As part of the compromise, the City Council eliminated the property custodian job, but Councilor James K. Tillotson told Bissonnette he could return in the future if it he felt there was a need.
The City Council also eliminated the proposal to hire an environmental planner post for $48,000 but authorized a $10,000 stipend for the development manager, who earns about $46,000, so he can work extra hours with the conservation commission and on projects that involve contaminated properties.
Bissonnette said he was happy with the idea. He wanted to hire and environmental planner to take some of the work load off City Planner Catherine L. Brown and said the position made sense since so many development projects now involve contaminated land.
Bissonnette also agreed with the City Council?s request to restore a position cut several years ago in the city clerk?s office, but recommended the new clerk also work part-time to do the paperwork for the city messenger?s office.
The council agreed with the job sharing idea, calling it a compromise that made sense.
?We came up with creative ways to provide those services in new ways,? Councilor Frederick T. Krampits said.
The council also agreed to eliminate a foreman in the Department of Public works and replaced the job with two laborers who will work primarily in forestry.
?All-in-all this is a slight improvement from where we were,? Bissonnette said about the budget. ?We are almost back to where we were before the recession hit.?
The budget, which is a $5 million increase over the previous year?s spending, will guarantee free trash and recycling services will continue, the police and fire departments will be fully-staffed and class sizes will stay the same in the schools, Bissonnette said.
Source: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/chicopee_adopts_new_budget_wit.html
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