Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins has held a series of budget briefings over the past several weeks--one in each ward, sponsored by individual city councilors. Last Wednesday, April 23rd, Ward 2 Councilor Paul Spector (pictured below) hosted the Mayor at the Northampton High School. The bottom line? Schools are being held to a 2% increase, although they say they need 7% to maintain the current level of service. All department heads are being asked to make painful cuts. State aid is down. The employee health insurance contract is going out to bid, after current contractor Blue Cross-Blue Shield proposed a double-digit rate increase.
Is the Mayor going to push for a proposition 2 1/2 override this year? It certainly seems probable.
Listen in for a quick, basic take on the municipal budget.
Mayors Ward 2 Budget Briefing
No comments:
Post a Comment