NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council will be deciding on a proposed $52 million budget for fiscal year 2026, a 7 percent increase from the previous year. 

 

The anticipated budget is projected is up about $3.4 million, largely driven by material expenses, wages, and insurance.

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey plans to use $2 million from the stabilization account to balance it; this will leave about $1.5 million in the account. 

 

Most line items are near or level funded, with wages increased 3 percent across the board. 

 

The Veterans Services budget is expected to increase by $4,924, bringing its total to $421,160. The director's salary is anticipated at $50,269 and the administrative assistant's  $43,037.

 

"Nothing really changes until we get down to veterans' benefits, and that is just a true accounting change for our payrolls for our benefits that we're granting to veterans," Macksey said. "We've unfortunately have lost veterans over the last year, and we haven't added. So, that is just really, trimming and trending the payroll." 

 

Finance Committee member Lisa Blackmer suggested the district director's salary be reconsidered when reviewing grades next year. Macksey said this is something she will make note of. 

 

The city gets reimbursed for the services the department provides to other towns. 

 

The mayor clarified a salary line item totaling $124,862 in the $463,788 library budget which reflects an 11 percent increase for three positions.

 

"I just want to compliment them. The programming has definitely been enhanced, you see them doing a lot more than just what people think a library does," said City Councilor Keith Bona. 

 

Library Director Veronica Clark runs a "really great operation," and like everything else, supply costs have increased, Macksey said. 

 

"There was a median request for audiobooks, general library materials for the youth, and electronic resources. So, while she does as much as she can, she does a great job at monitoring her budget, and those increases are just reflective around operating costs and needs of the library."

 

The Public Services Administration budget, totaling $262,420, is comprised of $223,920 in salaries and $38,500 in expenses. The salary increase an adjustment to reflect a 40-hour work week for the commissioner and assistant superintendent. 

 

The seasonal workers are being regraded to a PT6A with an increased hourly rate to $18 to attract more workers. The principal clerk at $57,337 is being regraded to an S20A increase because the position functions as a business manager.

 

The engineering budget, solely comprised of contractual services, has requested a $25,000 increase to the total budget of $100,000. This is to cover the cost of environmental consultants not covered by grants, boundary work, and studies for walls, such as the Walnut Street area. 

 

"We are running a special on retaining walls that just fall down, and then there's a question whether they're our walls or they belong to the property owners," the mayor said. 

 

There was a question about whether hiring an in-house engineer would reduce costs. The city had three engineers in the past. However, some work requires specialized contracted services, such as the environmental portion. A shared position with Adams was considered last year but didn't materialize, Macksey said.

 

This year, the engineering budget was overspent by approximately $75,000, for a total spend of $150,000, Macksey said. Considering what was overspent, committee Chair Ashley Shade questioned whether more should be allocated.  

 

"We looked at what we think we're going to be able to accomplish in the next year. So, the thought was that the $100,000 was appropriate, but I will say that things come up. Emergencies happen," for example, a wall collapsed on Winter Street, Macksey said. 

 

The highway budget of $ 1,416,250 includes an increase of $ 179,923 toward contracted salaries and costs related to building maintenance, tree removal and storms and flooding. 

 

"We've kind of stabilized the melt — and when I say that I mean losing people to other communities because of wages — but we are still having problems getting new people in the door. So that is an ongoing discussion that we're having," Macksey said. 

 

The Water Department budget of $495,434, an increase of $104,674 or 26.79 percent solely because of salaries to cover contractual pay increases and the hiring of two additional positions, aimed at improving efficiency.

 

The Hoosac Water Quality District Assessment is projected at $1976,264, an increase of $6,801, or 0.35 percent, because of increases in operational expenses.

 

In March, Hoosac Water Quality District Chief Operator Brad Furlon informed the Williamstown Finance Committee that North Adams and Williamstown may face higher sewer fees if the state ends a 40-year-old composting program.

 

The North Adams Finance Committee got the same update from Lescarbeau, who highlighted the uncertainty around when these increases will hit the city. More information here.