WESTFIELD—A possible reduction in the city’s budget and a possible discussion on the impact of opioids on the community and potential for legal action are among the items on this Thursday’s City Council agenda.
The City Council will meet Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., with communications from Mayor Brian Sullivan beginning at 6:30 p.m. in City Council chambers at City Hall. Among the items listed on the agenda will include a budgetary reduction from Sullivan, several items from the Legislative and Ordinance Committee and a question of legal action from the city related to opioids and pharmaceutical companies.
First on the agenda, in “Communications from the Mayor,” Sullivan is expected to transfer funds from what he called a health insurance holiday that occurred, to a few other accounts in the city.
Westfield City Council (WNG file photo)
“This is the health insurance holiday that was given in October which, because of the health of our employees, allowed us to save $600,000” in the health insurance budget, according to Sullivan. The city is self-insured, Sullivan said, and funds go into a trust for health insurance annually, but if they are not used then the remaining money can go back to the city.
Of that money, Sullivan said $100,000 each is going into the city’s stabilization fund and OPEB, while the remaining $400,000 is expected to go toward Sullivan’s third item in his communications, an appropriation reduction of almost $1.572 million toward the FY 2018 budget.
“By reducing appropriation…that money doesn’t need to be raised for the levy limit,” Sullivan said.
Other items that contributed to the reduction, according to Sullivan, include strategies taken with personnel in the city.
Also in “Communications,” Sullivan is expected to appropriate $125,000 from the stabilization fund to assist in purchasing a total of five police vehicles. He said that the city was already going to purchase at least two vehicles for the department, but accidents involving police vehicles increased the amount of vehicles needed.
The money is only a portion of the cost, Sullivan noted, with the rest coming from trade-in of the vehicles and insurance money back.
Finally, an appropriation of funds is expected from the PEG account for the eventual construction of a television studio at Westfield Technical Academy for community television, according to Sullivan.
In “Reports of City Officers,” the only item is the order from City Clerk Karen Fanion for the city election to be officially held Nov. 7, with polling locations also expected to be announced, according to At-Large Councilor and Council President Brent Bean.
In “Petitions, Remonstrances and Other Papers,” two items are expected to come before the council. The first is for a request related to a change to a special permit for Western Mass Demolition Corporation on Medeiros Way. According to Bean, the change is related to activity being done on the property and that this is to be certain that this will fit with zoning.
The second item is a public hearing for the proposed zoning amendment related to lighting. The amendment was previously OKed by the city’s planning board.
In “Reports of Committees,” a majority of the expected items come from the council’s Legislative and Ordinance (L&O) Committee, which is expected to meet the day of the meeting. These items are expected to be addressed there, Bean said.
From L&O, a position of media systems specialist, which was part of a previous request from Sullivan, is expected to be addressed. Also, the possible transition of private ways to public ways in the city, parking in front of the former Main Street Senior Center and a resolution for the creation of an Economic Opportunity Area on Turnpike Industrial Road are also expected to be discussed.
Also from L&O, the transfer of care and custody of a pump station on Montgomery Road to the city from the School Department is expected to be addressed, as well as the request from Sullivan previously for the rescinding of unused bond orders. Finally, L&O is expected to address the permission of the use of a portion of funds up to $400,000 for traffic light improvements on Springfield Road.
One item is expected from the council’s License Committee, which is for a junk collector’s and junk dealer’s license for Black Hole Guitars on North Road.
From the City Properties Committee under “Reports of Committees,” several items are expected. This committee, like L&O, meets the same day as, but prior to, the City Council meeting.
The first item expected is related to snow removal on Western Avenue. According to Bean, this is in relation to the 8-foot to 10-foot sidewalk along Western Avenue that is expected to be put in place after the Western Avenue improvements. The council is seeking a legal opinion from the city’s law department related to expectations from residents to maintain the walkway.
Also from the City Properties Committee, it is expected that they will receive feedback from the law department related to naming a pocket park in the city’s Downtown Core District after late City Councilor Barbara Swords.
Other items that may be addressed include the expected transfer of ownership for the Church Street property that was formerly Romani’s Bowling Alley be transferred from the city to Off-Street Parking Commission, as well as the move of the Fire Commission meetings to the Little River Road Fire Station.
In “Unfinished Business,” there is an expected continued public hearing scheduled for the Mobile Store Operators on East Main Street, who are applying for a junk dealer’s license in the city.
Finally, three items are expected to be addressed in “Motions, Orders or Resolutions” during Thursday’s meeting.
The first two on this portion of the agenda are related to the medical district zoning’s public hearing that occurred, according to Bean. The public hearing was left open Bean said, to allow for comments during the proposal’s discussion while it is in the council’s committees, which he said “is a first.”
Bean said that the council is seeking opinion from the law department on the matter.
“Some discussion about process here,” Bean said.
The final expected agenda item on the night is from At Large Councilor Steve Dondley, who is requesting that L&O look into possible legal action against manufacturers and distributors of opioids due to “the impacts and burdens the opioid crisis has placed” on several services and departments in the city, according to the agenda.
“Other communities across the Commonwealth are doing similar,” Bean said. “If there is going to be an avenue to do such a thing then we want to do it correctly and timely.”
