EASTHAMPTON — Mayor Nicole LaChapelle unveiled her proposed $41.5 million city budget for fiscal year 2019 this week, in a new document format she calls “revolutionary.”
In contrast to previous years’ budgets, which showed “just the numbers,” LaChapelle said, the new budget format delves into each section of City Hall, from the mayor’s office to human resources to city clerk, including for each a mission statement, an organizational overview, accomplishments, trends, goals and objectives, as well as the proposed budget for 2019.
The proposed $41,485,530 budget is a 2.92 percent increase from former mayor Karen Cadiuex’s $40,307,360 budget for the current fiscal year ending on June 30.
“We have significantly changed the format of the budget in the hopes of building out a fiscal forecasting plan as well as a multiyear capital improvement plan, which will be the first of its kind for the city of Easthampton,” LaChapelle told the City Council while presenting the budget Wednesday night.
LaChapelle said the new format is based on a model from the Government Financial Officials Association, which she said presents critical city information in a transparent and accessible way for both municipal leadership and the people of Easthampton.
The model incorporates guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and best practices on budgeting from the association, LaChapelle said.
A fiscal forecasting plan, one of the goals of LaChapelle’s proposed budget, presents estimated information based on past, current and projected financial conditions that can help identify future trends that may influence strategic goals, government policies or community services, according to the association.
LaChapelle’s goal of creating a capital improvement plan is also based on a recommendation from the Government Financial Officials Association, which suggests creating a plan for at least three years, preferably five or more.
A capital improvement plan is a community planning tool that coordinates capital projects and equipment purchases, identifies options to finance the plan and lays out a schedule.
With the new budget format, LaChapelle said she wants to move away from “it’s good enough for Easthampton” and toward, “is it good enough for Easthampton?”
A newly created section of LaChapelle’s budget lists major changes that have occurred in government departments in the last year. The document states that many of the proposed budget increases are “due to the reorganization and centralization of services to provide more compressive services to city employees as well as increase services to the public.”
Among the changes listed are the implementation of a new external payroll system, centralization of collections for water and sewer fees and centralizing human resources to consolidate payroll services.
The proposed budget for the city planning department shows a 3.34 percent increase to reflect reorganization of office staff, including the hiring of a new city planner, a grants coordinator position left vacant after a retirement, the hiring of a part-time conservation agent and an increase to the assistant planner position.
“The FY2019 budget represents a new beginning and the concentrated efforts of my administration to uphold transparency and efficiency at City Hall,” LaChapelle wrote in the mayor’s message of the budget. “Now, more than ever is the time to give Easthampton the fighting chance it deserves.”
The School Department submitted its own $17.2 million budget for fiscal year 2019 two weeks ago, which shows a 1.8 percent spending increase from the current fiscal year.
As per the city charter, the City Council will hold a public hearing and must act on the mayor’s budget within 45 days.
LaChapelle presented hard copies to the City Council at Wednesday’s meeting to show council members the “dramatic structure change” of her budget.
She said she plans to place 15 physical copies at the city clerk’s office, with the council on aging and at the city library, as well as in other places in the community for the public to view. An online version of the full document is available on the city website at www.easthampton.org.
The budget will now go before the Finance Subcommittee for review. LaChapelle is expected to discuss the budget before the subcommittee on April 25 at 5 p.m.
M.J. Tidwell can be reached at mjtidwell@gazettenet.com.