NORTHAMPTON — City Councilors voted unanimously with little fanfare Thursday to give initial approval for a nearly $90 million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The Council also voted unanimously to approve $7,463,768 for the fiscal 2017 water enterprise fund budget, $6,271,872 for the sewer enterprise fund budget, $1,957,558 for the storm water enterprise fund and $588,450 for the solid waste enterprise fund. 

Councilors voted Thursday in first reading, and will take a final vote on the $89, 946, 013 budget during a special meeting in City Council chambers  at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The city’s appropriation is $84,044,076, with the rest coming from other sources including state aid.

No residents showed for the second public hearing on the budget — a point not lost on councilors. Ward 5 Councilor David Murphy called the lack of public participation a disappointment.

“I am a little disappointed that we’re about to spend $84 million without public comment, and I wish I had your confidence that it was a result of the consent of the governed and not their ambivalence,” said Murphy, who chairs the finance committee. “But please remember, during the next year if your constituents complain about anything, they weren’t here.”

Still, Murphy praised the mayor and his administration for the final product.

“I commend the mayor and the finance director for doing really good with the resources they have, and in the process raising the bond rating,” said Murphy. “This really is a job well-done.”

The budget, said Mayor David Narkewicz, fits within the multi-year sustainability plan he and his administration have laid out.

“We’ve also tried to find new revenue sources,” said Narkewicz, referencing the city’s PILOT program, a voluntary program that raises funds from local non-profits. “Fixed costs continue to grow.”

Narkewicz said unavoidable costs like health insurance and charter school tuition continue to climb.

Ward 6 Councilor Marianne LaBarge, “If the charter cap is lifted, it’s going to affect our budget very seriously.”

Council President William Dwight joined others in praising the mayor and his team for putting together a “steady, robust” budget clear of overrides and layoffs.

“And that doesn’t happen by accident,” said Dwight. “It happens by design and craft.”

Ryan O’Donnell said the budget speaks positively about the state of the city’s economy.

“There has been growth in Northampton that has been to the benefit of the services we provide,” he said, calling the new growth “one of the strongest features of the budget.”

Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.