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Pittsfield Council Preliminarily OKs Last of FY25 Budgets
By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:55PM / Wednesday, June 05, 2024
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council preliminarily approved the last five departmental budgets with unanimous votes last Thursday.

The final vote on the $215,955,210 spending plan — which includes a $200,000 cut to the schools — will be taken on June 11.  

The FY25 budget is a 5 percent increase from the previous year. Though a January petition asking for a close-to-level-funded budget was initially a stressor for Mayor Peter Marchetti in his first month of office, he said it was a good thing.

"The Jan. 9th petition to create chaos in my world about developing a budget was actually a good thing," he said. "Because I got to go about doing the budget, trying to make cuts, and I got to say, 'If you don't like it, blame the City Council. That's their directive.'"

The Pittsfield Police Department's nearly $15 million budget generated the most conversation, including an unsuccessful attempt to reduce the Shotspotter and body camera line by $250,000. Other departments were supported with little or no discussion.

Councilors also preliminarily passed several orders from Marchetti:

  • To appropriate $2.5 million from free cash to reduce the FY25 tax rate
  • To borrow an aggregate sum not exceeding $10,192,500 for FY25 general fund capital expenditures
  • To borrow an aggregate sum not exceeding $7,700,000 for FY25 enterprise fund capital expenditures
  • To appropriate and transfer $234,000 from the public works stabilization fund to the Department of Public Services for new equipment
  • To authorize the use and expenditure of the city's current reviving funds for FY25
  • To appropriate $249,600 for parking-related expenditures for FY25

Budget deliberations DAY 1
Budget deliberations DAY 2
Budget deliberations DAY 3

Police

The Pittsfield Police Department budget of $14,998,410 is a $633,737, or 4.41 percent, increase from the previous year.  It was preliminarily approved after surviving one proposal for a reduction.  

Councilor at Large Earl Persip III felt it was a solid budget and one of the better ones that the police have produced. He pointed out that the department made cuts in areas that were not fully spent in the past, adding, "I thank you for doing your due diligence with your budget."

"Your budget gets criticized a lot and I've criticized it in the past and I will gladly criticize it again if I think it needs it but I'm not going to do it just to do it," he said.

Persip asked if Chief Thomas Dawley was comfortable with the budget, which triggered a round of laughter from the crowd.

"I'm not comfortable but we will make it work somehow," Dawley said.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren motioned to reduce the line that deals with ShotSpotter by $250,000, as he feels that it is a luxury and may not be the most confident for providing data in court.

Dawley explained that there have been 40 activations this year that are sometimes false positives "but typically if we get a call for ShotSpotter there's evidence of a shooting." He feels it is "very effective" and pointed to a situation that occurred on Onota Street a couple of days prior when a gunshot was picked up from a man having a mental health episode.

Warren was the only vote in favor of the reduction. Other councilors see it as a useful tool and some are willing to review the data to determine its effectiveness but are not ready to do away with it.
 

Account Name 2021 Approval 2022 Approval 2023 Approval 2024 Approval 2025 Approval
Police Chief $127,034 $133,491 $143,503 $150,678 $178,102
Police Captains $352,266 $366,548 $372,046 $434,538 $604,371
Police Lieutenants $696,319 $712,548 $731,762 $868,191 $875,811
Police Sergeants $1,223,386 $1,236,564 $1,403,359 $1,859,250 $1,828,734
Safety Officer $67,511 $72,750 $75,242 $90,959 $105,114
Detectives $634,091 $643,602 $649,597 $770,761 $830,839
Patrol Officers $4,187,207 $4,182,428 $4,221,188 $4,881,175 $5,206,274
Mechanic $56,733 $58,672 $59,552 $63,712 $66,867
Traffic Enforcement $0 $0 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
Drug Enforcement $215,000 $248,685 $252,415 $296,335 $256,335
Dispatchers $573,049 $599,046 $634,552 $659,085 $713,417
Animal Control Officer $66,398 $71,131 $67,009 $58,962 $70,913
Special Response Team $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000
Custodian $44.53 $46,032 $51,557 $58,479 $63,216
Finance and Admin Manager $68,591 $72,433 $77,865 $84,211 $88,422
Exe. Admin Assist & Police Chief Ass $83,416 $99,772 $85,946 $90,836 $104,903
Limited Duty Officer $0 $0 $23,200 $0 $0
Senior Clerk Typist $72,837 $75,327 $78,473 $75,404 $81,315
Animal Control Comm Clerk $1,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,200 $2,200
Matrons $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,750 $15,750
Temporary Labor $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $11,000 $7,000
Special Investigation OT $60,000 $60,000 $60,900 $71,497 $71,497
Special Events OT $70,000 $50,000 $50,750 $59,581 $59,581
Scheduled Overtime $1,275,000 $1,275,500 $1,294,125 $1,519,303 $1,419,303
Dispatchers OT $110,000 $110,000 $111,650 $116,116 $116,116
Crime Analyst $56,165 $58,902 $63,320 $64,976 $74,067
Community Outreach OT $12,500 $12,500 $12,688 $14,896 $14,896
In Service $70,000 $70,000 $113,000 $118,000 $135,500
Contracted Services $85,000 $85,000 $85,000 $0 $0
Grants Administrator $0 $0 - - $69,000
Shotspotter $240,000 $240,000 $204,750 $510,000 $483,000
Animal Control Testing Fees $200 $200 $200 $220 $220
Uniforms $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $33,000 $31,500
Computer license/Support - $162,712 $197,000 $287,533 $287,533
Social Worker and Co Responder - - - $210,368 $217,241
Maintenance/Support $239,600 $92,888 $92,888 $100,000 $125,000
Police Education $15,000 $45,000 $45,000 $49,500 $49,500
Shipping/Postage $500 $500 $500 $550 $550
Printing $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,200 $2,200
K9 Care and Supplies $8,000 $10,000 $12,500 $13,750 $15,125
Office Supplies $11,000 $11,000 $11,000 $12,100 $13,310
Drug Enforcement Expenses $16,800 $16,800 $16,800 $18,840 $20,328
Ammunition $30,000 $40,000 $40,000 $44,000 $49,000
Special Investigation Expenses $6,500 $6,500 $6,500 $6,825 $7,508
Care of Prisoners $14,000 $14,000 $14,000 $15,400 $15,400
Custodial Supplies $10,000 $19,000 $10,000 $11,000 $15,000
Equipment $95,000 $95,000 $110,000 $110,000 $121,500
Fleet Maintenance $65,000 $65,000 $65,000 $65,000 $71,500
Contractual Allowances $177,000 $168,000 $168,000 $243,000 $190,000
Total $11,324,229 $11,516,231 $11,927,437 $14,364,673 $14,998,410

 

Department of Public Services

The Department of Public Services Budget of $11,382,122 is a $286,559, or 2.58 percent, increase from the previous year. It was preliminarily approved with no discussion.
 

Account Name 2021 Approval 2022 Approval 2023 Approval 2024 Approval 2025 Approval
Commissioner of Public Service $47,406 $51,794 $55,702 $60,242 $62,110
Business Manager - $40,000 $42,251 $45,362 $47,631
City Engineer $85,593 $43,235 $47,407 $44,364 $46,583
Office Manager $50,838 $51,601 $53,149 $57,294 $60,426
Traffic Superintendent $65,711 $65,000 $66,950 $66,002 $69,610
Highway Superintendent $69,066 $72,174 $74,339 $74,567 $77,588
ROW Inspector - $45,000 $46,350 $59,664 $62,903
Traffic Maintenance Person $38,024 $38,024 $39,165 $39,100 $41,055
Highway Maintenance Craftsman $249,304 $302,950 $381,759 $328,005 $342,169
Highway Maintenance Person - $70,000 $72,100 $80,188 $85,802
Parking Garage Manager $57,798 $60,399 $62,211 $70,529 $73,529
Parking Control Officers $72,140 $75,386 $77,648 $76,300 $80,115
Administrative Assistant $83,743 $86,088 $88,671 $91,950 $99,536
Fleet Manager $60,896 $63,636 $65,545 $70,186 $74,023
Working Foreman $56,751 $59,305 $61,084 $122,698 $125,993
Motor Equipment Repairman $243,515 $254,473 $262,107 $270,000 $283,500
MEO-2 $51,933 $54,270 $55,898 $45,646 $47,965
Parks Craftsman $36,412 $76,100 $80,100 $86,864 $90,159
Custodian $33,822 $35,344 $36,404 $37,004 $38,855
Signal Maintainer $0 $0 $0 $55,000 $0
Park Maintenance Men $158,847 $207,494 $360,000 $328,700 $335,284
Parks Foreman - $50,000 $54,000 $59,644 $62,903
Park Maintenance Superintendent $64,267 $67,159 $69,174 $67,817 $71,524
Seasonal Labor $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $45,000 $45,000
Scheduled Overtime $200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $150,000 $150,000
Snow/Ice Overtime $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $200,000 $200,000
Equipment Operators $252,457 $281,289 $260,604 $327,937 $340,959
Contractual Services $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $55,750 $50,000
Contractual Allowances $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $29,000 $35,000
Traffic Signal Maintenance $150,000 $150,000 $130,000 $130,000 $150,000
Utilities $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 $40,250 $50,000
Street Lighting $250,000 $200,000 $200,000 $230,000 $280,000
Maintenance $100,000 $150,000 $150,000 $172,500 $170,000
Maintenance of School Fields $20,000 $20,000 $40,000 $44,000 $44,000
Garage Maintenance $200,000 $220,000 $220,000 $220,000 $242,000
Rental Expense $73,000 $75,000 $70,000 $75,000 $80,000
Repairs - Streets $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $345,000 $350,000
Streetscape Maintenance $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $80,000
Solid Waste Collection $1,800,000 $1,950,000 $2,242,500 $2,500,000 $2,420,000
Solid Waste Disposal $1,350,000 $1,790,000 $2,058,500 $2,500,000 $2,100,000
Solid Waste Recycle $187,000 $180,000 $182,888 $200,000 $600,000
Household Haz Waste Collection $6,000 $6,000 $6,000 $0 $0
Landfill Monitoring $70,000 $150,000 $150,000 $165,000 $170,000
Winter Operations $700,000 $700,000 $700,000 $700,000 $700,000
Professional Services $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $22,250 $25,000
Garage Supplies $13,000 $20,000 $20,000 $22,000 $26,400
Office Supplies $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $11,000 $17,000
Maintenance of Parks $110,000 $110,000 $110,000 $121,000 $120,000
Gasoline and Diesel Oil $300,000 $330,000 $400,000 $400,000 $460,000
Tree Operations $85,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $120,000
Equipment $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $17,500 $17,500
Highway and Traffic Supplies $32,000 $32,000 $36,000 $40,000 $60,000
Total $8,076,388 $9,050,721 $9,970,506 $11,095,563 $11,382,122

 

DPU Water Treatment

The water treatment budget of $6,544,196 is a $344,458, or 5.56 percent, increase from the previous year. It was preliminarily approved with no discussion.

Account Name 2021 Approval 2022 Approval 2023 Approval 2024 Approval 2025 Approval
Commissioner of Public Utilities $23,703 $25,897 $27,851 $30,121 $31,055
Business Manager - $20,000 $21,126 $22,681 $23,816
City Engineer - $21,618 $23,704 $22,182 $23,292
Water Superintendent $70,813 $66,257 $68,244 $73,567 $77,588
Administrative Assistant $20,606 $21,491 $22,135 $27,135 $25,858
Working Foreman $63,991 $55,194 $56,850 $61,284 $64,633
Working Foreman/ Mach Repairman - - $50,000 $59,810 $62,903
Sr. Civil Engineer $32,875 $33,368 $34,369 $37,050 $39,075
Wtr./Swr. Maintenance Person $184,117 $188,532 $194,188 $208,034 $206,373
GIS Coordinator $32,875 $33,368 $34,369 $37,050 $39,075
Water Mach. Repairman $89,518 $85,990 $88,570 $150,000 $139,587
Chief TPO Non-Shift $63,991 $66,737 $68,739 $127,763 $134,746
TPO Non-Shift $266,646 $351,786 $362,340 $234,261 $247,025
Meter Reader $42,477 $42,656 $43,936 $45,843 $47,997
Seasonal Labor $38,400 $40,000 $30,000 $25,000 $25,000
Overtime $95,000 $95,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000
Contractual Allowances $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $12,650 $15,000
Utilities $375,000 $375,000 $300,000 $400,000 $400,000
Taxes $160,000 $160,000 $160,000 $178,000 $200,000
Maintenance $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000
Contractual Services $230,000 $230,000 $230,000 $295,000 $295,000
Professional Services $250,000 $250,000 $230,000 $200,000 $200,000
Supplies $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 $30,000 $30,000
Chemicals $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 $800,000 $800,000
Maturing Debt $1,167,208 $1,111,682 $1,202,054 $1,301,813 $1,576,909
Interest on Debt $535,041 $539,453 $553,364 $771,060 $845,146
Short-term Debt Issuance $120,000 $200,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Debt Issuance Cost $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000
Allocation to General Fund $930,441 $845,253 $659,578 $609,434 $529,118
Total $5,472,703 $5,614,281 $5,216,417 $6,199,738 $6,544,196

 

DPU Waste Water

The waste water budget of $10,977,109 is a $16,583, or 0.15 percent, decrease from the previous year.  It was preliminarily approved with little discussion.

Account Name 2021 Approval 2022 Approval 2023 Approval 2024 Approval 2025 Approval
Commissioner of Public Works $23,703 $25,897 $27,851 $30,121 $31,055
Sewer Superintendent $72,760 $75,882 $78.16 $84,254 $88,860
Business Manager - $20,000 $21,126 $22,681 $23,816
City Engineer - $21,618 $23,704 $22,182 $23,292
Administrative Assistant $20,606 $21,491 $22,136 $27,135 $25,858
Work Foreman Water Machine Repairmen $56,041 $58,271 $60,019 $64,701 $68,237
Sr. Civil Engineer $32,875 $33,368 $34,369 $37,050 $39,075
Chemist $65,750 $66,737 $68,739 $74,100 $78,150
GIS Coordinator $32,875 $33,368 $34,369 $37,050 $39,075
Water Machine Repairmen $176,975 $188,200 $193,846 $189,181 $192,082
Lab Technicians $87,092 $90,680 $93,400 $107,756 $112,946
Chief TPO Shift $57,410 $59,874 $61,670 $66,478 $70,113
Head TPO Shift $531,050 $596,365 $614,256 $652,990 $640,299
TPO Shift $139,629 $134,117 $138,141 $176,656 $171,845
Head TPO Float Shift $49,972 $50,653 $51,173 $0 $0
Electrician $57,410 $59,874 $61,670 $61,670 $65,000
Seasonal Labor $38,400 $40,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000
Overtime $95,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000
Contractual Allowances $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $16,200 $15,000
Utilities $700,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000 $1,200,000
Chemical Process $300,000 $580,000 $600,000 $1,000,000 $900,000
Maintenance $250,000 $250,000 $300,000 $330,000 $330,000
Sludge Handling $400,000 $803,300 $812,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Contractual Services $100,000 $90,000 $90,000 $80,000 $80,000
Professional Services $200,000 $150,000 $150,000 $180,000 $130,000
Supplies $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $30,000 $30,000
Maturing Debt $1,198,215 $2,918,281 $3,132,721 $3,444,505 $3,648,570
Interest on Debt $786,220 $1,732,744 $1,007,759 $1,044,340 $1,026,490
Debt Issuance Costs $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $15,000 $15,000
Short-term Debt Interest $200,500 $200,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Allocation to the General Fund $1,009,310 $997,530 $906,709 $819,642 $752,346
Total $6,741,794 $10,658,249 $10,024,816 $10,993,692 $10,977,109

 

Sewer Enterprise

The sewer enterprise budget of $1,008,169 is a $6,013, or 0.60 percent, increase from the previous year.  It was preliminarily approved with no discussion.

Account Name 2021 Approval 2022 Approval 2023 Approval 2024 Approval 2025 Approval
Working Foreman $55,874 $56,712 $58,413 $62,969 $66,411
Wtr./Swr. Maintenance Persons $185,928 $177,896 $183,233 $181,831 $197,224
Wtr./Swr. Laborer - $75,000 $77,250 $81,356 $84,534
Overtime $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Contractual Allowances $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $6,000 $10,000
Utilities $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 $35,000 $40,000
Maintenance $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $45,000 $50,000
Stormwater Services $30,000 $100,000 $100,000 $80,000 $80,000
Contractual Services $400,000 $400,000 $400,000 $350,000 $350,000
Mains and Manhole Supplies $15,000 $100,000 $100,000 $110,000 $80,000
Total $816,802 $1,039,608 $1,048,896 $1,002,156 $1,008,169

 

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