The Fall River City Council has voted 6-2 to reject Mayor Paul Coogan’s $349 million FY2022 city budget.
Sitting last night as the finance committee, the vote took place at the conclusion of a series of budget meetings with the administration and city department heads. Councilors Shawn Cadime, Michelle Dionne, Pam Laliberte Lebeau, Trott Lee, Christopher Peckham and President Cliff Ponte voted to reject the budget. Councilors Leo Pelletier and Linda Pereira voted no. Councilor Brad Kilby was not in attendance attending to a family matter.
Prior to the vote, Interim City Administrator Timothy McCoy argued that the spending plan is fiscally sound, meeting the minimum needs of the city government.
Councilors who voted to reject the spending plan admit that many departments are understaffed and need support. But they are concerned that the city continues to rely on state and federal money and other one-time allocations instead of planning to become more self-sufficient.
The budget will be sent back to the mayor for changes. The council has a meeting scheduled for June 29 to address the budget if amended by the administration. The administration may seek the council’s vote on a one-month budget but may need approval from the state Department of Revenue to do so.
If no budget is agreed upon by July 1, the city government may be forced to shut down.
Video courtesy Fall River Government Television
Comments are closed.