PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has set an early schedule for the budgeting process this year.

 

Mayor Linda Tyer says she is requesting the School Department to adopt a budget before May 1 and submit it the next day. She plans on bringing the city's budget, including the School Department's, to the City Council the second Tuesday in May. 

 

Last year, the council's budget hearings took place in mid-June. The earlier schedule brings a bit more leeway for the council to adopt or change budgets before the July 1 start of the fiscal year. The council scheduled hearings over a two-week period last year. In total, a lengthy 22 hours or so were put into the budget by the council.

 

Tyer hopes to have the budget adopted by mid-June at the very latest this time.

 

The crafting of the budget has already begun. Tyer has met with all of the department heads and is asking for their budget requests by Feb. 15. She plans on calling a summit with all department heads to discuss their requests. 

 

Tyer said she is not a fan of asking department heads to cut by a certain percentage but did ask them to look closely at areas of reduction. She also asked for them to consider any "strategic investments" that could mean upfront costs now but savings down the road.

 

 At this point, the mayor says it is too early to talk about any expectations for where the numbers will ultimately come in. 

 

On Tuesday, the city held its annual meeting of the School Committee, City Council, and financial experts  required under the city charter. During that meeting, the auditor and a representative from the University of Massachusetts' Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management said the city has some fiscal challenges ahead especially when it comes to the tax levy ceiling. 

 

City Councilor Kathleen Amuso called on the School Committee and the City Council to bring a budget before the council with minimal impacts to the tax rate. Expecting a difficult budget season, the School Committee is considering putting a moratorium on rehiring for vacant positions and is already bracing for possible layoffs.

 

The charter also calls for a capital improvement program, which Tyer created last year and which the administration will be working on updating in time for the budget hearings. Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood said on Tuesday that is in the process "as we speak."

 

Kerwood says he still has concerns about particular overages in some departments in the current budget. But he says there should be enough room to cover any deficits without having to dip into reserves. 

 

"It is our expectation to not come before you with requests to use reserves to fund line-item deficits," Kerwood said. 

 

One deficit is in snow and ice removal; it is often overspent because it is the only line item the state allows deficit spending in. Another deficit is in benefits conversion, Kerwood said, which is in the unclassified budget. That line pays for employees who cash in on unused paid time off when they leave employment.

 

But overall, Kerwood said, "we are trending where we should be in terms of most line items."