PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council started this term with a divisive vote on a budget suggestion.

A petition from Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso on Tuesday requesting the presentation of a budget that is "close to level-funded" was approved 7-4 with President Peter White, Councilors at Large Alisa Costa and Earl Persip III, and Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre voting in opposition.

Amuso explained that during her previous terms on the School Committee and the council, approving the budget was always the worst meeting. She is stunned by tax rate increases and wants the city to take immediate action in preparation for the fiscal 2025 budget season.

"I did 10 School Committee budgets, four City Council budgets which included the schools, and when you get your budget in May and you get your book, you sit there, it's overwhelming," she said.

"And now it's a $200 million-plus budget and you're looking and going 'Maybe I'll cut $40,000 out of here, maybe I'll do $15,000 out of here.' I think in order to give some relief to the citizens of Pittsfield, we have to do more than that. What I'm trying to do here is have the mayor work with the superintendent, all the directors, managers, and quite frankly everybody that works for the city of Pittsfield if they have any ideas on what can be done, they should give them to somebody that they report to because we should be looking at everything."

Mayor Peter Marchetti pointed out that his inaugural address on Jan. 2 included a "pretty bold initiative" stating that the administration will look at ways to reduce costs. Starting next week it will begin looking at efficiency studies of all of the departments as well as policies and procedures — including trash handling and school consolidation.

"I want to be your partner. I want to look at ways of reducing costs but at the same time, I'm not going to commit to anything seven days in because reducing costs are great providing that we don't reduce services," he said.

"It's a vibrant issue with a budget and as I told Councilor Amuso, if I'm going to level fund, we're probably looking at $8 million worth of cuts in order to be able to level fund. I don't see how I can produce a level-funded budget without seriously impacting the services to the community."

Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey voted against the $205 million budget for FY24 and said he and Amuso agree about how large the increase was last year.

He pointed to a few ways that the administration could get creative with costs. One example he gave was the yearly 8 percent increase in asphalt that is needed to pave roads and therefore would have to be supplemented elsewhere.

Persip thinks that the answer is finding out where money can be saved.

"Perfect example, I'll give you one I've seen tonight. It drives me freaking crazy every time I see it. How we do our janitorial supplies. Go in one of the bathrooms. It's the biggest waste. Paper towels are super expensive and we just have paper towels not in the dispenser just laying out so people could take as much as they want," he said.

"You'd be surprised, I do this for a living as part of my day job, how much money you can save in actually putting paper towels in dispensers and using different products. All the buildings and schools we have, we can save a good chunk of change if we actually look at how we're using products like that."

He believes that the administration needs time to comprehensively look at cost savings and does not want to run the risk of cutting services, which is why he voted on opposition.

"It's a conversation that has to continue to happen because I will be honest, it happens a couple of times a year usually when the tax bills come out, when the water bills come out, and most of the time people forget about it," Persip added.

"This has been the longest I've heard people actually continue to bring it up, continue to talk about it, continue to email."

Serre said it is critical from day one that the legislative body shows the public that it is focused on fiscal constraint, as taxes have been "crippling" for many residents.

"I personally can't support this petition tonight for the sole purpose that I think it is the legislative body's responsibility to have the really difficult decisions and tough conversations and to get dirty and figure out solutions that work across the board knowing that yes, we are going to also have to follow through in November and come up with a tax rate," she said.

"I think we need to work with the mayor as a team in finding the efficiencies and the protocols and the procedures that will save the city money but I don't necessarily believe it is helpful for us to constrain the administration on day one without knowing everything that the city has to deal with and how it's going to impact us 11 months from now."

Costa agreed that it is the body's job to review the mayor's budget and make additional, "really tough" decisions.

"I find the conversation about cuts really disconcerting and I have for a long time in the city. I don't believe we can necessarily dig ourselves out of a hole," she said.

"We are far behind and a lot of our maintenance and services are a real challenge and when I was campaigning and knocking on doors, services were a big issue so I do not want to cut services. I don't want to see people looking at Pittsfield as a place where they won't get value for their tax dollars. I would love for the council and the administration to look at revenue generation differently and try to find new ways of generating that doesn't come from the taxpayers."

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren has been outspoken about making creative budget decisions, including how the city deals with nearly $42 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.

"I appreciate the fact that people want a partnership with the mayor and the City Council, which is what I've always wanted to do and I made it very clear when I first got elected," he said.

"Each part of the government has a role, we're a check and balance, we should be partners but it's interesting that we need to be putting our nose to the grindstone to make cuts when we weren't equally involved in the responsibility and the and the spending of ARPA funds which we should have been all along."

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi appreciated the flexible language in the petition.

"Councilor Amuso could have written a book on suggestions of how to go about this," she said. "And as I'm reading through the actual language of her petition, she's requesting that the mayor present a close to level-funded budget knowing that contracts need to be fulfilled and review revenue sources."

Amuso explained that she did not make the petition very specific because she heard of Marchetti's efforts in conversation with him but said the timing is critical because because "everybody has to start looking at budgets now."

Persip added that he does not disagree with his colleagues and pointed out that some residents in the city don't pay a property tax because they can't afford to own a home.

"When we're talking about cutting services and doing things we have to remember all residents, not just the taxpayer in quotation marks," he said.

"And that is important but someone has to speak up for the people that don't come to this podium and talk about the things and services they need. I think that's important."

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