City Council - Regular Meeting

Can I get a motion to get out of recess? Motion. Second. Is there a motion to get out of recess? Properly second. Discussion? That is none. All those in favor please say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. This is the special meeting and continuation of the Monday night meeting. which started the discussion of the fiscal year, of the budget fiscal year 2027. Just to be, if anybody, it will be repetitive, but I mean, I think in case anybody... ANYBODY AT HOME IS LISTENING, WE'RE JUST GOING TO READ THE DISCLAIMER. PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 20 OF THE ACT OF 2022, THIS MEETING WILL BE HYBRID, ALLOWING PARTICIPA

All right, this meeting, since this is a continuation, please, I know it is not required, but please join me for a moment of silence. It's always needed. Now join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Councilors, can I get a motion to allow public participation? There's a motion to allow public participation. Properly second discussion. I hear none. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. The ayes have it. No. We have one person on the list. No. Morocco, please.

Okay, motion carries. We have one person on the list for public participation. The rules for public participation are as follows. You're going to have two and a half minutes to speak. At the two-minute mark, you're going to hear a beep indicating that you still have 30 seconds. Please refer to this council as a whole. The first person that we have and the only person that we have is H. Malik. Name and address for the record, please. Thank you.

Thank you. All these names are going to be submitted for the record. Now we continue with the discussion for the fiscal year 2027 budget, the municipal budget for the City of Lawrence. Councillors, we have received information from from the Mayor of the City of Lawrence, Brian Edepena. And now we're going to expand that opportunity for the administration to present the different amendments for the fiscal year 2027. So if you mind.

Councilors, at this point we have received the amendment that it was asked and I get a motion for the purpose of discussion for the fiscal year 2027.

So there is a motion for the purpose of discussion. Been seconded by Councillor Reyes.

Discussion. Councillor Blum. Thank you. It may be a relief to know that I'm not going to offer any amendments tonight. Maybe I'm disappointing a few of you, but I'm not offering any amendments tonight. However, what I will do is this. I want to focus on three places that I think can use some improvements as we go forward in the next fiscal year. And then I want to have one comment regarding the approach that we took this year and how we got here. So number one, in being a part of the Budget and Finance Committee this year and listening to the department heads speak, and by the way, I thought i

Chancellor, any other questions? Any other comments? All right. We are going to get ready to vote on this item. Before we get ready to vote, even though we have a motion for the purpose of discussion, we need to tweak that motion a little bit into three different motions, if not four. The first motion that I'm looking for is a motion to approve the fiscal year 2027 budget for the finance department. And also for the inspection services, those two together, Councillor Rosario is going to step out for potential conflict of interest.

There's a motion in front of us, properly second.

Discussion. Real quick discussion. I don't think we said tonight yet, and someone needs to say this, that based on these cuts and based on what we're about to vote on, The folks that came here two nights ago, that bus issue has just evaporated. We are now fully funding. It hasn't been said yet. That is now being fully funded, and it is as it was this year. It's going to be again next year, and that's for those folks who really want it as a victory for them as well.

Yeah, and once we get to the general budget, we're going to bring this up to make sure people understand it. But I just don't want to confuse them with the two other votes that we've taken. Any questions, councillors, on this motion that we have in front of us? OK, I hear none. Madame Claire, please go the roll.

Yes, motion carries. So now I would like to get a motion. So now I'm looking for a motion to approve the fiscal year 2027 portion of the budget for the water and sewer department.

The motion has been made properly. Second. Miguel have a step out for the potential, because of a potential conflict of interest. Any discussions on this matter? I hear no, Madame Clerk, please call the roll.

Yes. Motion carries. So now I'm going to entertain a motion for the reminding of the fiscal year of 2027 budget, which is everything but those three that we just mentioned. So can I get an amendment on the original motion, on the underlying motion?

So this motion is for fiscal year 2027 budget. Everything else but the three departments that we just bought, which is the water and soil department, the inspection services, and also the finance department. Any discussions on this? Before we continue, it is important to recognize what Councillor LeBlanc just said a few minutes ago. It was seconded by Councillor Levy.

That was second by me. Oh, yes. Okay, I didn't hear it. So the $594,794 for the transportation issues for the Lawrence Folger School has been allocated with the cuts that it was presented by the administration and the Mayor, Brian Edepena, and the amendment was just discussed. So the issues that was brought up to, Everybody's attention here at the council all the powers that came here Thank you for showing up and presenting that issue. That was take care of hopefully the cherry cheat for the Senate budget that we take as a base is Accurate so we don't have to come back again with the same issu

The other night I was listening to my colleague from District C who was commenting regarding the transportation contract, and I thought it intrigued me because I wanted to learn more about that. Just because we have the folks here, I would like to ask at this point through you if anybody from the school department has a reaction or a comment regarding the contract that we have with, I believe it's NRT, When does expire and I just think that to my colleagues point this may be something we need to review Council thank you for your time.

I appreciate that. I appreciate your attentiveness and listening to what my colleague had to say. I support what he was trying to accomplish, and it appears successfully accomplished. We'll see what happens. I don't think that we actually have an ability to do anything with respect to that except to bring it to light. We don't vote on the contract. This is purely a school department issue. This is something that happens internally. We don't get into those kinds of details and weeds. That's not our jurisdiction, right? But our jurisdiction does, at the end of the day, when you look for the budg

Thank you very much, Mr. Cabrera. Thank you.

Before you go, Jason, I just want to say thank you for your military services. A lot of people don't recognize that because you're young.

I just want to take one last opportunity to, I appreciate the hard work of the committee. I'm part of that committee and also every department that we're here. They were here on time. They were here available to respond to any questions. There were a lot of them that were willing to provide a lot of information and that is all the departments that still need to work a little bit around that's always happened but the good thing about it is that we hear all of you and all of us we serve the city of Lawrence on different capacity and when we serve a community that is so much in need it's a collab

Yes. Morning cares. Congratulations. Mayor, you have the floor.

Motion to adjourn. There's a motion to adjourn. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye.