Additional Funding for Schools, Library and Zoning in FY24 Budget Over $400K in Funding to be Allocated to Meet Structural Needs and Enhance Programming and Services

 Wed, Jun 14 at 3:18 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 14, 2023

Contact: Steve Smirti, Communications Director (ssmirti@medford-ma.gov), 781-885-4296

 

Mayor Lungo-Koehn Administration Reallocates Additional Funding for Schools, Library and Zoning in FY24 Budget

Over $400K in Funding to be Allocated to Meet Structural Needs and Enhance Programming and Services

 

(MEDFORD)—Over $400,000 in funding has been reallocated by the administration to fulfill core needs as highlighted by the City Council during budget hearings for the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced.

 

The money, leveraged from a surplus of funding available in the Highway Department, will be invested across the School Department, Library and Legislative budgets and will be used to address key needs that were a priority of department heads, the City Council and Mayor.

 

“When devising the FY24 budget and after submitting to the City Council earlier than usual, I knew there were areas that would need additional investments, specifically our schools which had yet to finalize its operating budget at the time,” Mayor Lungo-Koehn said. “After meeting with department heads and communicating with the City Council, I tasked our Finance Director with identifying potential opportunities in the budget where funding could be adjusted and deployed to other prioritized areas. I am relieved that after careful review of each line in the budget, we were able to identify an area we could adjust and work with our departments and the City Council to address the needs of our community. Through collaboration with all departments, City Council, and the school committee and with the careful review by the city’s chief financial officer we hope that the budget process will be complete with an affirmative vote on June 20^th.”

 

The highlights of this funding allocation are as follows:

• $51,000 to the Legislative Department to fund the Council’s Zoning Reform initiatives
• $87,000 to the Library for library books and periodicals
• $200,000 to the School Department

 

“As the budget process has unfolded, and as we have learned of the requests from the City Council, I reviewed the budget in its entirety this week and based on my review, I feel the only place we can pull from is the snow and ice budget deficit,” Finance Director Bob Dickinson said. “I tend to err on the conservative side when crafting a budget, especially one as complex and comprehensive as this, but I am confident that this is a financially sound use of our funding.”

 

The City Council will meet on June 20 at 7 p.m. to vote on the FY24 budget.

 

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Steve Smirti

Director of Communications | Office of Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn

Medford City Hall

85 George P Hassett Dr, Medford, MA 02155

781-393-2529 (office)

781-885-4296 (mobile)

ssmirti@medford-ma.gov

www.medfordma.org

Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable under the Massachusetts Public Records Law and its regulations. *Please consider the environment before printing this email.* 

 

Please note: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts considers most electronic communications to and from public employees to be public records and disclosable under the Massachusetts Public Records Law and its regulations. *Please consider the environment before printing this email.* 

• FY24 Budget Allocation Release.pdf

  152kB