Mayor's Budget Includes New Positions for Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development

A little over a month after Newton voters passed an $11.4 million override package, Mayor Setti Warren has unveiled his $331 million fiscal 2014 budget, a document he says is "three and a half years in the making."

Warren handed over his budget to the aldermen last night, but decided to forego his planned remarks. Instead, Warren addressed Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line.

"I decided it would not be appropriate in light of the tragic events that took place," Warren said.

To read more about Warren's remarks last night, check out this story. A full copy of Warren's budget address remarks are included in the .pdf section to the right.

In an interview with Newton Patch last week, Warren said his budget reflects a "financially sustainable model" his team has put in place to help invest in education, public safety and capital infrastructure. 

"This budget really demonstrates where we are as a city and the direction we're going," Warren told Patch. 

With the passage of the override, Warren said the city will continue to move forward with the .

In addition, Warren said his fiscal 2014 budget will focus on environmental sustainability and building strong economic development in the city. 

Overall, the budget will add nearly 15 new positions across the city's Planning, Police, Engineering and Finance departments.

Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux clarified last week that the city is actually gaining a net total 8.4 positions in the city, which they were "able to create through attrition, not a reduction in force."

Expanding environmental sustainability

One of the budget's areas of focus, improving environmental sustainability, resulted in a new position in the Executive Department. 

The new position, an environmental sustainability director, will work with all city departments on long-term sustainability plans for the city, Chief Operating Officer Bob Rooney told Newton Patch last week.

"The reason it is in the Executive Department is because, as a director, [s/he] will be charged with moving all departments in the direction of a sustainable city," Rooney said. "It is a much broader scope."

Warren also noted that the city is saving more than $2 million a year on utility costs thanks to a deal the city made last year to procure 100 percent of its electricity from green/renewable sources.

Nevertheless, both Warren and Rooney said the city could "do more" in terms of sustainability, outside of just saving on utility costs, including moving forward with a tree planting program. 

Continued economic development

Boosting economic development in Newton is also a focus in Warren's fiscal 2014 budget, including continued work on larger projects like Chestnut Hill Square and Riverside Station, as well as filling vacant storefronts in Newton's villages.

"We want to make sure we're working to fill vacancies in the villages that we have," Warren told Patch. "We think it's important to compliment the businesses that exist in these villages with other businesses to create a strong tax base and a quality of life in those villages."

To that end, the city has beefed up the city's Planning Department with a few new positions, including an economic development director, Warren said.

The economic development director, which is actually an existing specialist position that has been "upgraded," will help with promoting the villages and vacant storefronts as well as community outreach and planning for the large-scale projects, Warren said.

"Outcome-based" budget

Warren and Lemieux explained to Patch that city officials created an "outcomes-based" budget for fiscal 2014, similar to what was done last year. This means departments started the budget process with goals, rather than numbers. 

"Our whole first set of [budget] meetings, we didn’t even talk about money," Lemieux said. "It’s all about, 'what are we doing next year?' Then you craft the whole package around what it is you want to accomplish."

The outcomes used in the budget process include: Excellence in education, unparalleled public safety, vibrant community life, improved capital infrastructure, environmental sustainability, robust economic development, long term financial sustainability and community engagement.

In addition to the "outcomes-based" budget, Warren and Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux also touted the city's work to find efficiencies and savings, including a zero-based budgeting strategy and "advance refunding" of some of the city's bonds.

Lemieux clarified that the advanced refunding is similar to refinancing a home mortgage for a lower interest rate. The recent refunding, Lemieux said, will save the city around $400,0000.

Now that the budget has officially been submitted, the Board of Aldermen will take up various departments in its subcommittees. The first budget meeting will be held tonight, April 17, with the Programs and Services Committee. The committee will meet in room 222 at 7:45 p.m. to discuss the Veterans Department, library and Historic Newton budgets.

Warren's full budget book is available on the city's website.

Correction: A typo in an earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the mayor's budget total; the correct number is $331 million.