🔨 Sisitsky Releases Budget Based on 2.5% Tax Increase
Overview of the FY25 Budget | Council Meeting Preview | One of Our Teachers Needs your Vote! | Community Events | The Civic Week Ahead
Happy Small Business Week, Framingham! Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. One way to help celebrate our small businesses is to go to one you’ve never been to before. Check out one of the many places in Downtown Framingham, for example. There is plenty to explore in our vibrant downtown!
The Earth Day Festival was a great time on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Friends of Framingham Trails and Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Trails Committee tent. It was great to meet so many of you!
Mayor Sisitsky released his budget on Friday. This week I’m giving a preview. We’ll dive into it in the coming weeks.
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Sisitsky Releases Budget with Tax Increase
It’s budget time, folks: Mayor Charlie Sisitsky released his Fiscal Year 2025 budget as part of Tuesday night’s Council meeting agenda. The budget is #17 on the lengthy agenda for a referral to the Finance Subcommittee.
“A significant challenge”: Discussions surrounding the budget for the last several months hinted it would be tough due to revenue issues. In the budget memo, Acting Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Pratt writes: “The FY2025 budget presented a significant challenge to prioritize resource allocation and meet essential needs within a limited revenue landscape. With constrained revenue, infrastructure maintenance, public services, community development, education, healthcare and public safety all face tough decisions.”
4.4% spending increase: The recommended budget is $359,040,477, an increase of $15 million, 4.4% over FY2024.
Property tax increased by 2.5%: This budget is based on the property tax levy at 2.5%, providing a revenue increase of $5.3 million over the previous year. Property taxes make up 60.9% of the city’s revenue.
What does the increase mean for me?: The average home value in Framingham is $600,895. That tax bill will increase by $186. Breakdown of this year and previous year’s tax bills:
FY24 Tax Bill: $7,487
FY25 Tax Bill: $7,673
Local receipts and growth = flat: Two other sources of revenue, local receipts and growth, are projected flat, mirroring what happened in 2024. New growth is at $2.2 million, .6% of total revenue, and local receipts at $25 million. What are these two buckets? They are new businesses, building permits, local taxes on hotels and meals, recreational marijuana revenue, to name a few.
Let’s talk about schools!: The school budget was a hot topic last month with the Framingham Teachers Association protesting outside the Memorial Building. The FTA President Christine Mulroney urged the Sisitsky Administration to tax at the full 2.5% to make up $6 million the schools would need to close certain gaps and maintain student facing positions.
The recommended school budget this year is $172,690,620. The School Committee approved this budget on April 3. The complete FY25 School Budget book is available online.
State aid - Chapter 70 funding: $85,939,763 - an increase of $943,229
This is far below the significant increases Framingham has seen over the last few years, and it is driven by a decrease in student enrollment (-238 students)
Local contribution: $86,669,857 - increase of $6,872,809
Next steps: The Finance Subcommittee begins their review and recommendations of the budget throughout May. The entire Council will vote on the budget by June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Council Meeting Preview
Long agenda: The Council meets on Tuesday, April 30 in the Blumer Room.
But first, Executive Session: Starting at 6:30 the Council goes into Executive Session “to discuss pending litigation where the Chair declares that discussion in open meeting may have a detrimental affect on the City’s litigating position.”
Here are the cases they are reviewing tonight:
Christopher Barber v. McCarthy/Framingham Police Department
Steven Barry v. McCarthy/Framingham Police Department
Sarah Cline et al v. Framingham Planning Board, Leonard P. Belli d/b/a Universal Property Management and Universal Property Management, LLC
Pamela Driscoll v. City of Framingham Parking Clerk
Jon Eldridge et al v. Framingham, MWRA, and RJV Construction Corporation
Iron Horse Equestrian, LLC v. Framingham Conservation Commission
Jean Lopez v. Baker/Framingham Police Department
Rosita Ramirez v. Town of Framingham
Kevin J. Shea v. City of Framingham
City of Framingham v. Durham School Services, LP
What else is on tap?: Besides referring the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to the Finance Committee, the Council will review two other major financial projects:
Approval of Community Preservation Act Funding Requests:
On March 18, 2024, the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) voted to recommend to the City Council a total expenditure of $3,023,250.00 in CPA funds for 13 projects.
The Finance Subcommittee reviewed the recommendations at their April 16 meeting. While most of the projects received the approval of the committee, the Athenaeum in Saxonville did not pass recommendation. Citing the lack of plan for the project, George King and Michael Cannon voted against, while Noval Alexander and Leora Mallach voted in favor. Adam Steiner was not present.
Referral to the Finance Committee FY25 Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the City of Framingham.
One of Our Teachers Needs Your Vote!
Stapleton Teacher a Finalist: Ellen Margiotta, physical education teacher at Stapleton Elementary School, made it to the final round of America’s Favorite Teacher sponsored by Reader’s Digest.
The prize: The winner receives $25,000, a trip to Hawaii and appear in Reader’s Digest. Margiotta told the MetroWest Daily News if she wins, she plans on donating $5,00 to soundproof the Stapleton gym, and give 20 teachers and friends $1,000 to join her in Hawaii because “I think everybody should be able to go. It’s tough being a teacher nowadays.”
The contest ends tonight - Tuesday, April 30 - at 9PM PDT!
Community Events
Saturday is a big day in Framingham. Check out these events.
The Civic Week Ahead
Monday, April 29
Tuesday, April 30
Wednesday, May 1
Thursday, May 2
In Closing…
I read a lot of posts about potholes around Framingham on Facebook. The SeeClickFix app isn’t really used by DPW, so to report a pothole it is recommended you call DPW directly at 508-532-6030. To report a pothole on state roads, like Route 9, Route 126, contact MassDOT at 857-368-4636.
See you next week,
Mary Kate
Your writing is outstanding with so much information and details of issues and events. You're a terrific reporter of facts and don't ever change your writing style. Excellent from my perspective.