Executive Summary
The Quincy City Council Finance Committee met on June 2, 2026, to review fiscal year budgets for the Thomas Crane Public Library, Tourism, Traffic, Parking, Alarm, and Lighting (TPAL), and the Department of Public Works (DPW). While the Engineering, Highway, Snow and Ice, and Sewer budgets were approved, the Library and Tourism budgets were tabled due to discrepancies in personnel line items and questions regarding the funding of the Historical Society. Significant discussion occurred regarding the city's $1.8 billion debt and the need for accurate accounting within the Munis system. The Committee successfully passed several amendments to reduce expenditures in the TPAL and Water Enterprise budgets.
Meeting Information
- Governing Body: Quincy City Council Finance Committee
- Meeting Type: Finance Committee Meeting
- Date: June 02, 2026
- Attendees: Councilor Richard Ash, Councilor Noel DiBona, Councilor Walter Hubley, Councilor David Jacobs, Councilor Anne Mahoney, Councilor Maggie McKee, Councilor Virginia Ryan, Councilor Ziqiang Yuan, Councilor Jim Devine, Councilor Deborah Riley, and Mayor's Representative Christopher Walker.
Thomas Crane Public Library Budget
- Presenter: Ms. Lyman, Library Director.
- Key Highlights:
- Opened a community garden at Adams Shore and launched a seed library.
- Introduced a 'book bike' (e-bike) for beach and farmers market outreach.
- Implemented multilingual signage in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
- Transitioned an embedded social worker from a 19-hour grant-funded pilot to a 30-hour stabilized position.
- Discussion Points:
- Radon Remediation: Repairs were delayed at the main library due to radon mitigation in the basement.
- Personnel Discrepancies: Councilors identified several line items, including 'Chief Cataloger' (512038) and 'Archivist Librarian' (512041), showing zero expenditures despite being budgeted. Ms. Lyman explained these were due to title realignment issues in the Munis system.
- Turnover: 30 employees left in the last four years (17% retirement, 30% relocation, 10% for hours, 10% for school).
- Action: The budget was tabled to allow the Director to work with HR and Municipal Finance to reconcile line-item discrepancies.
Tourism Budget
- Presenter: Dagny Ashley, Tourism Director.
- Key Highlights:
- Managed by 2 full-time and 8 seasonal employees.
- Funded primarily through the Hotel-Motel Tax (15% allocation for tourism/historical).
- Campaigns include 'Walkable Quincy' and the sale of custom Quincy sneakers.
- Discussion Points:
- Historical Society: The budget includes the salary for the Director of the Historical Society (Alexandra). Councilors questioned why this position was moved to the city payroll in 2024/2025 rather than remaining an independent nonprofit role.
- Hotel-Motel Tax Revenue: Reported at $2,300,207 for FY25; FY26 is projected to be similar with $1,886,694 collected through three quarters.
- Action: The budget was tabled pending further information on the Historical Society position's job description and hours.
Traffic, Parking, Alarm, and Lighting (TPAL) Budget
- Presenter: Ed Grennan, Director.
- Key Highlights:
- Secured over $20 million in transportation grants since FY24.
- Hired a new Assistant Traffic Engineer (Mike Wasilewski) and an Operations Assistant.
- Kilroy Square Garage is projected to generate $1.4 million in revenue for the current fiscal year.
- Official Actions and Votes:
- Amendment 1: Motion to cut $5,500 from line 540300 (Maintenance Supplies). Passed 9-0 (Roll Call: Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Jacobs, Mahoney, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley).
- Amendment 2: Motion to cut $11,500 from line 540800 (Vehicular Supplies). Passed 9-0 (Roll Call: Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Jacobs, Mahoney, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley).
- Final Vote: Budget approved as amended for $3,973,393.
Department of Public Works (DPW) - General and Highway
- Presenter: Al Grazioso, Commissioner.
- Engineering (411):
- 12 full-time staff. Commissioner reported $31 million in savings since 2018 by performing design and oversight in-house.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
- Highway Division:
- Responsible for 231 miles of roads and 43 positions.
- Fuel Costs: Transportation supplies (540301) increased by $100,000 due to diesel market volatility. Current city rates are $2.43/gal for gas and $2.83/gal for diesel.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
DPW - Snow and Ice, Collection, and Drain
- Snow and Ice:
- Level funded at $2,224,434. The city is seeking a FEMA reimbursement of $2,452,434 for a February storm.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
- Collection and Disposal (Trash):
- Budget increased by $584,246 due to contractual renewals (6% increase for collection, 3% for disposal).
- Recycling contamination rate is currently 6.5%, well below the 10% penalty threshold.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
- Drain:
- Budget increased by $96,092 for contractual labor costs. Covers 9,104 catch basins and 56 tide gates.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds
- Sewer Enterprise:
- MWRA assessment is $24 million of the $31 million budget.
- Responded to 610 sewer backups in the previous year.
- Outcome: Approved as presented.
- Water Enterprise:
- MWRA assessment is $16 million of the $27 million budget.
- Official Actions and Votes:
- Amendment: Commissioner Grazioso recommended the elimination of a 'Senior Clerk Typist 2' position (512129). Motion to cut $74,000. Passed 9-0.
- Final Vote: Budget approved as amended.