LIVE: Quincy City Council (Finance Committee) - June 10, 2026

• Governing Body: Quincy City Council (Finance Committee)
• Meeting Type: Finance Committee Meeting
• Date: June 10, 2026
• Attendees: Councilor Deborah Riley (Chair), Councilor Maggie McKee, Councilor Anne Mahoney, Councilor Richard Ash, Councilor Scott Campbell, Councilor Nina Liang, Councilor Ziqiang Yuan, Councilor David Jacobs, Councilor Noel DiBona, Councilor Walter Hubley, Councilor Virginia Ryan.
• Staff/Presenters: Christopher Walker (Mayor's Representative), Alec (Executive Director, Quincy Historical Society), Patricia McGowan (Director of Human Resources), Sue Liu (Benefits Consultant), Commissioner Murphy (Natural Resources), Dan Cathcart (Tree Warden), Christopher Rooney (Director of Recreation).

The Committee heard a presentation from the Executive Director of the Quincy Historical Society regarding the stewardship of the Adams Academy building and the society's role in the community.

• Key Discussion Points:
  • The Society serves as the steward of the city-owned Adams Academy, a National Historic Landmark.
  • The Society provides educational programs for Quincy Elementary students and maintains a museum open approximately 1,000 hours annually.
  • Financials: The city has collected $1,886,694 in hotel-motel tax revenue to date, with an expected year-end total exceeding $2.3 million. 15% of this revenue is allocated to tourism and historical costs.
  • Inquiries: The Society handles 5 to 15 research inquiries per week from residents and academics.
• Action: No vote was taken as the Committee requested further clarification on benefit costs for the Executive Director position.

Director Patricia McGowan presented the FY27 Human Resources budget.

• Budget Total: $674,668 (an increase of $23,276 over FY26).
• Key Points:
  • The increase is primarily due to a 3% wage increase for staff and changes in longevity tables.
  • Contractual services ($175,000) cover legal fees for union negotiations, arbitration, and police/fire assessment centers.
• Official Action: Motion to approve the Human Resources budget as presented by Councilor DiBona.
• Vote Outcome: Passed 9-0.
  • Ayes: Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Jacobs, Mahoney, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley.

The Committee discussed the $66,905,601 health insurance budget, focusing on rising costs and policy changes.

• GLP-1 Medications: The city will drop coverage for GLP-1 weight loss medications effective July 1st. These drugs cost the city $3.3 million in 2025 and were projected to cost $5 million in 2026.
• Abacus Program: The diabetes management program has avoided 98 hospital admissions over four years, saving an estimated $3.3 million in inpatient costs.
• Official Actions & Votes:
  1. Motion to cut Flexible Spending (570A11) by $4,000: Proposed by Councilor Yuan. Passed 5-3 (Ayes: Ash, Jacobs, McKee, Ryan, Yuan; Nays: DiBona, Hubley, Riley).
  2. Motion to cut Life Insurance (570808) by $70,000: Proposed by Councilor Yuan. Failed 4-4 (Ayes: Jacobs, McKee, Ryan, Yuan; Nays: Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Riley).
  3. Motion to cut Life Insurance (570808) to $640,000: Proposed by Councilor McKee. Passed 8-0.
  4. Final Budget Approval: Motion to approve the Health Insurance budget as amended. Passed 8-0.

Commissioner Murphy presented the Cemetery Division budget, highlighting staffing challenges.

• Staffing: The department is seeking to fill a Mason position and a Heavy Machine Operator (MEO) position. Seven Labor Gardeners were promoted to Cemetery Maintenance positions per the new union contract.
• Official Actions & Votes:
  1. Motion to cut Tool Allowance (510192) to $1,200: Proposed by Councilor McKee. Passed 7-0.
  2. Motion to eliminate Work Foreman Heavy Machine (512438): Proposed by Councilor Yuan. Failed 2-6 (Ayes: Ryan, Yuan; Nays: Ash, DiBona, Hubley, Jacobs, McKee, Riley).
  3. Final Budget Approval: Motion to approve the Cemetery budget as amended. Passed 6-1 (Nay: Yuan).

The Parks Department budget review included discussions on tree planting and the CPA Administrator position.

• Key Points:
  • CDL Stipends: A new $120,000 line item (510163) provides stipends ($5/hr for CDL, $1/hr for hoisting) to incentivize and retain licensed drivers.
  • CPA Administrator: Chair Riley questioned the $100,532 salary (512109) and the 100% allocation of the position to the CPA fund, suggesting the role is not currently 100% dedicated to CPA tasks.
• Official Actions & Votes:
  1. Motion to cut Tool Allowance (510192) by $1,680: Proposed by Councilor Jacobs. Passed 7-0.
  2. Motion to approve budget as presented: Failed 3-5 (Ayes: Ash, DiBona, Hubley; Nays: Jacobs, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley).
  3. Final Budget Approval: After Chair Riley withdrew a motion to cut the CPA Admin salary by 50%, the budget was approved as amended. Passed 8-0.

Director Christopher Rooney presented the Recreation budget, which remains largely level-funded.

• Program Highlights: The department manages 14 free playgrounds, 65 summer clinics, and employs up to 275 seasonal staff at peak times.
• Contracted Services: $22,000 is budgeted for the quincyrec.com registration and scheduling platform.
• Official Action: Motion to approve the Recreation budget as presented by Councilor DiBona.
• Vote Outcome: Passed 8-0.