Quincy City Council: May 19, 2026

City Council
May 19, 2026
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Executive Summary

The Quincy City Council Finance Committee met on May 19, 2026, to conduct its second budget hearing for Fiscal Year 2027. The committee reviewed and approved the proposed budgets for the Assessor’s Office, Quincy Public Schools, Police, Fire, Animal Control, Health, and Grant Management departments. Significant discussion occurred regarding the Retirement and Pensions budget, which was tabled pending further clarification on Quincy College’s financial contributions. Most notably, the committee voted to significantly reduce the Emergency Management budget, eliminating the Director position and several expense lines due to concerns over departmental redundancy and service delivery. The Planning Department budget was also approved with a minor reduction to the Regional Compact line item.

Meeting Metadata

  • Governing Body: Quincy City Council Finance Committee
  • Meeting Type: Budget Hearing
  • Date: May 19, 2026
  • Attendees: Richard Ash, Noel DiBona, Walter Hubley, David Jacobs, Anne Mahoney, Maggie McKee, Virginia Ryan, Ziqiang Yuan, and Chairman Deborah Riley.
  • Staff Present: Christopher Walker (Mayor's Representative), various Department Heads.

Assessor’s Office

  • Department Head: Mr. Roland
  • Discussion: Addressed a bookkeeping error where a student intern was previously paid out of the recreation budget; this has been corrected to the Assessor's budget.
  • Action: Motion to "accept the assessor's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget."
  • Vote: Approved unanimously (All in favor).

Retirement and Pensions

  • Department Head: Mr. Della Barbara
  • Financials: Proposed pension contribution of $9,749,500 based on the PIRAC funding schedule.
  • Key Discussion: Councilor Mahoney requested a five-year lookback on Quincy College’s contributions to health care and pensions. Christopher Walker noted the city will no longer cover Quincy College health care in the FY27 budget.
  • Action: The matter was tabled pending further financial breakdowns regarding Quincy College and the Housing Authority.

Quincy Public Schools

  • Presenters: Superintendent Mulvey, Dr. Aaron Perkins, and Adam Conlon.
  • Financials:
    • Total Proposed Budget: $158,769,432 (an $8,489,380 increase over FY26).
    • Mayor's Appropriation: $148,419,432.
    • Circuit Breaker Funding: $10,350,000.
  • Key Points:
    • The budget accounts for a $244,500 reduction in Title I and Title II grants.
    • Discussion on the DeChristopheros Learning Center, which currently serves 54 K-8 students and approximately 250 pre-K students.
    • Efforts to diversify staff: 87% of staff is white compared to 55% of the city population.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Quincy Police Department

  • Department Head: Chief Mark Kennedy
  • Personnel: 237 sworn officers (currently 11 vacancies).
  • Statistics:
    • 59,784 calls for service; 1,046 physical arrests.
    • Use of force occurred in less than 5% of arrests.
    • Violent crime decreased by 16%.
  • Key Discussion:
    • Implementation of e-citations to improve officer safety.
    • Success of the seasonal shoplifting and package theft task force.
    • Discussion of FLOCK (License Plate Reader) cameras; Chief Kennedy emphasized they do not share data with immigration enforcement.
  • Recusals: Chairman Riley and Councilor Jacobs recused themselves from six specific line items (Patrolman 3, Telephone Operator, Longevity, Shift Differential, Education Differential, and Reading Time).
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget as presented.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Animal Control

  • Discussion: Overtime increased due to the injury and subsequent retirement of the Assistant Animal Control Officer. The department is in the process of hiring a full-time replacement.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Quincy Fire Department

  • Department Head: Chief Gary Smith
  • Personnel: 281 members (261 in suppression).
  • Key Points:
    • Goal to achieve an ISO Class 1 rating to reduce city-wide insurance premiums.
    • Overtime is currently down $1.35 million compared to the previous year.
    • Secured $12.2 million in grants over the last five years, including the SAFER grant for 16 firefighters.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget as presented.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Emergency Management

  • Department Head: David McCarthy
  • Discussion: Councilors questioned the necessity of a standalone department, citing potential redundancies with Police and Fire. Councilor Yuan noted resident complaints regarding the lack of after-hours service.
  • Action: Councilor McKee moved to eliminate the Director of Emergency Management position (510014). Councilor Mahoney moved to cut several expense lines while retaining the Operations Manager.
  • Vote to Eliminate Director (510014):
    • Yes: Jacobs, Mahoney, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley.
    • No: Ash, DiBona, Hubley.
  • Budget Reductions:
    • 520400 (Repair/Maintenance): Cut to $0.
    • 530800 (Professional Services): Cut to $0.
    • 530806 (Training): Cut to $0.
    • 540900 (Food): Cut to $0.
    • 570400 (Dues/Subscriptions): Cut to $0.
  • Outcome: Budget approved as amended (Operations Manager position retained).

Health Department

  • Department Head: Commissioner Casilli
  • Financials: Requested approximately $2,000,000.
  • Key Points:
    • Rodent control program resulted in 2,545 captures this year (6,000 over three years).
    • The department lost its epidemiologist position due to the expiration of COVID-era grants.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Grant Management

  • Department Head: Jim Scribby
  • Key Points:
    • Centralized hub for city-wide grant coordination.
    • Secured over $20 million in competitive transportation funding over three years.
    • Currently managing a $6.1 million SAFER grant for the Fire Department.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Approved unanimously.

Planning and Community Development

  • Department Head: Jim Fatsies
  • Key Points:
    • Manages the Affordable Housing Trust, which created 37 units this year.
    • Budget includes $300,000 for the Language Access Program (translation/interpretation).
  • Action: Councilor Mahoney moved to reduce line 530302 (Regional Compact) from $25,000 to $10,000 as it had not been utilized in two years.
  • Vote: Approved as amended.

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Last updated: May 23, 2026

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