LIVE: Quincy City Council (Finance Committee) - May 19, 2026

City Council
May 19, 2026
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Executive Summary

The Quincy Finance Committee held its second budget hearing on May 19, 2026, to review fiscal year 2027 proposals for several city departments. Key actions included the approval of budgets for the Assessor's Office, Quincy Public Schools, Police, Fire, Health, Grant Management, and Planning departments. Notably, the committee voted to table the Retirement and Pensions budget pending further financial breakouts for Quincy College. A significant decision was made regarding the Emergency Management Department, where the committee voted 6-3 to eliminate the Director of Emergency Management position and significantly reduce the department's operating budget due to concerns over redundancy and service efficiency.

Meeting Information

  • Governing Body: Quincy City Council Finance Committee
  • Meeting Type: Second Budget Hearing
  • Date: May 19, 2026
  • Attendees:
    • Councilor Deborah Riley (Chair)
    • Councilor Richard Ash
    • Councilor Noel DiBona
    • Councilor Walter Hubley
    • Councilor David Jacobs
    • Councilor Anne Mahoney
    • Councilor Maggie McKee
    • Councilor Virginia Ryan
    • Councilor Ziqiang Yuan
  • City Representatives: Christopher Walker (Mayor's Representative)

Assessor's Office

  • Discussion: Mr. Rowland addressed a bookkeeping error regarding a student intern who was unintentionally paid out of the Recreation Department's budget. The error has been corrected in the MUNIS system.
  • Action: Motion to accept the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Retirement and Pensions

  • Financials: The budgeted pension contribution is $9,749,500, based on the PERAC funding schedule.
  • Discussion: Councilor Ryan and Councilor Mahoney requested a specific breakout of the pension and healthcare contributions for Quincy College. Christopher Walker noted that the city will no longer cover healthcare for Quincy College in the upcoming budget due to the college's improved stability.
  • Action: The matter was tabled pending the requested financial breakouts.

Quincy Public Schools (Education Budget)

  • Financials:
    • Total Proposed Budget: $158,769,432
    • Mayor's Appropriation: $148,419,432 (4.57% increase over FY26)
    • Projected Circuit Breaker Funding: $10,350,000
  • Key Points:
    • The budget accounts for a $244,500 reduction in Title I and Title II grants.
    • Includes increases for utilities: $500,000 for electric and $250,000 for natural gas.
    • Special Education tuition increase of $1.5 million and transportation increase of $1 million.
    • The DeChristopheros Learning Center currently serves 54 K-8 students and approximately 250 pre-K students, saving the city an estimated $5 million to $6 million in out-of-district tuition.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Quincy Police Department

  • Staffing: 237 sworn officers (currently 11 vacancies) and 90 civilian support staff.
  • Crime Statistics: Violent crime is down 16%, and property crime is down 4%. The department reported a 74% decrease in monetary loss from shoplifting due to a targeted task force.
  • Operations:
    • Answered 59,784 calls for service and made 1,046 arrests.
    • Use of force occurred in less than 5% of arrests, with no policy violations reported.
    • The department is exploring a regional 911 dispatch center with the Town of Milton, supported by an $11.6 million grant application.
  • Recusals: Councilor Riley and Councilor Jacobs recused themselves from deliberations on six specific line items: Patrolman 3 (512361), Telephone Operator (512135), Longevity (510140), Shift Differential (510141), Education Differential (510142), and Reading Time (510160).
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget as presented.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Animal Control

  • Discussion: Chief Kennedy noted that overtime increased to $22,382 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: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Quincy Fire Department

  • Staffing: 281 members (261 in suppression). The department is currently in year two of a $6,181,000 SAFER grant funding 16 firefighters.
  • Operations:
    • Averaging 11,600 runs annually.
    • Chief Gary Smith announced a goal to achieve an ISO Class 1 rating to reduce insurance premiums for residents.
    • Overtime is currently down $1.35 million compared to the previous year.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Emergency Management

  • Discussion: Councilors expressed concerns regarding the redundancy of the department and its limited hours of operation (8:30 AM - 4:30 PM). Councilor McKee moved to eliminate the Director position, citing that other communities manage these functions through Fire or Police departments.
  • Action: Motion to eliminate the Director of Emergency Management position (510014) and cut all other line items except for the Operations Manager (512030).
  • Roll Call Vote on Elimination of Director (510014):
    • Yes (6): Jacobs, Mahoney, McKee, Ryan, Yuan, Riley
    • No (3): Ash, DiBona, Hubley
  • Outcome: The budget was approved as amended, effectively eliminating the Director position and reducing the department's operational funding.

Health Department

  • Financials: Requested budget of approximately $2 million.
  • Operations:
    • Conducted 2,540 inspections related to housing, food, and rodents.
    • The rodent control program resulted in 2,545 captures this year.
    • The pump-out boat serviced 754 boats, removing 25,800 gallons of sewage.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Grant Management

  • Discussion: Director James Scribby reported that the department has secured nearly $10 million in total project funding over the past year, including $20 million in competitive transportation funding over three years in collaboration with TPAL.
  • Action: Motion to approve the budget.
  • Vote: Passed unanimously (All in favor).

Planning and Community Development

  • Discussion: Director Jim Fatsies highlighted the Language Access Program, which has a $300,000 budget for translation and interpretation services. The Affordable Housing Trust created 37 affordable units and approved over $2 million in fee-in-lieu payments.
  • Action: Motion to cut the Regional Compact line item (530302) by $15,000 (reducing it to $10,000).
  • Vote: Passed as amended (6-3 roll call vote).

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Last updated: May 20, 2026

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