Providence Committee on Finance-Tuesday, May 7, 2024-UTR of the 5:30 P.M. Finance P.H.

Good evening. My name is Helen Anthony. I'm chair of the committee on finance, and I'm calling to move you to order a meeting on Tuesday, 05/07/2024 at 07:28. It's a meeting on the rise. Madam clerk, would you please call the roll?

Generalman Anthony?

Present.

Vice chairman Stavis?

Here.

Council member Graves?

Here.

Council member Andrew?

Here.

Councilor Sanders?

Here.

Vice President, no. Thank you. And I'd just like to thank very much. We have Eti Shaw from the city solicitors office with us this evening. We have counselor Oscar Vargas who's joined our committee meeting tonight.

We also have Aaron Easter Gardner, our policy director. And, of course, we have our wonderful floors. Lauren Buderick and Donna. And so with that, I would like to have a motion to waive the readings of the number number one through four. Second.

Motion made by. I can decide on paper. I can all opposed. And so this evening, we have with us, we have superintendent Wendy Wendy Nelson from Department of Parks, and I see her deputy director, Brian Burns, is also here. And, of course, we have our finance...

Our fabulous finance team. So it would all come to the table. We'll swear everyone in. Yes.. Oh, wonderful.

Thank you. I'm so sorry. I didn't recognize you. Please... Is there enough chairs for everyone?

So please come up. We'll swear you all in, and we'll get started. He's made the resonance. He's been on the fence. He's heard you that the testimony you're about to Thank you.

Okay. Don't think you'd like to start.

So, madam chair, as always, thank you for the opportunity with them this evening, and we will continue to follow the same format. The finance team will introduce the documents. I provided the summary, and then I'll go ahead and submit it with that. And then should there be any questions for the finance overview, do the next one. And then the superintendent, deputy superintendent, and their team is here to answer any questions.

Both operation and. So with that

And, chair, before I begin, would you like me to read through all of the divisions and get... And and then turn it over to you, Clark, to give their review and answer questions, or would you prefer to pause after each division?

Well, I think if you can... As briefly as possible, I think we can see see the revenue expenditures validated. I suppose it would... How would you like to... Superintendent, would you like us to pause at the end of every every section to deal with those questions, or would you rather leave the finance team finished?

We're fine with whatever way you would like to do it or to do it. Okay. Well, then why don't we go right ahead and then do it section by section? Okay.

So beginning with neighborhood park services, this is not a revenue generating department. Moving on to expenditures. Total salaries in fiscal twenty five are proposed at $4,250,889, an increase of a $154,821 over the '24 budget. There are no new positions requested. The increase is just for the cost of living and stuff increases.

Total benefits for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $2,526,317, a decrease of a $178,814 from the '24 budget. Total services for fiscal twenty four... Twenty five are proposed at $226,900. This is a decrease of 28,800 from the '24 budget. And this increase...

This decrease is due to the reallocation of several service line items that have shifted to supply related items. And so moving on to supplies, the fiscal twenty five proposed budget is $719,300, an increase of $38,800 from the '24 budget. And that, again, is due to the reallocation of several service line items from this service budget. There's no capital budget in this division.

You think I have to have to move into this just between your There's not a lot

of changes in this requirement.

Lot of changes. So let's go right into it.

Okay. So moving on to the forestry division, there's no revenue generated in this division. Moving on to expenditure salaries in fiscal twenty five are proposed at $949,991, an increase of $11,584. Again, there's no new positions. That is solely due to COLAS and cost...

COLAS and step increases. Total benefits in fiscal twenty five are proposed at $594,488, decrease of a $156,964 from the '24 budget. Total services in fiscal twenty five are proposed at a $140,250 consistent with the '24 budget. Supplies are budgeted at $10,856, which is also consistent with the '24 budget, and there's no capital listed as in. Moving on to zoological services.

This is not a revenue generating department. And moving on to expenditures. Total salaries for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $2,021,922, an increase of $15,226 over the '24 budget. Total benefits are proposed at $1,290,170, a decrease of $123,677 from the '24 budget. And total services for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $49,870 This is a decrease of $50,130 from the '24 budget.

And that change is primarily due to the expiration of the city's agreement with the zoological society. And there's a... An item that will have to be fixed for final budget. We budgeted the alternative work week. That should be up in the salary section in in postage.

So that's just a real... A real decision that we'll need to do. Moving on to botanicals. This is not a revenue generating department. Total salaries are budgeted at $415,300, an increase of $8,273.

Total benefits in '25 are proposed at $257,179, a decrease of $38,315 from the '24 budget, and there are no services, supplies, or capital in this division. Moving on to the Museum of Natural History. This is not a revenue generating department. Total salaries of 25 are proposed at $366,852, an increase of $11,211. Total benefits for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $184,762, a decrease of $243,661 in the '24 budget.

Total services in '25 are proposed at $2,500, an increase of $1,500 over the '24 budget, and that is due to an increase in subscription supported by. Supplies in 25 are proposed at $19,610 consistent with the '24 budget, and there's no capital. The next division is superintendent of parks. This is not a revenue generating department. Total salaries in fiscal twenty five are proposed at $1,099,996, an increase of $169,101 over the twenty third budget.

There is one organizational change requested, and that is to fund the the confidential executive assistant at $63,110 and the defunding of a program supervisor to $63,110 and net zero effect to the budget. Total benefits for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $522,272, a decrease of $88,918 from the '24 budget. Total services for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $179,500, an increase of 15,000 over the '24 budget, and this increase is due to increasing insurance costs related to the gateway center. Total services, or total supplies for fiscal twenty five are proposed at $17,188 consistent with the '24 budget. And the last division is the North Burial Ground.

Total revenue in fiscal twenty five is proposed at 340,000, which is consistent with the fiscal twenty four budget. Total salaries in fiscal twenty five are proposed at $444,065, an increase of $21,949. And there are no service supplies or capital expenses in this division. And so, madam chair, at this point, I'd like to turn it over to directors Nelson and Burns to give an brief overview. Thank

you. Superintendent, would you like to make a a presentation? Sure. Absolutely. We are just thrilled to be here tonight and present our husband.

I know there are very minor changes in this. We've had two years to really work out the case and to really hone this budget in a way that is really to the benefit of our department and the benefit of the city. And, you know, we've had a great year. We're abandoning a 187 capital projects right now, and we think this is the year that the city of Providence is certainly known for its because some of these have been in the works are now. Not only that, we've been able to expand meal services and our programs and really look at our operations in some ways that have had some pretty meaningful significant changes.

And I think there was a way to go with that.

Yeah. We're we're happy with the progress we've done. We're also happy with the improvements to our workforce system and the way our team's run. It's better than doing that. So we couldn't be happier.

Just at one end, you worked out at playground safety inspections training three days. And we went with 10 of our colleagues. Six of them were our our crews and foremen. And the questions that they asked, it was just so incredibly remarkable. You have to pass an exam at the end of this, and they were saying, we didn't care if we passed the exam.

We just learned so much being here. And I think that really exemplifies sort of where our department is right now, that it is so well structured, that we have this incredible chain of command and folks who feel empowered and are getting the training, the skills to do what they need to do to make the city look great. So not only are we doing the capital improvements, but we're working on, you know, as we have said, it's been years on developing the work that was to actually get to take care of those to maintain those parts, and he had had the cereal to do that. So... And then we...

And that's... We're keep working on him. Yes. That's okay.

I'm afraid of you guys as I always do every year because for six years, I put all my money into bars. I first came on... Actually, councilman, told me, he said, spend your money in bars. This is the best investment you could get as a councilman, and I agree with that. I said...

People ask me what's the good thing about being a councilman. And for me, it's not all about politics. It happens here in city hall, But for me, it's the drive by, like, we can see see all the kids playing on the train. Drive by basketball at night and see all the kids playing on the basketball too. Gonna be the new soccer thing that I'm putting over in West End.

So I wanna thank you million times over for all the work that you've created for me and my work because I see the benefits. The family see the benefits. The kids see the benefits. And I just wanna say... Put that on the record

and say thank you. You.

But I do have one question. I know trucks that I know Larry can... I'm gonna ask Larry to chime in on this if he can because I know that in Ward 8... We don't mind if he's going. No.