What’s next: Community projects pass but still need your support during budget process
Great news!
The Teen Center and the North Fish Hatchery Community Hub Phase 1 & Phase 2 passed and were added to the Capital Improvement Plan. The change to project #2141 Police Facility also passed, which frees up money to fund these community projects. Several other important amendments were passed as well (including the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle fund), see the summary below.
BUT the fight is not over.
Next up is getting these projects added to the budget and fully funded, and if you support a project, we will need your help once again to make it happen.
Scroll down to the “What’s next” section to see what the budget process looks like, and save the dates for public hearings on October 13 and November 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Confused? Did you miss the past discussions of the CIP? Get up to date with the last blog post.
CIP Council Meeting recap
Please check out the quick recap of the CIP meeting below with an update of what happened to each amendment. You can read more discussion on the amendments in the last blog post.
Community Feedback
We had an extraordinary outpouring of public support for the community projects. We listened to 77 public comments, 69 of which centered on support for the Community Hub and Teen Center. It took more than two hours, and it was a privilege to listen to. Several of the comments were given live on video, and if you have 10-15 minutes, please listen to these voices about why this matters.
THANK YOU to all the took the time to articulate precisely why these projects are essential to support Fitchburg as a whole and these neighborhoods in particular. You helped make this happen.
Amendment Votes
1. North Fish Hatchery Community Hub (2 amendments)
PASSED (8-0 Phase 1 & 7-1 Phase 2)
Read the amendments
2. Fitchburg Teen Center
PASSED 5-3
Read the amendment
3. #2141 Police Facility
PASSED 5-3
Read the amendment
4. Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Upgrades and Related Equipment
PASSED 8-0
Read the amendment
5. #4726 - Storm Sewer on Florann Drive and Lyman Lane
PASSED 8-0 + MOVED TO 2022
Read the amendment
6. Lacy/Seminole intersection projects (3 amendments)
Intersection PASSED 5-4 (design in 2021 and construction in 2022)
Storm Ponds PASSED 8-0 (design in 2021 and construction in 2022)
Storm Sewer PASSED 8-0 (design in 2022 and construction in 2023)
Read the amendments
Read the TID 9 Annual Report
7. And the rest
The remaining amendments are as follows:
#1040 – Town of Madison FAILED 4-5
#1713 – Fitchburg Drone Program PASSED 8-0
#4717 - Curry Court Flooding FAILED 2-6
#4719 – Upsize Schumann Drive Storm Sewer PASSED 8-0
#6212 - McKee Farms Park Improvement FAILED 3-5
CIP Adopted
After all the amendments were voted on, the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) was adopted as amended by the council. The next step is the budget.
What’s next? 2021 Budget
The CIP is just a plan, and plans only matter when they are fully funded and put into the budget. The city’s budget reflects the city’s priorities, and is arguably the most important thing the alders do during the year. The budget process begins in September. See the full calendar of dates.
Important Dates
SEPTEMBER 18— Proposed budget posted to city’s website and available for you to review. The Alders will see this for the first time and begin working on amendments. We should anticipate that the funding for the Hub and Teen Center in 2021 will NOT be included in the initial budget draft, and amendments will be required to add the funding to the 2021 budget.
SEPTEMBER 29— Finance Committee presentations day 1 where the department heads will present their budgets and give context to what is included.
SEPTEMBER 30— Finance Committee presentations day 2
SAVE THE DATE! OCTOBER 13— PUBLIC HEARING DURING COMMON COUNCIL MEETING. This is your first chance to advocate for issues that are important to you and advocate for amendments you want to see. Please note that amendments are due no later than 10.15 (two days later).
OCTOBER 23— Summary report and amendment details posted to the city’s website. This is the first chance to view publicly the amendments submitted by the alders.
OCTOBER 28— Committee of the Whole discussion of budget and amendments. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MEETING. The bulk of the discussion of amendments among the alders will happen during this meeting, and it’s your chance to gain insight into where your alders stand so you can reach out to them individually to advocate for what’s important to you.,
SAVE THE DATE! NOVEMBER 10— PUBLIC HEARING DURING COMMON COUNCIL MEETING. This is your LAST chance to advocate for issues that are important to you and advocate for adoption of the proposed amendments you want to see. The discussion among alders is limited during this meeting. This is the meeting where amendments will be voted up or down, followed by a vote on the entire 2021 budget.
The budget is how we demonstrate the priorities of the City of Fitchburg. I look forward to advocating for policy that makes a positive difference in the lives of Fitchburg residents. Please reach out with questions or concerns. I will be posting more updates on this blog and sending out e-newsletters.