On February 2, 2022, the annual budget letter for FY23 was sent to all leadership in the City of Easthampton. Below is the letter sent by Mayor LaChapelle:
Dear Easthampton Department Leaders,
Over the last two fiscal years, Easthampton held tight reins on expenditures and building up reserve accounts. As a result, the City is in a solid financial position during a pandemic, housing, and labor shortages. Our bond rating holds steady at AA+ with a stable outlook.
With the help of one-time funds, the City expanded key departments, notably Planning, Health, and Information Technology, to address service gaps made untenable by the pandemic. Long overdue, we invested in cybersecurity tools and no longer supported software - are building out a new Data Center and Public Safety Incident Command system. Forced by the pandemic to go remote, the City consolidated and automated processes with Google Workplace, DocuSign, and Zoom. Shifting to remote, we did so with a forward eye, embedding future maintenance costs into the City’s operating budget. We continue to follow our long-term fiscal policies and funding strategies.
We are aligning function with department expertise. IT professionals are upgrading city systems and cybersecurity tools, pivoting to one department supporting all of the City. Our Department of Public Health provides a fuller scope of community care by licensed professionals, augmenting the work of our fire and police. The City is well-positioned to readjust spending strategies to match residents’ needs and expectations.
Please prepare your FY23 department budget as follows:
FY23 department budgets are due via email to the Mayor’ Office, Treasurer, and Auditor on or before Monday, February 28, 2022, with the following:
1) One-page budget narrative structured with an introductory paragraph and no more than five points communicating trends such as number of residents served, new fee schedule, new processes, number of hires, calls, outreach numbers. Post the one-pager on your department’s webpage on www.easthamptonma.gov with complete department activities and updates
2) Organizational Chart reflecting all positions in the department with reporting structure
3) Use the FY23 budget templates for Personnel Services and department expense accounts. Expect templates within the next week with instructional comments as appropriate. Please read any comments before starting
4) Email your department proposal to the Mayor’s Office, Treasurer, and Auditor
5) The Treasurer and each Department Leader will sign off on their budget before my April 20, 2022, City Council proposed budget submission
FY23 budget proposal assumptions:
1) Using the FY22 approved department expense budget amount, prepare three versions of your department expense budget with the following increases:
a. 1%
b. 2%
c. 3%
2) Personnel Services budgets must include: step increases, known collective bargaining pay increases, known educational incentives; overtime for any department (limit is 140,000.00); positions currently vacant but must be filled. Any CBA contracts that will be renegotiated in/for FY 2023 include an estimated amount for all Personnel Service expenses that may be affected by these new CBA contracts. Please list these estimates in the “Possible Collective Bargaining Agreement Changes” section on the Personnel Services template.
3) Use the attached chart for Pay Plan salary expenses
Four day a week staff:
Calculate July to December at Pay step times 13 pay periods
Calculate January to June at January Pay step times 13 pay periods
Total pay periods in FY 2023 is 26.00
Five day a week staff:
Calculate July to December at Pay step times 13.10 pay periods
Calculate January to June at January Pay step times 13 pay periods
Total pay periods in FY 2023 is 26.10
Please round up the calculations for rounding differences.
4) A full-time equivalent is 40 hours per week. The Payroll Department report calculates the number of department FTE’s of all staff according to the number of hours worked. The formula divides full-time and portions of full-time positions by 40. For example, one 40-hour-a-week employee and two 20-hour-a-week employees would be two FTE’s
On or before Thursday, February 24, 2022, email your updated Capital Improvement Plan to the Treasurer, copying the Auditor and Mayor’s Office. Indicate all capital expenditures in FY21 and FY22 with the funding source.
On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the Mayor’s Office will start to schedule initial meetings with each department.
With gratitude,
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle
Cc: Homar Gomez, City Council President
Cynthia Kwiesnski, School Committee Chair
Jennifer Gallant, Treasurer
Hetal Patel, Auditor
Lindsi Mailler, Mayor’s Office