CHELMSFORD — City Assembly convened on the Chelmsford Senior Middle Monday night, the place representatives voted to approve the city and faculty district’s fiscal 2026 budgets, whereas they rejected a “quick informal” restaurant zoning article.
Spring City Assembly sometimes carries extra budgetary articles than Chelmsford’s fall City Assembly, and the primary main article to be thought-about was Article 3, which was for $4 million to be appropriated for the city’s evaluation to the Nashoba Valley Technical College District, to which Chelmsford has the very best contribution of scholars and funding of all of the member cities. In a rarity, this text handed unanimously, 141-0.
This was adopted instantly by Article 4, which was the working price range for Chelmsford Public Colleges for the subsequent fiscal 12 months at $75.65 million. A level-service price range would have carried a rise of $3.5 million from the present price range. Superintendent of Colleges Jay Lang described some cuts and reallocations of funding to assist deliver that determine down considerably. This included the chopping of 12 part-time tutoring positions, reallocating the wage of the college diet director to the College Diet Revolving Fund, a $300,000 wage offset from the Valley Collaborative, one other $1 million of Circuit Breaker income and an area price range enhance of $1.77 million.
“A number of of these positions are at present vacant. We’ve nonetheless had a troublesome time post-COVID filling a few of these specialty part-time positions,” mentioned Lang, referring to the tutor cuts. “So it’s really not impacting people however we’re making that adjustment to actually steadiness the price range.”
The college price range handed 135-2. Instantly the physique thought-about Article 5, the city’s common working price range for fiscal 2026, which totals $168 million, together with the college price range and the Nashoba Tech evaluation. This is a rise from the $162.2 million price range for fiscal 2025. When giving his breakdown of the price range, City Supervisor Paul Cohen mentioned the departmental budgets complete $38.4 million, an increase of $222,000 from the present price range, whereas the most important will increase are coming from worker advantages and insurance coverage. Insurance coverage and advantages for city staff makes up $36 million, a dramatic enhance of $4 million, or 12.47% from the present price range.
“The most important driver, nearly $3 million, is medical insurance premiums,” mentioned Cohen.
Chelmsford had been hit with layoffs earlier this 12 months as a result of a few of these similar budgetary challenges. The proposed price range included the elimination of full-time positions just like the enterprise improvement director, a freeway division laborer, group companies coordinator, assistant well being director and a well being inspector. Some part-time positions had been additionally reduce, together with veterans companies assistant, accounting clerk, city clerk clerical assistant and services undertaking coordinator.
Funding was additionally reduce for Sunday hours on the Chelmsford Public Library, lifeguards on the city seashores, one in every of two hazardous waste assortment days and printed copies of the annual city report. Cohen famous the library trustees can be using grant cash to maintain the library open on Sundays, however not with cash from the city. The price range additionally needed to exclude extra positions requested by the Chelmsford Police, Hearth and Public Works departments, together with extra officers and firefighters, the creation of fireside lieutenants, DPW freeway laborers and a security specialist.
The city price range was handed 137-1.
Individually voted on from the price range was Article 6: the funding of a number of collective bargaining agreements for 3 police unions, totaling $502,264, together with funding for the lately fashioned Chelmsford Police Commanding Officers Affiliation, which covers the police lieutenants. That union was fashioned a 12 months in the past, so City Assembly was requested to offer $80,767 for his or her settlement for fiscal 2026, and $37,931 for the present fiscal 12 months. The Police Superior Officers Affiliation and Patrol Officers Affiliation got $45,786 and $337,780 for his or her respective bargaining agreements. All three agreements expire June 30, 2028.
With no dialogue, the funding for the police bargaining agreements handed 134-3 with two abstentions.
Article 20 was a vote on whether or not to acceptable $50,000 for a examine on municipal operations and efficiencies, the necessity for which Cohen mentioned is drawn from the identical challenges constraining the price range.
“As you’ve been listening to all through the evening, we’re involved with what’s in entrance of us, and we all know we are able to’t preserve companies which are at present supplied,” mentioned Cohen.
The will increase in budgetary pressures like medical insurance, Cohen mentioned, are projected to proceed into future budgets, on high of the uncertainty coming from the federal authorities.
“There may be a lot uncertainty, notably with the federal authorities. We’re on this weird time proper now within the first 100 days of the brand new administration in Washington, however we all know there may be going to be a brand new federal price range in October,” mentioned Cohen. “What’s that going to appear to be? It’s not going to be extra.”
The examine would have a look at different methods to boost income for the city with out elevating the residential tax burden, like regional dispatch or consolidation of the city’s three water districts. The article handed 112-25.
Article 26 was a vote on whether or not to make use of $2 million in Neighborhood Preservation Act funds to increase the underground utility undertaking by means of the city middle. The cash could be used to suppress the phone traces within the Verizon portion of the infrastructure operating by means of that space, and take away the utility poles in that space as soon as the infrastructure is underground. After some questions from representatives, Article 26 handed 107-17 with one abstention.
Article 28 was the ultimate consideration of the evening and the one which drew essentially the most dialogue. The article was to amend the city’s zoning to permit for standalone drive-thru quick informal eating places on Billerica Street from Alpha Street to the Billerica city line and the tip of Mill Street close to Route 129. A most of three could be allowed on this space, and one already exists within the type of Pressed Cafe, which is one unit in a bigger constructing. Cohen mentioned Pressed has been a profitable enterprise in that space, however city management hoped to see extra companies be part of them there.
The city has acquired curiosity in a vacant parcel on Mill Street in between the I-495 ramps, the place Cohen mentioned two quick informal drive-thrus might be constructed.
“If that is permitted … an applicant would nonetheless must go to the Planning Board for web site plan approval, which suggests the Planning Board would nonetheless have the say for the outside look of the constructing,” mentioned Cohen.
Plenty of representatives spoke in opposition to the article, with some expressing concern over the potential affect to site visitors if extra drive-thru eating places are inbuilt that space.
“When the college was there, you couldn’t even go previous there with all of the buses parked on that Mill Street part. Should you throw a McDonalds in there, which was particularly mentioned at City Assembly, that we’d not have any drive-thrus, and definitely not McDonalds on this overlay district, and now you’ll put two of them there,” mentioned City Assembly member Brian Latina.
City Assembly member Ginger Skoog mentioned the event of Route 129 is “a terrific imaginative and prescient” however that the proposed zoning change isn’t the answer.
“I’ve been an enormous supporter of quite a lot of the issues now we have performed and quite a lot of the issues the Planning Board has performed and quite a lot of issues which are shifting Chelmsford ahead … I do suppose there are nonetheless different methods to work inside what we’ve received to regulate what we’re doing with 129 with out going this far,” mentioned Skoog.
City Assembly member Walker Horton spoke in favor of the change, saying that the problems opponents of the change are having wouldn’t be distinctive to quick informal or drive-thru institutions.
“If we’re fearful concerning the site visitors that’s going to occur no matter any enterprise that’s there,” mentioned Horton.
After a prolonged dialogue and a movement to maneuver the query, Article 28 failed 55-63 with three abstentions.
City Assembly will proceed in Chelmsford Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., with Articles 27, 29, 30, 31 and 32 nonetheless to be deliberated.
