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Agenda

Item 1: Minutes of March 25, 2026 meeting.

Item 2: 4-21-26 DEVINE – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2026, SIX THOUSAND AND 00/100 Dollars ($6,000.00) as follows:
FROM
15452-53010 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES            $6,000.00
TOTAL            $6,000.00
TO:
0510-52420 R&M-OTHER                 $6,000.00
TOTAL             $6,000.00

Item 3: 4-21-26 Devine-Ordered, that in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 44 Sec. 53A, the City Council hereby accepts the provisions of the “MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF FIRE SERVICES FIREFIGHTER SAFETY EQUIPMENT, $23,500.00, NO MATCH” grant, and authorizes the establishment of a Fund or other method appropriate for the accounting of the receipts and expenditures of all resources associated with the administration of said grant.
Sec 2-509 – Grant Reporting
Any city department, of which has received grant funding by approval of the city council pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, or any other authorizing criteria, shall within a reasonable period of time, but no later than 60 days from the conclusion of said grant, generate a detailed report which outlines the planned outcomes with the documented actual results. Said report shall be submitted to the city clerk for addition to the city council’s next agenda.

Item 4: 4-21-26 DEVINE – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2026, THREE HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT AND 58/100 Dollars ($338.58) as follows:
FROM
12102-53190 EDUCATION & TRAINING                  $338.58
TOTAL            $338.58
TO:
19202-57200 OUT OF STATE TRAVEL                    $338.58
TOTAL              $338.58

Item 5: 4-7-26 DEVINE – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2026, THREE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED FIFTY AND 00/100 Dollars ($3,150.00) as follows:
FROM
12102-55830 CLOTHING REIMBURSEMENT                    $3,000.00
12102-54220 SUPPLIES-OTHER                     150.00
TOTAL            $3,150.00
TO:
12101-51830 PAY-CLOTHING ALLOW/ADVANCE             $3,150.00
TOTAL             $3,150.00
*Tabled 4-15-26

Item 6: 4-21-26 Magrath-Smith – Ordered that the City Council review and approve the proposed 2026 funding recommendations from the Community Preservation Act Committee.

Item 7: 4-21-26 From the CPA Committee- FY26 Recommendations to City Council

Iten 8: 4-21-26 Vacon- ORDER: that the City Council adopt MGL Chapter 60 Section 3d and a fund be established to accept voluntary donations, designated on motor vehicle excise tax bills.  This fund is established for the purpose of defraying the real estate taxes of elderly and disabled persons of low income. This is requested in light of recent high tax increases, to help with affordability issues threatening the ability of homeowners to remain in their homes, even after mortgages are paid off.

Item 9: 12-3-24 BARTLEY, VACON – Ordered, the mayor be requested to act on the bond study from last year and put together a plan to demo the old police station.

Item 10: 1-20-26 From Mayor Joshua Garcia-FY27 Budget Development Process-Early Planning and Preparation.

Item 11: 2-3-26 From the Division of Local Services, update on vendor procurement process to assist with cash reconciliations.

Item 12: 3-3-26 Devine, Sullivan, Anderson-Burgos, Magrath-Smith, Maisonet -Ordered that the city staff attending the Tyler Tech conference in April be requested to come to a Finance Committee meeting to report on what they learned at the conference.

LAID ON THE TABLE

Item 13: 1-20-26 Magrath-Smith- ORDERED: That the Holyoke City Council consider and act on the attached resolution, joining with the Mayor in requesting that the Holyoke Retirement Board and the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission allow a reevaluation of the City’s pension funding schedule prior to development of the FY27 budget.
*Tabled 2-11-26

Item 14: 4-7-26 Magrath-Smith –Ordered that TJ Plante, Rory Casey, and other relevant financial officers be invited into the Finance Committee to give a detailed update on the work done so far to reconcile our accounts for the last three years and implement the structural and procedural changes outlined in the Municipal Modernization Act.
*Tabled 4-15-26

ADMINISTRATIVELY LAID ON THE TABLE

Item 15: 5-6-25 Jourdain, Vacon – That the Mayor, City Clerk and Auditor please come to the Finance Committee to discuss the city’s compliance with MGL Ch. 41 Section 17 and Holyoke City Charter Section 52.  MGL Ch. 41 Section 17 requires the following:  “Every officer of a city who makes or executes a contract on behalf of the city shall furnish said contract or a copy thereof to the city clerk and the city auditor within one week after its execution; and the city clerk shall keep such contract or copy on file, open to public inspection during business hours. Such contracts or copies shall be kept in a book by themselves or in several books, arranged according to the subject of the contract, or in other convenient form, and an index to the subject matter of the contracts and to the names of the contractors shall be made semi-annually, and shall also be open to public inspection in some convenient form. All allowances under and additions to such contracts, or copies thereof, shall be filed with the city clerk and the city auditor, together with a sworn statement of the officer making such allowances or additions that the same are correct and in accordance with the contract. A city clerk or other city officer failing to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten nor more than one hundred dollars.”
Moreover, Holyoke City Charter Section 52 requires, “All contracts made by any department of the city shall, when the amount involved is five hundred dollars or more, be in writing, and no such contract shall be deemed to have been made or executed until the approval of the mayor is affixed thereto. All such contracts shall be accompanied by a bond, with sureties satisfactory to the board or committee having the matter in charge, or by a deposit of money or other security for the faithful performance of such contracts; and such bonds or other security shall be deposited with the city auditor until the contract has been carried out in all respects; and no such contract shall be altered except by a written agreement of the contractor, the sureties on his or their bond, and the officer making the contract, with the approval of the mayor affixed thereto.”
Can the City Clerk’s office create an on-line database in pdf format for the public inspection of all city contracts exceeding $500 in value?  City Auditor please advise if the holders of all said contracts are providing a bond and if it is only being released in accordance with the Charter?

Item 16: 1-6-26 I. Rivera – Ordered, that a designated percentage of cannabis tax revenue be set aside to fund cannabis-related inspections and investigations, ensuring that the industry complies with the standards outlined in its special permits.

Item 17: 2-3-26 Magrath-Smith, Ordered – that DPW and Engineering develop a draft policy to present to Council around which public ways should be returned to gravel and maintained as class 4 roads versus paved/kept private and non-accepted versus paved/taken over as a public way.

Item 18: 2-3-26 Vacon – ORDER: that our auditor/treasurer provide an updated summary & schedule of our bonds/debt & what percent of our budget this represents.