My Leadership on Somerville's Budget
With my steady, proven leadership, my experience and creativity have allowed me to fund progress even in these uncertain economic times.
Even as rising costs and reduced new growth posed challenges, I avoided layoffs and major cuts. Through a combination of careful reserve use, a partial hiring freeze, and department-level efficiencies, my administration closed a $4 million gap without reducing core city services. The City Council passed my budget without a single cut.
- I was able to do the same with the school budget, making a 7.4% increase in school funding, totaling nearly $8 million in new investments. This makes a 34% increase in Somerville Public Schools funding since I took office. This fiscal discipline ensures that Somerville works and is the reason S&P Global Ratings has given the city a Triple A bond rating for the third consecutive year, which helps keep borrowing costs low.
While many cities are scaling back, I’ve been able to stay the course and choose progress thanks to careful planning and fiscal strategy. I've increased funding for our schools, and I'm protecting benefits for our most vulnerable residents, seniors, veterans, youth and families. I’ve also designed the budget to maintain essential city services with-or-without new federal funding.
I've Made Big Reforms, With Big Results
- I have revolutionized the city's budgeting process by requesting city council and community input early. My improvement was so popular that it was adopted into the new city charter.
- To improve fiscal management I added 7 finance managers to control spending and created Somerville’s first, first free cash policy.
- My fiscal reforms and my strong financial management earned Somerville’s first AAA bond rating. This perfect credit rating has allowed me to tackle large infrastructure projects that were long overdue.
- I am also streamlining the permitting process by committing to a common software platform across all departments. I also require teamwork, and concurrent reviews to reduce steps and time. My reforms are saving process steps and review time.
- My budget protects core services—education & youth services, senior and veterans’ services, trash & recycling pickup, libraries,—while also delivering bold action on affordability, on rebuilding our aging infrastructure, on climate, increasing parks and green spaces, and escalating my war on rats.
My FY25 budget includes highlights such as
- Significant investment in schools:
- Including 36 new, net full-time-equivalent positions for Somerville Public Schools.
- I was able to increase the school budget, by 7.4%, totaling nearly $8 million in new investments. This makes a 34% increase in Somerville Public Schools funding since I took office.
- Workforce Equity: Funding for union contracts, addressing gender pay gaps, and ensuring fair and competitive wages for city workers
- Core City Services:
- Delivering on city priorities like infrastructure maintenance, road repairs, and waste removal.
- Targeted investments: In areas such as homelessness support, senior services, alternative emergency response programs, and climate action goals.
Leadership On Somerville’s Budget
One of my primary responsibilities is keeping our fiscal house in order. Doing so while the trump administration – which i am suing – threatens to withhold federal funding already allocated has been especially challenging. While many cities are scaling back, I’ve been able to stay the course and choose progress thanks to careful planning and fiscal strategy. For more information read more here...
Making Somerville Affordable
In only three years my administration has made real progress on affordability. We’ve added 974 new affordable housing units to the development pipeline. I’ve also distributed over $9 million in rental assistance and housing vouchers to help families stay in Somerville. Learn more about Mayor Katjana's progress on affordability here.
Homelessness, Addiction & Public Health
I've focused on maintaining safe and accessible public spaces for all residents, while also providing support and resources to individuals struggling with addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness. My approach to address drug use and vagrancy in public parks is through a combination of public safety measures, and compassionate public health initiatives.
The first things that I did to address this crisis, beginning as soon as I took office, I opened Somerville’s first, overnight warming center, which provides meals and connects unhoused individuals with housing and other services. I also increased funding to the new Engagement Center to expand services for unhoused persons. The Engagement Center is thriving. For more information go here.
Combating Climate Change
My focus on results for Somerville residents is working. I’m happy to report that my administration has opened or expanded four public parks with green spaces and we’ve broken ground on the Dilboy Auxiliary Athletic Fields. We have planted over 1,800 new trees in accordance with the native species ordinance (that I sponsored as a city councilor).
And we’ve created and launched the Somerville Climate Forward dashboard so we can see progress against my goal to be carbon negative, not just carbon neutral, by 2050.
https://www.somervillema.gov/climatedashboard
