• Medford needs a real plan to determine how we will raise the money for the spending needs we identify, and over what timeframe.
• This should include a combination of new growth from new construction, increased local receipts (e.g. higher permitting fees), as well as an honest assessment of the only major tools the city has to raise revenue: a Proposition 2.5 override (operating or capital expenses) and/or a Proposition 2.5 debt exclusion (capital expenses only, e.g. fix streets or build new high school).

• Right now, when the Mayor or City Council talk about “budget victories,” we aren’t comparing those funding amounts to any real goals. We are all glad we are making good investments – but we have no information on how much closer we are to solving our problems than we were before. 
• We need clear, measurable benchmarks so we know how much we’ve improved each year and how long it will take us to achieve our goals as a community.
• Most importantly, we need to update the budget needs assessment and revenue plans on a regular basis (ideally annually) so we can remain accountable to our community’s goals and measure our progress.

• The current City Charter makes the City Council an afterthought when it comes to the budget process, with no real power to involve the public or make improvements to the Mayor’s budget proposal. 
• The City Council has proposed three common-sense Better Budget Ballot Questions that would amend the city charter to give the City Council real power for oversight and collaboration on the budget – and give residents more of a voice in the process.

• Residents don’t have a clear understanding of the budget process, and that creates mistrust and confusion. 
• Establishing a fairer balance of power and more open budget process will help residents have more confidence in the process and the end product – our City Budget.

• Under the current process, most budget discussions and recommendations from city staff happen behind closed doors.
• The public meetings that would occur under the Better Budget Ordinance would allow city staff members to share their budget requests and hopes with the City Council and all residents.

• Passing a budget by June 30th is the only deadline in the current budget process.
• The Better Budget Charter Ballot Questions would enshrine into the city charter that the Mayor must submit the proposed budget by May 15th and the City Council must take action by June 15th.
• The Better Budget Ordinance would further outline the timeline for creating budget proposals that would start in January of each year, allowing a full six months of public process to create a strong and collaborative Medford City Budget.

• The existing budget process happens in just a few weeks in June, which leads to rushed discussions and, on more than one occasion, late night meetings at the eleventh hour to meet the June 30th state deadline to pass a city budget.
• The Better Budget Ordinance would start the public process for creating the city budget much earlier in the year. This would avoid last-minute decision making, allow residents to participate and have clear expectations, and promote buy-in to the final product.

• Currently, city department heads make budget requests that would help do a better job delivering services to residents – but the City Council and the public don’t know what those requests are nor what makes it into the Mayor’s proposal. 
• The process that would be created by the Better Budget Ordinance would make these budget requests public so that the City Council and residents can know what was included or excluded from various budget proposals and the final budget.

The City Council has proposed three targeted, common-sense fixes to major gaps in the City Charter regarding the budget process and Mayor-Council relationship. These proposals would make the budget process more open and transparent, improve the balance of power to encourage collaboration between the Mayor and City Council, and create clear budget timelines to improve public trust and engagement. The ballot questions would:

• Give City Council common-sense power to amend proposed budget, set deadlines for Mayor budget submission and Council budget approval
• Allow the City Council have its own research, legal, or other staff support
• Require Council confirmation of Mayoral appointments to city boards, committees, and commissions

A full review of the entire City Charter will take between 3-5 years before it is enacted, but state law allows cities like Medford to make targeted improvements faster than that. The City Council has held 5 public meetings on the Better Budget Charter Ballot Questions since April, including working with the Mayor’s legal advisors to make the language clearer.

The City Council will be voting on June 6th to decide whether advance these proposals, but only the Mayor has the power to put these binding questions on this November’s election ballot and let the voters decide on our path forward.

If the voters approve these ballot questions on November 7th, they will go into effect for the upcoming FY2025 budget cycle that starts in January – ensuring a more deliberate, thoughtful, collaborative budget process starting next year.

• Full text of the proposed amendments can be found here.
• View my April 18th presentation on the proposed amendments here.

The Better Budget Ordinance would create a clear timeline for the annual budget and require the city to conduct budget needs assessments for capital projects and operating expenses. The City Council Subcommittee on Ordinances and Rules has been meeting with the city’s Finance Director, and we have unanimous agreement on the goals of the project.

This ordinance will help us establish clear budget goals, encourage real collaboration between the Mayor’s staff and the City Council, and make the budget process more open and transparent. The ordinance would also help clarify how outside grant funding and other revenue in permanent funds (like linkage fees) and special revenue funds (like revolving fee-based programs) contribute to the budget and include these revenues and expenses in future annual budget documents in addition to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

The subcommittee plans to complete work on this ordinance by November 2023 so that the new and improved budget process will go into effect in January 2024 for the FY2025 city budget.