Finance Committee Meeting September 29, 2025

Published September 23, 2025, 3:28 p.m.

City Council
Holyoke Massachusetts
Pursuant to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25,
and Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025,
notice is hereby given of a meeting of the committee on
Finance

Monday, September 29, 2025
6:30 PM

Meeting to take place at
Holyoke City Hall, 536 Dwight St
and can be accessed remotely on Zoom Meetings
Per order of the Chair: Patti Devine
Remote access via zoom.us
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82681213656?pwd=fthypHMM7I0t7bNkKQbta3dQwjfANq.1
Meeting ID: 826 8121 3656 Meeting Passcode: 157418 or by call in at 1 (646) 558-8656 with
the same Meeting ID and Passcode.

Live Spanish interpretation will be available on local access channel 15 using the television’s SAP option, through the live stream on the city website, as well as on the Zoom feed by clicking the interpretation option and choosing Spanish.

Agenda

Item 1: Minutes of September 8, 2025 meeting.

Item 2: 9-17-25 Petition from Rev Randell Bessette of 1810 Northampton St. for a Second Hand License.

Item 3: 8-5-25 Magrath-Smith-Ordered, that the City Council approve for their consideration $15,000 from the CPA budget to be used for “small grants” as outlined in the attached letter from the Holyoke Community Preservation Committee.
*Referred back 9-17-25

Item 4: 9-17-25 Devine-Ordered, that in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 44 Sec. 53A, the City Council hereby accepts the provisions of the “MASS DOT LOCAL BOTTLENECK REDUCTION PROGRAM, $390,149.30, 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 5: 9-17-25 DEVINE – Ordered, that there be and is hereby appropriated by transfer in the fiscal year 2026, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND 00/100 Dollars ($137,500) as follows:
FROM
11211-51104 CAFO               $137,500
TOTAL $137,500
TO:
11212-53009 MAYOR’S CONTRACTED SERVICES                      $137,500
TOTAL            $137,500

LAID ON THE TABLE

Item 6: 3-4-25 Jourdain, Vacon- Ordered, that the Treasurer, Auditor and Mayor please come to the Finance Committee to discuss why the Schedule A year end reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2024 has not yet been filed with the State.  Failure to make this end of year filing timely potentially jeopardizes our future state aid payments, cash flow and the certification of our free cash.  This filing was due on November 30 and is still unfiled.  It should be noted that it was filed many months late last year and appears to be late again.  Let’s discuss please how we can get this back on track.
*Tabled 6-25-25

Item 7: 3-19-24 MURPHY-ROMBOLETTI – Ordered that the City Council invite the Mayor, Police Department and relevant financial department heads to a future meeting of the Finance Committee to provide an update on the status of the off-duty police account and former vendor Off-Duty Blue.
*Tabled 4-3-24, 5-15-24, 8-12-24, 9-11-24

Item 8: 11-7-24 – Murphy-Romboletti- In an effort to provide clarity for all councilors and the public, ordered that the law department provide guidance or a memo that outlines the number of votes required for different items related to finance, ordinances, real estate and other relevant voting topics.
*Tabled 1-14-25

Item 9: 11-7-24 – Murphy-Romboletti- Ordered that the law department provide a legal opinion on the number of votes required to make transfers from a special stabilization fund.
*Tabled 1-14-25

ADMINISTRATIVELY LAID ON THE TABLE

Item 10: 11-7-24 – Magrath-Smith, Jourdain – Ordered that the City Solicitor, Auditor, and Treasurer develop and present a clear policy regarding the use of the remaining collected cannabis fees, outlining a process for billing hours to the cannabis fund for work done by city employees connected to cannabis-related activities, such as:
1. Inspections of cannabis businesses
2. Processing of licensing and excise payments for cannabis businesses
3. Cannabis-related educational programming in schools
4. Safe driving and DUI prevention campaigns related to cannabis use also develop and present guidance on the use of cannabis fees for capital improvements or equipment (including related labor costs to support those projects and purchases) that is consistent with offsetting the impact of cannabis-related activities.

Item 11: 11-7-24 – Magrath-Smith, Jourdain – Ordered that the City Solicitor develop and present a clear policy regarding acceptable fees that can be levied against future cannabis businesses related to concrete, specific impacts of cannabis businesses where they exist.

Item 12: 11-7-24 – Magrath-Smith, Jourdain – Ordered that the HR Director come into Finance to present which HR functions are being completed by which Departments, Commissions, or Boards with a goal of seeking out areas where we can become more consistent or streamline processes and positions in the future with the goal of enhancing a more centralized HR function in our city.

Item 13: 11-7-24 From Mayor Joshua Garcia- 2023 Signed MOU HPD RollKall

Item 14: 11-7-24 From Mayor Joshua Garcia- 2021 Signed MOU HPD RollKall

Item 15: 11-7-24 HPD – OffDutyBlue Services Agreement

Item 16: 12-3-24 BARTLEY -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 17: 4-1-25 From Health Benefit Trust meeting, meeting minutes from December 4, 2024, January 13, February 24, and March 10, 2025

Item 18: 5-6-25 Jourdain- 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 19: 5-20-25 Devine, J. Rivera- Ordered that the Commission on Disabilities be invited to the Finance Committee to discuss MGL Chapter 40 Section 22G which will officially set aside funds from Handicap Parking Violation fines into an Independent Budget.

Item 20: 6-3-25 Rivera, I- Order that the Mayor along with the director of the office of Community Development present on the current amount dollars currently accumulated via the Opioid class action law suit and how the city plans to allocate/spend the funding.

Item 21: 6-3-25 Rivera, I- Order that 5% of Cannabis revenue be set aside specifically for capital improvements within and around the communities that the industry is held in.

Item 22: 6-3-25 Letter from David Conti, FY2026 Water Rates and Maintenance Charge

Item 23: 6-3-25 Magrath-Smith – Ordered, that the City Engineer provide a list of approximate costs for often-requested services around traffic calming evaluations, temporary speed humps, permanent speed humps, flashing lights, and stop sign placement. Additionally, provide an updated list of such measures voted on by Council but awaiting available appropriation. Lastly, provide clarity on which budgetary line items such appropriations would be made out of in comparison to the financial cost of current pending work that has been approved by Council.

Administrative Assistant: Jeffery Anderson-Burgos
The listing of matters are those reasonably anticipated by the chair which may be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. Agenda subject to change up to two business days (48 hours) prior to posted meeting time.