At a budget meeting, the New Haven Board of Alders approved a technical amendment to the mayor’s proposed general fund budget, accepted staff corrections and allocated a resulting $1,770,439 surplus to an expenditure reserve and a subsidy for a local food‑assistance group.

Chair Adam Marshon said staff identified errors and updates that reduced expenditures by $3,195,439 and revenues by $1,425,000. “That means that should this technical amendment pass, there will be a surplus of $1,770,439,” Marshon said.

The board voted to move $1,425,000 into an expenditure reserve and to allocate the remaining $345,439 to the Connecticut Food Assistance Network (CFAN). The amendment to reallocate the surplus passed on a voice vote.

A separate amendment by Alder Festa removed three proposed positions from the budget — chief data officer, deputy controller and an accountant position — producing $298,959 in savings. Festa described the amendment as prioritizing tangible services: “the savings are $298,959 to be used for…tree trimming, street paving, stump removal, basically city services.” The board approved that amendment and directed $50,000 of the savings to Haven’s Harvest and the remaining $248,959 to contractual services such as tree trimming, stump grinding and sidewalk repairs; the precise departmental line items will be specified for second reading.

Festa also proposed a policy amendment to sequester $5 million of the Board of Education allocation until the superintendent presents a plan; she said sequestering would “create transparency” and require the board of education to come before the Alders to request release. The proposal failed on a voice vote: “All opposed, say nay. The nays have it; the motion fails,” Marshon announced.

After the votes on amendments, the board approved items 1 and 2 — the general fund budget — as amended. Marshon said the committee will follow up with staff to pin down the exact budget lines for some of the late changes before the final vote at the board’s special budget meeting scheduled the day after Memorial Day.

Discussion versus decision: the meeting included both deliberation and formal action. The technical amendment and the reallocations described above were formal actions the board approved. Several Alders expressed concern about the board of education, school facilities and staffing during debate; however, the sequester attempt was a debated policy amendment that failed and did not change funding for the board of education.

What’s next: the Alders directed staff to format the approved amendments for second reading and to supply exact line‑item language for any contractual service allocations before final adoption.