Mayor’s office highlights mobile outreach, city academy and pay reclassification in budget hearing

Mayor Pangalo and the mayor’s office staff described constituent services initiatives and personnel changes in the executive office budget as the committee reviewed the mayor’s fiscal 2026 request.

Mayor Pangalo (Mayor) thanked the finance team and outlined constituent outreach efforts. He described two initiatives: a mobile mayor’s office (staff set up in community locations with laptops and meet residents) and City Hall to Go (a tented presence at farmers markets and events). He said the office also conducts “Wednesday walks,” in which constituent staff go door‑to‑door in neighborhoods to share information and invite resident contact. The mayor told the committee: “We have the opportunity to engage with programs that are happening… it’s been a really great opportunity.”

The mayor’s office also discussed a renewed compensation strategy. The mayor said the administration completed a comprehensive classification and compensation study across departments; as a first step the city is bringing positions that fall “substantially below the minimum of the range” up to at least the new minimum so that “every full‑time city employee will now be making a living wage for Essex County as a minimum.” Staff described merit adjustments and cost‑of‑living increases alongside the study‑driven reclassification.

Committee members asked how the mobile mayor’s office is measured; the mayor’s office said success metrics include participation counts and neighborhood engagement, and noted the work also serves limited‑English residents when located at community sites such as Espacio and Pioneer Terrace. The committee recommended approval of the mayor’s personnel and expenditure lines (the department total was corrected on the record to $763,485) and forwarded the items to the full council for final action.