Residents at Quincy budget hearing press council on raises, transparency and the Quarry Hills golf lease

Dozens of residents told the Quincy City Council during a public hearing that they want clearer reporting and stronger oversight on how the city manages public assets and taxpayer funds.

Speakers at the hearing singled out a 50% pay increase for councilors, the council’s failure to hold regular public hearings and a proposed long-term lease for the Quarry Hills/Granite Links golf course as examples of where they say the city needs better accountability. They urged the council to require more transparent revenue reporting and to follow recommendations from the state Office of the Inspector General.

The concerns were raised during the council’s publicly noticed budget hearing. Maggie McKee, a resident, told the council she had reviewed the city charter and council rules and concluded the council “rarely debates issues among themselves.” McKee also flagged committee inactivity and large, unanimous voting records as evidence the council is not providing robust public deliberation. Heather Dhoni and Maria Mulligan—chair of the Quarry Hills Citizen Advocates—focused their remarks on the golf course arrangement, calling it a “forever lease” that requires additional oversight.

Mulligan asked the council to add specific line items for golf-course revenues to the FY2026 budget, to require that the administration seek council approval before spending those funds, and to follow due-diligence recommendations in the Office of the Inspector General report titled “Advisory on Municipal Golf Course Management Contracts.” She said the advisory’s admonition—“Trust and verify”—should guide negotiations and audit practices. Mulligan also urged the council to seek an audit of past rent payments and to negotiate better terms to secure more revenue for the city.

Other public commenters used the hearing to press the council on the city’s debt and pension obligations. Several residents cited Standard & Poor’s recent change of outlook to “negative” and questioned how projected long-term debt and recently issued pension obligation bonds will affect future property taxes. Speakers asked whether the administration has a plan to meet rising debt service and PERAC (the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission) assessments.

Councilors did not take final action on the lease or direct the administration to open a formal audit during the public hearing. Mayor and staff presenters responded later in the evening during budget hearings with revenue and debt briefings and routine departmental budget votes; those actions are recorded separately in the council’s departmental hearings record.

Residents repeatedly asked the council to (1) hold the monthly hearings required by council rules, (2) publish clear line items for golf-course revenue and oversight funds, and (3) demand audits or additional contractual controls before approving long-term property leases that assign municipal assets to private operators.

For now, the council did not announce changes to the draft FY2026 budget in response to the public remarks; those deliberations continued in the evening’s departmental hearings.

The hearing record shows sustained public interest in financial oversight of large, long-term leases and in municipal transparency around council practices and pay decisions.