Somerville finance committee approves cut to chief administrative officer pay, rejects police-staffing reductions

Somerville — The Somerville City Council finance committee, meeting as a committee of the whole on June 24, 2025, approved a $186,744 reduction to the executive administration personal services line intended to remove the chief administrative officer salary from the proposed FY2026 budget and rejected multiple proposals to reduce police staffing.

The vote on the CAO salary cut carried 6–4 with one abstention. Councilor Scott sponsored the motion; supporters said it revisits a position the council has questioned in past budget cycles. Opponents cautioned the change could disrupt programs and noted the city has taken steps this year to codify the position in a charter change pending before the state legislature.

Why it matters: The committee’s decisions on “cut night” shape the revised FY2026 budget that the administration will finalize and return to the full council. Cuts or restorations approved by the committee will be packaged and sent to the mayor’s office for reconciliation over the next 48 hours and then taken up by the full council on Thursday.

Councilor Scott introduced the CAO-salary reduction as a $186,744 cut that he said was consistent with past council scrutiny of the position. The roll call recorded votes in favor from Councilors Emba, Scott, Burnley, Strezo, Klingen and Davis; votes against from Councilors Wilson, Ewing Campan, Saeed and President Pena De Neufeld; and one abstention by Councilor McLaughlin.

Debate on police staffing dominated the meeting. Councilor Scott proposed a $496,370.34 cut from the police department personal services line to remove funding for six currently vacant patrol positions, saying the recommendation aligned with a staffing study the city received in 2024 and could free money to begin an unarmed alternative emergency response. “This would be freeing up $500,000 from the police department that could be directly allocated,” Councilor Scott said.

Somerville Police Chief Benford testified in opposition. “I would vigorously oppose it and advocate maintaining the level of funding and staffing that we do have,” Chief Benford said, adding the department responds to changing circumstances and large public events and that reducing patrol numbers “would significantly hamper our ability to respond.”

Human resources and recruitment officials told the committee the department has a short pipeline of hires. Director of Human Resources Gill said the city had six conditional offers to candidates for police officer, three of whom will be academy‑trained and ready to work within weeks and three who would attend the academy in the fall. “We do have 6 conditional offers out to police officers right now,” Gill said.

The police staffing cut failed, 2–8, with Councilor Scott and Councilor Burnley voting yes; Councilor McLaughlin was recused from that vote. Scott later said a separate motion to cut roughly $680,000 from senior-officer ranks (sergeants and lieutenants) was withdrawn.

Councilor Burnley moved a separate $90,360 cut aimed at the personnel line funding a public-safety‑for‑all project manager post. Budget Director Mike Mastroboni clarified that the public-safety‑for‑all manager position had been funded from the Racial and Social Justice Fund (appropriated last June) and is not in the general fund for FY2026; the motion failed, 3–8.

The administration also asked the committee to withdraw two year-end appropriation items (IDs 25‑1027 and 25‑1030) that had been resubmitted to the full council with corrections; the committee marked those as withdrawn and discharged the remaining end‑of‑year items on tonight’s agenda to the full council with no recommendation so they can be taken up as part of the FY2026 budget vote on Thursday.

Votes at a glance: • Cut $186,744 — executive administration personal services (chief administrative officer salary). Mover: Councilor Scott. Outcome: Approved 6–4–1 (Yes: Emba, Scott, Burnley, Strezo, Klingen, Davis; No: Wilson, Ewing Campan, Saeed, Pena De Neufeld; Abstain: McLaughlin). • Cut $496,370.34 — police department personal services (six vacant patrol positions). Mover: Councilor Scott. Outcome: Failed 2–8, McLaughlin recused (Yes: Scott, Burnley; No: Emba, Wilson, Ewing Campan, Saeed, Strezo, Klingen, Davis, Pena De Neufeld; McLaughlin: recused). • Proposed ~$680,000 cut to senior police supervisors (sergeant/lieutenant ranks). Mover: Councilor Scott. Outcome: Withdrawn by mover. • Cut $90,360 — executive office personnel line (public-safety‑for‑all project manager). Mover: Councilor Burnley. Outcome: Failed 3–8 (Yes: Mccombaugh, Scott, McLaughlin; No: Wilson, Ewing Campan, Saeed, Strezo, Klingen, Davis, Pena De Neufeld). • Administration withdrawal — agenda items 25‑1027 and 25‑1030. Outcome: Withdrawn by administration; remaining end‑of‑year appropriation items discharged to full council for Thursday’s meeting.

What supporters and opponents said: Councilor Scott argued the cuts would implement recommendations from the city’s 2024 police staffing study and create funding headroom for an unarmed alternative emergency response. “I am simply trying to implement some of the recommendations that were in that report,” Scott said.

Supporters of maintaining current police headcount—including Councilors Davis, Klingen, Syed and others—pointed to difficulty recruiting officers, recent collective bargaining outcomes and community demand for visible patrols in dense neighborhoods. “We need to have those resources,” Chief Benford testified, citing large events and recent incidents in the region.

Next steps: The committee will package decisions from cut night and send its revised recommendations to the administration for finalization. The full City Council will take up the FY2026 budget and the discharged appropriation items at its regular meeting on Thursday.

Attendance and procedure notes: The meeting was held remotely under chapter 2 of the acts of 2023 and was recorded. Councilors present included Councilor Wilson (chair), Councilor Scott, Councilor McLaughlin (recused on one vote), Councilor Burnley, Councilor Saeed, Councilor Syed, Councilor Strezo, Councilor Klingen, Councilor Davis and President Pena De Neufeld. The committee adjourned at approximately 6:59 p.m.