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Holyoke committee approves FY26 operating budget after correcting state match and carryover treatment
Summary
The Holyoke City Community Preservation Committee approved its FY26 operating budget after members clarified the state match percentage, agreed to treat FY25 carryover separately from the new-year base, and directed staff to circulate an updated table. A disruptive Zoom participant was removed during the budget presentation.
The Holyoke City Community Preservation Committee voted to approve its fiscal year 2026 operating budget with updates to be made by staff and circulated to members.
The committee's budget discussion centered on a corrected state match figure and how to treat the FY25 carryover balance. Naomi (committee staff) said the coalition had instructed the committee to estimate the state match at 15.9%, but that Tanya verified the actual state match that afternoon and “it was actually just under 15%, 14.97.” Members asked for clarity about whether the published table reflected 15.9% or the verified 14.97%; Naomi confirmed the verified 14.97 figure would be used and that she would update the spreadsheet.
The committee also debated whether to include FY25 carryover in the FY26 base used to calculate the 5% administrative cap. Several members argued that carryover funds are from the prior fiscal year and should be listed separately rather than included when calculating the FY26 administrative percentage. The committee agreed to remove the FY25 carryover from the FY26 base, add an asterisked note listing the carryover amount and the previously allocated $15,000 for small grants, and direct staff to prepare two separate items for city council: (1) the FY26 CPA budget and (2) the $15,000 small-grants request.
The budget presentation was interrupted by a disruptive Zoom attendee; committee members removed the person from the meeting. Committee members described the disruption as deliberate and said it was addressed by removing the participant from the virtual room. The committee then resumed and completed its budget discussion.
Committee members asked staff to update the table formatting, consolidate a few rows for clarity, and circulate the revised budget to members later the same day or the following day. The motion to accept the budget with those updates passed on a roll-call vote.
Why it matters: the state match and the treatment of carryover affect available project funding and the cap on administrative expenses; the committee specifically sought to avoid double-counting carryover when calculating the 5% administrative limit.
