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Council debates communications director pay and advertising as $50,000 cut to mayor's "other expenses" passes
Summary
Councilors questioned funding for a $115,000 communications director and increased advertising costs tied to legal notices; a proposal to reduce the communications director salary line failed, but a $50,000 cut to other expenses in the mayor's office passed on a roll call.
The Ways & Means committee spent extensive time on the mayor's FY25 budget, focusing on the vacant communications director position, advertising costs for required legal notices, and the city's use of outside communications vendors.
Aaron Devaney, Chief of Staff, said the communications director position has been continuously posted and that the administration expects to make an offer in June or at the start of FY25. He told councilors that filling the position would reduce the need to outsource work, but that some advertising and legal-notice obligations could still require expense appropriation in-year.
Councilor Rogers proposed trimming the salaries line by $17,500 (a reduction affecting the communications director line). The motion was seconded, debated at length and put to a roll-call vote; the motion failed.
Separately, Councilor Smith moved to cut $50,000 from the mayor's "other expenses" line. That motion was made, seconded, and carried on roll call; the chair later announced the motion carried and that $50,000 had been removed from the other expenses appropriation.
Councilors also discussed shifting legal-advertising costs to applicants or developers by ordinance; Devaney said that could require solicitor's review and likely subsequent legislative action. He also said the mayor intended to preserve two citywide events (the December holiday event and Fourth of July) while curtailing some other community celebrations to reduce costs.
What happens next: the mayor's office will implement the approved line-item changes; any council-directed ordinance to shift legal-ad posting costs to applicants would require separate solicitor review and legislative approval.
