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Councilors debate $25,000 reallocation from unused airport funds to pay city consultant
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Summary
The committee reviewed a request to move $25,000 from previously allocated airport free cash/ARPA funds to compensate consultant Anil Navkar for energy and sustainability work; airport commissioner raised questions about use of enterprise funds and prior ARPA awards to nonprofits, and the committee voted to forward the request to the full council.
The Budget and Finance Committee considered a request on April 27 to reallocate $25,000 from previously allocated airport free cash/ARPA funds to compensate Anil Navkar for professional energy and sustainability services he has provided to the city.
Senior adviser Octavian Spanner and CAFO Ramona Ceballos told the committee the airport commission’s allocation contained unspent funds and that some enterprise departments had declined loans offered as part of earlier allocations. Spanner said the administration proposes using a portion of the airport allocation because it remains unused and would otherwise lapse. "We would like to take $25,000 from that amount," he said.
Councilors probed whether the payment would compensate past volunteer work or ongoing services and whether the airport commission had been consulted. Councilor Mark LaPlante said he would support compensation for future services but was uncomfortable authorizing payment for past volunteer work without clearer documentation; CAFO Ceballos said the individual has been set up as a vendor and the funds are sought for continuing work.
Bill Collins, a member of the Lawrence Airport Commission, spoke from the gallery and criticized the reallocation, saying ARPA funds had been awarded to nonprofits that are not registered with the state and that the airport commission had not been consulted. "The ARPA money has gone to nonprofits in this city that are not registered with the state of Mass," Collins said, and urged more transparency about how airport‑designated funds were reallocated.
Administration officials and the CAFO said prior votes and discussions authorized moving unspent enterprise funds when departments declined loan offers and that the proposed $25,000 represents a fraction of the total unused allocation. After debate, the committee voted to send the request to the full council with a favorable recommendation; members requested documentation of whether the payment covers current or prior services and confirmation of vendor setup.
The full council will receive the committee’s recommendation; councilors requested follow‑up records and consultation notes before final approval.
