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Mayor seeks $1.43 million for police and fire salaries; council considers TV funding and $341,100 gaming mitigation grant
Summary
At the July 2 mayor's briefing, the mayor presented motions to appropriate $1,426,745.79 for police and fire salaries tied to a new MassCOPs Local #485 agreement, authorize $346,961.22 for PEG-access TV operations, and accept a $341,100 Massachusetts Gaming Commission mitigation grant earmarked for streetscape design, bikeshare, and police VR training.
The mayor presented a set of fiscal motions at the City of Chicopee’s July 2 mayor’s briefing that would shift funds for public-safety pay and local services into the Fiscal 2025 budget.
The most substantial item, MO-1, orders an appropriation of $1,426,745.79 to Police and Fire Department salary accounts to implement the agreement between the City of Chicopee and MassCOPs Local #485 effective July 1, 2024–June 30, 2027. The mayor said the city has hired 65 patrolmen since he took office and described the raise as necessary to remain competitive and retain staff; he also noted that the Fire Chief’s salary is tied to the highest-paid patrolman or firefighter. The motion states the amount is to be raised in the Fiscal 2025 tax levy.
The mayor also presented MO-2, an appropriation of $346,961.22 from the Receipts Reserved for Appropriation PEG Access Cable Account to three line items: TV production director salary $171,961.22; part-time Chicopee TV staff $75,000; and Chicopee TV facilities/equipment $100,000. The mayor described Chicopee’s broadcast station as a locally funded service and named Ron Rivet, the city’s chief information officer, in relation to the PEG account.
On MO-3 the city would accept a FY2025 Massachusetts Gaming Commission Community Mitigation Fund Block Grant for $341,100 in accordance with M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 53A. The mayor said City Planner Lee Pouliot was present to discuss the grant. Lee Pouliot stated the Gaming Commission requested that projects be separated into multiple categories; the grant was described with line-item allocations: Center Streetscapes Phase 2 — $182,325 for roadway surveying, engineering and design; ValleyBike bikeshare relaunch and operation — $40,000; and Police Department purchase plus three years of service for an Axon virtual-reality training system — $118,775. MO-4 would appropriate the same $341,100 to the Planning Special Account for these costs, funded from the Stabilization Fund account.
Each motion as presented in the minutes is framed as an order to the City Council; MO-1 explicitly notes the appropriation will be raised in the Fiscal 2025 tax levy. The minutes record the mayor’s statements about bargaining in good faith and the city’s goal of retaining public-safety talent but do not record a council vote count in the provided transcript.
Authorities and funding sources cited in the motion text include the agreement with MassCOPs Local #485 and M.G.L. Chapter 44, Section 53A for accepting the Gaming Commission grant. The motions also specify the PEG Access Cable account and the Stabilization Fund as sources for the respective appropriations.
Next steps: the motions were presented for the City Council’s consideration as recorded in the minutes; the transcript does not show final roll-call votes or implementation dates beyond the contract term and the Fiscal 2025 levy note.
