Chicopee Council on Aging approves May fiscal report as city budget deadline nears

The City of Chicopee Council on Aging unanimously approved its May fiscal report during a June 10 meeting, board members said.

Staff described a mix of budget developments that will affect the center next fiscal year. Sherry Manyak, a staff member, told the council that salaries are on target and the center expects a surplus because several positions remain open. She said some catering funds were used to pre-purchase food ahead of the fiscal year end and that a sewer-fee issue required an internal transfer.

Manyak also said the city has placed city-funded spending on a freeze as the City Council finalizes the municipal budget. She highlighted an expected increase in the center's formula grant, which was described in the minutes as being based on $15 per older adult (an increase of $1 per person).

The minutes record a line that the fiscal report was "unanimously approved" by the board; no roll-call tally was provided.

Why it matters: The council must receive an approved city budget before July 1; the City Council is scheduled to vote on the municipal budget June 26, and the Council on Aging plans a special budget-approval meeting on June 27 so it can accept its allocation before the start of the fiscal year.

The meeting did not include a formal public-comment budget debate, and the minutes do not record any dissent on the fiscal report approval. The board scheduled the follow-up budget-approval meeting for June 27, 2025, at 1 p.m.

Next steps: The council will hold the June 27 budget meeting as planned; the minutes noted that member Karen S. Rousseau will provide a proxy for her vote because she is unable to attend.