Fall River CivicMeeting.net Weekly

The City Council rejected the mayor's entire $484 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1st. This drastic step, which followed a major cut to the EMS budget, creates significant uncertainty and could lead to service interruptions if a new budget or temporary funding is not approved quickly. The administration must now submit a revised budget to avoid a potential city shutdown.

Citing inflated costs, the City Council unanimously cut over $1 million in revenue transfers from the Emergency Medical Services budget to the city's general fund. This decision directly impacted the city's main budget, rendering it unbalanced and leading to its full rejection. The vote reflects the council's deep scrutiny of departmental finances and their impact on taxpayers.

A City Council committee advanced a new ordinance that will end city trash and recycling pickup for all properties with five or six apartments. This major policy change, aimed at saving the city an estimated $1.3 million annually, will require landlords of over 1,000 buildings to hire private waste haulers. The proposal is now headed to the full council for final votes.