Councilors on the budget

Councilor O'Brien: "I'm just trying to follow this math here..."
Boone: "part of what we needed to do was address those PCBs..that's what's now being capitalized"
Worcester East Middle science labs? Moving forward this summer
 Economou: "Tremendous first step"

Palmieri: being on the same page makes all the difference in the world...so we're not guessing what we should do"
"should reach a little further"
"classrooms designated in quadrants with 12 children per classroom, to keep the middle class in the city"
"took more than a first step, it was a lot to ask"
Lukes: "impressed with the leadership that's sitting in front of us...Manager has not taken a raise, and I learned recently that the superintendent did not take her COLA..."
"I would suggest that if those contracts were sustainable, this would not be necessary..."
asks if this is a one-time transfer
O'Brien: "those dollars next year would be needed to fully fund a full fiscal year of the police department"
$350,000 is one time; "a lot of variables going into 2014 budget"
"if we see better horizons...it could be certainly viewed as recurring for the Worcester Public Schools"
Lukes:"we're not mandated to providing..."
Ice storm, hot summer...
Five point plan, build our reserves...
Petty reiterates that there are no services being cut, no impact; WPD cannot start the new police class until October, regardless
Boone: "If we're going to advance...then we can't always be at whatever is left for us or whatever we can neogtiate...a goal of the assessment...how do we create a sustainable source of revenue around those projections"
Russell:  "so impressed by the upkeep of the facility" of Worcester East Middle
asks superintendent: raises overdue, while filling a brand new position, take a look at today's economy and try to price positions for new employees for those coming into the system
"we can hire more people in the long run"
"duplication of services...I wonder if there's a willingness...to take a real good look at the entire school department..and even the city"
"printed all in color in a bound book"
Boone: steps and lanes in teachers' contract
"as far as shared services...I believe there are some places where the city could provide excellent support for the city and I'd be pleased to have those conversations"
Toomey: "funds having to raise" with arts magnet program (Toomey channeling her school committee side here; that's really a committee question)
asks about crew shells
lack of books: "when we hear that books are not available...significant turnover of textbooks since I've arrived"
Lukes has been waiting for years for a "real budget"...and cheers that we got one
apparently she likes this one
 O'Brien mentions the school-by-school budget in the back of the budget book
"to figure out how the schools and city work together on playing fields...real opportunities around playing fields"
Technology is a place where we've not had any growth.