The Programs & Services Committee met on Thursday, May 14. See the video. Budget materials can be found on the City’s website.
Arts & Culture (report)
Director of Arts & Culture Meryl Kessler presented the department budget. Arts & Culture was reorganized as its own city department — previously, cultural programming was part of Parks, Recreation, and Culture. Priorities include identifying new funding sources, building internal capacity, and developing Newton’s creative economy. Early accomplishments include over 50 meetings with artists and arts groups, an interactive map of Newton’s cultural assets, the establishment of a Newton Poet Laureate (to launch summer 2027), the Festival of the Arts alongside Spark Newton, filling a West Newton vacant storefront with art, and launching Plaza Tuesdays’ weekly performances in Newton Centre. The FY27 budget requests an Associate Director and a half-time Program Manager.
Councilors asked about collaboration with Economic Development in village centers. They were told meetings in West Newton and Newton Highlands have already led to vacant storefronts being used for gallery space. Kessler requested a re-evaluation of the permit and fee structure to reduce obstacles for groups offering programming on city property. Included in the budget was a $50,000 special events line item for a “River of Light” lantern event similar to the one in Watertown.
The committee unanimously approved the recommended Arts & Culture Department budget of $409,570, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Historic Newton (Museums) (report)
Director Lisa Dady presented the Historic Newton budget. The museum opened a new exhibit in March entitled “Newton City Re-Made.” Visitor numbers are up but not yet back to pre-COVID levels. The basement remodel capital project is on budget and on schedule, with completion expected by year-end. Historic Newton secured a $130,000 grant requiring matching funds that have been budgeted. Cuts to federal arts and culture funding are a potential concern in out-years. History signage in the city is going well and will be extended to several additional villages in the coming year. Historic Newton’s annual goal is for groups from every Newton school to visit the museum or for Historic Newton to bring historical lessons to the schools.
Councilors asked about the cost of historical signs and were told the price ranged from $700 to $1,300 per sign delivered. Sign curation is done in-house by Historic Newton.
The committee unanimously approved the recommended Historic Newton budget of $343,954, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Information Technology (report)
Chief Information Officer Greg Ansaldi and Deputy Director Rachel Sherman presented the IT budget. Accomplishments from the past year include Wi-Fi network updates across all city buildings, a redundant, self-contained phone system installed at police headquarters (which will not go off-line if there is a City Hall power outage), a pilot program was started migrating Health & Human Services data to Microsoft SharePoint, case management software integration with the Law Department, screen-reader technology on the City website, and a training portal for staff with how-to city software guides was created. Upcoming priorities include the transition to CivicPlus (which includes accessibility features, an AI chatbot, and a new docketing system for City Council workflow), a SharePoint-based intranet to serve as a central hub for communication, training materials, policies, and departmental resources, and the finalization of a comprehensive AI policy and guidelines. They have no plan to roll out AI tools for city use. AI tools are restricted at the enterprise level to prevent sensitive data leaking onto the internet.
If given additional funds, the IT Department said it would like to inspect the city’s fiber-optic cable system, which has not be inspected since it was installed 13 years ago.
The committee unanimously approved the Information Technology Department’s recommended budget of $3,115,096, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Library (report)
Acting Newton Public Library Director Michelle Buglio presented the Library budget. The FY27 request is 4.3% above FY26, covering salary and benefit increases and expanded collections, particularly audiobooks. Goals for the next year include refreshing adult spaces, improving accessibility in line with new federal ADA requirements, and adding more Wi-Fi and electrical outlets. The new Director search is going well and is expected to be completed by July. The library’s loanable Wi-Fi hot spots are so popular that they cannot keep them on the shelf.
Councilors commended the library’s operations and asked about the Director search and WiFi gaps in the building. The Acting Director stated that more WiFI and electrical outlets are coming in the next fiscal year. The new Director search should be completed in July.
The committee unanimously approved the Library Department’s recommended budget of $7,100,935, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Parks & Recreation (report)
Acting Commissioner Marc Welch and Deputy Commissioner Mark Kelly presented the Parks & Recreation budget. The department served over 18,000 residents across 200 programs in the past year, maintains over 200 parks, playgrounds, and open space areas, and plants close to 800 trees per year. The forestry division receives about 300 service requests annually. The FY27 goal is to assess and reevaluate programs and staff utilization. The department has five vacancies, three of which are new positions introduced in the FY27 budget (Recreation Manager and two Arborist Managers); existing vacant positions are Assistant Director for Parks & Open Space and a Tree Maintenance Specialist.
Councilors asked about a state grant that went unfulfilled after the Open Space Director’s departure. The Commissioner anticipated it to come to fruition in 2027; tree maintenance and resident notification (residents can file claims if trees cause property damage; the department drives each street two to three times a year to identify risks); invasive species removal (the FY27 budget adds $25,000 specifically for invasive species removal at locations including Nahanton Park, Cold Spring Park, and Edmands Park); watering capacity (six trucks capable of watering about 1,300 locations per week); and accessible playground structures (a thorough review of playgrounds is a department goal for the upcoming year, with a long-term capital plan aspiration to distribute accessible play structures city-wide).
The committee unanimously approved the Parks & Recreation Department’s recommended budget of $10,4277,226, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Veterans (report)
Director of Veterans Services Seth Bai presented the Veterans budget. Bai collaborates with federal, state, and local governments to provide services to veterans. Since the Cooper Center opened in December, he has held office hours there on the first Tuesday of each month. The department is holding two significant events in May: the annual Memorial Day Reverent Ceremony and the Salute to Service Parade, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Armed Forces.
Councilors asked about how the department connects with diverse veterans’ groups. Those with an honorable discharge are given priority, but others are still helped in navigating their benefits. Bai has worked with Veterans Out, an organization representing LGBTQ+ veterans; recent focus has been on widows of Vietnam War veterans. One of the department’s goals is “to transition all veterans to the web portal for the Department of Veterans Affairs, where vets can manage their prescription drugs and appointments through the internet.”
The committee unanimously approved the Veterans Department’s recommended budget of $248,659, the supplemental CIP, and the CIP.
Present: Councilors Krintzman (Chair), Malakie (Vice Chair), Farrell, Charm, Bixby, and Oliver. Absent: Councilors Baker and Micley. Also present: Councilor Leary.
City staff: Greg Ansaldi, CIO; Rachel Sherman, Deputy Director of IT; Marc Welch, Acting Commissioner of Parks & Rec; Mark Kelly, Director of Special Needs & Deputy Director of Parks & Rec; Seth Bai, Director of Veterans; Meryl Kessler, Director of Arts & Culture; Michelle Buglio, Acting Director of Newton Public Library; John Rice, Chief Community Service Officer; Josh Morse, COO; Dana Hanson, Chief of Staff; Miles Starkey, Committee Clerk.