Council approves three transfers: rail-trail landscaping, police overtime, wire department overtime

The Leominster City Council approved three separate orders on routine budget measures Tuesday evening, transferring money to accounts needed for immediate expenses.

C‑41 authorized the appropriation of $8,000 to the Twin City Rail Trail grant account, with the same amount transferred from the Twin City Rail Trail lease account. Finance staff told the council that lease receipts are held in a restricted account and must be moved to the grant account before they can be spent; the funds will be used for landscaping on the Rail Trail this summer. The finance subcommittee recommended the transfer; the full council adopted the order by roll call, recorded as 8–0.

C‑42 moved $250,000 from the city’s stabilization fund into the police department overtime account. The mayor forwarded a letter from the police chief explaining that overtime needs — investigations, shift coverage, injured duty and military duty — depleted the overtime budget. The finance subcommittee recommended the transfer and the council voted to adopt the order by roll call (unanimous in the transcript).

C‑43 authorized a $15,000 transfer from the stabilization fund to the wire department overtime account after the department incurred extra work responding to a pipe burst in a server room at City Hall. The finance subcommittee unanimously recommended the appropriation and the council approved it, recorded as 8–0.

Finance chair noted the city’s larger fiscal picture during committee reports: a stabilized capital fund balance, certification of $13,089,104 in free cash, and ongoing budget interviews with department heads as the city prepares its next fiscal-year capital requests.