somerville dog: a weblog

The Mayor submitted the proposed FY 2007 Municipal Budget to the Board of Aldermen (BOA), Thursday, June 1, 2006. Some items of interest:

• The proposed budget projects a 160% increase in revenue from dog licenses (p. 6).

  The cost of a dog license will increase by 66.6% for spayed and neutered dogs (from $6 in FY '06 to $10 in FY '07) and by 33.3% for sexually intact animals (from $12 in FY '06 to $16 in FY '07).

• The proposed budget projects a 4900% increase in revenue from the sale of land (p. 8). Whereas the budget shows $10,000 in revenue on the FY '06, $500,000 in revenue is projected from sale of land in FY '07.

  On March 23, the Mayor requested that city-owned property at 0 New Washington Street, consisting of approximately 146,013 square feet of vacant land, be declared available for disposition pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, c. 30B, § 16 (file #180747). Somerville dog owners will recall that the Dog Owners Task Force has been discussing this land behind the Holiday in in Cobble Hill and how to turn it into useable open space since November of 2005. As recently as March 9, 2006, the City's liaison to the Task Force told residents that an Off-Leash Recreational Area (OLRA) on New Washington Street was on schedule to open this Spring at the same time as the Nunziato OLRA.

• Again in FY '07, no funds have been proposed for off-leash recreational areas.

  This is disappointing, though not surprising. The Mayor has explained that, in our current fiscal situation, the budget cannot accommodate residents' need for open spaces where we may safely and legally socialize and exercise our dogs off-leash. The Board, too, supports fiscally responsible appropriations for OLRAs. On April 14, 2005, Alderman Taylor and the entire Board resolved that the Administration appropriate seed money to establish Off-Leash Dog Runs (file #178465).

The BOA Committee on Finance is scheduled to meet as a COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE seven times in June for the purpose of discussing the FY 2007 Budget and any and all business. According to the City's online calendar for the month of June 2006, the Committee on Finance will meet as a COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE in City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor, at the following times:

Tuesday, June 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 7, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, June 12, at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 13, at 6:00 p.m.
Monday, June 19, at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 20, at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, June 21, at 6:00 p.m.

The Board of Aldermen will also meet regularly on the second and fourth Thursday of the month on June 8 and June 22.