Springfield City Council gives initial OK to Juneteenth Day becoming 12th paid holiday for city workers; tied to end of slavery
Updated May 04, 2021;
SPRINGFIELD The City Council gave first step approval to adding Juneteenth Day as the 12th paid holiday for city workers, with one of the sponsors citing the new holiday is a proper step to acknowledge the end of slavery.
Councilor Tracye Whitfield, a co-sponsor, said Monday that the Fourth of July holiday celebrates independence from England in 1776, but the Juneteenth Independence holiday properly acknowledges that it was not independence for all.
“There was still slavery” said Whitfield, who is Black. “We were still being whipped, beaten, hung, killed, torn apart from our families. And today some of that is still happening.”
Funding for Springfield’s ‘precarious’ pension system ticks upward
Updated 5:13 AM;
SPRINGFIELD An audit of the city’s finances still finds the retirement fund in “precarious” condition, and it remains the worst-funded public pension system in Massachusetts, but city officials took solace in a newly reached milestone.
Powers & Sullivan LLC, of Wakefield, reported Wednesday that the city’s pension system is 30.2% funded, surpassing the 30% mark for the first time in recent years. This was based on valuation data as of Jan. 1, 2020, and compares to 27.2% two years earlier.
City councilors, after hearing the latest audit report this week, said Thursday they are glad there has been progress.
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Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno slates fiscal 2022 budget hearings
Updated Apr 05, 2021;
Posted Apr 05, 2021
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, left, and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Timothy Plante, seen in file photo, have slated budget hearings for fiscal 2022. (The Republican file photo)Staff-Shot
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SPRINGFIELD Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has scheduled hearings with city department heads this week to detail their budget requests for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The hearings are being held online due to COVID-19, and are being conducted in partnership with Focus Springfield. The public can register in advance to view the hearings at focusspringfield.com/budget-hearing.
Melanie Acobe appointed as Springfield’s first Latina budget director
Updated Jan 26, 2021;
SPRINGFIELD City officials announced Tuesday that Melanie Acobe has been promoted to the position of budget director in Springfield, becoming the first Latina in that post.
The appointment was announced by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Timothy J. Plante. Acobe replaces former budget director Timothy Brown, who left for a different career opportunity, officials said.
The post carries an annual salary of $92,270.
Acobe, a Springfield resident, has previously served as grants director in Springfield and as senior budget analyst. She begins the new job Feb. 1.