[Source via Boston Herald By Lance Reynolds]
A Massachusetts city has paused approval of next year’s budget over calls for more funding to cover immigration legal aid, with one councilor suggesting redirecting money meant for Fourth of July festivities.
As the close of this fiscal year nears on June 30, the Lynn City Council has decided to wait until the last minute to green-light next year’s spending plan, arguing that Mayor Jared Nicholson’s proposed $50,000 allocation isn’t adequate.
Looking in any which way to make up for the shortfall, Councilor Brian LaPierre has offered several recommendations, including redirecting cash from a budget line item that funds neighborhood Fourth of July block parties.
The “celebration line item” specifically provides resources, such as trash barrels and emergency vehicle access, or small stipends to support the council-sanctioned patriotic festivities.
“It’s a small amount,” LaPierre said at a meeting earlier this week of the line item. “It’s $15,000, it’s just for one year, even, but why don’t we roll that into an immigration fund for this year only?”
LaPierre, a councilor-at-large since 2016, also suggested using parking receipt revenue towards immigration relief for a year, or some of the $40,000 the mayor has proposed for his office’s legal fees.
The Fourth of July block party funding request stands out as other Bay State cities and towns have cancelled their own celebrations amid America’s 250th anniversary.
The town of Rutland and the cities of Framingham and Northampton have all connected funding constraints in their respective communities to their celebration cancellations this year.
Rutland, a small Central Massachusetts town of roughly 9,000, was thrown into the national spotlight late last month, receiving heat for keeping individual contributions made for this year’s patriotic flair. Officials have said those donations will be used in future years.
Lynn’s Fourth of July block parties are separate from its main holiday celebration. The city, though, is relying on a community fundraising campaign to reach its $65,000 goal for its 250th Anniversary July 3rd Fireworks Celebration amid rising municipal costs.
Unlike other communities that have been forced to vote on property tax hikes this spring, Nicholson has proposed a balanced budget for fiscal year 2027, which starts July 1, the Lynn Daily Item has reported.
The mayor has said that the $50,000 he has proposed for the city’s immigration aid comes from remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The idea has generated backlash from activists and councilors who argue the proposal is insufficient.
“I first want to acknowledge that I don’t have the direct experience of living in fear in this community and feeling like myself or a loved one could be ripped off the street for no reason,” Nicholson said. “I have done everything I can to stand with our immigrant neighbors to push back at what is wrong.”
