WORCESTER - City Manager Ed Augustus will present a $778 million FY23 operational budget for the City Council's review on Tuesday.
The budget is a 6% increase from the FY22 initial budget and a 2% increase from the final budget.
Augustus highlights improvements and restructuring of the Worcester Fire Department as the "most important investment of the FY23 budget," the second major investment is an expansion of the Worcester Police Department operations to provide a neighborhood-based approach and the third major investment is the expansion of the Department of Inspectional Services.
Proposed increases for the WFD is $3.1 million and WPD is $2.4 million compared to the FY22 operational budget.
One highlight of the Inspectional Services expansion is the recommended creation of a Rental Registry and the hiring of five additional inspectors to enter and assess rental properties in the city for safety and health violations.
The budget also calls for the hiring of a Dispatch Quality Assurance manager for the Emergency Communications Department. This position would work with dispatch operators to improve the response to public concerns and the department's ability to assess issues.
Tuesday's meeting and Augustus' presentation of the proposed FY23 operational budget will be the first of several opportunities for the city council to review the budget before taking an official vote on it.
