New Bedford council members ask Monday how the city will use $713,442 in state winter aid and handle last winter's snow bill

NEW BEDFORD New Bedford City Council members will ask the Mitchell administration Monday night to account for $713,441.91 the city received from the state's Winter Recovery Assistance Program, and to say whether the money will cover last winter's snow and ice costs or go to another authorized purpose. The question goes to the City Council's Finance Committee at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, according to the committee's posted agenda.

How the city handles the deficit bears on the tax rate. A state bulletin attached to the agenda says a city that does not spread its fiscal 2026 snow and ice deficit over several years must raise the full amount "on the FY2027 tax rate recap" or cover it some other way before the tax rate is set.

What the motion asks

The written motion, filed by City Council President Abreu and Councillor Lopes, says the state awarded the money based on the city's 269.48 miles of locally owned roads. It asks Chief Financial Officer Robert Ekstrom and the administration to say whether the money will "offset FY2026 snow and ice expenditures, reduce any existing snow and ice deficit, replenish previously appropriated municipal funds, support amortization efforts" or go to another authorized purpose. It also asks for "the anticipated fiscal impact on the City's FY2027 budget and tax rate." The council referred the motion to the committee on July 16.

Neither the motion nor the state bulletin gives the size of New Bedford's snow and ice deficit. The motion leaves that to the administration, asking it to report the effect on this year's budget and tax rate.

What the state allows

The attachment is a June 2026 bulletin from the state Division of Local Services, BUL-2026-3, signed by Director of Accounts Deborah A. Wagner. It says Section 36 of Chapter 101 of the Acts of 2026 lets cities and towns pay off their fiscal 2026 snow and ice deficits "over the next three fiscal years, in equal installments or more rapidly." To do that, a city must adopt an amortization schedule before setting its fiscal 2027 tax rate. In a city, the bulletin says, that vote belongs to "the council, with the mayor's approval, when required by law."

A fiscal 2026 supplemental budget set aside $100 million for the winter program, the bulletin says: $80 million split by a formula based on each community's share of local road miles, and $20 million, at the state transportation secretary's discretion, for places with extraordinary costs from the winter of 2026. Cities may park the part of the deficit they expect the state money to cover in a special fund while they wait. Whatever the state payment does not cover must be added to the amortization schedule or raised on the next tax rate.

Leftover bills from last year

The committee also has nine orders from Mayor Jon Mitchell to pay bills left over from fiscal 2026 out of this year's accounts. They total $34,019.30 by our count. The largest is $25,388.75 for purchased services in the water enterprise fund. The others are $3,593, $2,360.43 and $148.30 for the Department of Public Infrastructure, $1,011.96 for wastewater, $833.53 for the zoo, $469.26 for library supplies, $110.23 for cable access and $103.84 for the airport. The council referred all nine on Sept. 24. Ekstrom, City Auditor Quillan Lowney and the department heads involved are invited.

What happens next

The committee can send recommendations to the full City Council, which next meets Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., according to the city's meeting calendar. That agenda had not been posted when we checked Sunday.

How to weigh in

The meeting is open to the public in Room 214 on the second floor of City Hall, 133 William St. It is livestreamed and recorded, and the agenda says meetings can be watched from the city's homepage under Quick Links, then Meetings. The City Council Office is at 508-979-1455.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.