Honoring Promises

The administration must be clearer about how numbers are generated and what assumptions it is using. However, it is the responsibility of the City Council to question the manager more when these are not sufficiently clear.

Councilor Murphy and the administration have sought to make the budget a more accessible document and allow for more public input during the process. On his own initiative, the city manager has made budget presentations at neighborhood meetings leading up to our budget discussions, and with Councilor Murphy’s support, developed a performance-based FY2012 budget with more information than any prior document. Worthy of the distinction of a Government Finance Officers Association award, the baseline document is complete with strategic goals and indicators, and now includes information about related economic development activities, such as Tax Increment Financing agreements.

Recognizing that the Capital Improvement Plan and budget process is nevertheless an area for significant improvement, Murphy has pushed for an update which includes priority ratings for all projects and linkages to both our strategic goals and the annual operating budget in order to fully understand the impact of each potential project or capital item. The approval of our capital budget ought to be properly set in the context of a more organized and rigidly scheduled budget process. With a second term, Councilor Murphy will work to ensure continual improvement in this area.

By working with higher estimates of expenditures on snow and ice removal, as well as lower estimates of revenues in other areas, we will be able to more accurately meet the financial needs of the city and put ourselves in a better position to build up our reserve and stabilization funds.

For many years the City of Lowell had consistently budgeted low for the Snow and Ice budget because of state law which allows the deficit to be carried from one year to the next. However, this can create a structural deficit which affects the city’s ability to provide services in the future. Councilor Murphy pushed for the administration to develop a plan to budget more and more closely to the actual snow and ice expenditure, incrementally raising the previously static number of $580,015 to $650,000 in FY2011, and again to $700,000 in FY2012. He also successfully argued against a reckless, election-year proposal to draw down our reserves and stabilization fund which would have created further structural deficits, run counter to our adopted Financial Management Policies and Objectives, and threatened a downgrading of our bond rating. Because of the fiscally responsible path the City Council and administration has followed, we have in fact improved our bond rating over the last year, decreased our debt service costs, and strengthened the city’s financial position in a very difficult economic climate.

A statistical analysis program would generate and evaluate all kinds of data and quality of life indices of the various neighborhoods and groups in Lowell to in turn stimulate questions about the direction of the city and the policies in place to move us forward. Areas for improvement in the city’s administration and broader public policy could be more readily identified, success more easily measured and built upon, and opportunities for cost-savings more quickly realized. The SomerStat program in Somerville has already found over $10 million in savings in its first three years.

In just his second motion, Councilor Murphy called for the implementation of a CitiStat program in Lowell, and by the beginning of March, the City Council had approved the new position of Data Management Analyst to carry out that task. In just the first six months of the program, Mr. Herbert, the analyst, had identified about $563,135 in savings and revenue, $272,000 of which will be recurring savings. Additional savings and revenue have since been realized, totaling over $1.5 million.  As the first stat program in the state initiated by a Council-Manager form of government, LowellStat has achieved enormous success, even when compared to already established stat initiatives in Springfield, Amesbury and Somerville; for every dollar invested in the program, there has been more than a $16 return.

In addition to cost savings and increased revenue, our data analyst has also identified better practices. One suggestion has led to the adoption of a statute that provides the city with a municipal hearing officer to expedite the collection of fines and resolution of code (21D) violations. Lowell was just the fourth municipality to adopt the statute. Mr. Herbert has also contributed greatly to the preparation of the FY2012 performance-based budget, as well as recent efforts to improve the efficiency of cemetery operations and move toward the regionalization of some services.

The initial focus of the LowellStat efforts has been on the Development Services and Public Works departments, which will begin shortly to post a number of performance indicators that residents may track monthly on the city’s website. However, as the program enters its second year, there are now plans to expand its scope to include a review of our public safety departments.

Police and fire staffing levels should undoubtedly be maintained. However, with additional data generated from a CitiStat model program, departments might be able to not only better allocate their resources and assign personnel, but also to identify preventative measures and more effective design planning for the city administration to undertake over the long term. Specifically, the system of rotating fire station closings should be reviewed to determine how this has affected response times in various neighborhoods.

The City Council and administration have made a commitment to maintain the staffing levels of our police and fire departments and reduce the number of station closings, but there is no question that in an ideal situation more funding would be made available to further limit the closure of fire stations and increase the number of police officers walking the beat. Building upon the foundation of the LowellStat program, Councilor Murphy has proposed that the administration prepare a Smarter Cities grant application to secure funding for our public safety departments to remove barriers to and improve emergency response and prevention efforts. In a second term, Councilor Murphy will also continue to seek out ways to expand recreational and work opportunities as he has in his first, and to focus his work on the concept of parques bibliotecas “library parks,” which might use schools as the sites for after-school community programs in targeted areas to stem and prevent youth and gang violence.

Those who commit to recycling more and throwing out less should be able to apply for smaller barrels and reduce their annual trash fee. This should benefit many senior citizens who do not produce a lot of garbage, but could use a break in the city’s trash fees. This should also further the initial gains made so far in reducing Lowell’s share of waste. Similarly, Lowell’s water fees could be structured in a way to further increased water conservation, saving money for both the city and its taxpayers.

Councilor Murphy has offered many proposals to improve upon the city’s recycling program including a Visible Recyclables Ordinance which the Solid Waste and Recycling Advisory committee estimates could save the city about $190,000 annually. A number of other proposed ordinance changes, when taken together, could effectively extend recycling services to residents living in condo or large multi-family buildings and to the many businesses that cannot now financially or feasibly access them.

Last fall, the City Council approved a Water Conservation Ordinance and accepted a Water Conservation Plan that Councilor Murphy had requested the administration develop. The plan suggested a similar proposal for a water conservation retrofit and rebate program to encourage savings for the city and its residents, and in response to another request will be the basis for a federal grant application this fall. However, more work must be done to minimize rate increases, and the timing of these—if necessary—should be improved so as to not overburden the ratepayers.

Understanding that minimizing waste can begin with our purchasing decisions, Councilor Murphy requested the administration develop and adopt a Local and Environmentally Preferable Procurement Policy. Yet policies only create change if they are duly followed, and a recent report suggests much progress has been made as result of the updated executive order. As a prerequisite for an application to the state, the policy also allowed the city to access a $50,000 grant to support our recycling program’s coordination and enforcement.

The City Council should support efforts to retrofit its own buildings for greater energy conservation and significant cost savings in the budget. Higher efficiency standards for any new building and, where possible, fuel economy standards for new vehicles should also be set by the Council. In the long-term, there ought to be support for small-scale, neighborhood-centered renewable energy projects as opposed to larger polluting plants like the one proposed in North Billerica.

As Chairman of the Environmental Subcommittee, Councilor Murphy has more than kept his promises in this area.  His very first motion called for a sustainability plan which led to the current “Sustainable Lowell” master plan update, and an initiation of the process toward becoming a recognized Green Community. The City Council approved a multi-million loan order for capital energy efficiency improvements to its schools and municipal facilities to be paid back entirely with the savings guaranteed to be generated from the projects.  The administration met Councilor Murphy’s requests to adopt a fuel-efficient fleet policy and again to update that policy to include alternatively-fueled vehicles.  The councilor worked hard to ensure unanimous support for the Stretch Energy code, one of the most energy efficient building codes in the country, which the Council adopted to become just the seventh community in Massachusetts with the more restrictive standards.

With all of these measures approved, Lowell became a MA designated Green Community in time for the first round of funding, and earned a $546,506 grant to support builders and low-income homeowners with their energy efficient projects that met or exceeded the new code. The City Council adopted a Wind Energy Ordinance which allowed the city to access a higher award, and continued its commitment to renewable energy projects with a significant reduction in solar array permitting fees.  Patrick is also working with the Green Building Commission on a solar access ordinance to further encourage small-scale renewable energy in the city.

Even as more CSO projects are completed throughout the city, there needs to be a concerted effort to reduce those factors which contribute to flooding or worsened flooding. There ought to be greater restrictions on development in critical areas, updated building codes to reduce the negative impact of development on the environment, support for green roofs through a program which rewards conversion of impermeable surfaces to permeable ones with a credit to a taxpayer’s water/sewer bills. Retaining the city’s environmental officer and pressuring companies like Enel to act more responsibly are also important.

While Councilor Murphy has sought to address this problem through many avenues, the issue is an ongoing concern which will require more aggressive action.  Requesting everything from Hazard Mitigation grant proposals to Low Impact Development practices, building restrictions and a proposed transfer of development rights process, the councilor has been a vocal advocate of long-term measures to reduce the threat of flooding.  When an issue of curb-cuts arose last year, he successfully argued for a compromise which would allow wider curb-cuts with the use of permeable surfaces to control and filter stormwater.  With the City Council, he has also supported the work of the Law department and National Historic Park to oppose the proposed changes to the Pawtucket Dam.

Whatever the outcome of the legal process, Councilor Murphy believes we should encourage third party certification like that offered by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute which requires more stringent criteria for the operation of the dam to minimize impacts upon the environment and riparian homeowners. He will also build upon his work to increase the urban tree canopy and capacity to deal with stormwater, and to integrate sound stormwater management principles into our city’s ordinances and actual operations during the next term.

Where appropriate, city property ought to be used to the fullest extent or should at least be maintained to a degree where it can be used later when a purpose for the property can be determined. The city should not be paying private rents while public buildings go unused and fall into disrepair. Abandoned lots covered with asphalt can be converted to neighborhood parks and CSA gardens to help absorb any flooding, feed the needy, and create a greater sense of community.

Councilor Murphy has pushed for maintenance plans to be developed for all public works projects, so that none are left to long-term neglect.  He has also pressed for plans for unused public buildings like the Smith Baker Center, for which the city has now issued an RFP, and the old Butler School.  Sharing this priority, the manager has revived an Adopt-an-Island program to provide for the maintenance of islands, public squares and park areas, and has met with Councilors Descoteaux and Murphy on ways to encourage and facilitate community gardens in our neighborhoods.  His suggestion to change state insurance guidelines to include community gardens with recreational parks was a good one, and was forwarded to our delegation for review.  Recently, Councilor Murphy has requested that the city review its tree ordinance and seek state grant funding to achieve its compliance, to grow the city’s canopy, protect our infrastructure and enhance the quality of life in neighborhoods.

The Council must see to it that neighborhoods are treated equitably in the provision of services.  A statistical program would go a long way towards making sure neighborhood requests are met equitably.  Grant programs for things like restoring property storefronts and improving retail practices should not simply be concentrated in the downtown area, but expanded to many small and family owned businesses in the neighborhoods.  Efforts should also improve pedestrian and bicycle access from the neighborhoods to downtown and between each other to tie the city more closely together.

Councilor Murphy has paid particular attention to traditionally underserved neighborhoods, as he has sought a greater balance to our economic development activities.  As a result, more outreach was conducted in the neighborhood business districts to improve access to loan and grant opportunities, and more businesses outside of the downtown benefited from the Best Retail Practices Program.  Before Councilor Murphy raised the issue, the program had awarded 32 grants with 25 going to downtown businesses; 20 grants have since been awarded, with 16 of those going to the neighborhoods.  He expects that this improvement will continue in his family’s Back Central neighborhood in the fall.

Building on a successful push to renovate and install lights at the well-used Clemente Park, Murphy led a grassroots effort last year in the Cambodian and local business communities to revive the idea of Cambodia Town in the Pailin Plaza and Cupples Square areas. After months of discussions and in coordination with the Manager’s Neighborhood Impact Initiative, many community partners supported a plan to sustainably develop and market the neighborhood’s existing assets as a distinct cultural business district that will contribute to the long-term economic development, not only of the Lower Highlands, but Lowell itself.  Eleven businesses in the proposed district participated in the Best Retail Practices Program and seventeen in the Facade Improvement Program.

Seeking to strengthen the connections between neighborhoods, Patrick has asked the administration to develop a Complete Streets policy in which our streets are designed for users of all ages, by any mode.  Consistent with such a policy, he has requested that the city pursue a MassWorks grant to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the downtown, and has successfully sought grant funding for a study of the planned Hale’s Brook Greenway, which would run through Back Central, the Sacred Heart and Lower Highlands as the link in a regional network of trails from the Concord River Greenway to the Bruce Freeman Trail. Councilor Murphy has also aggressively lobbied for a system of bus shelters, not only to boost local ridership, but also to build a sense of community and generate more economic activity in the main neighborhood business corridors.  The proposal included the drawing of transit overlay districts in which the minimum parking requirements might be reduced to encourage further investment.  The administration has developed a plan accordingly to install ten shelters this winter, with five to six to be added annually in the following years.  The councilor continues to push for an expansion of bus service that would provide more access to employment opportunities, particularly for our youth and others who work the second and third shifts.

As has been mentioned elsewhere, Councilor Murphy has argued for more effective and responsive government in the day-to-day quality-of-life issues that often arise. He has motioned for improved citizen request management with the ability to track issues from complaint to completion, and with LowellStat’s ongoing progress, the city will begin shortly to issue monthly reports on the performance of various departments in meeting many of those requests.  While technology and more effective management may help in the provision of city services and improvement of response times, Murphy fully understands that there is no substitute for speaking with someone in person about the issues in his or her neighborhood and has therefore made himself available at as many neighborhood meetings as possible, and through other traditional means.

In a similar vein, the city has begun seeking input through a series of public visioning sessions for Sustainable Lowell, our master plan update, a result of Councilor Murphy’s first motion and subsequent discussions with the administration. Input from these sessions, along with innovative ways to engage the public by the Planning Department and earlier professional survey work, will shape the way the city develops over the next several years.

We must recognize that what vision we have for the city need not always require the expenditure of funds, but may rely on the enormous reserves of human talent and energy from our community. Whether it is students with the vocational school helping to refurbish a storefront in the Acre or to paint a senior citizen’s house in the Lower Highlands, or UMass management students working with entrepreneurs to develop business plans and marketing strategies, there is no shortage of projects that could be accomplished on short money. High school students could have a community service graduation requirement that gives direction to the energy of thousands of young people. Whatever the program, the University, community college and public schools have a great role to play, not just in our future, but also in our communities now.

When it comes to public participation, Councilor Murphy recognizes the many ways in which residents can and do contribute to the progress of our city. At Murphy’s request, the administration will examine models of citizen involvement which tap into new technologies and the ability of residents to help government become more effective and their neighborhoods more livable. Many motions have emphasized our responsibilities to one another, and have been aimed at encouraging greater civic engagement and the healthy development of our youth, the protection of our seniors with access to prescription drug discounts, and an acknowledgment of the contributions of our returning veterans with a home-buyer assistance program and an increase in this year’s veteran services line item.

The idea behind a recent initiative, GrowLowell, recognizes that a long-term economic development strategy will not only bring more jobs and companies to Lowell, but will also, in partnership with the University and others, provide the technical and infrastructural support to local enterprises and entrepreneurs necessary in order for them to survive and thrive.  At the heart of Councilor Murphy’s agenda is the improvement of people’s lives: better services, more opportunities, safer, healthier neighborhoods, a place where families really feel at home and free to find whatever kind of fulfillment they may.