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  • Writer's pictureErin Nolan

City budget talks spark questions about transparency


Mayor Curtatone addressed questions posed by members of the Somerville City Council regarding hiring transparency issues as part of the FY20 budget development process.

The Somerville City Council debated the transparency of the budget for the 2020 Fiscal year at a recent special meeting, held on Wednesday, June 5, in which the budget – amounting to some $254,654,111 – was presented by Mayor Joseph Curtatone.


Ward 2 Councilor J.T. Scott called the budget the “least transparent document this city has put out since 2006” during the meeting, while the mayor described it as “one of the most transparent documents in the Commonwealth.”


According to Ward 1 City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin, every budget is supposed to include the names, salaries, and other information of all city employees. This information was not included in the FY20 budget. All of the city councilors who spoke on the issue agreed that this information is helpful to them.


The mayor argued that this change was made in order to be more consistent with other communities and in response to requests from city employees for more privacy.


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