Pittsfield Authorizes Payment Of Dated Bills
 The council approved paying some outdated bills but only after being assured financial controls were being put in place. |
Earlier in September, the council refused to pay $37,620.67 to 22 different vendors for items and services for highway, wastewater, and utility departments. The bills were from purchase orders from last fiscal year and asked to be paid out of this year's budget and the council felt there were missteps in processing.
The bills were tabled then and, on Tuesday, the council authorized payment of those receipts. Commissioner of Public Utilities Bruce Collingwood, who handled the bills, said part of the reason so many bills were held back was because money was being moved along budget lines to cover a deficit in snow and ice.
"The priority was to offset the snow and ice deficit. The result is that we didn't leave enough money for these other bills," Collingwood said.
Director of Finance Susan Carmel sent the councilors an email assuring that provisions are being put in place to avoid the same thing happening in the future.
"We will definitely be tightening things up for departments," she said.
One of those changes is to create a separate budget for snow and ice. The city is legally allowed to overrun the snow and ice budget and by separating it from the highway budget, the city will have better internal controls of the deficit, Carmel said.
"It is not unusual to have a separate snow and ice budget," Carmel said. "It is an internal control."
Councilor at Large Barry Clairmont, however, felt that wasn't a very good control. He said the same people will handling the budget and invoices.
"I see no reason for snow and ice to be removed off and how that will increase controls," Clairmont said.
Clairmont also suggested that Collingwood erred in taking a vacation at the start of July, right when the fiscal year comes to a close. Clairmont said some of the invoices should have been submitted to Carmel during his vacation and that didn't happen.
"Yes, I took a vacation but I was on my email every day," responded Collingwood.
The fiscal year ends on June 30 and Carmel said the state sets a July 15 deadline to pay invoices. The rest of the charges have to be encumbered and paid out of the next year. However, some of the invoices in question dated back to April.
In other business, Mayor Daniel Bianchi issued a citation honoring the work Valerie Hamilton put in to organize a summer basketball program at Dorothy Amos Park.
The council also ordained new policies for the affirmative action policy, which was recently crafted; approved new storm-water management restrictions; and a number of other amendments to the city code based on the new charter.
Councilor Anthony Simonelli's petition for a truck ban on Peck's Road was voted to be filed. Simonelli said the petition needs to be rewritten.
Tags: delinquencies, municipal finances, snow & ice,
