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Municipal Finance

Understanding Municipal Finance Part II

In an ongoing effort to help Newton residents understand the budget process, LWVN added to its Understanding Municipal Finance series with two new The League Presents episodes.

In the first League Presents, Board member Alex Jablon speaks with Newton Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Anna Nolin, and Assistant Superintendent and Financial and Administrative Office, Liam Hurley, to break down the school budget process, common misconceptions, major elements of the budget, risks and trends.

View the Recording 

In the second League Presents, Board member Alex Jablon speaks with Newton Mayor, Marc Laredo, and Newton Chief Financial Officer, Maureen Lemieux, to break down the city budget process, similarly talking about common misconceptions, major elements, risks and trends.

View the Recording

These two recordings, together with the virtual topic meeting held on March 19, 2025, featuring former Newton Mayor David Cohen, and retired Lexington Town Manager (and now Newton resident) Carl Valente, help explain how Newton’s municipal budget process works.  View the Recording of the March 19, 2025 topic meeting.

Understanding Municipal Finance

On March 19, 2025, we held a virtual topic meeting featuring former Newton Mayor David Cohen, and retired Lexington Town Manager (and now Newton resident) Carl Valente.  They explained how Newton’s municipal budget process works and discussed the challenges of meeting the varied needs of residents while maintaining a fiscally strong Newton, including revenue sources, expense drivers, capital projects, overrides and more.

View the Recording.

LWVN Opinion Letter on the State of Newton’s Public Schools and Civic Engagement Published in The Newton Beacon

On Friday, March 29, 2024, The Newton Beacon published an opinion letter, submitted by LWVN, advocating for the protection of our public school system, encouraging Newton residents to get engaged in our civic process with respect to the election of school committee members, and stay informed regarding the school budget process.

The opinion letter asked Newton residents to:

“observe City Council and School Committee meetings, … demand transparency and clarity around policy and budget for the schools, … exercise our right to have input into these matters. … We need to address the lack of interest in holding public office and running for School Committee. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need you to vote. “

View the Opinion Letter as published in The Newton Beacon.

Read the letter here:

Educational Forum on ARPA: View the Recording

On Thursday, December 9, LWVN co-sponsored an educational forum, together with U-CHAN, regarding the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Lizzi Weyant, Director of Government Affairs at the Metropolitan Area Council, gave an overview of ARPA and discussed the eligible uses of ARPA funding in support of an actionable plan to lay the groundwork of a strong and equitable recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts in Newton.

Read more below to watch the video or see the presentation; or, for further information on ARPA, read the ARPA Fact Sheet issued by the U.S Treasury.

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The League Presents: Newton’s Municipal Budget

Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo

Given that it is budget season at the local and state level, Marcia Johnson was able to have a conversation about Newton’s Municipal Budget with Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Yeo and Councilor-at-Large, Ward 7, Becky Grossman, Finance Committee Chair.  For many, the city’s budgeting processes seem to be somewhat of an enigma, so the League has taken this opportunity to provide more insight into the process and ways in which citizens can be engaged.  They talked about the following:

  • The process that the Mayor, her executive team, and department heads follow to prepare the budget document and how they contribute to the City Council’s deliberations.
  • Important fiscal-year milestones, most importantly mayoral budget presentations.
  • The steps that the City Council, its Standing Committees, and the Finance Committee follow to have input into the process, review, amend, and approve the budget document.
  • The timing of various meetings, which will be held via Zoom and where community members can find important documents.
  • How best for community members to be engaged.

Watch the video now!

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