Friday, May 10, 2013
The blood drive will be on Monday, May 13 at the Delta Masonic Lodge.
Braintree residents are encouraged to donate blood this Monday, a day that will mark four weeks since the Boston Marathon bombings. The Town of Braintree and the Delta Masonic Lodge are hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on May 13 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 403R Washington St. Everyone who donates blood will receive a Braintree/Boston Strong T-shirt while supplies last. The shirts were donated by SouthSide Tavern. “We want to do something meaningful to recognize the impact of the marathon tragedy and contribute to the mission of the American Red Cross,” Mayor Joseph Sullivan said in a statement. “We hope that many Braintreeite’s who are able to donate blood will show their support for this important need." Nine Braintree police …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Mayor Joseph Sullivan presented his fiscal year 2014 budget to the Braintree Town Council last week.
Below is a break-down of the revenue streams Braintree will use to fund its government during fiscal year 2014, starting July 1. The Committee on Ways & Means will examine the budget more closely, department-by-department, during a series of upcoming public meetings. See the schedule here: http://braintree.patch.com/articles/braintree-s-fiscal-year-2014-budget-review-schedule Return to Braintree Patch for more coverage of the budget. For a budget spending breakdown, go to http://braintree.patch.com/articles/2014-braintree-budget-breakdown Type of Revenue Amount in FY2014 Difference From 2013 Tax Levy $76,069,177 $2,692,649 State Aid $15,453,909…
Monday, May 6, 2013
Mayor Joseph Sullivan put the meals tax in his fiscal year 2014 budget.
Braintree restaurants and patrons are likely to see the implementation of the local options meals tax this year, as a proposal by Councilor John Mullaney has gained traction through Mayor Joseph Sullivan's advocacy before business groups and his inclusion of it in his 2014 budget. "This modest increase – an additional 15 cents on a $20 meal – will allow for continued investment in our community," Sullivan said in his budget speech last Wednesday. "I am committed to putting the realized revenue towards the principal and interest of an expanded capital plan." The proposal would bring the tax at Braintree restaurants from 6.25 percent to 7 percent, with Braintree retaining the extra revenue on a quarterly basis. The state Department of …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Mayor Joseph Sullivan presented his fiscal year 2014 budget to the Braintree Town Council Wednesday night.
Below is the department-by-department breakdown of what Mayor Joseph Sullivan has proposed for funding for fiscal year 2014. Sullivan's $106 million fiscal year 2014 budget targets nearly two-thirds of a $4.76 million increase over the current year to the school department, with much of the remaining funding hike going to public safety, retirement and benefit costs and a variety of other departments. The Committee on Ways & Means will examine the budget more closely, department-by-department, during a series of upcoming public meetings. See the schedule here: http://braintree.patch.com/articles/braintree-s-fiscal-year-2014-budget-review-schedule Return to Braintree Patch for more coverage of the budget. Department FY2014 …
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Mayor Joseph Sullivan presented his fiscal year 2014 budget to the Braintree Town Council Wednesday night.
Mayor Joseph Sullivan's $106 million fiscal year 2014 budget targets nearly two-thirds of a $4.76 million increase over the current year to the school department, with much of the remaining funding hike going to public safety, retirement and benefit costs and a variety of other departments. Sullivan commended his town employees for their hard work in his annual budget address to the Town Council Wednesday night and for helping him navigate the town through an "ever-changing" economic landscape. Despite several years of fiscal difficulties in Massachusetts, throughout the United States and globally, Braintree has almost tripled its reserves, to $17 million, balanced its budget for three consecutive years without appropriating free cash and …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Mayor Joseph Sullivan selected Lt. James O'Brien as Braintree's next fire chief.
When Mayor Joseph Sullivan was interviewing candidates for fire chief earlier this year, he was looking not just at job qualifications on paper but also for a certain combination of experience and perspective. "The interviews are important," Sullivan said. "There is an intangible element that comes through that process.” There has been some head-scratching since Sullivan announced his selection last week of Lt. James O'Brien as the Braintree Fire Department's newest chief. He beat out fellow finalists Deputy Chief Steven Sawtelle and Lt. Edward Bulger, and was, by the mayor's own admission, "not the traditional 'next in line' choice." But in a follow-up interview, Sullivan explained his decision by saying that the department is undergoing …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Kevin Murphy retired as chief back in January.
Mayor Joseph Sullivan has selected Lt. James O'Brien as Braintree's next fire chief, a non-traditional choice that comes three months after Kevin Murphy's retirement. “Lt. O’Brien has demonstrated to me a commitment to lead our Fire Department and is prepared professionally to enhance the provision of fire safety throughout our town” Sullivan said in a statement. “I recognize that he is not the traditional 'next in line' choice for Chief but I believe he possesses unique leadership qualities and shares my vision for the future of our Fire Department." Since Murphy retired in January, Roberty Dyer has been serving as acting chief. Sullivan interviewed five internal candidates for the position, winnowing that down to three earlier this month…
Monday, April 22, 2013
Mayor Sullivan will recognize the girls at his breakfast at Town Hall on Tuesday.
Two young girls will be recognized at the mayor's annual breakfast Tuesday morning for their efforts helping an 84-year-old woman who fell and broke her hip this winter. The girls were sledding behind the woman's house when they heard her cries for help on the afternoon of Feb. 10 and called 911, Police Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement. "According to the 84 year old woman, she went out to get snow off of her trash barrels on the side/back of her house," Jenkins said. "When she went to go back inside she slipped, fell and broke her hip. She tried crawling to the stairs to get into the house to call 911, but couldn’t do so." The girls got their father and found the woman, who was then transported to South Shore Hospital by Fallon …
The Town Charter requires a five-year plan to be submitted 120 days before the start of the fiscal year every July 1.
Braintree's capital planning process, which involves taking out millions of dollars in bonds each year to pay for roads, vehicles and other tangible assets, should be more detailed, wider-ranging and meet the requirements of the Town Charter. That was the message members of the Committee on Ways & Means sent last Thursday evening when they recommended that the full council ask Mayor Joseph Sullivan to direct the executive branch to begin drafting a broader plan starting next year. "The capital plan we have today is adequate but it does not conform to the charter," Committee Chair Paul "Dan" Clifford said. "It's my interest that we enhance this process." Sullivan submitted a one-year plan on April 5 for the year that ends June 30, 2013. The…
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which aims to tighten the nation's gun control laws, has a new ad featuring mayors from across Massachusetts.
Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan joined 14 other mayors from across Massachusetts in releasing a Public Service Announcement encouraging citizens to ask members of Congress to take immediate action to prevent gun violence. At a meeting in Boston of Mayors Against Illegal Guns earlier this year, Sullivan called for increased mental health protections and said that high-capacity weapons are meant only for war zones. "We support the right to bear arms, just do it the right way," Sullivan said. See the video above or you can also watch it at this link.
Joseph Markman
8:24 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
All Town Council and committee meetings are open to the public and in the auditorium at Town Hall unless otherwise noted (http://www.braintreema.gov/townclerk/PostedMeetingNotices.htm – this site updates with new meeting notices about three-four days before the meetings are held). The May 21 meeting will start at 7:30 p.m. The May 15 meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. but also includes any … more ›