In Fall River’s budget saga, Mayor Coogan schedules City Council meeting on final day, but don’t expect it to last long

FALL RIVER ─ Tuesday’s special City Council meeting is Mayor Paul Coogan’s last ditch effort to get the revised $483 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget passed before the deadline, but with one councilor indicating he’ll shut it down with an objection, it’s probable the city will have to operate on a month-to-month basis for a time.

On June 23, the City Council voted 7-2 to reject all items in the budget and to reduce the appropriation to zero, the week before the end of Fiscal Year 2026. They also cut more than $1 million in the proposed budget, mainly from the EMS department.

Last Friday, after a meeting between Coogan, members of his administration, City Council President Cliff Ponte and Vice President Michelle Dionne, Ponte scheduled the special meeting.

The meeting notification was emailed at 10:49 a.m., but Ponte canceled it in an email sent out at 1:19 p.m.

Contacted by the mayor, the Fall River Reporter learned that Coogan planned to call a special meeting with the council, allowed under Charter rules. He claimed that City Councilor Shawn Cadime informed him of his plan to object, which suspends the meeting.

In an email sent at 3:02 p.m., Ponte in a statement indicated that due to some councilors’ lack of availability and others with lingering concerns regarding the amended budget, he cancelled the meeting.

At 3:04 p.m., the new notification of the special meeting called by Coogan was sent out by email.

During a WSAR broadcast on Monday, Ponte said while he planned to attend, it would be a waste of time.

The nagging $40,000 question

For weeks, Coogan and some members of the City Council have been sparring over the council’s desire to have $40,000 in their budget to spend on outside legal services.

It came after Corporation Counsel Alan Rumsey issued opinions that the counsel did not have the authority to vote on approving the contracts of department heads and that they could not seek out legal counsel.

After a number of contentious debates, Coogan set aside the $40,000 for the council, but in the legal department’s budget. During the meeting, the council rejected the FYI 2027 budget.

Cadime reiterated that he would not vote to approve any budget brought down by the administration if the money wasn’t placed in the council’s budget.

Reportedly, during the meeting with the council leaders and Coogan, Dionne suggested that they enter into a memorandum of agreement on terms to keep the $40,000 in the legal department.

On the radio broadcast, Ponte indicated that the draft of the MOA presented by the mayor leaned too far in favor of the administration.

The special meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on June 30.