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New Bedford’s state delegation is stepping into the city’s budget crisis — but Mayor Jon Mitchell says the problem is a bigger, structural issue that still needs to be addressed.
Sen. Mark Montigny announced on Wednesday that the Senate approved an amendment that directs $500,000 in state aid to keep Fire Station 9 in New Bedford temporarily open. He also touted an increase in state aid for New Bedford, but Mitchell said that aid was already factored into his budget proposal after it was first announced weeks ago.
“This is not a one-time problem; this is a structural deficit in the budget that we are trying to close and we can’t close it with one-time money,” Mitchell said.
The $500,000 of new funds could delay the closure of Fire Station 9 and the accompanying 26 layoffs or eliminations for about three months, Mitchell said.
Montigny’s amendment still needs to pass a reconciliation committee with the House and be signed by Gov. Maura Healey before it becomes official.
With enough funding to temporarily delay the station’s closure, Mitchell said his goal remains the same: reduce the staffing of New Bedford’s fire engines to bring down long-term costs. “We’ve been talking to the unions and there are longer-term cost-saving measures we want to continue talking about,” Mitchell said.
On Thursday, The Light asked Fire Chief Brian Medeiros about the new funding from Montigny. It was a “happy surprise,” Medeiros said. But since the station’s proposed closure was announced, Medeiros has been working on a new safety plan for how the department will adapt. That work will continue.
“We have to be ready for it,” Medeiros said. If sufficient resources were available, Medeiros said he would want Station 9 to remain open.
Other New Bedford firefighters celebrated Montigny’s announcement this week. Billy Sylvia, president of the New Bedford firefighters’ union, called the senator’s move “leadership” and thanked him for his support of the community.
“The unexpected budget deficit was dropped to the city of $32 million after a surplus was announced in November,” Sylvia said. “Senator Montigny without delay sought to help fix the issue. Giving our city the money and tools to keep Engine 9 in service and the men and women on the rig to serve our community when needed most.”
Montigny’s release also hints at how the politics of this decision are playing out behind the scenes. “The state delegation and city council are working together to find solutions, and I thank Council President Ryan Pereira and his colleagues for their steady and productive engagement on this issue,” Montigny wrote in his release.
“We gave thanks to the people involved in discussions in the past few days,” said Audra Riding, Montigny’s legislative director. Mitchell was not among them.
However, documents provided by Mitchell’s office show that the mayor advocated for long-term solutions, such as continuing to petition the Legislature to make New Bedford eligible for the Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program. (Only 10 cities in Massachusetts are eligible for MPSSP grant funds; Fall River received $1.6 million from MPSSP last year for its fire and police departments.)
According to Jonathan Darling, the city’s public information officer, Mitchell implored lawmakers to add New Bedford to the program in the May monthly call with the region’s legislators, which Montigny did not appear on. Darling said that Mitchell left Montigny a voicemail on May 4 to discuss the program but the senator has yet to return the call. He said it has been two weeks since Mitchell’s staff heard from Montigny’s about the status of an amendment regarding program eligibility.
Editor’s note: This story was updated on May 22 to provide context to the mayor’s efforts to petition the Legislature for a long-term solution to the budget deficit including making New Bedford eligible for the Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program grant funds.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org and Eleonora Bianchi at ebianchi@newbedfordlight.org.
We have to give credit to our state senator for reacting so quickly and helping to get us a few bucks for the fire station. But it’s true this is only a reprieve, it does not mean it’s saved, and won’t be closed in the future. We need all our state leaders to do more, most importantly restructure state aid to help out all our cities and towns.
In our city, even if out of the blue we received more state aid, received better than expected city revenues, and raised everyone’s taxes, these would be nothing more than band-aids. Our city’s in trouble, our Mayor and City Council have failed us, and how our city operates must change.
City government can’t continue to make poor decisions, kick cans down the road on so many issues, rely on state aid, expand city government, spend money we don’t have, and continue to move forward with no private economic development plan in place.
Unless this is all addressed, we will be back in the same place next year.
More than ever our city needs new leadership, a new direction, and a new vision for the future.
Little lightweight boxing match between montigny and Mitchell? Split decision. Mark is a good guy who’s always come through when we need him to! Mitchell not so much but Mitchell is right about 2 Little 2 late. Montigny should’ve cone through earlier with the cash and may e we wouldn’t be here
We’re at a point where throwing money at a situation isn’t going to fix structural problems with the use of tax dollars. The issue with taxpayers is a lack of transparency, lack of accountability/oversight and integrity in those elected officials to actually “do the right thing” for all stakeholders.
Start with a clean slate of administration the ones in office now think they are untouchable! Check mate!
Thank you Mark! We should never ever be reducing firemen, police, EMT or their stations. Reduce the mayor’s office and cut down all the offices in the school department. Start at the top and include family welcome center! There is no need for the top offices having so many staffed!
After this disaster, we need the City Council to bring the Recall Petition back up for a vote, and approve it (include all elected city positions).
You want the City Council to petition to recall themselves?
Interesting fantasy.
That will never happen.
New Bedford wouldn’t be in this situation if the city council had shown any fiscal responsibility over the last five years, but all they do is play a game of fake budget cuts and kowtowing to the unions by increasing pension benefits and insisting on Cadillac health care. These guys care more about their campaign donations and social media than protecting the interests of their constituents.
State Senator Mark Montigny has conditionally secured $500,000 (1/64 of New Bedford’s $32 million deficit) to keep Fire Station 9 from being closed by Mayor Jon Mitchell’s proposed FY27 municipal budget.
I commend Mark Montigny for his reaction and action with respect to this proposed closure and I do not commend Jon Mitchell for his action of proposing this closure of Fire Station 9. Jon Mitchell is playing dangerous politics with public a safety and the lives of the citizens of New Bedford.
Jon Mitchell and Robert Eckstrom have no concept of fiscal responsibility by way of either authorizing deficit spending or accounting for deficit spending.
In December of 2025, they conveyed to the New Bedford taxpayers a FISCAL SURPLUS of $4.8 million…Merry Christmas to all. Then, the coal arrives to our stockings.
In April of 2026, Jon Mitchell acknowledges a $13 million FISCAL DEFICIT to the New Bedford Legislators ($17.8 million less monies present than in December of 2025).
In May of 2026, only four (4) weeks later, Jon Mitchell acknowledges a now $32 million FISCAL DEFICIT to New Bedford taxpayers during his FY27 Budget Proposal ($36.8 million less monies than in December of 2025).
If Jon Mitchell and Robert Eckstrom had no clue about the true financial deficit at these specific times, they are incompetent and need to be removed from office and a full audit is required to ascertain the true FISCAL DEFICIT the New Bedford faces.
Spending monies, you do not have, and structuring municipal finances to maximize educational aid, in an untouchable budget item, to the detriment of the entire budget was bound to have severe consequences and it has.
Now, some thoughts concerning the fiscal deficit estimated at $32 million.
Assigning $16 million ( looks like $19 million in the budget proposal) to real estate tax collection does not guarantee collection within FY27 and a shortfall will be present here.
Either the New Bedford Reserve Fund and Unassigned Balance Fund (Free Cash) will need to be accessed to guarantee public safety, by way of specifically keeping Fire Station 9 open. This will probably be true for more than just FY27, as these deficits will likely be a yearly occurrence.
All New Bedford Departments will need ongoing, critical review on their expenditures and actual reason for existing as structured.
The Mayor and Chief Financial Officer need particular scrutiny, given their inability to recognize ballooning FICAL DEFICITS in a timely manner. An unrecognized $4.8 million “spend down” and $32 million FISCAL DEFICIT over five (5) months is absolutely pathetic for fiscal managers.
New Bedford is basically bankrupt and does not have either the time or growth to correct this fiscal Armageddon.
Receivership, although very unpalatable, may be the ultimate course of action required. What is required is an outside audit to get the Final Answer on the state of New Bedford’s finances as the current crew has no idea.
Safety and good luck to all.
I would love some clarifications on the paramenters of this debate. Mitchell said that other cities similar to New Bedford only staff each engine with three firefighters while New Bedford staffs with four. Is this true? What cities is he using to compare? The fire department, on the other hand, commissioned a study which said that closing Station 9 would be extremely dangerous for the surrounding neighborhoods. Is this study trustworthy and accurate, given it was paid for by the fire department?
It seems like Mitchell, while being fiscally reaponsible, is actually performing an act of political suicide. I can’t think of a department or group of city employees more universally appreciated and respected than fire fighters. I think this debate would be well served to return to what I view as the crux of the issue, is New Bedford over staffed relative to other post-industrial cities of similar size in this region?
After over a decade, this Mayor has grown a big bloated city government and a monster of a school department, all approved by the City Council. Watching the opening budget meeting showed both CFO Bob Ekstrom and the Superintendent of schools do not care about the city deficit, and just want to keep spending money.
The City Council showed no outrage, no fight, and not one councilor challenged either one of these department heads and asked the question what can be done to lower costs to help with this city deficit.
There’s no doubt that our city is in deep trouble, because of poor leadership and poor financial management, and what we have learned to date is that if this city was given $50 Million Dollars, it would cure nothing, it would immediately be spent, and we would in the same predicament come next year. 100% we need new leadership in City Hall.
Thank you Jeff! You nailed that on the head!