WBSM TV: ‘Budget 101′ With New Bedford CFO Ari Sky

Barry Richard welcomes in Ari Sky, Chief Financial Officer for the City of New Bedford, for a little "Budget 101" on a Friday afternoon.

"Everybody seems to know how the city should be spending its money," Richard said. "Everybody claims to be a genius...except the people in charge of spending the money."

Sky discussed Mayor Jon Mitchell's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2019, which was delivered to the City Council Wednesday night.

"We have a very tight budget this year," Sky said. "The entire budget is about $370 million, and most of what's driving it is things that are kind of beyond our control, mandated expenses such as pensions, health care, and the minimum school budget that's set by the state."

Sky said that Mayor Mitchell has some ambitious plans for the city, but the money isn't there to implement much of what he wants to do.

"There's not much new (in the FY19 budget), and that's unfortunate," he said. "It's certainly not for lack of desire."