LYNN — The Lynn City Council voted down the proposed budget Tuesday amid concerns that insufficient funding had been allocated for legal aid and support services for immigrant families.

Mayor Jared C. Nicholson addressed the concerns.

“We have vigorously, consistently, and at times creatively worked to support our immigrant neighbors, and we look forward to continuing to work together to find ways to meet the increasing need for legal aid in our community,” Nicholson said. 

Nicholson presented a balanced budget to the council, while other municipalities are passing Proposition 2½ overrides. 

For example, in Marblehead, a $15 million override was passed Tuesday during town elections. Voters also approved another $2.3 million override to make trash pickup a tax levy rather than a per-household fee. 

Nicholson shared that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding expires in 2026, but an additional $50,000 has become available due to the early departure of an employee working in that area. He offered to direct $50,000 to legal aid for immigrants, but that apparently was not enough for the eight councilors who voted against approving the budget.

Prior to the meeting, Nicholson spoke with the Massachusetts Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) on June 2 about the Massachusetts Access to Counsel Initiative, which is the state funding for immigrant legal aid. The funding necessity, however, surpassed state-provided funding, prompting Nicholson to look into a local provider, Northeast Legal Aid. 

Several council members suggested reallocating funds to immigrant legal aid, including Councilor Brian LaPierre, who suggested moving revenue from parking tickets and council-directed events toward legal aid. 

“I think some of that money can easily go toward immigration relief for a year,” LaPierre said. “Heck, I even think our celebration line item for council around the block parties on July 4 ought to be on the table.” 

As a former legal aid lawyer, Nicholson stated that immigrant legal aid is not typically funded by the city.

The nontraditional way the council handled the request for additional funding from local immigration advocacy groups highlights the Commonwealth’s strong community connection to its diverse residents.  

Some councilors who voted yes on the budget stated it was already balanced and too close to the deadline to rework it. 

“I supported the mayor’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget because it takes months of discussions with departments to get to this point … As for the requests by community members and by department heads, many of those requests are often funded outside of the budget through grants or other revenue sources throughout the year,” Councilor Brian Field said. 

Now that the budget has not been approved, it will be discussed at the next City Council meeting on June 23. 

“I very much appreciate the important feedback that was shared at the public hearing Tuesday night, the thoughtful discussion with councilors in the meeting and conversation leading up to it, and the ongoing collaboration among our City team and community leaders with the shared goal of continuing to stand with our immigrant community,” Nicholson said.