Fall River City Council Deadlocks 4-4 Twice on July Budget, Rejects It on Third Try

FALL RIVER -- July 14, 2026, Fall River City Council deadlocks twice on its July continuing appropriation, leaving schools without a formal budget. The council voted 4-4 twice on item 3B, once to approve, once to reject, before a 6-2 vote to reconsider produced a final rejection by section, with the budget reduced to zero and adopted as amended, Councilors Camara and Canuel the only two opposed. Councilor William Kadeem argued no valid appropriation had ever been made for the school department, a position backed by Council Vice President Steven Dion: "Approving a line item is not appropriating the cash to subsidize that line item." Interim City Administrator Ann O'Neill Sousa said she would file a revised order including school transportation funding immediately after the meeting. The same session produced unanimous adoption of a $1.4 million appropriation for fire salaries, a 5-3 referral of the city's controversial multi-unit trash ordinance back to committee after Councilor Linda Pereira reported that none of Fall River's major private haulers would agree to pick up residential bins, and publication of a $6,883,400 loan order for Third Street parking garage repairs.