* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. GOOD [00:00:01] MORNING. GOOD MORNING. [ROLL CALL] MORNING. I AM CALLING TODAY'S FINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING, MEETING TO ORDER. THE CALL OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO REVIEW AND DISCUSS THE CITY BUDGET COVERING THE FISCAL PERIOD JULY 1ST, 2026, TO JUNE 30TH, 2027. THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. PRESENT, VICE MAYOR. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILLOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT, MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS. RECORDED IS PRESENT, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU CLERK. UM, PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES. PLEASE NOTE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING. THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING. IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE HAVE SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL SECTION OF THE CITY'S WEBPAGE. INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK ARE POSTED THERE. ONCE YOU'VE COMPLETED SIGNUP PROCEDURE, YOU'LL RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ZOOM MEETING. TO WATCH THE MEETING, PLEASE TUNE INTO CHANNEL 22 OR VISIT THE OPEN MEETING PORTAL ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE. WITH THAT, ALL OF TODAY'S VOTES WILL BE BY ROLL CALL. UH, THERE HAS BEEN SOME, I'M SORRY, CONFUSION ABOUT WHEN PUBLIC COMMENT HAPPENS AND AT COMMITTEE HEARINGS. IT'S AT THE DISCUSSION OF THE CHAIR. SO I APOLOGIZE IF THAT WASN'T CLEAR IN THE PAST. I KNOW THAT WAS AN ISSUE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAD COME TO THE SCHOOL BUDGET MEETING, AND I APOLOGIZE. I HAD, UH, GENERALLY THE PRACTICE IS, IT'S BETTER TO HEAR THE PRESENTATION BEFORE COMMENT, AND WE DID HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, SO I HAD DONE THAT, BUT THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE MEMBER WHO COULD NOT STAY FOR THAT. SO, AGAIN, IN THE FUTURE, I THINK WE'LL MAKE IT CLEAR. AND WHAT I WOULD ALWAYS WANNA DO AS CHAIR IS IF THAT PRESENTS A HARDSHIP FOR ANYONE TO JUST INDICATE OR LET US KNOW IF YOU'RE IN THE CHAMBER OR ON THE ZOOM, THAT YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO STAY. UH, TILL THE END OF THE PRESENTATION FOR TODAY'S MEETING, I WILL OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT. NOW, IF ANYONE IS HERE, I WILL DO IT AGAIN AND ASK IF THERE'S ANYONE KIND OF MIDDAY AND THEN AGAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. BUT FOR NOW, IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO, OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, IF WE SKIP YOU OR YOU DON'T SPEAK, THEN WE'LL JUST COME BACK TO YOU LATER TODAY. BUT THE FIRST SPEAKER, IF DO YOU WANNA DO THAT, IS, UH, YOUNG KIM, YOUNG KIM 17 MIKE. HIT THE MIC. HIT THE MIC. THE MIC BEFORE REVIEWING THE FISCAL YEAR 2020, UH, UH, 27 PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND APPRECIATE, UH, APPROPRIATION. I URGE THE COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL TO ESTABLISH A MORE CONSISTENT PROJECT LEVEL LIFECYCLE RECONCILIATION FRAMEWORK FOR MAJOR MULTI-YEAR CAPITAL INITIATIVES, PARTICULARLY AS THE BUDGET CLOSES INTO BILLION DOLLAR TERRITORY AND BEFORE FURTHER EXPANDING THE CITY'S LONG-TERM CAPITAL OBLIGATIONS. I SUBMITTED A LAST MINUTE UPDATED PRESENTATION JUST BEFORE I CAME TO THIS MEETING, EXAMINING THE MASS AVENUE NORTH, UH, NORTH OF HARVARD SQUARE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT AS A CASE STUDY IN CAPITAL FUNDING RECONCILIATION ACROSS FISCAL 23 THROUGH FISCAL 27, INCLUDING CONCERNS RAISED BY THE NEW FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET BOOK FORMAT. THE CENTRAL FINDING FROM THIS MORNING'S UPDATE WAS THE SHIFT FROM THE, UH, FI, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2016 INTEGRATED FIVE YEAR APPROPRIATION FRAMEWORK, WHICH PRESENTED FUTURE PLANNED APPROPRIATION AND TOTAL PROJECTED FUNDING FOR THE PROJECTS SUCH AS CENTRAL CORRIDOR TO THE MORE FRAGMENTED FISCAL 27 STRUCTURE WHERE RELATING RELATED FUNDING, UH, NOW APPEARS ACROSS BUDGET TABLES, SEPARATE APPROPRIATION ORDERS AND FIN INCOME AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING SUBSTANTIALLY MORE CROSS DOCUMENT RECONCILIATION TO TRACE A LONG-TERM, UH, LONG DURATION CAPITAL INITIATIVES. THE PRESENTATION DOCUMENTS THE GROWING DIFFICULTY OF RECONCILIATING MULTIYEAR CAPITAL INITIATIVES [00:05:01] ACROSS CHARGING A CHANGING PROJECT NAMES SHIFTING APPROPRIATION STRUCTURE, CONTINUING DESIGN MODIFICATION AND FISCAL YEAR 27. BUDGET PRESENTATION CHARGES. EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR OF OUR EXPENDITURES SHOULD BE EXAMINED BASED, NOT JUST BASED ON CURRENT, UH, PROPOSED, UH, CURRENT YEARS FISCAL, UH, BUDGET, BUT ACROSS THE PAST AND FUTURE, UH, HISTORY OF THE APPROPRIATION. AGAIN, THE ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER THIS PROJECT SHOULD PROCEED TO THE ISSUE IS WHETHER COUNCIL CURRENTLY HAS SUFFICIENT LIFE VISIBILITY INTO TOTAL, TOTAL COMMITTED FUNDING, REMAINING COST TO COMPLETION, AND OF EVOLVING DESIGN CONTRACT EXPOSURE. UH, THE PRESENTATION ALSO DOCUMENTS HOW A FUNDING ASSOCIATED WITH WARHOUSE STREET TO A WHITE BROOK PARKWAY SHIFTED BETWEEN DEDICATED, I'M SORRY, MAY I, UH, MAY I JUST MAKE ONE QUICK, UH, CONCLUDING REMARK. THE PRESENTATION ALSO DOCUMENTS HOW FUNDING ASSOCIATED WITH WATER STREET TOLO AY PARKWAY, WHICH STUDIED OUT AS ORIGINAL MASS AVENUE FOUR, BUT EXPANDED. AND IT SHIFTED BETWEEN DEDICATED MASS AVENUE PROJECT LINE ITEMS AND COMPLETE STREET RECONSTRUCTION CATEGORIES ACROSS BUDGET CYCLES WHILE ONGOING DESIGN ACTIVITY AND CONTINUING CON CONTRACT EVOLUTION FURTHER COMPLICATE PROJECT LEVEL RECONCILIATION. THE DESIGN, UH, CONTRACT ALONE, THAT'S A CONCLUDING REMARK. SO YES, THE DESIGN CONTRACT ALONE STARTED OUT WITH UNDER ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS, BUT WHEN IT WAS EXPANDED, IT INCREASED TO, UH, ONE POINT, UH, FIVE POINT OVER 5 MILLION. AND THE, UH, LATEST, UH, BUDGET INDICATES THAT THE DESIGN WORK IS YOUNG. THIS IS A CONCLUDING REMARK, WHICH I ALLOWED YOU TO DO. THAT WOULD BE ONE SENTENCE. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT'S COSTING JUST IN THE, IN TERMS OF DESIGN WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT IN LINE IS VALERIE BONDS. WE'RE NOT SURE IF SHE'S IN THE ZOOM OR IN PERSON. WE WILL KEEP HER ON THE LIST. AND THE NEXT IS, UH, SIGNED UP AS MA ARE THEY HERE? THEY SIGNED UP FOR IN-PERSON. ANYONE ELSE? CLERK. ALRIGHT. SO WE WILL THEN GO TO THE, UM, BUSINESS OF THE HEARING. AND AGAIN, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT IS OPEN, OTHERS MAY SIGN UP THROUGHOUT THE DAY. AND, UH, WE ALWAYS ENCOURAGE, UH, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. SO HERE, [CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA] UH, EVERYONE HAS BEFORE YOU THE LIST OF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE STILL ON OUR DOCKET TO, UH, REVIEW. UH, WE ARE STARTING TODAY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS TODAY, WHAT YOU ALL HAVE ON YOUR DESK, ANY DEPARTMENT THAT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW MEANS THAT IT HAS BEEN PULLED AND AT LEAST ONE COUNSELOR HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. SO WHAT I AM GOING TO DO IS READ THE ONES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PULLED TO CONFIRM THAT NO ONE HAS QUESTIONS ON IT. AND THOSE ARE THE LICENSE COMMISSION, THE ANIMAL COMMISSION, THE CHERRY SHEET, THE RESERVE, THE FINANCIAL SUMMARY SECTION, AND UNDER APPENDICES, OTHER THAN THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT, UM, SECTION, DOES ANY COUNSELOR WANT THOSE TO BE DISCUSSED TODAY? IF NOT, ON A MOTION BY THE MAYOR TO FORWARD THOSE DEPARTMENTS TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. SO NOW, UH, TO BE CLEAR, WE'LL BE GOING IN ORDER AND WE WILL START WITH THE LEFTMOST COLUMN AND GO DOWN AND THEN TO THE MIDDLE COLUMN AND GO DOWN AND THEN TO THE RIGHTMOST COLUMN. SO, FIRST UP IS THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE. MADAM CHAIR, MADAM CHAIR, MADAM CHAIR. POINT INFORMATION. JUST WANTED TO GET THE ORDER OF THE DAY. WILL WE BE BREAKING AT NOONTIME? WILL WE BE HAVING A COUPLE OF BREAKS DURING THE DAY? AND ARE WE NOT GONNA GO PAST [00:10:01] FIVE O'CLOCK JUST FOR ANYONE THAT MIGHT BE VIEWING, OR THOSE OF US THAT, UH, NEED TO KNOW WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BREAK IN THE DAY? YEP. WELL, TYPICALLY, AS WE DID ON, UH, LAST WEEK'S HEARING, WE WENT TILL ABOUT IT DEPENDED ON HOW THE CONVERSATION WAS GOING. AND IF A DEPARTMENT WAS UP SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 12 AND ONE, WE WILL BE BREAKING FOR LUNCH FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR, HALF AN HOUR, OR 45 MINUTES. UM, AND IT DEPENDS PARTLY ON THE WILL OF THE BODY. AND THEN WE INTEND TO GO UNTIL FIVE IF THAT TIME IS NEEDED. IF IT'S NOT NEEDED, WE WILL ADJOURN EARLIER THAN THAT. IF WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN THROUGH ALL THE DEPARTMENTS BY FIVE, WE HAVE RESERVED THURSDAY FOR ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IS THAT RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION? IT'S, IT'S A BIT HELPFUL. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHEN THE, THE NOON BREAK AND WHERE THERE GOING TO BE SORT OF A BREAK, FIVE OR 10 MINUTES SO PEOPLE CAN STAND, STRETCH. 'CAUSE IT'S A LONG TIME TO SIT. RIGHT? WELL, IF, IF THE BODY WANTS THAT, PLEASE PETITION THE CHAIR. UM, WHAT BODY, THE INDIVIDUAL BODY OR THE ENTIRE BODY? ANYONE CAN, CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, IT, IT'S ALWAYS A BALANCE, RIGHT? SO IF, IF WE NEED A FIVE MINUTE OR A STRETCH, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT. UM, SO NOW FOR THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE IS, UH, FIRST UP ON THE LIST. SO BEFORE, YES, I GO TO QUESTIONS. WHY DON'T I HAVE THE DEPARTMENT, UH, INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. I HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS. HAPPY TO HEAR THEM BEFORE WE GO TO DISCUSSION. GOOD MORNING. UM, M MY NAME IS, UH, ASAT. I'M THE, UH, PRESIDENCY OF THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE, UH, AND THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC HEALTH FOR THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, UH, TO YOU, UH, CHAIR NOLAN, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI AND COUNCILORS, UH, TRULY APPRECIATE TAKING THE TIME TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET THIS MORNING. UM, JUST BRIEF REMARKS. IT'S BEEN A UNIQUE, UH, AND AMAZING PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY, THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE, AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OVER THE YEARS, UH, TO PROVIDE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WITH AMAZING SERVICES, UNMATCHED AMAZING SERVICES, PROBABLY IN THE STATE OR OR IN THE COUNTRY. UM, IT HAS BEEN TRULY A PLEASURE AND, AND AN AMAZING, UH, PARTNERSHIP OVER THE YEARS. AND, UH, I AM PROUD TO BE SITTING HERE WITH MY COLLEAGUES, UM, UH, TO PRESENT THE BUDGET. BUT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UH, THE RELATIONSHIP WE'VE HAD, UH, WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CITY, PARTICULARLY OUR CITY MANAGER. TRULY APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS, UH, AND, UM, ALL THE CITY COUNCIL. SO WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, OUR, UH, INTERIM CHIEF PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICER, UH, TRACY ROSE TIME, WHO'S GONNA GIVE YOU SOME COMMENTS AND PRESENT THOSE DOCUMENTS. GOOD MORNING. IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU. AND I AM, AS ASSAD SAID, I AM INTERIM CHIEF OF PUBLIC HEALTH, AND I AM HERE TODAY TO REPRESENT THE DEPARTMENT. JUST WANT TO SHARE THAT WE GAVE OUT SOME PACKETS HERE. IT WILL HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. UM, ONE OF THEM IS SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO OUR STAFFING NUMBERS, AND WE HAVE 16 DIVISIONS. IT'S BROKEN DOWN BY THE NUMBER OF STAFF AND THEIR TITLES. THE SECOND DOCUMENT IS OUR 16 DIVISIONS FURTHER BROKEN DOWN. EVERY UNIT IS DESCRIBED. THE, UM, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING CURRENTLY IS THERE. SO IT'S CHOCK FULL. IT'S 20 PAGES FOR REALLY NICE READING. AND, UM, WE'VE ALSO INCLUDED THE FY 25 ANNUAL REPORT. OUR FY 26 WILL BE OUT LATER THIS SUMMER. WE'LL BE GETTING ALL THAT DATA FOR YOU. SO I HOPE THAT THAT WILL HELP ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR. IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU. AND, UM, GIVEN THE CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP, IT WAS VERY NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE DEPARTMENT BE ABLE TO FILL IN. SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING FORWARD AND, AND TAKING THE HELM OF A DEPARTMENT THAT IS, UH, IS, IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART, AS DR. SAY SAID OF, OF OUR CITY. IT'S A VERY INTERESTING RELATIONSHIP, NOWHERE ELSE IN THE COMMONWEALTH. AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTION ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN BEST POSITION THE DEPARTMENT AND THE CHA IN PARTNERSHIP TO SERVE THE PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS OF THE CITY. UM, I'LL START WITH, UM, OTHER QUESTIONS. I DID, UH, SUBMIT A COUPLE, AND ALSO I, I, AFTER REVIEWING IT, THERE WERE SOME OTHERS THAT CAME UP THAT MAY BE ANSWERED BY THE DOCUMENT OR MAYBE NOT. AND I DID NOT FORWARD THEM. SO IF THEY CAN'T BE ANSWERED, I WILL THEN FORWARD THEM AFTER THIS OR AT THE END OF THIS, AND THEN EXPECT THEM TO BE ANSWERED BEFORE THE, UM, FULL BUDGET IS VOTED ON BY THE CITY COUNCIL. YES. I DIDN'T WANNA MISS RUON IF HE COULD INTRODUCE HIMSELF. [00:15:01] UH, GOOD MORNING. UH, MY NAME IS RUSIN RENEE. I'M THE MANAGER OF FINANCING GRANT FOR THE KIM BEFORE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. WELCOME. ALRIGHT. I RIGHT, I WILL, I CAN START WITH COUNCILLOR ZI. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR NOLAN. I, I WANTED TO, MY, MY, UH, QUESTION WAS, BECAUSE THERE WASN'T INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND THE BUDGET BOOK, SO IT WAS LIKE THE ONE DEPARTMENT THAT WAS NOT, UM, THERE WAS NO DATA ABOUT IT IN THE BOOK, EXCEPT FOR THAT THE BUDGET WAS 12.9 MILLION. I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, CEO, UM, SAY, UH, YOU CERTAINLY KNOW, UM, I'M A GREAT ADVOCATE OF THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE. I THINK IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY ORGANIZATION. IT'S, UM, HELPED MANY PEOPLE THAT I KNOW. AND I, I THINK ITS WORK IS EXEMPLARY. SO I I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC HEALTH. MY MOTHER, WHO WAS, UM, UH, A NURSE WAS LED THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE FOR THE, UM, OH MY GOSH, UH, FOR THE, UH, NOT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF WHAT, WHAT WERE THEY? THE, YOU KNOW, WOMEN THAT WERE INVOLVED IN CIVIC ACTIVITIES. UM, THE LEAGUE, WHAT? THE WOMEN'S LEAGUE, WHAT WAS IT CALLED? LEAGUE OF WOMEN'S VOTERS. LEAGUE OF WOMEN'S VOTERS. YEAH. SHE, SHE LED THAT COMMITTEE AND WAS VERY, VERY PROUD. SO I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, COULD YOU JUST TALK TO US, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS A PRETTY OPEN QUESTION, AND I, I WISH WE'D RECEIVED THIS STUFF EARLIER, BUT YOU HAVE A BUDGET OF 12.9 MILLION. IS THAT JUST FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR IS IT ALSO FOR THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE? AND, UM, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE OPPORTUNITY AGAIN, TO GIVE US THE TWO MINUTE SUMMARY OF YOUR GREAT WORK. THANK YOU. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILOR. UM, THE, THE BUDGET IS FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. UM, THE MAJORITY OF THE BUDGET IS FROM THE CITY. AND THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE DOES CONTRIBUTE TO THE BUDGET TO MAKE UP THE GAP. UH, WE REALIZE, UM, THAT THE NEEDS OF THE, UH, CITIZENS OF CAMBRIDGE NEED TO BE MET. AND WE ARE PROUD TO PROVIDE, UM, RESOURCES ABOVE AND BEYOND THE AVERAGE NEEDS FOR THE CITY AND FOR THE, FOR THE STATE. UH, AND TO DO THAT, UM, IT REQUIRES COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP. AND, AND WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE PART OF THIS FORMULA. THANK YOU. DO YOU WANNA JUST HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF YOUR PROGRAMS? SO IS THE 12.9 MILLION, SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT'S, UM, JUST THE CITY CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR BUDGET. MAYBE YOU HAVE A LARGER BUDGET 'CAUSE YOU HAVE OTHER PARTNERS, BUT IS THAT MOSTLY FOR STAFFING OR IS IT FOR PROGRAMS AS WELL STAFF AND DOES IT INCLUDE FOR STAFF, THE HOSPITAL OR NOT? YEAH. AND OF, OF THE 12 PLUS MILLION, THE CITY CONTRIBUTES ABOUT 9 MILLION. AND THE REST IS, IS FROM THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE. AND, UM, THE DOCUMENT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, ACTUALLY, THERE ARE TWO DOCUMENTS. ONE OF THEM ACTUALLY DIVIDES THE PROGRAMS AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK FOR EACH PROGRAM, THEIR TITLE. AND THE SECOND DOCUMENT IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION. IT'S, UM, OF THE PRO AND, AND IT'S A LOT OF WORK. UM, JUST TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE, UH, THE WORK THAT WE DO IN, IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, UH, WITH OUR NURSES AND, AND THE, THE EMBEDDED WORK, UH, WITH, UH, WITH ALL SOCIAL WORKERS THERE AND, UH, MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT. UM, THE WORK THAT WE DO IN SUPPORTING, UH, THE VARIOUS INDUSTRY IN MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, SURVEILLANCE OF, UH, UH, VARIOUS POTENTIAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES. UH, ALSO SURVEILLANCE OF, UM, UH, UM, AND THIS IS, UH, AN INNOVATIVE WAY AND WAS STARTED IN CAMBRIDGE, PROUD TO SAY, BASED ON SCIENCE FROM MIT AND OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH MIT, IT'S, UH, WASTEWATER SURVEILLANCE THAT WE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT IT DURING COVID. IT WAS ACTUALLY, UM, INVENTED HERE AND IT WAS INVENTED, AND WE'VE USED IT FOR MANY YEARS TO LOOK FOR, UM, THE TRACES OF DRUGS, UH, IN WASTEWATER. SO THAT'S HOW IT STARTED. AND THEN IT WAS USED FOR MESSENGER, RNA FOR, FOR COVID DOWNSTREAM. WE'RE STILL USING IT TODAY. SO A LOT OF WORK THAT WE DO IN REPORTING, IN SUPPORTING, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, WE PROVIDE A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO OUR CITIZEN. LEMME TURN IT OVER TO OUR DIRECTOR TO, UH, GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE HIGHLIGHTS. AND YOU WORKED IN HERE FOR MANY YEARS, ? YES, I HAVE. AND SCHOOL HEALTH IS A PART OF MY HEART. I SPENT 20 YEARS IN SCHOOL HEALTH. SO WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THAT TOO IS UNIQUE. WE HIRE UNDER THE DEPARTMENT, ALL OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH NURSES AND SCHOOL HEALTH STAFF IN THE CITY. AND [00:20:01] LOTS OF CITIES DO NOT HAVE THAT UNIQUE APPROACH TO CARE. WE'RE AFFILIATED WITH CHA, SO WE HAVE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH MANY OF THE PEDIATRICIANS AND, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. BUT WE HAVE EPIDEMIOLOGY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR PUBLIC HEALTH NURSES WORKING IN THE TB CLINIC AT THE HOSPITAL, THEY ARE IN THOSE CLINICS THREE DAYS A WEEK, UM, PROVIDING CARE TO THOSE WITH TB. UM, OR, OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE AND NEED SOME FOLLOW THROUGH CARE. THEY'RE ALSO DOING HOME VISITS, MAKING SURE THAT THESE PATIENTS ARE TAKING THEIR MEDICATIONS. THIS IS SUCH A SMALL SNAPSHOT OF THE CLINICAL SIDE. BUT THEN WE HAVE UNITS, THE AGENDA FOR CHILDREN WHERE LITERACY IS SO IMPORTANT. AND WE HAVE A STAFF OF, I'D HAVE TO REFER TO THAT LOVELY DOCUMENT, UM, FOUR TO FIVE STAFF WHO, THEY'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY'RE PROVIDING BOOKS, THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE SCHOOLS, THEY'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, THEIR PRIMARY FOCUS IS LITERACY. AND THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT. WE HAVE, UM, I WOULD REALLY HOPE THAT YOU'LL JUST GO THROUGH, I MEAN, I COULD GO ON REGARDING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. IT'S A RICH DOCUMENT WHERE YOU CAN LEARN EVERYTHING THAT IS CURRENTLY GOING ON. SOUNDS GREAT. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT THEN. OH, I HAD, UM, AS I SAID, SUBMITTED A COUPLE, SO I'LL START WITH, UM, WITH THAT. AND ONE WAS, UM, AS WE KNOW, PART OF THIS RELATIONSHIP IS AN ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS IN CAMBRIDGE. SO INTERESTED IN HOW THAT WAS DONE, WHAT THE TOP THREE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES IN CAMBRIDGE ARE AND WHAT DOLLAR AMOUNT IN THE BUDGET IS, IS, UM, ALLOCATED TO EACH. SO I THINK YOU MIGHT BE REFERRING TO OUR CHIP, OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN. IT, IT'S THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE CONTRACT. IT SAYS THERE THAT THERE WILL BE AN ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF ALL THE PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS AND ENSURE THAT THE, UM, THE WORK OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS BASED ON RELATED TO AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS. IT WAS, IT'S IN THE ENABLING LEGISLATION. SO WE ARE RIGHT. AND AGAIN, IF THAT'S, I MEAN, IF IF IT CAN'T BE ANSWERED HERE, THEN HAPPY TO SUBMIT THIS AND HAVE A FULL ANSWER LATER. AND I WOULD SAY WE CAN GIVE YOU THAT FULL ANSWER LATER. BUT I, I WOULD SAY TO YOU THAT RIGHT NOW WE'RE FOCUSING ON LITERACY. WE ARE FOCUSING ON MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING INTO A SMALLER SUBGROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT NONETHELESS AFFECTED, UM, IN TERMS OF MATERNAL HEALTH, UM, INITIATIVES. SO THE CHIP RIGHT NOW, THAT COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN IS BEING DEVELOPED, WE'RE ON A PLAN RIGHT NOW TO REALLY HONE IN ON THOSE ISSUES. UM, I JUST SENT EON AND ASAD, UM, AN EMAIL LAST EVENING WHERE WE'RE GOING TO MEET AND REALLY DRILL DOWN THOSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE DATA, BUT IT'S JUST A MATTER OF COMING TOGETHER AND CONFIRMING WHAT WE ALL AGREE IS BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN THOSE INITIATIVES WILL BE MET. AND IT'S ALL PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND THE CHIP. AND THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITIES GOING ON RIGHT NOW TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. OKAY. I'LL, WE'LL IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE THAT IN A DOCUMENT THAT OUTLINES, AGAIN, I JUST LOOKED AT THE ENABLING LEGISLATION AND CONTRACT. AND THAT'S, AS I THINK DR. SAY, KNOWS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR US ALL TO PROVIDE THAT UNDERSTAND. ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND RELATED TO THAT, ARE THERE MEASURABLE, UM, YOU KNOW, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT ARE USED TO EVALUATE WHETHER CITY PROGRAMS, PARTICULARLY THE ONES FUNDED THROUGH THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, ARE ACHIEVING MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY OUTCOMES? THAT MIGHT BE PART OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND YOU KNOW, HOW THE DEPARTMENT IN LINE WITH THAT MEASURES PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE? YES, WE ARE COLLECTING DATA ALL OF THE TIME AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FORMULATING ALL OF THAT AND THAT WILL BE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN SHARE. IT'S A TRICKY TIME OF YEAR BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE DATA IS STILL LIVING AND BREATHING AND WE'RE COLLECTING IT. BUT AS WE GET TOWARDS THE END OF THIS, UH, QUARTER WILL HAVE THAT INFORMATION. DR. SAYA, IN THE MEANWHILE, I WOULD POINT YOU TO THIS DOCUMENT, WHICH IS, UH, THE ANNUAL REPORT 2025 ANNUAL REPORT. THAT GIVES YOU A SUMMARY OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED IN THE WORK THAT WAS DONE THERE. AND ALSO SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN 2026. [00:25:02] UH, WE PROVIDE THAT, UM, EVERY YEAR. UM, ALSO WE WILL SHARE WITH YOU THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND ALSO THE WORK, UH, OF WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BASED ON LAST YEAR'S STRATEGIC PLAN MOVING FORWARD. WE WILL HAPPY TO DO THAT. GREAT. AND I THINK WHAT WOULD BE GREAT IS TO THEN HAVE THE BACKUP OF THIS RELATED TO FINANCE. THIS IS A BUDGET MEETING. 'CAUSE THERE'S NOT ANY ALLOCATION OF BUDGET DOLLARS IN THAT. IT'S ABOUT THE WORK AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SMART GOALS AND, AND DATA, BUT IT'S NOT TIED TO THE BUDGET, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CITY TO HAVE. OUR CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER WOULD BE HAPPY TO THAT'S RIGHT. . UM, AND THEN I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WAS ELIMINATED. SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHAT SUPPORTED THAT DECISION. GIVEN THERE'S ONGOING, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE AND STAFFING CHALLENGES. I WAS PART OF THAT DECISION MAKING. UM, WE DID NOT HAVE THE CAPACITY FOR THE CLINICAL INTERNS. WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL HEALTH UNIT HAS INTERNS YEAR ROUND AS LONG AS THEY'RE IN SESSION. BUT THIS WAS IN ADDITION TO THAT. AND WITH OUR STAFFING CHANGES, WE NO LONGER HAD THE CAPACITY TO TAKE ON CLINICAL INTERNS. BUT THE DEPARTMENT, UM, LEADS ARE TAKING ON INDIVIDUAL INTERNS THAT ARE, THEY'RE WORKING ONE-ON-ONE WITH, WE JUST HAD THIS BIG UMBRELLA OF INTERNS COMING IN AND WE JUST COULDN'T SUPPORT IT IN THE WAY THAT THEY DESERVE TO BE SUPPORTED. SO ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL TAKING INTERNS. I JUST TOOK ANOTHER ONE THIS PAST TWO WEEKS AGO. SO IT'S STILL HAPPENING. OKAY. AND WHEN YOU REFER TO THE STAFFING CHANGE, DID YOU MEAN THE CHANGE IN, IN LEADERSHIP? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. UM, LET'S SEE. I THINK A COUPLE OF THESE OTHERS IN TERMS OF, THEY ALL RELATE TO SOMETHING I ALWAYS ASK ON ABOUT THIS, HOW THE CITY FUNDING HAS FORMAL OUTCOME TRACKING, HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR FUNDS ARE BEING DEPLOYED. UM, THE OPERATIONAL IMPACT WORKLOAD REDISTRIBUTION, YOU KNOW, HOW, UH, PEOPLE ARE IN OFFICE OR NOT IN OFFICE TO ENSURE THAT OUR FORWARD FACING STAFF, PARTICULARLY THE ONES FUNDED, WE'RE, WE'RE MOSTLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ONES FUNDED BY THE CITY. WE UNDERSTAND CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE IS A WHOLE OTHER, UM, MUCH, MUCH LARGER WORKFORCE. UM, SO I THINK I, I'LL SEND MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON THIS AND IT'LL FOLLOW UP ON WHAT I SAID. AND, AND AGAIN, HOPE TO HAVE THE FINANCIALS BACKING IT UP. THE ALLOCATION OF BUDGET DOLLARS TO THIS, TO THESE OUTCOMES. WHAT THE, WHAT THE OVERVIEW IS AND HOW THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE TO ENSURE THAT THIS ALLOCATION FROM THE CITY IS, UM, TIED VERY EXPLICITLY TO GOALS AND OUTCOMES. SINCE WE'RE DOING, WE, WE ALWAYS WANNA DO THAT CITYWIDE AND IN PARTICULAR WITH THIS RELATIONSHIP. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WITH COUNCILOR? YES, MAYOR SIDIKI. COUNCILOR NOLAN. I'M SURPRISED YOU DIDN'T ASK ABOUT THIS, BUT THE BIRTH CENTER IS REOPENING, RIGHT? UM, DO YOU WANNA JUST MENTION THAT? SURE. UH, OBVIOUSLY I DIDN'T MENTION IT 'CAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE ALSO, UH, THE IMPACT OF, UH, OF THE BIRTH CENTER AND THE, THE HISTORICAL CONTRIBUTION THAT IS DONE, UM, IS OBVIOUSLY NOTED AND TREMENDOUS SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, YES, WE ARE OPENING THE BIRTH CENTER THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY. UH, WE HAVE A OPEN HOUSE JUNE 17TH AND EVERYBODY'S INVITED TO COME AND CELEBRATE THE NEW BIRTH CENTER AS IT OPENS. WE'RE VERY PROUD, UH, OF THE, UM, THE NEW PHYSICAL LAYOUT, UH, THE NEW STAFFING, UM, THE NEW PROCESSES. AND WE ALREADY ENROLLING, UH, PATIENTS THAT WILL GIVE BIRTH, UH, SHORTLY AFTER IT'S OPEN IN JULY. WE ALREADY HAVE SCHEDULED BIRTHS, UH, SHORTLY AFTER IT'S OPEN. SO THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THIS. GREAT. AND I KNOW COUNSELOR NOLAN, YOU'VE WORKED ON THAT ADVOCATING FOR A LOT, SO I'M GLAD THAT THAT'S THE DAY'S COMING UP. THANKS FOR MENTIONING IT. IT IS TRUE. I WANTED TO MENTION IT, BUT IT'S, IT IS RELATED 'CAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH. IT'S ABOUT BETTER OUTCOMES. YES. AS A HUGE FAN OF MIDWIVES AND BOTH OF MY KIDS WERE BORN THANKS TO MIDWIVES. UM, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND I WILL CERTAINLY BE AT THE OPENING AND HAPPY TO SUPPORT IT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER NOTES OR QUESTIONS WITH THAT MOVE, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI TO, UH, MOVE THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE ALLOCATION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. [00:30:01] YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. LOOK FORWARD TO THE OPENING OF THE BIRTH CENTER AND ALSO ONGOING PARTNERSHIP. AND ALSO, AGAIN, I'LL SEND YOU THE MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AND HOPE TO GET FULL ANSWERS. THANK YOU. THE NEXT DEPARTMENT ON THE LIST IS CAPITAL BUILDING PROJECTS. OKAY. TEAM DCM WATKINS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO EITHER MAKE OPENING COMMENTS AND OR INTRODUCE THE TEAM AND, OR BOTH? UM, SO WELCOME. I WILL, UH, TURN IT OVER TO BRENDAN ROY AND LET HIM INTRODUCE THIS TEAM. SO THANKS. THANK YOU. UM, THROUGH YOU AND COUNSELOR. UM, MY NAME IS BRENDAN ROY. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE CAPITAL BILLING PROJECTS TEAM. UM, VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY. I THINK AS OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, IS FILLING OUT, IT'S NICE TO RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE I HAVE WITH ME. SO TO MY LEFT IS, UH, NICK STOUT. HE IS MY DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCT, UH, DESIGN. UM, BEHIND ME I HAVE, UH, MONIQUE OLIVEA. SHE IS OUR DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION. AND THEN, UM, ANTHONY OLO, ONE OF OUR NEWEST EMPLOYEES IS THE DIRECTOR OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANCE. AND THEN ALSO WITH US IS, UM, OUR NEWEST OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE AWARD WINNER, UH, EFA ANTE. AND SO, UM, WE'RE JUST EXCITED TO, UH, KINDA SHOW OFF WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO THE PAST, UH, YEAR. SO WITH THAT, TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR YOUR WORK. VERY IMPORTANT. AS A REMINDER, THIS IS A RELATIVELY NEW DEPARTMENT. IT HAD, THE WORK HAD BEEN SPREAD, CERTAINLY WAS BEING DONE, BUT IT WAS BEING DONE IN, IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY. AND THIS WAS CREATED, I BELIEVE, JUST A YEAR AND A HALF AGO OR SO. UM, AND NOW IT'S, UM, STILL WORKING WITH MANY DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY, BUT IT HAS ITS OWN BUDGET AND ITS OWN STAFF IN ORDER TO CONCENTRATE ON THE MANY, MANY BUILDING PROJECTS WE HAVE. UM, SO WE'LL START WITH COUNCILLOR ZI. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR NOLAN. AGAIN, I'M, I'M SO GRATEFUL THIS DEPARTMENT EXISTS AND I HOPE IT'LL MAKE ALL OF OUR PROJECTS RUN SMOOTHER AND, UH, AND, AND THAT BUDGETS WILL LOWER AS WE DEVELOP EFFICIENCIES. SO MY, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO PAY MORE THAN NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES FOR PROJECTS AND I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT CAN WE BE DOING TO OVERALL TO REDUCE PROJECT COSTS, UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN, UH, I, COUNCILLOR SUSIE, I KNOW A NUMBER OF THE QUESTIONS ABOUT CAPITAL BUILDINGS SORT OF FALL INTO THE CAPITAL CONVERSATION. SO I THINK WE HAD SORT OF TEED UP SOME OF THAT TO TALK MORE BROADLY ACROSS. 'CAUSE THAT QUESTION REALLY, UM, RESPONDS TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. SO IF I COULD ASK YOUR SORT OF PATIENTS AND IF WE COULD ADDRESS THAT DURING THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT, BECAUSE I THINK WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT BROADLY ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, IF THAT'S OKAY. YEAH, THAT, THAT SOUNDS GREAT. I'LL, I'M PATIENT, I'LL, I'LL WAIT. SO THEN A MORE SPECIFIC QUESTION, UM, I WAS SURPRISED THAT REPAIRS TO THE FIRST STREET GARAGE WEREN'T INCLUDED. I NOTED THAT YOU'RE REPLA REPLACING THE PARKING ACCESS AND REVENUE CONTROL SYSTEM, BUT I KNOW THE THOUGHT IS THAT IT MAY NEED LIKE A $10 MILLION RENOVATION. SO WHEN MIGHT THAT HAPPEN? AND IS, IS, IS THAT STILL ON THE LIST? UM, YES. THANK YOU. AND JUST FOR THOSE LISTENING, THIS IS ON THE BUDGET BOOK, SORRY, I USUALLY ANNOUNCE IT ON THE CAPITAL BUILDING PROJECTS IS ON PAGE 1 72 OF THE BUDGET BOOK FOR THOSE WANTING TO DIG IN. SO, UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM COUNSELOR, UM, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE FIRST STREET GARAGE REPAIRS. UM, IT IS AROUND, UH, $10 MILLION. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF SELECTING THE, THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER. UM, WE ARE GOING THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK PROCESS, UM, AND JUST WORKING THROUGH PURCHASING, WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THOSE INTERVIEWS IN THE NEXT, UM, FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL BE OFF AND RUNNING. AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, THE OTHER, UM, ITEM THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, AND AGAIN, THAT'S A CAPITAL ITEM AND THAT SHOWS UP UNDER THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET IS ASSOCIATED WITH SORT OF THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF THE GARAGE. AND SO AGAIN, UH, BROOKE AND HER TEAM WILL BE HERE FOR THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT. BUT, UM, THAT IS SORT OF PART OF THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE GARAGE. AND THAT'S SORT OF FALLING UNDER TRANSPORTATION. WHEREAS AGAIN, THE LARGER CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE, UM, COMING UNDER BRENDAN'S TEAM. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS COUNCILOR NOLAN MENTIONED, IT'S AN EVOLVING TEAM AND THIS IS REALLY A GROWING TEAM IN TERMS OF, PREVIOUSLY ALL OF THE GARAGE REPAIRS WERE FALLING UNDER TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. AND OVER THE LAST YEAR WE'VE REALLY SHIFTED THOSE MAJOR CAPITAL ONES TO BRENDAN'S TEAM. 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDING WORK THAT WE WANNA HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE QUALIFIED TEAM THAT BRENDAN'S DOING. [00:35:01] AND THEN, BUT TRANSPORTATION CONTINUES TO DO THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS CONTRACTING AND SORT OF THE, YOU KNOW, HOW PEOPLE PAY SYSTEMS FALLS UNDER TRANSPORTATION. THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. SO WILL THAT PROJECT BE, 'CAUSE I, I JUST REMEMBER WHEN I WAS, UM, UH, TOURING THORNDYKE STREET, THE COURTHOUSE, THEY, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THEM THAT THEY HAVE THAT ENTRANCE, UH, CLOSE TO THE GARAGE. SO DO YOU THINK THE FIRST STREET GARAGE REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT, UM, YEAR OR, OR TWO AND UM, YEAH, THAT'S MY QUESTION. I THINK WITHIN PROBABLY TWO YEARS OR SO. OH, CORRECT. YEAH, THE CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE WE'VE LAID OUT RIGHT NOW IS APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF. AND OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE TO WORK ON PHASING THE PROJECTS SO THE GARAGE CAN REMAIN OPERATIONAL WHILE WE'RE DOING THE VARIOUS REPAIRS. EXCELLENT. AND THEN JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION, UM, I I, YOU NOTED PLANS FOR THE LAFAYETTE FIRE STATION AND THAT IT'LL CONSUME MOST OF THE $28.5 MILLION CAPITAL BUDGET. UM, YEAH. SO HOW EXPENSIVE WILL THAT PROJECT BE AND WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE? SO THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE GONNA BE KICKING OFF THE PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR THAT. UM, PROBABLY IN THE FALL RIGHT NOW WE HAVE EARMARKED AROUND $18 MILLION FOR THAT PROJECT. AND THAT'S THROUGH, UM, OUR PAST EXPERIENCE WITH THE OTHER FIREHOUSES WE'VE DONE IN THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET AS IT IS SITS RIGHT NOW. UM, ONCE WE GET INTO THAT PRELIMINARY DESIGN, THIS PROJECT WILL PROBABLY PURSUE THE CM AT RISK PROCESS SO WE CAN FINE TUNE THE NUMBER SO WE HAVE A, A BETTER, UM, MORE ACCURACY AS TO WHAT WE WANNA PUT IN, IN TERMS OF SCOPE AND VERSUS COST. YEAH, I JUST, I FEEL LIKE I KEEP A, YEAH, BRENDAN AND I ARE LIKE A TAG TEAM OVER HERE. UM, IF FOLKS REMEMBER BACK IN FEBRUARY WHEN WE FIRST CAME, YOU KNOW, WE DID THE UPDATE TO COUNCIL ABOUT THE CAPITAL, UM, PROGRAM AND APPROACH. AND ONE OF THE, IF YOU GO BACK TO THE, SOME OF THOSE IMAGES, I THINK ONE OF THOSE IMAGES WAS THE LAFAYETTE SQUARE FIRE STATION AND WE TALKED ABOUT THERE ARE ALL THESE LOLLIPOP COLUMNS IN THE BASEMENT THAT ARE LITERALLY HOLDING UP THE FLOOR OF THAT, UM, WHERE THE FIRE APPARATUS IS OUR PARKING. AND SO, UM, THE REPAIRS ARE QUITE SIGNIFICANT AND NECESSARY AND TIMELY IN TERMS OF BOTH STRUCTURAL AS WELL AS USABILITY OF THE SPACE. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILOR AND CO-CHAIR ZUBIE THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UH, JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION RIGHT NOW. UM, ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE, HOW YOU GUYS ARE BUILDING THE PRIORITIZATION OR THE, THE FRAMING OF HOW YOU'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH A LOT OF THESE? 'CAUSE YOU GOT A LOT OF PROJECTS ON YOUR HANDS. BE CURIOUS TO SEE HOW YOU GUYS ARE JUGGLING BETWEEN THESE. UM, WE, WE, WE HAVE A NICE DARK BOARD. UM, NO THROUGH YOU MADAM COUNSELOR. SO IT IS A COMPLEX TASK. RIGHT NOW WE PROBABLY HAVE 40 PLUS PROJECTS ONGOING IN TERMS OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND, AND CLOSEOUT. SO, UM, WE LOOK AT PROBABLY THREE DIFFERENT METRICS. ONE IS, YOU KNOW, OUR MASTER PLANS THAT WE'VE DONE AND HOW THOSE SLOT IN, UM, EVERY YEAR THE, THE DATA GETS A LITTLE BIT OLDER SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF MODIFY IT AND, AND STAY CURRENT WITH WHAT ISSUES ARE POPPING UP IN BUILDINGS. SO THAT'S ONE OF THEM IS OUR MASTER PLANS. TWO ARE THE URGENT NEEDS WHEN WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT POPS UP. UM, YOU CAN HAVE A BOILER REPLACEMENT OR A ROOF LEAK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT REQUIRES A MORE IMMEDIATE ADDRESSABLE. AND THEN LASTLY IS SOMETIMES, UM, WORKING WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S MORE OF A PRIORITY, UM, DUE TO A COUNCIL ORDER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT MAY NEED TO TAKE SOME PRECEDENCE. SO WE WEIGH ALL THREE OF THOSE AND, AND WE BALANCE OUR MFIP BUDGET AS WELL AS THE LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS WITH THOSE KIND OF THREE METRICS IN PLACE. GOTCHA. AND BETWEEN THOSE THREE METRICS, UM, ARE YOU SEEING THAT ONE IS TAKING MORE CAPACITY THAN OTHERS RIGHT NOW? OR LIKE THE URGENT NEEDS TICKING MORE OF YOUR TIME COMPARED TO LIKE MASTER PLAN AND THINGS LIKE THAT? OR MIGHT BE A TOUGH QUESTION TO ANSWER. YEAH, I, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT ONE IS ACTUALLY OUTSHINING ANY OF THE OTHERS. I THINK WE'RE ACTUALLY IN A VERY GOOD SPOT OF WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LONG TERM GOALS OF OUR MASTER PLANS OUT 20, 25 YEARS AND WE'RE ABLE TO TICK SOME OF THOSE OFF AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE COMMON THINGS THAT WILL POP UP A ROOF LEAK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT NEEDS ADDRESS THOSE. SO, UH, WE'RE NOT OVERWHELMED IN ANY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. RIGHT NOW. THE, THE ONE QUICK THING I WOULD ADD, UM, COUNCILOR ZUBIE IS, UM, YOU MAY RECALL A FEW WEEKS AGO WE HAD, UM, THE ROUND TABLE THAT TALKED ABOUT OUR OVERALL BUILDING PORTFOLIO. SO THE OTHER THING WE'RE DOING SORT OF LONGER TERM, UM, IS LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE BIGGER MOVES THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING WITH THE PORTFOLIO? SO WE TEED THAT CON SO AGAIN, THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT ONE TO THREE YEARS, THAT'S REALLY SORT OF LOOKING OUT FARTHER, BUT REALLY THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE CITY'S BUILDING PORTFOLIO AND ARE THERE MORE SIGNIFICANT MOVES THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING AS PART OF THAT. SO AGAIN, BRENDAN AND HIS TEAM ARE REALLY LEADING THAT EFFORT AND WE ANTICIPATE COMING BACK TO THE COUNCIL SORT OF LATE TOWARDS THE END OF THIS YEAR WITH UPDATES ON [00:40:01] THAT. AND SO THAT IS ALSO AN ONGOING PART OF THIS CONVERSATION IN TERMS OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT. GOTCHA. THAT'S HELPFUL. I'LL GO AHEAD AND YIELD. THANKS MAYOR SIDIKI. THANK YOU. UM, I WAS LOOKING IN THE BUDGET BOKEN, I SEE THAT, UH, THERE'S UM, YOU KNOW, ONE NEW POSITION WITH THE SYSTEMS FACILITIES MANAGER ON, BUT ON A PAGE AD, UM, THE, IT SAYS NO NEW POSITIONS. SO CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT AGAIN? YES. UM, SO WORKING WITH, UM, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, THIS IS MORE OF A REORGANIZATION. THEY HAD A POSITION THAT WAS, UH, MORE OF THAT BUILDING MANAGER TYPE AND IT MADE MORE SENSE TO KIND OF ALLOCATE IT WITHIN MY DEPARTMENT TO, TO WORK ON THOSE. SO. GOT IT. THANK YOU. THEY LOSE ONE, WE GAIN ONE. THAT'S ALL I HAD. OKAY. UM, I DID, UH, SEND A QUESTION, WHICH IS RELEVANT, I BELIEVE TO THIS. WHAT'S BEEN THE BUDGET IMPACT OF COMMISSIONING IN THE CITY BUILDINGS THAT ARE DONE? 'CAUSE THE NEW STANDARDS SHOULD MEAN THAT ENERGY COSTS ARE NOT HIGHER, BUT THERE'S BEEN SOME CONCERN ABOUT HIGHER COSTS. SO CAN YOU CONFIRM THE EXTENT OF COMMISSIONING AND RESULTING IMPACT ON FUTURE ENERGY USE? AND I WILL SAY IN MY OWN OFFICE THAT HAPPENS AS DCM WATKINS KNOWS, I MAY BE ONE OF THE ONLY OFFICES THAT CAN CONTROL IT BECAUSE I AM OFTEN WANTING TO SAVE ENERGY. BUT OTHER BUILDINGS, YESTERDAY I HAD A MEETING IN A CONFERENCE ROOM AND IT WAS WAY TOO COLD AND WE COULDN'T CHANGE IT. SO THERE'S CLEARLY, I THINK FROM MY JUST LITTLE EXPERIENCE AT LEAST IN THIS BUILDING, SOME REAL NEED FOR COMMISSIONING AND FOR ENSURING THAT WE'RE NOT WASTING ENERGY. ANYTIME YOU'RE IN A ROOM THAT'S TOO COLD OR TOO HOT, IT MEANS PEOPLE ARE GONNA OPEN WINDOWS OR JUST SPEW EMISSION POLLUTION OUT THE WINDOW. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A PASSION OF MINE AS YOU KNOW, AND IT SHOULD BE A PASSION OF THE CITIES 'CAUSE IT'S VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH OUR GOALS. ABSOLUTELY AGREE. AND, UM, THROUGH YOU WE'RE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT SO MUCH THAT OUR LAST TWO EMPLOYEES HAVE FILLED OUT THAT SYSTEM PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANCE PORTION OF OUR DEPARTMENT AND OUR NEXT HIRE FOR THE HUMAN SERVICE POSITION WILL ALSO BE THAT. SO WE FEEL COMMISSIONING IS CRUCIAL TO WORKING ON OUR, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND THE UTILITY BILLS THAT WE'RE SEEING. UM, CURRENTLY WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CRLS AND AND CPS FOR CRLS AND THE KING OPEN SCHOOLS TO IDENTIFY SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS THERE. AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE GOING THROUGH ALMOST THE ENTIRE PORTFOLIO TO SEE WHERE WE CAN RECOMMISSION AND GET THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK. 'CAUSE WE BELIEVE THE SAME AS YOU DO THAT IT CAN SAVE A LOT OF MONEY IF WE START COMMISSIONING THESE BUILDINGS AS PROPERLY AND MANAGING 'EM THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE. SO DOES THAT MEAN WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOING COMMISSIONING OR WE'RE REDOING, I MEAN, COMMISSIONING IS SOMETHING, WHEN I WAS BACK ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE BACK IN THE DARK AGES, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IT AND ENSURE THAT ALL THE WORK WE ARE DOING TO ENSURE COMFORT LEVEL. SO I'M JUST CONFUSED BY YOU SAYING WE'RE GOING TO DO COMMISSIONING. YEAH, SO, SO TYPICALLY A BUILDING ONCE IT, WHEN WE GO THROUGH A CAPITAL PROJECT, IT IS COMMISSIONED AND WE TURN IT BACK OVER AND THEN A GOOD RULE OF THUMB IS EVERY MAYBE THREE TO FIVE YEARS, MAYBE ABOUT SEVEN YEARS, YOU WOULD RECOMMISSION IT. AND SO EACH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT HAS KIND OF DONE THAT FOR THEIR OWN, UM, BUILDINGS. NOW THAT WE ARE FORMED AS A GROUP, EXCUSE ME, WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT THAT AND TRYING TO, TO ASSIST AND MAKE SURE THE COMMISSIONING EFFORTS ARE ALL THE SAME, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT GROUPS, WE'RE DOING DIFFERENT THINGS. SO WE'RE KIND OF HOMOGENIZING THAT AND, UM, YEAH, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. SO WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN DOING COMMISSIONING. I THINK NOW WE'RE JUST HAVING MORE OF A, A, A STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR THAT. OKAY, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. THAT'S REALLY GOOD BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT JUST SO FOLKS KNOW, THIS REALLY AFFECTS OUR ENERGY USE A LOT AND IT ALSO MASSIVELY, UH, UM, IT, IT IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL BE PAYING ATTENTION TO BOTH ON THE SCHOOL SIDE BUT ALSO ALL THE CITY BUILDINGS. UM, THOSE WERE THE QUESTIONS I HAD TO START, UH, VICE MAYOR. UM, SO I HAD ONE FAIRLY NARROW QUESTION, AND FEEL FREE TO TELL ME IF THIS IS, THEY'RE NOT THE RIGHT GROUP. I WAS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO FIT IT IN. UM, BUT AS WE'RE DOING, UM, YOU KNOW, BUILDING REDEVELOPMENTS, WE'VE STARTED ADDING MORE AND MORE LIKE ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SPACES. IS THAT CORRECT? AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ON TOP OF LIKE ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE RELATED TO THAT? YES. UH, THROUGH, SO WE HAVE BEEN, SO THE ORDINANCES, THE WAY THEY'RE WRITTEN, I MEAN EVEN THE, THE NEWEST TOBIN SCHOOL, ABOUT 25% OF THE PARKING SPACES THERE WERE SET UP FOR ALL ELECTRIC PLUS. WE ALSO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MAKE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SPOTS, UH, ELECTRIFIED IF NEED BE. UM, SIMILAR WITH THE FIREHOUSE UH, HEADQUARTERS, WE'RE PUTTING PROVISIONS IN THERE FOR ELECTRIC FIRE TRUCKS AND, AND ELECTRIFICATION OF THEIR SMALLER VEHICLES. SO IT'S, IT'S PART AND PARCEL TO EVERY DESIGN THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH. UM, THIS IS MORE OF LIKE A CONVERSATIONAL TOPIC, UM, RATHER THAN A SPECIFIC QUESTION. SO I JUST WANNA KIND OF LEAVE IT HERE AND I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR RESPONSE. BUT, UM, AS I WAS GOING THROUGH AND THINKING ABOUT, UH, BILLING MAINTENANCE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP IS LIKE, [00:45:01] YOU KNOW, BEFORE WHEN PEOPLE MOSTLY HAD, YOU KNOW, UH, INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES, LIKE IT WOULD BE ON THEM TO KIND OF LIKE BUY THEIR OWN GAS AND REFUEL AND THEN THEY, YOU KNOW, SHOW UP TO WORK AND HOPEFULLY THEY HAVE ENOUGH GAS TO GET HOME, WHEREAS NOW WE ARE PAYING FOR THEIR ELECTRIC CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOR THEM TO CHARGE THEIR CARS. RIGHT. SO IS THAT LIKE AN ADDITIONAL LIKE, EMPLOYEE BENEFIT OR DOES THAT ADD COST AND SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS? UM, THROUGH CHER NOLAN? SO THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHARGING THAT WE'RE DOING. SO WE PROVIDE CHARGING FOR THE CITY FLEET, UM, AND THEN SOME OF THOSE CHARGES ARE AVAILABLE OFF HOURS FOR THE PUBLIC. UM, AND WE ALSO HAVE PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE CHARGING ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS AS WELL AS IN CITY PARKING LOTS. AND FOR THOSE, THE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE PAY FOR THAT ELECTRICITY. SO WE PROVIDE THE STATION, WE MAINTAIN THE STATION, BUT, UM, RESIDENTS OR ANYONE USING THOSE STATIONS, THAT'S NOT PART OF A MUNICIPAL FLEET PAY FOR THAT ELECTRICITY USAGE. AND SO WE'RE NOT SUBSIDIZING THAT IN TERMS OF THE ELECTRICITY COST. UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE EXAMPLE GIVEN OF THE TOBIN SCHOOL, RIGHT? SO WHO USES THOSE CHARGES DURING THE DAY? SO I ASSUME IT'S PARTIALLY FLEET AND THEN IF IT'S AVAILABLE, THEN THEY WOULD BE CHARGING FOR THE PUBLIC USE. Y YES. SO, UM, IF, IF THE CPS FLEET HAS TO CHARGE, THEY WOULD HAVE THAT. AND, AND THAT'S THROUGH THE CITY, BUT IF TEACHERS WANNA CHARGE, THEY HAVE TO SIGN UP AND PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES IF THEY'RE DECIDING TO USE THOSE. SO IT'S THROUGH CHARGEPOINT. SO IF YOU HAVE A MUNICIPAL VEHICLE, YOU HAVE A LITTLE TAG THAT'S CHARGEPOINT AND YOU TAG IT AND IT GOES TO THE CITY ACCOUNT. IF IT'S PRIVATE, THEN YOU NEED TO ALSO HAVE A CHARGEPOINT ACCOUNT, BUT THEN YOU PAY FOR IT PRIVATELY. OKAY. GREAT. THAT ACTUALLY ANSWERS MY QUESTION. MY SUGGESTION WAS GOING TO BE TO JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE CHARGING DURING THE DAY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ALREADY DOING THAT. SO WONDERFUL. AND ALL CITY FLEET USED TO GET GAS FOR FREE TOO. SO IT'S, IT'S ACTUALLY THE SAME, IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT METHOD OF, OF PRODUCING WHAT WE, WE WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO, WHICH IS LESS, ALSO LESS POLLUTION AND LESS, UM, AND HIGHER INDOOR AIR QUALITY FOR ALL THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET? I THINK THERE'S, SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS WILL COME UP LATER OR RELATED TO THE RANGE OF, OF OPERATIONS THAT WE'RE DOING. BUT THE, FOR THE, AND WE'VE ALSO GOTTEN UPDATES ON THE CAPITAL BUILD BUILDING PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS. 'CAUSE THE MAIN ONE IN TERMS OF BUDGET, WHICH WE'VE DISCUSSED IS HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE SEQUENCING AS I THINK, UH, COUNCILOR ZUBIE ALSO SAID THERE'S A LOT OF PROJECTS AND IT MAY BE AS WE'VE ACQUIRED MORE, THERE MAY BE WAYS THAT WE CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT IN OUR, IN OUR BUDGETING OR DISPOSE OF SOME BUILDINGS WHILE WE BUILD UP OTHERS. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON TRACK FOR, FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY AND USE OF OUR BUILDINGS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UH, WELCOME COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT. OKAY. CAPITAL BUILDING PROJECT COUNCILOR ZUZI MOVES THAT THIS, UH, BUDGET BE OF 1.8 MILLION, BE FORWARDED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. ABSENT. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU TEAM. LOOK FORWARD TO THAT COMMISSIONING REPORT. AND LOWER ENERGY COSTS ACROSS THE CITY AND LESS EMISSION POLLUTION. NEXT UP IS THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, WHICH MAY BE FOUND ON, UH, PAGE 1 75 OF THE BUDGET BOOK. IT'S A BUDGET OF 790,000. UH, DIRECTOR SULLIVAN, IF YOU'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS AND YOUR TEAM. WELL, I'M CHARLES SULLIVAN. I'M DIRECTOR OF THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL COMMISSION. I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE SAMANTHA ELLIOT. UM, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE COMMISSION WHO STARTED LAST SEPTEMBER, UH, REPLACING KIT ROLLINS, WHO RETIRED AFTER 30 YEARS. I THINK OUR BUDGET IS SMALL ENOUGH THAT IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. SO I'LL HERE BE HERE TO, WE'RE WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. GREAT, THANK YOU. AND FOR THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, I'LL START WITH, UH, COUNCILOR ZUBI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, JUST ONE QUESTION. I SAW THAT THE BUDGET HAS A PLAN INITIATIVE TO IMPLEMENT AND REPLACE TO IMPLEMENT REPLACEMENTS AND EXPANSION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN TRAIL. YES. UM, BUT THE OTHER ORDINARY MAINTENANCE IS INCREASING BY WHAT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT 9,000. [00:50:01] SO ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THE DEPARTMENT IS GONNA, UH, BE FUNDING THE INSTALLATION OF THESE MARKERS? AND, UM, IF SOME OF THIS FUNDING IS COMING FROM CPA, DO WE HAVE A CONFIRMED ALLOCATION OF THAT? JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. YEAH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. UM, THE AMERICAN MARKET REPLACEMENT PROJECT IS ENTIRELY FUNDED BY A COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT IN INCLUDING INSTALLATION. SO THERE ARE NO, UM, TAX FUNDS GOING INTO THAT. OKAY. GOTCHA. THAT'S HELPFUL. I'LL YIELD COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. UH, GOOD MORNING, MR. SULLIVAN. THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, YOUR COMMISSION HAS BEEN, UM, UM, SWAMPED WITH REQUESTS RECENTLY, UH, ON LANDMARK DESIGNATIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE AND, UH, THE PROPOSAL PIPELINE THAT'S EMERGING THROUGHOUT THE CITY. DO YOU EXPECT, UM, A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH THAT INCREASED, UH, LEVEL OF WORK THAT, UM, I'M HEARING ANECDOTALLY IS HAPPENING AND WILL BE COMING YOUR WAY, UH, THROUGH YOU MAD CHAIR? UH, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE, UM, UM, WE NEED ANY ADDITIONAL STAFF TO, TO DEAL WITH CURRENT, CURRENT NEEDS. WE'RE PRIMARILY A REGULATORY AGENCY, SO WE'VE BEEN SET UP FOR MANY YEARS TO ADMINISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS, CONSERVATION DISTRICTS, DEMOLITION PERMIT APPLICATIONS, UH, AND THE LIKE. AND FOR SURE, UH, THERE'S BEEN A, A TREMENDOUS IMPACT SINCE FEBRUARY, 2025 FOR DEMOLITION PERMIT, UH, QUERIES AND, UM, AND MORE RECENTLY, UM, UH, PETITIONS FOR LANDMARKING. BUT WE'RE, UH, WE'RE SET UP TO DO THAT. THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION MEETS EVERY MONTH AND THEY MEET, UH, THEY HAVE A BACKUP DATE IF THEY NEED TO. UM, AND SO, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, PROJECTS LIKE AFRICAN AMERICAN MARKERS, UM, MIGHT, MIGHT GET PUSHED ASIDE FOR A WHILE. UM, BUT WE TAKE CARE OF THE REGULATORY RESPONSIBILITIES FIRST. WELL, THANK, THANK YOU. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, AND PLEASE, MR. SULLIVAN, I, AND I MEAN THIS SINCERELY, IF THERE BECOMES A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL STAFFING RESOURCES, UH, TO DEAL WITH, UH, WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS A, UH, AN INORDINATE INORDINATE AMOUNT OF WORK, PLEASE COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I YIELD THANK YOU, COUNSELOR. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILOR ZZI. UH, THANK YOU. I DIDN'T HAVE A QUESTION. I JUST WANTED TO SAY I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. YOU ARE ON THE FRONT LINES NOW. I THINK THE COUNCIL HAS PUT YOU IN A VERY AWKWARD PLACE SINCE PROJECTS ARE AS OF RIGHT. SO, UM, PROJECTS KEEP GOING TO THE HISTORIC COMMISSION. ANYWAY, I, I THANK YOU FOR, UH, FOR YOUR SERVICE. AND I, AND I THANK YOU. I, I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO THE HISTORIC COMMISSION AND THE COMMISSIONERS FOR THEIR REALLY THOUGHTFUL EVALUATION OF PROJECTS. UM, UH, THE LEVEL OF DISCOURSE IS HIGH AND A AGAIN, I, I JUST WISH YOU WEREN'T PUT IN THIS PLACE. I WISH MORE PROJECTS WOULD BE GOING TO THE PLANNING BOARD RATHER THAN THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, WHICH I THINK WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE. UM, ANYWAY, I, I, I THANK YOU. I, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. YOU'RE DOING THANK, DOING GREAT WORK. YOU YIELD COUNCILOR, UH, VICE MEZE. UM, UH, WELL I WANTED TO JUST, UM, FOLLOW UP ON THAT AND SAY THAT, WELL, I I'M SURE THAT THE PROJECTS WOULD END UP WITH YOU GUYS ANYWAY 'CAUSE DEMOLITION DELAYS TO CONSERVATION DISTRICTS ARE STILL WITHIN YOUR PURVIEW, EVEN IF THERE IS A SPECIAL PERMIT. BUT I WANTED TO ALSO JUST SAY LIKE, THANK YOU. I THINK THAT YOU GUYS ARE, UM, BOTH DO A LOT OF STUFF BESIDES JUST ZONING AND BUILDING, WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN REALLY WELL RECEIVED. UM, AND ALSO I THINK THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TREAD A REALLY CAREFUL BALANCE. AND I THINK DOING, YOU KNOW, UM, MAYBE I HAVE DISAGREEMENTS HERE AND THERE, BUT AN ADMIRABLE JOB OF IT. AND SO, YEAH, I JUST ALSO WANTED TO PIGGYBACK OFF THAT AND SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, THANK YOU TO YOU. UM, I WANNA JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE AROUND, UM, THE, WITH, UM, THE MASSACHUSETTS TRIBE. UH, I AM CURIOUS, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE EXPANSION OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN TRAIL, UM, IN THE PLAN INITIATIVES, IT SAYS OTHER HISTORICAL MARKERS. DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT THOSE MARKERS WILL BE? UM, YES. UM, UH, MAYOR, THE THREE OF MADAM CHAIR, THE AFRICA, THE, EXCUSE ME, THE INDIGENOUS MARKER THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR WINTHROP PARK. UH, WE WERE, I JUST CAME FROM A MEETING AT THE PARK WHERE WE DISPLAYED MOCKUPS OF THE PANELS, [00:55:01] UH, TO THE, UH, WINTHROP PARK TRUST, UH, TO A POSITIVE RESPONSE. AND THAT MEETING IS STILL GOING ON. SO I THINK WE SHOULD SEE SOMETHING ON THAT FRONT THIS FALL. UM, FINGERS, FINGERS CROSSED. AND, UM, AND THEN THE SECOND PHASE OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN, UH, TRAIL, UH, WE HAVE, UH, BUDGETED FOR ANOTHER 20 MARKERS. UM, WE HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT'S ADVISING US. UH, WE HAVE MANY OF THOSE, UM, UH, SUBJECTS CHOSEN. UM, AND TEXTS ARE, SOME TEXTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PREPARED, BUT WE'RE FOCUSING AT THIS POINT ON, UH, UPDATING THE ORIGINAL AFRICAN AMERICAN TRAIL MARKERS THAT WERE INSTALLED IN 1993. AND, UM, UM, THE VAST AMOUNT OF RESEARCH THAT'S COME AVAILABLE ABOUT, UH, THOSE, THOSE INDIVIDUALS SINCE THEN BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE NEW ONES. GREAT. AND I ALSO WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE, I HAD REACHED OUT TO YOU ABOUT THE SHELL SIGN, UH, AND, UH, YOU ALL DID A LOT OF LEGWORK, UH, IN FIGURING OUT WHO OWNED, UH, AND KIND OF MAINTAINED THIS IS THE SHELL SIGN NEAR, UM, IN THE CAMBRIDGE PORT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT JUST SAT THERE AND IT JUST LOOKED TERRIBLE. AND SO I WANNA JUST APPRECIATE, UM, THE WORK THAT'S GOING INTO HELPING THEM, UH, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THEY STAY ON A TIMELINE TO RESTORE IT. SO YES. UH, THE, THE SHELL SIGN IS, UH, WAS INSTALLED IN 1944. UM, IT'S ONE OF THE LAST, SO-CALLED SPECTACULAR NEON, MOVING NEON SIGNS IN THE, IN THE BOSTON AREA. IT WAS LANDMARKED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE, UM, ABOUT 2010. UM, THE SHELL OIL COMPANY IS NO LONGER INVOLVED. IT BELONGS TO THE SEVEN 11 CHAIN AND, UM, THE LONG TIME, UH, FOR COMPANY THAT MAINTAINED THE SIGN AND WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. SO WE'VE BROUGHT SEVEN ELEVENS ATTENTION TO THE LACK OF MAINTENANCE. AND, UM, THEY HAVE ENGAGED, UM, A NEW FARM THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING ON THE MAINTENANCE, REPLACING THE MISSING, UM, LIGHTING ELEMENTS AND BRINGING IT BACK TO FULL OPERATION. AND ARE THEY ELIGIBLE FOR CPA FUNDS? THEY HAVE WERE IN THE PAST, RIGHT? NO. UM, UM, THERE'VE NEVER BEEN CPA FUNDS IN THAT. ALL RIGHT. MAYBE I READ THAT WRONG. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT WENT ON ON THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IT'S A LITTLE BIT IRONIC. WE HAVE THE HISTORIC MARKER THAT BASICALLY IS A TESTAMENT TO A FOSSIL FUEL COMPANY, BUT IT IS A WORK OF ART AS WELL. SO, UM, JUST A COUPLE POINTS, NOT QUESTIONS, BUT, UH, ALL OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE AND THAT WE'VE SEEN IN PRESENTATIONS, LIKE THE NUMBER OF DEMOLITION, UH, REQUESTS, ET CETERA, HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED. BUT THERE'S NO EVIDENCE IN THE BUDGET BOOK THEY SHOULD BE LISTED UNDER KIND OF THE SMART GOALS BECAUSE THE WORK'S ALREADY DONE. IT'S JUST SINCE THIS IS THE DOCUMENT WE ALL REFER TO, I THINK YOU'VE ALREADY DONE THE WORK. WE ALREADY KNOW AND, AND WE'VE SEEN WHAT THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT IS. I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL TO MAKE SURE THAT'S INCLUDED IN, IN FUTURE BUDGET. AND I DO HOPE THAT VERY HIGH ON THE LIST OF URGENTLY NEEDED MARKERS IS THE BALCONY INSCRIPTION CHANGE BECAUSE WE ARE IN A HISTORIC BUILDING THAT HAS A OVERTLY SEXIST BALCONY ON TOP OF OUR BUILDING, WHICH IRKS ME EVERY TIME I GO UNDERNEATH IT IN THIS COUNCIL. AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT, BUT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT, THAT THAT IS, UM, SOMETHING BETWEEN THE, THE, THE SEXISM IN THAT AND THE, UH, RELIGIOUS NON INCLUSIVITY EXCLUSION. I, I REALLY HOPE THAT HAPPENS VERY SOON. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IT. WORKING ON IT. YEAH. I, I, I HOPE AGAIN, IT'S BEEN IN PROCESS FOR OVER A YEAR I BELIEVE. SO IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS. 'CAUSE AGAIN, IT'S THE LITERALLY THE FRONT OF OUR CITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COUNCILLOR SIMMONS THROUGH THE CHAIR, UH, TO MR. SULLIVAN. IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU. I KNOW THAT THE WORK THAT YOU DO IS EXTRAORDINARY. I AM. I, I PARTICULARLY APPRECIATE IT. I I LIKE OLD THINGS. THAT'S WHY MISS KATHY WATKINS AND I DO WELL TOGETHER 'CAUSE WE'RE BOTH OLD THINGS, BUT MORE, UH, SPECIFIC. SEVERAL YEARS AGO THROUGH THE CPA, WE RESTORED HY G. HY G IS A STATUE. MOST PEOPLE KNOW HY G IS A STATUE THAT WAS COMMISSIONED BY I THINK DR. HARRIET KAIA HUNT, UH, TO PUT ON HER GRAVE. I'M JUST CURIOUS, ARE WE, 'CAUSE THAT MONEY WAS PAID THROUGH HISTORICAL TO MOUNT AUBURN, ARE WE KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT? DOES IT NEED, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S KEPT UP UPON? IF YOU CAN'T ANSWER THAT NOW, I, [01:00:01] YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T SEND IT TO YOU IN ADVANCE, SO I, IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO ANSWER THAT IS FINE. SO THAT'S MY FIRST QUESTION, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, THE HY STATUE IS, IT TURNS OUT TO BE LOCATED IN WATERTOWN. AND SO I KNOW DON'T TELL PEOPLE THEY, WE, THEY WANT, WE WANT 'EM TO THINK IT'S IN CAMBRIDGE. AND SO, NO, UH, WE'VE NEVER PUT CPA FUNDS TOWARDS THAT. UM, THE ONLY PART OF THE MOUNT CEMETERY THAT'S IN CAMBRIDGE IS THE, UM, EGYPTIAN GATE. MM-HMM . UH, AT A LITTLE CORNER BY, UM, UM, THE CORNER OF COOLIDGE AVENUE. BUT NO, WE'VE, WE LOOKED INTO THAT. UM, AND I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH MOUNT AUBURN CEMETERY AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE TAKING CARE OF IT. AND I EXPECT THEY ARE. I CAN GET BACK TO YOU ABOUT THAT. I, I THANK YOU THROUGH THE CHAIR. UH, WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, FIRST OF ALL, IS BECAUSE IT W THE SCULPTURE WAS DONE BY AMMONIA LEWIS, AS MANY PEOPLE KNOW, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN. UH, AND IT'S PARTICULARLY A, A WONDERFUL PART OF OUR HISTORY. SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT STAYS PRESERVED. AND IF IT'S NOT US, THEN I WILL, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY GO THROUGH YOU, BUT WOULD ALSO JUST REMIND THEM THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY KEEP IT UP. UH, MY SECOND QUESTION THROUGH THE CHAIR TO, TO YOU, UH, IT'S MORE OF AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I WAS REALLY PLEASED TO SEE, IN TERMS OF YOUR UPCOMING WORK, UH, AROUND THE HERITAGE TRAIL AND, AND WHAT I WASN'T SURE ABOUT, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT NEW MARKERS? UH, ARE, ARE YOU GETTING NEW MARKERS, RESTORING THE OLD ONES, AND THEN ADDING ONES IN THE SAME WAY? AND THAT COST IS ALREADY IN THE BUDGET? UH, YES. THROUGH MADAM CHAIR. UM, WE'RE REPLACING ALL OF THE ORIGINAL 20. OKAY. AND UPDATING THEM. UM, AND THERE'LL BE, UH, A NEW GRAPHIC PRESENTATION AS WELL AS NEW CONTENT. OKAY. UM, AND, UM, WE ARE ALSO, UH, HAVE FUNDING TO INSTALL 20 UP TO 20 NEW ONES. OKAY. UM, AND, UM, THAT, THAT PROJECT, THESE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN, I HAVE TO SAY, HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN DELAYED FROM, UH, BECAUSE OF OTHER DEMANDS ON STAFF TIME. MM-HMM . THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON THE REPLACEMENT PROJECT. NOW. UH, WE HAVE, UM, SOME DRAFTS, DRAFTS FROM SOME OF, FOR SOME OF THE NEW MARKERS. UH, WE HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT'S ADVISING US. OKAY. AND WE EXPECT TO SEE PROGRESS ON THE PROJECT. EXCELLENT MEASURE, OBVIOUS VISIBLE PROJECT PROGRESS ON THE PROJECT. AND, AND THEN LASTLY, THROUGH THE CHAIR, WILL THERE BE A GUIDE, A WALKING TOUR GUIDE THAT'S GONNA ACCOMPANY THIS PROJECT? AND IS THAT IN THE BUDGET OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDING? UM, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THAT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET, BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE WILL BE DOING. UM, IT WILL CERTAINLY BE ONLINE. UM, AND I HOPE WE GET A PRINT PUBLICATION OUT OF IT ALSO, BECAUSE, WELL, I CERTAINLY SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL PRINT PUBLICATION YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH HAS BEEN VERY POPULAR. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO, THROUGH THE CHAIR TO MR. SULLIVAN, IF I'M VERY INTERESTED, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT MY COLLEAGUES WOULD BE EQUALLY AS INTERESTED WHEN THE MARKERS ARE ARE COMPLETED, THAT WE DO HAVE A WALKING GUIDE. YOU KNOW, WE TOUT OURSELVES AS A WALKING CITY WITH BETTER REASON TO WALK, BUT TO TAKE IN ALL THE HISTORICAL MARKERS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE CITY. SO PLEASE, IF, IF YOU'RE FINDING YOURSELF UP AGAINST A, A FINANCIAL ROADBLOCK, PLEASE COME BACK TO THE, TO THE COUNCIL. I'M SURE THAT WE'D BE ABLE TO, UH, FIND THE FUNDS. EVEN IF I HAVE TO PASS THE HAT, I'LL START WITH MARK AND WORK MY WAY AROUND THE ROOM. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. MADAM CHAIR, I YIELD THE FLOOR AND I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE MORE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE VARIOUS, UH, EFFORTS, NOT MAYBE TOTALLY RELATED TO THE BUDGET, BUT, UH, FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE, HIS INCREDIBLE, REALLY RICH HISTORY OF THE CITY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COUNCIL? IF NOT, COUNCILOR ZZI MOVES THAT THE $790,000 BUDGET FOR THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION IS FORWARDED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR REGIME? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THANK YOU. NEXT UP WE HAVE THE INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS ON PAGE 177 OF THE BUDGET BOOK WITH A BUDGET OF $4 MILLION AND FTES OF 33. I WILL START OUT WITH COMMISSIONER, IF YOU WANNA [01:05:01] INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR STAFF, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS, HAPPY TO HEAR THEM. WELCOME THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, TO MY WRITER JACOB LAZAR. HE IS THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER. UH, JIMMY DANGELO IS HERE. HE'S THE PROJECT COORDINATOR. AND DAVE POWERS IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROJECT COORDINATOR. UM, JUST A, A BRIEF STATEMENT, UM, FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH YOU GUYS TODAY. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED BUDGET, I'D LIKE TO TAKE JUST A BRIEF MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE OUR 33 DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS WHO MAKE UP THE INSPECTION SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR OPERATION, WORKING TIRELESSLY BEHIND THE SCENES TO ENSURE SAFETY AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF OUR CITY'S BUILT ENVIRONMENT. FROM OUR SPECIALIZED INSPECTORS IN THE FIELD, TO THE ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF WHO SERVE AS THE GLUE HOLDING OUR DAILY OPERATIONS TOGETHER, THEIR COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SURFACES UN WAIVING, WHETHER THEY ARE NAVIGATING COMPLEX BUILDING CODES, MANAGING INNOVATIVE MUNICIPAL PROGRAMS, PROVIDING TECHNICAL GUIDANCE TO OUR RESIDENTS AND CONTRACTORS. THEIR EXPERTISE IS WHAT ALLOWS CAMBRIDGE TO GROW SAFELY AND SUSTAINABLY. I AM INCREDIBLY PROUD OF THE HARD WORK WITH THIS TEAM PERFORMS EVERY DAY, AND I WANT TO FORMALLY THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY BEFORE WE BEGIN OUR DISCUSSION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. I CERTAINLY, I THINK WE ALL AGREE, THOSE OF US WHO HAVE INTERFACED EVERY SINGLE BUILDING IN THE CITY, OR ANYTIME YOU DO SOMETHING SOMEWHERE, ISD TAKES CARE OF IT. AND NOT THAT ANYONE IN THE CITY CARES ABOUT RATS, BUT MR. POWERS ENDS UP BEING THE RATS ARE AND DEPLOYED ACROSS THE CITY PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY. NOT JUST LARGER ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL, WE'RE ALL APPRECIATIVE AND AWARE OF THE, UM, GREAT WORK THE DEPARTMENT DOES. I KNOW I HAD SENT A COUPLE QUESTIONS, BUT I WILL START WITH ANY QUESTIONS FROM FOLKS HERE. ALRIGHT, THEN I'LL, OH, COUNCILOR ZUBI, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOUR CHAIR. I, I NOTICED THE DEPARTMENT ADDED A DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION QUALITY ASSURANCE, UM, AND WE'RE SEEING AN BIT OF AN INCREASE TO THE FTES, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW SOME OF THE ACCOUNTING MIGHT IMPACT THIS OR BE A PART OF THAT. COULD YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THE BUILDING PERMIT COMPLIANCE INSPECTION TARGET DROPS BY 500 FOR THE FISCAL YEAR OF 2027? I'M CURIOUS TO LEARN ABOUT THE YEAH. THE METRIC THERE THROUGH, UM, MADAM CHAIR, UH, THE DIRECTOR QUALITY, UH, OF, OF QUALITY ASSURANCE AS A PHYSICIAN, IT, IT WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED IN 2025. THE DEPARTMENT'S EFFICIENCY AND PLAN REVIEW SPECIFICALLY, THAT'S WHAT, UM, DISPOSITION IS FOR. WE HIRED A, A REGISTERED ARCHITECT BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY OF, UH, THE ENERGY CODE, FOSSIL FUEL FREE, AND THE REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE ON BUILDING PLANS, UM, NAVIGATING THOSE NOT ONLY FOR STAFF, BUT FOR, UM, CONTRACTORS AND FOR ARCHITECTS THEMSELVES. SO PRIMARILY THE, UM, QUALITY ASSURANCE, UH, CON, UM, NEW POSITION IS A TEACHING ROLE SPECIFICALLY. UM, THOUGH OUR NUMBERS HAVE GONE DOWN FOR INSPECTION, UH, FOR INSPECTION TYPES, UM, THE COMPLEXITY OF THESE INSPECTIONS BECOME MUCH GREATER WITH THE MORE, UH, FOSSIL FUEL FREE AND THOSE REQUIREMENTS AND THE MORE TRAINING AND THE MORE TIME IT TAKES TO DO IT. SO WITH THE ENVIRONMENT NOW, WITH, UM, THE ECONOMY AS IT IS, THE INSPECTIONS HAVE GONE DOWN, BUT THE, UM, THE TIME IT TAKES TO DO A REVIEW IS MUCH LONGER. GOTCHA. SO, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, THAT'S MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY THAT'S COMING OUT OF SOME OF THESE INSPECTIONS THEMSELVES. OKAY. YES. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. I'LL YIELD. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILOR ZUZI. YEAH. UH, THANK YOU CHAIR NOLAN. UM, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I FEEL LIKE WITH THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN PUT IN A TOUGH PLACE WITH THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY QUESTIONS AND THERE ARE ALSO SO MANY PROJECTS TO REVIEW AND MONITOR. UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE ON [01:10:01] THE LIST. YEAH. WE'RE THERE 103 CONFIRMED PROJECTS THAT HAVE A PERMIT NOW, AND I THINK WE WE'RE ALMOST UP TO 140 THAT PROJECTS THAT WILL BE HAPPENING, UM, SOON. SO I, I'M HEARING FROM NEIGHBORS THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT ASBESTOS. THEY, UH, AS YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORS WANT REASSURANCE THAT, UM, PROJECTS ARE GONNA REALLY BE WELL MONITORED. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS REALLY COUNCILOR FLAHERTY'S QUESTION. DO YOU HAVE THE STAFFING YOU NEED TO BE MONITORING ALL OF THESE TEAR DOWNS? WELL, AND TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE BROADER COMMUNITY, UH, THROUGH YOU? MADAM, UM, CHAIR, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO, UH, ASBESTOS, UM, LEAD PAINT AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS THAT WILL COME INTO THE AIR WHEN A BUILDING IS TAKEN DOWN, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND, UH, DEPARTMENT OF UM, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FROM THE STATE IS INVOLVED. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THEIR INSPECTORS. UM, TO OBTAIN A DEMOLITION PERMIT REQUIRE IS THE LONGEST PERMIT APPLICATION THERE IS BECAUSE OF ALL THE SIGN-OFFS. AND ONE OF THOSE SIGN-OFFS IS THE BUILDING, UM, MUST BE ALREADY DECONTAMINATED FROM OR, UM, TAKEN ALL OF THE ASBESTOS TAKEN OUT IF POSSIBLE, INSIDE AND OUT. UH, USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A CERTAIN WAY TO TAKE THE BUILDING DOWN, AND, AND AS YOU KNOW, WITH NEIGHBORS CALLING, UH, CONTRACTORS, WE DON'T HAVE A STAFF TO GO OUT AND MONITOR THE WHOLE PROCESS. RIGHT. UM, SO WHEN WE DO GET PHONE CALLS, THE STATE'S INVOLVED VERY, VERY QUICKLY. UH, THEY'LL DO MONITORING, THEY'LL DO TESTING. UM, THEY HAVE SHUT DOWN THREE, FOUR, OR FIVE JOBS IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS. UM, AND THOSE, THOSE PARTICULAR JOBS WON'T, UH, BE ABLE TO START UNTIL ALL THE ASBESTOS HAS BEEN ABATED AND TAKEN OUT. SO, UM, I THINK INSPECTION SERVICES IS ON TOP OF, OF, UH, THE DEMOLITION PROCESS. IT, IT, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING A LOT MORE OF RIGHT. BECAUSE OF, OF THE NEW, UH, ZONING. SO IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE AWARE OF, AND I KNOW OUR INSPECTORS HAVE BEEN, UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON LOOKING AT, UM, MAKING SURE RESIDENTS GET NOTIFICATION BEFORE THE BUILDING IS TAKEN DOWN. SO IT GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY IF THEY CHOOSE TO, TO LEAVE FOR A WEEKEND OR WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO. BUT, UM, LIKE I SAID, THE STATE IS, UM, IS INVOLVED WITH US ON A DAILY BASIS IF THERE IS AN ISSUE. UH, AND WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. THANK, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO DO YOU AGAIN, DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH YOU HAVE ENOUGH STAFFING, UM, TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR THINGS? 'CAUSE WHAT I'M HEARING FROM, I, I KNOW IT'S OFTEN THE NEIGHBORS THAT ARE ALERTING INSPECTION SERVICES TO THE CONCERNS ABOUT ASBESTOS. UM, IS THERE A NEED FOR GREATER STAFFING? I, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A NEED FOR, UM, GREATER STAFFING. UM, WE ARE CONCERNS. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING, UH, THAT WE'VE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT. AND WE HAVE COME UP WITH NEW PROTOCOLS WHEN IT COMES TO, UM, BUILDINGS THAT ARE TAKEN DOWN. AND THE FIRST ONE IS THE NOTIFICATION OF NEIGHBORS AND THE DATE THAT, UM, THE BUILDING GOES DOWN. WE MAKE SURE THE INSPECTOR, OUR INSPECTOR, IS THERE TO MAKE SURE ALL MITIGATING, UM, MITIGATING IDEAS ARE IN PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE RUNNING WATER, THEY'RE SPRAYING. UM, IF, IF ANYTHING, 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN HAS TAUGHT US A LOT ABOUT DEMOLITION. AND I THINK THAT WE ARE MORE AWARE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE MORE AWARE OF WHAT CAN GO WRONG. AND I THINK THE PROTOCOLS WE HAVE IN PLACE NOW WHERE WE DON'T WANT THE NEIGHBORS TO CONTACT US, WE WANT TO BE THE FIRST ONES THERE. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING NOW. THANK YOU. AND, AND I ALSO THANK YOU. AND I, I THANK ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER LAZARA FOR ALLAH'S HELP IN HELPING ME RESPOND TO CONCERNED CONSTITUENTS ABOUT, I, IT'S JUST LIKE PARAMOUNT THAT THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IS POSTED TO THE CITY WEBSITES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I AM, AND I THINK MANY OF US ARE RECEIVING CALLS, TEXTS, EMAILS, LIKE, LIKE GAZILLION [01:15:01] OF THEM EVERY DAY. NOW AS, UM, AS, AS DEMOLITIONS ARE PERMITTED. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK, SO WHAT IS, WHAT IS GENERALLY OR, UM, AND JUST TO CLARIFY QUICKLY, BUT THE DEMOLITION PERMIT COMES FIRST AND THEN THE BUILDING PERMIT. WHAT IS THE GENERAL LAG? BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED, AND I KNOW NEIGHBORS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOLES ON STREETS AND FENCING AND DANGERS. UM, UH, WHAT SORT OF LAG IS THERE GENERALLY IS, IS THERE ANY, UH, RULE, REMEMBER IT HAS TO BE A BUDGET QUESTION. WELL, HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE BUDGET? UH, HOW CAN THE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT NEIGHBORS ARE SAFE WITH, LIKE, ON HALL STREET, THERE'S BEEN A BIG SWIMMING POOL THERE, YOU KNOW, OPEN FOR MONTHS NOW. UM, HOW, UH, BUDGET WISE CAN WE HELP YOU TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T END UP WITH A BUNCH OF HOLES ALL OVER THE CITY WITH A LAG IN THE DELAY OF DEVELOPMENT? USUALLY, UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM, UM, CHAIR, USUALLY THERE IS NO LAG. USUALLY A DEMOLITION PERMIT WILL, WILL, UH, APPLICATION WILL RUN CONCURRENT WITH THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION. UM, BUT I THINK WHAT WE SAW WAS THE CHANGE IN ZONING, UH, WHERE A CONTRACTOR WOULD HAVE A DEMOLITION PERMIT, HAVE A SET OF DRAWINGS TO CONSTRUCT, SAY A SIX UNIT BUILDING, AND THEN THE CH AND THEN THE BUILDING CAME DOWN, THE ZONING CHANGED. NOW THEY COULD HAVE A NINE UNIT BUILDING. SO THE REASON WHY YOU HAVE HOLES IN THE GROUND THAT ARE THERE FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TIME AS THEY'RE REDOING THEIR DRAWINGS, I THINK IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS NOT GONNA HAPPEN AS LONG AS THE ZONING DOESN'T CHANGE AS OFTEN AS IT DID IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. UM, THAT'S MY PERSONAL OPINION. UH, BECAUSE NORMALLY BEFORE WE EVEN ISSUE A DEMO PERMIT, I ALWAYS CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDING PERMIT IS ONGOING. IT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY ZONING, SO THERE IS NO DELAYS. 'CAUSE THERE'S NO REASON TO TAKE A BUILDING DOWN IF THEY'RE NOT READY TO START. BUT SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S NOT A BUILDING, IT'S A GARAGE WITH NO BUILDING PERMIT. SO, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS A SET AMOUNT OF TIME, BUT I THINK THE REASON WHY YOU'RE SEEING THAT ADDRESS YOU TALKED ABOUT WAS THE REDESIGN. YEAH, I KNOW THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER ONE ON LAKEVIEW WHERE THERE'S BEEN A WHOLE YEAH. AND I THINK IT'S THE SAME REASON. YEAH. YEAH. THANK, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND I, IT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU. IT DREW YOU, UM, MADAM CHAIR, MR. COMMISSIONER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. AND I KNOW PERSONALLY FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORS CALLS TO ME AND THE RESPONSE TIME OF ISD FOR INSTANCE, THAT I THINK IT WAS TWO 70 SYDNEY STREET, THE STATE WAS ALREADY THERE. ISD WAS RIGHT AWAY, UH, ON THE SCENE AND EVERYTHING WAS BUTTONED UP. AND THE NO REAL SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ASBESTOS THERE. SO I APPRECIATE THE RESPONSE TIME AND IT, AND IT'S ADMIRABLE. IT REALLY IS. IT'S EXCEPTIONAL. MY QUESTION, UH, AGAIN ABOUT THE BUDGET AND IT RELATES TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE IS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES WITH THE AS OF RIGHT, UM, COMPONENT OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE TO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, AND AGAIN THIS IS FROM RESIDENTS SPEAKING TO ME, DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATION MEETINGS, WHICH REALLY AREN'T ANYTHING OTHER THAN NOTIFICATION? IT'S NOT A COMMUNITY MEETING IN THE SENSE THAT THERE'S A GIVE AND TAKE, BUT IS IT SOMETHING WE, UM, ISD GETS, AGAIN, SWAMPED WITH, UH, CALLS FROM NEIGHBORS LOOKING FOR ADVICE ABOUT ZONING OPINIONS AND IT, IT, IT PLACES, UM, ISD IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, IN THE UNENVIABLE POSITION OF INTERPRETING, UM, A ZONING ORDINANCE WITHOUT MAYBE, UH, LEGAL, WITHOUT LEGAL ASSISTANCE, WITHOUT THE CITY SOLICITOR'S OPINION FOR INSTANCES OR ISSUES SUCH AS LIKE POTENTIAL ENCROACHMENT FROM, UM, I DON'T KNOW, AN EGRESS FOR A BASEMENT WINDOW ON A SIDE SETBACK ON A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. SO THESE ARE ISSUES THAT I'M HEARING ABOUT THROUGHOUT ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND NEIGHBORS ARE SERIOUSLY CONCERNED ABOUT IT. SO SHOULD WE BE BAKING INTO THE BUDGET, UM, FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT, [01:20:01] A ROLE OF SOMEBODY WHO CAN ATTEND THE NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATION MEETINGS AND ACTUALLY ASSIST WHAT I WOULD, YOU KNOW, INARTICULATELY DESCRIBE AS UNINFORMED CONTRACTORS THAT ARE JUST EXPLAINING, THESE ARE MY PLANS AND IT'S AS OF RIGHT. AND NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING, WELL, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IT'S AS OF RIGHT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT ENCROACHES ON A SIDE SETBACK NOW. SO SHOULD WE BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT FOR YOU? BECAUSE I, I REALLY DON'T WANT TO HAVE YOUR DEPARTMENT PUT IN THE POSITION THAT IT APPEARS IT'S BEING PUT IN AS A RESULT OF, UH, THIS NEW ZONING ORDINANCE THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM MY VIEW IS PROBLEMATIC, UM, THROUGH CHAIR NOLAN. MAYBE I'LL START AND THEN TURN IT OVER TO THESE FOLKS. UM, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE NEW THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE GETTING UP TO SPEED ON AND LEARNING. AND SO YOU'RE SORT OF SEEING THE, THE SORT OF CHALLENGES OF THAT. I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS, AND I KNOW, UM, THE TEAM ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS IS REALLY WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, GETTING CLEAR INFORMATION OUT ABOUT THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING, GETTING SORT OF CLEAR FAQS OUT. UM, AND SO THAT SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS THAT ARE COMING UP ARE MORE CLEARLY ANSWERED IN A, UM, CONSISTENT WAY UPFRONT. UM, I THINK, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR THESE FOLKS, BUT YOU KNOW, THE, THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU KNOW, MEETING, I DON'T KNOW THAT SORT OF HAVING STAFF THERE IS THE RIGHT ANSWER TO THAT. I THINK THERE ARE WAYS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN PROVIDE BETTER AND CLEAR INFORMATION TO RESIDENTS ABOUT THE ZONING, WHAT DOES AS OF RIGHT MEAN, UM, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. BUT I THINK SORT OF HAVING BETTER CONSISTENT INFORMATION AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH FAQS THROUGH WHAT DOES THE ZONING LOOK LIKE, IS PROBABLY THE MORE APPROPRIATE WAY TO GET THAT INFORMATION, UM, THAN HAVING, UM, ISD STAFF ATTEND THOSE INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS. BUT I DUNNO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS YEAH. THROUGH THE CHAIR. YOU KNOW, I'LL, I'LL JUST SAY THAT I THINK THE, THE PAST YEAR WAS REALLY ABOUT, UH, SHIFTING RESOURCES AND, AND SEEING WHERE WE WERE NEEDED MORE THAN WE WERE IN THE PAST. AND, UM, WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE PROCESSED MORE BZA APPLICATIONS AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT PROCESS. NOW WE SPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME, UM, ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT BUY RIGHT PROJECTS. 'CAUSE THERE'S MORE QUESTIONS. THESE ARE, THESE ARE NEWER, UM, LARGER PROJECTS THAN WHAT FOLKS ARE USED TO, UM, IN, IN THE BUY RIGHT CATEGORY. SO, UM, WE, WE HAVE ADEQUATE STAFF TO HANDLE THAT. WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO JUST REFOCUS THEM ON, ON, ON SOME OF THESE NEWER TOPICS. I THINK THAT IS A REALLY SUPER IMPORTANT POINT. 'CAUSE I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS THAT THE NUMBER OF BZA CASES HAS REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY DROPPED BY THE INCREASE IN AS OF RIGHT PROJECTS. AND SO, UM, TO JACOB'S POINT, STAFF RESOURCES THAT WERE SPENT ON A SIGNIFICANTLY ON SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BZA CASES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THESE OTHER ACTIVITIES. SO THAT IS A REALLY GOOD POINT IN TERMS OF CONNECTING THOSE DOTS. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER BUDGET QUESTION? SO, YEAH, SO MY FOLLOW UP TO THAT QUESTION IS, AND I'M JUST USING THE EXAMPLE OF 95 CUSHING STREET, WHICH WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR ABOUT. IT'S A, YOU KNOW, WHAT MOST PEOPLE ARE DESCRIBING AS AN OUT OF SCALE DEVELOPMENT FOR THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AS OF RIGHT. UH, BUT THERE'S SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS AND A PETITION SIGNED BY I THINK 172 NEIGHBORS IN THE STRAWBERRY HILL NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT SOME ASPECTS OF THAT DEVELOPMENT. AND WHAT'S BEEN COMMUNICATED TO ME IS THAT AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATION MEETING, THAT PARTICULAR CONTRACTOR SORT OF, UM, TURNED HIS NOSE UP AT THE NEIGHBORS AND SAID, LOOK, THIS IS AS OF RIGHT. THIS IS WHAT THE ZONING ALLOWS ME TO DO, AND I'M NOT CONCERNED WITH HOW YOU FEEL AND THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO DO, TAKE IT UP WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, TAKE IT UP WITH THE CITY. NOW I DIDN'T ATTEND THE MEETING, THAT'S DR. FLAHERTY. JUST, IT HAS TO BE A BUDGET QUESTION. THIS IS ONLY A HEARING. SO, YEAH. RIGHT. AND SO MY BUDGET QUESTION IS IN LIGHT OF THAT, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'VE GOT DIFFERENT RESOURCES, BUT DOES IT MAKE SENSE IN THAT PARTICULAR UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES TO HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL BUDGETED TO GO TO THAT PARTICULAR TYPE OF NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATION MEETING? SO WE DO HAVE A CITY OFFICIAL WHO'S ON SCENE AND CAN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AS OF RIGHT, BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THE ZONING ORDINANCE, UM, THROUGH YOUR CHAIR. I'LL TAKE A HIGH LEVEL. I THINK, UM, THIS IS SORT OF BRANCHING INTO WHAT ARE THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN THAT ZONING WAS PASSED, THE REQUIREMENT WAS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING. UM, AND I THINK IT'S SUPER CHALLENGING FOR STAFF TO BE PUT IN THAT POSITION IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T AS OF RIGHT DEVELOPMENT. WE'RE HAPPY TO FOLLOW AND PROVIDE SPECIFIC INFORMATION. BUT AGAIN, I I I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY TO RESPOND TO SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS IN TERMS OF STAFF ATTENDING, YOU [01:25:01] KNOW, WHAT WAS INTENDED BY COUNCIL TO BE A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING LED BY THE DEVELOPER. AND SO IF THERE ARE CHANGES WE WANNA TALK ABOUT TO THAT PROCESS, I THINK IT IS MORE OF A PROCESS AND ZONING QUESTION THAN A STAFFING QUESTION. HMM. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. I, I THINK IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SIT DOWN WITH YOU AND DISCUSS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW, YOUR CONCERNS. BECAUSE I THINK SENDING SOMEONE TO A NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING, UM, A STAFF, ANY STAFF MEMBER IN, IN, IT'S A BY AS OF RIGHT PROJECT WOULD, WOULD JUST BE, THERE'D BE NO SENSE IN DOING THAT BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE NO WAY TO GIVE ANYONE AN ANSWER THAT THEY WANTED TO HEAR. RIGHT. YEAH. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I, I'LL REACH OUT AND MAYBE WE'LL TALK BECAUSE I, I FULLY AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, UH, YOUR POSITION. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. YIELD MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU. JUST A POINT OF COUNCIL MCGOVERN. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A POINT OF INFORMATION OR, UM, WE KEEP, PEOPLE KEEP THROWING OUT. IT IS NOT A BUDGET QUESTION, BUT PEOPLE KEEP THROWING OUT AS OF RIGHT. 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S CATCHY. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE CLEAR. WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD, AS OF RIGHT PROJECTS, IF YOU COMPLY WITH THE ZONING, IT'S AN AS OF RIGHT PROJECT. ALL WE DID WAS CHANGE THE ZONING. WE DIDN'T CREATE AS OF RIGHT PROJECTS IN THIS NEW DEVELOP, IN THIS NEW ORDINANCE. THEY HAVE ALWAYS EXISTED. SO IF WE CAN JUST MAYBE GET AWAY FROM THE INFLAMMATORY PIECE OF THIS AND JUST CONCENTRATE ON THE BUDGET. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET US TO DO. BUT THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE I GO TO MINE? AND, UM, THANK YOU. MY FIRST ONE I THINK FOLLOWS UP ON SOME OF WHAT WAS, UH, HAS ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED, WHICH I SENT IN ADVANCE, WHICH IS HOW HAS THE BUDGET ALLOCATION BEEN REVISED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE VARIOUS CHANGES IN LOCAL AND STATE CODES, ORDINANCES AND REQUIREMENTS? AND THIS IS NOT RELATED TO MULTIFAMILY ZONING, IT REALLY IS RELATED TO THE, UM, STATE BUILDING CODE, THE SPECIALIZED STRETCH CODE, THE, UM, THE FOSSIL FUEL FREE ORDINANCE, ESPECIALLY DOES THE BUDGET INCLUDE TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION TO NOT ONLY STAFF, BUT CONTRACTORS, ARCHITECTS, HOMEOWNERS, AND ALL INVOLVED IN PROJECTS REQUIRING PERMITS? UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, UH, WE HAVE REVISED, UH, THE BUDGET TO INCLUDE A PERMANENT PART-TIME ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING DEMAND FOR INSPECTIONS DRIVEN BY FOSSIL FUEL FREE, UH, IN THE GOALS OF THE CITY IN, IN ALL OF STATE, UM, THE STATE, ALL OF THE, UH, ELECTRIFICATION GOALS, UH, OVER 32% INCREASE IN INSPECTION REQUESTS FROM BEFORE FOSSIL FUEL FREE. UH, IT WAS DEMANDING AND WE COULDN'T KEEP UP. UM, WE HAD ADMIN STAFF REALLY STEP UP AND, AND TAKE CONTROL OF ALL PHONE CALLS AND, AND PUT A LOG TOGETHER. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, JACOB PUT TOGETHER A A LIST OF PART-TIME INSPECTORS TO COME IN TO FILL IN. BUT NOW THAT WE HAVE THAT PERMANENT PART-TIME, UH, ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR WILL BE GREATLY, GREATLY, UM, HELPFUL. EXPANDING OUR INSPECTION CAPACITY IS ESSENTIAL AS PROJECTS ARE BECOMING MORE COMPLEX DUE TO, DUE TO THE INVOLVING CODE REQUIREMENTS AND BROADER TRANSITION AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS, THE ADDITION OF STAFFING WILL HELP SECURE AND ENSURE THAT WE CAN EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE INCREASED VOLUME AND COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICAL WORK WHILE MAINTAINING TIMELY AND THOROUGH INSPECTIONS. UH, THE BUDGET ALSO INCLUDES FUNDING FOR STAFF TRAINING COMMUNICATION TO ENSURE OUR TEAM REMAINS INFORMED OF EVOLVING CODES, REGULATIONS, AND BEST PRACTICES. AND IN, IN ADDITION, WITH DEVELOPING, UM, WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING MORE GUIDES AND INFORMATION FOR PLAN REVIEWS. AND IT'S A, UM, A CHECKLIST FOR YOU GIVE TO A CONTRACTOR AND LETTING THEM KNOW THE DOCUMENTATION THEY NEED PRIOR TO THEM, UH, APPLYING FOR A BUILDING PERMIT THAT REQUIRES FOSSIL FUEL FREE. UM, OUR NEW, UM, OUR NEW ARCHITECT WHO STARTED WORKING WITH US A YEAR AGO HAS BEEN DOING TRAINING WITH ALL INSPECTORS ON FOSSIL FUEL FREE, UM, BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION SLASH PLAN REVIEW EVERY WEEK FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS AS OF JULY 1ST COMING UP THIS YEAR. THAT'S GONNA BE OPEN TO ARCHITECTS AND, UM, CONTRACTORS TO JOIN US IN THIS TRAINING. UM, 'CAUSE A A, A LOT OF THE ELECTRIFICATION AND ALL OF THE, A LOT OF THE FOSSIL FUEL FREE IS DOCUMENTATION AND CONTRACTORS ARE GOOD WITH SUPPLYING ELECTRICITY AND [01:30:01] BRINGING IN NEW AMPERAGE AND WHATEVER THEY NEED TO DO. BUT THE DOCUMENTATION IS SOMETHING THAT IS TOUGH FOR THEM. THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO LEARN IT. SO, UH, ISD HAS COME TO THE POINT WHERE WE NEED TO TRAIN THESE PEOPLE TO HELP THEM TO ENSURE THAT THEIR BUILDING PERMITT APPLICATION IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN, UH, LOOKED AT PRIOR TO THEM SUBMITTING IT. AND THERE'S GONNA BE NO DELAY. UH, OUR ADMIN STAFF, WE'VE, WE'VE DEVELOPED A SYSTEM WHERE WE'VE COME UP WITH A NEW SHORT FORM PERMIT, UM, THAT IS ALSO RIGHT. IT'S RIGHT NOW WITH IT, UH, IT'S RIGHT NOW WE WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE HAVE TRAINED ADMIN STAFF TO IMMEDIATELY ISSUE BUILDING PERMITS THAT ARE SIMPLIFIED. SO SIDING, ROOFING, UH, DOORS AND WINDOWS, UH, INSULATION NO LONGER WILL, UH, AN INSPECTOR HAVE TO WASTE TIME LOOKING AT SUCH SMALL PERMITS WHEN AN ADMIN CAN ISSUE THAT PERMIT. AND THEY HAVE THE TIME NOW TO LOOK AT OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE MORE COMPLEX, LIKE A FOSSIL FUEL FREE PROJECT. SO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I THINK, UM, CAMERON MCCORMICK, HE'S OUR REGISTERED ARCHITECT, HE'S DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THE ENERGY CODE AND TRAINING PEOPLE. AND, AND AS OF JULY ONE, WE'RE GONNA START TRAINING OUTSIDE PEOPLE. SO I, I THINK WE'RE ON A GOOD, A GOOD PATH FORWARD. THANK YOU. IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THOSE RESOURCES ARE THERE, GIVEN EVERY SINGLE NEW BUILDING IN THE ENTIRE CITY IS ELECTRI ELECTRIC. 'CAUSE IT HAS TO BE MM-HMM . UM, SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE EXPANDING THE TRAINING 'CAUSE AND THE SOONER WE CAN DO THAT THEN, THEN THERE'S THE INTERFACE WITH THE, UH, UTILITY THAT IS, IS SOMETIMES DELAYING PROJECTS. MY SECOND QUESTION, WHICH I SENT, IS THAT THE FY 27 OBJECTIVES INCLUDE MORE EFFICIENCY OF THE DEPARTMENT. DOES THAT REQUIRE INVESTMENT IN NEW IT OR IS THE CURRENT SYSTEM SUFFICIENT? UM, AND NO NEW IT, I KNOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE WORKING ON IT, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT IS ANOTHER WAY THAT AS THE BUDGET REQUIRES MUCH MORE, UH, PEOPLE TO DO THE ELECTRIFICATION, YOU THEN IN OR HAVE TO OFFLOAD SOME OF THE OTHER WORK. AND HOPEFULLY THAT CAN HAPPEN WITH, UH, BETTER AND MORE EFFICIENT SYSTEMS. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO? UH, TO YOU MADAM CHAIR? UM, I THINK THE CURRENT SUFFICIENT, UH, THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS SUFFICIENT. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ONGOING RIGHT NOW, UM, AIMED AT EFFICIENCY AND PROACTIVE PROACTIVITY AND SHARING INFORMATION, UM, ALL THINGS THAT, THAT SHOULD MAKE THE PROCESS OF PERMITTING MORE EFFICIENT. RIGHT. AND, AND THE WEBSITE, UM, THE SHORT FORM PERMIT APPLICATION THAT PETER MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OTHER SMALLER PROJECTS, UM, ALL, THEY'RE ALL WELCOMED BY IT. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM. UM, WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WELL WITH ANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED AND WE HAVEN'T FOUND THE NEED FOR, FOR ANY BUDGET CHANGE, UM, OR EXPANSION, UH, TO, TO GET, TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS. THANKS. UM, AND I DIDN'T SEND THIS QUESTION IN ADVANCE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IN THE PAST. WHAT'S THE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN THE TRADES IN THE DEPARTMENT, UH, THROUGH YOU? UM, MADAM CHAIR? UH, EXPLAIN THE QUESTION. JUST THE PERCENTAGE OF TRADES, UH, OF WOMEN IN OUR DEPARTMENT OR, YEAH. AND MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS ANOTHER TIME. I'M JUST IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BUDGET AND STAFFING. IT'S SOMETHING. OH, OKAY. WE CAN GET THE, I I'LL GIVE YOU A, WE JUST HIRED, UH, THE FIRST WOMAN BUILDING INSPECTOR IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, WE HAVE ONE, TWO, WE HAVE THREE OR FOUR. UM, I'D HAVE TO, I'D HAVE, I I WOULDN'T WANT TO GIVE YOU THE WRONG ANSWER, SO I'D HAVE TO LOOK. YEAH, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS. IT'S BEEN A, A GOAL IN CITY COUNCIL GOAL AND, AND INFUSED AND ALL THROUGH THE BUDGETS. IT'S A GOAL OF OURS TOO. TO HIRE THE FIRST WOMAN BUILDING INSPECTOR IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE VERY PROUD OF, RIGHT? YEAH. 'CAUSE THE, THE CITY COUNCIL PUT FORTH A RESOLUTION WHEN YOU HIRED YOUR FIRST ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR AND THEN WE LOST HER. SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. UM, ON MY FINAL QUESTION IS ON ENFORCEMENT WORK AND HOW MUCH ALLOCATION OF THE BUDGET IT IS. 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A COUPLE CASES WHERE THE COORDINATION WITH LEGAL AND THE COMMUNITY HASN'T HAPPENED PERHAPS AS MUCH AS IT SHOULD HAVE. I KNOW THERE WAS NOT THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN THE FRANCIS AVE, AND AS A RESULT WE GOT $1,200 WHEN WE COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE HAD $30,000 FINES. COLLECTING FINES HAS BEEN A PROBLEM. THERE'S AN ONGOING ENFORCEMENT THAT I KNOW , ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER LAZAR, IS VERY AWARE OF ON, [01:35:01] IN, IN HURON VILLAGE OF A BUILDING THAT HAS JUST BEEN CONTINUED LITERALLY FOR THREE YEARS. SO IS THE ENFORCEMENT BUDGET SUFFICIENT TO MOVE? AND ARE YOU WORKING CLOSELY ENOUGH WITH BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT ENFORCEMENT HAPPENS? OR, AND THEN THE FINAL IS DO YOU NEED 40 U IN ORDER TO BE MORE EFFICIENT ABOUT COLLECTING FINES? IF THAT MAKES SENSE. AS A QUESTION THROUGH YOU, UM, MADAM CHAIR, I, I THINK, DO WE NEED 40 U IT WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I THINK WE WORK WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND WE WORK WITH COUNSEL TO, TO HELP US WITH THESE SITUATIONS. BUT, UH, AS YOU KNOW, AND FRANCIS AV, UM, MAGISTRATES EXTEND THINGS AND WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THAT. UM, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER. WE ASK FOR THE FINES AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD GET. UM, I DON'T THINK, I, I THINK IT'S MORE OF A QUESTION FOR THE LAW DEPARTMENT ON HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT THEY WANNA SPEND ON RECOUPING THE FINES AS OPPOSED TO JUST DRAW, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE CASE RESOLVED AND MOVING ON. BUT, UH, I I THINK WE DEFINITELY, UM, 40 U WOULD BE HELPFUL. GREAT. YES. AND THAT WOULD HELP THE BUDGET AND HELP YOU MOVE FORWARD. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ISD VICE ? UH, THANK YOU. UM, LAN, UM, I HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT, UM, UM, JUST LIKE THE PERMITTING PROCESS IN GENERAL AND THE COST THAT IT HAS. I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I'VE HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND NOISE OR LIKE BACKGROUND COMMENTARY THAT WE'RE WORKING ON PERMITTING, WE'RE WORKING ON PERMITTING. AND IT FEELS LIKE WHENEVER I GET LOOPED INTO A SITUATION, LIKE MY MOST COMMON THING IS LIKE, THAT I HEAR IS LIKE, NOT LIKE THAT INSPECTION SERVICES IS LIKE SLOW OR THEY'RE LIKE, YOU KNOW, BAD AT RESPONDING. IT'S OFTEN VERY CLEAR, HERE'S WHAT WE NEED CHANGES, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH. BUT WHAT I MOST COMMONLY HEAR IS THAT SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THE CITY'S CREATING WORK FOR ITSELF WHERE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, CDD AND UM, UH, OR LIKE HOUSING AND INSPECTION SERVICES AND TRANSPORTATION HAVE THREE DIFFERENT POLICIES. AND SO IT FEELS LIKE WE WASTE A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY, AT LEAST FROM THE OUTSIDE PERCEPTION OF LIKE GOING RING AROUND THROUGHOUT OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS. AND I KNOW THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN RESTRUCTURED A LITTLE BIT AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE REORGANIZING THE DEPARTMENTS, UH, OR LIKE, NOT REORGANIZING, BUT LIKE HAVING A ONE-STOP SHOP SO THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT AND WE'D BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH BUILDING PERMITS QUICKER. UM, I WAS JUST WONDERING WHERE THAT CONVERSATION IS IN GENERAL THROUGH YOU, UM, MADAM CHAIR. WELL, THE, THE FIRST ANSWER I WOULD GIVE YOU IS WE, WE DO HAVE A ONE, A ONE TIME SHOP, RIGHT? WE DO HAVE, AND I, I THINK IT'S MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS THE, THE ISSUE IS WHEN PRIOR TO THE ONLINE PERMITTING SYSTEM, A CONTRACTOR OR A DEVELOPER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SUBMIT A BUILDING PERMIT UNTIL THEY HAD SIGN-OFFS FROM DPW TRAFFIC AND PARKING, UH, CDD. SO THEY'RE SPENDING WEEKS OR MONTHS GETTING ALL THESE SIGN-OFFS, THEN THEY COME INTO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND THEY SUBMIT THEIR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION. UM, AND THEN WITHIN 30 DAYS, WE, WE NEED TO ISSUE THAT BUILDING PERMIT. YEAH, THAT'S THE WAY THE LAW IS, IS WRITTEN. BUT WHEN THE NEW SYSTEM CAME IN, BECAUSE IT'S A ONE TIME OR A A ONE TIME STOP, YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THEY'RE SUBMITTING THAT BUILDING PERMIT AND NOW THAT APPLICATION IS GOING TO TRAFFIC AND PACKING DPW AND IN THEIR MINDS THEY'RE SAYING, WELL, MY PERMIT'S BEEN IN FOR SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS. BUT IT REALLY HASN'T, IT HASN'T UNTIL THOSE SIGNATURES ARE GIVEN AND THE BUILDING PERMITS PAID FOR. SO I, I THINK A LOT OF IT IS THE CONTRACTOR THINKING IT'S BEEN IN LONGER THAN IT REALLY HAS ONE, TWO, RIGHT NOW WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UM, OTHER DEPARTMENTS ON TRYING TO MAKE THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION QUICKER AND FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT. UH, THE ONE GOOD THING ABOUT OUR SYSTEM IS A LOT OF TIMES EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THAT SYSTEM IS WRITTEN DOWN. AND WE COULD BE WAITING ON DOCUMENTS FROM THE CONTRACTOR OR FROM A HOMEOWNER, AND ONE PERSON IS NOT TALKING TO ANOTHER PERSON WHERE THE CONTRACTOR'S TELLING THE HOMEOWNER, YEAH, MY PERMIT'S BEEN IN FOR SIX MONTHS, BUT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR A DOCUMENT FOR FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS, AND THE HOMEOWNER DOESN'T KNOW THAT. [01:40:01] SO THERE'S THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON TO TRY TO HAVE LESS, HAVE MORE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE OWNER, THE CONTRACTOR IN ISD TO WHERE EVERYONE'S AWARE OF WHAT IS THE TRUTH. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT CITY STAFF IN GENERAL DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB. I, I DO WANNA LIKE SAY THAT LIKE, PERHAPS THERE'S SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STANDARDS, WHICH IS THAT LIKE, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, BEFORE YOU WOULD SAY LIKE, THERE WAS ALL THIS TIME AND THEN YOU SUBMITTED THE BUILDING PERMIT. AND SO ACTUALLY FROM THERE IT WAS FASTER, BUT NOW WE'RE LIKE MOVING THE START DATE A LITTLE BIT, BUT THE PROCESS HAS STAYED THE SAME. AND I WOULD SAY THAT MY POINT IS SLIGHTLY, YOU KNOW, ORTHOGONAL TO THAT, WHICH IS TO SAY THAT I THINK THAT THE OVERALL TIME PERIOD, IF YOU INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, WHEREVER THE START PERIOD, REMEMBER TO TIE THIS TO THE, THIS IS A BUDGET HEARING. NO, NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. I THINK THAT IT'S ABOUT HOW, LIKE, I THINK THAT WE'RE WASTING A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT WE KIND OF GO IN CIRCLES. UM, MADAM CHAIR, MAYBE I'LL JUST ADD A LITTLE BIT TO WHAT PETER IS SAYING. 'CAUSE I DO WANNA EMPHASIZE THE WORK AND, YOU KNOW, CD'S REALLY BEEN LEADING IN TERMS OF ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS DOING PERMITTING. AND SO I THINK THAT HAS BEEN A REALLY HELPFUL TO SORT OF TAKE A STEP BACK AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS? UM, SO THEY'VE BEEN INTERVIEWING PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE PERMITTING PROCESS, UNDERSTANDING WHERE THOSE PAIN POINTS ARE, AND THEN ALSO REALLY LOOKING AT THE OVERALL PROCESS. AND I THINK TRYING TO FIND, ARE THERE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REDUNDANT THAT WE DON'T NEED THAT HAVE BEEN LAYERED ON OVER THE YEARS. UM, AND SO I DO THINK, AND I DON'T, WE CAN TALK BASED ON C, DD IS HERE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF WHEN WE EXPECT THAT SORT OF REPORT TO COME OUT AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, TO CONTINUE THIS WORK OF STREAMLINING, SIMPLIFYING IT, MAKE IT CLEARER FOR PEOPLE HOW TO NAVIGATE THAT SYSTEM. AND SOME OF THAT IS COMMUNICATION, AND SOME OF IT IS SIMPLIFYING IT, AND SOME OF IT IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PETER TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WHICH IS TAKING SOME OF THE, UM, REVIEWS OFF OF THE BUILDING INSPECTORS. SO I THINK IT'S A LOT OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT TO REALLY FLIP THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT. SO I THINK THAT IS PART OF WHAT'S FEEDING INTO THAT WORK AS WELL. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE SOME UPDATES ON THAT AS WELL TO, AGAIN, TO SORT OF BUILD ON THE WORK THAT THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN DOING. UM, IT, I'LL MAKE MY FINAL POINT, I'LL BECOME CLEAR HOW, UH, LIKE VERY CLEAR HOW, HOW IT'S GOING TO END THIS WITH THE BUDGET, WHICH IS THAT, UM, I, I THINK THAT TO CLOSE MY EARLIER POINT WAS THAT I THINK THAT LIKE COMPARABLE CITIES IS A REALLY GOOD METRIC IN TERMS OF LIKE HOW WE COMPARE ACROSS OTHER PLACES. AND I WONDER IF WE CAN GET MORE EFFICIENCIES BY CONNECTING, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF HAVING THREE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, KIND OF LIKE HOW WE RESTRUCTURED HOUSING TO KIND OF TRY TO GET, YOU KNOW, CDD AND TRANSPORTATION INSPECTION SERVICES TO KIND OF DO THIS TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT MAYBE WE CAN GET THROUGH THE PERMITTING FASTER AND THEN SAVE MONEY INTO BUDGET. BUT THAT MIGHT REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT OF RESTRUCTURING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I THINK IT'S A CONVERSATION YOU GUYS ARE HAVING IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BOTH, LIKE IN GENERAL, I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR CITY STAFF AND I THINK YOU GUYS DO A GOOD JOB AND I WOULD PUSH US A LITTLE BIT HARDER ON THIS IN THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE BUILDING PERMIT TIMELINES GO DOWN AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL LEAD TO A LOT OF SAVINGS IN THE BUDGET AS WELL. YEP. NO, I TOTALLY AGREE. WE'VE WORKED ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME AND IT'S SOMETHING I'VE TALKED TO THE CITY ABOUT MANY, MANY TIMES. NLC HAS HAD A NUMBER OF INSTANCES WHERE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S TIED TO THE BUDGET. AND I KNOW THE WORK IS ONGOING AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS AS A COUNCIL FOR A LONG TIME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ISD? NO. OKAY. WITH THAT, WE WILL MOVE THE, UH, INSPECTION SERVICES DEPARTMENT BUDGET OF $4 MILLION TO THE COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. COUNCILOR SUZI. COUNCILOR ZZI MOVES THAT DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THANK YOU ALL. NEXT UP IS PUBLIC WORKS, WHICH IS ON PAGE 185 OF THE BUDGET BOOK ONLY OUR, I THINK ONE OF OUR LARGEST DEPARTMENTS, $62.7 MILLION WITH A FTE OF 270 PEOPLE. [01:45:01] I KNOW THEY LEFT, BUT I DID WANNA APPRECIATE ISD HAD SOME REALLY GOOD SMART GOALS IN THEIR PRESENTATION, WHICH I NOTICED FORGOT TO MENTION THAT. UM, IN ORDER TO START US OFF, COMMISSIONER AONE, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS, THAT'D BE TERRIFIC. UM, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY REAL OPENING REMARKS. I THINK PUBLIC WORKS IS IN FRONT OF THIS BODY ENOUGH THAT MOST PEOPLE KNOW WHAT WE DO. UH, BUT BECAUSE WE ARE PUBLIC WORKS AND WE HAVE A LARGE DEPARTMENT, WE TAKE A LARGE ENTOURAGE WITH US. SO, UM, AT THE TABLE WITH ME, WE HAVE ALAN KATZ, WHO IS OUR, UH, DIRECTOR OF FISCAL AFFAIRS AND OUR EN ENERGY PERSON, UH, JIM WILCOX, WHO IS OUR CITY ENGINEER. JENNIFER MATTHEWS, WHO'S OUR DEPUTY, UM, COMMISSIONER. IN THE BACK WE HAVE JOHN FITZGERALD, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, JOHN KETER, WHO IS OUR, UM, FLEET MANAGER, PAUL LYLE, OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF BUILDINGS. DAVE WEBSTER, OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS, UH, TJ SHEA, WHO'S OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF STREETS, UH, SEWERS, SIDEWALKS, AND SNOW. WE HAVE, UH, MIKE WARD, WHO IS OUR, UH, RECYCLING DIRECTOR, JULIA. JULIA G***O, WHO IS OUR ACTING FISCAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR RIGHT NOW. UM, WE HAVE TWO OF OUR SUPERVISING ENGINEERS WITH US, KEVIN BUTELL AND KARA FELICE, AND THEN HOPEFULLY ONLINE IF WE NEED HIM, IS ANDREW PUTNAM, OUR SUPERINTENDENT OF FORESTRY. EXCELLENT. IT WOULD NOT BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO SAY THAT IT IS LITERALLY THE DEPARTMENT THAT KEEPS THE CITY GOING ON ALL THOSE CON UH, RESIDENT SERVICES THAT WE RELY ON FROM TRASH TO TREES TO RECYCLING, TO STREET MAINTENANCE. SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATIVE OF ALL 270 PEOPLE IN THE DEPARTMENT. AND FOR ALL OF YOU HERE, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, ONE OF OUR LARGEST DEPARTMENTS. WE CAN START WITH. COUNCILOR SUZI. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR NOLAN. MY MY QUESTIONS ARE FOR ANDREW PUTNAM, WHO I GUESS WILL BE, UM, APPEARING ON THE SCREEN, UH, ABOUT TREES. I I WANTED TO ASK, UM, HOW TREE MITIGATION FUNDS FACTOR INTO THE TREE BUDGET? AND, UH, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE RUNNING OUTTA PLACES TO PUT TREES. HOW MANY WILL BE, BE BE PLANTING GOING FORWARD PER YEAR? AND HOW ARE WE ENVISIONING UPDATING THE TREE PROTECTION ORDINANCE? UH, THESE RELATE TO THE BUDGET. THESE QUESTIONS RELATE TO THE BUDGET BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE INVESTING A LOT OF MONEY INTO OUR URBAN FORESTRY MASTER PLAN, AND THAT HAS, UM, HAVING A HEALTHY TREE CANOPY HAS BEEN A PRIORITY FOR THE CITY. UH, WE'RE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY ON THIS, UH, UH, 4.6 MILLION. UM, AND SO, AND I THINK 1.45 MILLION ANNUALLY THROUGH 31 FOR TREES. SO JUST UNDER EAGER TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHERE WE ARE WITH, UM, OUR TREE PROTECTION AND TREE PLANTINGS. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, HOPEFULLY I CAN ANSWER ALL OF THOSE, UH, WITHOUT HAVING TO USE, UH, MR. PUTNAM. BUT, UM, SO WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE RECONCILING THE NUMBERS THAT YOU HAD GIVEN US, THE 4.6 AND THE 4.8. BUT IN GENERAL, UH, OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR IS JUST, JUST ABOUT $4 MILLION, AND THAT'S BETWEEN OUR CAPITAL AND OUR OPERATING COSTS. THE 1.45 MILLION THAT YOU MENTIONED, UM, THAT IS OUR CAPITAL REQUEST, AND THERE'S A PORTION OF THAT, ABOUT 900,000 THAT GOES INTO TREE PLANTING. BUT THE REMAINDER IS FOR OTHER THINGS LIKE PEST CONTROL, UH, PRUNING IN OUR PARKS AND CEMETERIES, UH, AND SOME OTHER MAINTENANCE WE DO. UM, YOU ARE CORRECT THAT WE ARE RUNNING OUTTA PLACES TO PUT TREES. UM, SO THAT IS REFLECTED SOMEWHAT IN OUR BUDGET IS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN IT WAS LAST YEAR. UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY WE HAVE TRIED TO PLANT BETWEEN 1200 AND 1,250 TREES A YEAR. WE'RE FINDING THAT REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO ON CITY PROPERTY. AND, UH, WE ARE AGAIN WORKING THROUGH OUR, UM, URBAN FORESTRY MASTER PLAN TO TRY TO SEE HOW WE CAN DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER WITH THAT. WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT SPOTS ON STREETS, UH, AND WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT SPOTS IN OUR OPEN SPACE. BUT AGAIN, IT IS BECOMING DIFFICULT. UM, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS YEAR IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE CLOSER TO 700 TREES THAT WE PLANT, UH, AROUND THERE, SEVEN TO 800 TREES. UM, BUT AGAIN, WE'LL, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS AS WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT LOCATIONS. I DO WANT TO SAY THAT WE'VE HAD A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GREEN CAMBRIDGE AND WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO GET TREES PLANTED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. NOT ALWAYS AN EASY THING TO DO. NOT EVERYBODY WANTS THAT. UM, BUT WE'VE HAD SOME SUCCESS WITH THAT. AND THEN LAST YEAR, UH, WE DID REACH OUT TO DCR AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. AND, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO PLANT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF TREES ON DCR PROPERTY THAT BORDER IS, UM, CAMBRIDGE. I THINK THAT'S YOUR QUESTIONS, BUT DID YOU HAVE ONE MORE? THERE WAS MAYBE ONE MORE. I, YEAH, YOU DID A GREAT JOB. [01:50:01] BUT I HAVE, UH, ONE MORE, WHICH IS, AND, AND I THINK, UM, I'M THRILLED ABOUT YOUR COLLABORATION WITH DCR. I THINK THAT'S A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM, AND I'M GLAD YOU'RE PARTNERING WITH GREEN CAMBRIDGE, BUT I, UM, PEOPLE OFTEN ASK, OR, OR IT SAID THAT THE TREE MITIGATION FUND, UH, FUNDS A BIG PART OF THE TREE BUDGET, WHICH IS IRONIC, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE REALLY WANNA ENCOURAGE, WE WANNA BE PROTECTING OUR MATURE TREES AND ADDING TO OUR TREES. SO CAN YOU PROVIDE NUMBERS ON HOW MUCH OF THE INCOME THAT FUNDS THE DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY FUNDED BY TAKING DOWN TREES. SO THE TREE MITIGATION FUND, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN AROUND EVEN BEFORE THE, UM, UM, THE TREE PROTECTION ORDINANCE, IT DOES FUND A LOT OF WHAT WE DO, PARTICULARLY TREE PLANTING. SO TREE MITIGATION AS IT SAYS IN THE TITLE IS IF YOU REMOVE A TREE, UM, THERE'S A COUPLE OF WAYS. THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HAPPEN. IF A TREE IS DEAD OR DANGEROUS, SOMEBODY CAN REMOVE THAT TREE AND THERE IS NO COST TO THEM. UM, IF THEY CAN MITIGATE THE TREES THAT THEY REMOVE ON THEIR PROPERTY, THEN THERE'S REALLY NO COST. AND THEN IF THEY CAN'T, UH, THEY PAY INTO THE TREE FUND THIS YEAR, THAT TREE FUND IS ABOUT $200,000 AND ALL OF THAT WILL BE SPENT, UM, AS PART OF OUR CAPITAL REQUEST. JUST TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND. SO IT'S, UM, SO, UH, $200,000 IS COMING IN FROM, ONLY $200,000 IS COMING IN FROM TAKING DOWN TREES, SO YEP. THIS YEAR. SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S PART OF YOUR BUDGET. IT'S NOT THE BIG CHUNK. IT'S, IT IS A PORTION OF OUR BUDGET, YES. IT'S, YEAH, I MEAN, FOR, FOR URBAN FORESTRY, WHEN 63 MILLION, IT IS A SMALL PORTION, I GUESS, OF OUR BUDGET. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ACROSS THE BOARD. UH, YOU PROVIDE THE SERVICES THAT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS CARE ABOUT, INCLUDING US, US RESIDENTS, AND, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. YOU'RE INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE AND YOU GET THINGS DONE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL ZUBIE THROUGH YOU CHAIR, JUST A QUICK, UH, QUESTION, SORT OF A SUGGESTION. YOU MENTIONED THE NUMBERS ON THE TREES YOU'VE BEEN PLANTING, UH, OVER THE PAST YEAR AND THE ESTIMATED NUMBER THAT YOU'D HAVE THIS YEAR. IT'D BE GREAT IF WE COULD GET THAT AS LIKE A PERFORMANCE MEASURE OR SOMETHING JUST SO WE CAN KEEP TRACK OF WHERE, WHERE EXACTLY TREE PLANTING IS. UH, 'CAUSE HAVING THESE NUMBERS ARE GREAT AND IT'S AWESOME TO HEAR THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN, BEEN WORKING WITH DCR AND GREEN CAMBRIDGE TO TRY TO EXPAND WHERE ELSE WE CAN PLANT TREES IN THE CITY, ALL YIELD, UM, THROUGH YOU. UH, MADAM CHAIR, I JUST, WE HAVE HISTORICALLY ALWAYS HAD, UM, A NUMBER IN THERE FOR THE NUMBER OF TREES PLANTED AS ONE OF OUR GOALS. I THINK THIS YEAR WHERE WE'RE COMING OUT WITH OUR UPDATE TO THE URBAN FORESTRY MASTER PLAN AND THE FACT THAT AS COUNCIL, UH, SUSIE POINTED OUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF SOME SPACES. I THINK IN THE FUTURE WE'LL EVALUATE WHAT WE, I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR, WE STILL TRACK THOSE NUMBERS, SO WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE INTO LOOKING AT THE TREE, I MEAN THE CITY MORE HOLISTICALLY FOR TREES AND LOOKING AT TREE CANOPY COVERAGE, UM, IT MAY BE THAT THAT'S MORE OF OUR GOAL IS LET'S FOCUS ON WHAT IS THE CITYWIDE CANOPY. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE MEETING WITH THE HEALTH ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO TO TALK ABOUT THE UPDATES TO THE PLAN. UM, AND WE HAVE DONE WHAT I THINK IS REALLY WELL OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS AND WE HAVE INCREASED OUR CANOPY. SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS. YOU'RE SET. UM, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOUTH. I ALSO WANNA GIVE MY THANKS TO, TO YOU GUYS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO. UM, WE HAD TALKED, I THINK THIS IS FOR YOU. UM, WE HAD, I HAD ASKED THIS QUESTION A MONTH OR SO AGO ABOUT, UM, DEEPEST WALLY PARK AND THE UM, UH, RESTROOM THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THAT, A HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM. SO IS THAT IN, IS THAT IN THIS BUDGET? WHERE, WHERE IS THAT, WHERE DOES THAT STAND? YEAH, I, I, I THINK THROUGH YOU MADAM, I MEAN MADAM CHAIR, UM, I THINK WE DID ANSWER THAT COUNSELOR. WE DO HAVE FUNDING FOR THAT ALREADY. THAT'S PART OF A PACKAGE THAT'S GONNA GO OUT WITH, IT'S GONNA BE A, ANOTHER PORTLAND LEW THAT WE HAVE UP THERE, WHICH IS HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE. UM, AND THAT WILL GO OUT WITH, UH, A PACKAGE OF, I THINK IT'S TWO OTHER PORTLAND LS, UM, CITYWIDE. SO WE ARE PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT. IS THAT RIGHT, JIM? THROUGH YOU, UH, CHANNEL AND, YEAH. SO PRETTY CLOSE TO BIDDING THAT PROJECT. UH, THE ONE AT DEEP PIQUA PARK, UM, IS WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE FORMAL LANDFILL AT DHE PARK. SO THERE IS SOME SPECIAL PERMITTING THAT WE NEED TO GO THROUGH WITH DEP TO GET THAT IN THERE, BUT WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO PUTTING THAT PROJECT OUT TO BID. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND THROUGH YOU. UM, [01:55:01] DO WE KNOW WHERE IT'S GONNA GO IN, IN TERMS OF THE PARK? I MEAN, I WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE PARK. I MEAN, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO THAT, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE PARK SO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY FOR, FOR PARENTS TO GET THEIR KIDS THERE. YEP. THROUGH YOUR CHANNEL AND YES, IT'S GONNA BE IN THE, IN THE PARKING LOT, SO IT'LL BE VERY CLOSE TO THE PARK. OKAY. TERRIFIC. UM, AND ONE LAST THING, MADAM CHAIR, UM, RIVER STREET, ARE WE, UH, I DON'T WANT TO ASK ABOUT CARL BARRON PLAZA 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT'S COMING ALONG AND IT'S LOOKING GREAT. UM, BUT I'M THINKING CLOSER UP TO THE MEMORIAL DRIVE END AND THE PAIN IT'S PUTTING ON THE SHOCKS OF MY CAR WHEN EVERY TIME I DRIVE DOWN THAT STREET. UM, HOW WE LOOKING? UM, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING LIKE WE'RE IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, COUNSELOR. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THE PROJECT HAS GONE LONGER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF SOME DELAYS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT. IT IS. MOVING ALONG, YOU MENTIONED COW BARON PLAZA. WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE A SOFT OPENING OF THAT THIS SUMMER. AND THEN FINAL PAVING SHOULD HAPPEN THIS FALL OR YES, IT SHOULD HAPPEN THIS FALL. SO FOR THE WHOLE STREET? FOR THE WHOLE STREET. NOT JUST A SEC. 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE DOING SOME, THERE'S BEEN SOME REP PAVING CLOSER TO THE PLAZA, BUT NOT IT'LL, THE WHOLE STREET SHOULD BE DONE. UH, PLAN IS TO HAVE THE WHOLE STREET DONE. WONDERFUL, THANK YOU. I YIELD OKAY. I DON'T SEE HANDS, SO I'LL ASK, OH, VICE INE. UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WOULD BE A YOU GUYS QUESTION OF TRANSPORTATION, BUT KIND OF SIMILAR TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN'S QUESTION. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU GUYS HAVE A SENSE OF NORTHERN MASS AVE, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SCHEDULE FOR NORTH MASS F UH, YEAH, THERE'S THE CONSTRUCTION AND ABOUT SURE. CHAIR MAYBE THROUGH YOUR CHAIR NOLAN. SO, UM, WE'RE WORKING ON DESIGNING CONSTRUCTION FOR THE SECTION OF MASS A FROM, BASICALLY FROM THE, THE CAMBRIDGE COMMONWEALTH, A OIF BROOK PARKWAY. UM, THAT IS BROKEN UP INTO REALLY THREE SECTIONS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON. SO THE FIRST SECTION, WHICH IS BETWEEN, UM, WATERHOUSE STREET AND LINEAN STREET HAS BEEN IN CONSTRUCTION FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS NOW. UM, WE HAVE A FEW MORE MONTHS ON THAT PROJECT. UM, WE WILL HAVE A SUBSEQUENT PROJECT COMING OUT RIGHT AFTER THAT ONE THAT WILL PUT THE FINAL CONDITION IN PLACE IN THAT FIRST SECTION. AND THEN WE ARE WORKING ON DESIGN FOR THE REMAINDER. UM, IT'S LIKELY THAT THE NEXT SECTION THAT WOULD GO INTO CONSTRUCTION WOULD BE THE SECTION BASICALLY FROM CEDAR STREET TO ALE ALEWIFE BROOK PARKWAY. DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF COMPLETION DATES OR ESTIMATED, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ENTIRE THREE SECTIONS FOR THE ENTIRETY, WE'RE PROBABLY FOUR TO FIVE YEARS OUT BEFORE WE FINISH THE CONSTRUCTION. OKAY. UM, AND JUST WHILE I HAVE YOU, SIMILARLY AN UPDATE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. YEP. SO UPDATE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. SO WE ARE GOING THROUGH, UM, A DESIGN PROCESS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AS WELL. UM, WE HAVE WRAPPED UP OUR COMMUNITY PROCESS ON THE DESIGN AND WE ARE WORKING ON BIDDING. SO THE, THE FIRST TWO SECTIONS, UM, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET THAT WILL BE GOING INTO CONSTRUCTION LATER THIS YEAR ARE, UM, BETWEEN PROSPECT STREET AND WILLOW STREET AND THEN FROM FOCUS AND STREET TO SECOND STREET. SO THAT'LL BE IN CONSTRUCTION LATER THIS YEAR. AND SO HALF WILL BE THIS YEAR AND THEN THE OTHER HALF WILL BE NEXT YEAR. IS THAT CORRECT? I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTOOD. UM, YEAH, WE WE'RE STILL WORKING ON SEQUENCING. UM, IT'S LIKELY THAT SECTION BETWEEN PROSPECT AND WILLOW WILL BE FIRST. OKAY, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, I DID, UH, SEND A QUESTION WHICH, UM, I DID NOTE THAT THEY WERE VERY GOOD, SMART GOALS IN THE DOCUMENT. AND WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE EXCELLENT SERVICES PROVIDED, BUT THE CHANGES IN SOME CITY POLICIES LIKE THE NO TOWING FOR STREET CLEANING, WHICH CHANGED THE AMOUNT OF TIME ON ROUTES, HAVE DEPARTMENT RESOURCES BEEN ABLE TO BE DEPLOYED TO OTHER SERVICES? UM, TO YOU MADAM CHAIR? UM, I THINK THE QUICK ANSWER IS NO, UNFORTUNATELY. UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STREET SWEEPING AS AN EXAMPLE, WHILE WE HAVE BEEN MORE EFFICIENT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT WAITING FOR TOW TRUCKS TO TOW CARS, IT'S ALSO AT ANOTHER LAYER THAT WE NEVER DEALT WITH BEFORE, WHICH IS BLOWING, UH, DEBRIS OUT FROM UNDER CARS OR HAND SWEEPING. SO THE HAND PORTION OF THAT WORK IS SOMETHING THAT HISTORICALLY WE NEVER HAD TO DO. UM, SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME THAT'S DONE WITH THAT. I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT IT, THAT THAT PARTICULAR OPERATION IS VERY CONTRACTOR HEAVY. UM, SO WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME CITY TRUCKS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THAT, IT'S TYPICALLY MORE SUPERVISORS THAT IF THEY FINISH, OH, THEY'RE GONNA GO AND SUPERVISE CREWS IN OTHER LOCATIONS, UH, THERE'S A COUPLE OF DUMP TRUCKS AND THINGS THAT ARE INVOLVED. AND DEPENDING ON THE SHIFT OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE USE FOR THAT DAY ACTUALLY MAY BE ENDING [02:00:01] THE DAY WHEN THAT STUFF WRAP WRAPS UP. SO WE HAVEN'T FOUND ANY EXTRA EFFICIENCIES IN THAT PARTICULAR PROGRAM. UM, BUT CERTAINLY AS WE LOOK AT ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS, IF THERE'S WAYS FOR US TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND DEPLOY PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES, WE'LL DO THAT. THAT'D BE GREAT. OR MAYBE THE NEXT TIME THE CONTRACT GOES OUT, IF IT TAKES A LOT LESS TIME, THEN IT MAY WELL BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD SEE SAVINGS, UM, AND WE SHOULD CERTAINLY BE EXPLORING THAT. UM, THE OTHER, AND I, UH, THIS WASN'T A QUESTION I SENT, SO IF WE DON'T, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR YOU, BUT SPEAKING OF UM, STREET, UH, RECONSTRUCTION, HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND, UH, ENSURING THAT ALL THE ASPHALT WE USE IS THE MOST SUSTAINABLE? THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT RECLAIM OF ASPHALT AND OTHER WAYS TO, TO HAVE THIS REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR CITY'S OPERATIONS. WE DO A LOT OF IT AND THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT, UM, THE INDUSTRY HAS EVOLVED AND IT HAS, UH, BUDGET IMPLICATIONS FOR HOW IT IS THAT IT'S LAID DOWN AND ALSO, UH, THE MATERIAL ITSELF. SO HOW IS THAT, IS THAT PART OF THE BUDGET, UM, THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD TO, TO WORK THAT INTO EVERY OF THE STREET PROJECTS WE'RE DOING? UM, TO YOU, UH, MADAM CHAIR, I WOULD SAY THIS, UH, IT'S CERTAINLY PART OF OUR BUDGET BECAUSE PAVING IS PART OF OUR, IS EVERYWHERE WITHIN OUR BUDGET. AND JIM MAY BE ABLE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFICATIONS, BUT WE DO LOOK AT OUR SPECIFICATIONS. I, I DON'T KNOW IF I'D SAY IT ANNUALLY, BUT OFTEN, UH, WE TRY TO KEEP UP WITH STATE SPECIFICATIONS. UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW, JIM, IF WE ARE, WE HAVE SPECIFIC ASPHALT THAT IS, HAS A CERTAIN RECLAIM ELEMENT TO IT. YEAH, SEE YOU CHIN NOLAN. SO, UM, WE REALLY HAVE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ASPHALT THAT WE USE. UM, ONE IS FOR THE MAJOR STREETS AND THEN WE HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF ASPHALT'S MORE FOR THE LOCAL STREETS. WE DO USE THE MAS MASCOT SPECIFICATIONS FOR ALL OUR, OUR ASPHALT. UM, THE MIX THAT'S USED FOR THE BUSIER STREETS HAS AN ADDITIVE IN IT. AND THAT ADDITIVE REALLY IS, UM, TO HELP WITH RUNNING. UM, AND THAT'S USED WHERE THERE'S STREETS THAT HAVE TRAFFIC LIGHTS WHERE YOU HAVE HEAVY VEHICLES LIKE TRUCKS, TRUCKS OR BUSES THAT ARE SITTING AT THE STOP LIGHTS. AND ALL THAT WEIGHT CREATES RUTS. SO WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL TYPE OF ASPHALT THAT WE USE FOR THOSE STREETS. OKAY. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT FULL, UH, COST ANALYSIS OF, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S A SEMI POROUS, WHICH WE USED AS A TEST ON SOME OF THE PARKING SPOTS ON THE STREETS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN SAVE MONEY AND ALSO RECHARGE OUR GROUNDWATER, FOR INSTANCE, WITHOUT COMPROMISING, UM, THE ABILITY OF, UH, VEHICLES TO MOVE THROUGH THE CITY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THIS DEPARTMENT? I DID TELL DPWI HAD A MEETING EARLIER ABOUT THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN THAT I WAS SAVING MY 17 QUESTIONS FOR HEARINGS INSTEAD OF THE BUDGET HEARING. SO, UH, BECAUSE I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE WORK AND UNDERSTAND, IT REALLY CUTS ACROSS SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE LIVE IN THE CITY. UM, THIS AS REFLECTED IN A, A VERY WELL-RESOURCED, UH, BUDGET THAT DOES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK, PRETTY MUCH TOUCHING EVERY AREA OF RESIDENCE LIFE. SO, APPRECIATE IT AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS, NOT OUTSIDE OF THE BUDGET HEARING ON THE 17. OTHER QUESTIONS. I HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN MOVES THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS BUDGET OF $62.7 MILLION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT COUNCIL IS SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU TEAM, AND THANK YOU ALL WHO CAME IN THE AUDIENCE. WE DO APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. EVEN IF WE DIDN'T CALL YOU TO THE TABLE, YOU MAY BE EITHER RELIEVED OR CHAGRINED, BUT EITHER WAY, WE APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. NEXT UP IS ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, FAIR TO SAY THE CITY PAYS A LOT OF ATTENTION TO, IT'S THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, WHICH HAS A $16 MILLION BUDGET. COMMISSIONER MCKENNA, IF YOU WANNA, AS YOU GET SETTLED OR AFTER YOU GET SETTLED, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCIL QUESTIONS. [02:05:01] GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TODAY. I'LL JUST ASK MY STAFF. I'M BROOKE MCKENNA, TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER, AND I'LL JUST ASK MY STAFF TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES BEFORE WE GET STARTED. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I AM STEPHANIE GROHL, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE MCCULLOUGH. I AM THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT. GOOD MORNING. JEFF PERENT, THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR STREET MANAGEMENT. AND WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY ALBERTO POLARIS, OUR, UH, FINANCE MANAGER. THANK YOU. ANY OVERVIEW OR REMARKS OR JUST GO STRAIGHT TO NOPE. WE CAN GET RIGHT INTO IT. EXCELLENT. ALL RIGHT. UH, TRANSPORTATION. WE WILL START WITH COUNCILLOR SUZI. THANK YOU CHAIR NOLAN, FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK, AND I AM WELL AWARE. I THINK YOU HAVE THE TOUGHEST JOBS IN THE WHOLE CITY. UH, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TO BETTERING THE ROADS AND SIDEWALKS FOR, UH, WALKERS, CYCLISTS AND DRIVERS. UH, SO I, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT WORK. I THANK YOU. UM, I HAVE A MILLION QUESTIONS AS YOU'VE SEEN, SO I'LL JUST START WITH A FEW. UM, ONE IS, I'M THRILLED THAT YOU'VE BUDGETED 10.2 MILLION FOR THE GRAND JUNCTION PATH. SO MY QUESTION IS, DOES THAT MEAN YOU GOT THE GREEN LIGHT FROM EVERSOURCE AND THE MBTA TO ACTUALLY PROCEED WITH THIS PROJECT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? UM, SO THE APPROPRIATION FOR, UH, 10.2 MILLION THAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET IS APPROPRIATION OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION MITIGATION FUNDS THAT WERE PAID BY A DEVELOPER IN THE KENDALL SQUARE AREA TOWARDS THE GRAND JUNCTION PROJECT. SO WE'RE ALL, WE'RE APPROPRIATING THAT THIS YEAR SO THAT WE CAN SWITCH OUR SPENDING OVER TO THAT MITIGATION FUNDING RATHER THAN USING THE BOND FUNDING THAT HAS BEEN APPROPRIATED BUT NOT ISSUED SO THAT WE CAN AVOID THE IMPACT ON, UM, THE DEBT SERVICE RIGHT NOW. UM, SO WE ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE PRETTY COMPLEX JURISDICTIONAL ISSUES AROUND THE, THE ROOT OF THE GRAND JUNCTION. UM, SO THAT WORK IS ONGOING. UM, WE ARE EXPECTING, UM, THAT EVERSOURCE WILL DO THEIR WORK IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS IN THE PORTION OF THE PATH PATH, UH, ROUTE BETWEEN CAMBRIDGE STREET AND BENNY STREET. UM, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH MIT TO WORK THROUGH ALL OF THE ISSUES ON THE SECTION CLOSER TO MEMORIAL DRIVE. UM, WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON, UM, NOW IS, UH, THE STREET WORK AROUND THE CAMBRIDGE STREET CROSSING THERE, UM, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE, UM, SIGNALIZATION OF THE CARDINAL MADERO, CAMBRIDGE STREET AND WARREN STREET, UM, AREA. SO THAT WORK IS, UM, THE DESIGN THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN MOVED PRETTY FAR ALONG, BUT WE'RE, AND THAT, BUT THAT WAS A WHILE AGO. SO WE'RE GONNA DO SOME ADDITIONAL PUBLIC OUTREACH, BRING THAT DESIGN TO A HUNDRED PERCENT, AND THEN BID OUT THAT WORK IN THE COMING YEAR. UM, AND THEN AS IN PARALLEL TO THAT, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH ALL OF THE DESIGN ISSUES IN THE OTHER SECTIONS OF THE, OF THE PATH. THANKS FOR THAT CLARIFICATION, AGAIN, THROUGH YOU, UH, CHERNO. AND SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR DOING THE SIGNALIZATION WORK BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S A VERY DANGEROUS INTERSECTION, BUT I GUESS, UM, THIS PATH WILL NOT BE COMPLETE FOR SEVERAL YEARS 'CAUSE WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR EVERSOURCE. RIGHT. AND I THINK, I THINK THE MBTA ALSO, WE HAVE TO WORK THINGS THROUGH WITH THE MBTA. OKAY. ANOTHER, ANOTHER QUESTION, ACTUALLY, I GO TO DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS. AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT, UH, AND, AND, AND COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH MAS.TO FIX THE INTERSECTION AT MUSEUM WAY AND CHARLES BANK ROAD. I, I THINK, I KNOW THAT WASN'T ON YOUR TOP 10 LIST, WHICH FOCUSED ON CITY INTERSECTIONS, BUT RESOLVING THAT, IMPROVING THAT INTERSECTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I THINK IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. AND AGAIN, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. SO MY, MY QUESTION IS, UM, HOW MANY OF THE TOP 10 IN DANGEROUS INTERSECTIONS, CITY OWNED INTERSECTIONS WILL BE IMPROVED IN THE FISCAL YEAR 27? UM, AND I WA I WASN'T, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU'VE BUDGETED $500,000 FOR VISION ZERO SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. IS, IS THAT ALL OR IS I, I DIDN'T SEE OTHER MONEY BUDGETED, BUT I, I JUST WANNA KNOW THAT YOU'RE REALLY MOVING, UH, IMPROVEMENT OF THESE INTERSECTIONS FORWARD THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, I'LL PASS THINGS OVER TO, UM, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER PARENTI TO ANSWER THAT ONE THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO ON THE, UH, TOP 10 INTERSECTION PROGRAM, UH, WE DO HAVE A WORK PLAN TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL 10 LOCATIONS IN FISCAL [02:10:01] YEAR, IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. UM, THAT WILL BE DONE OVER DIFFERENT STAGES. SO SOME OF THE WORK WILL BE DONE THIS SUMMER, THIS FALL, UH, AND OTHER WORK WILL BE COMPLETED NEXT SPRING. UM, BUT WE WE'RE FORMING THE WORK PLAN NOW AND WE'RE GETTING READY. UH, WE'LL BE ROLLING OUT SOME IMPROVEMENTS, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS TO START. UH, AND THOSE WILL BE DONE WITH A SERIES OF MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS. UM, WE DO PLAN ON SOME QUICK BUILD IMPROVEMENTS AS WELL TO TAKE CARE OF SOME GEOMETRIC, UH, CHANGES, TIGHTENING UP SOME INTERSEC, SOME OF THE TOP 10 INTERSECTIONS. AND THAT WILL BE COMBINED WITH TRAFFIC SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, AND THEN SIGN AND PAVEMENT MARKINGS AS WELL. SO, UM, AS WE PRESENTED TO YOU LAST DECEMBER, THIS, THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS TO IMPROVE SAFETY FOR ALL MODES, ESPECIALLY PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES. SO WE, WE CERTAINLY HAVE THOSE MORE, MORE VULNERABLE USERS IN MIND WHEN WE'RE GOING THROUGH OUR DESIGN WORK. UH, I AM SO THRILLED TO HEAR THAT. I, I THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT, IF IF FUNDING TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES AND A BUDDING, UH, IN NEIGHBORHOODS, THE BUDDING GARDEN STREET IS ALSO, I, I KNOW THEY'RE NOT THE TOP 10 INTERSECTIONS, BUT HAVE YOU, WILL THAT HAPPEN THIS YEAR? AND WHEN WILL IT HAPPEN THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? SO, UH, WE ARE ALSO WORKING IN THAT AS WELL. SO WE, I JUST, UH, STARTED A DRAFT WORK PLAN FOR THE, UH, ROADWAYS AROUND GARDEN STREET AS DISCUSSED, UM, A FEW WEEKS AGO. UH, WE'LL BE DOING A SITE WALK, UH, THIS MONTH TO START FINDING LOCATIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE REQUESTED IN PARTICULAR, AND START TO IDENTIFY SOME ONES THAT WE BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO ADD TO THAT PROGRAM. UH, SO CERTAINLY CONCORD AVE, RAYMOND STREET, UM, BUCKINGHAM STREET, UH, AND SOME OTHERS WILL BE DOING AS WELL. UH, WE'VE ALREADY COMMITTED SPEED HUMPS TO RAYMOND STREET AND BUCKINGHAM STREET, UH, AND WE'LL ALSO BE ADDING SOME RADAR SPEED FEEDBACK, SIGNS, SOME DAYLIGHTING TO RAYMOND STREET. UM, AND SO, AND, AND THERE'LL BE OTHER ADDITIONAL, UM, ITEMS. THERE'S TWO THAT, THAT WE WILL ADD. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO COMPLETING THAT WORK PLAN. AND AGAIN, UH, SIMILAR TO THE INTERSECTION SAFETY AUDITS APPROACH, WE'LL BE USING A COMBINATION OF MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS AND, AND STAFF, UH, INTERNAL STAFF TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS. SO, WE'LL, RESIDENTS WILL START SEEING THINGS COME, UH, LATE THIS SPRING AND THE SUMMER. UM, AND THEY'LL, THEY'LL COME IN WAVE. SO, UH, AS THE MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS BECOME AVAILABLE TO US, THAT IS SUCH GREAT NEWS. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ADVANCING THAT. AND I'LL JUST ASK ONE LAST QUESTION, WHICH IS, SO IS IT, RIGHT, SO THE, WHEN WILL THE NEW STREET CONNECTOR BE BUILT AND WILL THE WHOLE THING TO THE NEW FITCHBURG LINE BIKE? PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE REALLY COST $9.5 MILLION THROUGH MADAME CHAIR. UM, SO WE'RE STARTING DESIGN ON, UM, THE NEW STREET CONNECTOR, UH, IMMINENTLY, UM, INCLUDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PUBLIC REALM STAFF AT CDD. UM, AND THEN THAT WILL GO, ONCE THAT DESIGN IS COMPLETE, IT WILL GO OUT FOR CONSTRUCTION. UH, IT WILL GO OUT TO BID FOR CONSTRUCTION IN 2027. UM, AND THE CURRENT COST ESTIMATE FOR THAT, UH, FOR THAT CONSTRUCTION IS 4.5 MILLION. UM, THE PATH WILL GO FROM CONCORD AVE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO NEW STREET. THE FINAL PIECE OF CONNECTION BETWEEN, UM, KIND OF NEW STREET AND THE BRIDGE, THE FITCHBURG PATH OR THE FITCHBURG BRIDGE WILL, UM, HAPPEN AS PART OF THE BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT SINCE WE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO THAT WORK UNTIL WE KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THE BRIDGE LANDING WILL BE AND AND WHATNOT. SO, UM, IT WILL GET, IT WILL GO FROM CONCORD AVE ALL THE WAY TO NEW STREET FOR NOW. OKAY. UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO I'M A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED IF THAT'S 4.5 MILLION. 'CAUSE YOU SAID LINEAR PARK IS LIKE SEVEN, LIKE ABOUT 7.5 MILLION, BUT THE TWO NUMBERS AT UP TO 15 MILLION. SO WHAT'S LEFT OUT? UM, SO THERE WAS A $10 MILLION BOND ITEM, UM, THAT WE'VE USED FOR LINEAR PARK. AND THEN WE WILL USE THE REST FOR, UM, UH, FOR THE NEW STREET CONNECTOR. AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU WITH THE DETAILS ON WHERE THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING CAME FROM. RIGHT, OKAY. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. 'CAUSE THERE'S 3 MILLION MISSING. OH, AND YEAH. AND WE CAN GO OVER THAT AT CAPITAL LATER TODAY. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. I'M LOOKING AT PAGE, UM, 3 87 OF THE BUDGET BOOK. AND, UM, THE TITLE OF, [02:15:02] YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE APPROPRIATION ORDERS, AND IT SAYS, IF I'M READING CORRECTLY, THAT THE CITY APPROPRIATIONS ESTATE ASSESSMENTS AND THE GENERAL FUND ARE FINANCED BY ESTIMATED REVENUES FROM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES. AND AT TRANSPORTATION, THE GRAND TOTAL OF 16,066,441. THAT FIGURE THERE, THAT, IS THAT THE TOTAL REVENUE RAISED BY THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT? OR, OR WHAT DOES THAT FIGURE REFLECT, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? NO, THAT'S JUST THE REVENUES NEEDED TO COVER THE OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. OKAY. AND THE AMOUNT, TOTAL AMOUNT OF REVENUE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS HOW MUCH THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? UM, AND WE'RE BUDGETING ABOUT $23.9 MILLION IN REVENUE IN TOTAL. OKAY. THAT INCLUDES OPERATING AND CAPITAL. RIGHT. SO THERE'S AN OVERAGE ABOUT, IF I'M CORRECT, TELL ME IF I'M CORRECT OR NOT. IS IT 8 MILLION BUCKS, UH, EXTRA DOLLARS, OR IS IT SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT? UM, WHEN YOU SAY THROUGH MADAM CHAIR, WHEN YOU SAY EXTRA, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE REVENUES THAT ARE NOT BEING USED TOWARDS THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION? RIGHT, EXACTLY. RIGHT. SO IT WOULD BE THE, THE TOTAL MINUS TO 16 MILLION, SO WHATEVER THAT COMES OUT TO THE CAPITAL AND THAT, YEAH, THAT'S CAPITAL, TOTAL AMOUNT OF REVENUE RAISED, WHICH ISN'T BEING USED FOR THE OPERATIONS. SOME OF IT GOES TO FUND OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY. CORRECT. THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. HISTORICALLY, IT'S GONE TO FUND SEVERAL OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT AS, UM, BUDGETS HAVE GROWN AND REVENUES HAVE NOT EXACTLY GROWN AT THE SAME RATE, UM, IT'S NOT USED FOR AS MANY DEPARTMENTS AS IT HAD BEEN IN THE PAST. SO RIGHT NOW, SOME OF THAT FUNDING DOES GO TOWARDS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TO COVER THE HEALTH AND PENSION COSTS RELATED TO STAFF WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. A SMALL AMOUNT GOES TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. UH, A SMALL AMOUNT GOES TO CHERRY SHEET ASSESSMENTS, BUT THAT'S IT. AND THEN THE REST IS TO CAPITAL. AND WHEN YOU SAY CAPITAL, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS? YES. THROUGH YOUR MADAM CHAIR, THEY, THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PROJECTS, WHICH ARE OUTLINED IN SECTION SEVEN. RIGHT. AND THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PROJECTS. AND I'M JUST LOOKING AT THE, IS THAT THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND THAT'S LOCATED AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK? IT'S, IT'S, SO IT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT SECTION SIX. WAIT, JUST TO CLARIFY, WE CAN CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT WE DO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON PUBLIC INVESTMENT LATER IN THAT MM-HMM . I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT THIS. DIRECTOR JENNINGS AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. IT, IT IS RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION FOR SOME OF THESE, BUT IT'S, IT'S UNDER PUBLIC INVESTMENT. SO I'M JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IN SYNC WITH HOW IT IS THAT WE APPROACH THIS DISCUSSION. OKAY. SO, AND, AND JUST THE FINAL QUESTION I HAVE IS, WHO MAKES THE DECISION WHERE THE, I'LL CALL IT OVERAGE, THAT EXTRA MONEY IS, UH, DEDICATED TO BE APPROPRIATED THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? SO TYPICALLY, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S FOR DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE WORK RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC AND PARKING AND RELATED TO PARKING FUND REVENUES. SO IN THE PAST IT HAD BEEN, SOME FUNDS WENT TO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, SOME FUNDS WOULD'VE GONE TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. I THINK A SMALL AMOUNT, POSSIBLY TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE BECAUSE OF, UH, A POSITION THAT HAD BEEN LOCATED THERE. UM, AND SO IT'S GENERALLY BASED ON THAT. UH, I THINK FIRST WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE OPERATING COSTS OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT ARE OBVIOUSLY COVERED, UM, AND AS WELL AS THEIR, YOU KNOW, FRINGE BENEFIT COST FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. UM, BUT AS I SAID, UH, RIGHT NOW, AND THERE'S ASSESSMENTS FROM THE STATE THAT GO THROUGH CHERRY SHEETS. UM, BUT AGAIN, THERE'S REALLY VERY LIMITED NOW THAT GOES TO OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS. THANK YOU. UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. UM, THIS YEAR WE'RE ALSO PULLING SLIGHTLY FROM THE PARKING FUND BALANCE TO FULLY FUND OUR CAPITAL NEEDS. IS, IS THAT THE, IF I'M CORRECT, IS THAT THE $386,990? YES. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE PARKING FUND. IS IT RESERVE OF [02:20:01] 1,863,000? IT'S ALSO BEING REDEDICATED SOMEWHERE ELSE? DID I SEE THAT ON PAGE 3, 8 7? I'M, I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO. I'M SORRY. LET ME SEE. MAYBE I'M READING IT WRONG. THE, THE EXISTING BALANCE ON THE CAPITAL FUND IS ON THE PARKING FUND IS ABOUT 6.5 MILLION, IF THAT'S WHAT THE QUESTION IS. 6.0. I SEE. WHAT I WAS REFERRING TO, THE, UH, PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND, PARKING FUND BALANCE, AND PARKING FUND REVENUES. SO I READ MY NOTES INCORRECTLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OTHER, OH, I BELIEVE COUNCILOR AZUBU IS NEXT. AND THEN BACK TO, AND THEN I'LL GO AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUZI AGAIN. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. JUST A FEW QUICK QUESTIONS. ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE BUDGETED POSITIONS SITUATION? 'CAUSE I KNOW THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WAS COMING OUT OF CDD. UM, IS THERE AN IDEA OF LIKE HOW MANY NEW HIRES THERE ARE VERSUS TRANSFERS? DO WE HAVE DOUBLE COUNTING HERE? JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR MORE ON THE NUMBERS THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, SO FUNCTIONALLY, THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING GROUP FROM CDD CAME OVER TO, UM, TRAFFIC AND PARKING, AND WE BECAME THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT LAST APRIL. BUT BECAUSE OF THE TIMING ON THAT WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE BUDGET WHERE WE'RE ALREADY WELL INTO THE BUDGET SEASON, UM, WE, THEY KIND OF FISCALLY HAVE BEEN OPERATING STILL OUT OF CDD. SO THIS UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE NEW DEPARTMENT HAS OUR FULL CONTINGENT. SO THAT'S ALL OF THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL FUNDS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING GROUP, AS WELL AS THE NINE STAFF POSITIONS. SO, UM, THE WHOLE INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR IS THE NINE POSITIONS. AND, UM, DUE TO THE CHANGE IN THE KIND OF THE, THE FTE VERSUS JUST A SINGLE POSITION, WE HAVE A 0.8 POSITION THAT NOW SHOWS UP AS A, THE POINT EIGHT FTE, UM, THAT WASN'T NECESSARILY VISIBLE BEFORE AND THAT, BUT THAT'S ONE THAT WE'VE HAD. SO THERE WAS, THERE ARE NO NEW POSITIONS FOR US IN THIS. GOTCHA. THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL. AND THEN I CAN FOLLOW UP ON THIS QUESTION LATER TOO. I WAS JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR, UM, ON THE PERFORMANCE MEASURE OF TICKETS BEING PAID WITHIN 21 DAYS, WHY IT SEEMS TO BE A BIT LOWER. CURIOUS WHAT, LIKE THE, WHAT THE CHALLENGES ARE TO, TO MAKING THAT EVEN CLOSER TO A, TO A HUNDRED, BUT CURIOUS TO HEAR MORE. THREE, MADAM CHAIR, I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW QUICKLY PARKING TICKETS ARE PAID VERY FREQUENTLY, UH, REFLECT THE GENERAL ECONOMIC SITUATION. UNFORTUNATELY, UM, YOU KNOW, FOLKS ARE HAVING A HARDER TIME MAKING BILLS AND SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDABLY PAYING THEIR PARKING TICKET IS NOT THE HIGHEST. SO I THINK THAT PROBABLY EXPLAINS THAT BIT OF A CHANGE. YEAH, I, I DEFINITELY, UH, HOLD MY, HOLD MY OWN IN THE SENSE OF HELPING MY OWN SISTER. UM, AND THEN CURIOUS, THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS ON THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR STUDENTS TRAINED IN THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM. UH, CURIOUS TO HEAR LIKE THE, THE WORK BEING DONE THERE AND, UH, WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING ON THE GROUND TO INCREASE THAT TARGET FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. UH, THROUGH MADAM CHAIR, I'M GONNA PASS THIS OVER TO STEPHANIE GROW, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, OUR SAFE RIDES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM TEACHES ALL CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL SIXTH GRADERS, UM, BASIC BICYCLE SKILLS. UH, AND IN THAT PROGRAM THEY LEARN SAFE RIDING AND HAND SIGNALS AND RULES, RULES OF THE ROAD AND BASIC MECHANIC SKILLS. UM, AND THEN THEY GO ON A GROUP RIDE TOGETHER. SO, UM, FOR NOW WE'RE COVERING ALL OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SIXTH GRADERS. UM, SO AS FAR AS EXPANDING THAT PROGRAM, UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE. GOTCHA. THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL AND EXCITING TO HEAR, UH, AND APPRECIATE YOUR ALL'S WORK. I'LL YIELD. OKAY, BEFORE I GO BACK TO COUNCILOR SUZI, I'LL ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS. JUST A CLARIFICATION. THE GRAND JUNCTION MONEY THAT WAS REFERENCED FROM ALEXANDRIA, IS THAT ALL ON THE GRAND JUNCTION, OR NOW IT'S ALL BEING SPENT ON WHAT? I WAS CONFUSED BY THAT ANSWER. SURE. IT, THAT IS THE 10.2 IS FOR GRAND JUNCTION. SO IT, THE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THAT MONEY FOR A FEW YEARS. IT'S BEEN IN THE TRANSPORTATION MITIGATION FUND. SO THIS APPROPRIATION MOVES IT OVER INTO THE CAPITAL FUND FOR GRAND JUNCTION. SO THAT WILL BE USED FOR GRAND JUNCTION. OKAY. IT'S ALL FOR GRAND JUNCTION. THAT WAS NOT TOTALLY CLEAR TO ME ABOUT, IT WAS THEN CONFUSED WITH SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT CAMBRIDGE STREET. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE BUDGET ALLOCATIONS [02:25:01] FOR GRAND JUNCTION. UM, I'LL GO TO A COUPLE OF THE QUESTIONS I SENT, SO HOPEFULLY THERE'S ANSWERS. I, I DO APPRECIATE THE SMART GOALS AS ALWAYS. IT'S JUST REALLY HELPFUL, I THINK, FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COUNCIL, BUT ALSO FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO UNDERSTAND, UM, THERE ARE GOALS FOR TICKETS AND PERMITS. UM, WHAT ABOUT THE SMART GOALS FOR THE WORK DONE ON MODE SHIFT, THE PERCENT OF TRIPS NOT IN CARS, THE NUMBER OF CARS REGISTERED IN CAMBRIDGE. WE HAD HAD SOME OF THOSE IN THE PAST. UM, THE, THE NUMBER OF PERMITS HAS NOT GONE DOWN. WE HAD HOPED THEY WOULD GO DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. UM, THEY'VE GONE DOWN MAYBE PER PERSON, BUT NOT OVERALL. SO WHAT ARE THOSE GOALS, THE PUBLIC TRANSIT USE? ARE THOSE GOALS STILL IN PLACE AND OUR RESOURCES BEING DEPLOYED TO ACHIEVE THEM? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, WE HAVE ARTICULATED THE SMART GOALS THAT YOU ARE MENTIONING IN THE ZERO EMISSION TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WHICH WE HAVE, WE'RE READY TO SHARE THE FINAL REPORT. UM, SO ALL OF THOSE ARE SPELLED OUT WHERE WE ARE AT OUR BASELINE AND WHAT OUR GOALS ARE FOR AND WHEN WE EXPECT TO GET TO THOSE, WE ARE TRACKING THEM, UM, OVER TIME. AND WE CAN HAVE A BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT IF YOU PREFER. YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO, I, I KNOW THEY'RE IN THERE, BUT AGAIN, THE BUDGET IS WHAT PEOPLE GO TO CENTRALLY. UM, AND I KNOW ALSO WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, UH, ZERO EMISSIONS TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WE TALKED ABOUT INCREASING SOME OF THOSE GOALS. SO HOPEFULLY THEY'VE BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THE COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON IT. AND I SEE, UH, YES, BECAUSE THE RESOURCES ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO BE DEPLOYED TO THAT TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN THE MODE SHIFT. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION WAS, IS THERE A BUDGET FOR THE PLANNING FOR THE PEDESTRIANIZATION OF HARVARD SQUARE? OR IS IT, UM, IN-HOUSE OR WITH COMMUNITY PRO BONO SERVICES TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR? SO TWO COMPONENTS RIGHT NOW. THERE'S THE BO STREET CLOSURE, WHICH IS WELL UNDERWAY, AND THE PLANNING STAGE, WE'RE HAVING OUR FINAL MEETING WITH STAFF TOMORROW MORNING. UH, AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE BO STREET CLOSE WITHIN A FEW WEEKS AFTER TOMORROW'S MEETING. UH, AND ANOTHER COMPONENT IS THE REQUESTED STUDY OF A SECTION OF BRATTLE STREET TO CLOSE TO ALL VEHICLES. UM, AND I HAVE DRAFTED A WORK PLAN, WHICH WE'RE REVIEWING INTERNALLY. UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF CONSIDERATIONS FOR CLOSING SECTION OF STREET. UH, AND SO WE NEED TO INTERNALLY AS A DEPARTMENT AND, AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ALL OF OUR CONSIDERATIONS COVERED. UH, AND SO WE'LL DETERMINE WHAT LEVEL OF EFFORT WE NEED FROM A STAFF LEVEL. I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN RETAIN ALL OF THE WORK, UM, IN INTERNALLY. UM, BUT WE, IF WE NEED TO, WE WILL, UM, SEEK OUTSIDE HELP FOR SOME OF THAT WORK. UM, BUT, UM, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT IT WILL BE A, A RATHER SUBSTANTIAL COMMITMENT TO COMPLETE THAT STUDY. UH, AND THERE OF COURSE WILL BE A COMPONENT WHERE WE'LL BE INVOLVING THE PUBLIC AS WELL, UH, ONCE WE UNDERSTAND, UH, SOME OF THE, UH, TRADE OFFS FOR, FOR TAKING THAT ACTION. UH, SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY ON THAT AND, UM, TO FORMING, UH, TO HAVING A FINAL WORK PLAN, WHICH WE'LL WORK THROUGH LATER IN THE SUMMER. GREAT. VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO UNDERSTANDING HOW WE CAN DO THAT COST EFFECTIVELY AND TIME EFFECTIVELY. UM, I WILL NOTE YOU'LL HEAR LATER THAT THERE'S SOME ISSUES WITH BEAU STREET, WHICH I HOPE GET RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SINCE THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME. AND THERE'S JUST SOME, SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WAY THAT IS UNFOLDING. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT HERE THAT I HOPE THAT GETS RESOLVED LITERALLY TODAY. 'CAUSE IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION IS IN THE PLAN FOR THE FY 27, UM, INITIATIVES THAT INCLUDES, UM, WORK ON, ON THE CITYWIDE SHUTTLE POSSIBILITY, WHICH WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT, THE DREAM WOULD BE TO BE ABLE TO FILL IN THOSE TRANSIT GAPS WITH A CITYWIDE SHUTTLE, UM, BY COORDINATING AND HAVING A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT IT. UH, IS THERE, I DIDN'T, I WASN'T SURE CLEAR IF THERE WAS A BUDGET FOR THAT OR TIMELINE FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT. AND AGAIN, THAT'S IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER PARTNERS, BUT IT'S AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN TALKED ABOUT FOR A WHILE AND HOPEFULLY IT, I DIDN'T SEE ANY SPECIFIC BUDGET CALL OUT, BUT I MAY HAVE MISSED IT. THANK YOU, CHAIR. WE HAVE, UM, A BUDGET OF ABOUT 200,000 FOR THAT PROJECT. UM, THE FUNDS WILL BE COMING FROM DEVELOPER MITIGATION, AND AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE A NOTICE TO PROCEED, PROBABLY AT THE END OF MAY, UM, IT WILL TAKE ABOUT A YEAR. GREAT. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. HOPE IT CAN BE SHORTENED SO THAT WE DO IT EVEN SOONER. AGAIN, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING FOR A FEW YEARS, AND IT'S A TOTAL DREAM, I THINK OF ALL OF OURS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE, AGAIN, THAT COORDINATED WORK ACROSS THE CITY FOR, FOR EASY TRANSIT SO THAT THERE'S A WAY FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED VEHICLES TO BE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF SHUTTLES IN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE CITY WIDE WAY. UM, THOSE WERE A COUPLE QUESTIONS I HAD. I'LL GO TO VICE REGIME AND THEN COUNCILOR SUZI. UM, THANK YOU. UM, I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, A SPECIFIC [02:30:01] SMALL BUDGET ITEM. UM, AND JUST ASK ABOUT BLUE BIKE STATIONS IN THAT, UM, I REMEMBER WE HAD A COMMITTEE HEARING ON THIS ON FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO. AND IN GENERAL THERE, UM, UH, PAID FOR LIKE THE BLUE BIKE SYSTEM ITSELF IS ECONOMICALLY SUFFICIENT, BUT THE NEW STATIONS ITSELF COST MONEY. AND I KNOW WE HAD A GOAL AT SOME POINT OF HAVING ONE WITHIN FIVE MINUTES WALK OR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. 10 MINUTES WALK FROM EVERYONE. I WAS JUST WONDERING, UH, LIKE WHAT THE STATUS OF THAT IS AND IF AT THIS TIME WE'RE STILL ADDING NEW BIKE, UH, BLUE BIKE STATIONS. UM, YEP. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU COUNSELOR FOR THE QUESTION. UM, WE DO HAVE A GOAL OF HAVING A BLUE BIKE STATION WITHIN A THREE MINUTE WALK OF ALL RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY. WE ARE STILL EXPANDING OUR NETWORK AND, UM, MOVING TOWARDS REACHING THAT GOAL. WE, UM, WE HAVE FUNDING, UM, A FUNDING REQUESTS FOR, UH, SOME OPERATING FUNDS, BUT WE ALSO USE LOTS OF GRANT FUNDING TO, TO REACH THIS GOAL. AND, UM, LET'S SEE. YEAH, AND WE ALSO NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE BLUE BIKES BUDGETS, WE ALSO NEED TO MAINTAIN OUR EXISTING STATIONS IN GOOD, A STATE OF GOOD REPAIR, WHICH, UM, AS THE SYSTEM GROWS, REQUIRES QUITE A BIT OF SUPPORT. UM, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT A LITTLE BIT, I KNOW, UM, IN OUR PREVIOUS COMMITTEE HEARING, WE WERE ADDING ABOUT MAYBE FIVE STATIONS A YEAR, ROUGHLY. AND SO WE'D GET TO THAT THREE MINUTE GOAL MAYBE IN LIKE 10 TO 15 YEARS. AGAIN, LIKE THIS IS NOT A HIGH PRIORITY URGENT ITEM, BUT JUST WANTED TO ASK IF THAT ROUGHLY SOUNDS RIGHT THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH THE EXACT EXPECTATION FOR WHEN WE EXPECT TO GET THERE, BUT WE, UM, HAVE RECEIVED A, A GOOD AMOUNT OF GRANT FUNDING. SO IN THE NEAR TERM IT WILL BE MORE THAN FIVE STATIONS A YEAR. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WILL CONTINUE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR SUZI, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING BACK TO ME. I JUST, I, YOU HAVE AN ORDINARY MAINTENANCE BUDGET OF $6 MILLION AND I JUST WONDERED, UH, WHAT THAT PAID FOR. OOPS, THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, SO OUR $6 MILLION ORDINARY MAINTENANCE BUDGET, UM, SUPPORTS A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS ACROSS, UM, THE DEPARTMENT. SOME OF OUR MAJOR CONTRACTS IN THIS CON IN THIS CATEGORY IN CR INCLUDE TRAFFIC, SIGNAL, REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE. THAT'S ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS. UM, OUR PARKING MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, WHICH IS ABOUT A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS, THAT MANAGES EVERYTHING RELATED TO PARKING AND PERMITS AND ENFORCEMENT. OUR, UH, GARAGE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT, UM, WHICH IS ABOUT 1.3 MILLION. ALL OF OUR, UH, PAVEMENT MARKING CONTRACTS, OTHER SURFACE TREATMENTS, FLEXIBLE DELINEATORS, UH, FOR AROUND 600,000, UM, WITHIN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. UM, THEY HAVE A TOTAL, UH, THAT DIVISION HAS AN OOM OF, UM, JUST OVER 800,000. AND THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE, UH, COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS, THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM, UH, PAYMENTS TO THE CHARLES RIVER TMA FOR EASY RIDE. UM, THE BIANNUAL DEP RIDESHARE SURVEY THAT WE DO. OUR, UH, BIKE AND MICRO MOBILITY COUNT PROGRAM, UH, THAT ALSO PAYS FOR, UM, ALL EMPLOYEE BLUE BIKES MEMBERSHIPS, UM, AND BLUE BIKE PROGRAM SUPPORT, UM, AS WELL AS SOME BUS REAL-TIME INFORMATION, UH, SYSTEMS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE, UH, A LOT OF THE BIKE LANE, UM, LANES NEED TO BE REPAINTED. SO DO YOU HAVE A, IS THERE A BIG PROGRAM? I WAS, UM, TO REPAINT A LOT OF THE BIKE LANES AFTER A HARD WINTER OF SNOW THROUGH YOU CHAIR. WE DO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT, UM, ANNUAL MAINTENANCE PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES, UM, WHATEVER PAVEMENT MARKINGS NEED REFRESHING. UM, WE FOCUS A LOT, WE DO FOCUS A LOT ON, UM, UH, ON CROSSWALKS. THAT'S ALWAYS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. UM, BUT THEN WE DO REFRESH ALL OTHER TYPES OF, OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS AS WELL OVER. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, YOU'VE TALKED TO US ABOUT, IN, IN YOUR PLAN YOU HAVE THE CAMBRIDGE ACCESS AND MOBILITY PLAN. UH, I DON'T SEE ANY MONEY BUDGETED FOR THIS, SO I'M ASSUMING IT'LL BE DONE IN HOUSE. I'M WONDERING WHAT THE TIMELINE IS AND WHAT THAT WILL INCLUDE THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, WE ARE HOPING TO HIRE A PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE CAMBRIDGE ACCESS AND MOBILITY PLAN. IN THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS. THEY'LL BE DEVELOPING THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT. UM, AND IN THE MEANTIME WE'VE BEEN ADVANCING SOME INTERNAL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS, UM, REALLY [02:35:01] UPDATING OUR BICYCLE LEVEL OF COMFORT ANALYSIS, UM, AND LOOKING AT OUR BIKE COUNT PROGRAM TO MAKE, TO EXPAND IT AND MAKE IT MORE ROBUST. UM, WE, THERE WILL BE SOME OUTSIDE SUPPORT DEDICATED IN THE FY 27 BUDGET TO, UM, HELPING WITH ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND A DEEPER ANALYSIS THAN WE HAVE CAPACITY FOR IN-HOUSE. UM, BUT THAT WILL BE STARTING IN FY 27. EXCELLENT. SO JUST A, AGAIN, SO THIS, THIS, THIS WILL BE BROADER MOBILITY PLANNING, RIGHT? IT'S, UM, CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT WILL ENCOMPASS? 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ALL CYCLING AND PEDESTRIAN, UM, TRANSIT THAT YOU'LL BE REVIEWING, BUT AGAIN, IT'S BROADER TRANSPORTATION PLANNING FOR THE WHOLE CITY. REMEMBER THIS IS ABOUT THE BUDGET RELATED TO THAT, SO, RIGHT. SO WHAT'S THE, AND I MEAN, THERE'S LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS. WE DID HEAR ABOUT THIS PLAN AND I'M VERY INTERESTED IN THIS AND IN ACCELERATING IT AND WE COULD DO IT, BUT IF IT'S NOT A BUDGET RELATED QUESTION, LET'S HAVE THAT BE ANSWERED AT ANOTHER TIME. OKAY. I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING WITH THAT WITH YOU FURTHER IS ALSO FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING, UM, THAT RELATES TO THE BUDGET AND OUR FLEXIBLE PARKING QUARTERS, UH, TO ALLEVIATE PARKING SCARCITY? ARE WE, ARE, ARE WE SEEING THIS PROGRAM GROW? AND HOW IS THIS REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET? UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR? UM, THIS IS, UH, THE FLEXIBLE PARKING, PARKING CORRIDORS, I WOULD SAY DO, DO NOT HAVE, UM, MUCH IN THE BUDGET BEYOND JUST, YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, EXISTING STAFF WHO ARE WORKING TO SUPPORT, UM, RESIDENTS AS NEEDED, OR BUSINESS OWNERS OR PROPERTY OWNERS AS NEEDED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE ZONING CHANGES, UM, ZONING AND OTHER CHANGES. UM, BUT THERE'S NOT A LINE ITEM OR KIND OF CAPITAL PROJECT OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT FOR FLEXIBLE PARKING CORRIDORS. THANK YOU. I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU MORE ABOUT THAT AFTER THIS MEETING. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION? OKAY. I, I DO NOTE THE FIRST ONE UNDER PLANNED INITIATIVES IS ABOUT ACCESS TO THE FIRST STREET AND GREEN STREET GARAGE. I REALLY HOPE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IS TALKING WITH THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ABOUT DOING SIMILAR THINGS FOR AFTER HOURS USE AT ALL THE SCHOOL GARAGES, SINCE THAT'S BEEN ON A WAITING REPORTS LIST FOR YEARS, I DON'T THINK THAT HAS HAPPENED. BUT GIVEN THAT WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT HERE IN OUR PUBLIC GARAGES, WE ALSO HAVE MANY PUBLIC GARAGES CONTROLLED BY THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. THERE'S BEEN REAL INTEREST IN ADDRESSING OUR PARKING NEEDS THROUGH THAT. SO I HOPE THAT'S JUST A NOTE THAT I HOPE THAT BECOMES PART OF THAT, UH, PLANNED INITIATIVE AS WELL. ANY OTHER MAYOR SIDIKI MOVES THAT THIS, UH, $16 MILLION BUDGET FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT BE MOVED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORD. COUNSELOR SIMMONS IS NOTED AS A YES. YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THANK YOU. SO WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THE NEXT THREE DEPARTMENTS, VETERAN SERVICES, WATER, AND OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY BEFORE WE BREAK FOR LUNCH. UM, I THINK WE CAN DO THAT. IT MAY BE WE'LL GO VERY QUICKLY AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO COMMUNITY SAFETY, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD PLAN FOR THAT. AND THEN IT MAY BE, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL BREAK, UM, EARLIER, BUT, UH, RIGHT NOW WE'RE GOING TO VETERAN SERVICES, WHICH IS A $1.2 MILLION BUDGET, I BELIEVE DIRECTOR HARRIS IS HERE. WELCOME DIRECTOR HARRIS. IF YOU WANNA JUST SAY HELLO, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU TO VETERANS ACROSS THE CITY. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU ALL. UM, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND COUNSELORS. I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE, UM, JUST A MOMENT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF AND MY TEAM IS NOT HERE. WE ARE SMALL BUT MIGHTY AND THEREFORE I SIT HERE ALONE. UM, OTHER, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO UTILIZE THIS MOMENT FOR A COUPLE OF THINGS. ONE, I AM CYNTHIA SHELTON HARRIS, RECENTLY APPOINTED DIRECTOR. AND ACCORDING TO DOCUMENTATION IN PHOTOS, I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS HISTORICAL MOMENT. I'M THE FIRST FEMALE TO HOLD THIS POSITION, AND ACCORDING TO PHOTOS, [02:40:01] I'LL CHECK WITH HISTORICAL COMMISSION AND FIND OUT. I BELIEVE I'M ALSO ONLY THE SECOND PERSON OF COLOR TO HOLD THIS POSITION. UM, IN ADDITION, UM, SORRY. DUE TO OUR MANY DEMANDS, THE TEAM IS NOT PRESENT, BUT THE TEAM CONSISTS OF BEN NEO, TOA HERMAN SANCHEZ, SHAVAN STONEY, AND JOHN DAY. OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN INTENTIONAL PROCESS TO UTILIZE AND INCREASE TRAINING AND DIVERSIFY STAFFING. THAT PROCESS HAS LED TO A CONTINUED INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE DESPITE WHOEVER IS IN DC. WE HAVE INCREASED OUR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED TO VETERANS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS. WE HAVE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE THE QUALITY AND IMPACT OF OUR INTERACTIONS WITH BOTH THE VETERANS AND NON-VETERAN COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WITHIN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AND SURROUNDING CITIES. UM, THOSE WHO ARE ATTENDING, MAYBE USING GI BILL OR OTHER FEDERAL FUNDING, UH, SIMPLY PUT, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DECREASE THE COST OF EVENTS WHILE INCREASING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. WE DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN PERFORMATIVE DEPL DISPLAYS OF PATRIOTISM. LAST SUMMER, WE WALKED THE STREETS OF CAMBRIDGE, UM, INTERACTING WITH UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO IDENTIFIED AS VETERANS OR STATED THEY HAD MILITARY SERVICE. WE DID THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION IN SEVERAL NONPROFITS IN THE MASSACHUSETTS AREA. UH, WE ALSO DO THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CAMBRIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND OCCASIONALLY CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENTS REACH OUT TO US AND SAY THEY'VE COME ACROSS A TENT AND THAT PERSON IDENTIFIES AS A VETERAN. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO ALL THE VETERANS ACROSS THE CITY WHO HAVE SERVED OUR COUNTRY. UM, COUNCILLOR ZZI HAD A QUESTION. YEAH, I'M NOT SURE IF ANYONE ELSE DOES. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR YOUR WORK. AND AGAIN, THANKS TO OUR VETERANS. I I WANTED TO ASK A, A REAL BUDGET QUESTION, WHICH IS, SO YOU HAVE A STAFF OF FIVE AND YOU HAVE AN ORDINARY MAINTENANCE BUDGET OF 122,000, AND THEN YOU HAVE A BUDGET OF FIVE 460. REALLY $3,000 FOR TRAVEL IN TRAINING. THAT'S AN AWFUL LOT. AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU COMPARE IT LIKE TO THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, WHICH HAS A STAFF OF SEVEN HAS AN ORDINARY MAINTENANCE BUDGET OF LIKE HALF OF WHAT YOU HAVE AND SPENDS $2,500 ON TRAVEL AND TRAINING. SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOU'RE SPENDING YOUR MONEY, UH, FOR THE GOOD OF THE CITY. THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST TO CLARIFY, WITHIN THE VETERANS DEPARTMENT TRAVELING TRAINING BUDGET, OUR BENEFITS PAYMENTS TO VETERANS, UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS COULD SPEAK MORE TO THAT, BUT THAT'S, IT'S NOT IT, IT'S JUST WITHIN THE TRAVELING TRAINING CATEGORY, UH, THAT WE BUDGETED THERE. SO IT IS HOUSED WITHIN TRAVELING TRAINING. WE ARE NOT TAKING LAVISH TRIPS OR CONSTANTLY RETRAINING. UM, $470,000 OF THAT MONEY GOES TO VETERANS AND OR THEIR DEPENDENTS IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE WHO IDENTIFY AS INDIGENT. SO IT IS A POVERTY PREVENTION PROGRAM. IT IS REIMBURSED BY THE STATE AT 75%. UH, GREAT, GREAT TO KNOW. SO IT'S 417,000, SO IT'S, NO MA'AM. SORRY TO INTERRUPT THROUGH YOU, UH, MADAM CHAIR TO YOU, COUNCILOR SUZI. IT IS 470,000. SORRY. I'M A NATIVE SOUTHERNER, SO IT MAY HAVE SOUNDED A LITTLE OH YEAH, NO, WELL, WELL, BUT THE NUMBER IS, UH, WE'VE BUDGETED $462,000, SO LESS THAN THAT. THAT'S WHY I THOUGHT YOU MUST HAVE BEEN SAYING 17. NO, MY, UM, CORRECTION, SORRY. DIRECTOR JENNINGS HAS CORRECTED ME. IT IS 448,000 THIS YEAR. WE DID DO A DECREASE. OKAY. SO THE DIFFERENCES, UH, SPENT ON, UH, DEPARTMENT PROGRAMS. AND HOW ABOUT THE ORDINARY, UM, MAINTENANCE COSTS? SO OUR ORDINARY MAINTENANCE COSTS. UM, IT IS LAR IT SEEMS A LITTLE LARGER THAN IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE OUR BENEFITS, UH, NOT OUR BENEFITS, SORRY. OUR PROJECTS AND EVENTS MONEY SITS. SO I KNOW THERE'S A NEW ACCOUNTING PROGRAM IN YEARS PAST IT BROKE IT OUT AND SHOWED THAT WE SPENT OR UTILIZED MONEY TO DO VETERANS DAY, PATRIOTS DAY, MEMORIAL DAY. UM, IN THE PAST THERE USED TO BE A MEMORIAL DAY PARADE. UM, NOW IT IS A MEMORIAL DAY EVENT HOSTED AT THE CAMBRIDGE COMMONS. HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT CLARIFICATION AND, AND JUST, UH, UH, COPYING COUNCILOR NOLAN, THAT WOULD BE, UM, A GOOD THING TO REFERENCE IN THE BUDGET BOOK NEXT YEAR. UM, THANK YOU [02:45:01] SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. I YIELD THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU. I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS. WE WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER AS, UH, CO-CHAIR OF THE HUMAN SERVICES AND VETERANS COMMITTEE. AND, UM, WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THE WORK YOU'VE DONE, PARTICULARLY AROUND ADDRESSING VETERANS HOMELESSNESS AND, AND MENTAL HEALTH. UM, A QUICK, JUST, MAYBE, MAYBE THIS IS FOR, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, FOR DIRECTOR JENNINGS. UM, JUST A SORT OF QUICK FOLLOW UP ON, ON COUNSELOR SUZY'S QUESTION. UM, IF WE ARE USING, YOU KNOW, $400,000 APPROXIMATELY OF MONEY TOWARDS A POVERTY, YOU KNOW, PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR VETERANS, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GREAT THING. UM, BUT IF YOU DO LOOK AT IT IN THE BUDGET BOOK AND IT'S UNDER TOR YOU KNOW, TRAVEL AND TRAINING, YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY KNOW THAT. SO DO WE HAVE, DOES IT HAVE TO BE BUDGETED UNDER THAT? IS THERE A SEPARATE WAY TO DO IT SO THAT, I MEAN, I WANT TO TELL A GOOD STORY, RIGHT? I DON'T WANT PEOPLE LOOKING AT IT AND SAYING, OH, THEY'RE TAKING TRIPS. I MEAN, THAT'S, WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW DO WE MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR? I COULD LOOK INTO THE REQUIREMENTS OF IT, BUT I AGREE. I THINK WE CAN TELL THE STORY A LITTLE BETTER AND WE'D LOOK TO DO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE. OKAY, GREAT. UM, YEAH. AND SO THANK YOU AGAIN. I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, MEMORIAL DAY COMING UP. I DO MISS THE PARADE, BUT I, I, I DO LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW AS WELL. AND, UH, HOPE TO SEE EVERYBODY THERE AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR. UH, UP. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD MORNING. UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. UH, THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US THAT YOU ARE THE FIRST WOMAN TO HEAD THE VETERANS DEPARTMENT. WE ARE. THERE'S SO FEW WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL HERE FOR THE CITY. SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY NEED TO, TO WORK ON. UH, WE, WE JUST MEANT THAT I THINK THAT WE, ISD JUST SAID THEY HAD THEIR FIRST WOMAN INSPECTORS, WHICH IS VERY EXCITING. BUT FOR A CITY THAT'S HAD WOMEN INVOLVED SINCE THE 1880S, PROBABLY SOMETHING WE NEED TO WORK ON MORE SPECIFICALLY TO, UM, THE TRAVEL AND TRAINING ITEM. I THINK, AND MAYBE MR. JENNINGS CAN SPEAK TO IT. THE, THE, THE DIFFICULTY WITH THAT PARTICULAR LINE ITEM, WHICH IS GOING INTO SERVICES AND, AND TO VETERANS IS BECAUSE THESE, YOU JUST, YOU PLUGGED IT INTO THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE ON IN OUR, UH, BUDGET BOOK. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE WE WOULD PUT IT. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT'S NOT OTHER ORDINARY MAINTENANCE. SO IT'S JUST A DIFFICULTY. I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO DO IN THE LANGUAGE, IN THE NARRATIVE, BECAUSE IN TERMS OF THE STATUTORY BUDGET ALLOCATION AREAS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT MAKES SENSE. I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU PUT IT THERE. BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY, AND I'M NOT REALLY GOOD AT MASKS. SOMEONE CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. IT DOESN'T LEAVE IF 400 AND WHAT'D YOU SAY, 62,000 IS GOING TO, UH, PROGRAMMING TO THE VETERANS. THAT DOESN'T LEAVE YOU MUCH FOR TRAVEL AND TRAINING. SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW IS IS THE REMAINDER ADEQUATE FOR YOU TO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A, A STAFF, THEY DO NEED THE SUPPORTS OF, OF TRAINING. IS THERE ENOUGH LEFTOVER TO DO ROBUST TRAINING FOR YOUR STAFF AND YOURSELF? WE, TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR TO YOU, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, WE UTILIZE A LOT OF VIRTUAL TRAININGS. MM-HMM . UM, THE STATE DOES PROVIDE US WITH ONE TRAINING TO LOVELY LEOMINSTER PER YEAR. SO IF ANYONE IS JEALOUS OF LAVISH TRIPS, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING TO LEOMINSTER MASS FOR A TRAINING. LEOMINSTER IS LOVELY THIS TIME OF YEAR. THEY, ACCORDING TO THE MAYOR OF LEOMINSTER, IT'S LOVELY EVERY TIME OF YEAR. SO, OH, THERE YOU GO. UM, BUT THAT IS, WE UTILIZE A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF VIRTUAL TRAININGS WE PAIR WITH THE STATE. MM-HMM . WITH THE VA. IT DOES GET A LITTLE BIT DICEY. UM, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE'VE HAD TO DECIDE WHO'S GONNA TRAIN, WHO'S NOT. AND THEN THAT INDIVIDUAL COMES BACK AND TRAINS THE REST OF US. UH, THANK YOU THROUGH THE CHAIR TO, UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS. GOOD TO HEAR. BUT YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MAKING A WAY OUTTA NO WAY. AND, AND THAT'S DIFFICULT. AND I CERTAINLY, UH, IN A DEPARTMENT THAT IS IM IS AS IMPORTANT AS VETERANS. 'CAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT HAVE GIVEN THEIR, THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE MADE SACRIFICES. SOMETIMES THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE NOT TO HAVE SUFFICIENT MONEY FOR THE STAFF TO BE TRAINED THAT SERVE THEM IS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS IS MORE OF A CITY MANAGER KIND OF THING, BUT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT CAN ONLY DO AS [02:50:01] A GOOD A JOB IS IT IS TRAINED TO DO AND BEG, BORROWING AND STEALING MONEY TO GET TRAINING IS ADMIRABLE. AND I CERTAINLY GIVE YOU CREDIT, UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS, BUT I DON'T WANT US TO HAVE TO BEG TO, TO TRAIN OUR STAFF. SO HOW DO WE THINK, UH, I HATE TO USE THAT CLICHE OUT OF THE BOX, BUT HOW DO WE THINK BROADER TO FIND WAYS THAT, THAT YOUR STAFF CAN BE ADEQUATELY OR NOT ADEQUATELY TRAINED, JUST TRAINED TO THE DEGREE THAT THEY MIGHT NEED. UH, LASTLY, UH, I WANNA COMMEND YOU FOR YOUR WORK WITH OUTREACH AND DEVELOPING THE WOMEN'S VETERANS ARM OF YOUR DEPARTMENT. UH, IN YEARS PAST, WE HAVE NOT HAD AS ROBUST A WOMAN'S VETERANS' ARM OF THE VETERAN'S OFFICE, UH, THAT WE NOW HAVE UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP. SO I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, VETERANS ARE VETERANS EXCEPT THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND AND WOMEN. AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, DO YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT MONETARY SUPPORT TO CONTINUE YOUR OUTREACH TO WOMEN VETERANS IN PARTICULAR? AND IF YOU DON'T, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE? AND THEN I'LL GO ASK THE CITY MANAGER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN TO YOU. MADAM CHAIR TO YOU, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, ONE POINT OF CLARIFICATION. WE DO NOT STEAL ANYTHING. I KNOW THIS IS A TELEVISED HEARING. OH, SORRY. UM, I SPENT 13 YEARS WITH BAR AND, AND I ENJOY MY FREEDOM. SO WE DO, YES. SOMETIMES WE ACQUIRE, BUT WE NEVER STEAL. OKAY. UM, AT THIS, JULIE NOTED AT THIS MOMENT, UM, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE, I FEEL COMFORTABLE STATING THAT WHAT WE NEED, WE WILL GET, OKAY. IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, NEGOTIATING SO THAT THEY SEE WHAT WE SEE. AND BECAUSE MORE THAN 90% OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION, ADULT POPULATION HAS NOT SERVED MM-HMM . IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT TO HELP PEOPLE SEE WHAT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES ARE. UH, SEE, I'M CON I'M CONFIDENT THAT IF I SPEAK WITH, UM, THE CITY MANAGER OR DEPUTY CITY MANAGER WHEN WE NEED SOMETHING MM-HMM . WE WILL RECEIVE IT. UH, THANK YOU, UH, DIRECTOR HARRIS THROUGH THE CHAIR. UH, JUST THE LAST THING, BUT I AGAIN, WANT TO, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, FIRST OF ALL, TO OUR COUNTRY AND THE SERVICE TO THE CITY. I DON'T KNOW, WHICH IS MORE DIFFICULT, BUT WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE PUT IN AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE OVER THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES YOU HAD TO WORK UNDER. UH, I'M JUST VERY PROUD THAT YOU, YOU STUCK WITH IT AND THAT YOU'RE DOING AN EXEMPLARY JOB. AND I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT OUR CITY MANAGER IS LENDING SUFFICIENT SUPPORT, UH, MORALLY, ADMINISTRATIVELY, AND FINANCIALLY BE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO WOMEN VETERANS BECAUSE THEY, THEY'RE OFTEN SLOW TO COME AND REPORT SLOW TO COME AND ASK. I HAD A WOMAN VETERAN COME UP TO ME AND I SAID, OH, HOW ARE YOU TAKING, UH, ADVANTAGE OF THE VETERANS' OFFICE? AND SHE SAID, OH, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER WE CAN HELP GET THE WORD OUT TO, UH, THIS EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF PEOPLE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE WELL WORTH OUR WHILE. WITH THAT, I YIELD THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL ZUZI, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE FOLLOW UP. UM, AGAIN, I THINK YOU'RE DOING GREAT WORK, BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, SO I UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT YOU'RE SPENDING, OR YOUR DEPARTMENT OF FIVE IS SPENDING 10,600 FOR TRAVEL AND TRAINING. UM, SO THAT WOULD WORK OUT TO ABOUT, UH, A LITTLE OVER 2000 PER PERSON. AND I JUST, AGAIN, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT THE HISTORIC COMMISSION, WHICH ALSO DOES VERY SIGNIFICANT WORK, HAS A, FOR SEVEN PEOPLE, THEY HAVE A WHOLE TRAVEL AND TRAINING BUDGET OF 2,500. SO $357 PER PERSON. SO I, I THINK, I KNOW BUDGET TIMES ARE TIGHT, BUT I THINK THAT'S, UM, NOT EQUITABLE. AND I THINK MAYBE WE SHOULD CONSIDER BEEFING UP THE HISTORIC COMMISSION'S TRAVEL AND TRAINING BUDGET, UH, A A BIT. UM, THANK YOU. THAT'S NOT BEFORE US. I, I KNOW. I'M JUST THANK YOU. EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE THOUGH. I'M JUST LOOKING AT DIFFERENT BUDGETS THAT CAN BE SENT IN. AYE, POINT OF ORDER. MADAM, MADAM CHAIR, AND THANK YOU. YOU'RE DOING AN A, A YEOMAN'S JOB AT KEEPING US ON TRACK. BUT IT, RIGHT. I MEAN, ANY, ANY DEPARTMENT HEAD MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE OR BE PREPARED TO ANSWER NON-VEGETARIAN QUESTIONS, NOR DO I THINK IT'S FAIR TO PIT ONE DEPARTMENT AGAINST THE OTHER. AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US SHOULD DO THAT. SO IF WE COULD REFRAIN FROM DOING THAT, I THINK I WOULD. AND I THINK THE DEPARTMENTS WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT. RIGHT. I I, I, THAT WAS NOT THE INTENT. I, THERE WAS SOME QUESTION OF EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION ACROSS, BUT IT IS A FAIR POINT THAT I BELIEVE DIRECTOR HARRIS HAS SAID SHE HAS THE RESOURCES SHE [02:55:01] NEEDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND IS, UH, ADEQUATELY RESOURCED. SO I THINK THAT QUESTION HAS BEEN ANSWERED. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE VETERANS DEPARTMENT ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO MOVE THE VETERANS SERVICES DEPARTMENT BUDGET OF 1.2 MILLION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION DISCUSSION. OH, I WAS GONNA SAY WE DON'T NEED A ROLL CALL, BUT COUNCILOR F FLAHERTY'S NOT HERE. SO ROLL CALL COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. AND AS A PURPLE HEART CITY, I THINK WE CAN ALL BE GLAD THAT OUR CITY IS A PRO PARK CITY. NEXT UP IS THE WATER DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR GALLAGHER IS HERE. THIS IS, UH, ON PAGE 1 97 OF THE BUDGET BOOK WITH A $15.1 MILLION BUDGET AND 61 FTES DIRECTOR GALLAGHER, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND ANYONE WITH YOU, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS, HAPPY TO HEAR THEM. THE BEFORE OUR QUESTIONS. WELCOME. GREAT. THANK YOU. UH, CHAIR. UM, YES, UH, WITH ME TODAY IS OUR, YES. OH, SORRY. YES. UH, I'M MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE WATER DEPARTMENT, MARK GALLAGHER. WITH ME TODAY IS OUR, UM, ADMINISTRATION AND FISCAL OPERATIONS MANAGER, ELIZABETH BARR AND OUR INTERIM DIRECTOR, UH, OF ADMINISTRATION, ELLEN KATZ. UM, I'D LIKE TO DO A, JUST A SLIGHT INTRODUCTION. UM, YOU KNOW, OUR WATER SUPPLY AND THE DRINKING WATER IT PROVIDES TO THE CITY, IN MY OPINION, UM, IS ONE OF THE CITY'S MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCES. EVERY RESIDENT, BUSINESS, INSTITUTION AND ALL THE CITY DEPARTMENTS AS WELL NEED A CONSTANT SUPPLY OF RELIABLE WATER TO FUNCTION AND THRIVE. OUR DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSIBILITIES TO ENSURE THERE IS AN UNINTERRUPTED SUPPLY OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY DRINKING WATER TO MEET THE DAILY WATER DEMANDS OF THE CITY. UH, CWD CURRENTLY PROVIDES OVER FOUR AND A HALF BILLION GALLONS OF WATER TO THE CITY EACH YEAR, WHILE MAINTAINING AN ADEQUATE RESERVE FOR, UH, AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO MEET THE CITY'S FIRE PROTECTION NEEDS. UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE OF A LOT OF WORK WE DO, UH, HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES, UM, AND IS NOT NECESSARILY, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE PUBLIC, UH, EYE. AND I'D LIKE TO JUST PROVIDE A, A, A BRIEF OVERVIEW FOR, UH, EVERYONE FOR WHAT WE, UM, ACTUALLY DO. UM, YOU KNOW, THE WATER DEPARTMENT MAINTAINS, UH, YOU KNOW, CAMBRIDGE'S WATER SYSTEM, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF THREE RESERVOIRS, THE HOBBES BROOK, STONY BROOK, AND FRESH POND, UH, RESERVOIRS, UM, THEIR SURROUNDING WATERSHED PROTECTION LANDS AND RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS GATEHOUSE DAMS AND SPILLWAYS. UH, THE EIGHT MILE LONG STONY BROOK CONDUIT AND ASSOCIATED PROPERTIES, UH, OR WALTER J. SULLIVAN TREATMENT FACILITY. THE PAYON PARK FINISH WATER STORAGE FACILITY, THE UNDERGROUND TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, AND 3M WR INTERCOM INTERCONNECTS, AS WELL AS THE FRESH POND RESERVATION ITSELF. UM, CWD HAS THREE MAIN DIVISIONS, WATERSHED, TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION. OUR WATERSHED MANAGES THE RESERVOIRS IN THE BUDDING GREEN SPACE, UH, TO PROTECT AND ENSURE OUR SOURCE WATER QUALITY. THEY ALSO MONITOR AND MAINTAIN FRESH POND RESERVATION, WHICH IS THE LARGEST GREEN SPACE, UH, IN THE CITY, AND WHICH SEES SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND VISITORS EACH YEAR. THE TREATMENT DIVISION DRAWS RAW WATER FROM FRESH POND FILTERS AND DISINFECTS THE WATER TO REMOVE CONTAMINANTS SUCH AS PFAS COMPOUNDS, UH, ORGANIC MATERIALS, AND ELIMINATE, UH, BACTERIA AND VIRUSES. UH, THEY UTILIZE OUR IN-HOUSE STATE CERTIFIED LABORATORY TO ENSURE THAT THE FINISHED WATER QUALITY MEETS OR SURPASSES ALL REGULATORY WATER QUALITY STANDARDS BEFORE PUMPING THE WATER. UH, UP TO PAYON PARK STORAGE TANKS IN BELMONT FOR DISTRIBUTION. UH, THE DISTRIBUTION DIVISION MAINTAINS THE UNDERGROUND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, WHICH CONSISTS OF OVER 200 MILES OF DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION MAINS. OVER 16,000 SERVICE CONNECTIONS, 15,000 CONTROL VALVES, 1900 FIRE HYDRANTS, AND 3M WA BACKUP INTERCONNECTS, WHICH CAN BE USED TO MEET A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE CITY'S WATER DEMAND. [03:00:01] OUR BUDGET REFLECTS THE NEEDS OF OUR APARTMENT TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE CITY'S WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM AND ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE HIGHEST QUALITY DRINKING WATER TO THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR GALLAGHER, ANOTHER REALLY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT CITY SERVICE THAT WE, I'M NOT SURE ANY OF US TAKE IT FOR GRANTED, BUT IT IS OFTEN BEHIND THE SCENES AND WE ASSUME AND RELY ON, WE TURN ON A, A TAP AND WATER'S THERE AND IT IS SAFE TO DRINK, UM, AND SAFE TO USE. AND LAST NIGHT AT THE MEETING, AT THE COUNCIL MEETING, WE DID PASS A POLICY ORDER ABOUT DROUGHT MANAGEMENT, WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE WORKING ON, BUT IT'S, THAT'S ALSO A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE OPERATIONS TO ENSURE THAT WE WILL HAVE A, A SUPPLY IN THE FUTURE. 'CAUSE WE ARE FAR, FAR BELOW OUR, OUR 15 YEAR MEDIAN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. SO AS MUCH AS WE DON'T WANT TOO MUCH RAIN, WE WANT A LOT OF RAIN IN THE NEXT SIX WEEKS, THOSE OF US WHO CARE ABOUT WATER. SO, UM, I WILL ACTUALLY THIS TIME START WITH MY TWO QUESTIONS I SENT, AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SUZI TO OTHER QUESTIONS. UM, I SENT THESE, UH, IN ADVANCE, SO, AND ONE, THE FIRST ONE IS QUITE SIMPLE, THE BUDGET IS UP 11%. CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN HOW THAT, UM, FACTORS INTO THE BUDGET? UM, YES. THROUGH, UM, CHAIR NOLAN, UM, YES, OUR BUDGET IS UP 11%. HOWEVER, IF YOU, UM, TAKE OUT THE $1.3 MILLION THAT ARE ADDED, UH, THIS YEAR TO OUR OPERATING BUDGET FOR, UH, OUR GAC CARBON REPLACEMENT, UH, OUR BUDGET ACTUALLY ONLY INCREASED BY 1.5%. UM, THAT, UH, THE GAC CARBON CHANGE OUT, UM, IS, UH, PRIMARILY GENERATED, UM, BECAUSE OF PFAS, UH, AND FOR US TO, UH, BE ABLE TO REMOVE PFAS, UH, DOWN TO, UH, AND, AND MAINTAIN, UH, THE LOWEST LEVELS BELOW, UH, THE CURRENT DEP STATE, UM, REGULATION, UH, MCL STANDARD, UH, AND THE UPCOMING, UM, UH, FEDERAL EPA STANDARD. UH, PRIOR TO THE PFAS REGULATION BEING PASSED IN, UM, 2020, UM, OUR GAC CARBON BEDS HAD BEEN, UM, UH, IN, IN USE FOR 20, UH, 20 YEARS. AND THEY WERE STILL, UH, BECAUSE OUR FRESH POND WATER IS, UH, VERY LOW IN TURBIDITY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS, UH, OUR CARBON WAS, UM, ABLE TO REMOVE ANY OF THE ORGANICS AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS, UH, LIKE METALS OUT OF THE WATER, UM, FOR 20, 20 PLUS YEARS, UH, WITHOUT NEEDING TO BE CHANGED. UH, NOW THAT THE PFAS, UH, REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE, UM, SINCE THEN, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, INITIALLY WE USED WATER FUND, UM, UH, MONEY TO, UH, DO A PILOT STUDY AND TO DO THE FIRST CHANGE OUT. AND FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE ARPA FUNDS, UH, TO, UH, MAINTAIN THAT ANNUAL CARBON CHANGE OUT. UH, SINCE THAT TIME, UH, ALL OF OUR DATA HAS SHOWN THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE, UM, TO DO AN ANNUAL ANNUAL CARBON CHANGE OUT. UH, THAT ANNUAL CARBON CHANGE OUT IS GONNA BECOME PART OF OUR PERMANENT OPERATING, UH, BUDGET. UM, AND THAT COST CURRENTLY, UH, UNDER A BID CONTRACT IS, YOU KNOW, $1.3 MILLION FOR FY 27. GREAT. THAT EXPLAINS IT AND FEEDS RIGHT INTO THE NEXT QUESTION, WHICH I NOTED THE $1.3 MILLION INCREASE FOR THE GIC, WHICH IS A GRANULARLY GRANULAR ACTIVATED CARBON FILTER MEDIA. SO THAT, AND PERHAPS YOU'VE SOMEWHAT, UH, ANSWERED AROUND THIS, A MEDIUM OR LONG-TERM BUDGET PROJECTION FOR CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN GAC REPLACEMENTS OR ADDITIONAL TESTING THAT WE MAY DO. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE PFAS STANDARDS ARE FOR SIX COMPOUNDS. THE STATE IS, UH, AT THE 20 PARTS PER TRILLION. WE HAVE GOTTEN IT DOWN TO ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN, BUT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, EPA HAS SUGGESTED LOWER THAN THAT. BUT THERE'S ALSO A RANGE OF OTHER, UH, FLUORINATED I BELIEVE COMPOUNDS THAT WE'RE NOT CURRENTLY TESTING FOR THAT MAY COME IN THE FUTURE. SO THE QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE A, A MEDIUM OR LONG TERM PROGNOSIS FOR THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF FOR THE BUDGET, UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN? UM, SO CURRENTLY, YES, WE'RE MEETING ALL OF THE STATE STANDARDS, UH, AND CURRENTLY WITH OUR, UH, THE DATA, UM, SHOWS THAT WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEW EPA STANDARDS, UM, WHICH WILL TAKE, UM, EFFECT AND BECOME REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, UH, STANDARDS IN 2029, UH, AT CURRENT LEVELS. WITH CHANGING OUT THE CARBON ANNUALLY, WE WILL STILL BE ABLE TO, UH, IF THAT REGULATION WERE TO GO INTO EFFECT TODAY, WE WOULD ALREADY MEET THE, THE FEDERAL STANDARD. UM, SO CURRENTLY WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, WE [03:05:01] DON'T SEE A NEED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, CHANGE, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR OPERATION OR ANTICIPATE HAVING TO CHANGE OUR OPERATION, UH, AT ANY TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. UM, WE ARE, WE ALSO DO TESTING FOR, UH, PAS COMPOUNDS THAT ARE NOT ON THE CURRENT LIST. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR CARBON IS SHOWING THAT WE TAKE OUT THOSE OTHER PFAS COMPOUNDS AS WELL, UH, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE NOT, UM, UH, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE ARE KEEPING UP, YOU KNOW, WE GO TO, UH, LECTURES AND, AND CONFERENCES ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS AND WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, UH, LIKE THE MASS WATERWORKS ASSOCIATION AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE MWRA, UH, TO KEEP UP ON, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, UH, NEW STANDARDS MAY BE COMING DOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, DOWN THE PATH IN, IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATE IN THE, UM, UNREGULATED, UH, MATERIALS TESTING, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE EPA WILL PROVIDE LISTS OF, UM, CONTAMINANTS THAT THEY'RE CON CONSIDERING ACTUALLY REGULATING. AND, YOU KNOW, WE PARTICIPATE, UH, IN, UH, ALL OF THOSE, UH, TESTS, UH, WHICH TYPICALLY HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, UH, ABOUT FIVE YEARS IN ADVANCE OF WHEN THE REGULATIONS MAY COME OUT. SO, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, WE, WE BELIEVE WE, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE A ADEQUATE WAY TO TREAT FOR PFAS COMPOUNDS NOW IN WHAT'S COMING UP, AT LEAST IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. THANK YOU. AND GIVEN THOSE DROUGHT CONDITIONS, ARE THERE ANY EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL HAVE TO GO TO MDI WATER AND IS THAT ANTICIPATED IN THE BUDGET? MY UNDERSTANDING IS IF THE WATER CONTINUES JUST AS IT IS, WE WILL, AND THE WATER USE CONTINUES AS IT IS. WE WILL HIT THAT SOMETIME OVER THE SUMMER. YES. FOR YOU, CHAIR NOLAN? UM, SO, UH, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, YES, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE MONITORING THE DROUGHT LEVELS, UH, VERY CLOSELY. UH, AND, UM, WE HAVE A NEW TOOL THAT HAS BEEN CREATED, UM, BY OUR CONSULTING FIRM, CDM, UH, DURING OUR, UH, DROUGHT RESPONSE PLAN UPDATE, UM, WHICH ALLOWS US TO, UM, AT LEAST BETTER QUANTIFY WHERE WE ARE IN REGARDS TO OUR WATER SUPPLY, UH, AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS BASED ON, UH, HISTORICAL DATA GOING BACK AS FAR AS THEY COULD FIND THE DATA TO INCLUDE THE, THE DROUGHT, UH, PERIOD OF 1964, WHICH WAS THE WORST DROUGHT, UH, THIS REGION HAS, UH, SEEN HISTORICALLY TO DATE. UM, AND SO THEY COMPILED, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT DATA TO DEVELOP THIS TOOL TO HELP US KIND OF PREDICT WHERE WE'RE AT AND WHAT THE, UM, POSSIBILITY OF, OF NEEDING TO DRAW OUR MWA WATER. UM, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT, AT THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH OUR RESERVOIR LEVELS WHERE THEY'RE AT, UH, UH, WE ARE AT A ZERO TO 10% CHANCE OF HAVING TO, UH, NEED TO DRAW MWRA WATER AT SOME POINT DURING THIS CALENDAR YEAR. UM, SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR, UM, UH, FOR THAT, UH, CONDITION. UM, AND FORTUNATELY AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WE FOLLOW THE, UH, THE NOAA, UM, SITE, AND THEY DO THREE MONTHS, YOU KNOW, PRECIPITATION PREDICTIONS, YOU KNOW, LAST MONTH THE PRECIPITATION PREDICTION WAS, UH, A 50 50 CHANCE THAT OUR REGION WOULD BE IN A, UM, UH, A 50 50 CHANCE, WHETHER WE WOULD BE ABOVE OR BELOW, UM, UH, AVERAGE PRECIPITATION LEVELS IN, UH, CURRENTLY NOW FOR APRIL. THEY UPPED THAT TO SAY THAT WE ARE LOOKING MORE FAVORABLE, THAT WE MAY BE ABOVE AVERAGE, UM, RAINFALL OR PRECIPITATION FOR THE NORTHEAST IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. SO, UM, UM, HOPING THAT THEIR PREDICTION IS CORRECT, BUT YES, WE ARE, WE ARE MONITORING THAT AND, UH, FOLLOWING IT VERY CLOSELY. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL, WE WILL SEE, WE ALL HOPE THAT PREDICTION IS CORRECT, BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE BUDGET, IF AND WHEN WE'VE HAD TO DO THAT IN THE PAST. THOSE ARE MY, UH, BUDGET QUESTIONS. COUNCILLOR ZI, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR NOLAN. UM, AGAIN, I JUST A CALL OUT TO THE FINANCE AND BUDGET DEPARTMENTS FOR THIS INCREDIBLE PUBLICATION, WHICH INCLUDES SO MUCH INFORMATION, INCLUDING IN BENCHMARKS OPERATIONS. ON PAGE 75, YOU, THERE'S A, A WONDERFUL CHART OF WATER LEAKS REPAIRED IN FISCAL YEAR, UH, 25. WE HAD 66, UH, WATER LEAKS REPAIRED IN PREVIOUS YEARS. IT'S BEEN MORE LIKE 43, 45, 54, 47, 47. UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S A LOT OF WATER LEAKS AND A LOT OF REPAIRS. THANKS FOR DOING THE REPAIRS. SO I, I KNOW OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS OLD. REMIND US, PLEASE, HOW OLD IT IS AND, UH, WHAT THE [03:10:01] STATE OF IT IS AND HOW WE CAN STAY AHEAD OF THIS. AND I WILL TELL YOU, THIS IS IN PART, UM, INSPIRED BY, I, I WAS A JUDGE AT, UM, THE HOLT INNOVATION PRIZE, AND THERE WERE SOME STUDENTS CALLED THAT HAD DEVELOPED SOMETHING CALLED CREO SYSTEMS TO IDENTIFY WHERE FLOW ISN'T CORRECT, TO IDENTIFY LEAKS BEFORE THERE WERE PROBLEMS. ANYWAY, I'M, I'M EAGER TO HEAR HOW, YEAH, PLEASE TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR, OUR SYSTEMS AND HOW WE CAN STAY AHEAD OF THIS. 'CAUSE THIS COULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE. YES. UH, YES. UH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN. UM, YES, AS YOU STATED, UH, COUNCIL ZUI. YES, CAMBRIDGE IS AN OLD CITY. UM, AND, UH, IN 1865, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE BOUGHT THE LAND AROUND FRESH POND, CREATING THE RESERVOIR AND THE EXISTING PRIVATE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. UM, AND, UH, WE BUILT OUR FIRST WATER TREATMENT PLANT IN 1872. UM, AND NOW WE HAVE, UH, OVER 200 MILES OF WATER MAINE, UM, UH, BOTH TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION MAINS. YOU KNOW, TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, YOU COULD RUN A PIPE FROM THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE TO MANHATTAN IF WE LAID IT END TO END, AND ALL THAT SQUISHED IN THE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE STREETS OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UH, PRI PRIMARILY. UM, SO WE DO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE DONE WATER, UH, WATER DISTRIBUTION STUDIES, YOU KNOW, TO STUDY OUR SYSTEM AND TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE RELATIVELY WHERE IT'S AT. UM, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A, UH, PRIORITY REPLACEMENT PLAN, UM, FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT LEVELS. PRIORITY ONE, PRIORITY TWO, PRIORITY THREE, UM, YOU KNOW, WATER MAINS THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS BURIED UNDER THE GROUND. IT'S HARD TO SEE, HARD TO KNOW WHEN, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN THERE'S AN ISSUE UNTIL IT, YOU KNOW, IT OBVIOUSLY COMES BUBBLING OUT OF THE GROUND, WHICH WE PREFER TO PREVENT WHENEVER POSSIBLE. UM, SO THIS PRIORITY SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, WE, UH, WE DEVELOPED BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE AGE OF THE PIPE, UM, DEVELOPED ON FIRE FLOWS, AS YOU MENTIONED, UH, THAT, UH, SYSTEM YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. WE LOOK AT, UH, FIRE FLOWS, UH, AND WE ALSO LOOK AT LEAK HISTORY, UH, YOU KNOW, MATERIAL PIPE, MATERIAL TYPE, UM, TO ASSIGN A PRIORITY NUMBER TO THE, TO THE WATER MAIN. AND THEN WE ALSO LOOK AT, OKAY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE DO WORK WITH, UH, DPW CHAPTER 90 AND SOURCE SEPARATION CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE TRY TO, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, UH, COORDINATE OUR WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT WITH THOSE DPW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. SO WE GET IT DONE ALL AT ONCE RATHER THAN HAVING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, HAVE THE WATER DEPARTMENT GO IN AND DO IT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL YEARS LATER, DPW COME IN AND TEAR UP THE SAME STREET FOR A DIFFERENT REASON. UM, SO WE CONTINUOUSLY TRIED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COORDINATE THAT, UM, BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS. UM, WE'VE BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE 2013, SINCE I'VE REALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN THE WATER MAIN, UH, DISTRIBUTION, UH, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, PROGRAM, UH, WE'VE REPLACED OVER 20 MILES OF WATER MAIN. UM, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2013, YOU KNOW, WE WERE PAYING APPROXIMATELY $200, UM, PER LINEAR FOOT, UM, WHICH EQUATED TO APPROXIMATELY $1 MILLION PER MILE FOR REPLACEMENT. CURRENTLY, THAT REPLACEMENT, UM, NUMBER IS WE'RE NOW PAYING $710 PER FOOT, UH, AND OVER $4 MILLION PER MILE TO REPLACE WATER MAIN. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, THE, THOSE RATES FROM, YOU KNOW, LIKE 2010 TO 2023 WENT UP BY APPROXIMATELY 55% THE COST FOR INSTALLING WATER MAIN AND FROM 2023 TO 2025 WENT UP 51%. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE COSTS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST FEW YEARS HAVE REALLY, YOU KNOW, GONE UP EXPONENTIALLY. AND WE'VE, YOU KNOW, BEEN WORKING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, FIND WAYS TO STILL, UH, MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, AND KEEP A AHEAD OF THAT BECAUSE BEING PROACTIVE IS BETTER THAN BEING REACTIVE. IT'S ALWAYS MORE COST EFFECTIVE. UM, AND, AND, AND TO THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT 66 LEAKS SEEMS LIKE A LOT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULD PREFER IT TO BE NONE . UM, HOWEVER, UH, YOU KNOW, IF WE COMPARE IT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM TWO, 2003 TO 2005, JUST TO PUT IT, UH, GIVE A AN EXAMPLE. UM, OUR AVERAGE LEAKS PER YEAR WERE 108 LEAKS PER YEAR, AND BETWEEN TWO THOU TWO, 2023 AND 2025. NOW OUR AVERAGE LEAKS ARE APPROXIMATELY 55. SO OUR EFFORTS TO, UH, UPGRADE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, HAS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE [03:15:01] CAN SEE, WE CAN SEE THE BENEFIT IN THAT, UM, IN AREAS WHERE WE KNOW WE CAN'T NECESSARILY REPLACE THE WATER MAIN, UM, WHAT WE HAVE DONE, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAVE A LARGE VALVE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE PUTTING IN VALVES AND KEY LOCATIONS SO THAT IF WE DO HAVE A LEAK, WE CAN SHUT THE WATER DOWN VERY QUICKLY. UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH PREVENTS LOSS OF WATER, BUT ALSO MINIMIZES THE DAMAGE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN OCCUR FROM THESE WATER MAIN BREAKS. BUT IT ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, LIMITS HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED DURING THOSE SHUTDOWNS. UM, AND AGAIN, WE'VE WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE DPW ON, UM, ALL OF THEIR PROJECTS TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THESE, UH, WATER MAIN INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, AS WELL, UH, THROUGH YOU JOURNAL, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE. YEAH, I, AT, AT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, AS WE WERE HEARING, LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO MANY MUNICIPALITIES JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO UPGRADE THEIR WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS. AND I FEEL VERY LUCKY THAT WE DO IN CAMBRIDGE AND THAT WE'VE HAD THE FORETHOUGHT TO, UM, TO INVEST FOR DECADES. UM, NOT TO SCARE US ALL, BUT, UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR PIPES DO YOU THINK STILL DATE FROM 1865? WELL, UH, I ACTUALLY CAN CAN TELL YOU THAT. UM, SO ORIGINALLY, WELL, ORIGINALLY, YES, WHEN WE DID, WE DID A, UM, UH, THE WATER DEMAND STUDY IN 1992. THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 72 MILES OF ONLINE CAST IRON WATER MAIN STILL IN THE SYSTEM, UM, IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UH, SINCE THEN, WE'VE REPLACED ALMOST EXACTLY HALF OF THAT. WE'VE DONE 36 MILES SINCE 1992. UM, SO APPROXIMATELY 36 MILES ARE OF ONLINE CAST IRON MAINE ARE STILL, UM, STILL WITHIN, UM, THE STREETS. YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE'RE DOING THE INMAN STREET PROJECT, WHICH IS, UH, THE OLDEST WATER MAIN, STILL ACTIVE IN THE CITY THAT WE'RE AWARE OF, AND IT WAS INSTALLED IN 1864, SO DURING THE CIVIL WAR, TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE. UM, SO YES, YOU KNOW, WE, UH, THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF OUR PRIORITY LIST, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOK AT THAT, THOSE REALLY OLD AGE PIPES, AND THEN WHETHER THEY HAVE A LEAK HISTORY OR A FLOW PROBLEM, AND THAT HELPS US IDENTIFY THE ONES THAT NEED TO GET REPLACED SOONER THAN LATER. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING SO ON TOP OF THINGS. AND AGAIN, WE'RE LUCKY TO LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, I THINK THAT, THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, GREAT WORK. I YIELD. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND HAVING JUST HAD A WATER MAIN BREAK, I THINK IT WAS LAST WEEK, UH, YES. JUST WANNA SHOUT OUT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT WAS FIXED, I THINK IN IF NOT RECORD TIME, IT WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE. JUST A COUPLE BLOCKS FROM HERE. AND I ALSO KNOW, OF COURSE, RESIDENTS THEMSELVES ARE ON THE HOOK FOR THE LEAKAGE INTO THEIR HOUSES. I WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR THAT THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING FOR SOME OF THOSE RESIDENTS AND RENTERS AND HOMEOWNERS. BUT THE WORK ITSELF IN THIS, IN THE, IN THE CENTRAL STREET WAS SOMETHING THAT, UH, ALL STAFF CAME IN ALL HANDS ON DECK TO HANDLE IN RECORD TIME. UM, SO WANNA APPRECIATE THAT AND ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT'S PART OF THE EXPENSE OF THIS DEPARTMENT. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, I'M SORRY. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. I'M SORRY, I MISSED THAT LAST POINT. WE WAS THE OLDEST WATER MAINE IN THE CITY. YOU HAD JUST MENTIONED IT, UH, THROUGH CHAIR NOLAN. UH, YES. 1 25 FRESH POND PARKWAY, I THINK , UH, NO. SO, UM, UH, IT IS THE SECTION OF INMAN STREET BETWEEN, UH, BROADWAY AND HAMPSHIRE STREET, UH, WHERE WE'VE REPLACED ALL THE OTHER SECTIONS ON INMAN UP TO THERE. UM, AND DUE TO A LOT OF UTILITY CONFLICTS IN THAT, IN THAT ROADWAY, UH, IT HAS TAKEN A LONG TIME TO COORDINATE THIS WORK. UM, IT'S BEEN ON THE BOOKS FOR A WHILE, BUT WE'RE FINALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WORKING WITH THE DPW AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE LOCAL UTILITIES LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERSOURCE, UM, WE'RE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COORDINATE THIS WORK FINALLY TO GET THE WATER MAIN REPLACED. BUT YEAH, IT'S AN INMAN STREET. FASCINATING. SO, I, I'LL JUST SAY, UM, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR AGAIN, THAT THE WORK YOU DO IS EXCELLENT, AND ESPECIALLY AROUND THE FRESH POND, UH, RESERVOIR AND THE WATERSHED PROTECTION. AND SO I, I ENCOUNTERED A PARTICULARLY CRANKY CONSTITUENT GOING AROUND FRESH POND, UH, IN, ON A WALK THIS PAST WEEKEND. SO I WAS WONDERING OF THE, UH, 15 MILLION, HOW MUCH WAS SPENT ON POISON IVY REMOVAL. AND, AND THIS FELLA WAS PARTICULARLY CRANKY ABOUT THE POISON IVY, UH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN. [03:20:01] UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, POISON IVY AT FRESH POND, UM, HAS BEEN AN ONGOING, UM, BATTLE, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, TO, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, YOU KNOW, UH, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE WITH POISON IVY IS, UM, YOU KNOW, POISON IVY GROWS ALONG THE SHORELINE OF THE RESERVOIR. UM, AND BECAUSE IT IS A WATERSHED PROTECTION AREA, WE CAN'T USE, YOU KNOW, ANY, YOU KNOW, PESTICIDES OR HERBICIDES. UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE CAN'T USE GOATS, WHICH WAS SUGGESTED, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE LIVESTOCK, YOU CAN'T HAVE LIVESTOCK WITHIN THE WATERSHED PROTECTION AREA. WE EVEN TRIED SOMETHING THAT, UM, ORGANIC FARMERS USE CALLED, UH, UH, A STEAM SYSTEM, UM, TO KILL THE POISON IVY, WHICH WORKED WELL AND DIDN'T PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, AND DIDN'T POSE ANY THREATS FOR CONTAMINATION. HOWEVER, THE EQUIPMENT TO MAKE THE STEAM WAS A COMBUSTION ENGINE THAT WAS VERY LOUD AND WAS, YOU KNOW, SPEWING, UH, YOU KNOW, EXHAUST. SO WE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT A VIABLE OPTION EITHER. SO THE ONLY WAY THAT CURRENTLY THAT WE HAVE TO ERADICATE POISON IVY ALONG, UH, THE, THE PERIMETER FENCE IS TO REALLY GO IN AND CUT IT BY HAND. UH, SO WE ACTUALLY HIRE A CONTRACTOR TO GO IN AND LITERALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKE, 'CAUSE YOU CAN'T USE LIKE A, YOU KNOW, A WEED WHACKER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT EITHER. THEY REALLY HAVE TO PULL IT BY HAND. AND SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, UH, HOPEFULLY NATURAL IMMUNITY TO POISON IVY. AND ALSO THEY HAVE TO WEAR LOTS OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T GET POISON IVY WHILE THEY'RE HAND, UH, ERADICATING IT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND MAYBE WE CAN GET A VOLUNTEER TO HELP OUT FROM TIME TO TIME. I'M SURE THEY'RE HAPPY ALWAYS FOR VOLUNTEERS. AND THE SIGNAGE HAS GONE UP EVERY YEAR. I THINK WE TRY TO PUT, ENSURE IT BECAUSE THERE'S PEOPLE WITH ALLERGIC REACTIONS THAT WOULD YES. AND THAT IS A VERY MINIMAL EXPENSE, THOUGH, SO IT DOESN'T BREAK THE BUDGET TO PUT UP THOSE SIGNS, BUT IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. UM, I BELIEVE WE'RE DONE WITH ANY QUESTIONS HERE. SO, ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR FLAHERTY TO MOVE THE WATER DEPARTMENT BUDGET OF $15.1 MILLION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION DISCUSSION, ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SERINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. NEXT UP, THE LAST DEPARTMENT BEFORE OUR, UH, BREAK FOR LUNCH IS THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, THE WELCOME CHIEF WORMSER AND DEPUTY CHIEF RASMUSSEN, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND IF THERE'S ANY OPENING REMARKS BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS. MY NAME IS, UH, CHIEF JULIE WORMSER, CLIMATE CHIEF JULIE WORMSER, DEPUTY CLIMATE CHIEF SUZANNE RASMUSSEN. WE WILL BE VERY QUICK, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR OVERSIGHT OF THE CITY'S RESOURCES AND PRIORITIES. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW INTENSE IT IS FOR YOU ALL TO GO THROUGH THIS TODAY AND LAST WEEK AND TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF EVERYTHING. OUR BUDGET IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND I'LL KEEP MY INTRODUCTION SHORT. WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT COME UP TODAY, BE BEYOND THE ONES WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED FROM YOU. THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY FOCUSES ON FOUR PROGRAMS PROCURING CLEAN ELECTRICITY AND THERMAL ENERGY FOR CAMBRIDGE MOVING CAMBRIDGE'S BUILDINGS OFF FOSSIL FUELS BY 2050 OR BEFORE CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND RISK REDUCTION FOR PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES, AND AMPLIFYING CLIMATE COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS ALL CITY DEPARTMENTS. I ALWAYS WANNA REITERATE THAT EVEN THOUGH OUR OFFICE ONLY TWO YEARS OLD, CAMBRIDGE'S CLIMATE WORK GOES BACK DECADES. AS THE CITY BUDGET SHOWS, CAMBRIDGE'S DECARBONIZATION AND RESILIENCE WORK EXPANDS MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS. OUR NEW OFFICE LEADS SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS, AND WE ALSO SERVE TO HELP INSTITUTIONALIZE THIS WORK THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND BEYOND. IN TERMS OF OUR DEPARTMENT BUDGET CHANGES, THE ONLY CHANGE IN BUDGET IS THAT WE HAD BUDGETED $15,000 TO OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL AND TRAINING SO OUR STAFF COULD SPEAK AT CLIMATE CONFERENCES. WE REQUESTED THAT THIS 15,000 BE RESTORED, BUT ONLY TO BE USED IN STATE. AND WE ALSO HAVE COLA INCREASES. WE HAVE THE SAME NUMBER OF FTES, AND FOR THE DEPARTMENT, 2.1% SAVINGS, WE WERE [03:25:01] ASKED TO DECRE DECREASE OUR BUDGET BY 60,000. AND WE DID SO BY COMPLETING OUR UPDATED GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY AND NOT REASSIGNING THAT AMOUNT TO ANOTHER INITIATIVE. UM, IN TERMS OF OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES, WE HAVE TWO THAT ARE THE SAME, AND TWO THAT WE CHANGE FROM OUT OUTPUTS TO OUTCOMES. THE NUMBER OF BUTO BUILDINGS AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE REMAINS THE SAME. AND THE NUMBER, AND THE, I'M SORRY, THE PERCENTAGE AND THE PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLDS ENROLLED IN CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY ELECTRICITY REMAINS THE SAME. WE SWAPPED OUT THE NUMBER OF INITIATIVES TO DECREASE IN PREPARE FOR RIOT FOR CLIMATE RISKS, AND WE REPLACED IT WITH A PERCENT OF HEAT EMERGENCIES TRIGGERING COMPREHENSIVE CITY-WISE RESPONSES. SIMILARLY, WE REMOVED NUMBERS OF INTERACTIONS WITH THE C CAMBRIDGE ENERGY HELPLINE AND REPLACED IT WITH THE PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY IN CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY. EL ELECTRICITY'S DEFAULT O OFFERING. BUT THE OLD, UM, PERFORMANCE MEASURE OF INTERACTIONS WITH THE CAMBRIDGE ENERGY HELPLINE MORE THAN DOUBLE THIS YEAR. UH, IT'S ABOUT 2,400. UM, THAT'S ALL FOR AN INTRODUCTION, AND WE HAVE FOUR QUESTIONS THAT WE RECEIVED. THANK YOU. YES. MY QUESTIONS DID NOT GET TO YOU. I JUST REALIZED WHEN I REVIEWED WHAT I SENT, THEY WERE JUST, SO WE'LL BE ASKING THEM LATER. I'LL START WITH COUNCILOR ZUBIE AND THEN COUNCILLOR SUZI, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ALL'S WORK. I'M CURIOUS, UH, SORT OF SIMILAR TO AN EARLIER QUESTION I ASKED, UM, THE BUDGET SEEMS LIKE IT'S STAYING RELATIVELY THE SAME, EVEN THOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF NEW WORK STREAMS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON, LIKE THE NEW HEAT EMERGENCY PROTOCOL, EX EXTREME PRECIPITATION INITIATIVE. UH, I, IS THERE A PRIORITIZATION FRAMEWORK HERE? WE'D LOVE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS ARE THINKING THROUGH THAT. THANKS FOR ASKING THAT. UM, WE WORK UNDER THREE PUBLIC FACING PLANS. THE FIRST ONE IS THE NET ZERO ACTION PLAN FOR BUILDINGS, WHICH WE WERE ABOUT TO UPDATE. IT HAS A MANDATORY FIVE YEAR UPDATE THAT IS OUR BLUEPRINT FOR WHAT WE THINK IS GONNA BE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE FOR ELIMINATING THE 80% OF CARBON EMISSIONS FROM CAMBRIDGE THAT COME FROM BUILDINGS. THE SECOND IS RESILIENT CAMBRIDGE, WHICH LOOKS AT STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WEATHER, UH, RELATED HARM IN WAYS THAT MAKE OUR COMMUNITY MORE, UM, LIVABLE AND EQUITABLE AND NEIGHBORLY. THE THIRD IS OUR NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, AND THAT LOOKS AT HOW CLIMATE IS MAKING SOME OF OUR ONGOING RISKS WORSE, LIKE STORMWATER, FLOODING, HEAT CHANGES IN PRECIPITATION AND WINTER WEATHER, AND INCREASINGLY HIGH WINDS AND AIR AND POOR AIR QUALITY. SO WE START WITH THE GOOD IDEAS IN EACH OF THESE PUBLICLY VETTED PLANS, AND THEN FOCUS FIRST ON THOSE, UM, THAT WE THINK WILL MAKE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE AND ARE POLITICALLY RIPE. TWO OF OUR EMERGENT PROJECTS INCLUDE AN EFFORT TO HELP BUILDING OWNERS GET OVER THAT INITIAL COST OF CHANGING FROM FOSSIL FUEL BASED EQUIPMENT TO, UM, CARBON NEUTRAL EQUIPMENT LIKE HEAT PUMPS. WE'RE ALSO PARTNERING WITH BOSTON TO SEE IF CITY SCALE CLEAN THERMAL ENERGY USING CHARLES RIVER AND BOSTON HARBOR WATER WOULD BE COST EFFECTIVE FOR, UH, CARBON NEUTRAL, UM, THERMAL ENERGY. AND THEN THE LAST PART OF MY ANSWER IS THAT A LOT OF OUR WORK, LIKE WHY OUR BUDGET CHANGES, IS THAT WE'RE REALLY SWAPPING OUT DIFFERENT PROJECTS. A LOT OF OUR WORK IS REALLY THREE TO FIVE YEARS LONG, AND THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE, WE THEN FREE UP RESOURCES TO DO THE NEXT THING. SO OUR BUDGET SETTING IS STEADY, BUT THE PROJECTS CHANGE YEAR TO YEAR. THANK YOU. DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THAT. AND WE WILL WANNA FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AT SOME POINT ABOUT THE, UH, THE THIRD ONE ON, I THINK, YEAH. NATURAL HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE DOING TO PREPARE TO, YOU KNOW, HELP OUR RESIDENTS, SUPPORT OUR RESIDENTS WHEN IT COMES TO EXTREME WEATHER ALL YIELD. GREAT. GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILOR ZZI. UH, THANK YOU. UH, JUST A QUESTION. SO BETWEEN FISCAL YEAR 20, AND I, I HAVE A TYPO HERE. SO I THINK IT MUST BE FISCAL YEAR 23. IT CAN'T BE 23, IT MUST BE 32. UH, WE'LL INVEST 3.7 MILLION IN THE CITY'S VIRTUAL POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT AT BOWMAN WIND IN NORTH DAKOTA. I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A VERY EXCITING THING FOR THE CITY. I JUST WANT CONFIRMATION THAT THIS WILL GIVE US RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES, BUT NO ENERGY, RIGHT? YES. I, I THINK I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT'S CONFUSED BY THIS. SO I, I REALIZE THAT IT MAKES US FEEL BETTER ABOUT OURSELVES 'CAUSE WE'RE, UH, [03:30:02] LIKE WE CAN USE THE CREDITS TO, TO CANCEL OUT OUR CARBON EMISSIONS, BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY PRODUCING, WE HAVE TO BUY ENERGY TOO, RIGHT? IT'S SO, IT'S A, IT'S A LITTLE, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, UH, IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE MYSTERIOUS. THANK YOU. UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR, I ASKED ELLEN KATZ, WHO I FEEL LIKE IS ALL DEPARTMENTS TODAY, UH, DPW WATER AND NOW SUSTAINABILITY. UM, UH, BUT SHE IS THE PERSON I THINK WHO HAS PROBABLY THE MOST HISTORY AND DETAILS ON THIS, AND I THINK CAN REALLY TALK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE DETAILS AND, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE BENEFITS OF REALLY PROVIDING CLEAN ENERGY AND WHAT IS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE DIRTIEST GRIDS IN THE COUNTRY. SO IT'S ELLEN THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN. UM, AND I AGREE WITH YOU COUNCILLOR SUI, THAT IT IS A LITTLE CONFUSING. IT'S VIRTUAL. IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, UM, IT IS CONFUSING AND IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO UNDERSTAND IT ALL, BUT YOU ARE CORRECT. WE ARE NOT RECEIVING THE ELECTRICITY THAT THE WIND TURBINES IN NORTH DAKOTA ARE GENERATING. UM, BUT WHAT WE ARE DOING IS PROVIDING WHAT IS CONSIDERED A HUNDRED PERCENT RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FOR ALL OF OUR MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS. IT'S BEEN A LONG-TERM GOAL OF THE NET ZERO ACTION PLAN. AND, UM, THE CITY'S INVOLVEMENT ALONG WITH THAT OF HARVARD, MIT, MASS GENERAL BRIGHAMS, UM, THE MASS, UM, CONVENTION CENTER, I MEAN PROBABLY LIKE 17 ORGANIZATIONS LOCALLY AND REGIONALLY. UM, WE HELPED ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOWMAN WIND PROJECT. AND WE DID THAT BY AGREEING TO BE WHAT'S CALLED LIKE OFF TAKERS. WE HAVE AGREED TO RECEIVE THE RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES, OR THEY'RE CALLED WRECKS. AND, UM, AND, UM, WE'LL BE RECEIVING THOSE CERTIFICATES, UH, FOR THE ELECTRICITY CREATED BY THE WIND TURBINES. AND WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT ALL OF THE ELECTRICITY THE CITY IS USING IS BEING FULLY BALANCED OUT BY NEW CLEAN ENERGY. AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT TO THE CITY IS THAT WE WENT BEYOND, UM, WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO BY SAYING THEY'RE BUYING WRECKS. UM, THE CITY FELT LIKE IT NEEDED TO GO FURTHER AND BUY THEM AS PART OF A BRAND NEW PROJECT. SO WE'RE NOT JUST BEING, WE'RE NOT JUST RECEIVING THESE FROM AN EXISTING SYSTEM THAT WAS BUILT, WHATEVER, 10 YEARS AGO, FIVE YEARS AGO. UM, OUR INVOLVEMENT REALLY HELPED LEAD TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WIND TURBINES. AND SO WE ARE HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE GRID, AND IT'S ALSO A GRID THAT'S MORE CARBON INTENSIVE THAN CAMBRIDGE. UM, THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. SO, AGAIN, I, I KNOW IT'S, UM, IT'S JUST COMPLICATED, BUT, SO WE ARE, UM, THE, THE MONEY THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN NORTH DAKOTA WILL, UH, BECAUSE OF OUR COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT THERE, THE PEOPLE IN NORTH DAKOTA WILL HAVE A CLEANER GRID, RIGHT? THEY'LL HAVE, UM, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND THEN I KNOW WE GET THE CREDITS SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF CANCEL OUT ON PAPER OUR CARBON EMISSIONS. RIGHT. BUT I, UM, ANYWAY, I'M, I'M JUST GLAD WE'RE DOING LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TOO. I KNOW THAT THIS IS ONE TOOL OF MANY IN THE TOOLBOX, BUT, UM, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO IS TO BE USING RENEWABLE ENERGY OURSELVES. AND I KNOW WE ARE, I KNOW THROUGH AGGREGATION AND, UM, AND THEN OUR EFFORTS WITH BUTO AND REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS ARE, UM, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. SO I REALIZE THIS IS LIKE ONE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX. UM, UH, SO I GUESS IT'S A GOOD THING, BUT ONLY IF WE'RE DOING ALL THE OTHER THINGS. YEAH. I I THINK THAT THE, YOUR LAST SENTENCE I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS THAT, UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, LET'S HAVE A LONGER CONVERSATION WHERE YOU'RE LIKE, OH, I GET IT. 'CAUSE IT TOOK ME MONTHS TO FIGURE THIS OUT AS WELL. I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT KEEP IN MIND, EVEN WHEN THE DETAILS ARE MORE COMPLICATED. ONE IS THAT WE'VE MADE A COMMITMENT TO ZERO OUT OUR CARBON EMISSIONS. SOME OF IT IS WITHIN CAMBRIDGE. A LOT OF IT IS NET NEUTRAL WHERE IT'S HAPPENING OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, BUT WE ARE MAKING MOVES TO ONE, INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF CLEAN ENERGY IN THE WORLD, WHETHER WE'RE USING IT OR SOMEBODY ELSE IS USING IT. [03:35:01] IT'S A ONE BIG CARBON, GLOBAL CARBON DIET. AND THE SECOND THING IS, BY REGULATING OURSELVES, WE ARE PUSHING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BECOME MORE COST EFFECTIVE BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE TO GET OFF FOSSIL FUELS. SO WE ARE ONE OF THE LIVING LABS FOR FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO THAT AFFORDABLY. SO WE ARE PUTTING THESE REGULATIONS ON OURSELVES TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE. AND VIRTUAL POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS ARE ACTUALLY BRILLIANT AND NOT PERFORMATIVE. THEY ACTUALLY, THEY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT. UM, ANOTHER TIME. I THINK WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE AWAY FROM THE BUDGET. THEY ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THEY'RE TRANSITIONAL BECAUSE IT MEANS EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN NORTH DAKOTA CANNOT CLAIM TO BE USING RENEWABLE ENERGY. THEY ARE NOT USING RENEWABLE ENERGY BECAUSE WE'RE CLAIMING IT. SO IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THIS IS TEMPORARY AS THE MASSACHUSETTS GRID CLEANS, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO EVENTUALLY TO GET TO NET ZERO, WE LITERALLY CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. IT HAS TO BE EVERY SINGLE ELECTRON HAS TO BE SOURCED FROM INSIDE, OR IT, IT, IT WON'T MATTER. UM, JUST, BUT I THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT DISCUSSION. YEAH, RIGHT. WELL, IT DOES RELATE. 'CAUSE WE'RE INVESTING 3.7 MILLION OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. SO IT DOES RELATE TO THE BUDGET. AND IT JUST SEEMS AS THOUGH, I THINK ANOTHER TOOL, WHICH YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED IS WE REALLY NEED TO ENCOURAGE SOLAR ON, UM, COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS. BUT I ALSO FEEL THAT WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT, UM, EXISTING SOLAR ARRAYS ON, ON HOUSES AND TO ENCOURAGE MORE. UM, SO WITH THAT, THANK YOU. I YIELD, I THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE ANOTHER TOOL. THAT'S ANOTHER TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX. AMEN TO THAT. AND IT IS. YEP. YEP. OUR, THESE ARE QUESTIONS I MEANT TO SEND, BUT WHEN I REALIZED WHAT I SENT YOU, THEY WERE NOT THAT. SO, BUT THEY WON'T BE A SURPRISE SINCE I'VE TALKED ABOUT 'EM BEFORE. UM, IT'D BE REALLY GOOD TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH OF THE BUDGET GOES TOWARDS THE RESIDENCES. BUILDING ON WHAT COUNCILOR SUZI JUST SAID, NOT JUST THE LARGE BUILDINGS. 'CAUSE ALL THE SMART GOALS ARE NOT AT ALL ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR 10 YEARS, WHICH IS TO HAVE MORE FOCUS ON, ON RESIDENCES AND HOMEOWNERS. BECAUSE WHILE IT'S A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR EMISSION POLLUTION, IT IS A, IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT OF WHAT EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT IN THE CITY CAN DO. IT'S THE ONLY THING THEY CONTROL IN ADDITION TO THE ELECTRICITY. SO IT'S CURIOUS TO ME ABOUT THE SMART GOALS ABOUT RESIDENCES ELECTRIFYING, THEY'RE NOT INCLUDED HERE. SO I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT PERCENT OF THE BUDGET GOES TO THAT WORK. SO I'LL GIVE YOU ROUND NUMBERS AND SUZANNE'S, CAN I GIVE YOU THE SPECIFICS? SO OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET, UM, IN TERMS OF OUR OTHER ORDINARY, UH, MAINTENANCE, UM, ABOUT 70% GOES TO BUILDING DECARBONIZATION IN GENERAL. AND THEN OF THAT, SLIGHTLY MORE THAN HALF IS TO THE REGULATED BUILDINGS, SLIGHTLY LESS THAN HALF IS TO RESIDENTS. YEAH. ENOUGH STAFF TIME. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE BULK OF THE BUDGET. AND, AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW, THEN YOU CAN JUST FOLLOW UP AND ANSWERS LATER. WE CAN FOLLOW UP. IT WASN'T, WASN'T PREPARED WITH THE NUMBERS. I DIDN'T SEND THIS IN ADVANCE. I BROKE MY RULE, SO I APOLOGIZE. I DON'T HAVE IT IN MY HEAD, BUT, RIGHT. BUT IT, I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT SINCE FROM DAY ONE WITH THE CLIMATE PROTECTION ACTION PLAN, THE VERY FIRST ONE, IT TALKS ABOUT ALL THIS AND ALL THESE, UH, THINGS THAT ARE MOVED FORWARD. BUTO IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT AS WE'VE TALKED ON AND ON, AGAIN, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING FOR, FOR RESIDENTIAL, BOTH RENTERS AND HOMEOWNERS THROUGHOUT. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD SINCE I KNOW THIS IS THE ZERO WASTE, UH, MASTER PLAN IS, UH, LARGELY LED BY DPW, BUT IT HAS BEEN PART OF THE, THE WASTE AND THE SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS, AGAIN, SINCE DAY ONE, BECAUSE THERE'S EMISSION POLLUTION FROM BUILDINGS, THERE'S EMISSION POLLUTION FROM TRANSPORTATION, AND THERE'S EMISSION POLLUTION FROM WASTE. BUT ALSO, UH, PLASTICS IS PART OF OUR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY GOALS. SO HOW DOES THIS ISSUE FIT INTO, AND HOW MUCH OF THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING WITH THE, THE DEPARTMENTS LIKE DPW AND RECYCLING THAT ARE WORKING ON THIS THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? UM, SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH DPW ON A LOT OF OUR INITIATIVES, BUT SPECIFICALLY TO WASTE REDUCTION. UM, THIS PARTICULAR YEAR WE'VE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON WORKING WITH THEM ON THE CITY'S NEW SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT POLICY, WHICH WILL TAKE EFFECT IN TWO WEEKS, UM, TO REALLY ADVANCE THE SUSTAINABILITY IN PROCUREMENT ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY. AND A LOT OF WORK HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE LAST, I WOULD SAY NINE MONTHS TO, UH, JOINTLY, UH, MICHAEL OR AND I HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH, UH, ALL MAJOR DEPARTMENTS TO TALK THROUGH HOW THIS POLICY WILL AFFECT THEM, HOW YOU CAN REALLY OPTIMIZE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY IN PROCUREMENT. SO THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF, OF WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, UH, WITH [03:40:01] COLLABORATING ON WASTE EMISSIONS REDUCTION. THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR. AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING SUSTAINABILITY AND, AND PURCHASING IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ALSO TALKED ABOUT FOR YEARS. UM, AND I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH, WITH SOME OF THESE MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. GLAD TO HEAR ON OTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE. NO. OKAY. SO THE, THEN THE FINAL IS WHAT, UM, HOW MUCH IT'S, IT'S MENTIONED THAT THE GOALS INCLUDE THIS, UH, COMMUNICATION ACROSS THE CITY. UM, WHAT ABOUT THE, UM, IT'S NOT JUST COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE CITY, BUT ALSO COMMUNICATION, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY. DO WE HAVE SPECIFIC GOALS? I KNOW CAMBRIDGE, ELECTRIFY CAMBRIDGE AND OTHERS, I'VE GOTTEN TWO DIFFERENT MAILINGS. YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH ARE WE TRACKING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT INVESTMENT? ARE THOSE ONE QUESTION OR TWO QUESTIONS? IT'S, IT'S REALLY RELATED TO THE, TO THE GENERAL, HOW IT IS THAT WE'RE MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND HOW MUCH WE'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THE WAYS THAT WE ARE, UH, HELPING THE CITY. AND PARTICULARLY AGAIN, THAT I, I KNOW WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON BUDDO, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REST OF THE CITY BECAUSE BUDDO ALSO TOOK OUT ALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS AND A LOT OF THE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AS WELL. SO HOW MUCH OF, OF, ARE WE ABLE TO TRACK WHETHER OUR COMMUNICATIONS EFFORTS TO GET THAT SUSTAINABILITY AND REDUCTION IN EMISSION POLLUTION TO BE DONE THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? SO WE ARE DOING A LOT TO TRACK THE IMPACT OF OUR RESIDENTIAL DECARBONIZATION PROGRAMS. AND, UH, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY THE AGGREGATION WHERE WE COMMUNICATE, BUT THAT'S SORT OF MORE STATIC. THEN THERE'S, UH, ALL THE COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAMS THAT, UH, WHERE WE'RE DOING ALL THE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AND HELPING PEOPLE WITH CHECKING THEIR BILLS, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. AND THEN ELECTRIFY CAMBRIDGE, WHICH IS SORT OF VERY SPECIFIC, MORE TECHNICAL ONSITE SUPPORT. AND WE DO TRACK, UM, NUMBERS FROM, FROM ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS. AND, UM, I'D BE, UH, I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING HISTORIC HIGH PARTICIPATION RIGHT NOW ACROSS, UH, EVERYTHING THAT, UH, WE'RE INVOLVED IN. SO WHETHER THEY BE ENERGY ASSESSMENTS OR WEATHERIZATION, UH, COMPLETED HEAT PUMPS INSTALLED, PEOPLE USING OUR ENERGY, UH, HELPLINE OR ASKING FOR ENERGY BILL CHECKUPS. AND WE, WE KEEP TRACK OF HOW MANY CAMPAIGNS WE'RE USING WE'RE DOING. SO, UM, RIGHT NOW, THE, IN LAST YEAR WE HAD SEVEN UNIQUE CAMPAIGNS. WE HAD OVER 25 4,000 PIECES OF MAIL THAT WERE DELIVERED. UH, AND WE PARTICIPATED IN OVER 70 COMMUNITY EVENTS ALONG WITH OUR, OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS. SO WE, WE CAN, WE UNDERSTAND THE OUTCOME AND IT, IT COMES WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG BECAUSE SOME, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION WE GET FROM EVERSOURCE, AND THAT IS NOT OVERNIGHT REPORTING, THAT'S LIKE THREE, FOUR MONTHS LATER. UM, SO WE, WE DO UNDERSTAND, WE KNOW WHAT WE DO AND WE UNDERSTAND THE OUTCOMES TO COMPLETELY CONNECT, UH, EXACTLY LIKE, DID THIS EVENT RESULT IN THAT, OR DID THIS PARTICULAR MAILING RESULT IN THAT IS, IS SOMEWHAT COMPLEX AND, AND INDIRECT. I WILL SAY THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING, UH, MAILINGS THAT GO OUT UNDER THE CITY SEAL HAVE A VERY HIGH OPEN RATE. SO THAT IS SOMETHING WE DO KNOW. AND, AND WE USE THAT, UM, TOOL, I MEAN JUDICIOUSLY, BUT WE, WE DO USE IT, UM, REGULARLY BECAUSE IT IS A, AS I SAID, IT'S SOMETHING PEOPLE TRUST IN THE CITY, WHICH IS TERRIFIC. AND, UH, THEY WILL LOOK AT THE INFORMATION AND OFTENTIMES THAT'S DOESN'T HAPPEN WITH, WITH, UH, MAILINGS AND OUTREACH PEOPLE. IT JUST GOES BY. SO, UM, THAT IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL THAT WE, WE HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT ITS UTILITY THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. JUST TO, TO ADD TO WHAT SUZANNE SAID, UM, WE DOUBLED OUR EFFORTS ON COMMUNICATION THIS YEAR, AND WE GOT DOUBLE THE RESPONSE, YOU KNOW, IN IN ACTUAL, UH, PEOPLE MOVING FORWARD THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS. SO THERE IS A CORRELATION FOR SURE. THAT'S GREAT. ONE FINAL QUESTION. DO WE HAVE ANY MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO HELP WITH, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUE OF LOW AND MODERATE INCOME PEOPLE ELECTRIFYING? I KNOW THERE'S BILLS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO TRY TO HAVE ON BILL BILLING, BUT THAT'S NOT RELATED TO, WE, WE USE SOME OF OUR ARPA FUNDS TO DO THAT WITH SMALL BUSINESSES AND ALSO ELECTRIC E-BIKES. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT TO HELP ENSURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE PATH TO ELECTRIFICATION, PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO JUST REPLACED, HAVE A HEAT PUMP HOT WATER HEATER IN MY BASEMENT, BUT I HAD TO PAY AN EXTRA A THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR AN ELECTRICAL UPGRADE, WHICH I WAS WILLING TO DO. 'CAUSE I'M FUTURE-PROOFING MY HOME, BUT MANY PEOPLE WOULD NOT BE ABLE [03:45:01] TO THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. SO WE, WE VERY SPECIFICALLY, UH, IN OUR PROGRAMS, UH, LET, UH, INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT THE PARTICULAR, UH, INCENTIVES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR LOW INCOME, UH, BOTH TENANTS AND HOMEOWNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT THE INCENTIVES ARE AND HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY MUCH BETTER FOR LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS THAN THAN THEY EVEN USED TO BE. SO THAT FOR SURE IS, IS HAPPENING. UM, UH, I'M, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE, OH, YOU, I THINK YOU WERE REFERRING TO, DO WE DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO, UM, THE INCENTIVES WE OFFERED THROUGH THE, THE, UM, E-BIKE PROGRAM OR THE OVERALL BIKE PROGRAM? UM, IN, IN THE, THE, THE, THE ONE ARPA PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE OPERATED IS THE SMALL BUSINESS ARPA PROGRAM. AND, UH, THERE WASN'T A DISTINCTION THERE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GIVE PEOPLE VERY SMALL GRANTS THROUGH THAT, THAT HELPED THEM CLOSE THE GAP WITH AN INCENTIVE FROM A UTILITY COMPANY WHERE THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE LAST PIECE. AND WE WERE ABLE TO COVER A LOT OF THOSE UP TO SOME VERY, VERY SIGNIFICANT PROGRAMS AND WE'RE SPENDING, UH, ALL OF THE MILLION DOLLARS, UM, THAT WE WERE ALLOTTED. NO PROBLEM. , UM, AND I JUST, UH, EXCUSE ME. EXCUSE ME. ROOFTOPS, UM, BIG BIT . OH, I JUST WANTED TO FINISH THE, THE POINT THAT, UM, WE'VE BEEN VERY PLEASED TO SEE A LOT OF RESTAURANTS ACTUALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE. AND AS YOU KNOW, UM, RESTAURANT, UH, ELECTRIFICATION HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO DO QUITE A LOT WITH THAT UNDER THE ARPA PROGRAM PROGRAM. UM, I THINK WHAT JULIE IS, UH, SUGGESTING THAT I JUST MENTIONED IS, UM, WE, WE ALSO RUN THIS PROGRAM AND WORKING THIS YEAR, UH, NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO NARROW IT TO, UM, ONLY COMMUNITY SOLAR. THIS IS THE PROGRAM WHERE WE, UM, THROUGH HELP FROM A CONSULTANT, UH, GO TO PROPERTY OWNERS THAT HAVE LARGE ROOFS THAT ARE SUITABLE FOR SOLAR BUT AREN'T, UM, WANTING TO OR FINDING THE NEED FOR SOLAR THEMSELVES TO TRY TO CREATE LEASE AGREEMENTS WHERE, UM, RESIDENTS CAN SIGN UP FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR. UM, SO SOLAR DEVELOPMENT RIGHT HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE INITIATIVES THAT'S CONTINUING IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR. THAT IS ALL GREAT. IF WE CAN GET THE FRESH POND PARKING MALL TO BE A GIANT SOLAR FIELD, THAT WILL BE EVEN BETTER. BUT IT'S PRIVATE PROPERTY. WE HAVE TO WORK ON THAT. UM, THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR THE BUDGET. ANY OTHER? ALL RIGHT. I MOVE THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY BUDGET OF 2.8 MILLION FORWARD WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION DISCUSSION ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. THAT'S AN ALL NINE MEMBERS VOTING? YES. OKAY. UH, WE WILL BE GOING INTO RECESS. UH, IS 37 MINUTES ENOUGH OR DO PEOPLE NEED LONGER? I COULD RECONVENE AT 1 30, 25 SOUNDS ALRIGHT. 45, WHICH MEANS WE WILL RECONVENE AT 1 40 40. UH, I DO WE NEED A, A ROLL CALL ON RECESS? NO, YOU'RE RIGHT. I THINK YOU'RE OKAY. YOU WANT YEAH, JUST DO IT? YEAH. ALL RIGHT. LET'S ROLL. LET'S, WE'RE IN RECESS. WE WILL CONVENE AT, UH, ONE 40. GOOD AFTERNOON. THE HOUR OF THE RECESS HAVING ARRIVED, I MEAN, THE HOUR OF THE END OF THE RECESS HAVING ARRIVED. UM, WE ARE RECONVENING IN SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FY 27 BUDGET HEARING AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS. UH, ROLL CALL FOR RECONVENING. COUNCILOR ZUBE, PRESENT VICE MAYOR ZE. ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. ABSENT PRESENT, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT. MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. AND YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS. RECORDED IS PRESENT AND THREE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. WE HAVE, UM, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 DEPARTMENTS, AND THEN FIVE, UM, PUBLIC DEBT RELATED DEPARTMENTS. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE WANNA GET THROUGH THIS, AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE DO, WHICH IS TO HAVE DISCUSSION. THIS IS OUR ONLY TIME AS A, AS A CITY COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION. SO I, I DON'T SEE US GETTING THROUGH EVERYTHING TODAY. [03:50:01] SO I, I BELIEVE IF WE TAKE THE MIDDLE COLUMN, BASICALLY COMMUNITY SAFETY, FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND CELEBRATIONS IN LIBRARY AND GET THROUGH THEM. PRESUMABLY IT'LL BE BEFORE FIVE, IT MAY EVEN BE FOUR 30. BUT AGAIN, SINCE THEN, WHAT'S LEFT IS DEBT SERVICE, REVENUE SECTION, AND THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE BUDGET. I WOULD NOT WANT US TO RUSH THROUGH ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN THE MIDDLE COLUMN OR RUSH THROUGH PUBLIC INVESTMENT. IT DEFINITELY WILL NOT TAKE ALL DAY THURSDAY. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT IF WE CAN SIGNAL TO STAFF, I KNOW THE CITY MANAGER IS INTERESTED IN UNDERSTANDING, IF WE ARE NOT GONNA GET TO IT, TO LET THE STAFF KNOW THAT WE COULD CONSIDER THAT WE WOULD RECONVENE FOR, I WOULD GUESS IT'LL BE JUST ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO, HOUR AND A HALF ON THURSDAY MORNING. SO DOES THAT, I I'M NOT SURE IF I JUST DECLARE THAT, OR, OR WE, UH, MUTUALLY AGREE THAT INSTEAD OF RUSHING THROUGH THE NEXT FEW DEPARTMENTS, UM, THAT WE HAVE A FULL DISCUSSION, PARTICULARLY OBVIOUSLY, COMMUNITY SAFETY, FIRE, POLICE, EMERGENCY ARE A KEY PART OF, OF OUR, UM, CITY BUDGET AND COMMUNITY. SO WITH THAT, SO MADAM CHAIR, SO I, YES, COUNCIL, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GONNA PUT POLL THE MEMBERS. I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE HERE THURSDAY, SO PLEASE DON'T COUNT ON ME. I'LL BE HERE THROUGH THIS TODAY, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S OKAY. THE LENGTH OF IT. SO YEAH, IT'S ALWAYS THE DAY THAT WE RESERVE IN CASE WE DO NEED, OH, I KNOW. ADDITIONAL TIME. BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT. NOTICE. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. SO, UH, THE NEXT DEPARTMENT IS COMMUNITY SAFETY, WHICH IS ON PAGE 204. WE HAVE DIRECTOR MATTHEWS HERE, AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR IF YOU WANNA MATTIA AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND IF THERE'S ANY TEAM MEMBERS HERE, AND IF THERE'S ANY OPENING STATEMENT OR REVIEW YOU'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU. UM, I'M HERE TODAY JOINED BY, UH, SOME OF MY LEADERSHIP TEAM. WE HAVE PATTY VAN AND VANESSA WHO, UM, ALL MAKE SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT RUNS REALLY SMOOTHLY ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. UH, SO I JUST HAVE A FEW OPENING REMARKS. SO, FY 26 HAS BEEN FULL OF A LOT OF TRANSITIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. IN OCTOBER, I WENT FROM BEING INTERIM TO PERMANENT DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT. WE ALSO HAD SOME TURNOVER WITHIN THE, UH, COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT THAT IMPACTED OUR OPERATIONS. BUT IN SPITE OF ALL OF THESE TRANSITIONS, THE DEPARTMENT HAS REMAINED RESILIENT AND COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION. EVERY YEAR WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR IMPACT AND RESPONSE TO CALLS. AT THIS TIME IN FY 25, WE WERE AT, UH, ABOUT 700, UH, CRISIS CALLS, WHEREAS THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE RESPONDED TO OVER 1100 CRISIS CALLS AND OVER 1300 FOLLOW UP INTERACTIONS. AFTER THOSE INITIAL CRISIS CALLS, WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT AND OUR WORK, AND THAT CONTINUES TO LEAD TO PEOPLE IN NEED, CALLING 9 1 1, REQUESTING FOR THE CARE TEAM DIRECTLY. WE CONTINUE TO INTEGRATE WITHIN PUBLIC SAFETY WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PEERS TO, TO DATE HAVE REQUESTED. UM, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 117 REQUESTS FOR CARE CALLS FROM OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, FROM PROVIDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO CHILDREN IN THE WAKE OF LOSING A PARENT TO A PERSON WHO HAS BARRICADED THEMSELVES IN THEIR HOME. WE CONTINUE TO GROW OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS THROUGH OUR EMPLOYEE CONSULTATION LINE, AND OFFERING NEEDED TRAININGS TO SUPPORT FRONTLINE CITY STAFF WHO MAY BE THE FIRST TO ENCOUNTER A COMMUNITY MEMBER IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS. WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN OUR VIOLENCE PREVENTION EFFORTS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP AND FUNDING OF MORE CITY ORGANIZATIONS, WHILE BRINGING ON A NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION TO BROADEN AND DEEPEN THE SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT'S VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK. WE ALSO CONTINUE TO EXAMINE THE TYPES OF CALLS THAT THE CARE TEAM RESPONDS TO, AND WORKING WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COLLEAGUES TO PROVIDE MORE HOLISTIC RESPONSES TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EMERGENCIES. WE CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR HOURS OF OPERATION TO BE MORE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMUNITY. WE STARTED OUT RESPONDING THREE DAYS A WEEK WHEN WE LAUNCHED, AND ON JUNE 1ST WE'LL BE LAUNCHING MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM COVERAGE. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO GROW THIS DEPARTMENT AND DEEPENING OUR IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, UM, [03:55:01] DIRECTOR. VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THE WORKS AND THE OVERVIEW. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR SETTING THIS. THIS IS A FEW YEARS AGO BASED ON A TASK FORCE LED BY, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND SIMMONS. THIS COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT CAME OUT OF A DEEP INTEREST IN THE COMMUNITY, HAVING EXACTLY THE KIND OF WORK THAT, THAT YOU'RE, YOU HAVE REFERENCED AS A, AS A, AN ALTERNATIVE, UH, SAFETY DEPARTMENT TO THE, WHAT WAS THEN THE ONLY EXISTING WAY THAT IF SOMEONE WAS IN CRISIS, THEY HAD NO CHOICE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT TO CALL. SO WE APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I'LL START OFF WITH, UH, COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER, AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUBIE. THANKS. MAD CHAIR TO YOU. THANKS, UH, FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I KNOW I'VE SAID BEFORE, BUT, UM, REALLY GLAD WE THIS HAVE THIS DEPARTMENT GLAD IT HAS BEEN, UH, SCALING UP. AND I THINK CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE IT, IT HAS THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT IT NEEDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, UH, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, CONTINUES THE, THE PATH TO GET TO A 24 7 COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT AS AS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. NOT JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY, UH, RESIDENTS AND PEOPLE IN CAMBRIDGE WHO NEED THIS SERVICE, NEED TO BE ABLE TO, TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHEN THEY'RE DEALING WITH A CRISIS OR, UH, NEED TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE WITHOUT A, A GUN. JUST TO HAVE, HELP THEM NAVIGATE A DIFFICULT SITUATION, NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THAT AND THAT IMMEDIATE NEED, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT ARE LOOKING AT, AT SETTING UP A COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, AN ALTERNATE CRISIS RESPONSE THAT ARE LOOKING TO CAMBRIDGE TO SEE WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST ASKED QUESTIONS I GET, UH, WHEN I'M OUT IN THE BOSTON AREA FROM COUNSELORS IN SOMERVILLE OR MEDFORD OR OTHER PLACES. HOW IS THIS GOING? AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, WHEN I'M IN OTHER PLACES AROUND THE COUNTRY AND HEAR FROM CITIES THAT THEY ARE, ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS AND HERE THAT WE HAVE IT, THEY WANNA KNOW, HOW'S IT BEEN GOING? WHAT DID IT TAKE TO GET STARTED? UH, WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING? UH, HOW CAN WE GET THERE? UH, AND SO MY QUESTION IS ALONG THAT LINE IS, UH, CAN YOU REMIND US ALL HOW MANY STAFF YOU HAVE, WHAT HOURS ARE SERVING NOW? I REMEMBER BEFORE IT WAS LONGER ON CERTAIN DAYS OF THE WEEK. UH, AND SO HOW MANY, UH, STAFF YOU HAVE AND, UH, WHAT HOURS ARE THEY RESPONDING TO CALLS AT THE MOMENT? THANK YOU FOR THAT. QUESTION THREE, YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, 14 FTES. UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE RESPONDING TO SCENES, WE HAVE NINE STAFF, FIVE CLINICIANS AND FOUR RESPONDERS. AND UH, RIGHT NOW WE ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING, UH, TWO TEAMS, UH, FIVE DAYS A WEEK. SO, UM, OUR HOURS ARE 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM UH, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS. AND THEN MONDAYS WE ARE 7:00 AM TO 4:00 PM AND FRIDAYS 9:00 AM TO 5:00 PM AND, UM, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, STARTING JUNE 1ST WILL BE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM THANK YOU. SO, UM, THAT'S HELPFUL. AND THAT ANSWERED ONE OF MY, UH, PREVIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT EXPANSION. SO COMING JUNE 1ST, WE'LL BE EXPANDING TO, UH, FIVE DAYS A WEEK, 12 OUT 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM GOTCHA. THAT'S HELPFUL. UM, AND THEN I KNOW, YOU KNOW, GETTING TO, TO A 24 7 SERVICE LIKE WE HAVE WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN JUST HAPPEN OVERNIGHT. BUT I AM INTERESTED TO, TO HEAR YOU TALK ABOUT EXPANSION BEYOND 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM AND, AND MORE STAFFING AND SUPPORT AND OR JUST TALKING ABOUT WHAT THAT, YOU KNOW, NOT TO GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF. I THINK FIGURING OUT THAT, THAT FIRST PIECE AND, AND SEEING HOW THAT GOES WILL BE IMPORTANT. BUT IN JUST TALKING THROUGH WHAT, UH, WHAT YOU LOOK FOR TO SEE IF IT'S, IF YOU'RE EXPANDING SERVICES, IT'S SUCCESSFUL AND WHAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS YOU MIGHT THINK ABOUT AND, AND HOW YOU'RE, HOW YOU'RE MEASURING SUCCESS AND, UH, AND IF YOU KNOW, UH, THE RESOURCES THAT THE GROUP NEEDS AND THE, THE STAFFING, UM, THOSE SORTS OF PIECES, UH, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. YEAH. THROUGH YOU. UM, MADAM CHAIR, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY DOING AS A DEPARTMENT IS REALLY LOOKING AT THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CALL DATA. AND SO EVERY DECISION THAT WE MAKE AROUND OUR HOURS OF OPERATION, WE ARE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE CALL CODES THAT WE CURRENTLY ARE ELIGIBLE TO RESPOND TO, AND USING THAT DATA TO DETERMINE, UM, OUR STAFFING. AND SO RIGHT NOW WE ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN STABILIZE AS A DEPARTMENT. UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TURNOVER AND SO THIS WILL REALLY BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO, UH, GATHER SOME BENCHMARK DATA AROUND, UM, OUR, OUR EFFECTIVENESS AND OUR, UM, OUR AVAILABILITY BASED ON THE CURRENT HOURS THAT WE WILL BE SERVING, UH, STARTING JUNE 1ST. AND THEN FROM THERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UH, MAP OUT A PLAN FOR, UH, MAKING FUTURE BUDGET REQUESTS TO INCREASE OUR, OUR CURRENT, UM, FTES. GREAT. THANK YOU. UM, THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAD FOR NOW. I'LL YIELD BACK. [04:00:01] THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ZUBI, AND THEN MAYOR SIDIKI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. FROM WHAT I'M SEEING IN THE BUDGET, THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT IS SEEING AROUND A 2% INCREASE. UM, EVEN THOUGH, UM, I'M SEEING YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE A LARGER RESPONSE TO CRISIS CALLS AND YOU'RE EXPANDING THE CURRENT WINDOW OF HOURS. SO MY QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE DEPARTMENT PLAN TO STAFF THESE EXPANDED HOURS AND ABSORB THE CALL VOLUME GROWTH WITHOUT ADDITIONAL POSITIONS BUDGETED? UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN AND THERE ARE A ADDITIONAL, UH, POSITIONS BUDGETED. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY SMALL INCREASE. I'M JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HOLD THAT WORKLOAD THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO WE ARE CURRENTLY, UM, POSITIONED TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE OUR HOURS WITH THE AMOUNT OF FTES THAT WE HAVE. UM, IN FY 27. AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE WILL REALLY BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO ASSESS OUR SITUATION AND OUR STAFFING NEEDS TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY BEYOND, UH, 12 HOURS MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SO RIGHT NOW, I JUST DON'T THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH, UH, DATA AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN OPERATING AT THIS CAPACITY IN ORDER FOR US TO ASSESS WHAT THE, WHAT THE FUTURE FTE NEEDS WILL BE. BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE FIVE CLINICIANS AND FOUR RESPONDERS WHO WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE, THE CURRENT OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT. GOTCHA. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND DEFINITELY WHEN YOU HAVE A BETTER SENSE OF THE DATA AND THOSE NEEDS, UM, BE IN TOUCH WITH US TO, UM, TO KNOW HOW BEST WE CAN ADVOCATE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS TYPE OF WORK, KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE THE AMOUNT OF POSITIONS THAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO IT, UH, ESPECIALLY, UM, IF WE WANNA GET TO A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE TAKING ON, UM, MORE CALLS OR YOU HAVE REACHED AN EXPANDED WINDOW OF HOURS THAT, THAT THOSE TRANSITIONS AND THAT STABILITY ACTUALLY IS ABLE TO FLOW THROUGH. I'LL YIELD. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ZUBI. MAYOR SIDIKI, AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU. I WANTED TO JUST, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THE GREAT WORK THAT'S BEING DONE. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND I HAD A CHANCE TO COME TO YOUR EVENT A FEW WEEKS. WAS THAT A FEW WEEKS AGO? AND I THOUGHT IT WAS LAST WEEK. WAS IT LAST WEEK? YEAH, . OH GOSH. UH, WELL, IT WAS GR IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS AT APPLE CINEMAS AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE DOCUMENTARY THAT YOU ALL, I THINK YOU'RE GOING ON TOUR WITH IT. UM, BUT, UH, I THOUGHT OF, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A GREAT REFLECTION OF, UH, THE WHY AND SO, YOU KNOW, WANTED TO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. MY QUESTION, UM, IS AROUND THAT REPORT THAT THE COUNCIL RECEIVED IN 2026 IN FEBRUARY, UH, AND HOW THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET. UM, IT'LL WILL, UH, CSD STILL ISSUE GRANTS TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, DOING THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK? UM, IF SO, HOW WILL THAT HAPPEN? UH, AND THEN JUST SECONDLY, ANY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THAT REPORT THAT YOU COULD SPEAK ON? THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, ONE OF THE MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS OF THAT REPORT WAS TO HIRE A ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, WHO WILL BE STARTING WITH THE DEPARTMENT ON JUNE 1ST AS WELL. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF, UH, BIG THINGS COMING UP ON JUNE 1ST. UM, AND THAT POSITION WILL REALLY HELP TO STREAMLINE THE, THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK AND THE EFFORTS IN THE CITY AND NOT ONLY WORK, UM, WITH THE OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, BUT ALSO WORK WITH THE OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS IN THE, IN THE, UM, IN THE CITY, AND THEN ALSO THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT HAS FUNDED IN, IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR AND IN FUTURE FISCAL YEARS. GREAT. AND SO WOULD THIS, UH, PERSON ALSO BE EVALUATING KIND OF THE GRANTS AND THE WORK FROM THE GRANTS THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES. THIS PERSON WILL REALLY BE ASSESSING THE WHOLE VIOLENCE PREVENTION LANDSCAPE IN THE CITY TO HELP TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, UM, WHAT RESOURCES ARE NEEDED, WHAT COLLAB, WHAT COLLABORATIONS NEED TO BE STRENGTHENED IN ORDER TO MOVE THIS WORK FORWARD. GREAT. AND THEN JUST A CLARIFICATION QUESTION, UM, I THINK MY, SOMEONE TOUCHED ON IT, BUT PER THE PAGE 80, THERE'S NO CHANGE IN FTES. UM, SO YOU ARE, IS IT MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME POSITIONS ARE BEING REP REALLOCATED REPURPOSED RIGHT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES, WE, UH, TRANSITIONED AND CONVERTED A FEW, UH, POSITIONS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO BRING ON THAT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION POSITION. GREAT. WELL, THAT'S ALL THAT I HAD. THANK [04:05:01] YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR SADIKI. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU. AND IN REFERENCE TO THAT DOCUMENTARY, JUST REMEMBER THE CAMERA ADDS 10 POUNDS, SO WHEN YOU SEE ME IN MY 12 CHINS, YOU'LL, YOU'LL KNOW, YOU'LL KNOW WHY. UM, AND FIRST I WANNA PRAISE YOU AND YOUR STAFF, OBVIOUSLY FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND HOW YOU'RE GROWING THIS PROGRAM. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS, I HOPE. UM, COUPLE QUICK THINGS AND, AND I WAS GONNA ASK A STAFFING QUESTION AS WELL. ARE WE, ARE YOU FULLY STAFFED NOW? I KNOW THERE WERE SOME ISSUES WITH TRYING TO HIRE FOLKS. IS THAT, ARE YOU FULLY STAFFED? DO YOU HAVE OPENINGS THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? WE HAVE ONE MORE VACANCY. WE RECENTLY HIRED, UM, ALL OF OUR, UH, CLINICIANS AND SO WE HAVE FIVE CLINICIANS WHO ARE WITH THE DEPARTMENT FULL TIME. AND THEN WE HAVE ONE RESPONDER VACANCY BECAUSE ONE OF OUR, UH, RESPONDERS GOT THEIR MASTERS IN MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND IS NOW A CLINICIAN. NICE, NICE. CONGRATULATIONS. UM, IN TERMS OF TRAININGS, I MEAN, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR RESEARCH FOR CRISIS INTERVENTION. DO YOU USE CPI OR WHAT WHAT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE USE FOR THE TRAINING THAT THE, THE, THE STAFF GOES THROUGH THE CRISIS PREVENTION INSTITUTE OR USE. THAT'S OF THEM. YEAH. ONE OF MANY. YEAH. SO, UM, AND THEN, SORRY. ANYONE REMEMBER, UH, BERT FROM YOUR DUTIES VIDEO GAME? UM, SO I ASSUME THEY'RE GETTING RECERT FOR THAT EVERY YEAR. AND THEN ARE THERE OTHER TRAININGS THAT, THAT THEY'RE DOING THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? YEAH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, OUR TEAM GOES THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF TRAINING. ALL NEW STAFF RECEIVE, UM, A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF, UH, ONBOARDING TRAINING, AND THEN WE DO, UM, KIND OF RESEARCH FOR EVERY MEMBER OF THE TEAM ON AN ANNUAL BASIS TO ENSURE THAT THE SKILLS ARE, ARE STAYING FRESH. GREAT. UM, AND LAST QUESTION TO YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, WHAT, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE, THIS, THIS IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT WORK, UM, AND TAXING WORK EMOTIONALLY. AND SO IS THERE MONEY IN THE BUDGET, OR IF NOT, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT STAFF IS TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN WELLBEING? UM, IT'S VERY EASY TO GET BURNT OUT AND STRESSED IN THIS KIND OF WORK, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR OWN STAFF AS WELL. SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT? HOW IS THAT COVERED, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES, WE DO HAVE FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR, UH, THE STAFF'S WELLBEING. UH, WE, ON VERY MONTHLY BASIS, WE DO, UH, WELLNESS ACTIVITIES, SOME OF THEM BEGRUDGINGLY. UM, BUT WE REALLY DO CENTER TAKING CARE OF OURSELVES, UM, AS ONE OF THE, THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF THIS DEPARTMENT. OKAY, GREAT. BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO GO INTO THIS WORK OFTEN DON'T THINK ABOUT TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES FIRST. RIGHT. THEY'RE GIVING, GIVING, GIVING, GIVING. AND THAT GLASS GETS PRETTY EMPTY PRETTY QUICK, SO MAKE 'EM DO IT. THANK YOU. EXCELLENT POINT. SOCIAL WORKER, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, UH, COUNCILLOR SUZI. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I THINK THIS IS AN EXCITING PROGRAM AND, UM, FROM, YOU KNOW, I RECENTLY VISITED THE VISIT MIDDLESEX JAIL AND HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS AND, UM, THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND I REALLY FEEL LIKE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE, WILL BE A BIG PART OF OUR FUTURE. IT SEEMS LIKE. UM, WHAT WE REALLY WANNA BE FOCUSING ON IS PROVIDING, DOING PREEMPTIVE, ENGAGING WITH RESIDENTS THAT ARE VULNERABLE AND IN NEED EARLY TO KEEP THEM OUT OF JAIL, TO KEEP THEM. UM, SO I, I THINK THIS IS THE WORK OF THE FUTURE, BUT I, I CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED THAT, UM, THAT YOU'RE UNDERUTILIZED. SO IF, IF YOU'VE HAD, SO IN THE BOOK IT SAYS THAT IN FISCAL YEAR 26, YOU HAD 727 CRISIS CALLS. YOU JUST SAID THAT THIS YEAR YOU'VE HAD A HUNDRED, 1100 CALLS, AND THEN YOU DID FOLLOW UP. BUT IF YOU HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE 15 STAFF, THAT MEANS EACH PERSON DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR RESPONDED TO 73 CALLS. SO THAT'S NOT THAT MANY CALLS. SO MY QUESTION IS, I, I KNOW THEY'RE DOING FOLLOW UP WORK AS WELL, BUT I JUST, I'M EAGER TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS FOR, AND I KNOW PEOPLE ARE PICKING UP NEEDLES AND THEY'RE DOING OTHER THINGS, BUT I GUESS I'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT. AND I STILL HOPE IN SOME COMMUNITIES, UH, THE POLICE [04:10:01] DEPARTMENT MAKE, UH, WELLNESS CALLS TO ELDERLY RESIDENTS. JUST THEY, THEY DO DAILY CHECK-INS, AND I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO THAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, SO I'M JUST, I'M EAGER TO HEAR LIKE, WHEN PEOPLE AREN'T ON CALL, AND I, AND I HOPE YOU'RE GETTING MORE CALLS FROM THE POLICE, UH, WHAT ARE, AND, AND IF THEY'RE NOT PICKING UP NEEDLES AND IF THEY'RE NOT ENGAGING WITH, UM, THE UNHOUSED POPULATION IN OUR SQUARES, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE DOING THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? UM, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH, UM, THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT AND THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL, UM, FIRST RESPONDER GROUP OVER THE PAST YEAR THAT'S BEEN WORKING TO REALLY LIKE, OPTIMIZE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DEPARTMENT. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY A COUPLE THINGS BEFORE MARIE TALKS ABOUT NUMBERS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF VACANCIES OVER THE PAST YEAR, AND, UM, SO ACTUALLY FILLING OUT THE TEAM HAS BEEN ONE WHOLE FACTOR IN RESPONSES. UM, SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S A FACTOR IS, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST THE KIND OF COMPLICATED NATURE I THINK, OF THESE CALLS. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OUR STATISTICS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OFTEN SITUATIONS WHERE, UM, THE POLICE, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD BE ON A CALL FOR MAYBE 20 MINUTES TO STABILIZE A SITUATION, AND CARE MIGHT STAY FOR TWO HOURS. SO IT'S DIFFICULT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO REALLY PUT INTO WORDS OR PUT INTO NUMBERS, I THINK SOME OF THE IMPACT THAT THEY'RE HAVING. AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S TWO HOURS AND A COUPLE OR THREE STAFF MEMBERS SPEND THIS TIME WITH A PERSON, BUT IF IT DIVERTS THEM FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM DOWN THE ROAD, IT'S A REALLY WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT. SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT BEFORE MARIE TALKED ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF HOW, UM, SHE'S REPORTED THE NUMBERS THAT, UM, IT'S NOT EASY TO NECESSARILY CALCULATE THE TYPE OF, UM, SERVICES THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING, BUT THEY'RE INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. THANK YOU. AND, AND I ALSO WANTED TO APOLOGIZE. I WANTED TO GO TO YOUR MOVIE LAST WEEK, BUT I, I WASN'T ABLE TO, AND I HOPE THERE'LL BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO SEE THE MOVIE. UH, MAYBE YOU CAN LET US KNOW WHEN WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE THAT AS WELL. YEAH, THROUGH YOU MADAM DIRECT TO MY CHAIR, DID YOU WANNA RESPOND AS WELL? OR WAS THAT YES. OKAY. UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE BECKY SHARED IS THAT FOR US, IT'S WAY MORE QUALITATIVE, UM, DATA IN TERMS OF HOW WE ARE SPENDING OUR TIME, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF KIND OF JUST DOING A ONE-OFF RESPONSE, RIGHT? WE REALLY DO PLAY THE LONG GAME FOR A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT WE SERVE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE GET THE QUESTION A LOT AROUND NEEDLE PICKUPS AND WHERE, YOU KNOW, IT MAY LOOK LIKE WE'RE PICKING UP NEEDLES. WHAT WE DO WHEN WE'RE DOING A NEEDLE PICKUP IS IF WE DO ENCOUNTER SOMEONE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO, UH, USES, UM, SAID NEEDLES THAT ARE ON THE GROUND, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A CONNECTION, BUILD THAT RAPPORT, PROVIDE RESOURCES. AND OVER TIME THAT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING PROCESS HAS LED TO US BEING ABLE TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO, TO TREATMENT. AND SO I THINK FOR US, WE REALLY FOCUS ON THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE ENGAGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT MAY BE HARDER TO ENGAGE, AND THEN HOW DO WE USE THAT RELATIONSHIP OVER TIME TO GET PEOPLE CONNECTED TO THE RESOURCES THAT THEY'RE IN NEED OF? AND SO WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT KIND OF PROVEN TRACK RECORD. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE DOCUMENTARY, UM, IS THE IMPACT OF US JUST BEING OUT THERE WHERE WE HAVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WENT FROM BEING VERY RELUCTANT TO EVEN ENGAGE AND, AND, AND SPEAK TO US, TO NOW THEM BEING THE ONES WHO ARE LIKE, MAN, I WISH EVERY COMMUNITY HAD A, YOU KNOW, A CARE TEAM. AND SO, AGAIN, WE REALLY DO PRIORITIZE THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, UH, CAPACITY OF THE TEAM. AND SO EVERY ACTIVITY THAT WE DO MAY NOT HAVE IMMEDIATE RESULTS, BUT OVER TIME, WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO BUILD THAT RELATIONSHIP AND GET PEOPLE CONNECTED IN THE WAYS THAT OUR MOST RELEVANT. SO I THINK THAT SOMETIMES LOOKING AT JUST THINGS FROM A QUANTITATIVE VIEW CAN REALLY SKEW THE NUMBERS AND NOT NECESSARILY, UH, SHOWCASE KIND OF THE, THE DEEPER VALUE THAT IS, UM, WITHIN THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE'RE BUILDING WITH, UH, VULNERABLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THANK YOU. YEAH, NO, [04:15:01] I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND I MET ONE OF YOUR STAFF THAT WORKED IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND I THINK HE, THROUGH DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS, HE'D ONLY BEEN THERE SIX MONTHS, BUT HE'D ALREADY, UM, WORKED, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ABLE TO USHER 30 OF OUR, OF OUR RESIDENTS TOWARDS, UH, ADDICTION TREATMENT. SO I, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND I AGREE. I FEEL LIKE IN POLICE WORK AND IN YOUR WORK, UM, IN ANY SOCIAL, UM, SOCIAL WORK IT WELL AND, AND IN EVERYTHING IN LIFE, IT ALL DEPENDS UPON RELATIONSHIPS, RIGHT. AND, UH, UM, CREATING TRUST IN, AND THEN YOU CAN REALLY ADVANCE THINGS. SO I, I APPRECIATE THAT. BUT DON'T, UM, SO I, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS, WHEN ARE YOU BUSIEST? AND I KNOW YOU, YOU WERE JUST SAYING THAT YOU'RE, YOU'VE BEEN EVALUATING THAT, BUT I JUST, I'M JUST THINKING OF ALL THE CALLS AND LETTERS WE'VE RECEIVED FROM PEOPLES, UM, ABOUT ST. JAMES AND WHEN THEY REALLY NEED HELP IS AT NIGHT RATHER THAN DURING THE DAY. DO YOU FIND THAT MOST OF YOUR CALLS ARE, LIKE, ARE THEY ALL, ARE MOST OF THEM BETWEEN 7:00 AM AND 7:00 PM OR WOULD THERE BE SOME BENEFIT TO HAVING ONE OR TWO PEOPLE AVAILABLE TO HELP TILL MIDNIGHT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? UH, BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE HAVE REVIEWED THROUGH EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, UH, WE ARE CURRENTLY POSITIONED TO RESPOND TO ABOUT 44% OF THE CALLS THAT FALL WITHIN OUR CALL CODES. AND SO, AGAIN, DURING THE HOURS AFTER 7:00 PM THERE'S CERTAINLY ARE, UH, CALLS THAT DO COME IN, UM, BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO BE AVAILABLE DURING SOME OF THE PEAK HOURS OF, UM, SOME OF THOSE CALLS THAT DO COME IN. YEAH. SO DO, ARE THERE A LOT OF CALLS AT 7:00 AM THAT, I GUESS THERE ARE CALLS AT SEVEN, IT JUST ARE, ARE THERE CALLS AT 7:00 AM THROUGH MADAM CHAIR? YES, THERE ARE DEFINITELY CALLS, BUT JUST AT A MORE SIGNIFICANT, UH, LOWER VOLUME. SO MOST OF THE CALLS THAT ARE COMING IN ARE TYPICALLY MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, STARTING AT AROUND, UM, 8:30 AM AND THEN, UM, BY 7:00 PM THEY START TO DECREASE. UM, ANYWAY, I'M, I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE MINDFUL OF THAT BECAUSE OF COURSE WE WANNA BE PROVIDING SUPPORTS WHEN PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY ASKING FOR SUPPORT. I WANTED TO ASK WHETHER YOUR, UH, VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM WILL BUILD ON NICO EMAC STUDY? 'CAUSE IT SOUNDED AS, AS HE'S DONE A LOT OF, UM, THE FOUNDATIONAL RESEARCH RIGHT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YES. UM, SO MOST OF THE, UH, PLANS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE'LL BE IMPLEMENTING IN FY 27 AROUND, UM, VIOLENCE PREVENTION HAVE COME DIRECTLY FROM THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN THAT REPORT BY NICO EMAC. GREAT. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK, AND I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WATCH IT EVOLVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I HAVE A COUPLE QUICK FOLLOW, RELATIVELY FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS SINCE THE ONES I SENT I THINK HAVE SOMEWHAT BEEN ANSWERED. I DO ENCOURAGE, GIVEN WHAT WE JUST HEARD, THAT, UH, 44% OF CALLS YOU HAVE COVERAGE FOR, THAT SOUND STRIKES ME THAT IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN ADJUST THE, UM, THE TIMING AND THE SCHEDULE TO COVER MORE, AND PARTICULARLY ON WEEKEND HOURS, I WOULD THINK WEEKEND IS ALSO ONE OF THOSE IN THE NEXT PLAN, WHETHER IT INVOLVES REALLOCATING WITHIN THE BUDGET OR ADDITIONAL BUDGET, THAT PRESUMABLY IS ALSO A CRITICAL PART OF THE PLANNING FOR IT. IS THAT CORRECT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES. OUR PLAN IS, AGAIN, TO CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE, THE CALL VOLUME DATA AND THEN, UM, COME UP WITH A PLAN TO ASK FOR, UM, WHETHER IT'S MORE STAFFING, UH, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE COVERAGE HOURS IN FUTURE FISCAL YEARS. THANK YOU. OR RECONFIGURING THE CURRENT STAFFING SO THAT THERE'S MORE D DIFFERENT FOLKS DEPLOYED AT DIFFERENT TIMES. UM, I DO, TO FOLLOW UP ON THE, UH, THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION IS MENTIONED AS ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES, WHICH IS GREAT. HOW IS IT THAT YOU MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THAT? I MEAN, ALL OF THE OBJECTIVE MEASURES IN HERE ARE JUST NUMBERS OF, OF TOUCHES, WHICH IS ONE MEASURE. BUT THE OTHER IS, DO WE HAVE ANY WAY TO ENSURE THAT THIS BUDGET, PART OF THE WHOLE GOAL WAS NOT JUST TO REACH PEOPLE, BUT TO THEN HAVE SOME MEASURE OF PREVENTING, UH, INCIDENTS OF EITHER SELF HARM OR HARM TO THE COMMUNITY. DO WE, ARE WE TRACKING ANY OF THAT SO THAT WE CAN SEE THAT, FOR INSTANCE, TWO YEARS AGO THERE WAS X NUMBER OF, UH, HOWEVER [04:20:01] IT IS MEASURED ADMISSIONS TO, TO, UM, TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, TO, UH, OVERDOSE PREVENTION, WHATEVER IT IS, THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION. HOW ARE WE MEASURING THAT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? SO THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION WILL BE WORKING ON, AND THE COLLABORATION WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WILL REALLY HELP US IN BEING ABLE TO GATHER ALL OF THAT DATA TO FIGURE OUT THE IMPACT THAT WE ARE HAVING ON PREVENTING VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO RIGHT NOW, WE CURRENTLY GET DATA FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN FUNDING TO ASSESS THEIR IMPACT. UM, BUT IN, IN FY 27, OUR HOPE IS THAT THE PERSON IN THIS ROLE WILL REALLY BE ABLE TO, UM, COLLECT ALL OF THAT DATA AND, AND SYNTHESIZE IT AND FIGURE OUT WHAT OTHER, UM, GOALS WE AREN'T MEETING BASED ON THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING. YEAH, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT OBVIOUSLY FOR US TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE WORK IS. AS MUCH AS TOUCHING PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT. IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF WHAT OTHERWISE WOULD'VE HAPPENED, THAT'S WHY WE SET UP THIS ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD SENT WAS WHETHER THE NUMBER OF CALL CODES AND A POSSIBLE JOINT RESPONSES NEEDED HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET PLANNING. I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S EVOLVED OVER TIME, THAT WE ARE NOW GETTING MORE CALLS APPROPRIATE TO THE DEPARTMENT, WHICH I THINK MANY OF US WERE HOPING TO SEE. IS THERE MORE, AND I KNOW EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS IS A, A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT, BUT CLEARLY FROM WHAT YOU SEE, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE WORKING TO ENSURE THAT YOU, YOUR, YOUR STAFFING IS THERE TO RESPOND TO CODES? THE IDEA IS THAT EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE CODE THAT COULD USE YOU INSTEAD OF ANOTHER STAFF, BUT GIVEN THE TRAINING AND THE CLINICIANS ON STAFF MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. IS IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON IN, IN TERMS OF ENSURING THAT THE BUDGET IS WELL DEPLOYED THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES, ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS ONE OF OUR, UH, MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR FY 27 IS TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY MORE CLINICAL STAFF INTO THE CITY, AND THEN ALSO DOING MORE JOINT RESPONSE WITH OUR OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY PEERS, UM, FOR CALLS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE FOR OUR TEAM, VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND THEN TO FOLLOW UP ON ONE, YOU STILL HAVE PARTNERS, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S A NUMBER OF PARTNERS THAT GET GRANTS. HART IS ONE OF THEM, WHICH WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IN THIS CHAMBER AND OTHERS. DO THEY ALSO HAVE MEASURABLE RESULTS THAT WE, UH, WOULD SEE THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? YES. WE RECENTLY DEPLOYED OUR FY 26 FUNDS AND, UM, PART OF THE RFP REQUIREMENTS IS THAT WE RECEIVE DATA FROM, UM, ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE'RE FUNDING SO THAT WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON IMPACT AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. RIGHT. AND JUST, THAT'S EXACTLY THE SWEET SPOT TOO, THAT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WOULD PREFER TO HAVE A CITY DEPARTMENT, AND YET THERE'S OTHERS WHO WOULD PREFER AN ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. SO I'M REALLY GLAD THOSE GRANTS ARE GOING FORWARD AND THAT WE WILL THEN PRESUMABLY SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR THE, FOR THE BUDGET. COUNCILLOR SUZI, YOU TO FOLLOW UP? YEAH, I'M, OR JUST, I'M SORRY, I FORGOT TO ASK THIS QUESTION. SO, UH, YOU HAVE, YOU'RE SPENDING ALMOST, UM, A MILLION DOLLARS ON OTHER ORDINARY MAIN MAINTENANCE ON $987,000. HOW ARE YOU USING THOSE FUNDS? SO, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR, THOSE FUNDS ARE BEING USED IN, IN MULTIPLE WAYS. UM, OUR GRANT FUNDS COME FROM THAT, UM, POOL OF OF FUNDS, AND THEN WE ALSO, UM, USE THOSE FUNDS TO ALLOCATE TOWARDS OTHER, UM, EXPENSES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND, UM, OUR TECHNOLOGY TO BE ABLE TO, UH, DOCUMENT AND, UM, RUN REPORTS AROUND THE IMPACT THAT THE WORK IS HAVING. AND COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC? SO YOU'RE GIVING GRANTS TO HEART, WHAT ARE, WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND, UM, AND, AND WHAT OTHER TECHNOLOGY AND VIOLENT PRO, UM, PREVENTION MATERIALS? SO THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, WE ARE FUNDING, UH, FIVE ORGANIZATIONS. UH, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, CAMBRIDGE HEART, UM, INNER CITY WEIGHTLIFTING, UM, ON THE RISE AND SISTER TO SISTER. AND ALL OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN, UH, FUNDED, UM, WITH THE $300,000 THAT WAS ALLOCATED FOR, UH, THE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. AND SO IN FY 27, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS, UH, FOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE DOING VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK. UH, SO THAT'S 300,000 OF THE 987,000. [04:25:01] SO, SO THEN THE OTHER 600,000 IS USED FOR, WHAT IS IT USED FOR MORE SPECIFICALLY? UM, HOLD ON ONE SECOND. OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. I CAN'T REMEMBER. UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT 300,000 TOTAL FOR ALL THOSE FIVE GROUPS. IS IT THROUGH MADAM CHAIR? YES. OKAY. IT'S OKAY. UM, FOR THE DOCUMENTATION. SO WE HAVE A PLATFORM THAT WE UTILIZE TO DOCUMENT ALL OF OUR, UM, CALLS AND RESPONSES, SINCE WE KEEP EVERYTHING SEPARATE FROM THE, UM, OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY PLATFORMS TO MAINTAIN, UM, PRIVACY FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. UH, SO THAT IS ALSO COMES, UM, AT A COST AND THEN ADDING ON THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK THAT WILL ALSO BE DOCUMENTED IN THE SYSTEM. UM, WE'VE ALLOCATED ADDITIONAL FUNDS IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT AS WELL. AND THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT JUST RUNNING THE CARE TEAM, UM, IN TERMS OF VEHICLES AND SUPPLIES IS, UM, A SUBSTANTIAL EXPENSE. SO, UM, THERE'S MONEY THAT'S ALLOCATED TOWARD THAT. THANK YOU. ARE YOU COUNCILOR SUZI? ARE YOU I'M MELDING. OKAY. YEAH, IT, AT SOME POINT IT'LL BE GOOD JUST TO GET THE BACKUP FOR THAT. IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE. WE DON'T HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT NOW, BUT TO GET THAT BACKUP WOULD BE, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE COUNCIL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, FOLLOW UP? OKAY. SO ON THIS, UH, $2.7 MILLION ALLOCATION TO THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, COUNCILLOR MOVES THAT IT IS BE FORWARDED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. DISCUSSION ROLL CALL. COUNCIL ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR MATTIA, THANK YOU TO THE TEAM. PLEASE CONVEY ALSO OUR THANKS TO THE REST OF THE, AND APPRECIATION TO THE REST OF THE TEAM FOR DOING THIS IMPORTANT WORK THAT IS HOPEFULLY GROUNDBREAKING, ALTHOUGH BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS OF OTHER CITIES AS WELL. NEXT UP IS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS, AGAIN, ONE OF OUR LARGEST DEPARTMENTS. IT IS FOUND IN THE BUDGET BOOK ON PAGE 211 WITH A BUDGET OF, UH, $50.7 MILLION AND 301 FTES. IF THE TEAM WANTS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, AND IF THERE'S ANY OPENING REMARKS OR REVIEW, WELCOME. WE'RE GLAD TO SEE YOU AND GLAD YOU ARE IN THE CITY, KEEPING US ALL SAFE FROM FIRES, AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER PREVENTION WORK YOU DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, CHIEF CAHILL COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. UH, SO WITH ME, WE HAVE ASSISTANT CHIEF SEAN WHITE, ASSISTANT CHIEF SCOTT BOLTS, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATION AMY FDI, AND OUR LONGTIME BUSINESS OFFICE MANAGER, MELINDA KAMARA CLINTON. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S FY 27 BUDGET. WE'RE PROUD OF THE, UH, GREAT WORK THAT OUR DEPARTMENT DOES EACH AND EVERY DAY TO PROTECT AND SERVE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. AS YOU KNOW, CAMBRIDGE IS A VERY DENSELY POPULATED CITY WITH MANY COMPLEX, SORRY, COMPLEX. SORRY. CAN YOU PULL THE MIC A LITTLE CLOSER? WE WANNA HEAR EVERY WORD? YEAH. IT'S A VERY DENSELY POPULATED CITY WITH A LOT OF COMPLEX HAZARDS. WE PROVIDE MANY SERVICES THAT MOST OTHER DEPARTMENTS DO NOT, UH, INCLUDING ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT RESPONSE, UH, TECHNICAL RESCUE RESPONSE SUCH AS HIGH ANGLE RESCUE, TRENCH RESCUE, AND CONFINED SPACE RESCUE, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RESPONSE, UH, DIVE AND MARINE RESPONSE. MANY OF THESE SERVICES WE ALSO OFFER AS A REGIONAL, REGIONAL RESPONSE TO OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS. UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, WE WILL GO TO COUNCILOR SUZI. [04:30:01] UH, THANK YOU. I, I JUST, I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I GOT THE NUMBER OF SO MANY OF HOW MANY FIRES WE HAD, BUT I'VE JUST, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE NUMBER. WE HAVE A LOT OF FIRES, AND I JUST WONDERED WHERE, WHAT'S THE CAUSE OF MOST OF THOSE FIRES? I KNOW AS IT RELATES TO THE BUDGET, MOST OF THE FIRES THAT WE SEE ARE COOKING RELATED AND THAT, UH, THEY JUMP DOWN THROUGH DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, CARELESSNESS, THERE'S, UM, ELECTRICAL FIRES AND SO FORTH, BUT THE BIGGEST CLOSE TO 50% OR MORE ARE COOKING RELATED. YEAH. I WISH WE COULD, UH, JUST LOWER THAT OVER OVERALL. AND I, AND I WANTED TO ASK, SO WHY ARE, WHY DO EMT CALLS INCLUDE A FIRETRUCK? I'VE, I'VE BEEN HEARING, I, SOMEONE WAS ASKING ME WHETHER, UM, YOU CAN'T BRING A SMALLER VEHICLE TO SUPPLEMENT THE AMBULANCE INSTEAD OF THE FIRE TRUCK. IT SEEMS LIKE IT MIGHT BE BETTER. SINCE OUR ROADS ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE NARROW, THERE'S LESS AND LESS PLACES FOR THEM TO PARK. UH, WHY? I, UH, WHY, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS BRING THE TRUCK TO EVERY SERVICE CALL? AND THAT IS RELATED TO THE BUDGET. IT DOES RELATE TO THE BUDGET. BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT FIRE STATIONS AND THE SIZE OF FIRE STATIONS AND, UH, BUDGETING FOR FIRE TRUCKS AND VEHICLES, ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING SMALLER TRUCKS IN ADDITION OR IN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT CAN BE INSTEAD OF, BUT IN ADDITION TO THE FIRETRUCK FLEET? SO, SO PART OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE INCLUDES A TIERED RESPONSE WHERE IT CALLS A TRIAGE THROUGH THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER. SO THE CALLS, IT NECESSITATE A RESPONSE FROM THE FIRE ENGINE WE SEND OUT WITH, UH, TRAINED STAFF AND HAVE TRAINED MEDICAL EQUIPMENT ON THE VEHICLE. SO, UM, THOSE GUYS PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE OF RESPONDING TO THE SCENE AND GETTING THERE QUICKLY AND REDUCING RESPONSE TIMES AND START AN EMERGENCY TREATMENT. SO IF WE WOULD'VE TRIED TO INSTITUTE A, UH, A SITUATION WHERE WE WOULD HAVE AN ADDITIONAL VEHICLE THAT'S SMALLER FOR THEM TO RESPOND TO, WE LOGISTICALLY WOULDN'T HAVE PLACES TO STORE THOSE VEHICLES. AND THAT WE'D ALSO RESULT PROBABLY INTO AN INCREASED RESPONSE TIME AS WHEN THE, THE STAFF GOES OUT AND THE FIRE ENGINE, THEY'RE EQUIPPED TO HANDLE ANY EMERGENCY THAT COMES IN. SO IF THEY WERE IN A SMALLER VEHICLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE THE APPROPRIATE TOOLS OR EQUIPMENT, THEY'D HAVE TO RESPOND BACK TO THE STATION, OR A DIFFERENT STATION WOULD'VE TO RESPOND TO THAT. SO THAT'S WHY WE, WE HAVE EVERYTHING SET UP ON ONE VEHICLE THAT THEY CAN RESPOND TO. UH, THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. I JUST, I JUST REMEMBER AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOR NEEDED A LITTLE HELP, AND I WAS JUST SURPRISED 'CAUSE THERE WAS AN EMT THAT RESPONDED AND A FIRE TRUCK, AND IT SEEMED AS THOUGH, UM, LIKE THE, THE AMBULANCE WOULD'VE HAD, UH, ENOUGH EQUIPMENT TO TAKE CARE OF THE SITUATION. SO IS THE, THE FIRETRUCK IS THERE IN CASE YOU NEED STRONG MEN TO CARRY SOMEONE DOWN THE STAIRS, OR, UH, WHY WOULD YOU HAVE THE FIRETRUCK IN ADDITION TO THE AMBULANCE? WELL, THE FIRETRUCK RESPONDS BASED OFF OF THE, UH, CALL CRITERIA THAT'S RECEIVED THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION CENTER. BUT AGAIN, OUR FIRE STATIONS ARE LOGISTICALLY LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT CAN GET THERE A LOT QUICKER, UM, TO MOST MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. AND SOMETIMES YOU, YOU NEED EXTRA ASSISTANCE THERE. SO THE AMERICAN HOT ASSOCIATION HAS, YOU KNOW, A BEST PRACTICE ON MEDICAL EMERGENCIES OF HAVING A STAFF OF AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE OUT A MEDICAL EMERGENCY THAT ARE TRAINED, AND WE MEET THAT GOAL. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT RESPONSE. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. AND IT WAS INTERESTING 'CAUSE IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY SURVEY, I THINK THE PERSON THAT THE, THE DEPARTMENT THAT OUR RESIDENTS TRUSTED THE MOST WAS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I, YOU KNOW, I, I THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND, UM, UH, YEAH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THE COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, SO YOU, MADAM CHAIR, QUICK QUESTION. I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING IN HERE ABOUT THE CADET PROGRAM. WHERE, WHERE DOES THAT STAND RIGHT NOW? SO THE, THE LEGISLATION FOR THE CADET PROGRAM, AS YOU KNOW, WENT THROUGH IN PROBABLY, UH, NOVEMBER OF 2024. SO WE DID DO A LOT OF WORK ON ESTABLISHING THE CUR CURRICULUM AND GETTING A CADET PROGRAM APPROVED. BUT OUR GOAL THROUGH THE CADET PROGRAM WAS TO CREATE A, A STRATEGY WHERE WE COULD GET CITY RESIDENTS INTO THESE GOOD PUBLIC SAFETY JOBS AND REALLY BE EFFICIENT AT IT. SO WE THEN TRANSITIONED OVER TO THE LOCAL REGISTRY POLICY, WHICH IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO HIRE THROUGH CIVIL SERVICE, WHICH GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO HIRE MORE DIVERSE GROUP, TO DIVERSIFY OUR WORKFORCE, TO BETTER REPRESENT THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE. AND THAT'S A FASTER PROCESS THAN THAT WOULD BE WITH THE CADET PROGRAM. IN ALL REALITY, TO DO THE CADET PROGRAM, IT'S A TWO YEAR PROGRAM, WE'D HAVE TO INCREASE STAFF WHERE WE CAN [04:35:01] STILL ACHIEVE THE SAME GOAL OF GETTING CITY RESIDENTS IN THROUGH THE LOCAL REGISTRY POLICY AND REALLY DOING A MORE ADVANCED RECRUITMENT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOLS AND, AND DIFFERENT PUBLIC EVENTS. OKAY. UM, THROUGH, SO WE HAVE ANY, ANY LUCK WITH THAT SO FAR? SO WE DID JUST RECENTLY GET OUR LOCAL, UH, REGISTRY POLICY APPROVED WHEN WE MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT, WITH THE NEXT GROUP OF HIAS THAT WE HAVE. YEAH. IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATE. I MEAN, THE, THE, THE CREATION OF THE CADET PROGRAM WAS A CITY COUNCIL POLICY, AND I KNOW IT WAS TAKING SOME, SOME ISSUES, UM, AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF MAYBE FOR THE MANAGER TO THINK OF, UM, I DON'T RECALL EVER GETTING ANYTHING THAT WE PIVOTED TO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. SO, UM, IF WE'RE NOT, IF WE MOVED AWAY FROM THE CADET PROGRAM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THIS, THIS BODY VOTED ON TO CREATE, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW IT'S GOING IF, AND, YOU KNOW, GET SOME MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHY WE DID THAT. UM, BECAUSE IT WAS A COUNCIL ORDER AND WE, WE DID DO THROUGH, WE DID MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH THE, UH, MASSACHUSETTS FIRE CHAIN OF COUNCIL AND DID GET APPROVAL THROUGH THE HUMAN RESOURCE DIVISION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE CADET PROGRAM. BUT AS WE WERE ALLOWED TO DO THE LOCAL REGISTRY HIRING POLICY, WE'VE SEEN THAT'S A MORE EFFECTIVE AND COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET A, A STREAM OF NEW EMPLOYEES INTO THE, THE FI SERVICE. YEAH, I'M NOT QUITE, I MEAN, IT MAY BE MAYBE I TRUST YOU TO DO THAT. I JUST MORE SO FROM, NOT SO MUCH FOR YOU GUYS, BUT FOR THE BIG CHEESE OVER THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE TO HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THAT, UM, SINCE IT WAS A PIVOT AWAY FROM WHAT THE COUNCIL HAD ASKED FOR. YES. BUT THAT'S NOT ON YOU. THANK YOU. DID YOU WANNA ADD TO THAT? I THINK, YEAH, COUNCIL MCGOVERN, THE POINT IS GREAT, YOU WENT THROUGH ALL THAT PROCESS, BUT SINCE THIS WAS A SURPRISE TO US AND THAT CADET TOOK A LOT OF ENERGY AND EFFORT, I STILL GET ASKED ABOUT THE CADET PROGRAM. RIGHT? AND SO NOW I HAVE AN ANSWER TO GIVE, SAY WE, WE'VE PIVOTED TO THIS OTHER THING. SO IF WE CAN GET AN UPDATE ON THAT IN WRITING, SO I CAN THAT WOULD BE GREAT. WE CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ALL ON THAT TOO. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. THAT'D BE GREAT. UM, I HAD, UNLESS THERE'S OTHER QUESTIONS. I HAD JUST SENT A RELATIVELY QUICK QUESTION, WHICH IS THAT, UM, I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT AND IT, UNLESS I'M READING IT WRONG, THERE WERE TWO NEW FTES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BUDGET, ACCORDING TO PAGE 80. SO WHAT ARE THOSE NEW POSITIONS? UH, YEAH, SO WE DID ADD TWO NEW POSITIONS. UM, ONE POSITION IS THE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND OPERATIONS. UH, THIS ROLE MIRRORS ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATION ROLES ANOTHER LARGE COMPLEX DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY, SUCH AS DHSP, POLICE, CDD AND DPW. THIS IS A ROLE THAT FUNCTIONS AT A HIGH LEVEL WITH THINGS LIKE PAYROLL, BUDGET, HR, UH, AND PROCUREMENT ISSUES. UH, THIS PERSON SERVES AS A POINT PERSON FOR CENTRAL HR, BUDGET, FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT TEAMS AS IT RELATES TO THE CFD. AND THE OTHER POSITION THAT WE ADDED WAS THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS. THIS ROLE HANDLES ALL ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS INCLUDING HIRING, PROMOTIONS, UH, DISCIPLINE, BUSINESS OFFICE OPERATIONS, PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS, SUBPOENAS, ET CETERA. AND THIS ALLOWS THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS TO FOCUS SOLELY ON FIELD OPERATIONS AND HOW WE OPERATE OUT ON THE FIELD, STRATEGY, TACTICS, TRAINING, ET CETERA. THANK YOU. GOOD TO KNOW. UM, ESPECIALLY IN AN ERA WHEN WE'RE ASKING MOST DEPARTMENTS TO EITHER HOLD STEADY OR TO DECLINE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THERE IS AN INCREASE IN FTES. WHY, UM, RELATED TO THE, UM, TRAINING, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE BUDGET INTO RESPONDING TO FIRES. I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND IN THIS I DID NOT SEND IN ADVANCE, SO IF YOU, BUT I, I'M SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO ANSWER IT. SOME OF THE, THE, THE CHANGE IN RESPONDING IS PARTLY DUE TO SOME OF THE OTHER GOALS THAT THE CITY HAS DONE, WHICH IS ELECTRIFICATION. SO THAT YOU, FIRST OF ALL, YOU, I THINK YOU, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF FIRE TRUCKS THAT ARE EVS OR ARE ON THEIR WAY, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT, THE HEAVY DUTY. AND TO, UM, COUNCILOR SUZY'S QUESTION ABOUT THE SMALLER FIRE TRUCKS, THAT WOULD BE STILL AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO THINK ABOUT IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THERE ARE ONES THAT NEW YORK CITY AND OTHER PLACES USE THAT HAVE ALL THE EQUIPMENT ON BOARD, BUT ARE MORE EASILY MANEUVERABLE AROUND THE CITY. BUT MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE TRAINING FOR, IF YOU RESPOND TO MY HOUSE, IT'S GONNA BE A CLASSIC CAMBRIDGE HOUSE WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME FOSSIL FUEL IN THE BASEMENT, MAYBE ONE OR TWO ELECTRIC, BUT THERE'S, EVERY SINGLE NEW CONSTRUCTION IS ONLY ELECTRICAL. IS THERE ANY KIND OF CHANGE IN THE TRAINING THAT YOU'RE DOING IN ORDER TO ENSURE WHEN PEOPLE RESPOND THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THAT THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENCE IN RESPONDING TO A, A HOUSE THAT THAT IS CONFIGURED DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF, UH, BEING ALL ELECTRIC? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE AS A QUESTION? IS THAT SOMETHING IT DOES. SO THE ELECTRIC FIRES, UH, TYPICALLY ARE HANDLED WITH TURNING OFF THE POWER BEFORE WE ENTER IN. AND IT, UM, BUT A TYPICAL ELECTRIC HOUSE OR FACILITY LIKE THAT WOULD NOT, UH, AFFECT OUR RESPONSE IN [04:40:01] MANY WAYS. SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT DO AFFECT OUR RESPONSE ARE THE EBSS, WHICH ARE THE BATTERY SYSTEMS THAT, UH, STORAGE AREAS THAT, UH, WOULD AFFECT OUR RESPONSE AND THEY REACT DIFFERENTLY. AND WE ARE TRAINING, UH, ON THESE DIFFERENT THINGS WITH OUR SUPPRESSION STAFF, IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. YEAH. I WANNA POINT OUT THAT'S, IT WILL ONLY BECOME MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, YOUR STAFF IN THE COMMUNITY IS AS WELL POSITION TO THAT. THE GOOD NEWS IS, MY UNDERSTANDING IS AS WE TRANSITION TO ALL INDUCTION STOVES, GIVEN THAT 40% OF FIRES ARE FROM GAS INDUCTION STOVES ARE FAR, FAR SAFER THAN GAS STOVES. SO IT, IT MAY WELL BE, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL MAKE THE CITY SAFER AS WE, UM, IT TENDS TO MOVE, TENDS TO BE UN UNATTENDED COOKING THAT CAUSES IT. YEAH. SO NOT NECESSARILY THE ELEMENT, BUT RIGHT. BUT THE INDUCTION VERSUS GAS STOVES, NOT THE OLD ELECTRIC COIL, BUT THE INDUCTION VERSUS GAS STOVES, THE SAFETY FACTOR IS, IS FAR, FAR BETTER. YES. AND EVERY HOUSE THAT'S BEING BUILT NOW IN CAMBRIDGE CAN ONLY HAVE THAT. SO IT'S A GOOD THING. VERY GOOD. UM, THOSE WERE THE QUESTIONS WE HAD. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE FIRE TEAM HERE? ALL RIGHT. ON A, UH, TO THE $50.7 MILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT BUDGET TO BE REPORTED TO THE, UM, FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. AND ACTUALLY I WILL DO ONE FOLLOW UP. HOW HARD WAS IT TO FIND THE 2.1% SAVINGS IN THE BUDGET THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS WERE ASKED TO DO? OR WAS THAT NOT SOMETHING IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE FIGHT UPON? IT WAS THIS DISCUSSION ON THAT MOTION. SORRY, UH, TO YOU MADAM CHAIR. IT WAS VERY, IT WAS DIFFICULT. UM, WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, 95% OF OUR BUDGET IS SALARIES AND WAGES. SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, WE HAVE TWO CONSULTANT POSITIONS. WE WERE ABLE TO ELIMINATE ONE IN FI 27. THE OTHER IS BEING REDUCED AND WILL BE ELIMINATED IN FI 28. WE ARE ADJUSTING OUR, UH, STAFF VEHICLE REPLENISHMENT PROGRAM WHERE WE USED TO PURCHASE ONE EVERY YEAR. WE'LL DO ONE WE SKIP THIS YEAR, WE SKIPPED LAST YEAR, AND WE'LL DO ONE IN FY 28. AND AS YOU KNOW, ANYTIME WE REPLACE THOSE CARS, WE GO WITH ALL THAT FOR CAR. ALRIGHT. NO, THANK YOU. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO GET ON THE RECORD THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT WAS PART OF THIS. UM YEP. AND IT'S RELATED TO THE OVERALL BUDGET. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ROLL CALL COUNCILOR. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. VICE ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. GREETINGS TO, UM, ACTING CHIEF CAHILL. SORRY YOU COULDN'T BE HERE. I'M GLAD TO TO SEE ALL OF YOU HERE. THANKS FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH A BUDGET OF $56.9 MILLION. NO, RIGHT THERE WITH FTES OF 354. THANK YOU. ACTING COMMISSIONER WELLS. WELCOME. IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE ANYONE YOU WANT HERE AND IF THERE'S ANY OPENING REMARKS, WE'RE EAGER TO HEAR FROM YOU BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS. AND THANKS FOR YOUR WORK ON LOTS GOING ON IN THE CITY IN THE LAST DAY. SO VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT. I, I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. WE'RE JUST HERE TODAY TO, I'M HERE WITH MY TEAM TO SPEAK ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE WHOLE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE PUT INTO THIS. IT'S, UH, AND TO TRY TO GET ME UP TO SPEED IN, UH, THE THREE WEEKS, UM, THAT WE'VE HAD ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S GOING ON. SO I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE TEAM, UH, DOING THAT FOR ME. AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE THEM. I HAVE RIGHT HERE, UH, ANGELA ALFRED, WHO IS OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF PLANNING BUDGET AND PERSONNEL AND SUPERINTENDENT CABRAL BESIDE ME ON MY LEFT. AND, UM, JIM MULCAHY, WHO WAS THE DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND TRAINING. AND JAMIE BARRETT, THE DIRECTOR OF THE CLINICAL SUPPORT UNIT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER REMARKS YOU WANNA MAKE BEFORE WE ENTERTAIN [04:45:01] QUESTIONS OR, AND AGAIN, WE KNOW THIS IS, IT'S ALWAYS A TENSE TIME GIVEN PUBLIC SAFETY, AND YET IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, THERE'S BEEN QUITE A STRAIN ON THE DEPARTMENT. SO I UNDER, AND YOU'RE ALSO NEW IN THIS POSITION JUST AS OF WHAT, TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO. SO WE ALL APPRECIATE THAT, UNDERSTAND IT, ARE GRATEFUL THAT, THAT YOU TOOK ON THIS, UH, LEADERSHIP ROLE SOMEWHAT, UM, PRECIPITOUSLY. BUT IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANNA SAY BEFORE WE GO TO COUNCILOR QUESTIONS, HAPPY TO HEAR, AND IF NOT, THAT'S FINE. . NO, UM, THANK YOU. AND THROUGH YOU AGAIN, UH, MADAM CHAIR. I DO, UH, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS. UH, YESTERDAY WAS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED LAST NIGHT THAT WE NEVER, EVER WANNA SEE IN THIS CITY. AND I, AND WHAT THE POLICE OFFICERS DID SAVED, UM, SAVED LIVES. THEY WERE THERE SO QUICKLY, SAVED A LOT OF LIVES. I AM STILL, AGAIN SHOCKED THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE MORE, UM, PEOPLE INJURED OR WORSE. AND, UM, SO I, I DO MUCH APPRECIATE THAT. IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY MY OFFICES DIDN'T GET HURT, BUT MENTALLY IS A WHOLE NOTHER THING. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU, UM, STARTING OFF WITH QUESTIONS. OKAY. MAYBE JUST TO BREAK IT, I'LL ASKED A COUPLE IN ADVANCE, I BELIEVE, SO WE CAN START WITH THOSE AND THE COUNCIL CAN, UM, GROUP, UM, LET'S SEE. THE, UM, I ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER EMPLOYEE PAYOUTS EITHER GO FROM FREE CASH OR WHEN THEY GO FROM FREE CASH OR INTERNAL BUDGET. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO BETTER TRACK THE PAYOUTS WITHIN CPD VERSUS OTHER DEPARTMENTAL AVERAGES. SO IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF AND WE CAN WORK ON AND, AND UNDERSTAND A LITTLE GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN THE FUTURE? UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT FREE CASH OR WELL, ANY, JUST ANY KIND OF EMPLOYEE PAYOUTS THAT HAPPEN FOR THE DEPARTMENT. OH, OKAY. WHERE DOES IT COME FROM? BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETIMES IT COMES FROM FREE CASH AND SOMETIMES IT COMES FROM DEPARTMENT AND IT WOULD BE GOOD TO UNDERSTAND AND HAVE MORE TRANSPARENCY INTO THAT. IT, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE, THE LAW DEPARTMENT HAS A, UM, A BUDGET FOR THOSE PAYOUTS AND THAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR BUDGET. OKAY. THROUGH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. UH, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE WORKERS' COMP TYPE SETTLEMENTS, UM, MANY TIMES WE WILL DO A TRANSFER FROM A DEPARTMENT SALARY AND WAGES AND TO TRAVEL AND TRAINING TO PAY FOR THAT. BUT THAT WOULD COME BEFORE COUNSEL. UM, SAME THING IF WE USED FREE CASH. I CAN'T RECALL A TIME IN RECENT MEMORY THAT WE USED A FREE CASH APPROPRIATION TO DO THAT, THAT SPECIFICALLY. UM, BUT YEAH, HOPEFULLY THAT HELPS ANSWER THE QUESTION. YEP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION WAS, WITH THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT NOW STAFFED AND ABLE TO RESPOND TO CALLS, WHICH THE POLICE WOULD'VE HAD TO RESPOND TO, IS THERE ANY EXPECTED IMPACT ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BUDGET? UH, THANK YOU TO YOU. I'M GONNA HAVE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT CABRAL JUMP ON THAT ONE. UM, NOT REALLY. UM, THEY WERE FULLY STAFFED. CSD UH, WHO WAS UP HERE JUST RECENTLY THROUGHOUT 2025. UH, IN 2025, WE RESPONDED TO 99,701 CALLS FOR SERVICE, WHICH WAS A SLIGHT REDUCTION FROM 2024. UM, BUT IT'S ABOUT A 1%, 2% OF OUR CALL VOLUME, WHICH IS NOT REALLY INDICATIVE OF, OF A MAJOR REDUCTION. UM, AND THAT'S, AND, AND LOOKING AT THESE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT'S, THAT IS ABOUT WHAT, WHAT IT IS, ONE OR 2% ON CALL VOLUME, BUT WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE, THE NUMBERS GO DOWN DRASTICALLY WITH THEIR RESPONSES. THANK YOU. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. OTHER COUNCILOR SIMMONS? UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I'LL THROUGH YOU TO, UH, THE, THE COMMISSIONER AND STAFF. I, I, I FEEL LIKE WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS WITH PUBLIC SAFETY. SO OFTEN I'M ABOUT READY TO TAKE EACH OF YOU AS A TAX DEDUCTION. BUT BEYOND THAT, UM, WHEN I LOOK AT YOUR FISCAL 27 OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCES, LET ME JUST START BY WAY OF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE, PARTICULARLY FOR OUR SENIORS. I'VE GONE AROUND TO A NUMBER OF SENIOR BUILDINGS AND THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO COME TO SOME OF THE SENIOR BUILDINGS THAT TALK ABOUT SCAMS AND HOW TO KEEP THEMSELVES SAFE. SO THEY REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT TO THE EXTENT THEY ALMOST WANNA SEE IT MORE OFTEN. AND SO, TWO THINGS I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT IS CAN YOU INCREASE IT? CAN YOU INCREASE A NUMBER OF YOUR VISITS TO, CAN YOU INVITE PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF JUST THE SENIOR BUILDINGS? AND WHAT IS THE FINE BUDGET [04:50:01] IMPACT ON THAT, IF ANY? UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, I THINK, AT LEAST FOR ME ANYWAY, GOING TO THE, UH, THE SENIOR BUILDINGS IS ONE OF THE FAVORITE, FAVORITE THINGS TO DO. UM, THEY LOVE TO TALK AND WE LOVE TO TALK AS WELL. UM, THERE WOULD, WE COULD ABSOLUTELY EXPAND WHAT WE DO AS FAR AS FRAUD AND SCAM ALERT, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM AND THERE ARE SO MANY NEW ONES THAT COME UP ALL THE TIME. MM-HMM . AND I, WE COULD ABSOLUTELY DO THAT WITHOUT ANY BUDGET IMPACT, UH, THROUGH, THROUGH HUMAN MADAM CHAIR TO THE COMMISSIONER. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW. 'CAUSE AS I SPEAK TO THE SENIOR ADVISORS AND THEY ASK ME, I CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE IS CAPACITY TO DO THAT AND HAVE THEM GIVE RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHERE, WHERE, UH, YOU COULD LIKE YOU COULD GO. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, SECOND, UM, FISCAL YEAR 27, PAGE TWO 19. IT TALKS ABOUT UNDER OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES IS TO CONTINUE TO RECRUIT DIVERSE AND TALENTED STAFF BY ENHANCING THE CADET PROGRAM IN CAMBRIDGE SLASH NORTHEASTERN POL POLICE ACADEMY AND IMPLEMENTING ALTERNATIVE PATHWAYS TO HIRING, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR, TO THE COMMISSIONER AND AND STAFF. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I KNOW WE, WE BROKE AWAY FROM THE STANDARD STATE. THANK YOU. ARE YOU CLOSING THE WINDOW? BECAUSE I, I'M FREEZING. UM, I KNOW WE MOVED AWAY FROM THE STATE POLICE MODEL TO THE CAMBRIDGE NORTHEASTERN POLICE ACADEMY MODEL, AND I'VE NEVER BEEN SURE. DOES THAT COST US MORE OR, OR LESS WHAT'S THE, UH, BUDGET IMPACT OF USING OUR OWN CAMBRIDGE NORTHEASTERN MODEL VERSUS THE STATE MODEL, WHICH I THINK FAR AND AWAY IS A BETTER MODEL, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT? YES, I CAN THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, THE CAMBRIDGE NORTHEASTERN POLICE ACADEMY, WHICH STARTED, I BELIEVE IN 19 20 19. 2019. UM, IN, AS OF LAST YEAR, THE, UH, TRAINING COMMITTEE FOR THE STATE USES OUR ACADEMY AS, AS THE ONE TO FOLLOW FOR OTHER ACADEMIES IN THE STATE. UM, I THINK IT'S, IM, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO GO. WE USED TO HAVE AN ACADEMY BACK IN THE DAY AND MM-HMM . TO BRING IT BACK WAS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, THERE'S THE CAMBRIDGE WAY AND THERE'S EVERYBODY ELSE'S WAY. AND WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE BROUGHT ON, UM, IN CAMBRIDGE KNEW WHAT THE CAMBRIDGE WAY MEANT AND, AND MM-HMM . AND HOW, AND THAT'S HOW THEY WERE TRAINED. IT DOES COST MORE MONEY THAN IF WE WENT TO A REGULAR ACADEMY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. UM, SO YES, IT DOES DEFINITELY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE BUDGET. THANK YOU. THAT'S INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT TO KNOW BECAUSE FOR ME, UH, TO THROUGH THE CHAIR TO MY COLLEAGUES IS THAT WE, THROUGH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT, FIND IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW TO REALLY REACH AND ENGAGE, UM, PEOPLE ON A FIELD ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL THAN SAY THE STATE OR OTHER, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS DO IT. SO I COMMEND YOU FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE TO, TO DO THAT AND BRINGING OUR CADETS, WHICH I'M ALWAYS, UM, EVERY TIME I SEE A NEW PRO, UH, A CLASS OF CADETS COME THROUGH, I'M ALWAYS IMPRESSED BECAUSE IT IS SO, SO DIVERSE. AND SO THEN LASTLY, BY WAY OF JUST, UM, UH, THANK YOU. I HAD, I WAS VERY PLEASED TO SEE OR BE REMINDED, AND THIS IS ON 2,218, FISCAL YEAR 26, ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUCCESSFULLY OBTAINED THE ADVANCED LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCREDITATION THROUGH THE COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. ADVANCED LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCREDITATION ENSURES THE DEPARTMENT'S POLICIES, PRACTICES, AND PROCEDURES REFLECT THE LATEST RESEARCH BASED BEST PRACTICES. I THINK THAT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY, AND WE DON'T PAT OURSELVES ON THE BACK QUITE ENOUGH THAT WE HAVE, IF NOT DEFINED AS ONE OF THE MOST FINEST PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. AND WE DON'T GIVE OURSELVES ENOUGH CREDIT. SO, UH, EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A BUDGET HEARING FROM A FISCALLY FISCAL PERSPECTIVE, YOU SHOULD TAKE AS MANY ACCOLADES AS YOU CAN CARRY BECAUSE EACH OF YOU DO SUCH FINE WORK. WITH THAT, I YIELD THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, AND THEN MAYORS. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOUR CHAIR. UH, JUST A FEW QUESTIONS. I AM SEEING IN THE BUDGET AN ALTERNATIVE HIRING PATHWAY. I THINK COUNCILOR SIMMONS ALSO REFERRED TO IT. UM, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY SORT OF PERFORMANCE MEASURE TIED TO IT. I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S AN ANTICIPATION ON THE NUMBER OF OFFICE OFFICERS YOU ALL ARE TRYING TO EXPLORE THROUGH THAT PATHWAY. YES, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY THAT WE FINALLY GOT ON, ON BOARD HERE, WE HAVE 30 CANDIDATES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. UM, IT'S GOING TO, WE ARE GONNA, UM, ATTACH PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO IT, BUT IT'S REALLY GONNA DEPEND ON, ON WHAT WE HAVE FOR OPENINGS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. IT'S GOING TO BE LIKE A REVOLVING TYPE OF, [04:55:01] UM, UH, THING WHERE EACH TIME WE WOULD LOSE A BODY, WE WOULD GO BACK TO THAT AND, AND REPLACE A BODY WITH THAT. UM, USING THAT METHOD. NOW IT'S, IT IS CIVIL SERVICE RELATED AS WELL. SO WHEN WE ASK FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF OFFICERS FROM CIVIL SERVICE, 50% OF THOSE CAN GO THROUGH THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY. AND THAT GIVES US, THAT GIVES US A LOT OF LEVERAGE ON WHO WE CAN PICK AND WHY WE WANT TO PICK THEM. AND AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGE WAY AND THE CAMBRIDGE WAY OF DOING THINGS, AND ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT DIVERSITY IS HIGH UP ON THAT PLATFORM, UM, THAT'S, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA USE THE PATHWAY FOR. GOTCHA. IT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND AND NOTICED, UH, I BELIEVE THIS WAS IN THE OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES, THE AUDITS ON THE OPERATION OF THE BODY-WORN CAMERA PROGRAM, ENSURING POLICY COMPLIANCE AND TRAINING. ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP ME BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GOALS ARE THAT OF THAT ARE, ESPECIALLY WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECENTLY, UH, WORKED TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROGRAM? YES. UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, DO YOU MADAM CHAIR? UM, THE AUDITS THAT WE DO, UH, DURING THE BODY-WORN CAMERA PROGRAM ARE POLICY AND POLICY AND, UM, CB UH, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RELATED. AND SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF AUDITS THAT WE DO THAT FOR THAT SPECIFIC POLICY. BUT THEN THOSE ARE OTHER, THERE'S OTHER ARTISTS THAT WE DO AS WELL, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF INCIDENTS OCCUR. GOTCHA. THEN THE FINAL QUESTION I HAVE IS, UH, RELATED TO, UM, ONE OF YOUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES, I THINK AS WELL ON WORKING WITH, UH, SENIORS, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND THE UNHOUSED. I'M CURIOUS, ARE YOU GUYS HOLDING THAT WORK WITH CSD? UM, CURIOUS TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT KIND OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF WORK THERE. UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN CSD IS TAKING ON SOME OF THOSE MENTAL HEALTH RELATED CALLS, UM, AND ENGAGING WITH THE IN-HOUSE POPULATION AS WELL. YEP. THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR, THAT'S, UH, A LOT OF THAT WORK COMES OUT OF A FAMILY SOCIAL JUSTICE SECTION. UH, WORKS WITH OUR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. UH, WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH CSD. WE HAVE A WEEKLY MEETING THAT I GO TO, WHICH IS MORE ON THE, UM, LARGER THE, UH, LARGER MORE, UM, COMMAND STAFF LEVEL. BUT THERE ARE MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH THE DIFFERENT CLINICIANS IN OUR CLINICAL SUPPORT UNIT AND, UH, WITH OUR OFFICERS IN THE CAT TEAM AND OUR OFFICERS IN THE, UM, FSJS OUTREACH WHO COORDINATE ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH, UH, CARE RESPONDERS. UM, AND A LOT OF THAT COMES DOWN TO WHO'S GONNA DO FOLLOW UPS AND WHO WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH. AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PEOPLE WHO ARE, DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A NEXUS WITH THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM WILL BE STEERED MORE TOWARDS CSD. AND THE ONES WITH THERE IS WHEN THERE IS MORE OF AN ISSUE WHERE THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE OF SAFETY OR, UH, POSSIBLE ENTRANCE INTO THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, THAT THAT'S WHERE THE FOLLOW UPS WILL COME OUT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. GOTCHA. THAT'S HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND. UM, I'LL GO AHEAD AND YIELD FOR NOW. THANKS. THANK YOU. UH, I BELIEVE MAYOR SIDIKI IS NEXT. AND THEN COUNCILOR SUZI. THANK YOU. I HAD A QUICK QUESTION. UM, I'M STILL KIND OF NAVIGATING THE STRUCTURE, THE, THE BUDGET BOOK. UH, SO PAGE 80 SHOWS THE POSITION LIST AND THERE'S A PLUS ONE FOR POLICE. CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY WHAT THAT PLUS ONE IS FOR? THAT'S THE CHIEF OF STAFF. THAT'S THE CHIEF OF STAFF. OKAY. UH, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WANTED, UH, TO KNOW ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN KIND OF GENERAL TERMS WAS AROUND, UH, OVERTIME AND KIND OF HOW MUCH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE THINK WE'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, ANY ANALYSIS ON THAT. WHERE'S THAT LIST? UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM, MADAM CHAIR? UM, WE HAVE DO HAVE A, UM, OVERTIME OVER THE LAST, UH, THREE OR FOUR YEARS HAS GONE UP. AND, UM, WE STARTED TO PUT A NEW PROGRAM, OR A BETTER WAY OF LOOKING AT OUR OVERTIME ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. AND WE'VE SEEN A HUGE IMPACT ON, UM, ON THE OVERTIME. AND YOU'LL SEE A REDUCTION FOR FY 26. WE DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER YET AS THE, THE FISCAL YEAR IS NOT OVER, BUT THERE WILL BE A REDUCTION FROM LAST YEAR, UH, IN OVERTIME DUE TO THOSE TYPES OF CONSTRAINTS THAT WE HAVE PUT ON IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'LL YIELD, UM, THOSE ARE MY TWO QUESTIONS FOR NOW. THANK YOU COUNCILOR ZZI. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I FEEL AS THOUGH ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE ASK TODAY SEEM [05:00:01] SO TRIVIAL COMPARED TO YOUR EXTRAORDINARY WORK OF YESTERDAY. UM, SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRAVERY AND, UH, QUICK RESPONSE TO A HORRIBLE, SCARY SITUATION. UH, I WANTED TO ASK YOU AND I, I, AGAIN, I, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS WONDERFUL TO TOUR THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TOUR, AND I GOT A MUCH BETTER SENSE FOR THE CAMBRIDGE WAY WAS REALLY HELPFUL. UM, AND I, I DO THINK EVENTUALLY I, LIKE, I THINK THE EX THE IDEA OF THE CARE TEAM IS REALLY INTERESTING TOO, BUT I THINK ULTIMATELY, AND I HOPE BY NEXT YEAR, WELL IT, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT WASN'T SUPPOSED, THE CARE TEAM WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE AN ADD-ON. IT WAS SUPPOSED, IT SEEMS LIKE IN THE END, UM, IT SHOULD BE LIKE, UM, DELEGATING SOME OF THE WORK THAT THE POLICE WERE DOING TO THE CARE TEAM. ANYWAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GONNA SORT IT OUT, AND I'M GLAD YOU'RE TALKING, BUT I THINK THE IDEA WASN'T TO PAY FOR THE CARE TEAM AND THEN TO PAY FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THE SAME, UH, AT THE, AT THE SAME, YOU KNOW, RATE. SO I, I HOPE YOU TWO DEPARTMENTS WILL FIGURE OUT HOW, UM, HOW YOU CAN COLLABORATE MORE AND, AND MAYBE ROUTE MORE CALLS FOR THE CARE TEAM TO RELIEVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OF SOME OF ITS RESPONSIBILITIES. UM, I WANTED TO ASK, JUST, UH, IN THE BUDGET ALMOST, UH, 932,000 ARE, HAS, IS NOTED FOR EXTRAORDINARY EXPENDITURES. WHAT WOULD, WHAT WOULD THAT BE FOR THROUGH YOU, UH, MADDEN CHAIR? UM, THE 930 2K UNDER EXTRAORDINARY EXPENDITURES IS FOR OUR FLEET. THAT IS FOR ALL OUR VEHICLES AND ALSO FOR MOTORCYCLES. I'M SORRY, VEHICLES AND MOTORCYCLES. YES. OH, MOTORCYCLES. OKAY. UM, AND THEN THE 3.7 MILLION FOR ORDINARY MAINTENANCE WOULD BE FOR WHAT I, YES. THE 3.7 IS OUR OTHER ORDINARY MAINTENANCE, AND THAT, UM, PRIMARILY COVERS THE OPERATIONS OF THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT. THAT INCLUDES ALL OF OUR ENERGY BILLS, UM, GAS, ELECTRIC, OUR FUEL LEASES FOR THE LOTS WHERE WE STORE OUR FLEET. UM, IT'S OUR CLEANING CONTRACT FOR THE ENTIRE BUILDING, UM, CLEANING SUPPLIES, OFFICE SUPPLIES. IT ALSO PAYS FOR OUR CONNECTIVITY SERVICES FOR THE VEHICLES AND FOR THE BUILDING VEHICLE SUPPLIES AND VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AS WELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, AND THEN THIS SEEMS LIKE A REALLY TRIVIAL QUESTION, BUT IT'S, IT'S REAL. AND I THINK LAST YEAR THERE WERE 500 BICYCLES STOLEN IN CAMBRIDGE, AND ACCORDING TO THIS BUDGET BOOK, THERE WERE 427 THEFTS IN FISCAL YEAR 26. HOW CAN WE, UM, HOW CAN WE REDUCE THAT NUMBER? I KNOW WE HAVE MANY, MANY STUDENTS WHO PROBABLY DON'T REALIZE THAT LOTS OF BIKES ARE STOLEN IN CAMBRIDGE, BUT HOW CAN WE MAKE THEM MORE AWARE OF HOW THEY CAN BETTER PROTECT THEIR, UH, BICYCLES? AND I REALIZE PEOPLE CAN SAW THROUGH THE HEAVY DUTY LOCKS NOW, BUT, UH, CAN YOU THINK OF ANYTHING THAT MIGHT S SPARE PEOPLE OF ALL THAT DISAPPOINTMENT? IS THIS ABOUT BUDGET ALLOCATION TO BUY? YES. YEAH. HOW, HOW WOULD THAT RELATE TO YOUR BUDGET? WELL, I'M, I'M HAPPY, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT, UM, THROUGH THE END OF APRIL OF 2026, WE'RE DOWN 33% IN STOLEN BICYCLES THIS YEAR, AND, UH, DOWN 36%, UH, FOR THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE. UM, SO THAT WAS WHEN I SAW THE QUESTION. I WAS VERY HAPPY TO ANSWER IT. AND UM, ALSO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WE DO BESIDES PSAS. WE ALSO DO THINGS LIKE ADOPT A BUILDING AND, UM, WE DO FIND THAT A LOT OF THE BIKE THEFTS ARE HAPPENING, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF BUILDINGS WILL HAVE A BIKE, UH, CAGE. AND, UM, SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THOSE FOLKS TO TRY TO BETTER SECURE THOSE CAGES BECAUSE THEY ARE GETTING INTO THE CAGES AND STEALING THE BIKES, AND THEN THEY HAVE THEIR PICK OF WHAT'S IN THERE OR AS MANY AS THEY CAN CARRY. SO WE'RE TRYING TO WORK WITH SOME OF THOSE BUILDINGS TO HAVE THEM SECURE THE BICYCLES, UM, BETTER INSIDE THOSE CAGES AS WELL. SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, UH, FANTASTIC. AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT NEWS THAT BICYCLE THEFTS HAVE BEEN, UM, BEEN GOING DOWN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. UM, I WILL FOLLOW UP ON THAT ON THE, UM, PAGE TWO 19 ON THE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES AND MEASURES. UM, COUPLE THINGS. UM, THE ONLY PERFORMANCE MEASURE IS ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESSFUL REFERRALS TO RECOVERY SESSIONS IN COMMUNITY. IT'S A PERCENT, WHAT IS THAT? A PERCENT OF? WHAT IS THE UNDERLYING NUMBER [05:05:13] TO THE CHAIR? THAT IS, UM, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE REFERRED, SO IT WAS 32 REFERRALS. THERE WERE, UH, 13 SUCCESSFUL COMPLETIONS THREE FAILURES TO BRING IT TO ABOUT AN 81% SUCCESS RATE FOR THE PAST YEAR. WAIT, THAT WAS 32 AND 13? NO, SORRY. SO THERE'S 32 COMPLETE, UM, REFERRALS, BUT COMPLETED 13, GRADUATED, THREE FAILED OUT THE REMAINING NUMBER, WHICH IS, UH, SIX ARE STILL, UH, 16 ARE STILL IN THE SESSION. OKAY. AND WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? LIKE, ARE THOSE, THAT'S A SPECIFIC PROGRAM, IT'S JUST, THERE'S NO BACKGROUND ON THIS. YEAH, SURE. SO, UM, THE COMMUNITY COURT AND RECOVERY COURT ARE SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE COURT SYSTEM. UH, RECOVERY COURT IS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES. UH, THIS DETERMINES SECONDARY TO A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITION. AND COMMUNITY COURT IS, UH, ARE UNHOUSED POPULATION WHO HAVE ALSO COMMITTED CRIMES. AND SO RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL PROSECUTION, UH, IT'S DONE THROUGH THESE SESSIONS WHERE, UH, IF THERE'S COMPLIANCE WITH TREATMENT PLANS, THEN UH, THE CHARGES ARE ESSENTIALLY WAIVED. THAT'S GREAT. I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE BUDGET SO WE KNOW WHAT THE UNDERLYING, JUST THE NUMBERS SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT IT IS. AND RELATED TO THAT, IT'S, IT STRUCK ME THAT IT'S, IT'S ODD THAT THE, THERE'S ONLY ONE PERFORMANCE MEASURE HERE, ONLY ONE SMART GOAL. THERE'S SO MUCH OTHER WORK THE DEPARTMENT DOES. SO FOR FUTURE BUDGETS, I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A MUCH FULLER OUTLINE OF WHAT THE SMART GOALS ARE FOR THE, FOR THE DEPARTMENT. 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S ABOUT A GAZILLION THINGS THAT ARE ALL TRACKED. SO JUST TO HAVE THIS ONE RELATED TO THE BUDGET OF A VERY SMALL NUMBER WHERE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, 32 PEOPLE INVOLVED AND 13 DOES NOT DO WELL TO GIVE THE FULL STORY OF THE DEPARTMENT. DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? COMMISSIONER, IF YOU DON'T MIND. UH, LOVE IT. YES, MA'AM. AND, AND WHEN I, UH, THROUGH YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SMART GOALS, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LIKE SMART GOALS AND, UM, SO WE HAVE SET IN MOTION IN THE PAST THREE WEEKS FOR THE NEXT, UH, FISCAL YEAR TO HAVE TWO OR THREE SMART GOALS THAT WE CAN, UM MM-HMM . MAKE SURE THAT WE LET EVERYBODY KNOW ABOUT. AND, AND NUMBER TWO IS WE ONLY HAD A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ROOM IN THE BUDGET BOOK. UM, SO I JUST WANNA POINT THAT OUT. SO WELL THAT WE CAN TALK TO DIRECTOR JENNINGS ABOUT THAT AND GIVING YOU MORE ROOM SINCE THIS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST DEPARTMENTS, I THINK WE COULD GIVE YOU MORE ROOM. AND I AGREE. IT'S NOT JUST THAT I LIKE SMART GOALS. I THINK WE OWE IT TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO OURSELVES AND TO YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE OBJECTIVE AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE. AND AGAIN, IF THESE ARE THE OBJECTIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES, THERE PROBABLY SHOULD BE AT LEAST ONE MEASURABLE OUTCOME RELATED TO EVERYONE, LIKE THE DIVERSE AND TALENTED STAFF. UM, I, I DO WANNA ALSO SAY, I THINK IN THE FUTURE, ONE OF THE IDEAS LIKE NUMBER FIVE ON THE OBJECTIVE AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES, I READ THAT AND THINK THAT COULD BE THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, NOT THE CARE TEAM. IT'S WORKING WITH SENIORS, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE UNHOUSED AND CASE MANAGEMENT. SO IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S ANOTHER MEASURE THAT THERE SHOULD BE VERY STRONG COORDINATION AND THAT, THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS SOMETHING I WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF COLLABORATION AROUND. YEAH. UM, BECAUSE READING THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE EXACTLY WHY WE SET UP THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. MM-HMM . UM, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, THE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION WITH CPD AND CSD IS VERY STRONG. AND I'LL SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE GROUND IT'S SEAMLESS. UH, WE LITERALLY TALK TO THEM EVERY DAY, NOT ONLY, UH, ON THE GROUND, BUT ALSO WITH THE CLINICIANS TALKING TO A, TO EACH OTHER EVERY DAY, LITERALLY REFERRING, UM, MANY CASES TO CSD. AND I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH THEM. UM, I'M TELLING YOU THAT WE'RE WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH COMMUNITY SAFETY. I THINK WE ALL WANNA HEAR THAT AND KNOW THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING THAT. UM, GO AROUND AGAIN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BODY? WELL, THAT WAS SURPRISINGLY SHORT DISCUSSION. UM, MOVE TO, UH, SEND THE BUDGET FORWARD, SIMMONS COUNCIL SIMMONS TO SEND THE $56.9 MILLION BUDGET OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. MADAM CHAIR DISCUSSION? YES. COUNCILOR ZUBI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU CHAIR. I, I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THE PROPOSAL. I WILL BE VOTING, PRESENT, UH, TO A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION OF THE POLICE BUDGET RIGHT NOW IN ITS CURRENT FORM. [05:10:01] AND, UH, THE MAIN PART OF THAT IS JUST A STRUGGLE WITH THE BUDGET REALLY BEING ABOUT A BALANCE OF RESOURCES AND WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY MEANS. I, I WILL SAY, I'M, I'M THANKFUL TO BE DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT WITH YOU. UM, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUICKNESS YESTERDAY, AND I'M HOLDING THAT WITH YOU AS WELL. I'LL YIELD THANKS, MADAM CHAIR, COUNCILOR. SO WHEELER. THANKS MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOU. I, UH, HAD MOST OF MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED TO OUR PREVIOUS HEARING ON THIS, BUT I, UM, JUST WANTED TO NOTE, I'LL ALSO BE VOTING PRESENT AROUND SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES, INCLUDING AROUND, UH, THE CO RESPONSE THAT I, UH, RAISED PREVIOUSLY YIELD BACK. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS WITH, WE'RE OPEN TO, WE'RE IN THE DISCUSSION PERIOD, IF ANYTHING RELATED TO THE BUDGET, SO IT'S FAIR DISCUSSION IF ANYONE HAS FURTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. ALRIGHT. WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. COUNCIL MAYOR, VICE MAYOR HAZEM. UM, I JUST HAD A QUESTION, UM, FOR MY COLLEAGUES. IS THERE ANY CHANGE IN THE POLICE BUDGET THAT WOULD CHANGE THEIR, UH, OPINIONS TONIGHT? I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S ACTION ITEMS THAT WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND FOR NEXT YEAR'S POLICE BUDGET OR ANYTHING IN GENERAL? YEP. I COULD SPEAK TO THAT. YEAH, IT ASKED PREVIOUSLY AROUND, UH, HAVING A PROCESS AROUND, UH, THE CO RESPONSE MODEL. WE, AS A COUNCIL HAD PUT IN A POLICY ORDER SPECIFICALLY FOR THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. WE'VE NEVER, UH, PUT IN A POLICY ORDER REQUESTING FOR A SIMILAR CO RESPONSE MODEL THAT WAS SET UP INDEPENDENTLY OF ANY REQUEST BY THE CITY COUNCIL. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A, A PROCESS AROUND THAT. GO BACK. VICE MEZE, DID YOU HAVE ANY FOLLOW UP OR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO. THANK YOU. OKAY. DISCUSSION ON THAT HAVING BEEN HAD. THEN, UH, ROLL CALL ON THE MOTION. COUNCILOR ZUBE. PRESENT. PRESENT VICE MEZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT AND TWO RECORDED IS PRESENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ARE NOW ONTO EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION. I'M NOT SURE IF WE WANNA CHANGE. I THINK IF WE'RE MOVING FORWARD A LITTLE MORE QUICKLY, I'M NOT SURE WE CAN CHANGE IT AND HAVE CAPITAL BUDGETS HERE, BUT MAYBE WE'LL STICK WITH THE PLAN TO HAVE THEM. UM, I KNOW WE JUST WANTED TO LET LET THE STAFF KNOW, BUT, UM, WE HAVE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS UP THAT IS ON PAGE 2 0 7. COMMISSIONER OR SHE, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER? THE SIGN DIDN'T SAY ACTING. OH, OKAY. THIS IS AN EIGHT POINT, UH, ACTUALLY $9 MILLION BUDGET WITH 65 FTES. DIRECTOR JACOBY, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND IF YOU HAVE ANY OPENING REMARKS, HAPPY TO HEAR THEM. WELCOME. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, CHRISTINA JACOBY, DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. I'M JOINED IN SPIRIT BY MY COLLEAGUES, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY IT, WALTER HEFFERNAN AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR SERENA FRANKS, UM, OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BIG UPGRADE TODAY AT THE, AT THE HEALY BUILDING, UH, CRITICAL SYSTEM THAT REQUIRED US TO RELOCATE TO OUR BACKUP SITE. SO THEY UNFORTUNATELY COULD NOT BE HERE WITH ME TODAY. THANK YOU. ANYTHING YOU WANNA SAY ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT BEFORE WE JUST, UM, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR, APPRECIATE THERE ARE A LOT OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES HERE SO THAT WE HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT YOUR DEPARTMENT DOES. IT JUST GIVES US A SENSE OF WHAT THE DEPARTMENT DOES. IT'S PART OF WHY I, I, I THINK IT'S HELPFUL AND I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AND APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, AS YOU COULD TELL YESTERDAY, IT WAS A TOUGH DAY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY IN GENERAL. UM, OUR TEAM, UM, SUPPORTED PUBLIC SAFETY AND, UM, THE JOB THAT THEY DO EVERY SINGLE DAY ISN'T SEEN BY ANYBODY BECAUSE WE'RE BEHIND THE SCENES. AND, UM, IT'S, IT'S A TREMENDOUS JOB THAT THEY DO AND IT'S A TOUGH JOB. UM, BUT THEY'RE TRAINED TO DO IT AND WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE HAVE AT THE CENTER. WE'RE FULLY STAFFED, WHICH WE'RE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT, AND, UH, WE'RE CONTINUING TO EVOLVE AND, UM, ENSURE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER TOP-NOTCH SERVICES. THANK YOU. UM, START OFF WITH ANY QUESTIONS. UH, COUNCIL ZUBE. HI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU. UM, MADAM [05:15:01] CHAIR, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR NOW. UM, I NOTICED THAT THE FISCAL YEAR 26 PROJE PROJECTION FOR REFERRALS TO THE 9 1 1 SOCIAL WORKER WAS ONLY 30, WHICH SEEMED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE FISCAL YEAR 25 OF 1 98. UH, CURIOUS TO KNOW, LIKE WHAT CAUSED THE DROP THERE AND IS THE PROJECTED FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 REALISTIC? UM, IT'D BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURAL EXPLANATION HERE SO THAT I CAN BETTER PROCESS THAT THROUGH YOU. MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, IN FISCAL 25, WE LOST OUR SOCIAL WORKER. UM, IT WAS A PRETTY TREMENDOUS LOSS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT, UM, WHICH REQUIRED US TO HAVE SOME HEALING TIME AND SPACE TO, UH, PROCESS AND ALSO PREPARE FOR, UM, ONBOARDING A NEW SOCIAL WORKER. I AM PLEASED TO, UM, INFORM YOU. WE DO, WE'VE HIRED A SOCIAL WORKER, COLIN MCGOWAN, WHO JOINED US IN JANUARY OF 2026, UM, WHO'S GETTING UP TO SPEED ON THINGS, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, COMMUNITY SAFETY, POLICE, FIRE AND PRO. UM, I'M CONFIDENT THAT, UM, OUR PERFORMANCE MEASURES PROJECTED FOR FISCAL 26 WILL BE HIGHER THAN WHAT IS REPORTED HERE, AS WELL AS OUR TARGET FOR FISCAL 27, I BELIEVE WILL EXCEED THAT AS WELL. THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO, TO UNDERSTAND THERE THE NUMBERS. AND I'M CURIOUS, HOW IS THE SOCIAL WORKER POSITION TO DO THAT WORK IN LINE WITH, UM, ANY OF THE GIVEN DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE WORKING WITH ECCS? IS THAT SOCIAL WORKER JUST ON THE GROUND WITH YOU GUYS RESPONDING TO CALLS THAT ARE DIRECTED MAYBE TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS? I'M CURIOUS TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, SO THE SOCIAL WORKER, UM, SITS IN THE COMMUNICATION CENTER WITH THE DISPATCHERS. SO THEY ARE AVAILABLE TO, UM, DEESCALATE IN REAL TIME A CALL FOR A PERSON HAVING A EMERGENCY, UM, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE. UM, THEY'RE ALSO THERE TO SUPPORT THE STAFF AS WELL. IN TERMS OF, YES, IT WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE. THE CLINICIAN WAS WORKING, UM, WAS ABLE TO CHECK IN WITH STAFF AFTER THE INCIDENT AND DURING MAKING SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE ACTIVATING OUR PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM AND CITIZEN PROGRAM TO, UM, SUPPORT THE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS. UM, THEY ALSO WORK CLOSELY IN ATTENDING THE WEEKLY MEETINGS WITH PUBLIC SAFETY, WITH CARE, UH, WITH COMMUNITY SAFETY, POLICE, FIRE AND PRO. UH, WE MAKE REFERRALS OVER TO POLICE AND AND CARE AS WELL, AND THEY MAKE REFERRALS TO US. ALSO. I THINK ONE OF THE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ROLES THAT THE CLINICIAN PLAYS FOR US IS WE HAVE HIGH UTILIZERS THAT CALL THE CENTER AS PART OF THEIR SAFETY PLAN OR, OR WHEN THEY'RE IN CRISIS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND TRYING TO CONNECT RESOURCES, UH, FOR THEM. AND ALSO SUPPORTING THE STAFF ON THE APPROPRIATE SCRIPTS AND, UM, TERMINOLOGY TO USE WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO TRY TO REDIRECT THEM SO THAT THEY'RE NOT CONTINUOUSLY CALLING 9 1 1 OR CALLING THE BUSINESS LINE AND TAKING UP TIME FROM THE STAFF. THEY'RE REDIRECTED TO A RESOURCE, WHETHER THAT'S THE CLINICIAN, UH, AT THE CENTER, UM, COMMUNITY SAFETY RESPONSE IN, IN SOME CASES, UM, OR WHETHER IT'S A SOCIAL WORKER WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM OF CAMBRIDGE THAT HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT INDIVIDUAL AND WE'RE CALLING AND THEY'RE MAKING THAT CONNECTION WITH A SOCIAL WORKER, SAY AT THE LIBRARY OR AT AT COMMUNITY SAFETY TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE GETTING CALLS FROM THIS INDIVIDUAL AGAIN, CAN WE DO A WELLBEING CHECK? AND SO FORTH. SO, UM, THEY ALSO, UH, ATTEND, UH, SOME OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY MEETINGS AND STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. GOTCHA. IT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND AND GLAD THAT THAT WORK IS HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY WITH UNDER ON THE GROUND SUPPORT, AND KNOW THAT THAT COULD ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CSD TO KIND OF HELP WITH THE CAPACITY THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IN THAT REFERRAL PROCESS AS WELL. SO, CURIOUS TO GET UPDATES ON THAT LATER, BUT DOESN'T NEED TO HAPPEN NOW. I'LL YIELD MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU. COULD I, COULD I JUST ADD ONTO THAT AND JUST TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, BECAUSE IT'S COME UP TODAY. UM, IT CAME UP, UM, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN ALLUDED TO IT WHEN COMMUNITY SAFETY WAS UP HERE. I THINK, UM, ACTING COMMISSIONER WELLS ALSO ALLUDED TO THIS, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE EXPERIENCE IN ALL PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS, IS JUST THAT REAL, UM, RISK OF PTSD, THAT FIRST RESPONDERS FACE. AND I, I THINK IT'S REALLY CRITICAL THAT THE CITY CONTINUES TO INVEST IN SUPPORTING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF ITS TEAM. AND WE'RE SO HAPPY TO HAVE COLIN ON BOARD IN THE CLINICIAN ROLE TO REALLY PEOPLE UNDERESTIMATE THE AMOUNT OF, UM, REAL, YOU KNOW, AUTHENTIC MENTAL HEALTH DISTRESS THAT, UM, THE WORK OF A DISPATCHER CAN CAUSE. AND SO WE APPRECIATE THE INVESTMENT THAT, UM, THIS COUNCIL AND THIS COMMUNITY IS MAKING, AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE JUST NEED TO CONTINUALLY THINK ABOUT. [05:20:01] UM, 'CAUSE IT'S REAL. THANK YOU. YES. AND ANYONE WHO SAW THE PLAY, THE MODERATOR AT CENTRAL SQUARE THEATER UNDERSTANDS THOSE PEOPLE AT THE INTERSECTION OF, BEFORE I GO ON TO A COUPLE OTHER QUESTIONS, WE, WE ARE MOVING A LITTLE MORE QUICKLY, SO I WANNA POLL MEMBERS A LITTLE BIT. I HAD THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD NOT GET THROUGH THIS AND WE SHOULD PLAN TO RECONVENE ON THURSDAY. IS IT THE SENSE THAT THE BODY, NOT TO RUSH ANYBODY, BUT THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THEM TODAY AND THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO DO THAT? YOU KNOW, WE CAN STILL END AROUND FIVE, BUT EVEN IF IT GOES A LITTLE BIT LONGER, AS OPPOSED TO ASSUMING WE'RE GONNA RECONVENE, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF NODS, SO I AM GONNA, UM, LET THE CITY MANAGER KNOW HE SHOULD RECONVENE HIS TEAM AND TELL THEM AND SEE IF THEY CAN BE READY. AND MADAM CHAIR, YES. AND THEN AGAIN, JUST REMIND ALL OF US TO, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE'RE STICKING ON RIGHT. WE WILL STICK TO BUDGET AGAIN. IT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB WE HAVE. SO I NEVER WANNA CUT OFF, UM, DISCUSSION, BUT I, AS AS THE PERTINENT QUESTIONS, I WILL TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ALL RELATED TO THE BUDGET. AND AGAIN, IT'S OUR ONLY CHANCE SOMETIMES TO EVEN TALK TO DEPARTMENTS. SO WE APPRECIATE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH THIS, BUT I THINK WE CAN GET THROUGH IT. GIVEN WHERE WE ARE NOW, I THINK WE'D EXPECTED, UH, A COUPLE OF THE DEPARTMENTS WE JUST FINISHED TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER. SO BACK TO ECC. UM, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS OR ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE FLOOR? UM, ACTUALLY ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I SENT WAS ALREADY ANSWERED, UH, BASED ON COUNCILOR ZUS QUESTION. I DID WANNA ASK ABOUT THE LARGE NUMBER OF SYSTEMS UPGRADES UNDER CITY MANAGER. DID YOU HEAR THAT? THAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET THROUGH? THANK YOU. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF SYSTEMS UPGRADES. THIS IS A DEPARTMENT THAT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT FOCUSED ON AND RELIANT ON TECHNOLOGY TO GET THROUGH. WHEN YOU READ THROUGH THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF 9 1 1 CALLS ANSWERED WITHIN 20 SECONDS. ABANDONMENT RATE, VERY LOW PERCENT OF CALLS PROCESSED IN COMPLIANCE. THERE'S JUST SO MUCH THAT WE RELY ON AND THE NUMBER OF, UM, UPGRADES, WHAT IS IT? OH, SYSTEM AND APPLICATION UPGRADES IS PRETTY HIGH, WHICH WAS REFERENCED IN THE, SO I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW THAT AFFECTS THE BUDGET. IS THAT IN COORDINATION WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE ALSO DOING A LOT OF, A LOT OF UPGRADES AND, AND HOW ARE THOSE UPGRADES FITTING WITHIN THE, THE CURRENT BUDGET? THREE. MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, SO THE PUBLIC SAFETY IT TEAM SUPPORTS ALL FOUR PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, COMMUNITY SAFETY, POLICE, FIRE AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS. UH, THE MEASURE FOR, UM, OBJECTIVE EIGHT REFLECTS ALL OF THE, UM, IT'S BASICALLY PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT A HELP DESK TICKET. SO IF WE'RE DOING, UM, WORK ON OUR, UM, UPDATING OUR SCHEDULING SOFTWARE, FIRE ALERTING, UM, CLOUD SERVERS, ALL OF THOSE BECOME PROJECTS. UM, A LOT OF OUR COST NEUTRAL PROJECTS ARE WITHIN OUR OPERATING BUDGET. UM, SO THAT'S THE KEEPING THE BUSINESS RUNNING, UM, YOU KNOW, NETWORK CHANGES, SWITCHES, RADIO PROGRAMMING. UM, AND THE OTHER SOURCE OF OUR, UM, BUDGET FOR SUPPORTING PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEMS IS THROUGH E GOV. THERE'S SOME, UM, JUST NON-DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THAT IS ALLOCATED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, FOR UPDATING CONFERENCE ROOMS, AV THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT KEEPS THE BUSINESS GOING, UM, WITH SOME VIRTUALIZATION IN CLOUD AND THINGS WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF STILL MANAGE WITHIN OUR BUDGET, UM, AND NOT INCREASE COSTS FOR THINGS TO KEEP THE BUSINESS RUNNING. UM, SOME OF THE SPECIAL PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED FOR, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, AND ALSO UP, FORGIVE ME, UPGRADES FOR OUR SOFTWARE AND APPLICATIONS AS WELL, UM, FOR OUR RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, PHONES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. UM, BUT WE ARE ALSO, UM, PLANNING FOR THE MOVE BACK TO THE FIRE HEADQUARTERS. THERE'S A LOT OF LOGISTICS AND TECHNOLOGY NEEDS THAT HAPPENS WITH THOSE AS WELL AS MANAGING RADIO SITES. WE'RE GONNA BE IN FISCAL 27, UPGRADING OUR FIRE LEARNING SYSTEM. UM, HUGE PROJECT UNDERTAKING. I THINK WE HAD, UM, 22, UH, PROJECTED PROJECTS FOR FISCAL 26, WHICH THAT'S PROBABLY GOING TO, UH, BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, UM, JUST DUE TO TIMING AND, UM, RESOURCES. UH, WE HAVE A FULL, WE HAVE, WE'RE ONLY DOWN ONE POSITION IN PUBLIC SAFETY, SO WE'RE REALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT, THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO PICK UP, UM, SOME SPEED ON SOME OF THE OTHER ADDITIONAL, UH, TECHNOLOGY NEEDS FOR ALL PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENTS. RIGHT. IT, IT'S A LOT TO TAKE ON. YOU'RE EXPECTED TO DO 30 DIFFERENT SYSTEM OR APPLICATION UPGRADES IN NEXT FISCAL YEAR. IT WAS 22 EXPECTED THIS YEAR, WHICH YOU SAID WAS HIGHER AND ONLY 50 IN THE YEAR BEFORE. SO IT'S A SIGNIFICANT BUDGET AND PROBABLY STAFF ALLOCATION QUESTION. UM, ON THE, UM, ANY OTHER, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BODY BEFORE? [05:25:01] CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THE, UM, TELESERVE REPORTS TAKEN OVER THE PHONE ARE? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, TELESERVE REPORTS ARE, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE EXPECTED TO GO UP DRAMATICALLY, SO REPORTS THAT ARE ABLE TO BE TAKEN OVER THE PHONE. UM, SO THEY'RE LIMITED IN THE TYPES OF REPORTS THAT CAN BE TAKEN OVER THE PHONE DUE TO LEGAL REQUIREMENTS. UM, BUT ARE ANTICIPATED INCREASE FOR FISCAL 27 IS HOPEFULLY, UM, CREATING A SYSTEM. SOME PEOPLE MAY KILL ME RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, ONLINE REPORTING THAT A RESIDENT COULD FILL OUT A REPORT ONLINE AND IT WOULD BE REVIEWED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO DETERMINE IF IT IS OKAY TO BE FILLED UP. BUT RIGHT NOW, WHETHER IT'S A POLICE OFFICER OR A DISPATCH, OR THEY CAN TAKE A REPORT OVER THE PHONE FOR SAY, PAST LARCENY OR IF IT'S UNDER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OR THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, SO OUR INTENDED INCREASE FOR FISCAL 27 IS TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR RESIDENTS TO, UM, FILL OUT REPORTS ONLINE. THANK YOU. AND THEN THE, UH, FINAL QUESTION I HAD IS THE BUDGET ACTUALLY IS, UM, SCHEDULED TO GO UP FROM 8.6 TO EIGHT TO BASICALLY 9 MILLION. A LOT OF THE DEPARTMENTS ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE THAT 2% REDUCTION. SO COULD YOU EXPLAIN JUST HOW THE, UM, BUDGET INCREASE UNFOLDED AND, AND WHETHER YOU WERE ALSO ABLE TO IN OTHER AREAS, UH, ACHIEVE THE 2.2% SAVINGS? UM, MADAM CHAIR, THANK YOU. UM, SO OUR, WE DID PARTICIPATE IN THE, UH, IDENTIFICATION OF DECREASES IN OUR BUDGET, UM, REDUCING SOME TEMPORARY SALARY COSTS, UM, AS WELL AS REDUCING OUR EMERGENCY ALERTING COSTS AND FOOD AND SOME TRAVEL AND TRAINING FUNDS. UM, OUR, A BUDGET IS ANTICIPATED TO INCREASE DUE TO WE, UH, RECEIVED APPROVAL FOR AN ADDITIONAL POSITION FOR THE WIRELESS, UM, TECHNICIAN TO SUPPORT THE WORK THAT'S, UM, DONE WITH PUBLIC SAFETY IT TEAM FOR RADIO SYSTEM UPGRADES, SITE UPGRADES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS. UM, WE ALSO HAD AN INCREASE IN OUR OVERTIME BUDGET BY $40,000 TO COVER CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS UNDER HOLIDAY PAY AND, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT OUR NEW INITIATIVE FOR, UH, CALL PROCESSING FOR NON-EMERGENCY CALLS. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR YOUR WORK. I KNOW IT'S BEEN A, A STRAIN AND A STRESS AND GLAD AS WE HEARD THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF OUR STAFF'S MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AS WELL. QUESTIONS ON ECC AND EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION MOVE FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS MOVES THE $8.974 MILLION BUDGET OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. VICE MAYOR. ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MEKI. YES. YES. THAT'S SEVEN MEMBERS. YES. THAT, SORRY. THAT VICE MAYOR AZI IS A YES. THAT IS EIGHT MEMBERS VOTING. YES. ONE ABSENT. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR CITY COUNCIL. IT'S, THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU'RE TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF AS WELL. NEXT UP IS COMMUNITY EVENTS AND CELEBRATION ON PAGE 180 9, NO, 2 89 OF THE BUDGET, WHICH IS ONE POINT. UH, $3 MILLION. OKAY. THIS MAY BE QUICK. WE HAVE THE CITY MANAGER, CM WONG AND DCM WATKINS. I'M NOT SURE IF OTHERS SENT IN QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS OR, UM, JUST, I WOULD JUST START BRIEFLY WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A NEW, UM, SORT OF COMBINED FOCUS FOR THESE LARGER EVENTS AND I THINK WE HAD A CONVERSATION, UM, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AT CITY COUNCIL SORT OF TEEING THIS UP. UM, AND MATT NELSON IS AVAILABLE LINE IF WE GET INTO DETAILS. UM, BUT JUST SORT OF BROADLY, IT IS A NEW APPROACH [05:30:01] TO REALLY PULL THESE, UM, BUDGETS TOGETHER. AND THE TEAM SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LARGE EVENTS AND HOW MUCH OF DIFFERENT FUNDINGS PARTICULARLY, UM, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF OVERTIME WAS IN INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. AND THEN REALIZING THAT THERE'D BE A REAL VALUE IN SORT OF CONSOLIDATING THAT INTO ONE BUDGET SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY MANAGE IT AS OPPOSED TO ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PIECES BEING WITHIN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT BUDGETS. SO THAT WAS THE OVERALL INTENT. AND THEN WE ALSO WENT THROUGH THE EXERCISE OF LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF EVENTS WE WERE ALREADY SUPPORTING AND THEN JUST MAKING THAT CLEAR, PARTICULARLY WITH THE LOCAL CAMBRIDGE NONPROFITS, THAT THIS IS THE EXPECTATION THAT THE CITY WOULD COVER THESE COSTS. AND SO IT WASN'T ON A, A SEEMINGLY MORE RANDOM PROCESS. SO THAT WAS THE OVERALL INTENT OF THIS. MM-HMM . SO WHILE IT'S A NEWER SECTION, IT REALLY IS SORT OF BUILDING OFF THE WORK THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A FEW WEEKS AGO WITH COUNCIL, RIGHT. AND JUST BECAUSE IT'S A SUCH A NEWER SECTION THAT TWO YEARS AGO THERE WAS NO BUDGET. LAST YEAR WAS 262,000, AND THIS YEAR IT'S LISTED AS 1,257,000. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO EXPLAIN HOW THAT EVOLVED AS OPPOSED TO JUST WE'RE DROPPING ANOTHER MILLION DOLLARS. UM, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE QUESTION INCLUDING, WHICH WAS NOT ANSWERED. THERE WAS 850,000 FOR SALARIES AND WAGES. IS THAT ANY FTES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ALLOCATION OR HOW IS IT THAT THOSE, UM, SO THROUGH APPEARING UNDER SALARIES AND WAGES IN THIS BUDGET? CORRECT. SO THAT, THAT IS REALLY OVER TIME COST. SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPECIAL EVENTS, IT'S SATURDAY AND IT'S OFTEN SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS. AND SO YOU'LL HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY, YOU'LL HAVE PUBLIC WORKS, YOU'LL HAVE TRANSPORTATION. UM, AND SO AGAIN, THOSE ARE THE OVERTIME COSTS THAT WE WERE SORT OF BURIED IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND IT'S PULLING IT TOGETHER. SO THERE'S NO FTES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. THE SALARY WAGES IS REALLY OVER TIME COSTS AND THROUGH YOUR JOURNAL. AND, UM, I DO THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS NOT NEW SPENDING. SO, UM, PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS MORE ACCURATELY BUDGETING FOR A LOT OF THE SPENDING THAT WAS ALREADY OCCURRING, UM, WHERE A VAST MAJORITY OF THE, UH, CITY STAFFING COSTS FOR A LOT OF THESE EVENTS AND CELEBRATIONS WAS ALREADY BEING ABSORBED BY THE CITY. UM, WERE JUST, JUST MORE APPROPRIATELY BUDGETING FOR IT. I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL AND GREATER TRANSPARENCY IS ALWAYS GOOD. ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. THEN WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION OF THE $1.257 MILLION FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS AND CELEBRATION, WHICH IS A NON-DEPARTMENTAL EXPENSE DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL. CHANEL ME. OKAY. COUNCIL LORRE ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. VICE MAYOR ZE. HE'S ON VICE MAYOR. WE DID NOT HEAR YOU. VICE MAYOR ZE IS ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. ABSENT. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND THREE RECORDED IS ABSENT. ALL RIGHT. WE ARE ON TO LIBRARY, WHICH IS ON PAGE 1 61 OF THE BUDGET BOOK. IT IS YET ANOTHER COMMUNITY TREASURE DOING LOTS OF WORK ACROSS THE CITY AND MANY VENUES WITH A, UH, EXPECTED BUDGET OF $16 MILLION AND 129 FTES. DIRECTOR MCCAULAY, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM, AND IF THERE'S ANY OPENING REMARKS, HAPPY TO HEAR THEM. WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR NOLAN. IT IS ALWAYS DELIGHTFUL TO BE HERE WITH CITY COUNCIL TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD WORK THAT OUR LIBRARIES DO FOR THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITIES. I AMPLE, I'M SO PLEASED TO BE HERE WITH DEPUTY DIRECTOR JOY KIM, OUR MANAGER OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS, ALIA CUEVAS. AND WE HAVE SOME OTHER STAFF MEMBERS THAT IF THEY COME UP, I WILL INTRODUCE THEM. UH, THIS PAST YEAR WE CELEBRATED WELCOMING MORE THAN 1 MILLION VISITORS. WE CIRCULATED MORE THAN 2 MILLION ITEMS, AND WE HOSTED MORE THAN 4,500 PUBLIC PROGRAMS FOR THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UM, THE FIRST QUESTION, GIVEN WHAT WE JUST SAW IN THE BUDGET BOOK, IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL DOLLARS, THAT THE BUDGET IS GOING UP BY SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND. SO OVERALL, UM, IF YOU COULD JUST EXPLAIN, UH, [05:35:01] THE SOURCE OF THAT INCREASE AND ALSO WHETHER THE LIBRARY ALSO PARTICIPATED IN, AND HOW CHALLENGING IT WAS TO FIND THAT 2.1% SAVINGS THAT THE CITY WAS ASKED TO DO. AND RELATED TO THAT OVERALL QUESTION, WHICH I SENT TO YOU IN ADVANCE, IS THERE'S A, A, A NUMBER, OBVIOUSLY THE FTE COUNT INCLUDES A NUMBER OF PART-TIME POSITIONS, BUT IT WAS UNCLEAR WHETHER THAT CHANGE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR WAS ALL DUE TO COUNTING PART-TIME AS FTES, OR THERE ARE ADDITIONAL FTES IN THE BUDGET. SO IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THOSE OVERARCHING QUESTIONS, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. SURE. THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. I'M GONNA START OFF AND THEN I'M GONNA PASS IT TO MY TEAM MEMBERS REGARDING YOUR LATTER PART OF THE QUESTION. WE HAVE NO NEW POSITIONS. THE FTE REPRESENTS ALL OF OUR STAFF, INCLUDING BOTH FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME STAFF MEMBERS. AND I'M GONNA PASS IT OVER TO JOY AND ALIA. THANKS. YES. SO WE HAD SOME INCREASES IN OUR SALARY AND WAGE COSTS, COSTS MOSTLY RELATED TO CONTRACTUAL REQUIREMENTS. UM, WE DID, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THE COST SAVING MEASURES, AND IF YOU LOOK AT OUR OTHER ORDINARY MAINTENANCE BUDGET, YOU'LL SEE A REDUCTION ON THAT LINE. UH, AND WE FOUND SAVINGS ACROSS A VARIETY OF CATEGORIES. AND I'LL LET MY COLLEAGUE IDALIA SPEAK TO THOSE THROUGH YOU. CHAIR NOLAN, WE FOUND WE FOUND SAVINGS IN, UH, FACILITIES, UH, CONSULTANTS AND, UH, MATERIALS COST. THANK YOU. YES. AS WE NOTED, IT LOOKED LIKE IF YOU JUST LOOKED AT IT WOULD BE 30 ADDITIONAL PEOPLE, BUT IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PART-TIME WHO ARE ALL MERGED TOGETHER. THIS IS A NEW TRANSPARENCY RELATED EFFORT WITHIN THE BUDGET FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS. SO VERY GLAD TO HAVE THAT, UM, BE CLEARED UP. AND I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S ALSO A NUMBER OF MEASURES HERE THAT YOU ALL USE TO, TO TRACK HOW IT IS THAT YOU DO. AND VERY GLAD TO HAVE HAD THAT OVERVIEW. QUESTIONS FROM ANY COUNSELOR? COUNCILLOR SUZI? UH, I DIDN'T HAVE A QUESTION. I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO LOOK AT PAGE 65 WHEN WE COMPARE OUR LIBRARY, OUR EXTRAORDINARY LIBRARY WITH OTHER LOCAL LIBRARIES AND YOU OUTSHINE THEM ALL. LIKE YEAH, THE STATS ARE JUST AMAZING, YOU KNOW, WITH, UM, OVER ALMOST 16,000 HOURS AT ALL LOCATIONS. UH, AND ALMOST 2 MILLION BOOKS CIRCULATED 120,000, 121,000 PEOPLE ATTENDING PROGRAMS. I MEAN, OTHER COMMUNITIES ACTUALLY SPEND MORE ON THEIR LIBRARIES, BUT WE GET SO MUCH BANG FOR OUR BOOKS. SO I, I THINK, UH, THANK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. IT'S, UH, I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR LIBRARY. THANK YOU. AND, AND A FEW WE CAN COUNT UP HOW MUCH ALL OF US CONTRIBUTE TO THAT. I CAN ADD UP, I CAN ACTUALLY LOOK ONLINE HOW MANY TIMES I'VE TAKEN STUFF OUT. IT'S QUITE A BIT, UH, FROM MY LOCAL LIBRARY OR IF IT'S AVAILABLE, THEN I GO TO THE MAIN LIBRARY AND THERE'S ALWAYS LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE THERE. WELL, THAT WAS A VERY, UH, QUICK QUESTION FOR THE OVERARCHING. AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE THE WORK ON THIS. IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANNA ADD TO IT, OTHER YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND WORDS. AND I WANNA THANK THE EXPERT LIBRARY STAFF THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE SUCH DEDICATED COLLEAGUES AND THEY REALLY ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF THE LIBRARY. AND THE REASON THAT WE GET SO MANY POSITIVE COMMENTS AND OUR TOP RATED CITY DEPARTMENT IS BECAUSE OF THE STAFF. WE HEAR THAT EVERY DAY. YES. AND WITH THE STEAM LAB AND THE FIX-IT CLINIC AND THE VERY OTHER WAYS THAT YOU STILL, AND YOU CAN STILL GET A DVD OUTTA THE LIBRARY, WHICH I SAW WHEN I WAS THERE THE OTHER DAY. UM, WITH THAT, UH, COCHAIR ZUBE, UH, MOVES THAT THE LIBRARY BUDGET OF $15.952 MILLION BE FORWARDED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION, DISCUSSION HAVING EXPIRED ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY, ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. ABSENT COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO RECORDED AS ABSENT. THANK YOU. I WILL SEE YOU WHEN I GET MY NEXT BOOK. ALL RIGHT. ONCE AGAIN, THE COUNCIL HAS EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS BY BEING READY FOR THE NEXT COLUMN AT THREE 30. WE'RE GONNA GET IT DONE. SO I BELIEVE THE CITY MANAGER RALLIED THE TEAM. IS THAT CORRECT? DCM WATKINS? UM, WE ARE MODIFYING ON THE FLY. OKAY. SO PEOPLE ARE [05:40:01] RUNNING BACK. UM, I DON'T KNOW, PEOPLE WANT LIKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK OR IF THAT IS OKAY. WE'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS AND I THINK WE'D STILL BE IN GOOD SHAPE IF THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE. THAT'S JUST, DOES THAT WORK? AND SO IF WE COME BACK, AND I THINK WE CAN STILL GET THROUGH THIS TODAY BEFORE PUBLIC INVEST. I'M SORRY, TAHA, THERE'S A FEW BEFORE PUBLIC INVESTING, JUST A COUPLE OF OPERATING THAT WE WANNA GET THROUGH. YES. WHAT WAS THAT? ARE WE, DO YOU GUYS WANNA GO AHEAD AND GET, GO TO REVENUE OR DO YOU WANNA TAKE A, JUST A BREAK AND GET, I THINK IF WE COULD TAKE A 15 MINUTE BREAK AND THEN COME BACK FIVE. I'M SORRY. FIVE. WHATEVER YOUR PEOPLE WANT. SORRY, WE'RE DOING A SEVEN MINUTE BREAK. OKAY. PERFECT. SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU. WE'RE DOING A SEVEN MINUTE BREAK AND THEN WE EXPECT TO BE FINISHED BY FIVE CLOCK. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO BE BACK BY THREE 40. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUI. ABSENT. MAYOR SIDIKI ABSENT. YOU HAVE, AND YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES PRESENT. COUNCILOR SIMMONS IS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZU. COUNCILOR SY IS PRESENT. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED THE AS PRESENT AND TWO RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK. OH, WAS THERE SOMEONE ON THE ZOOM SAYING SOMETHING? WE'RE GOOD. OKAY. THANK YOU. THE CITY TEAM FOR SCRAMBLING TO RALLY. EVERYONE HEARD EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR, UH, COMING BACK FOR THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION. THE NEXT FEW ITEMS ON THE AGENDA RELATE TO ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT AND LARGE PART OF THE BUDGET RELATED TO DEBT SERVICE. THERE'S SOME ON THE MWRA REVENUE AND THEN PUBLIC INVESTMENT. SO WE'LL BE GOING OVER THAT. JUST TO LET FOLKS KNOW ANY OF THE QUESTIONS. OBVIOUSLY IT'S SOMETIMES A LITTLE CONFUSING. WHAT'S PUBLIC INVESTMENT? WHAT'S NOT BECAUSE IT'S OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, BUT IT IS RELATED TO OUR OPERATING BUDGET. WE ARE STARTING OFF, UM, SINCE WE'VE ALREADY PASSED THE CHERRY SHEET WITH THE DEBT SERVICE, WHICH IS, UH, NOT A SMALL FIGURE OF $114 MILLION IN DEBT SERVICE, WHICH REPRESENTS OVER 10% RIGHT NOW OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET. UM, UH, AN INCREDIBLY SIGNIFICANT, UH, PART OF OUR BUDGET RELATED TO THE INVESTMENTS WE'VE MADE WITHIN A RANGE OF AREAS OF THE CITY. NOTABLY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, WHICH IS CLOSING IN ON, I THINK THREE QUARTERS OF A BILLION DOLLARS. SO, UM, I'LL START OFF WITH, I THINK COUNCILOR SUZI HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. I KNOW I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS. ANYONE ON THE DEBT SERVICE PART OF THIS, WHICH IS ON WAIT, WHAT PAGE OF THE BUDGET BOOK? UH, 2 91. 2 91. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. TURN. AND SO MY, MY QUESTION IS, UH, SO THE CITY DEBT STABILIZATION FUND WILL PROVIDE 16 MILLION TO COVER DEBT SERVICE COSTS, WHICH IS A SLIGHT DECREASE FROM 17 MILLION USED IN FISCAL YEAR 26 IN ORDER TO ADDRESS INCREASED DEBT COSTS. SO THE QUESTION IS, WHY ARE WE PUTTING AWAY LESS MONEY WHEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE DEBT THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR? THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. UH, THE CITY I BELIEVE USED 18,000,026, UM, AND WAS PLANNED TO USE, UM, 16,000,027. THE DEBT STABILIZATION FUND WAS SET UP TO HELP, UM, SMOOTH OUT INCREASES IN DEBT SERVICE COSTS SO THAT THEY DON'T HIT THE TAX RATE AS THOSE COSTS KIND OF FLUCTUATE DEPENDING ON WHAT WE'RE ISSUING IN BONDS. UM, SO THERE'S NOT AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF FUNDS WITHIN THE DEBT STABILIZATION FUND. SO WE, WE DON'T WANT, WE WANNA REALLY MANAGE HOW MUCH WE'RE KEEPING IN THAT RESERVE. UM, SO AFTER FY 26, THERE'LL BE $35.8 MILLION IN THE RESERVE. AFTER FY 27 USING THE 16 MILLION, THAT WILL GO DOWN TO 19.8. AND YOU COULD SEE A PATTERN IF WE KEEP USING THE SAME AMOUNT FROM THE DEBT STABILIZATION FUND, WE'RE GONNA RUN OUT OF FUNDS WITHIN THAT PARTICULAR FUND. SO WE, WE WANNA MONITOR IT CAREFULLY. UH, WE ALSO IN THE FUTURE MAY BE COMING BACK TO COUNCIL TO DO AN APPROPRIATION FROM FREE CASH TO REPLENISH THAT FUND AS WE TRY TO MAINTAIN KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, MODERATE DEBT SERVICE, MODERATE THE DEBT SERVICE INCREASE FROM YEAR TO YEAR AS WE TAKE ON NEW PROJECTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR JENNINGS. UM, AND AS YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, I I I, I KNOW YOU, [05:45:01] YOU AND THE WHOLE FINANCE AND BUDGET TEAM ARE DOING AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB AND YOU ARE. WHY WE HAVE AAA BOND RATING. I'M SURE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH OUR CITY MANAGER TOO, AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. UH, SO I APPLAUD YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I, I STILL, I, I KNOW WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE CITY AND I KNOW WE'RE DOING IT AS PRUDENTLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT I I CONTINUE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BEING IN SO MUCH DEBT. SO I'M, I'M GLAD YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT CONCERN AND, AND, UH, TRYING TO KEEP IT IN CONTROL. THANK YOU. UM, THROUGH YOUR JOURNAL. AND, AND, AND I THINK JUST TO CLARIFY, UM, I THINK COUNCILLOR SUI, YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE ALLOCATION OF FROM THE DEBT STABILIZATION FUND, AND AS DIRECTOR JENNINGS IS NOTING, THAT'S REALLY JUST TO EVEN OUT AND SUPPORT SOME OF THE INCREASES THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, TO YOUR CONCERN IN TERMS OF THE GROWING DEBT BURDEN. UH, AND THIS IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN HAVING ON CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. A BIG PART OF HOW WE'RE ULTIMATELY MANAGING LONG-TERM, UH, CAPITAL EXPENSES AND DEBT IS TO, IS TO BE GUIDED BY WHAT PERCENT OF THE TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET, UM, WE'RE ALLOCATING TO DEBT SERVICE. AND SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY CAPITAL IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE APPROVING, YOU KNOW, LARGE PROJECTS OVER MULTIPLE YEARS. BUT AS WE'RE ESSENTIALLY SPREADING OUT, UM, THOSE PROJECTS, UH, THE IDEA IS THAT WE WOULD, UH, WE WOULD MAINTAIN A CERTAIN LEVEL OF, UM, OF DEBT PAYMENTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL CITY BUDGET BUDGET AND NOT ALLOW THAT TO GO TOO HIGH. UM, SO THAT HAS BEEN RISING OVER THE YEARS AND A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS STABILIZING THAT INCREASE. UM, AND THAT'S WHERE, UH, A LOT OF THE WORK THAT DEPUTY CITY MANAGER WATKINS, ACROSS MULTIPLE INTERDEPARTMENTAL GROUPS, UH, HAS DONE IN TERMS OF PRIORITIZING OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS AND ENSURING THAT WE DON'T END UP, UH, PUTTING OURSELVES IN A POSITION WHERE WE'VE DONE TOO MANY PROJECTS, TAKEN ON TOO MUCH DEBT, AND THEN THAT'LL ACTUALLY END UP SQUEEZING OUT A LOT OF THE OPERATING BUDGETS THAT, THAT WE REALLY NEED ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND I SO APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. TO REMIND US, UM, THAT DEBT SERVICE HAS GONE FROM 102 MILLION LAST YEAR TO 109 MILLION THIS YEAR TO A PROJECTED 114 MILLION NEXT YEAR. IT'S, IT'S PART OF THIS MASSIVE INVESTMENT WE'VE MADE IN A RANGE OF PROJECTS. THE DEBT SERVICE INCLUDES PRINCIPAL MATURING BOND DEBT OF $82 MILLION IN THE INTEREST ON BONDS OF ABOUT 32 MILLION PLUS BOND SALE FEES THAT COMPRISES THE 114 MILLION. THE QUESTION I HAD SENT, WHICH FALLS ON EXACTLY WHAT, UH, THE CITY MANAGER HAS TALKED ABOUT, IS WHAT IS THE SUSTAINABLE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE LEVEL AND WHAT ARE THE RISKS IN FUTURE SPENDING FOR DEBT SERVICE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT MANY OF THE PROJECTS WE ANTICIPATE DOING, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE DOING A GOOD JOB OF SPREADING THEM OUT, COSTS ARE RISING AND THEY'RE GOING UP. SO IF WE COULD BE REMINDED OF, AGAIN, THIS IS RIGHT NOW OVER 10% OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS HIGHER THAN, UH, SOMETHING WE HAD WANTED. SO, SO WHAT DO WE SEE AS THE RISKS GOING FORWARD? AND CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? SURE. THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN? UM, ONE OF THE THINGS, JUST TO STEP BACK A LITTLE BIT, IF WE GO BACK TO THE FEBRUARY 11TH, UM, HEARING THAT WE HAD, THAT REALLY TEED OFF THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT BUDGET, UM, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY IDENTIFIED THAT THE TAX SUPPORTED DEBT HAD GROWN FASTER THAN OUR OPERATING BUDGET. AND SO, AND THAT WAS TRUE IN ALL OF THE, AT THE LAST 10 YEARS. AND SO AT THAT POINT FROM THAT PRESENTATION, WE SORT OF SAID, YOU KNOW, FROM THE 1620 TO THE 2125 BUDGET, WE SAW A 15.8% INCREASE, WHICH IS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THAT CAPITAL INVESTMENT. AND SO WE'VE BEEN SET, WE SET A GOAL OF LIMITING THE TAX SUPPORTED DEBT SERVICE GROWTH TO BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THEIR OPERATING INCREASES. AND SO LOOKING TO THAT TAX SUPPORTED DEBT INCREASE TO BE UNDER 5% OVER THE LONG TERM. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS BUDGET. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS THE CITY MANAGER SAID, WE REALLY SEE THIS AS THE SUSTAINABLE PATTERN FOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT. AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BEING PRUDENT WITH THEIR INVESTMENTS, BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE THESE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS. UM, AND SO I THINK OVER THE LAST YEAR AND REALLY THE LAST TWO YEARS AS WE'VE REALLY HAD THIS SORT OF SHIFT IN FOCUS AND APPROACH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TEAM HAS WORKED TO, YOU KNOW, SPREAD PROJECTS OUT, WHICH THE CITY MANAGER TALKED ABOUT. WE'RE ALSO REFINING AND REDUCING THE SCOPE OF PROJECTS TO UNDERSTAND LIKE WHAT'S THE CRITICAL NEED OF THIS PROJECT AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO IMPLEMENT THAT AS OPPOSED TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE ALL THE ADDITIONAL THINGS PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE. AND SOME OF THAT'S GONNA BE CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS, I WOULD SAY, BOTH WITH THE COMMUNITY AND WITH CITY COUNCIL. UM, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED VERY COMPETITIVE INTEREST RATES ON OUR BONDS. SO ALL OF THOSE HAVE REALLY COME INTO PLAY TO HELP US REDUCE OUR INCREASE THAT [05:50:01] WE'RE SEEING. AND SO OUR CAPITAL INVESTMENT WE'RE SEEING REALLY GROWING IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR OPERATING BUDGET. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA GO THROUGH NOW OR LATE WHEN WE GET TO THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT PART, BUT WE CAN REALLY TALK THROUGH SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW THAT'S PLAYED OUT WITH SOME OF THE SPECIFIC PROJECTS IN THE BUDGET THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. YEP. DIRECTOR JENNINGS ALSO JUST REMIND THE BODY THAT WE HAVE POLICIES SET UP IN TERMS OF OUR DEBT BURDEN AND DEBT MANAGEMENT. UM, SO JUST TAKING THE NET, UM, UH, DEBT SERVICE THAT'S TAX SUPPORTED AS A PERCENTAGE OF OPERATING EXPENDITURES, OUR POLICY IS 10%, WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER 9%. UM, AND AGAIN, WE'RE SETTING THOSE TARGETS SO THAT WE CAN BE IN A COMFORTABLE, SUSTAINABLE PLACE. AND WE ALSO HAVE A POLICY TO REALLY RAPIDLY REPAY OUR DEBT. UM, THE POLICY IS TO RETIRE 70% OF DEBT WITHIN 10 YEARS. WE'RE, RIGHT NOW WE'RE ON TRACK TO RETIRE MORE LIKE 86% WITHIN 10 YEARS. SO AS WE'RE TAKING ON NEW PROJECTS, WE'RE ALSO RAPIDLY REPAYING, UM, OTHER ONES OFF. AND TO, UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, WATKINS POINT, A LOT OF WORK WAS DONE RECENTLY TO KIND OF SPREAD OUT PROJECTS AND REALLY LOOK AT THE TIMING IN TERMS OF WHEN WE'RE BORROWING MONEY AND HOW DOES 114 MILLION ON A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET GO TO 9%? SO I'M LOOKING AT THE NET DEBT SERVICE THAT'S WITHOUT SEWER AND WATER SUPPORTED, WHICH ARE PAID FOR THROUGH THE WATER AND SEWER RATES. RIGHT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE WE ALL UNDERSTAND THAT. 'CAUSE IT'S 114 ON A BILLION IS WAY MORE THAN 9%. UM, SO THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A HUGE PERCENT OF THE BUDGET. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS RELATED TO DEBT SERVICE? WE'LL BE COMING TO CAPITAL BUDGETS IN A LITTLE BIT. I DON'T SEE ANY QUESTIONS. SO, UM, MAYOR SIDIKI MOVES THAT THE $114 MILLION DEBT SERVICE BUDGET BE MOVED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION, DISCUSSION HAS BEEN HAD. ROLL CALL COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY, ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS IS ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER IS ABSENT. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, I'M SORRY, SIX RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND THREE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. MIGHT BE THE SAME TEAM HERE FOR THE NEXT AREA, WHICH IS ALSO, UH, NON-DEPARTMENTAL, WHICH IS THE MWRA PAGE 295 IN THE BUDGET. ANYTHING TO BE SAID ABOUT THIS BEFORE WE ANSWER? I THINK THERE WERE A COUPLE QUESTIONS SUBMITTED. CHAIR NOLAN? YES. SORRY, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I HAVE TO HEAD TO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR SCHOOL COMMITTEE, SO I HAVE TO TAKE MY LEAVE, BUT THANK YOU. SORRY ABOUT THAT. ANYTHING YOU WANNA SAY ABOUT THE CAPITAL BUDGETS? JUST THOSE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. ANYWAY, IF, IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS, OBVIOUSLY, UH, IF THEY'VE BEEN SUBMITTED, SOMEONE ELSE CAN ASK THEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE. YEAH, I'LL MAKE SURE TO GET SOMEONE TO ASK THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND WE'LL MISS YOU. WE STILL HAVE A QUORUM, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. . ALL RIGHT. MWRA. I'M ALREADY GETTING PUNCHY, RIGHT? , WHERE, WHERE, WHERE'S MY, WHERE'S MY LATTE MARK? UM, OKAY. PAGE 2 95. THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE, UH, PART OF THE BUDGET. IT IS, UM, $34.4 MILLION GOING, WHICH IS UP FROM 33 MILLION. THIS IS THE, UH, OPERATION OF THE SEWER AND WATER WORK SYSTEM. AND THIS IS A BUDGET AMOUNT BASED ON, WE RECEIVE FROM IT GENERALLY IS, UM, WE CHARGE RESIDENTS FOR WATER AND SEWER. THE SEWER PART GOES TO M DRE FOR SEWER. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THIS? NO, I MEAN, I CAN, UM, ADDRESS I THINK SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME IN AND MAYBE, UH, JUST TRY TO TEE IT UP. SO THIS IS, WE PAY THE MWA 'CAUSE THEY TAKE OUR SEWAGE, UM, WE METER THAT SO THEY KNOW HOW MUCH WE TAKE. UM, AND THEN WE CHARGE RESIDENTS. SO RESIDENTS DON'T PAY DIRECTLY TO THE MWA, BUT THEY DO PAY THAT SERVICE. SO IT IS PART OF THE WATER AND IT'S PART OF YOUR SEWER BILL WHEN YOU GET IT. AND I THINK THE OTHER QUESTION WAS SORT OF LIKE HOW DO WATER AND SEWER RATES COMPARE TO OTHER, UM, COMMUNITIES? AND I THINK, UM, JIM REMARK COULD GET INTO THE DETAILS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WATER, I WOULD SAY WE'RE ON THE SUPER PROBABLY COMPETITIVE SIDE AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS IS THAT SOMETIMES WE SUBSIDIZE SOME OF THAT WITH SOME OF THEIR SEWER PROJECTS. AND SO WE TEND TO LOOK AT IT AS SORT OF THE BLENDED WATER SEWER RATE. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT [05:55:01] YOU PAY ON THE BILL. AND I WOULD SAY WE'RE ABOUT THE 25TH PERCENTILE IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT OTHER MWA COMMUNITY. SO WE'RE NOT AT THE HIGHEST, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON THAT UPPER END, WHICH MAKES SENSE GIVEN, YOU KNOW, THE AGE AND COMPLEXITY OF OUR SYSTEM. THANK YOU. YES, THE BLENDED RATE, WERE A LITTLE BIT ON HIGH END, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE ALSO DOING A LOT MORE WORK AS I UNDERSTAND IT, OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE NOT. UM, THE, ON THE OTHER QUESTION, WHICH, UM, THIS MAY BE THE APPROPRIATE TIME IF IT'S NOT RELATED TO THE BUDGET, THEN LET US KNOW THAT I'D SENT IN IS WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR THE CITY TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR CLEANUP OF THE CSOS AS HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO ENSURE BETTER AND FEWER CSOS? I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, BUT WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD COME INTO THE MD WRA BUDGET OR WOULD IT BE ANOTHER PART OF THE BUDGET? UM, THROUGH YOU CHANNEL I IS JIM WILCOX HERE? I KNOW HE WAS ON HIS WAY. OKAY. JIM CAN COME ON IN. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE CSO PLAN SO JIM CAN TALK ABOUT THAT. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'LL BE PARTLY THE CITY RESPONSIBILITY, SOMERVILLE AND MWA. SO, AND AGAIN, IF IT AFFECTS THE MWA RATE, IT ALSO AFFECTS US AS WELL AS OTHER COMMUNITIES. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JIM. SO JUST TO ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION, CAN THE CITY, UM, TAKE ON SOME OF THE COSTS FOR THE, FOR THE UPCOMING CSO CONTROL PLAN? SO, UM, THERE'S REALLY TWO WAYS THAT WE'RE DOING THAT. UM, ONE IS THROUGH THE FORMAL CSO CONTROL PLAN ITSELF. AS YOU KNOW, WE SUBMITTED A DRAFT AT THE END OF APRIL. WE'LL HAVE A FINAL PLAN NEXT YEAR. A PART OF, UM, THE FINAL PLAN WILL BE A FORMAL COST SHARING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND MWRA FOR HOW WE PAY FOR THAT. UM, SO MORE TO COME ON THAT AS WE GO FROM A, A DRAFT PLAN TO A FINAL PLAN. UM, BUT WE ARE DOING OUR OWN PROJECTS THAT HELP WITH CSO CONTROL AND THEY'RE IN THE BUDGET THIS YEAR. UM, A COUPLE OF THAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS, UM, IN THE, UH, CAPITAL INVESTMENT SECTION, THERE IS A PROJECT, UM, IN THE BALDWIN NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS A SUE SEPARATION PROJECT THAT WILL BE ON KIRKLAND ROAD. SO WE HAVE FUNDING IN THERE THIS YEAR FOR DESIGN AND THEN OUTER YEARS FOR CONSTRUCTION. AND THEN ALSO, UM, IN THE CSO CONTROL PLAN, PUBLIC INVESTMENT ITEM, WE HAVE FUNDING IN THERE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A CSO HOLDING TANK AT THE SHERMAN STREET PROPERTY THAT WE OWN. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. I THINK THERE'LL BE MORE DISCUSSION AROUND THAT. 'CAUSE THIS IS NOW A DRAFT PLAN, BUT MANY OF US FEEL LIKE THE NWA AND THE CITY SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN FOR THE CSO REGARDLESS OF OVERFLOW BY STORMS, BUT THAT THE CSOS NEED TO HAPPEN. UM, IT'S BEEN QUITE A LONG HAUL AND WE'RE, I THINK 20 YEARS PAST THE FIRST REQUIREMENT RIGHT FROM THE EPA OR OTHERS THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED AND VARIANCES KEEP GETTING, GETTING GIVEN. SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THAT'S, SO IN THIS BUDGET, WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE, UM, CONTINUATION OF THE DRAFT PLAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON, AND WHAT WAS EXPLAINED IS THE INCREASED MWRA COST 1.2 MILLION, THAT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE END OF RA. IT'S SOMETHING AS NOTED, OUR WATER RATES ARE A LITTLE BIT LOWER, BUT OUR SEWER RATES ARE HIGHER. SO THE BLENDED RATE IS KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE COMPARED TO AT LEAST WHEN I'VE LOOKED AT IT THROUGH OTHER TOWNS. ANY OTHER, ALL RIGHT. WELL THEN I MOVE THE DUMP MWRA, UH, ALLOCATION OR, OR CO-CHAIR ZUBIE MOVE MWA 3 34 $0.3 MILLION TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. ABSENT. COUNSELOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI ABSENT. AND YOU HAVE FIVE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND FOUR RECORDED AS ABSENT. OKAY. WE HAVE THE REVENUE SECTION OF THE BUDGET, WHICH IS 1 0 1, 1 0 1 TO 1 0 8. MAYBE IT'S A LARGE SECTION. IT'S A LARGE SECTION. 1 35. OKAY. OH, HERE IT IS. REVENUE SECTION. OKAY. OKAY. UH, A CM SPINNER OR IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA SAY IN, IN STARTING THIS CONVERSATION? NO, THROUGH YOU. UM, UH, CHAIR NOLAN. UM, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THERE WERE A FEW QUESTIONS AND I I BELIEVE THAT, UM, BUDGET [06:00:01] DIRECTOR JENNINGS IS PREPARED TO ANSWER. YEP. UM, THE ONE, A COUPLE OF THE QUESTIONS WERE INCLUDING THE RENT OF CITY PROPERTY, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, HOW IT IS THAT WE'RE, WHILE WE'VE HAD THAT DISCUSSION, THE QUESTION IS MOVING FORWARD IN THE BUDGET. IS THAT SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT ON BOTH SIDES? SO IS THAT ANYTHING YOU WANNA COVER? JUST IN SUMMARY, UH, THROUGH YOUR CHAIR? I'M NOT, COULD YOU REMIND ME OF WHAT THE ACTUAL QUESTION IS? RIGHT. WE DO RECEIVE SOME RENT PROCEEDS AND I KNOW WE'VE HAD A DISCUSSION. WE'VE ALREADY HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT ONE OF THEM, WHICH IS LOWELL STREET, WHICH WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD WITH SOME KIND OF DISPOSITION, BUT THERE'S, THERE'S OTHERS AS WELL. IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON WHAT IT IS THAT WE MIGHT EXPECT FOR SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES? I THINK IS THE, UM, IT'S ALSO GOOD TO BE IN THE BUDGET. IT'S MORE TRANSPARENCY THAN WE'VE HAD BEFORE. SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING IS THAT THIS IS A BUDGET THAT IS CONTINUING TO BE REFINED AND IMPROVED IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE MONEY GOES, BOTH COMES IN AND GOES OUT, UM, THROUGH YOUR JOURNAL. I ABSOLUTELY AGREE IN TERMS OF CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT ON ANY NUMBER OF THESE DIFFERENT AREAS. UM, AND I'M SORRY I DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS OF THE, THE VARIOUS PROPERTIES IN FRONT OF ME, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE ROUND TABLE A FEW WEEKS AGO, THAT IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'RE REALLY TEEING UP TO LOOK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF CITY PARK PROPERTIES, WHICH THEN DOES ALSO AFFECT THE PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE RENTING. UM, I WOULD SAY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AREAS THAT WE'RE RENTING IN TERMS OF COST ARE THE SUPPORTING AREAS FOR OPERATING SPACE. AND SO AS WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD OUT OPERATING SPACE, AGAIN, PRIMARILY FOR DPW AND TO HOUSE THEM IN PERMANENT WAYS, WE CAN REDUCE THOSE EXPENSES IN PARTICULAR. UM, AND AGAIN, I THINK WE'D HAVE MORE DETAILS ON THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT THAT PROGRAM STARTS TO LOOK AT WHEN WE COME BACK, YOU KNOW, LATER THIS FALL. UM, AND THEN AGREE THAT, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT HOW WE ACCOUNT FOR THOSE VARIOUS RENTALS, WHICH ARE SHOW UP IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BUDGETS, IS SOMETHING WE CAN CONTINUE TO LOOK AT IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY. DID I READ CORRECTLY THAT WE HAD SOME DIFFERENCES IN INTEREST EARNINGS GOING UP AND DOWN OVER THE YEARS? UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR? WITHOUT KNOWING THE EXACT QUESTION, INTEREST EARNINGS ARE KIND OF A LESS STABLE OR PREDICTABLE REVENUE SOURCE. SO WHEN WE USE THAT AS A REVENUE IN THE BUDGET, WE WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S AT A LEVEL THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE CAN BE SUSTAINED. UM, SO THERE MIGHT BE A YEAR WHERE WE COLLECT, UM, INTEREST EARNINGS, UH, AND I THINK FY 25 ACTUAL NUMBERS WERE FAIRLY HIGH. UM, AND THAT COULD BE TOWARD A NUMBER OF FACTORS. YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR FUND BALANCE BEING HIGH AT THAT TIME, ARPA FUNDS STILL BEING KIND OF WITHIN OUR ACCOUNTS, UM, AND JUST EARNING INTEREST OFF THOSE THINGS. BUT WE WOULDN'T WANNA USE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT AS A REVENUE SOURCE BECAUSE IT'S PROBABLY NOT LIKELY TO STAY THAT HIGH. AND, AND INTEREST RATES, AS WE KNOW, ARE, CAN FLUCTUATE DEPENDING ON WHAT'S GOING ON, RIGHT? NO, THE QUESTION I HAD SENT IN WAS EXACTLY THAT, THAT I, I KNOW I, I DID SEND IT IN TO ALL OF YOU BEFORE THAT INTEREST EARNINGS WERE $17 MILLION IN FY 25 AND DOWN TO AN EXPECTED 5 MILLION IN FY 27, WHICH IS A $10 MILLION DIFFERENCE. WHAT HAS JUST BEEN EXPLAINED IS THAT HAS TO DO WITH SOME ARPA AND OTHER CASH FUNDS THAT WERE UNUSUAL IN FY 25 AND THAT WE ARE BEING, AGAIN, IT'S AN AREA CAMBRIDGE IS CONSERVATIVE IN, WHICH IS FISCALLY PRUDENT TO, TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT OVERESTIMATING THAT INCOME. SO THAT ANSWERS THAT QUESTION. OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE REVENUE, AND JUST IN CASE PEOPLE KNOW, THIS IS WHERE YOU CAN FIND OUT OUR SHORT TERM RENTAL COMMUNITY IMPACT FEE, THE CEMETERY FEES, THE METER COLLECTION, PARKING FUND, BOOT REMOVAL FEES. THERE'S LOTS OF INFORMATION IN HERE ON THESE, UH, PAGES. SO ANYONE WHO'S CURIOUS ABOUT WHERE THE CITY GETS THOSE FROM A FEW THOUSAND TO A FEW MILLION DOLLARS ON REVENUES THAT ARE NOT FROM PROPERTY TAXES. THIS IS THE SECTION OF THE BUDGET BOOK WHERE IT'S THERE. SO I'M NOT SURE IF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OTHER REVENUE ITEMS. SOUNDS LIKE THEY DON'T. SO THEN WE ARE MOVING THIS, UH, SECTION OF THE BUDGET FORWARD TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI ABSENT. AND YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND THREE RECORDED AS ABSENT. OKAY. NOW THE FINAL PART OF THE BUDGET, THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION, WE HAVE A WHOLE ARRAY OF PEOPLE BEHIND US, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR THEM. OTHERWISE, THEY WERE CALLED [06:05:01] BACK FOR NO REASON. NOT THAT THEY HAVE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, BUT THEY, I'M JUST NOTING TO MY COLLEAGUES. WE HAVE MANY DEPARTMENT HEADS HERE BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT RELATED TO WHETHER IT'S CDD OR WATER OR TRAFFIC OR POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO THEY'RE ALL HERE FOR THIS, UM, DISCUSSION. THIS IS, UH, IF YOU WANNA GO OVER IT, UH, DCM WATKINS AND JUST EXPLAIN 'CAUSE PUBLIC INVESTMENT HAS A RANGE OF PROJECTS IN IT. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW A LOT OF LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS, THOSE ARE ONES WE CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING IN THIS ENTIRE SECTION, WHETHER IT'S RELATED TO A LOAN AUTHORIZATION, WHICH SHOULD BE GOING OVER IN A COUPLE WEEKS OR NOT. IT'S JUST EVERYTHING IS RELATED TO, UM, PUBLIC INVESTMENT. IF YOU WANNA TAKE US THROUGH IT OR GIVE US A LITTLE OVERVIEW, DCM WATKINS, THAT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. SURE. I'D JUST LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO, UM, HIT ON A FEW ITEMS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'LL SEE IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, AND THIS IS GOING TO THE CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THE BUDGET MORE USABLE, HOW TO MAKE IT A MORE ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENT, IS THAT, UM, THE GROUPINGS OF PROJECTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN IN THE PAST. I WOULD SAY IN THE PAST THEY'VE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON WHICH DEPARTMENT IS DOING WHICH PROJECTS THIS YEAR THEY'RE REALLY GROUPED BY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EQUIPMENT, WE HAVE BUILDINGS, WE HAVE PARKS AND REC, UM, WE HAVE PUBLIC WAYS, WE HAVE WATER AND SEWER. AND SO WE'VE TRIED TO GROUP THEM. SO MORE LIKE PROJECTS ARE TOGETHER. UM, THE OTHER THING, JUST REMEMBER WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, A LARGE, YOU MIGHT SEE A $20 MILLION, UM, AUTHORIZATION, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT $20 MILLION ALL HITS IN ONE YEAR. RIGHT? SO IF IT'S A BOND FUNDING, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE SORT OF THE CADENCE OF THE BOND FUNDING WHEN WE SELL THE BONDS AND THEN START PAYING FOR THEM REALLY MATCHES THE SPENDING OF THOSE PROJECTS. SO SOMETIMES WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE APPROPRIATIONS, THEY CAN BE VERY LUMPY 'CAUSE YOU'LL GET A BIG APPROPRIATION, BUT THEN IT'S FUNDING A FIVE YEAR PROJECT. AND SO, UM, I JUST WANNA SORT OF POINT THAT OUT AGAIN JUST IN TERMS OF HOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT THOSE NUMBERS. SO AGAIN, UM, THOSE LOAN AUTHORIZATION NUMBERS, YOU KNOW, ASSOCIATED WITH SELLING THE BONDS, WHICH WOULD THEN BE SOLD AND PAID FOR OVER TIME TO MATCH THE SPENDING OF THE PROJECT. UM, THE OTHER THING, AND WE STARTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT THE TEAM HAS DONE, AND AGAIN, THROUGHOUT THE VARIETY OF UM, DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU SEE HERE, IS TO REALLY LOOK AT PROJECTS VERY CLOSELY OVER THIS LAST YEAR AND TO MAKE SURE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TIMING AS WELL AS THE SCOPE OF THOSE PROJECTS. UM, AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS JUST SORT OF TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN THE ACTUAL BUDGET. SO ONE OF THE THINGS IT LOOKS LIKE IS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL IN GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN ON ANY CAPITAL PLAN, BUT IS OBVIOUSLY A HIGH PRIORITY IN TERMS OF GETTING THAT PARK OPENED. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO PULL THAT PARK IN WHILE ALSO MEETING THOSE OVERALL TARGETS FOR OUR, UM, DEBT SERVICE. AND SO, UM, AND THOSE CHANGES THAT YOU'LL ALSO SEE IN THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM ARE SMALL THINGS LIKE THE SNOW CLEARING EQUIPMENT IS AN ANNUAL EXPENDITURE. YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR DPW CLOSELY EVALUATED THE STATE, THE STATE OF THEIR EQUIPMENT AND THEY SKIPPED A YEAR OF FUNDING IN FY 27. SO INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, EVERY YEAR WE GET $620,000 FOR THIS PROGRAM, REALLY LOOKING AT, OKAY, WE DON'T NEED THIS MONEY THIS YEAR, BUT KEPT IT IN FOR THE OUTER YEARS. 'CAUSE WE KNOW IT IS AN ONGOING PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PARKS, WE'VE ALSO REALLY, REALLY EVALUATED THE SCOPE AND TIMING OF PARKS. UM, SO IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET FOR HOYT, WE HAD ANTICIPATED A $4 MILLION APPROPRIATION THIS YEAR. NOW WE'RE SHOWING A $1.25 MILLION APPROPRIATION FY 29. SO AGAIN, LOOKING AT BOTH THE SCOPE AND THE TIMING OF THOSE, AND SIMILARLY ON THE STREETS AND SOME OF THOSE OUTER YEARS, WE HAD SHOWN, YOU KNOW, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THOSE BUDGETS. AND SO THEY'VE TAKEN A CLOSER LOOK AT THAT AND TRY TO MODERATE THAT SPENDING. UM, SO THOSE ARE ALL THE KINDS OF CHANGES THAT WE'LL SEE IN THE BUDGET. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT SORT OF THE PROCESS AND UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK I WANT TO SHOUT OUT AGAIN TO LIKE THE LEVEL OF STAFF. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS MONDAY NIGHT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET, UM, THE CAPITAL BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT THAT'S REALLY MANAGED AND SPEARHEADED THAT CONSTRUCTION. AND I THINK THAT IS THE KIND OF STAFF THAT YOU SEE THROUGHOUT ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, PROFESSIONALLY DEDICATED STAFF, COMMITTED TO THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECTS, COMMITTED TO DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY PROJECTS TO THE CITY, WHILE ALSO BRINGING REALLY CAUTIOUS, YOU KNOW, TRACKING THE SPENDING, TRACKING HOW WE'RE SPENDING THOSE FUNDS. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, YOU'LL ALSO SEE CLEAR MORE CONSISTENT WRITEUPS THROUGH EACH OF THE BUDGETS. SO IN EACH OF THOSE, UM, THE CAPITAL BUDGET ITEMS TO REALLY TRY TO BE MORE CLEAR ABOUT, OKAY, HERE'S PREVIOUS APPROPRIATIONS SO THAT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TELLING, YOU KNOW, THE MORE COMPLETE STORY. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH, UM, IMPROVING OUR SYSTEMS, IMPROVING OUR STAFFING. WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, UM, LOIS WU WHO HAS BEEN BROUGHT ON AS OUR CAPITAL MANAGER, YOU KNOW, MANAGER OF CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, WHICH HAS BEEN A HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF REALLY TREATING THIS LIKE THE SIGNIFICANT PROGRAM [06:10:01] IT IS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE FUNDING IT AND STAFFING IT THAT WAY. SO WITH THAT, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, BUT JUST WANTED TO GIVE THAT OVERVIEW. YES. I WILL GO TO, UM, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. I WANNA POINT OUT THAT NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THE BUDGET BOOK, BUT REFER TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR THIS MEETING WAS A, UH, COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY MANAGER, UH, CMA 20 26 91, WHICH WAS A RESPONSE TO AN AWAITING REPORT REGARDING A REPORT FOR ALL MAJOR CAPITAL INITIATIVES AT OR ABOVE $15 MILLION. AND THAT WAS REFERRED HERE BECAUSE IT'S RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION HERE AND THE BUDGET BOOK. EVERY SINGLE CAPITAL PROJECT IS THERE FROM A BLUE BIKE TO A $40,000, UH, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM TO $20 MILLION FOR ERP OF EVERY RANGE. BUT THIS SPECIFIC REPORT INCLUDED 15 DIFFERENT PROJECTS, EACH OF WHICH ARE $15 MILLION OR MORE, THE MULTI-USE PATHS, SEVERAL BUILDINGS, SEWER, FIVE DIFFERENT SEWER STORM WATER PROJECTS, UH, THREE DIFFERENT STREETS PROJECTS, WHICH WAS CENTRAL SQUARE COMPLETE STREETS, MASS AVE AND ALSO WATERWORKS. SO JUST IF IT'S PROBABLY IN YOUR BUDGET BOOKS, IF NOT, IT'S ALL HERE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ENSURE, SINCE THIS WAS REFERRED TO THIS COMMITTEE FOR HEARING THAT WE MAKE SURE WE INCLUDE THAT IN THE, UM, DISCUSSION. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOU. I JUST, UH, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. I, I, I JUST WANNA BACKTRACK ONE QUICK SECOND TO WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOYT. SO IT WAS GONNA BE AROUND A LITTLE OVER 4 MILLION IN 27. NOW IT'S A LITTLE OVER A MILLION IN IN 29. UM, IF I CAN ASK CD, D FOLKS TO COME UP, 'CAUSE THERE'S ALSO CPA FUNDS ASSOCIATED, SO THERE'S CPA FUNDS AND THEN ALSO BOND FUNDS, SO, OKAY. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE USING CPA FUNDS, UM, AS EFFECTIVELY AS WE CAN SO THEY CAN TALK ABOUT THE SORT OF FULL SCOPE OF THE PROJECT. YEAH, I GUESS, I MEAN, MY, MY MAIN QUESTIONS WERE, UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE PUSHING THIS OUT IN ANOTHER COUPLE YEARS AND IS, IF, IF WE'RE CUTTING BACK ON FUNDING, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE CUTTING BACK ON. IT IS THE ONLY MAJOR OPEN SPACE IN THE RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S BEEN NOT GREAT SHAPE FOR A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME. AND SO JUST GONNA GET AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY WE'RE PUSHING IT OFF AND CUTTING IT BACK, IF THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. YEAH, THANK YOU. UH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR NOLAN. SO, UH, THE TOTAL ESTIMATE FOR HOYT IS JUST UNDER 5 MILLION. UM, SO STILL PLANNING FOR A SIGNIFICANT RENOVATION, BUT CERTAINLY KIND OF RIGHT SIZING IT AND, AND LIKE WE'RE DOING WITH ALL OF OUR PARKS AND OPEN SPACE AND ALL OF OUR CAPITAL PROJECTS, REALLY NOT, NOT DELIVERING THE PLATINUM VERSION, BUT STILL THE, THE GOLD, UH, SILVER VERSION. UM, AS KATHY INDICATED, WE WILL, UH, BE APPLYING FOR CPA FUNDINGS OF THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS. SO THAT WILL BE ADDED TO WHAT WE EXPECT TO GET FROM BOND PROCEEDS AND FY 29 SO THAT WE CAN, UM, START CONSTRUCTION THE, THAT, UH, SOON AFTER THOSE FUNDS ARE RECEIVED. WE DO ANTICIPATE, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE EXISTING CPA FUNDS IN HAND, UH, TO START THE DESIGN AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS SO THAT, UM, WE CAN, UH, TIME THIS SO THAT THE ENGAGEMENT CAN HAPPEN, THAT WHEN THOSE, THE THE BOND FUNDS COME IN, WE CAN START CONSTRUCTION. 'CAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE IT'S A PRIORITY PARK FOR THE RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. AND, UM, YEAH, I MEAN I KNOW, I KNOW OBVIOUSLY THAT A LOT OF THE OTHER FIELDS WE'VE DONE WERE DONE BACK WHEN THINGS WERE A LITTLE MORE LUCRATIVE. UM, BUT I JUST MET WITH, UM, I JUST MET WITH THE, THE PRESIDENT AND UM, SOME OF THE COACHES FROM, UH, CENTRAL LITTLE LEAGUE, WHICH IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. I WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THAT LITTLE LEAGUE FOR 10 YEARS. UH, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT LINDSTROM FIELD IN, IN CAMBRIDGE PORT, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOME OF, WHEN YOU LOOK AT, UM, GLOCK AND YOU LOOK AT TOBIN AND, YOU KNOW, BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS, YOU KNOW, FIELDS AND, AND FOLKS ON THIS SIDE OF THE CITY ARE TRYING TO RECRUIT KIDS TO PLAY ON OUR LITTLE TINY DIRT BOWLS. UM, IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR KIDS TO SAY, YEAH, I WANT TO STICK IN, YOU KNOW, IN RIVERSIDE AND IN CAMBRIDGE PORT WITH THEIR LITTLE BASEBALL FIELD WHEN THEY GO AND THEY SEE ALL THE BRIGHT LIGHT, IT'S LIKE PLAYING IN A LITTLE MINOR LEAGUE, YOU KNOW, STADIUM. SO I KNOW WE HAVE, WE CAN'T DO THOSE THINGS ANYMORE. WE HAVE TO CUT BACK, BUT I DON'T WANT IT TO GET THE SHORT SHIFT, YOU KNOW? PLEASE. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMMUNITY PROCESS BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED SOME QUALITY FIELDS OVER HERE TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, SHOUT OUT TO YOU FOR CENTRAL BASEBALL, WHICH [06:15:01] GOT MY SON WHO WAS VERY SHY AND NOT SURE HE COULD DO IT TO PLAY, IT WAS INCREDIBLY INCLUSIVE ON THAT FIELD DOWN BY THE MOORE SCHOOL. SO SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU. AND IT JUST POINTS OUT HOW IMPORTANT RECREATION IS. COUNCILLOR SUZI, UH, THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO, UM, APPRECIATE ALL THE CSO INVESTMENT, RIGHT? WE WANNA, WE DON'T WANT FLOODING AND ALSO FOR ALL THE INVESTMENT IN OUR PARKS OVER THE COMING YEARS, UM, OUR OPEN SPACES, ESPECIALLY AS WE BECOME MORE DENSE, ARE EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT. AND THE CITY HAS A STRONG HISTORY OF INVESTING IN ITS PARKS. SO THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO MAKE THAT COMMITMENT. I JUST HAD A QUESTION ABOUT CENTRAL SQUARE. I KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW YOU WHITTLE DOWN THE COST FROM LIKE 50 MILLION TO 10 MILLION, BUT MY QUESTION IS, SO DOES THIS INCLUDE THE, UH, WILL YOU BE REDOING THE SEWERS AT THAT TIME? SO WE, WE, THERE HAVE BEEN SEWER BOND AUTHORIZATIONS OF 27.5 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 26 AND 2 MILLION MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 23 IN TAX SUPPORTED BOND AUTHORIZATION OF 3,000,023. SO IS THAT ALREADY THAT, THAT WILL BE PART OF THIS AS WELL? I I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND IF IT'S THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE SURFACE, BUT YOU'RE GONNA BE REDOING THE SEWERS AND WELCOME BACK, UH, JIM THROUGH YOUR CHA CHANNEL. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE RE-SCOPE THE PROJECT IN CENTRAL SQUARE. IT WAS GONNA BE A MUCH LARGER PROJECT, OVER $50 MILLION WAS THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE. SO WE HAVE SCALED BACK WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING THERE. WE WILL BE, UM, DOING SOME, SOME SIDEWALK WORK. UM, WE WILL BE DOING SOME FLOATING BUS STOPS AT A COUPLE OF KEY LOCATIONS, ONE AT ESSEX STREET, ONE AT PEARL STREET. UH, THERE WILL BE SEPARATED BIKE LANES THAT WILL BE INCLUDED. UM, THE SCOPE OF THE UTILITY WORK WILL BE CUT BACK. UM, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO DO SOME INVESTIGATIVE WORK OF THE SEWER SYSTEM IN CENTRAL SQUARE OVER THE WINTER. SO WE'RE EVALUATING WHAT WE NEED TO DO THERE. WE'RE HOPING IT'S PRIMARILY, UM, SPOT LOCATIONS WHERE WE NEED TO DO WORK AND NOT A FULL REBUILD OF THE, UM, SEWER AND DRAINAGE UTILITIES IN CENTRAL SQUARE. SO, UM, ON THE PREVIOUS APPROPRIATIONS AND BONDS, SO IN FISCAL YEAR 23, UM, THERE WAS AN APPROPRIATION FOR $5 MILLION. UM, AND THAT WAS A COMBINATION OF SEWER AND TAX FUNDED BONDS. UM, IN FY 26 THERE WAS AN APPROPRIATION OF $27.5 MILLION FROM SEWER BONDS. AND WE ARE PROPOSING $10 MILLION APPROPRIATION IN THIS BUDGET FROM TAX SUPPORTED BONDS. SO WE WILL BE EVALUATING THAT 27 POINT A HALF MILLION TO SEE IF ALL OF THAT IS NECESSARY AS WE RESCOPE THE PROJECT. SO JUST ONE THING I I I'M SORRY IF, IF, UM, ONE THING TO ADD TO CENTRAL SQUARE IS, YOU KNOW, PART OF THIS CONVERSATION IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT THE, YOU KNOW, SAFE SEPARATED BIKE LANES, MEET THE ORDINANCE. UM, AND WE ALSO, UM, WHEN WE HAD DEFINED THE SCOPE AND THE TIMELINE FOR CENTRAL SQUARE INITIALLY, UM, THE MBTA, THE SCHEDULE WE HAD GOTTEN FROM THE MBTA IS THAT WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE COMPLETED WITH THEIR ELEVATOR WORK THAT THEY HAVE IN CENTRAL SQUARE. SO A PART OF REIMAGINING CENTRAL SQUARE IS ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE FULL SCOPE OF CONSTRUCTION THAT IS, UM, ANTICIPATED IN CENTRAL SQUARE, INCLUDING A SIGNIFICANT PROJECT FROM THE MBTA TO REPLACE AND ADD ELEVATORS IN CENTRAL SQUARE. SO WE WANTED TO BE ABLE, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FACILITATE THAT WORK AND SO HAVING A SORT OF FULL RECONSTRUCTION OF CENTRAL SQUARE GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME. IS THAT MBTA WORK? UM, DIDN'T SEEM PRUDENT, SO I'M, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND. SO HAS THE MBTA ELEVATOR WORK BEEN DELAYED? 'CAUSE THEY WERE GONNA DEDICATE LIKE 50 MILLION AND, AND IF SO, TO WHAT TIME? SO WE HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH THE MBTA ON GETTING THAT PROJECT STARTED RIGHT NOW. THEY ANTICIPATE THAT WORK STARTING IN SEPTEMBER. UM, THEY HAVE, UM, GONE THROUGH A DIFFERENT PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR THAT PROJECT. SO THEY ARE COMBINING IT WITH A PROJECT IN DOWNTOWN CROSSING AS WELL. SO THOSE TWO LOCATIONS WILL BE IN ONE MBTA CONTRACT. SO DOES SO HAVE, SO WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, SO THE 27.5 MILLION SEWER BOND AUTHORIZATION FROM FISCAL YEAR 26 AND THE 5 MILLION FROM FISCAL YEAR 23. SO IF THAT MONEY WAS ALREADY AUTHORIZED, ARE YOU GONNA USE THOSE BOND FUNDS FOR OTHER CSO PROJECTS? I, I, I, I GUESS I'M COM COMPLETELY CONFUSED. UM, AND SO ARE YOU SAYING, I THOUGHT YOU WERE SAYING THAT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE [06:20:01] AND I KNOW WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE EXPENDITURES, BUT ARE WE MAKING THE CENTRAL SQUARE PROJECT SMALLER SO IT DOESN'T, HOW DOES THAT CORRELATE? SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE MBTA IS ON TARGET, SO UM, YEAH, SO WHY, WHY ARE WE DELAYING THE SEWER WORK? BECAUSE IT DOESN'T NEED TO HAPPEN NOW. SO WHEN, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE MBTA WAS GONNA START SEVERAL YEARS AGO. SO YES, THEY ARE ON SCHEDULE FOR THEIR CURRENT SCHEDULE. WHEN WE HAD FIRST IDENTIFIED THE SCHEDULE FOR CENTRAL SQUARE TO START SORT OF CONSTRUCTION SORT OF IN THIS TIME PERIOD, THE THOUGHT AT THAT TIME WAS THAT THE MBTA WOULD ALREADY BE COMPLETED BY NOW. SO THEIR WORK HAS BEEN DELAYED. IT IS NOW UNSCHEDULED TO PROCEED THIS YEAR. SO HOPEFULLY THAT CLARIFIES THAT, UM, IN TERMS OF THE 27 AND A HALF MILLION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED FOR CENTRAL SQUARE WORK. AND SO AS JIM SAID, THEY'LL BE DECIDE, YOU KNOW, DETERMINING WHAT SCOPE OF WORK HE NEEDS TO SPEND IT ON. IF WE DO NOT NEED TO SPEND IT, THEN WE WOULD COME BACK TO COUNCIL FOR A RESCISSION OF PART OF THAT LOAN ORDER. SO THE LOAN ORDER WAS SET UP FOR THOSE FUNDS TO BE IN CENTRAL SQUARE. SO WE WOULDN'T USE THAT AUTHORIZATION IN AT ANOTHER LOCATION. AND AGAIN, WE WOULDN'T SELL BONDS THAT WE DON'T NOT NEED EITHER. SO DO WE. SO THAT SEWER WORK THAT WAS PLANNED FOR EARLIER, SO WE DECIDED IT, IT WASN'T NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. RIGHT. SO IT SOUNDS LIKE IT CAN, IT CAN BE DELAYED FOR ANOTHER 10 OR 20 YEARS, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE THINKING? YEAH, SO WE ARE REEVALUATING THE SCOPE OF THE WORK NOW. THERE WAS, UM, SOME SUE SEPARATION WORK THAT WAS DONE IN CENTRAL SQUARE ABOUT, UM, 12 YEARS AGO SO THAT THAT WORK IS COMPLETE. UM, BUT WE STILL HAVE SOME AGING INFRASTRUCTURE THERE THAT WE'RE STILL EVALUATING. SO DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO INVEST 10 MILLION INTO THE SURFACES IF, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE DIGGING IT ALL UP AGAIN IN 10 YEARS? I WOULD NOT SAY THAT WE'RE ON A 10 YEAR TIMELINE FOR GOING BACK IN THERE TO DO SEWER WORK. IT WOULD BE LONGER THAN THAT. AND IF THERE WERE ANY LOCATIONS WHERE WE HAVE VULNERABLE UTILITIES THAT COULD AFFECT THE NEW SURFACE THAT WE PUT OUT THERE, WE WILL MAKE SURE WE TAKE CARE OF THAT. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCIL ZUBI AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AGAIN. NO THANK YOU. THREE CHAIR FIRST. MAYBE A POINT OF INFORMATION HERE. 'CAUSE I KNOW THIS SECTION'S A LOT TO UNPACK AND I DEFINITELY NEED TO DO MORE OF MY DUE DILIGENCE HERE. UM, SO I MIGHT VOTE PRESENT. SO OUT OF CURIOSITY HERE, THE PROCEDURAL PART OF THIS IS THAT NOT ALL AUTHORIZATIONS ARE ON THE CALENDAR FOR THE COUNCIL TO VOTE ON. SO IN TERMS OF THIS SECTION THAT GOES INTO DEPTH WITH OTHER AUTHORIZATIONS ON THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PROJECTS, IS THAT JUST GONNA BE IN BULK ALTOGETHER HERE EXCEPT FOR THE ONES THAT ARE ON THE CALENDAR? OR DOES IT DEPEND ON THE TIMELINE THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON? JUST CURIOUS TO MY UNDERSTANDING, BUT THE CLERK CAN CORRECT ME. THIS IS A PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION, WHICH IT HAS THIS PARTICULAR EXPECTED PUBLIC INVESTMENT, WHICH AS WAS NOTED, IT'S BY AREA OF INVESTMENT AS WELL AS A, A LIST BY KIND OF PROJECT TYPE, WHICH IT, AND JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW ON THOSE TWO PAGES, WHICH IS 3 0 9 AND THREE 11, THEY ARE DUPLICATE, JUST REARRANGED DIFFERENTLY. IN OTHER WORDS, THE TOTAL OF 155 MILLION IS THE SAME. IT'S NOT THAT IT'S TWO SEPARATE 155 MILLION, BUT IT IS HANDY TO, ONE OF THEM IS REALLY BY TYPE LIKE SEWER, WATER, WHATEVER. AND THE OTHER IS, UM, BY AREA OF INVESTMENT, WHICH IS NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. SO WE WOULD BE VOTING THAT SECTION OF THE BUDGET. THERE WILL BE SEPARATE VOTES AT OUR MEETING ON IN JUNE ABOUT NEW, THOSE WOULD BE NEW LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN APPROPRIATED. IF SOMEONE COULD CORRECT ME OR C-F-M-A-C-M SPINNER OR DIRECTOR JENNINGS NOT NECESSARILY CORRECTING YOU, I JUST WANNA PROVIDE FURTHER CLARIFICATION. EXCELLENT. UM, SO, UM, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. SO WE ARE REVIEWING THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION OF THE BUDGET. UM, AS PART THAT REVIEW, THERE ARE ALSO SEPARATE LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS FOR FY 27 FOR A NUMBER OF PROJECTS. AND YOU COULD SEE A LIST OF THOSE. THEY'RE SEPARATED OUT ON PAGE 3 92 OF THE BOOK. UM, AND SO THOSE I IF YOU RECALL, WERE SUBMITTED ON THE AGENDA SEPARATELY. I THINK THEY'RE ON THE CALENDAR NOW. I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT PROCEDURE, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY PASSED THROUGH A SECOND READING AND WOULD NEED TO BE ADVERTISED. AND THE THE HOPE IS THAT AT THE SAME TIME THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED, WE WOULD VOTE OR THE COUNCIL WOULD APPROVE THOSE LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS FOR FY 27. UM, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THOSE LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS AND THOSE PROJECTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE PUBLIC INVESTMENT BUDGET [06:25:01] FOR 27. GOTCHA. THAT DEFINITELY HELPS CLARIFY THINGS A BIT MORE. 'CAUSE I KNOW, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN THINGS THAT I'M READING ON HERE UNDER THE PROJECT TYPE EXISTS ON THE SECOND PAST IN THE CALENDAR THAT'S SITTING RIGHT NOW LIKE THE, THE REPLACEMENT OF THE OZONE GENERA GENERATORS AT THE WATER DEPARTMENT OR, UM, THE CITY'S CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAM AT THE 500 K. BUT NOT EVERYTHING ON HERE IS ON THERE. SO JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT PIECE OF IT. RIGHT. SO SOME EXACT, SO IN THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION, THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS THAT ARE BONDED THAT WE WANT TO ISSUE BONDS TO FUND, AND WE NEED AUTHORIZATIONS, UH, FOR THOSE BONDS, UH, FROM COUNCIL. THERE ARE OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE SUPPORTED A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, EITHER PROPERTY TAX OR FREE CASH OR MITIGATION FUNDS THAT AS PART OF ADOPTING THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT BUDGET, WE'RE APPROVING THOSE. SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF TWO SEPARATE TRACKS. THERE'S TWO SEPARATE KIND OF BUCKETS OF PROJECTS HERE. SO THERE'S THE BONDED PROJECTS THAT WE NEED AUTHORIZATION FOR, UM, THOSE ARE SEPARATE VOTES. AND THEN THERE'S, UH, THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS WITHIN PUBLIC INVESTMENT SECTION. WE PUT THEM ALL IN HERE SO THEY CAN BE REVIEWED ALL AT ONCE. IT'S ALL PART OF THE OVERALL PUBLIC INVESTMENT PLAN, BUT THERE'S DIFFERENT PROCEDURES FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH BOTH TYPES. GOTCHA. IT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL. I, I MIGHT NEED MORE TIME TO REVIEW THIS THEN. I THINK ONE QUESTION THAT I'M SITTING WITH RIGHT NOW IS RELATED TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION SECTION. UM, JUST IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH A HERE AND FIELD. CURIOUS TO HEAR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PARKS AND REC STUFF RIGHT NOW, ARE WE WORKING ON A COMMUNITY PROCESS TO HELP INFORM THESE PUBLIC INVESTMENT PROJECTS, UM, SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO REALLY SUCCESSFULLY SEE THOSE THROUGH IN THE FUTURE? UM, THROUGH CHAIR NOLAN? I CAN ANSWER BROADLY AND I THINK THERE'S SPECIFIC PROJECTS YOU WANNA FOCUS ON. WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE STAFF ANSWER IN DETAIL. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, MELISSA ALLUDED TO A LITTLE BIT STARTING THE HOYT PROCESS. UM, EACH OF THESE PROJECTS HAS A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY PROCESS AND SO SHE MENTIONED HOIT, I KNOW GOLD STAR MOTHERS, THEY'RE ALREADY, THAT IS UNDERWAY AND ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT WOULD BE THE CASE FOR EACH OF THOSE. GOTCHA. AND IT'D BE THE SAME WITH DHE PARK AND ALSO THE OTHER RECREATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND PARK RESTORATIONS. YEAH, SO DANA, HE, UM, JUST TO FOCUS ON THAT ONE A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT AT COUNCIL. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, STAFF FROM CDD HUMAN SERVICES AND PUBLIC WORKS OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS LED A REALLY ROBUST PLANNING PROCESS FOR DANEE DANEE, UM, AND REALLY COMING OUT WITH AN IMPROVEMENT PLAN. AND SO WE ANTICIPATE THAT THAT'LL BE PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. AND SO WE MAKE SURE TO SHARE THAT WITH COUNCIL. ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN I REVIEWED THE DRAFT OF IT THAT I WOULD SAY I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF IS THAT THE STAFF, UM, AND TEAM WORKED TO REALLY MAKE SURE THEY GOT INCREDIBLY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT USERS OF THE SPACE. UM, AND THEN ALSO REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THE PLAN IN TERMS OF HOW TO PHASE IT INTO SIZABLE CHUNKS. SO IT WASN'T JUST A, YOU KNOW, HERE'S ALL OF OUR HOPES AND DREAMS FOR DHE PARK, BUT REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S A LONG-TERM VISION AND HOW DO WE BREAK THAT INTO SIZABLE CHUNKS? AND SO JUST LIKE I TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE STARTED TO FIT GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK INTO THIS, UM, THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT PLAN WHILE AGAIN, CONTINUE TO MEET THOSE TARGETS. SIMILARLY, ON DANEE, YOU'LL START TO SEE, UM, SORT OF LARGER PROJECTS EVERY COUPLE YEARS SO THAT WE CAN REALLY PICK OFF PIECES OF DANY, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT OVER 30 YEARS OLD. AND SO IS NEED IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT, BUT MAKING SURE WE'RE SORT OF PRIORITIZING THAT AND THEN THINKING ABOUT IT IN SIZABLE CHUNKS. GOTCHA. THANKS. THAT'S HELPFUL. ALL YIELD FOR NOW. THANK YOU. UM, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. UM, ON THE, GETTING BACK TO THE PARKS AND RECREATION, THERE'S A EXPECTED ALLOCATION OF $14 MILLION FOR GOLD STAR. HOW HAS THAT CHANGED OVER TIME AND WHAT'S OUR EXPECTATION FOR THAT PROJECT? THAT'S A LOT OF SPENDING GIVEN THAT WE JUST DEMOLISHED AN ENTIRE BUILDING OF NINE STORIES FOR $13 MILLION. YEAH, SO, UH, COUNCILOR NOLAN, THERE'S REALLY TWO MAJOR COMPONENTS TO THE WORK AT GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK. WE HAVE A, A SOIL REMEDIATION PROJECT TO DO THERE. UM, SO WE WERE DOING SOME, A PROJECT THERE ON THE BASKETBALL COURT TO IMPROVE THAT AND SOME ADJACENT, UM, FEATURES WE DISCOVERED SOME CONTAMINATED SOIL. UM, THE PRIMARY CONTAMINANT IS LEAD, BUT WE ALSO HAVE LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE PCBS AND THAT IS JUST BASED ON THE HISTORY OF THE SITE. UM, SO THAT $14 MILLION IS TO COVER BOTH THAT SOIL REMEDIATION AND BUILDING A NEW PARK ONCE WE DO THAT. SO, [06:30:01] UM, WITH THE PCB SOILS, UM, THOSE WILL NEED TO BE DISPOSED OF IT IN OUT OF STATE LANDFILL, WHICH IS QUITE EXPENSIVE AND SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID AT 2 21 MOUNT AUBURN STREET, WHERE THAT'S GONNA HAVE TO GO OUTTA STATE, RIGHT? I'M JUST THE, THE CORRELATION OF 13 MILLION FOR AN ENTIRE BUILDING AND A MUCH SMALLER SITE, RIGHT? GOLD MOTHER PARK IS SMALLER AND MUCH LESS DEBRIS. IT'S JUST CURIOUS AT THAT. BUT IT'S ALSO THE REBUILDING OF THE PARK. SO IT'S BOTH THE DEMOLITION AND REMOVAL OF THE SOILS AS WELL AS THE RENOVATION AND AND REPAIR OF THE PARK, WHICH SHOULD ONLY BE A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS, PRESUMABLY. WELL, YOU GOTTA REPLACE ALL OF THAT SOIL. SO IT'S DIFFERENT THAN IF YOU HAVE A TYPICAL PARK, RIGHT? SO IN TERMS OF SQUARE FOOTAGE, YOU GOTTA REMOVE ALL THE SOIL AND THEN BUILD IT BACK UP AND THEN BUILD THE PARK. SO THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT SORT OF PIECES TO THAT, WHEREAS 2 21, ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS DEMOLISH, RIGHT? WE DIDN'T BRING ANYTHING BACK, RIGHT? BUT IT WAS PROBABLY A LOT MORE AT 2 21 'CAUSE IT WAS A NINE STORY BUILDING. UM, WHAT, HOW ARE WE DOING WITH, UM, BUDGET EXPECTATIONS FROM TWO YEARS AGO FOR PROJECTS AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW? AND I ASK THAT BECAUSE AS WE KNOW FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, WE'VE SEEN SOME THAT HAVE GONE WAY OVER WHAT WE EXPECTED. EVERYONE IN THE CITY, WHENEVER YOU'RE GOING AROUND KNOWS ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT GOING FROM 23 MILLION TO 77 MILLION. MANY OF US KNOW THAT TOBE AND DERBY VASSAL, WHICH WENT FROM 150 MILLION OR SO TO 300 AND 300 MILLION WITHOUT THE 20 MILLION FOR THE TANK. SO WHAT ARE WE SEEING IN TERMS OF MANY OF THESE PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY THE LARGER WS, WHETHER IT'S SEWERS OR THE COMPLETE STREETS, WE HAVE A PARTICULAR BUDGET. HOW CLOSE TO THAT IS, AND ARE WE GETTING BETTER AT UNDERSTANDING, BASICALLY, ARE WE IMPROVING EITHER THE WAY THAT WE CONTROL COSTS OR THE WAY THAT WE ENSURE THAT OUR BUDGETING IS APPROPRIATE, UM, SO THAT WE'RE NOT SURPRISED OR HAVE THESE ADDITIONAL ALLOCATIONS THAT THE COUNCIL'S ASKED TO VOTE ON? AND AT THAT POINT WE HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH THE PROJECT. SO COUNCILMAN ALL I CAN SPEAK TO PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS. UM, SO, UM, WE DID HAVE A PERIOD OF TIME COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC WHERE PRICES WERE SORT OF ALL OVER THE PLACE. UM, AND THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME WHEN THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT INFLATION AND COSTS ON THOSE PROJECTS WENT UP QUITE A BIT. I WOULD SAY THE LAST THREE YEARS FOR, FOR OUR PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS, THE PRICING AND BIDS HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE STABLE. UM, WE HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER AT TRYING TO STAY WITHIN OUR BUDGETS. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE THE MASS A, UM, CYCLE IMPLEMENTATION, UM, WE HAVE $50 MILLION APPROPRIATED FOR THAT WORK AND WE ARE GONNA STAY AT $50 MILLION FOR THAT WORK. SO WE HAD DID, DID DO SOME DESIGN WORK, WHAT WE WANTED TO IMPLEMENT WAS GONNA BE OVER THAT BUDGET AND WE DID SOME VALUE ENGINEERING TO GET THOSE COSTS BACK UNDER CONTROL. I CAN TELL YOU I AM A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED RIGHT NOW WITH THE PRICE OF FUEL. UM, SO PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS ARE VERY AFFECTED BY THE PRICE OF FUEL, PARTICULARLY DIESEL FUEL. SO, UM, WE HAD A RECENT BID OPENING, WE REALLY DIDN'T SEE THE EFFECTS OF THAT YET ON A STREETS PROJECT THAT CAME IN CLOSE TO THE ESTIMATE AROUND $10 MILLION. BUT WE DO HAVE MORE WORK THAT WE WANT TO BID, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THAT. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH JIM. AND, AND I THINK JUST TO ADD TO THAT, UM, UH, I THINK JOURNAL AND A LOT OF THE PROJECTS I THINK YOU, YOU YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF OUR HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE, UM, IT IS TRUE THAT WE ALWAYS HAD A STARTING BUDGET. UM, BUT THEN, UH, A LOT OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS WE WOULD GO, WE WOULD GET INPUT, WHETHER IT'S FROM THE COMMUNITY OR WHETHER IT WAS EVEN INTERNALLY AS WE WERE THINKING ABOUT PLANNING THE SCHOOL. UM, AND, AND I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT, BUT I THINK ONE BIG SHIFT WE ARE MAKING IS WE'RE NOT BUDGETING OUR PLAN. WE'RE GONNA PLAN OUR BUDGET. AND SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE ALLOCATIONS THAT WE'RE PUTTING OUT, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THAT APPROPRIATELY AT THE BEGINNING OF A PROJECT. UM, BUT THEN WE HAVE TO ULTIMATELY MANAGE BOTH THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT AND THEN ULTIMATELY THE EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT TO THE BUDGET THAT WE'VE ALLOCATED. AND THAT'S A LOT OF WHAT, UM, WHAT, UH, WHAT WHAT OUR, UH, OUR TEAM IS DOING. AND I THINK ON THE MASS AAV PROJECT, THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE WHERE, YOU KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN PRETTY SIGNIFICANT COST ESCALATION FOR THE ORIGINAL DESIGN. AND A LOT OF THE WORK THAT THE TEAM HAS BEEN TOILING UNDER IS HOW DO WE DELIVER THIS PROJECT ON BUDGET, ON SCHEDULE WITH THE CORE ELEMENTS DELIVERED? UH, BUT ULTIMATELY THERE IS A LOT OF VALUE ENGINEERING HAPPENING AND WE ARE LOSING CERTAIN FEATURES THAT WE PROBABLY WANTED. UM, BUT, UM, BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS PROJECT NEEDS ANOTHER $10 MILLION. SO I THINK WE ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO THIS RIGHT UPFRONT, THAT WE ARE SCOPING THINGS [06:35:01] APPROPRIATELY, UM, AND THEN THAT WE, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DELIVERING THESE PROJECTS AND ALSO THAT WE'RE PLANNING THAT OUT. I MEAN, I DO THINK THERE IS A CHALLENGE WHERE WHEN THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THERE'S ALWAYS MORE BUDGET TO BE HAD AND THAT THE COMMUNITY DEMANDS AN INCREASED SCOPE, WE END UP WITH TEAMS FOLLOWING THAT LEAD AND THEN THEY COME BACK AND WE END UP BACK, BACK AT THE COUNCIL SAYING, WELL, WE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE WE COULD MAKE THIS COMPROMISE. UM, AND I THINK, I THINK WE'RE BEING MORE CLEAR ABOUT DELIVERING THINGS ON TIME AND ON BUDGET, RIGHT? I ALSO THINK SIGNALING TO THE MARKET THAT WE HAVE A CERTAIN BUDGET AND HOW CLOSE CAN WE GET TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE BUILD FOR THAT BUDGET INSTEAD OF SAYING, HERE'S OUR DREAM OF EVERYTHING WE WANNA DO, BUT THE VALUE ENGINEERING IS IMPORTANT. AND AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE MAKING SURE WE DELIVER REALLY GREAT SERVICES, BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S, THERE'S LIMITS TO WHAT WE DO. UM, ON THE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A FEW, THREE OR FOUR OF THE STREETS, THE COMPLETE STREETS RECONSTRUCTION, MASS AND OTHERS. HOW IS IT THAT WE ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT? THE KIND OF VALUE ENGINEERING WE HAVE, UM, THE COMPLETE STREETS, I'M LOOKING AT THE 83 MILLION EXPENDITURE, THE MASS A WATERHOUSE TO ALEWIFE IS STILL BEING SCOPED OUT FOR 50 MILLION, WHICH WAS REFERENCED. AND THEN THE, UM, THE CENTRAL SQUARE PROJECT IS ALSO STILL HAS A $32 MILLION, UM, BALANCE TO BE, TO BE DONE. SO ARE WE ON TRACK? UM, WE, I JUST HEARD WE WERE ON BUDGET AND ON TRACK. ARE WE ON TRACK WITH TIMELINE? BECAUSE CERTAINLY WITH CENTRAL SQUARE THERE'S BEEN SOME DELAYS ON THAT. CARL BARON PLAZA, YOU KNOW, HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE MANAGING TO, UM, ASSURE THE PUBLIC THAT WE'RE WORKING AS MUCH AS WE CAN? WE ARE STILL WAITING, HOPEFULLY RIGHT WITH BATED BREATH OR CROSS TOES THAT HARVARD SQUARE WILL FINALLY OPEN, NOT EVEN NOW, BUT MAYBE BY THE FALL. BUT THAT'S ALSO BEEN SOMETHING, AGAIN, SOMETHING THAT TOOK FAR, FAR LONGER THAN ANYONE EVER DREAMED IT WOULD POSSIBLY TAKE. SO ON THESE COMPLETE STREET PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY THE ONES THAT ARE STILL IN PROCESS, WHAT DO WE SEE FOR TIMELINE? SO COUNCIL NOLAN, I'LL START WITH CAL BARON PLAZA AND RIVER STREET. UM, WE DO HAVE A A A ONE YEAR DELAY ON THAT PROJECT PRIMARILY RELATED TO A LOT OF, UM, THE MICROPHONE TALK IN YOUR MICROPHONE. OH, THANK YOU. JUST BRING IT REALLY CLOSE TO YOU. SURE. UM, SO BACK TO RIVER STREET AND CAL BARON PLAZA. SO WE DO HAVE A, A 12 MONTH DELAY ON THAT PROJECT, PRIMARILY RELATED TO A LOT OF UNKNOWN UTILITY CONFLICTS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT, UM, AS WE WERE DOING THE WORK, WE FOUND UTILITIES THAT WE DID NOT EXPECT. SO THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF REDESIGN THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. UM, I BELIEVE WE'RE BACK ON TRACK. IF YOU GO OUT THERE NOW, YOU'LL SEE THERE ARE MULTIPLE CREWS WORKING ON THAT PROJECT RIGHT NOW. WE HOPE TO HAVE CAL BARON PLAZA ESSENTIALLY OPEN, UM, THIS, THIS SUMMER. UM, THERE WILL BE CONTINUING WORK ON THE, THE RIBBON, THE PUBLIC R PIECE THAT'S OUT THERE, BUT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPEN THE MAJORITY OF THE, THE PLAZA THIS SUMMER. AND WE'RE HOPING TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE WITH THE ROAD WORK FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF RIVER STREET BY DECEMBER OF DECEMBER WISE. YOU'RE GOOD. BUDGET WISE? WE'RE GOOD. UM, IT WAS ORIGINALLY A $55 MILLION CONTRACT. WE AWARDED IT AND I BELIEVE WE'RE AT ABOUT $59 MILLION RIGHT NOW. SO NOT, NOT A HUGE, UH, PERCENTAGE INCREASE ON THAT. UM, THE HARVARD SQUARE PLAZA. YEAH, DEFINITELY A REALLY A DIFFICULT PROJECT THERE. UM, WE RAN INTO A LOT OF COORDINATION ISSUES WITH THE MBTA IN TIMING. UM, SO WE ORIGINALLY HAD A, A TWO YEAR DELAY JUST STARTING THAT PROJECT. UM, WHEN WE WERE STARTING THAT PROJECT, THE MBTA WAS STARTING ALL THIS DIVERSION WORK AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RED LINE SYSTEM. SO WE REALLY WEREN'T ABLE TO START THE WORK UNTIL THE T WAS COMPLETING THEIR WORK WITHIN HARVARD STATION AND WITHIN THE RED LINE TUNNEL. AND WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH SOME COORDINATION ISSUES WITH THE MBTA ON THAT PROJECT AS WE'RE DOING THE WORK AND WE'RE UNCOVERING THINGS THE ENTIRETY OF THAT. THE ENTIRETY OF THAT PLAZA IS OVER THE HARVARD SQUARE STATION. SO WE ARE FINDING ISSUES AS WE UNCOVER THE TOP OF THAT STATION WITH WATERPROOFING, UM, AND OTHER MINOR STRUCTURAL ISSUES THAT WE ARE WORKING WITH THE TE ON TO ADDRESS. BUT WE ARE HOPING TO COMPLETE THE PLAZA ITSELF, UM, BY THE END OF NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR. BUT THERE WILL BE SOME WORK ON THE ROADWAYS THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THE SPRING OF 2027. THANKS. AND AS A FOLLOW UP, HOW MUCH DOES THE UTILITY COORDINATION AFFECT OUR BUDGETS? I MEAN IT'S, I'VE OFTEN HEARD RIGHT, IF WE HAD THE PROBLEM WITH UTILITY COORDINATION ON CARL MARIN PLAZA IN ANY TIME WE'RE OPENING UP STREETS WHERE WE WILL BE PUTTING IN [06:40:01] BIKE LANES AND WE'RE ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE COORDINATING WITH ANY OF THE UTILITY WORK. CORRECT. IS THAT A SEAMLESS, UM, INTEGRATION AT THIS POINT OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY SHOULD BE CONSIDERING AND HAS BEEN AFFECTING OUR BUDGETS? SO AS PART OF THE, THE BIKE LANE IMPLEMENTATION PROJECTS, SO UH, THIS YEAR WE HAVE CAMBRIDGE STREET COMING UP, WE HAVE BROADWAY COMING UP. WE DO, UM, COMPLETE AN INVESTIGATION OF THOSE UTILITIES, PARTICULARLY, UM, SEWER, WATER AND DRAINAGE BEFORE WE DO THE PROJECT. IF WE IDENTIFY ANY ISSUES THAT IN THE SHORT TERM WE NEED, MAY NEED TO BE BACK OUT THERE DOING REPAIRS, WE'RE GONNA TAKE CARE OF THOSE AS PART OF THE PROJECT. THESE ARE NOT FULL UTILITY REBUILDS, BUT JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE BACK OUT THERE IN THE SHORT TERM DOING MORE UTILITY WORK. BUT ON RIVER STREET YOU HAVE A FULL, YEAH, RIVER STREET WAS A, A FULL UTILITY PROJECT FROM THE START. SO, AND, AND, AND THE MORE WE CAN MAKE SURE THOSE ARE ALL DONE AT THE SAME TIME, AGAIN HERE ON AB, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. IT WAS LITERALLY RIPPED UP AND OPENED AND CLOSED THREE TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF FIVE YEARS, WHICH IT MAKES A VERY, NOT JUST CHALLENGING PROJECT, BUT A FAR MORE EXPENSIVE PROJECT, NOT TO MENTION ANNOYING, UM, AND CHALLENGING FOR THE STAFF. ANY, UM, QUESTIONS ON THESE? UH, ANY RANGE OF THESE, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS? COUNCILLOR SUZI, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST WANTED TO COME BACK TO THE QUESTION I ASKED THIS MORNING, BUT I WAS TOLD TO DELAY IT UNTIL NOW, WHICH IS, UM, AND IT SORT OF BUILDS ON COUNCILOR NOLAN'S LINE OF QUESTIONING, WHICH IS, UM, WHY DO WE PAY SO MUCH MORE THAN NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES FOR PROJECTS AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO REDUCE PROJECT COSTS? AND YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, BUT PLEASE, UM, TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT MORE. AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO ASK A NORTH MASS AVE IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT, UM, I FEEL LIKE $50 MILLION FOR NORTH MASS A IS LIKE SO MUCH MONEY. I KNOW YOU'RE REDOING SOME OF THE UTILITIES THERE AS WELL, BUT I, I JUST THINK IT'S CRAZY THAT, UH, IRRIGATING THE TREE WELLS AND A COMPLETE PLAN FOR THE SIDEWALKS IS NOT PART OF THE FUNDING FOR THAT GRAND AVENUE. SO I, I GUESS THAT'S THE SECOND QUESTION. BUT I'D, I'D LOVE TO KNOW, UM, IN WHAT WAYS YOU'RE, UM, HELPING TO LOWER LOWER COSTS, NOT ONLY BY CHANGING THE SCOPE THINGS YOU'VE MENTIONED ALREADY, BUT BY, UM, FACILITATING, PERMITTING BY HELPING CONTRACTORS FIND PARKING BY JUST MAKING IT EASIER TO BUILD IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, MAYBE I CAN START AND THEN JIM CAN FILL IN SOME DETAILS AND UM, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION A NUMBER OF TIMES. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE CHALLENGING ABOUT WORKING IN A CITY LIKE CAMBRIDGE WHEN YOU WERE DOING ROADWAY WORK AND YOU'RE DOING UTILITY WORK AROUND OLDER INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT BRINGS UP A LOT OF CHALLENGES. UM, WE ARE ALSO DEALING WITH, YOU KNOW, SOILS THAT ARE NOT NECESSARILY PRISTINE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS, THAT IS, UM, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE THAN WHAT YOU MIGHT FIND WHEN YOU DO A COMPARISON TO ANOTHER PROJECT, RIGHT? SO WE TALKED ABOUT GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK. UM, I THINK CERTAINLY OVER THE YEARS WE TRY TO BE CLEARER AND CRISPER ABOUT OUR EXPECTATIONS SO THAT CONTRACTORS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE SORT OF FULL EXPECTATION IS. UM, AND I WOULD SAY PERMITTING THESE GUYS HAVE A VERY, UM, COLLABORATIVE PROCESS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR CONTRACTORS. UM, THE OTHER THING, AND JUST TO SORT OF TEE UP AND THEN ASK JIM TO FILL IN SOME DETAILS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT MASS AVE, UM, AND THE $50 MILLION, WE WERE VERY CLEAR THAT IF WE WANTED TO DO THE SORT OF FULL SCOPE OF MASS AVE AND LOOK AT ALL NEW SIDEWALKS, LOOK AT ALL NEW STREET TREES, LOOK AT IRRIGATION, UM, LOOK AT THAT SORT OF CUR, YOU KNOW, BACK OF THE BUILDING TO BUILDING, UM, COST ESTIMATE, WE WOULD BE IN THE 250 PLUS RANGE. UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT MASS AVE, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S TWO MAJOR ARTERIALS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT'S FOUR TRAVEL LANES WITH, YOU KNOW, IT IS AN EXTREMELY WIDE STREET WITH VERY WIDE SIDEWALKS THAT IS TWO MILES LONG. AND SO WHEN YOU COMPARE THAT TO A RIVER STREET, YOU KNOW, WHICH I THINK IS PROBABLY JUST UNDER A MILE LONG AND ABOUT HALF THE WIDTH OF MASS AVE EVEN IF YOU JUST, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? SO IT IS A VERY DIFFERENT ORDER OF MAGNITUDE SCALE. AND SO WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THINKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE RIGHT SCOPE FOR MASS AVE, IT WAS REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE DID NOT WANNA GET INTO THIS 250 MILLION PLUS PROJECT TO DO THAT FULL SCALE. AND SO, AND THIS IS WHERE THOSE TRADE OFFS ARE REALLY CHALLENGING. 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT TREES, YOU THINK ABOUT IRRIGATION AND IT'S LIKE, OH, WE WANNA DO THAT. WELL, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO DO THAT THEN YOU'RE RIPPING UP ALL THE SIDEWALKS IN ORDER TO PUT IN THAT INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO THIS IS WHERE WE SORT OF OVER THE YEARS HAVE TALKED ABOUT WHERE ONE POTATO CHIP IS HARD, [06:45:01] RIGHT? LIKE I WANNA DO THIS, BUT I DON'T WANNA DO THAT. BUT IT'S HARD TO SEPARATE OUT THOSE DIFFERENT LAYERS. UM, AND SO AGAIN, DPW HAS DONE AN EXTRAORDINARY JOB LOOKING AT THE TREE PLANTING DETAILS EVEN IN LOCATIONS WHERE WE'RE NOT DOING FULL SIDEWALK RECONSTRUCTION, BUT LOOKING AT SOIL AMENDMENTS AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO SAY WE'RE MAKING TREE PLANTINGS. HOW DO WE MAKE THOSE BETTER? UM, AND HOW DO WE PROVIDE BETTER CONDITIONS FOR THE TREES? AND SO WHILE YOU'RE NOT GONNA SEE THAT KIND OF CHANGE AS WE'RE PLANTING NEW TREES, WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THOSE STRATEGIES. AND SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS A YES YES NO, BUT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MIXED. BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE DID NOT COME BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND SAY WE WANTED THAT SORT OF FULL SCOPE OF MASS AV, WHICH WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT LENGTH OF TIMELINE IN TERMS OF IMPLEMENTATION AS WELL AS COST. BUT I DUNNO IF YOU HAVE OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE OVERALL COST CHALLENGES, JIM? SURE. THROUGH YOU. UM, COUNCILOR NOLAN. SO, UM, KATHY MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, EXPECTATIONS OF CONTRACTORS WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN THEY'RE WORKING IN CAMBRIDGE AND UM, WE DO HAVE SOME PRETTY STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS ON THE RESIDENTS AND AND BUSINESS OWNERS ARE, ARE KEPT TO A MINIMUM. UM, WE CAMBRIDGE DOES NOT HAVE SPACE FOR CONTRACTORS. WE DON'T HAVE VACANT LAND FOR CONTRACTORS TO STAGE MATERIALS AND SOILS AND THEIR EQUIPMENT. SO ALL THAT STAGING IS HAPPENING ON THE STREET WHERE THEY'RE WORKING. SO WE, WE KEEP THOSE AREAS PRETTY TIGHT WHERE WE LET THEM POST FOR NO PARKING. UM, AND WHERE WE ALLOW THEM TO STORE MATERIALS IN THEIR EQUIPMENT BECAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING THIS TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON RESIDENTS. THAT PEOPLE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE A, A REASONABLE, UM, A REASONABLE EXPECTATION THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO CARRY ON THEIR REGULAR LIFE WHILE WE'RE DOING THESE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AND THERE'S A COST FOR THAT. AND CONTRACTORS KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT'S EXPECTED IN CAMBRIDGE. SO IS THERE A WAY WE CAN BE CREATIVE, LIKE THERE ARE THE TWO JUSTICE START PROPERTIES ONCE LESLIE PARKING LOTS ON MASS? COULDN'T WE ASK OUR FRIENDS AT JUSTICE START TO LET US USE THOSE LOTS FOR THAT PURPOSE FOR STAGING AND MATERIALS, UM, THROUGH YOU COUNCIL? WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE IDEAS. I THINK THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF NEIGHBORS WANTING TO BE NEXT TO SORT OF A STAGING AREA. AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO BALANCE THAT. UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS WE'VE WORKED, ONE OF THE AREAS WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH IS HARVARD HAS PROVIDED US STAGING AREAS IN AUSTIN. SO, UM, THERE IS CURRENTLY THE RIVER STREET PROJECT IS USING, UM, SOME OF THE AUSTIN PROPERTY FROM HARVARD IN TERMS OF STAGING. AND SO WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THOSE AS DO CONTRACTORS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE. SO THERE'S A FEW OTHER AREAS SORT OF NOOKS AND NOOKS AND CRANNIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT CONTRACTORS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND WE TRY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS. SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR. I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OTHER, THE ONLY, UM, QUESTION I WANTED TO ASK 'CAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST, UM, ITEMS HERE IS THE $28 MILLION FOR THE MUNICIPAL FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS PLANS. WE TALKED SOME ABOUT THE LAFAYETTE FIRE, BUT I'D BE INTERESTED IN ENSURING THAT, AGAIN, WE'RE DEALING WITH AS MANY, UH, PROJECTS AS POSSIBLE. THAT'S FOR THAT SUM OF MONEY. I UNDERSTAND WE DO HAVE SOME MAINTENANCE, BUT I ALSO HOPE IT INVOLVES, UH, NOT JUST THAT FIREHOUSE, BUT ALSO SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO, UH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND, UH, FUTURE PROOFING OUR BUILDINGS FROM AN ENERGY PERSPECTIVE. THANK YOU. UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM CHAIR. UM, SO YES, THE MFIP CURRENTLY THIS YEAR IS $28 MILLION, UM, OF WHICH 18 MILLION OF THAT IS EARMARKED FOR LAFAYETTE. THE ADDITIONAL 10 AND A HALF OR SO IS BROKEN UP INTO A LOT OF SMALLER PIECES, UM, SUCH AS, UH, BUTYL WORK, SOME MASTER PLAN STUDIES, UH, SOME FLEET MANAGEMENT, UH, IN CONJUNCTION WITH DPW. AND NICK, I THINK I HAVE, I THINK I'M MISSING ONE OTHER, UH, TO YOU CHAIR NOLAN. UH, WE ALSO, I THINK THE BIGGEST CHUNK OTHER THAN, THAN, UH, LAFAYETTE SQUARE FIREHOUSE AT 18 IS THE 6 MILLION FOR SMALL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. AND THAT'S REALLY BROKEN UP INTO ABOUT 10 PROPOSED SMALLER PROJECTS, SMALL FIREHOUSE HVAC, UH, REPAIRS, UM, IMPROVEMENTS TO CITY HALL, UM, ENTRANCE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AT THE MAIN LIBRARY, UH, AND THEN UPGRADES AT 51. AND JUST AS A FEW EXAMPLES, UM, AND THOSE ARE ALWAYS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS WE GET INTO PROJECTS AND WE UNDERSTAND THE SCOPE BETTER ONCE WE'RE IN THEM. SO, [06:50:01] AND ANYTIME WE'RE DOING HVAC, WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING AT ELECTRIFICATION, I WOULD HOPE, AS OPPOSED TO PUTTING ANY MONEY IN OUTDATED SYSTEMS WHEREVER ABSOLUTELY FEASIBLE. YES, IT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST THING WE LOOK AT. YES, I WOULD JUST ALSO ADD TO THAT. SO WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BEAUTIFICATION OF PROJECTS WHEN WE, WHEN WE GET INTO THEM, AND AS WELL AS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THIS MORNING IS, UM, COMMISSIONING SERVICES SO THAT AS, AS ALSO PART OF THE SMALL PROJECTS, WE'RE LOOKING AT RECOMMISSIONING THE WORST OFFENDERS AND TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS AS WELL. WE CAN TALK ABOUT HAVING A CITYWIDE CONTEST TO SEE WHOSE OFFICE CAN BE THE LEAST ENERGY USE IN THE MOST EFFICIENT, BUT WE'RE, THAT'S NOT FOR HERE. UM, THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS I HAD. I THINK WE MAY BE CLOSE TO THE FINAL UNLESS SOMEONE IN THE BACK WANTS TO US TO ASK A QUESTION FOR YOU HERE, . SERIOUSLY, IT'S A PRETTY MONUMENTAL MOMENT TO BE HERE WITH THIS AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS WHEN CITIES HAVE TO DO OVERRIDES OR JUST NOT DO THE PROJECTS OR CUT BACK. SO I, I THINK WE'RE ALL APPRECIATIVE OF THAT AS MUCH AS WE HAVE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH YOU. THAT'S OUR ROLE. IT'S OUR ROLE TO BOTH APPRECIATE YOU. BUT I THINK ALSO TO ASK QUESTIONS TO ENSURE THAT THESE ARE ALL PUBLIC DOLLARS, THAT THEY'RE USED AS EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE AND THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, IN A POSITION WHERE ANYONE WILL LOOK A SCAN AT THEM IN A LITTLE BIT AND ASK HOW IT IS THAT THEY WERE SPENT THAT WAY. SO WITH THAT, UH, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, THANK YOU. UM, MADAM CHAIR, JUST WANNA OFFER MY THANKS AS WELL. AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, I MEAN, WE DO A LOT OF AMAZING THINGS HERE AND THINGS COST MONEY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY IN A GOOD SPOT. IT'S NOT JUST LUCK, IT'S NOT JUST HARVARD AND MIT IT'S GOOD PLANNING. UM, IT'S SOUND DECISIONS AND, AND YOU KNOW, REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE CITY FOR THAT. WANNA THANK YOU, UM, MADAM CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR ZUBIE. YOU, YOU'VE BEEN SITTING IN THAT CHAIR A LOT THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. UM, HOPEFULLY YOU STAND UP EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND MOVE YOUR LEGS AROUND. UM, BUT IT'S A LONG DAY AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR CHAIRING. THANK YOU COACH ZUBIE. DID YOU WANNA CLOSE US OUT OR NOPE. I THINK, DID WE, UH, ACCEPT THIS BUDGET THEN? THIS SECTION OF THE BUDGET? WE HAVE TO, YEAH, WE HAVE TO ROLL. CALL COUNCILOR ZUBE. PRESENT. PRESENT VICE MAYOR Z. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. ABSENT. AND YOU HAVE FIVE MEMBERS RECORDED, UH, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THREE. RECORDED IS ABSENT AND ONE RECORDED IS PRESENT. AND WE ONLY NEED A SIMPLE MAJORITY. IS THAT CORRECT CLERK? PHEW. THAT WAS A BIG FEW THERE. ADJOURN. UH, THANK YOU ALL ON A, UH, MOTION BY COUNCILOR CO-CHAIR ZUBE TO ADJOURN. ROLL CALL CO. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. ABSENT YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND THREE RECORDED IS ABSENT. ALRIGHT. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.