* 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. [00:00:03] A COR, [ROLL CALL] A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEING PRESENT. I CALL TONIGHT'S JUNE 22ND. I DON'T THINK IT'S ON. HELLO? TESTING. IT JUST NEEDS TO BE TURNED UP. IT'S ON. IT IS ON, BUT IT IS ON. PROBABLY HAS. OKAY. WELL, TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. YOU CAN USE IT. TESTING. TRY THIS. YEAH. MINE IS, HELLO? HELLO. NO, MINE'S NOT EVEN. THEY WERE WORKING THIS AFTERNOON. WERE WORKING FINE THIS AFTERNOON. YEAH, THEY WERE. OKAY. ALL SET. DRY TESTING. GREAT, GREAT. THE FIR, SO QUORUM BEING PRESENT. I CALL TONIGHT'S JUNE 22ND REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCILOR. ORDER. THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS. PRESENT, PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR ZUI. ABSENT MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS, RECORDED AS PRESENT, AND TWO RECORDED AS ABSENT PER CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025. ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE CITY, AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE'VE SET UP ZOOM, TELECONFERENCE, REPUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL GO TO THE PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE AND THEN PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. YOU CAN WATCH TONIGHT'S MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE. CHANNEL 22 TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU HAVE TO SIGN UP AT WWW.CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV/PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOU CAN SIGN UP UNTIL 6:00 PM PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING. IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING. WE'LL MOVE TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY. ANYONE ON ZOOM? ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? UH, YES, MADAM MAYOR. YES, GO AHEAD. UH, THANK YOU FOR THE FLOOR. I JUST WANTED TO ANNOUNCE WITH A GREAT DEAL OF EXCITEMENT THAT THE CAMBRIDGE SPECIAL NEEDS BASKETBALL PROGRAM AS A PART OF THE DHSP, THAT OUR AT THE OLYMPICS, WHICH IS IN MINNESOTA, WON THEIR FIRST GAME. AMAZING. THANK YOU. I YIELD THE FLOOR. WE ALSO HAVE TWO, UM, WE HAVE QUITE, UM, A BUNCH OF MEETINGS THIS WEEK. WE HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING IN THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER PERFORMANCE REVIEW. TOMORROW AT 10:00 AM THERE IS A NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AND LONG-TERM JOINT HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD AND LONG-TERM PLANNING MEETING ON THURSDAY AT 1230 AS WELL. UM, IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE, PLEASE DO LET US KNOW. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. OH, YEAH. UM, JUST LOOKED AT THE CALENDAR. SO TOMORROW AT, AT 6:00 PM IS, UH, I'M SORRY. UM, FROM THREE 30 TO 6:00 PM THERE'S ANOTHER WATCH PARTY. UM, THIS ONE IN KENDALL SQUARE FOR THE WORLD CUP ENGLAND VERSE GHANA FRIDAY NIGHT'S, THE DANCE PARTY. UM, AND THERE'S ALSO, UH, A WATCH PARTY FROM THREE TO 8:00 PM UH, RIGHT HERE ON NORWAY VERSUS FRANCE. SO THOSE ARE, I DON'T KNOW IF FOLKS HAVE, I'VE BEEN TO ALL OF THEM SO FAR. THERE'S A LOT OF FUN. UM, SO FOLKS CAN GET OUT THERE. UH, I SUGGEST THEY GIVE IT A SHOT. GREAT. AND, UH, ZUZI, YOU JUST, UH, WALKED IN. WE HAVE, UH, WE'RE DOING ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE BEGINNING, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY, LET US KNOW. OKAY. SO WE'LL GO ON TO [PUBLIC COMMENTS] PUBLIC COMMENT. PUBLIC COMMENT MAY BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30 A SECTION 20 G, AND CITY COUNCIL RULES 20 3G AND 37. ONCE WE FINISH SPEAKING, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CALLED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ALLOCATE THE REMAINDER OF THEIR TIME TO OTHER SPEAKERS. I ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU ARE SPEAKING ON TONIGHT. [00:05:01] WE HAVE 18 PEOPLE SIGNED UP. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES, AND NOW THERE'S 26. OKAY, JUST LET ME REFRESH. OKAY. WE'RE JUST REFRESHED IT. 26, SO EVERYONE STILL WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES, SO WE'LL GO AHEAD TO PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. OUR FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE JOHN FROYO, FOLLOWED BY JALEN BERNARD, THEN DELPHINE MOONEY. JOHN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. IF YOU CAN TURN ON THE MICROPHONE, JOHN, JUST MAKE THAT SURE. THAT, UM, GREEN BUTTON'S ON. IS THAT BETTER? YEAH. YEAH. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOHN FERRERO FROM DE NOVO. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK THE CITY MANAGER FOR PROPOSING CMA 2026 DASH 1 97, AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCILORS WHO SPONSORED THE, UM, CORRESPONDING POLICY ORDER. THESE, THESE PROVISIONS WILL PROVIDE CRITICAL ONE YEAR BRIDGE FUNDING FOR VICTIMS, UH, VICTIM SERVICE PROVIDERS IN RESPONSE TO AN UNEXPECTED REDUCTION IN FEDERAL AND STATE VICTIM OF CRIME FUNDING. TONIGHT, I'M HERE TO ASK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL. THIS IS INTENDED TO BE ONE TIME FUNDING, AND IT WILL ALLOW ORGANIZATIONS LIKE DE NOVO TRANSITION HOUSE B ON THE RISE IN MAPS TO MAINTAIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES WHILE THEY PURSUE MORE SUSTAINABLE LONG-TERM FUNDING. THESE ORGANIZATIONS PRO PROVIDE VITAL SAFETY NET SERVICES THAT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS RELY ON, AND THIS BRIDGE HELPS ENSURE CONTINUITY OF CARE DURING A PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING THIS. I ASK YOU TO SUPPORT IT AND, UH, AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAYLEN BERNARD, FOLLOWED BY DELPHINE MOONEY. THANK YOU, UH, MADAM MAYOR, UH, SIDIKI AND THE CITY COUNCIL FOR HAVING ME TODAY. UM, I'M WRITING REGARDING TABLED ITEM NUMBER THREE AND THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CAMBRIDGE WASTE ORDINANCES, INCLUDING MANDATORY FOOD WASTE REQUIREMENTS AND THE SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ALLOWABLE HOUSEHOLD TRASH CAPACITY. MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS TRANSPARENCY. IF THE CITY IS GOING TO MANDATE, UH, FOOD WASTE REDUCTION AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TRASH RESIDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO DISPOSE OF RESIDENTS DESERVE CLEAR ANSWERS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT BEFORE THESE ORDINANCES ARE ADOPTED. WHAT HAPPENS IF A HOUSEHOLD DOES NOT COMPLY WITH COMPOSTING REQUIREMENTS? WILL THERE BE WARNINGS, FINES, MISSED COLLECTIONS, OR OTHER PENALTIES? WHAT IS THE ENFORCEMENT PROCESS? HOW WILL COMPLIANCE BE MEASURED? RESIDENTS SHOULD NOT BE EXPECTED TO SUPPORT NEW MANDATES WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE CONSEQUENCES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE. WE NEED CLEAR GUIDANCE AROUND THESE POLICIES AND PROPOSED POLICY AND THIS, AND THESE PROPOSED POLICIES LACK THIS CLEAR INFORMATION. IN FACT, MIS TRASH COLLECTIONS ARE THE MOST REPORTED ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. I'M SURE THIS POLICY WILL IMPACT A TON OF RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT READY FOR THIS CHANGE. I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT CONCERNED ABOUT REDUCING TRASH FROM 150 GALLONS TO 45 GALLONS PER HOUSEHOLD THROUGH THE AIR. I HOST BIG FAMILY FUNCTIONS THAT PRODUCE MORE THAN A HUNDRED GALLONS OF TRASH, AND THIS WOULD BE A HUGE DISSERVICE TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS BECAUSE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HOST THESE EVENTS AT A TIME WHEN PROPERTY TAXES CONTINUE TO INCREASE. PLACING ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON BASIC MUNICIPAL SERVICES IS DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY. PROPERTY TAXES INCREASE ARE ULTIMATELY PASSED DOWN TO RENTERS THROUGH HIGHER COSTS, HOUSING COSTS. AS A RENTER, I FEEL THESE FINANCIAL PRESSURES EVERY DAY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE THE CITY TO PUBLICLY PROVIDE DATA REGARDING COMPOST PARTICIPATION. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF ELIGIBLE HOUSEHOLDS HAVE COM VOLUNTARILY ENROLLED IN THE CITY'S FREE COMPOSTING PROGRAM? BEFORE IMPOSING MANDATES ON EVERY RESIDENT, THE COUNCIL SHOULD UNDERSTAND CURRENT PARTICIPATION LEVELS AND WHETHER RESIDENTS HAVE BROADLY EMBRACED THE PROGRAM ON THEIR OWN. I AM ALLOWING, I AM NOT IN DISAGREEMENT WITH THIS POLICY. I'M SPECIFICALLY ASKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND THAT THIS POLICY BE TURNED DOWN AND THAT DPW PUT THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO MAKE THIS TRANSPARENT FOR ALL RESIDENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DELPHINE MOONEY, FOLLOWED BY SA SARAH RAG DELPHINE. HI. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, CITY COUNCILORS. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UM, MY NAME IS INE MOONEY. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ON THE RISE, A CAMBRIDGE NONPROFIT, UH, LOCATED OVER AT 3 41 BROADWAY. UM, WE SERVE WOMEN AND GENDER DIVERSE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, INCLUDING, UM, A GREAT NUMBER OF SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE. UM, I'M HERE TO URGE YOUR SUPPORT FOR, UH, POLICY ORDER 26, UM, NUMBER 1 21 OR THE CITY MANAGER'S ITEM CM 26 1 97, UH, TO STABILIZE CRITICAL VICTIM SERVICES FOR CAMBRIDGE SURVIVORS. UM, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THIS INVESTMENT IS ABOUT PRESERVING CRITICAL COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE. ONCE PROGRAMS ARE CUT AND EXPERIENCED STAFF LEAVE, REBUILDING THAT CAPACITY IS FAR MORE EXPENSIVE THAN DE THAN [00:10:01] STABILIZING IT TODAY. IN FACT, THE UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDING THESE FUNDING STREAMS HAS ALREADY FORCED ORGANIZATIONS TO SPEND WEEKS PREPARING FOR LAYOFFS, REDUCTIONS, PROGRAM CUTS, UM, AND THAT UNCERTAINTY ITSELF IS DESTABILIZING. A ONE TIME INVESTMENT NOW WILL HELP ORGANIZATIONS MAINTAIN ESSENTIAL SERVICES WHILE STRENGTHENING OUR FUNDRAISING, DIVERSIFYING REVENUE, AND PURSUING REPLACEMENT FUNDING SOURCES SO WE CAN EMERGE MORE RESILIENT, UM, AND SUSTAINABLE. THE FEDERAL, UH, STABILIZATION FUND EXISTS TO HELP CAMBRIDGE RESPOND TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS I RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH OG, FOLLOWED BY ABIGAIL TAYLOR. THEN JOHN KESSEN. SARAH, THREE MINUTES. TWO MINUTES. SORRY. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I'M SARAH RAG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSITION HOUSE, AND TONIGHT I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET APPROPRIATION TO PROVIDE STABILIZATION FUNDING FOR THE FIVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SERVE SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND EXPLOITATION. IN CAMBRIDGE THIS YEAR, OUR ORGANIZATIONS WERE HIT BY DEVASTATING STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS, CONTINUED INSTABILITY UNDER THE CURRENT FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION. BUDGET CUTS AND BEING TARGETED BY THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION DO NOT ONLY HARM ORGANIZATIONS, BUT THEY DIRECTLY IMPACT SURVIVORS. A BUDGET REDUCTION ON PAPER MEANS FEWER ADVOCATES AVAILABLE TO ACCOMPANY SOMEONE TO COURT. IT MEANS FEWER SAFE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR A PARENT FLEEING ABUSE WITH THEIR CHILDREN. IT MEANS FEWER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOMEONE TO REBUILD THEIR LIFE AFTER VIOLENCE. FOR 50 YEARS, CAMBRIDGE HAS MADE THE PROMISE THAT SURVIVORS WILL NOT HAVE TO FACE VIOLENCE ALONE. TOGETHER, OUR ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BUILT A COMMUNITY RESPONSE THAT OTHER CITIES LOOK TO AS A MODEL. TOGETHER, WE HELP SURVIVORS NAVIGATE HOUSING, CRISISES, IMMIGRATION CHALLENGES, LEGAL SYSTEMS, AND TRAUMA RECOVERY. WE DO THIS WORK EVERY DAY BECAUSE SAFETY IS NOT OPTIONAL. VIOLENCE DOES NOT STOP BECAUSE FUNDING DISAPPEARS. SURVIVORS WILL STILL CALL US. THEY WILL STILL NEED SHELTER, THEY WILL STILL NEED COUNSELING, ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT. THE QUESTION BEFORE US TONIGHT IS HOW CAMBRIDGE WILL MEET THAT NEED. THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT IS NOT ABOUT REPLACING STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING FOREVER. IT'S ABOUT PREVENTING IMMEDIATE HARM WHILE ORGANIZATIONS ADAPT TO NATIONAL FUNDING CRISISES THAT NONE OF US CREATED. WHEN A SURVIVOR REACHES OUT FOR HELP, THE ANSWER CANNOT BE SORRY. THERE WAS A BUDGET CUT. TONIGHT, I ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THIS BUDGET AMENDMENT AND HELP ENSURE THAT SAFE, THE SAFETY NET THAT GENERATIONS OF SURVIVORS HAVE RELIED UPON, REMAIN STRONG, ACCESSIBLE, AND INTACT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ABIGAIL TAYLOR, FOLLOWED BY JOHN KESSEN. THEN JOE ATA. ABIGAIL, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. HELLO, MY NAME IS ABIGAIL TAYLOR AND I'M THE GENERAL MANAGER OF URBAN HEART IN CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I AM COMMENTING ON RULE, UH, SIX A. UM, THESE CHANGES DICTATED WITHIN THIS RULING WOULD, UH, ESSENTIALLY CRIPPLE OPERATOR'S ABILITY TO SERVE ALCOHOL. UM, THE CHANGES ARE UNENFORCEABLE AND UNPRECEDENTED WITHIN THE LAW. UH, WE ARE ALREADY TIP CERTIFIED AND TRAINED TO CONTROL AND MONITOR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. UM, AND I URGE THE LICENSING COMMISSION TO RECONSIDER AND REVISE THESE CHANGES, UH, USING OUR COMMENT, OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN KESSEN. JOHN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS JOHN KESSEN. I'M A CO-OWNER OF STATE PARK IN ONE KENDALL SQUARE, AND I'M COMMENTING ON THE PROPOSED EDITS TO LICENSING RULES POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE IN THIS MEETING. I'VE BEEN A RESTAURANT OWNER OPERATOR IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE SINCE 2008. IN MY EXPERIENCE RUNNING BOTH RESTAURANTS AND BARS, I BELIEVE THE CURRENT RULES AND REGULATIONS TO BE SUFFICIENT IN SUPPORTING LICENSE HOLDERS TO OPERATE SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY. THERE IS NO NUMBER OF RULES THAT WILL PREVENT AN IRRESPONSIBLE OR INATTENTIVE OPERATOR FROM MISSTEPS. RUNNING RESTAURANTS AND BARS IS CHALLENGING AND THE IMPORTANT RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALCOHOL SERVICE TAKE WORK. THE VAST MAJORITY OF CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGE LATENCIES DO THIS WORK WITH THE CURRENT GUIDELINES. A REGULAR REVIEW IS WISE, BUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES SEEM CAPRICIOUS. SOME ARE ONEROUS AND MOST WILL NOT RESULT IN BETTER PRACTICE. IN MY 18 YEARS AS A BUSINESS OWNER IN CAMBRIDGE, I HAVE FOUND THE LICENSE COMMISSION TO BE EXTREMELY SUPPORTIVE OF LOCAL BUSINESSES. THE COMMISSION HAS RECOGNIZED THE VALUE OF HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO RESIDENTS [00:15:01] AND VISITORS, NOT TO MENTION THE VALUE OF THE REVENUE TO THE CITY. IT HAS SUPPORTED OPERATORS WHILE AT THE SAME TIME FULFILLING ITS RESPONSIBILITY OF OVERSIGHT TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATIONS. I HOPE THIS HOLISTIC AND INFORMED ATTITUDE ISN'T CHANGING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOE ALTA, FOLLOWED BY SUZANNE BEIER. THEN CAROL ALEXANDRO. JOE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, UH, JOAN LETTA, UM, 68 WALKER STREET. UM, I'M HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS CAMBRIDGE'S ONGOING WAR ON CARS, UM, SPECIFICALLY CITY MANAGERS. ITEM NUMBER 17 RELATED TO THE RESTRICTION ON RESIDENT PARKING PERMITS. COUNCIL'S FOUNDATIONAL BELIEF THAT CARS REPRESENT A LUXURY GOOD OR CONVENIENCE RATHER THAN A DAILY NECESSITY HAS TO CHANGE. WHEN IT COMES TO POLICY DEVELOPMENT. YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT CAR OWNERSHIP'S BINARY. YOU OWN ONE OR YOU DON'T. YOU NEED PARKING OR YOU DON'T, AND IT ISN'T DRIVEN, NO PUN INTENDED, BY MARGINAL TRIP PRODUCTION DUE TO CONVENIENCE OR IMPEDIMENT. SPECIFICALLY FROM ITEM 17, QUOTE, PARKING AVAILABILITY INFLUENCES WHETHER PEOPLE OWN CARS. WHY IS THE FOCUS OF THE CITY ON FORCING PEOPLE OUT OF VEHICLES? THIS ENTIRE ARGUMENT IS PREDICATED ON THE MISPLACED NOTION THAT WE HAVE AN ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, CONVENIENT, AND RELIABLE PUBLIC TRANSIT NETWORK AND, AND OR PROXIMAL NECESSARY AMENITIES. NONE OF THESE THINGS ARE TRUE. THE ITEM GASLIGHTS US INTO THINKING THAT SOME MEANINGFUL FRACTION OF THE 42,000 PLUS REGISTERED PA PASSENGER VEHICLES IN THE CITY CAN SOMEHOW BE CONVERTED INTO BUS RIDES. PLEASE, EVEN MORE CONCERNING IS THE IMPLIED ASSAULT ON PERSONAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. IF YOU CAN'T PARK, WHERE ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR CAR? NOTE HERE, THE COUNCIL'S INSISTENCE ON THE REMOVAL OF PARKING MINIMUMS FURTHER EXACERBATING JUST THIS PROBLEM. LET ME GIVE YOU SOME PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE. I'M RAISING FOUR KIDS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, ALL IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. YOU KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO GROCERY SHOP FOR A FAMILY OF SIX ON A WEEKLY BASIS, IT REQUIRES AN AUTOMOBILE. THIS PAST SEASON, WE SUPPORTED KIDS ON EIGHT SPORTS TEAMS WHILE MY WIFE AND I BOTH HELPED COACH CAMBRIDGE YOUTH LACROSSE. THINK ABOUT THAT. EIGHT TEAMS. DOES AN AUTOMOBILE SOUND LIKE AN OPTIONAL CONVENIENCE TO YOU? WHAT'S CLEAR VIA THE REST OF ITEM 17 IS THAT THE CURRENT CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT CARE ABOUT FAMILIES LIKE MINE THAT RELY ON CARS FOR DAILY LIVING. RATHER, ITEM 17 SEGUES INTO PROMOTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND BIKE LANES, PERPETUATING LANGUAGE AND POLICY OF DIVISION WITHIN THE CITY HOUSING POLICY, BY THE WAY, THAT WILL ONLY BRING MORE CARS TO AN ALREADY CONSTRAINED CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUZANNE BLEIER. SUZANNE HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO CAROL ALEXANDRO. I AM HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WAR ON CARS. NUMBER ONE, THE CITY TAKETH AWAY ALREADY. THE CITY HAS TAKEN AWAY HOW MANY PUBLIC PARKING SPACES WITH THE BIKE LANES, WHICH ARE GREAT, BUT HOW MANY HAVE, HOW MANY SPOTS HAVE HAVE PAID THIS PRICE RESULT? MORE POOR PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR FEWER STREET PARKING SPOTS. NUMBER TWO, THE CITY FURTHER TAKETH AWAY OFF STREET PARKING HAS NOT BEEN PART OF THE BUILDING CODES FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, AND NOW WITH THIS RELATIVELY NEW UPZONING, PARKING IS ONCE AGAIN NOT A REQUIREMENT. THEREFORE, MORE CARS RESULT. MORE POOR PEOPLE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR EVEN FEWER STREET PARKING SPOTS. NUMBER THREE, THE CITY EVEN FURTHER TAKETH AWAY WITH THIS NEW IDEA OF RESTRICTING RESIDENT PARKING. THIS IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE. RESTRICTIVE PARKING PERMITS IS THE EXACT SAME THING COMMUNISTS DID, DID TO DEAL WITH SCARCITY. RATHER THAN CREATING ABUNDANCE, THIS IDEA ONLY BENEFITS DEVELOPERS WHO DON'T HAVE TO BUILD OFF STREET PARKING. THERE ARE EVEN MORE CONS THAN THEN. WHAT YOU HAVE LISTED IS RETAIL WILL ONCE AGAIN TAKE ANOTHER MAJOR HIT BECAUSE IT'S PARKING THAT DRIVES RETAIL SUCCESS. LOOK AT PORTER SQUARE WITH THIS FREE PARKING, FREE PARKING LOT, PUBLIC PARKING LOT THAT EVERYONE USES TO PARK AND SHOP. ANYONE PASSING BY PORTER ALWAYS SEES FULL SHOPS IN REAL FOOT TRAFFIC WITHOUT HAVING AN ANCHORED TENANT LIKE HARVARD OR MIT. MY FAMILY AND I ENRICHED OUR LIVES ESCAPING FROM A COMMUNIST COUNTRY IN 1970 THAT DID EXACTLY THIS TYPE OF RATIONING. THEN CREATING ABUNDANCE, THOSE TYPES OF ECONOMIES AND COUNTRIES FAILED. THE CITY MUST. GIVETH IS THE ONLY SOLUTION. ABUNDANT PARKING IS THE ONLY SOLUTION. NUMBER ONE, CAMBRIDGE HAS TO BUILD MORE PUBLIC PARKING THAT IS AFFORDABLE. AND EXAMPLE IS REBUILDING INCREASING THE CAPACITY OF THE GREEN STREET GARAGE OR OTHER CITY OWNED PROPERTIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY. TWO CITY HAS TO MODIFY THE, UH, RECENT UPZONING TO FORCE NEW BUILDS TO INCLUDE OFF STREET PARKING. YOUR GOAL OF BUILDING 12,500 NEW UNITS RESULTS 40% OF THOSE UNITS HAVING AT LEAST ONE CAR. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, THAT'S 5,000 CARS. THANK YOU, MR. ALEXANDRA. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LOUISE VENDEN. LOUISE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UM, LOUISE [00:20:01] VENDEN 10 ROGERS STREET. I URGE YOU TO REJECT THE CDD PROPOSAL AS WRITTEN IN AR 33. ITEM 14, UNDER AWAITING REPORTS HOUSING STAFF UNDERTAKING A HOUSING NEEDS STUDY. INSTEAD, I PROPOSE THAT YOU REQUEST THAT CDD ISSUE AN RFP TO ENGAGE AN OUTSIDE FIRM TO PERFORM A COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY. THAT WOULD INCLUDE A PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED SURVEY OF RESIDENTS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES PROVIDING RELIABLE DATA ON HOUSING DEMAND. CAMBRIDGE PRIDES ITSELF IS HOME TO WORLD-CLASS RESEARCHERS, YET CDD PROPOSES TO UNDERTAKE A HOUSING ASSESSMENT THAT FAILS TO ANSWER THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF A NEED STUDY, AN ASSESSMENT OF THE NEEDS OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. FIRMS THAT SPECIALIZE IN THESE STUDIES AND HAVE HELPED OTHER MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITIES SUPPORT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT USE NOT ONLY CENSUS DATA AND MUNICIPAL AND PRIVATE DATA SOURCES TO IDENTIFY EXISTING POPULATION AND HOUSING STOCK. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THESE FIRMS CONDUCT PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED RELIABLE SURVEYS TO DETERMINE RESIDENT HOUSING DEMAND BY OBTAINING INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT HOUSING CIRCUMSTANCES OF A SAMPLE OF RESIDENTS OF ALL INCOME LE LEVELS, AGES, AND FAMILY CONFIGURATIONS, THEIR CURRENT HOUSING SIZE AND COSTS AND HOUSING STABILITY. RESIDENTS WOULD ALSO INDICATE THE SIZE, PRICE, AND TYPE OF HOUSING THAT WOULD FIT THEIR NEEDS. A SAMPLE OF LOCAL BUSINESSES OF VARIOUS SIZES WOULD BE SURVEYED AS WELL. CDD HOUSING STAFF ARE VERY CAPABLE, BUT AS COUNCILOR SIMMONS AND OTHERS HAVE POINTED OUT, CITY STAFF HAVE A LONG LIST OF STUDIES AND PROGRAMS TO MANAGE. THE ILLUSIONARY ZONING STUDY IS DUE THIS SUMMER AND THE INCENTIVE ZONING STUDY ZONING NEXUS STUDY THIS FALL. RESIDENTS ARE ASKING QUESTIONS ON WHY SO MANY LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME FAMILIES AND ELDERLY ARE LEAVING CAMBRIDGE EACH YEAR. A COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING STUDY DONE BY AN OUTSIDE FIRM WOULD NOT BE INFLUENCED BY POLITICAL INTERESTS THAT HAVE EXAGGERATED CLAIMS AND USE. THANK YOU. LOUISE. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER FOR ANYONE WHOSE TIME EXPIRES, PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT OR YOUR FULL COMMENT TO CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE ARE MOVING ON TO CHARLES FRANKLIN, FOLLOWED BY JOHN PITKIN. THEN DANIELLE PATINA. CHARLES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PERFECT. MY NAME IS CHARLES FRANKLIN. I LIVE AT 1 6 2 HAMPSHIRE STREET. I'M VOICING STRONG SUPPORT FOR ALL FOUR POLICY ORDERS. I WANT TO CALL OUT POS ONE AND FOUR IN PARTICULAR. THIS PAST WEEKEND HAS UNDERLINED, HIGHLIGHTED AND BOLDED JUST HOW ARCHAIC OUR LIQUOR LAWS ARE. WE CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T BE ADDING A 30 MINUTE REQUIRED COOL DOWNTIME BETWEEN DRINKS. WHOEVER SUGGESTED THAT SHOULD STEP DOWN FROM THEIR POSITION FOR POLICY THREE OH, UH, POLICY ORDER THREE. THE LAWLESSNESS OF ALL THINGS ON WHEELS ON OUR STREETS, INCLUDING BIKES AND CARS, IS NEARLY AS BAFFLING AS THE LACK OF BASIC TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. IF THE CPD HAS OTHER HIGHER PRIORITY TASKS, THEN WE NEED TO LOOK TO EMPOWER NON-POLICE OFFICERS TO ENFORCE TRAFFIC RULES, EVEN IF IT'S IN A LIMITED CAPACITY, SUCH AS TREATING OR MOVING, SUCH AS TREATING, MOVING VIOLATIONS AS SIMPLE TICKETABLE OFFENSES. UH, I THINK THE PLANNING BOARD'S CONCLUSIONS ON HOW TO BALANCE THE NEED FOR HOUSING WITH THE DESIRE FOR ACTIVE MIXED USE CORRIDORS IS SENSIBLE. I WANT TO RENEW MY DISSATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF OUR WATER. YES, IT'S PERFECTLY SAFE TO DRINK, BUT WE USE WATER FOR MORE THINGS THAN HUMAN CONSUMPTION. OUR WATER DESTROYS PLUMBING FIXTURES AND VOIDS WARRANTIES. IT HAS CAUSED ME, UH, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS. AND WHY IS THIS? BECAUSE IT'S 90% SURFACE RUNOFF, A LOT OF WHICH IS FROM ROADS AND HIGHWAYS, WHETHER WE ADD BETTER PROCESSING TO OUR WATER OR SWITCH TO MWRA WATER AND CALL IT A DAY, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. ALSO, I 100% SUPPORT THE WAR ON CARS. UH, CARS KILL PEOPLE. THEY TAKE UP SPACE IN THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTY. THE YOU DON'T OWN THE STREET. IT'S NOT, UH, YOUR PERSONAL RIGHT TO PARK YOUR CAR ANYWHERE YOU WANT WAR ON CARS, 100% SUPPORT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOHN PITKIN, FOLLOWED BY DANIELLE PATINA AND GORDON MOORE. UH, JOHN PITKIN, 18 FAYETTE STREET, SPEAKING ON CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 16, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THERE ARE THREE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR RATIONING RESIDENT PARKING TO REDUCE DEMAND. ONE IS TO, UH, UH, BAN PER PERMITS FROM RESIDENTS IN NEW BUILDINGS THAT ARE NEAR TRANSIT STATIONS. THE SECOND ONE IS TO CAP THE NUMBER OF PERMITS IN EACH AREA BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SPACES. AND THE THIRD [00:25:01] OPTION IS TO LIMIT PERMITS TO ONE PER PERSON TO REACH A CONSENSUS ON THE BEST APPROACH. SEE, SAYS IT'S ADVISABLE TO TO DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. THIS IS THE RIGHT IDEA, BUT IT DOESN'T GO NEARLY FAR ENOUGH. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN INFORMED WIDE PUBLIC CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ISSUES. THIS CONVERSATION HAS TO INCLUDE THE HOLDERS OF RESIDENT PARKING PERMITS WHO NUMBERED 38, 30 8,262 IN 2024, UP FROM 37,000 IN 2021 AND 35,020 17 THE PREVIOUS HIGH YEARS. THESE PEOPLE, THESE THOUSANDS OF PERMIT HOLDERS WHO ARE NOW TO PAY THE CITY INCREASED FEES AS WELL. IN ADDITION TO EXCISE TAXES DESERVE A CLEAR ACCOUNTING OF THE DEMAND FOR AND SUPPLY OF STREET PARKING FOR RESIDENTS BOTH CITYWIDE AND IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE UTILIZ IS, IS THE UTILIZATION RATE OF STREET PARKING, WHICH REVEALS HOW EASY AND HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FIND A PARKING SPACE AT ANY TIME. ACCORDING TO THE 2018 STUDY ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET'S SAFETY PROJECT BY CITY CONSULTANTS TOOL CONSULTANTS, THE STANDARD BEST PRACTICES FOR PARKING MANAGEMENT SUGGESTS THAT AN 85% UTILIZATION REPRESENTS AN IDEAL BALANCE OF PARKING, SUPPLY AND DEMAND. WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. THIS IS WHAT REALLY MATTERS HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FIND A SPACE. THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON THIS, AND THAT IS WHY THIS IS WHAT MATTERS TO THE DRIVING PUBLIC. LET'S HAVE A WELL-INFORMED CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT PUBLIC NEED AND HOW TO, HOW TO MEET IT AND HOW TO BALANCE IT AGAINST OTHER, OTHER NEEDS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANIELLE PATINA, FOLLOWED BY GORDON MOORE. HELLO, I AM, I'M DANIELLE PATINA. I LIVE AT 64 REED STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, I HAVE TWO BUSINESSES IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE MAMA'S GROCERY AND UZMAN, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ALCOHOL POLICY ORDER. UM, I WANTED TO THANK THE CITY COUNCILORS, UM, WHO PUT THIS FORTH. IT'S IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, LIKE ME. UH, IT'S ALSO IN SUPPORT OF THE FULL ENTIRE COMMUNITY. I WAS SURPRISED TO READ THE LICENSING COMMISSIONS DRAFT RULES. I WAS GLAD TO SEE THIS POLICY ORDER AS AN ACTION TO MAKE THE PROCESS TRANSPARENT AND ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AND THE SMALL BUSINESSES WHO ABIDE BY THESE RULES. I THINK IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, UM, THE CITY COUNCIL SUGGESTS WE GO BACK TO SQUARE ONE AND ENGAGE INCLUSIVELY AND ROBUSTLY THE STAKEHOLDERS WITH THE GOAL OF ENSURING THAT THE CITY'S LICENSING FRAMEWORK REMAINS AS IN, EXCUSE ME, AS EFFICIENT, ACCESSIBLE, AND STREAMLINED AS THE LAW ALLOWS. STARTING OVER WITH PARTICIPATION FROM LICENSE HOLDERS MEANS CAMBRIDGE CAN MODERNIZE. UM, IN TERMS OF LIQUOR LAWS. A FRIEND OF MINE SAID IN REGARDS TO THE CURRENT ORDERS FOR THE SUMMER DISTRICTS OF FUN, AS I WAS CALLING THEM, AK, THE OPEN CONTAINER RULES FOR THE SUMMER. UM, MY FRIEND SAID THAT CAMBRIDGE IS EXPERIENCING, UM, A PERIOD OF SOPHISTICATION AND EXCITEMENT THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. UM, FRANKLY, AS A LICENSE HOLDER AND A RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE LIBERALIZING OF THIS, UM, AND NEW RULES THAT WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. FOR EXAMPLE, BYOB YEAR-ROUND PATIOS, PATIOS FOR BARS. CURRENTLY, THOSE ARE NOT LEGAL. PERHAPS ALCOHOL VENDORS ON CITY PROPERTY. I'M SURE THAT COLLECTIVELY THE COMMUNITY OF LICENSE HOLDERS AND BEYOND HAVE SOME REALLY INTERESTING IDEAS HERE. UM, CAMBRIDGE IS A COSMOPOLITAN CITY FULL OF PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED AND WORKED AND CHOSE TO MOVE TO CAMBRIDGE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. AND IT IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE. UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY THAT I TAKE RULES VERY SERIOUSLY AND EVERY NEW REGULATION HAS AN IMPACT ON MY BUSINESS MONETARILY, ET CETERA. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GORDON MOORE, FOLLOWED BY SUZANNE SCHINDLER. THEN PAULA BUCO GORDON HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO SUZANNE SCHINDLER. HELLO, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS SUZANNE SCHINDLER. I LIVE AT FAYETTE STREET. UM, I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLICY ORDER THREE. THANK YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR TACKLING THE DECLINE IN TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. I WALK, BIKE AND DRIVE AND THERE'S A LOT OF BAD BEHAVIOR OUT THERE, SO I'M REALLY JUST RESTATING WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW. THE TOP FOUR BAD BEHAVIORS I EXPERIENCE EVERY SINGLE DAY, RUNNING RED LIGHTS, SPEEDING, PHONE USE, AND DOUBLE PARKING EVERY SINGLE DAY. I SEE CARS RUNNING RED LIGHTS AND THAT'S RED, NOT YELLOW LIGHTS. EVERY SINGLE DAY I EXPERIENCE SPEEDING. A PLACE I KNOW VERY WELL IS THE INTERSECTION OF BROADWAY AND LEE STREET. IT'S NOT A PARTICULARLY INTERESTING INTERSECTION OR BUSY, BUT SOMEHOW WHEN THERE'S A ROAD THAT DECLINES, IT'S INVITES ACCELERATING TO TOWARD THE RED LIGHT BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTA GET IT BEFORE IT GETS EVEN REDDER. [00:30:01] SO BASICALLY, WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE A GREEN LIGHT, YOU HAVE TO WATCH OUT. IF THERE'S NOT ANOTHER CAR ALREADY CROSSING, STILL CROSSING EVERY SINGLE DAY. I SEE PEOPLE DRIVING WITH PHONES IN THEIR HANDS, AND THAT'S EVERYONE WITH SORT OF WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW. BUT AT A WHEEL GAZED DOWN ON THAT STREET, IT'S ABOUT HALF, I WOULD ESTIMATE HALF OF DRIVERS. AND ITS ENORMOUS TRUCKS, OVERSIZED SUVS, ELECTRIC SCOOTERS, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. IT'S EVERYONE. AND ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY, THE BIKE LANES ARE DOUBLE PARKED OR BLOCKED OR DRIVING LANES ARE BLOCKED, UH, BY PEOPLE JUST STOPPING AND DOING THINGS. SO IT SCARES THE JITTERS OUT OF ME, AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ONLY GETTING WORSE. SO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THIS ON. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SPREAD THE WORD THAT YOU ARE TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY. AND ONE IDEA, SOMETHING LIKE A ROAD SAFETY DAY. YOU ANNOUNCE IT AND THEN YOU REALLY SEND THE COPS OUT THERE AND YOU TAKE IT EVERY SINGLE INFRACTION. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAULA BUCO, FOLLOWED BY BUCHANAN EWING, THEN CYNTHIA HIBBARD. PAULA, YEAH. HI EVERYONE. PAULA BUCO, 1 79 SPRING STREET. UM, I'M IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE, SUPPORTING AN ACT TO PROTECT MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC HEALTH FROM PFAS. UM, I WON'T REPEAT HERE, ALL THE PROVEN HEALTH CONDITIONS LINKED TO PFAS, UM, BUT I SUPPORT THE BILL BECAUSE IT AIMS AT SETTING A FUND TO MITIGATE EXISTING CONTAMINATION. UM, AND ALSO IT AIMS AT EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT PFAS. ONLY A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION IS AWARE OF THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF PFAS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, OF THE DAILY CHOICES WE CAN ALL MAKE TO REDUCE EXPOSURE. UM, FROM CHOICE OF COOKWARE TO PERSONAL PRODUCTS TO FOOD PACKAGING, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT EVERYONE USES TOILET PAPER, UH, ONLY SOME KNOW TO LOOK FOR PFAS, FREE OPTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE. AND FINALLY, THE BILL ADDRESSES THE REQUIREMENTS ON MONITORING PRODUCTS IN USE AND HOW THEY'RE DISPOSED AND RECYCLED. PFAS ARE CALLED FOREVER CHEMICALS BECAUSE THEY RESIST BREAKDOWN, SO THEY ACCUMULATE IN OUR BODIES AND THEY IN THE ENVIRONMENT EVEN. SO, MATERIALS CONTAINING PFAS DEGRADE AND EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT, ACID, RAIN FREE THOUGHT CYCLES, THEY ALL ACCELERATE THE PFAS RELEASE. UH, WE CAN TEST ONLY FOR TENS OUT OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PFAS. SO IN MY OPINION, THE BEST STRATEGY IS TO AVOID PRODUCTS WITH PFAS INTENTIONALLY OR NOT INTENTIONALLY ADDED IT. UM, AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE CHOICE NOT TO ADD PFAS ON AHERN FIELD, UM, FOR PRODUCTS ALREADY IN USE, THIS BILL WOULD HELP TO SET STANDARDS TO MONITOR THE DEGRADATION. UM, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BUCHANAN EWING, FOLLOWED BY CYNTHIA HIBBERT. THEN GLENNA WYMAN. IF BU, CAN YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. BUCK EWING. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF, WE WILL CIRCLE BACK. WE'RE GONNA GO TO CYNTHIA HIBBERT, FOLLOWED BY GLENNA WYMAN, THEN STAN RIVKIN. CYNTHIA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, I'M CYNTHIA HIBBERT OF 23 ELLSWORTH AVENUE, AND I'M SPEAKING TODAY FOR THE CAMBRIDGE NODE OF THREE 50 MASS, A CLIMATE JUSTICE ORGANIZATION. WE STRONGLY SUPPORT TABLED. ITEM NUMBER THREE, THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN ORDINANCE CHANGES. 80% OF THE CITY'S SOLID WASTE COMES FROM COMMERCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL, AND LARGE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS THAT THE CITY DOES NOT CURRENTLY MANAGE. THE CHAPTER 8.24 ORDINANCE CHANGES WOULD APPLY TO THIS 80% AND FULFILL THE CITY MANAGER'S GOAL TO QUOTE, REALIZE A FUTURE WITH LESS TRASH, MORE SANITARY NEIGHBORHOODS AND MORE EQUITABLE PROGRAMS. THE UPDATED BRING YOUR OWN BAG ORDINANCE AND THE NEW SKIP THE STUFF ORDINANCE ARE COMMON SENSE IMPROVEMENTS THAT CAN BOTH REDUCE WASTE AND SAVE BUSINESSES MONEY. REQUIRING FOOD WASTE DIVERSION FOR ALL BUILDINGS IS A QUINTUPLE WIN. IT WILL SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY, IT WILL SAVE BUILDING OWNERS MONEY, REDUCE RATS FOR EVERYONE, PROVIDE ENERGY AND REDUCE LANDFILL WASTE. OUR DAUGHTER'S FAMILY LIVED UNTIL RECENTLY IN A LARGE APARTMENT BUILDING NEAR OUR THREE CONDO OR THREE UNIT CONDO BUILDING. THEY WANTED TO JOIN THE FOODS WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAM, WHICH WE HAVE HAD FOR EIGHT YEARS. THEY ORGANIZED AND PRESENTED A BUILDING-WIDE PETITION TO THEIR BUILDING MANAGEMENT, BUT IT WAS DENIED. SO THEY SAVED THEIR FOOD WASTE FOR OUR VISITS AND WE WALKED IT HOME TO PUT IN OUR BIN. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT RECYCLING AND FOOD WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAMS [00:35:01] ARE WIDELY SUPPORTED BY RESIDENTS IN LARGE RENTAL BUILDINGS. THE COUNCIL VOTED UNANIMOUSLY LAST JUNE TO ADOPT THE ZERO WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2.0. THE PLAN CANNOT HAPPEN WITHOUT THESE ORDINANCE CHANGES. THEY WOULD GO INTO EFFECT SIX MONTHS AFTER PASSAGE AND DPW WOULD FOCUS ON EDUCATION FOR THE FIRST YEAR, THREE 50 MASS. AND I URGED THE COUNCIL TO MOVE THESE PROPOSED ORDINANCE CHANGES FORWARD AND WITHOUT ANY FURTHER DELAY, THANK YOU. WE ARE GONNA GO BACK TO BUCK EWING. UH OH. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, MY NAME IS BUCK EWING. I'M AT ONE 19 ANTRIM STREET. I'M HERE FOR NUMBER 16. COST OF PARKING PERMITS. THE PRESSURE ON ON STREET PARKING IN MID C CAMBRIDGE IS GOING TO BE INTENSE. A RESIDENT MAY HAVE UP TO FOUR VEHICLES. IF TWO RESIDENTS PER HOUSEHOLD EACH HAVE FOUR, THAT'S EIGHT PARKING PERMITS IN THAT HOUSEHOLD. THAT'S EXCESSIVE IN MID CAMBRIDGE IN THE HOUSING PROJECTS. UNDER REVIEW NUMBERS, 32 TO 39 INCREASE UNITS BY, UH, 244 FROM 28 TO 2 72. SO LET'S SAY AN AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD HAS ONE OR TWO PEOPLE, THAT'S 1.5 PERSONS. ON AVERAGE, THE NUMBER OF NEW DWELLERS WOULD INCREASE BY 366. IF HALF OWNED A CAR WITH NO ON SITE OFF STREET PARKING, THAT'S 183 CARS WE NEED TO PARK ON THE STREET. WHERE WILL THEY PARK? I SUGGEST CHANGING THE RULE FROM FOUR, FOUR VEHICLE, FOUR VEHICLES TO ONE PER RESIDENT AT $75 SENIORS FREE, AND A SECOND VEHICLE UNDER SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS. HOW DOES PARKING AVAILABILITY AFFECT OLDER ADULTS OR RESIDENTS WITH MOBILITY CHALLENGES? LONG TIME CIRCLING, SEARCHING FOR A PLACE TO PARK, INCREASED WALKING DISTANCE FROM CAR TO HOME, DIFFICULTY DURING BAD WEATHER AND INCREASED SAFETY CONCERNS. HEAT, SNOW, ICE RISK OF FALLS, GREATER RELIANCE ON OTHERS FOR TRANSPORTATION, ET CETERA. IF WE CAN'T READILY FIND PARKING, WHAT ALTERNATIVES DO WE HAVE? WALK, RIDE A BICYCLE, E-BIKE SCOOTER, TAKE A UBER, LYFT TAXI, TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OR MOVE TO A NEW HOME AT AN UNKNOWN UNKNOWN LOCATION IN MID CAMBRIDGE. HOW MANY, WHAT, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF RESIDENTS WHO MUST PARK ON THE STREET COMPARE WITH THOSE WHO CAN PARK ON THEIR PROPERTY? 10 TO 20%, 20 TO 30, 30 TO 40, 40 TO 50. WHATEVER IT IS, THIS VOTING BLOCK, BLOCK IS SIGNIFICANT. WE'RE WAKING UP. THE LIGHT BULB HAS GONE OFF. THE IMMENSE IMPENDING STRESS ON, ON STREET PARKING IS JUST STARTING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLENNA WYMAN. GLENNA HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO STAN RIPKIN, FOLLOWED BY DAN TOTTEN. STAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, STANIS RIFKIN 17 CHANNING STREET, UH, SPEAKING ON CHARTER RIGHT TWO. UM, I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE INITIATIVE ON THE PART OF MAYOR SIDIKI AND COUNCILORS MCGOVERN, SABRINA WHEELER AND ZUI, AND SUPPORTING, UH, VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY IMPACTED BY THE MO CUTS. UH, THEIR SERVICES ARE ESSENTIAL. FUNDING THEM IN THIS TIME OF NEED IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE. BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MONEY MAY BE SPENT DOWN FROM THE FUND'S ORIGINAL OBJECTIVE, UH, WHICH IS TO SUPPORT EMERGENCY AND SUPPORT OF HOUSING, UH, HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. AND SO, AS YOU KNOW, THE FUND WAS ESTABLISHED AS PART OF A COMPROMISE INVOLVING THE CLOSURE OF THE TRANSITIONAL WELLNESS CENTER. AT THE TIME, THE CITY CLAIMED THAT WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO KEEP OUR LARGEST DRY SHELTER OPEN BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIALLY OVERWHELMING DEMANDS OF BACKFILLING FUTURE FEDERAL CUTS TO EMERGENCY AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. AND WE WERE TOLD THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE THE TRANSITIONAL WELLNESS CENTER WAS GOING TO CLOSE, SIMILAR FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALLOCATED THROUGH OTHER PATHWAYS, UM, SUCH AS THE MUNICIPAL VOUCHER PROGRAM, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY VERY PROMISING, AND THEN ALSO THROUGH THE CREATION OF THIS FEDERAL STABILIZATION FUND. BUT IF THE BUDGETARY THREAT TO EMERGENCY HOUSING HAS SUBSIDED, AND I THINK THIS SHOULD BE CLARIFIED BY THE CITY, AND THE MONEY SAVED FROM CLOSING THE TRANSITIONAL WELLNESS CENTER AND ELIMINATING 60 BEDS IS NO LONGER NEEDED TO BACKFILL FEDERAL HOUSING CUTS. WE SHOULD NOT GO BACKWARDS IN OUR COMMITMENT TO EMERGENCY HOUSING AND SHOULD INSTEAD REALLOCATE THIS MONEY TOWARDS ADDITIONAL VOUCHERS, SHELTER SUPPORT, OR SIMILAR ASSISTANCE. IF THE THREAT HAS NOT SUBSIDED, WHY ARE WE DRAINING THE STABILIZATION FUND RATHER THAN SUPPORTING IT WITH ADDITIONAL FREE CASH TO COVER OTHER FEDERAL CUTS? EITHER WAY, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE IS ONE OF THE MOST FINANCIALLY HEALTHY MUNICIPALITIES IN THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO HONOR THE COMMITMENTS WE'VE MADE IN FIGHTING BOTH SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND HOUSELESSNESS. RATHER THAN CHOOSING JUST ONE OF THE TWO, [00:40:01] I HOPE YOU'LL CONSIDER EXPANDING SUPPORT FOR BOTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAN TOTTEN. DAN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YES. HI, UH, MY NAME IS DAN TOTTEN, 54 BISHOP BALLEN DRIVE. UH, I COULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT ANY BETTER MYSELF, AND I SENT YOU GUYS AN EMAIL ALONG THE SAME LINES, BUT TONIGHT I'M HERE, UH, UH, AS A BARTENDER ON BEHALF OF MY COLLEAGUES AT LAMPLIGHTER. UH, I'M A BARGAINING REP FOR OUR UNION AS WELL. AND SO A LOT OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE EITHER WORKING TONIGHT OR, UM, IT'S THEIR NIGHT OFF, AND SO THEY DON'T WANNA BE HERE. SO HERE I AM. UH, AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THIS RULE CHANGE, THE 30 MINUTE THING, I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT COMING FROM YOU GUYS, BUT IT'S REALLY NOT THOUGHT THROUGH. UM, I SENT YOU SOME OF THESE THOUGHTS, BUT I THINK FIRST OF ALL, IT'S IMPORTANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT IF THE BUSINESS IS IMPACTED, IF THERE'S LESS MONEY COMING IN, NOT ONLY IS IT LESS VIABLE, BUT THAT HURTS THE BOTTOM LINE OF EVERY SINGLE FRONT OF HOUSE WORKER IN THE ENTIRE CITY. BECAUSE IF LESS PEOPLE ARE BUYING THINGS, THEN THERE'S GONNA BE FEWER TIPS. AND I'LL TELL YOU, AN OVERWHELMING SI SIZE OF MY PAYCHECK COMES FROM TIPS. IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE 70 OR 80%. UM, AND SO THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. THE OTHER THING IS, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT LIKE WE ALREADY KNOW HOW LONG BEFORE SOMEBODY ELSE HAS GOTTEN A DRINK. LIKE IT'S IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. WE CAN SEE IT, WE CAN SEE HOW LONG IT'S BEEN, BUT IT JUST SIMPLIFIES IT TO SET THIS EXPECTATION THAT, UM, IN 30 MINUTES YOU CAN COME BACK AND WE'RE JUST GONNA DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. BECAUSE THE FACTOR, THE FACT IS IT'S A LOT MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT. IT MATTERS WHICH TYPE OF DRINK THEY GOT. DID THEY GET, YOU KNOW, HARD ALCOHOL OR DID THEY GET BEER? DID THEY GET A HIGH IPA OR DID THEY GET A PILSNER? DID THEY GET, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE THINGS? WHAT DID, WHAT STATE WERE THEY IN WHEN THEY WALKED IN THE DOOR? ARE THEY SIX FOOT FOUR? ARE THEY FIVE FOOT TWO? LIKE, ALL THESE THINGS I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHEN I'M SERVING PEOPLE AND MAKING THOSE DECISIONS. AND IF YOU BOIL IT DOWN TO COME BACK IN 30 MINUTES AND WE'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER BEER, YOU'RE PUTTING ME IN A REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION, PROBABLY LEGALLY AS WELL, WHERE IT, IT'S JUST REALLY AWKWARD. AND SO PLEASE DON'T DO THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EMERY ALLEN, FOLLOWED BY JAMES WILLIAMSON, THEN AMY WALTZ. EMERY, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. OKAY. HELLO, MY NAME IS EMERY ALLEN AND CAME HERE BECAUSE WE BASICALLY HAVE A THANK YOU, LIKE NO CARD, NO CARD NOTE BOOK. UM, AND WE'RE HAPPY THAT A HEARN FIELD DIDN'T GET ANY ARTIFICIAL TURF. UM, SO WE WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU ABOUT THAT, THAT WE GOT ENOUGH VOTES THAT WE WON'T HAVE ANY ARTIFICIAL TURF ON A IRON FIELD. SO YEAH, WHERE SHOULD WE PUT IT? WE'LL, UM, WE'LL TAKE IT OVER HERE TO NAOMI. THANK YOU. YEAH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU EMERY AND FRIENDS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES WILLIAMSON, FOLLOWED BY AMY WALTZ, THEN HEATHER HOFFMAN. JAMES. JAMES, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. I BELIEVE IT'S STAR SIX FROM A TELEPHONE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. YEAH. UM, WELL, THE WORLD CUP GAME IS ON A RAIN DELAY, SO PERFECT TIMING. UM, I HAVE TWO, TWO OBSERVATIONS I WANNA MAKE ABOUT THE, UH, POLICY ORDER HAVING TO DO WITH, UH, ALLEGED, UH, DIMINUTION OF TRAFFIC CITATIONS THAT'S DESCRIBED AS SIGNIFICANT. THE FIRST OBSERVATION IS THAT FOR YEARS I HAVE, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE CITY, BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LACK OF ENFORCEMENT OF RULES FOR BICYCLISTS. UM, AND, UH, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE IN THIS, AND IT'S JUST LIKE BLOWING THROUGH RED LIGHTS, GOING DOWN STREETS THE WRONG WAY, JUST ENDLESS EVERY DAY. AND IT'S STRESSFUL, IT'S INFURIATING. I THINK IT'S A HEALTH RISK FOR ALL OF US WHO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT. AND THE ANSWER HAS ALWAYS BEEN, THE RESPONSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FROM TOP CITY STAFF, INCLUDING NOW RETIRED, UH, CLARA SEIDER AND KARA SEIDMAN, FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN PEOPLE IN SOMERVILLE. THE MENTALITY IS, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ENFORCEMENT. THAT'S THE WRONG WAY TO THINK ABOUT THIS. IF [00:45:01] WE JUST GET THE INFRASTRUCTURE RIGHT, IT'S ALL GONNA BE PERFECT. SO I'M ACTUALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT SOMEBODY IS NOW ACKNOWLEDGING THAT ENFORCEMENT IS IMPORTANT AND IT'S ENFORCEMENT FOR, UH, CARS PARKED IN BIKE LANES. I THINK IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY FROM BICYCLISTS MORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. SO LET'S CONTINUE TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ENFORCEMENT. UH, NOW THE SECOND THING IS ABOUT THE DATA. NOW, UH, THE CITATION DATA IS PROBABLY ACCURATE. UM, BUT WHAT DOES IT REALLY TELL YOU? AND THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHERE THE, THE DISHONESTY OF PEOPLE WHO PUSHING THE BIKE AGENDA, THE FANATICS, THE IDEOLOGUES, AREN'T HONEST ABOUT THE REALITY OF ENFORCEMENT, WHERE THE ANSWER WAS ALWAYS. WELL, WE CAN THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, JAMES. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AMY WALTZ, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER HOFFMAN. AMY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. AMY, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. AMY HAS NOT UNMUTED. WE'RE GONNA GO TO HEATHER HOFFMAN. HELLO THERE. AMY, IS THAT YOU? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. OKAY. HI, I'M AMY WALTZ FROM, UH, BLAKESLEY STREET. THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN HELPS ADDRESS NUMEROUS CITY CHALLENGES, INCLUDING OBVIOUSLY WASTE REDUCTION, UH, REDUCING FISCAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS, RODENT CONTROL, AND BETTER SANITATION, UH, LESS SINGLE USE PLASTIC WASTE. IT IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS AND EASY AND CONVENIENT FOR RESIDENTS. PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT WILL HELP REDUCE METHANE FROM BOTH AGRICULTURE AND WASTE SECTORS IN CAMBRIDGE. THE SIDE BENEFITS OF THIS INCLUDE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION OF OUR FOOD WASTE, TURNING METHANE INTO MUCH NEEDED ENERGY, AND A POT, A POTENTIAL 30 TO 40% REDUCTION IN FOOD WASTE, RESULTING IN OVER 30% LESS AGRICULTURAL SECTOR WASTE AND OVER 30% GROCERY SAVINGS. SEEING SEPARATED FOOD WASTE IN THE KITCHEN BUCKET ALLOWS PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES TO ASSESS AND CHANGE THEIR HABITS. FOR EXAMPLE, PURCHASE FEWER PERISHABLES AT A TIME, PRACTICE BETTER FOOD, FOOD STORAGE, UM, TO AVOID SPOILAGE, AVOIDING FOOD WASTE, WHICH IS ASTONISHING. UH, THIS CAN AVOID FOOD WASTE, WHICH IS ASTONISHINGLY AROUND 40%. IN THE US THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS A SPECIES SURVIVAL CRISIS OF MONUMENTAL SCALE AND URGENCY. METHANE REDUCTION IS THE KEY EMERGENCY BREAK ON THIS CRISIS. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT TODAY. WE NEED TO PASS THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN SO THAT THE CITY CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH PLANS TO HELP MAKE SANITATION AND WASTE REDUCTION EASIER FOR EVERYONE. THE PLAN INCLUDES PROVISIONS TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED, YET MANY ARE WAITING SO THEY CAN START THE SYSTEMIC WORK TO IMPLEMENT THESE CITY-WISE IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. WASTE PRODUCTION IS A WIN FOR RESIDENTS, A WIN FOR BUSINESS, AND A WIN FOR THE CITY. IT IS A WIN FOR HEALTH AND SANITATION. THANK YOU, AMY. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER HOFFMAN. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET. FIRST OFF, UM, NOBODY'S TALKED ABOUT ALGORITHMIC PRICING. IT IS ANOTHER WAY THAT WE ARE USING COMPUTERS TO DAZZLE PEOPLE AND STEAL FROM ALL OF US. YES, MAKE ALL OF THE TYPES OF ALGORITHMIC PRICING GO AWAY IN ANY WAY THAT THE CITY CAN'T AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE AT, UH, HIGHER LEVELS OF LEGISLATION TO DO SO AS WELL. UM, OTHER THINGS I SAW IN THE AGENDA SEEMED TO ME TO REVEAL A REAL LACK OF SERIOUSNESS. I LOOKED AT THIS THING ABOUT PARKING AND THE IDEA THAT IF WE JUST KNOW WHERE THERE ARE SUBWAYS AND BUS STOPS WITHOUT KNOWING WHETHER PEOPLE CAN GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO AND HOW OFTEN THE SUBWAYS AND ESPECIALLY THE BUSES GO, AND WHETHER THERE MIGHT BE DAYS THEY DON'T GO AT ALL, DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE OCCURRED TO THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THIS. SO WHY DO THEY THINK THAT THAT'S USEFUL INFORMATION IN DECIDING ABOUT PARKING NEEDS? [00:50:02] UM, WITH RESPECT TO HOUSING NEEDS? WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN COOL IF WE'D DONE ANY OF THESE STUDIES BEFORE WE CHANGED THE ZONING ORDINANCE? WOULDN'T THAT HAVE BEEN SUCH A GREAT IDEA? BUT NO, WE ARE NOT SERIOUS BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS POLITICAL. IT, IT IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE REAL WORLD EXCEPT FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT AND WITH THE SHORT TERM RENTALS, YOU HAVEN'T ENFORCED WHAT WE'VE GOT. I REALLY HOPE IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE IT, IT'S GOING TO INCLUDE A WAY OF ENFORCING IT AND THAT WE WILL ALSO DO SOME ENFORCING OF ALL OF THE CRAZY STUFF THAT GOES ON THERE WITH THINGS ON WHEELS, WITH HUMANS PROPELLING THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ARE TRYING TO GO BACK TO GLENNA WYMAN WHO EMAILED ME THAT SHE'S TRYING TO JOIN GLENNA. IF YOU'RE IN THE ZOOM AND CAN RAISE YOUR HAND, WE CAN UNMUTE YOU. MADAM MAYOR GLENNA WYMAN HAS NOT JOINED. THAT IS ALL THAT WE'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. THANK YOU, NAOMI. THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE [SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD] SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD. THERE ARE TWO SETS OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON FEBRUARY 9TH, 2026 AND MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON JANUARY 27TH, 2026 ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER TO ACCEPT THESE MINUTES AND PLACE THEM ON FILE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MINUTES RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THOSE MINUTES ARE ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE HAVE NO RECONSIDERATIONS. WE MOVE ON TO THE [CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA] CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. THERE ARE 23 CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. I AM GOING TO POLL NUMBER NINE AND NUMBER 18, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. 17, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY POLLS NUMBER 17, COUNCILLOR UI 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22, 21, AND 22. COUNCILLOR SUI POLLS. 13, UM, 19, 20, 21 AND 22. MAYOR SIDIKI, COUNCILLOR NOLAN NUMBER 14, 15, 17, AND 18. NUMBER 14, 15, 16. NO, 17. THEY WERE ALREADY 18 AND 17 WAS PULLED. OH, OKAY. N 18 WAS, N 18 WAS PULLED. ANY, ANYONE, ANY OTHER ONES ON THE FIRST PAGE? RECOMMENDATION IS ALL IS PLACE IT ON FILE. SO, YEAH, I MEAN, ARE WE ALL SET? SO WE'VE PULLED FOR THE RECORD NUMBER NINE, NUMBER 13. NUMBER 14, NUMBER FOUR 15. NUMBER 16. NO. 16. NO, NOT 16. COUNSELOR. NOLAN, YOU'RE NOT PULLING 16, RIGHT? NOPE. OKAY. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 AND 22. HEARING NO ONE ELSE. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEMS. NUMBER ONE, NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FOUR, NUMBER FIVE, NUMBER SIX, NUMBER SEVEN, NUMBER EIGHT, NUMBER 10, NUMBER 11, NUMBER 12. AND THEN ON 23, COUNCILOR ZUBE. 16. NO, YOU JUST, WE YOU, YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T WANNA PULL THAT, RIGHT? I'M NOT, YEAH, WE'RE NOT. WE DIDN'T PULL IT. WE'RE NOT PULLING THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBE ABSENT. VICE MAYOR ZI. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR 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 THE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. THE BALANCE HAS BEEN ADOPTED AND THE MATTERS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA [00:55:01] ITEM NUMBER NINE, A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE APPROPRIATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $625,000 FROM THE FEDERAL GRANT STABILIZATION FUND TO THE GRANT FUND HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAMS, OTHER ORDINARY MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT. WE'LL GO AHEAD. ALSO, I'LL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO TAKE OFF THE CALENDAR. ITEM NUMBER TWO. SO MOVED ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN TO TAKE THAT CALENDAR. ITEM NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS A POLICY ORDER RELATED TO THIS. WE'LL DO GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON SUSPENSION. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. 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. WE'RE IN SUSPENSION. THAT MATTER IS ALSO THAT PO IS ALSO BEFORE US. THE CHARTER RIGHT. WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILOR ZUBI AT THAT MEETING ON JUNE 8TH. UH, COUNCILOR ZUZI IS, UH, COUNSELOR ZUBI IS NOT HERE TODAY. UH, BUT I'LL LET THE CITY MANAGER SPEAK TO THIS. THE TIMING OF IT IS WE, UM, WANTED TO GET THIS, UM, FORWARD AT THIS TODAY'S MEETING. 'CAUSE OUR NEXT FULL CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS, UH, IN AUGUST. AND SO GIVEN THE TIMING, UH, IT WAS APPROPRIATE. SO, UM, I'LL JUST SAY WHAT I SAID LAST WEEK. I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EMAILS AROUND, UM, THE USE OF THIS FUND AND, UH, THERE'S OTHER, YOU KNOW, OTHER, UM, HOUSING NEEDS. I THINK, UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, WE SHOULD BE FUNDING. UH, WE DON'T KNOW, UM, KIND OF WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS WITH THE MANY OTHER, UM, FUNDING LOSSES THAT MAY OCCUR. AND THE WHOLE SOLE PURPOSE OF THIS, UH, WAS TO, UH, USE THIS FUND IN THIS WAY. AND SO I DON'T, UM, SEE THINGS, UH, AS A MATTER OF, UH, BEING COMPETED AGAINST. UH, WE ARE TAKING THINGS AS THEY, THEY COME. AND SO, UM, I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, DO THIS FOR, UH, THE NONPROFITS WHO ARE IN, UH, IN NEED. SO I'LL GIVE IT TO THE CITY MANAGER AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP TO MY COLLEAGUES. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, I, I WOULD SAY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WE'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE AFFECTED ORGANIZATIONS, UM, AND ALSO WITH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND WITH THE CAMBRIDGE NONPROFIT COALITION. UM, I THINK AS YOU NOTED, UH, THERE'S BOTH A RECOGNITION THAT THIS AMOUNT OF FUNDING LOSS FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE, UM, A HUGE IMPACT ON REALLY IMPORTANT SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY VULNERABLE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE FELT LIKE THIS IS THE PURPOSE BEHIND WHY WE CREATED THIS FUND IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND QUICKLY AND TO FIND A WAY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THOSE NEGATIVE IMPACTS. UM, I THINK DOING IT IN PARTNERSHIP AND WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, UM, HAS BEEN SOMETHING WE DID ON THE CRISIS OVER SNAP BENEFITS. AND SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT PARTNERSHIP AND RESPONDING TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY. UM, THEY HAVE, UH, COMMITTED TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT THEY COULD PUT FORWARD. UM, AND WHILE I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO FULLY MEET THE ENTIRE GAP BETWEEN LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, UM, I THINK THIS PROVIDES SOME RAMP FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE SEVERE DISRUPTION OF SERVICES AND WE HAVE THE REST OF THE YEAR TO PLAN FOR, UH, THE NEXT YEAR. I THINK JUST, JUST TWO ADDITIONAL NOTES. ONE IS, UM, ONE IS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS AS A ONE-TIME APPROPRIATION, AND THAT WE WOULD SPEND THE NEXT YEAR WORKING WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE RESPONDING TO BOTH THE SHORT TERM, UH, CHALLENGE OF WHERE STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING LANDS, UM, BUT ALSO THE LONGER TERM TREND. UM, SO WHAT ARE OTHER REVENUE SOURCES, UM, THAT THEY COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK FOR, AND HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT SUPPORTING THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN OUR COMMUNITY? UM, THAT WOULD BE A FUTURE CONVERSATION. AND WE'D HAVE TO ALSO HAVE FURTHER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN FY 28 AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PROCESS. UM, THE OTHER NOTE IS, UH, JUST VERY RECENT DEVELOPMENTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE MAY BE SOME POSSIBILITY FOR STATE ACTION. UM, WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IS THE STATE BUDGET MAY NOT BE FULLY PASSED UNTIL A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SUMMER. AND SO, UH, MAYBE JUST TO SET EXPECTATIONS, WE ARE ASKING FOR AN APPROPRIATION OF UP TO THIS AMOUNT. UM, BUT WE MAY MAKE ADJUSTMENTS DEPENDING ON, UM, IF THE STATE DOES END UP TAKING SOME ACTION. UM, BUT I THINK THIS WILL PROVIDE FOR MORE STABILITY FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS ABILITY TO PLAN INTO JULY AND AUGUST. UM, AND I DO THINK ULTIMATELY THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME GAP THAT WE WILL WANT TO COVER. THANK YOU. I HAVE COUNCILLOR NOLAN, [01:00:02] AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU TO CITY MANAGER AND THE STAFF FOR MOVING ON THIS. AND TO THE, UM, FOLKS WHO PUT IN THE POLICY ORDER, I'D ACTUALLY LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE UNDERLYING POLICY ORDER. I THINK THIS IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, AND FROM EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN, JUST LIKE WAS NOTED WITH SNAP BENEFITS AND EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS AND OTHERS, THIS IS PRECISELY WHY WE DID SET UP THE FEDERAL STABILIZATION FUND. AND WE ALSO TO REMIND ALL OF US THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION OF BECAUSE IT'S JUST BEEN A DERELICTION OF DUTY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO DO SOMETHING TO TAKE AWAY THESE FUNDS. UM, I DO NOTE THAT, UM, PART OF THE, UH, GOOD SUPPORT FOR THE UNDERLYING POLICY ORDER IS ALSO THAT IT CALLS FOR A MEETING WITH THE NONPROFIT. SO I EXPECT AND HOPE THAT IF, UH, BOTH OF THESE PASS THAT THAT HAPPENS. BUT I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE OF BOTH THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER AND ALSO OF THIS ALLOCATION AND GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP FROM CCF TO ALLOW THIS TO BE ENOUGH FUNDS, AS WE KNOW, NOT TO FULLY REPLENISH, BUT TO AT LEAST ALLOW THE CRITICAL SERVICES FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND FOR OTHER SURVIVORS. UM, WHICH THE CITY HAS STOOD PROUD AND TALL TO TRY TO, UM, ADDRESS. UM, AND WE ARE, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO THIS. SO THANK YOU MAYOR SADIKA YIELD. THANKS, YOU, COUNCILOR. NO, WE WILL ADD YOU MOMENTARILY. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. WELL, AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, I JUST WANNA SAY THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT. THIS IS THE REASON WHY WE'RE ALL SERVING IN OFFICE. THESE ARE THE MOST MARGINALIZED, VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY. UH, THEY ARE RECEIVING CRITICAL SERVICES THAT ARE NECESSARY. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. UH, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT A FEDERAL STABILIZATION FUND SHOULD BE USED FOR. AND, UH, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY BETTER USE OF OUR DOLLARS. I HOPE THAT WE CAN HELP ALL OF THESE CITY, UH, AGENCIES MOVING FORWARD, UH, AND BUDGET FOR THEM APPROPRIATELY. BUT THIS ACTUALLY IS THE, AT BOTTOM, THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE THAT WE SERVE, UH, THE CITIZENS OF CAMBRIDGE AS CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCILORS TO APPROVE A, UH, A USE OF MONEY IN THIS, THIS WAY. SO, UH, I HOPE WE CAN ALL DO THIS IMMEDIATELY EFFECTIVELY AND SEE TO IT THAT THESE VERY VULNERABLE, MARGINALIZED PEOPLE GET THE ASSISTANCE THEY NEED. SO I YIELD THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, COUNSELOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. THROUGH, THROUGH YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, AS THE COUNSELOR SORT OF LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE DISCUSSING SPALDING AND THE CLOSING THE SPALDING AND HOW BEST TO HELP, UM, THE FOLKS THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THAT AS, AS SORT OF THE COUNSELOR THAT WAS OUT IN FRONT ON THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN THAT FOLKS HAVE ABOUT, UH, THE POTENTIAL FINANCIAL IMPACT OF, OF, YOU KNOW, MAYBE LOSING SOME FUNDS THAT WENT TO THOSE VOUCHERS. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I I, I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL FIGURE SOMETHING OUT. UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT THAT MONEY THAT FOR THE, FOR THE VOUCHERS IS RIGHT NOW. WE, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA NEED TO SPEND IT JUST BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LAWSUIT. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS CHANGE. AND SO, UM, WHEN YOU THINK OF URGENCY, YOU KNOW WHAT BARK AND, AND TRANSITION HOUSE AND OTHERS ARE GOING THROUGH. I MEAN, THEY'RE LOOKING AT LAYING OFF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IN, IN TWO WEEKS. AND THAT IS, UM, SIGNIFICANTLY GOING TO IMPACT REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, SERVICES TO VERY VULNERABLE PEOPLE. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AS YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO, WHO ADVOCATED STRONGLY FOR THAT MONEY GOING TOWARDS VOUCHERS, I'M CERTAINLY NOT GONNA LET THAT, UM, DISAPPEAR, UH, EASILY. AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US WILL. SO, UM, BUT THAT'S, WE HAVE TIME ON THAT. UM, WE DON'T HAVE TIME ON, ON THIS. AND SO, UM, I DO SUPPORT MAKING THIS ALLOCATION. AND AGAIN, AS I SAID THE LAST TIME WE DISCUSSED THIS, I'M JUST REALLY APPALLED AND THAT WE'RE IN THIS SITUATION BECAUSE OF A FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION THAT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE HAVE, UH, VICE MAYOR AZI ON THE LINE. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO I HAD A QUESTION FOR THE CITY MANAGER. WE TALKED BRIEFLY ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO, UH, GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL, BUT DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHEN WE'LL KNOW ABOUT THE FUNDS AND WHETHER THEY'RE NEEDED FOR THE EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS OR NOT? UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI? UM, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A CLEAR TIMELINE. UM, I THINK IN PARTICULAR THE, UH, HIGH CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM, SOME OF THOSE GUIDELINES ARE COMING OUT, UM, AROUND THIS TIME. AND WE'LL BE WORKING OUT WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS MAY BE. UM, I THINK WE BOTH HAVE ACTIVE LITIGATION THAT WE'RE INVOLVED IN WITH HUD OVER SOME OF THOSE CONDITIONS. UM, AND THERE'S ALSO PROGRAMMATIC DECISIONS THAT MAY ALLOW US TO KEEP SOME OF THE FUNDING THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH. [01:05:01] UM, IN TERMS OF EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS, UM, I WOULD SAY THERE'S CONTINUED CONVERSATIONS AND PLANNING HAPPENING BETWEEN THE CITY, THE CAMBRIDGE HOUSING AUTHORITY. UM, I'D SAY IT PROBABLY IS MOST APPROPRIATE FOR US TO BRING BACK AN UPDATE IN THE EARLY FALL JUST TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE THOSE VOUCHERS ARE. UM, AND, AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ORGANIZE AROUND, UH, AROUND MAKING SURE THAT WE, WE DO THAT. NICE. MAYOR. GOT IT. AND THEN JUST MY FINAL QUESTION IS LIKE, UH, IS THIS MONEY FUNGIBLE AND THAT IF WE NEEDED TO FIND MORE MONEY, MONEY FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING VOUCHERS, COULD WE, OR WE, SHOULD WE TAKE THIS STABILIZATION FUND AS IS? AND WE'VE KIND OF DECIDED THAT LIKE, EITHER THIS IS A HIGHER NEED OR WE MIGHT NOT NEED THOSE AND WE WANNA SPEND THESE NOW ON A RISK ADJUSTED BASIS, BUT IT IS LIKE A LIMITED POOL OF FUNDS. UH, THREE MAYOR SADIKI. UM, I THINK THERE'S NOT A YES OR NO ANSWER TO THAT. UM, I THINK THE REALITY IS WE BOTH DO HAVE SOME CONSTRAINT IN TERMS OF OUR RESOURCES. UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY, UH, WE SET THIS UP AS A $5 MILLION FUND. UM, IF THERE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY COMPELLING REASON OR IF WE SAW A NEED TO PUT MORE MONEY IN THE FUND, THAT WOULD BE A CONVERSATION THAT WE'D HAVE TO HAVE VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, SO I'LL JUST LEAD OFF WITH, UM, LIKE, I THINK OBVIOUSLY THE USE OF THESE FUNDS AND THE POLICY ORDER THAT'S BEFORE US, UM, AND THE CONVERSATION IS IN, UM, CREDIBLY COMPELLING. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I WILL CERTAINLY BE SUPPORTIVE TONIGHT. I'LL ALSO SAY I'M NOT THE BIGGEST, UM, FAN IN THAT I DO THINK THAT THERE HAS BEEN A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE WAY THAT WE SET UP THE STABILIZATION FUND, WHAT THE EXPECTATIONS WERE. AND I WISH THAT WE HAD BEEN MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT IT, THAT WE WOULD HOLD OFF TO THIS LONG. AND AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, IT MAY STILL COME IN HANDY, BUT WE FEEL LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONFIDENT THAN WE DID BEFORE. AND EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NO CERTAINTIES, I THINK THAT WOULD'VE BEEN A LITTLE BIT HELPFUL JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE ON BOARD WITH THE PREMISES. I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT THIS IS BEFORE US, IT'S REALLY HARD. UM, AND THERE'S REALLY COMPELLING USE FOR THESE FUNDS, UM, IN FRONT OF US. SO I WILL CERTAINLY BE SUPPORTIVE, BUT I REALLY DO THINK THAT WE MADE, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF COMMITMENT TO THESE 128 HOUSEHOLDS, AND I, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY HOPE THAT WE CONTINUE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TRY TO FIND THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IF WE DO END UP MEETING IN. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS? SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADD COUNCILOR NOLAN TO THE POLICY ORDER AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. 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. AND NOW TO THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE APPROPRIATION ITSELF AND PLACING THE MATTER ON FILE. AND GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTION. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. VICE MAYOR ZE ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND TWO, RECORDED IS ABSENT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER NINE, THE MATTERS. THE MONEY IS APPROPRIATED AND THE MATTERS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 13. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAI REPORT 26 DASH 34, REGARDING A REPORT ON CITYWIDE WATER USE AND WATER SUPPLY. COUNCILLOR ZUI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR SIDIKI. AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN WATER. AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FA ANOTHER FASCINATING REPORT. IT'S, IT'S FASCINATING THAT WE HAD FIVE MAJOR DROUGHTS, UM, BETWEEN 1965 AND 2015. THAT'S OVER A 50 YEAR PERIOD. AND THEN WE'VE HAD FIVE DROUGHTS SINCE 2016, AND WE'RE IN A DROUGHT NOW. SO, UM, THE CLIMATE REALLY IS CHANGING. IT WAS ALSO INTERESTING TO READ ABOUT OUR RESERVOIRS AND HOW HOBBES BROOK, WHICH HAS A CAPACITY OF 2.5 BILLION, IS ON THE TOP OF [01:10:01] A HILL. SO IT DOESN'T, SO THERE'S NOT A WATERSHED THAT FEEDS IT, SO THAT'S A LITTLE PROBLEMATIC. AND THEN DOWNSTREAM, THERE'S STONY BROOK, WHICH IS ONLY 400 MILLION GALLONS CAPACITY, BUT THAT CONTINUALLY OVERFLOWS. WE LOSE 40% OF THE WATER, IT GOES INTO THE CHARLES RIVER. UM, SO IT'S NOT QUITE WORKING. SO MY QUESTION FOR YOU IS, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE THINKING AFTER 2030, WE MAY NEED TO BE USING MWRA WATER MORE REGULARLY FROM QUAIN. UM, MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU IS, YOU ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WE MAY NEED TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO WATER DEPARTMENT REVENUES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. AND I'M WONDERING WHAT IS NEEDED? ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT GROUNDWATER WELLS? WHAT'S IT GONNA COST? AND, AND THEN I HEARD RUMOR THAT THE AQUEDUCT THAT GOES FROM THE STONY BROOK TO CAMBRIDGE, WHICH IS 7.5 MILES, NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. SO IS IS THAT TRUE? AND, UH, UH, SO WHAT, WHAT DO YOU SEE AHEAD, AND I HOPE YOU'RE THINKING THE, I'M COUNTING ON YOU TO BE THINKING ABOUT LIKE WHAT IS REALLY BEST FOR THE CITY IN THE LONG TERM? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE OUR EXISTING RESERVOIRS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH ALL THE WATER THAT WE'LL NEED GOING FORWARD, EVEN THOUGH WE USE LESS WATER PER CAPITA THAN MOST COMMUNITIES. THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH HEME SIDIKI. UM, SO JUST TO CLARIFY ONE OF TWO POINTS, UM, FIRST THAT 2030S, UM, UH, NUMBER IS WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, IF THE, UM, POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT INCREASED PROJECTIONS COME TO FRUITION AS THEY'RE PROJECTED RIGHT NOW DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT, WE WOULD NOT BE RELIABLE, UM, DEPENDENTLY ABLE TO SUPPLY, UH, WATER TO THE CITY, UM, DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT. AND WE WOULD HAVE TO SUPPLEMENT THAT, UM, WITH MWRA WATER. SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S SAFE YIELD OF 14.8. UM, AN AVERAGE DAY DEMAND OF, UH, 14.8 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY. UM, CURRENTLY, UH, WE ARE AT APPROXIMATELY 13 TO 13 AND A HALF, UH, MILLION GALLONS PER DAY AVERAGE DAY DEMAND. SO CURRENTLY WE CAN MEET THAT IN, IN TIMES OF REGULAR, UM, PRECIPITATION LEVELS. WE COULD MEET THE, THE CITY'S DEMAND BACK IN THE SEVENTIES, AVERAGE DAY DEMANDS WERE OVER 20 MILLION GALLONS A DAY. AND, YOU KNOW, WITH STANDARD RAINFALL, YOU KNOW, THE CITY WAS ABLE TO MEET, MEET THAT DEMAND. UM, LOOKING AT, UH, UH, THE CHART THAT I PROVIDED SINCE THAT TIME, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WORKED ON WATER CONSERVATION AND THE CITY HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF, UH, EVEN THOUGH THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED BY APPROXIMATELY 18% SINCE 1983, OUR AVERAGE DAY DEMAND HAS DROPPED 26% TO ROUGHLY 12 AND A HALF TO 13 MILLION GALLONS A DAY. BUT WE'RE CURRENTLY REACHING THAT POINT WHERE CONSERVATION, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, NO, NO LONGER GONNA BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, REDUCE WATER USAGE ON A, ON A DAILY BASIS. AND WE HAVE TO START THINKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GET WATER AS THE POPULATION CONTINUES TO GROW AND THE AVERAGE DAY DEMAND CONTINUES TO RISE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS STATED IN THAT, YES, OUR HUBS BROOK RESERVOIR IS OUR LARGEST RESERVOIR, BUT IT HAS THE SMALLEST WATERSHED. IT, THERE IS A WATERSHED THAT FEEDS IT. UH, HOWEVER IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO RECHARGE. UM, AND TYPICALLY, UM, IN THE PAST, YOU KNOW, DURING AN AVERAGE, UM, UH, PRECIPITATION YEAR, WE CAN CLOSE THE GATES TO HOBBES. TYPICALLY WE DO IT IN OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, UM, HISTORICALLY AND ALLOW HOBBES TO RECHARGE OVER THE WINTER WHEN STONY BROOK AND FRESH POND HAVE ENOUGH SUPPLY TO, TO MEET THE CITY'S DEMANDS. UM, SINCE, UH, WE'VE BEEN IN THESE EXTENDED DROUGHT PERIODS, WE'VE HAD TO KEEP THE GATES TO HOBBES OPEN LONGER, WHICH DRAINS IT DOWN FURTHER. AND THEN WE DON'T GET THE RECHARGE, UH, FULL RECHARGE OVER THE, UH, THE WINTER MONTHS THAT WE HAVE SEEN DURING, YOU KNOW, UH, STANDARD PRECIPITATION YEARS. UM, SO AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE INCREASE OUR WATER STORAGE? UH, HOW DO WE, UH, CAPTURE MORE WATER? UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE OUR OPTIONS? WE, UH, RECENTLY, UH, WORKED ON, UM, UH, A APPLYING FOR A FEDERAL GRANT TO DO A FEASIBILITY STUDY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE, UH, OUR OPTIONS AS FAR AS [01:15:01] INCREASING WATER STORAGE AND WATER SUPPLY, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE GOING FORWARD, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THOSE, UM, POPULATION PROJECTIONS, ET CETERA, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY GONNA NEED MORE WATER, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCREASED DROUGHT OVER, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH CLIMATE CHANGE. THE TRENDS THAT WE'RE SEEING NOW. SO THE FIVE MINUTES WE'RE UP, WE CAN COME BACK AGAIN. UH, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. YES. I, UM, HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT. UH, THE LONG-TERM DROUGHT. WE'RE SEEING IT, WE KNOW, I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, EVEN BEFORE I WAS ON COUNCIL. A COUPLE QUESTIONS. ARE THE STATS ONLY RESIDENTIAL USE OR ALL WATER USE? 'CAUSE THERE'S ONE THAT TALKS ABOUT RESIDENTIAL USE, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO A DAILY DEMAND. AND THAT WASN'T CLEAR. AND THIS IS ALL WRAPPED UP IN, I KNOW I COMMUNICATED EARLIER ABOUT ENSURING THAT WE HAVE THE STATISTICS ON COMMERCIAL NON-RESIDENTIAL USE BECAUSE OUR INSTITUTIONAL, UH, HARVARD AND MIT SOME OF OUR INSTITUTIONS ARE AMONG THE LARGEST USERS OF WATER. WE DON'T APPARENTLY HAVE SEASONAL DATA. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AN INTERN OR WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND. 'CAUSE FOR THREE MONTHS NOW, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT THE WORD THAT THIS IS A CHALLENGING TIME. WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND HOW, WHETHER THAT HAS HAD IMPACT. BUT THE PART OF THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE STATISTICS HERE ARE THEY ALL, SOME SEEM TO BE RESIDENTIAL ONLY AND SOME SEEM TO BE COMBINED, UH, THROUGH YOU. UH, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, UH, SO THE, UM, THAT PER CAPITA USAGE, THEY, THEY, THEY BASE IT OFF THE POPULATION OF THE, UH, OF THE MUNICIPALITY AS A GAUGE TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT SHOULD BE EXPECTED. UM, BUT IT, IT INCLUDES ALL OF THE WATER PRODUCED FOR THE YEAR. SO THEY TAKE THAT ALL OF THE WATER THAT WE PRODUCE AND SEND OUT TO THE CITY AND JUST DIVIDE THAT BY THE POPULATION. SO IT DOES INCLUDE ALL COMMERCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL USES, UH, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, UH, MUNICIPAL USES. UM, SO ALL METERED WATER IS COUNTED AND, YOU KNOW, UH, UNACCOUNTED FOR WATER TOO IS, IS IN THERE, YOU KNOW, UM, SO THEY USE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION AS THE BASE, BUT IT, IT'S, UH, THE ENTIRE, UH, AMOUNT OF WATER PRODUCED. COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANKS. UM, FOLLOWING UP ON THE QUESTION ABOUT THE HOBBS BROOK VERSUS, UM, THE, UM, STONY BROOK, UM, CURRENTLY THE HOBBS BROOK RESERV RESERVOIR LEVELS ARE A THOUSAND MILLION GALLONS BELOW THE 15 YEAR AVERAGE. WE'RE SITTING AT 1600 INSTEAD OF THE 2,600, WHICH IS THE 15 YEAR AVERAGE. IF THE USUAL TREND CONTINUES, WE COULD DEFINITELY BE IN TROUBLE. GENERALLY DURING THE SUMMER. THERE'S A DECLINE IN THAT, DESPITE THE RAIN. TODAY, EARLY THIS YEAR, WE SAW AN ESTIMATE THAT THERE WAS ONLY A VERY SMALL CHANCE OF NEEDING TO USE MW BERRY WATER. IS THAT STILL OUR PREDICTION, OR HAVE WE MADE ADJUSTMENTS AND RECOGNIZED THAT IT MAY ACTUALLY BE, THAT WE WILL BE, BE NEEDING TO TAKE MORE STEPS? 'CAUSE AT THE TIME, I THINK IT WAS A 10 OR 20% CHANCE, I'M LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS THINKING THAT MAY NEED TO BE REVISED. I'M JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHETHER IT WAS, UM, THROUGH YOU, ME, SIDIKI, UM, UH, I DID THE CALCULATIONS JUST BEFORE COMING HERE JUST TO, TO VERIFY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, UM, THE TOOL THAT WAS DEVELOPED FOR US BY CDM TO, YOU KNOW, QUANTIFY WHERE, KIND OF WHERE WE'RE AT, SO WE CAN, FOR, FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, UM, CURRENTLY, UH, BASED ON ALL THE WATER, ALL OF OUR RESERVOIR LEVELS, UM, WE'RE AT APPROXIMATELY THREE POINT, UH, 5 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER IN THE SYSTEM. AND BASED ON THE, THE GRAPH AND USING THAT DATA, WE ARE STILL, UM, IN THE YELLOW, WHICH IS, UH, APPROXIMATELY, THERE'S A 20% CHANCE IN THE NEXT YEAR THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE M UH, WATER FROM THE MWRA. WE'RE STILL NOT IN THAT 15%, UM, WITH, BY THE FALL LEVEL YET. WE ARE CLOSE TO THAT, BUT WE ARE NOT THERE. UM, SO YEAH. UH, AND UH, SO IT'S DEFINITELY OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WE, WE, I I, I WATCH IT EVERY DAY. AS I WAS GETTING RAIN AT HOME LAST NIGHT, I, YOU KNOW, I WENT ONLINE TO SEE WHAT WE WERE GETTING IN WALHAM, 'CAUSE IT WAS POURING AT MY IN, IN TOPS FIELD, AND OF COURSE IT WAS 82 AND SUNNY AND WALHAM, WHICH WAS DISAPPOINTING . UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, CONTINUING WORKING ON CONSERVATION, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, SO FAR THIS FISCAL YEAR, UM, WE ARE, WE'VE, UH, USED 153 MILLION GALLONS LESS THAN WE DID LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME. SO IN THE PAST, UH, NINE OUT OF 11 MONTHS, WE HAVE USED LESS WATER THAN WE DID LAST YEAR, AND A SAVINGS OF APPROXIMATELY 3.5% OF OUR OVERALL WATER PRODUCTION FOR FISCAL YEAR 26. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD INDICATION THAT OUR CONSERVATION, YOU KNOW, MESSAGE IS GETTING OUT THERE. UM, WE DO, UH, WE ARE GETTING A LOT MORE COMMUNICATION FROM NOT ONLY RESIDENTS, BUT [01:20:01] BUSINESSES WE'RE, YOU KNOW, UH, IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH HARVARD AND MIT THEIR FACILITIES FOLKS, OBVIOUSLY, UH, RIGHT NOW, TOMORROW THEY'LL PROBABLY CALL US AND SAY, HEY, WE GOT RAIN LAST NIGHT, CAN WE TURN ON OUR SPRINKLERS? AND THE THE ANSWER WILL BE NO. BUT, UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS MANAGING, UH, DROUGHT AND WATER BANS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FOLLOWING ALL THE GUIDELINES AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS CAMBRIDGE, AGAIN, IS DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB, UH, THANK YOU IN THAT AREA. MANAGER, I'LL COME BACK TO YOU FOR A SECOND AND FINAL ROUND. COUNCILOR NOLAN, I'LL GO BACK TO COUNCILOR NOLAN FOR YOUR FIVE MINUTES. AND THAT DOES INCLUDE STAFF RESPONSE. GO AHEAD, COUNSELOR. SUSIE. OH, I, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, SO IF, WHEN WILL YOU HEAR IF YOU GET THE GRANT AND, AND WHAT'S YOUR PLAN? I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED TO DO A FEASIBILITY STUDY NO MATTER WHAT. AND JUST TO SNEAK IN ANOTHER QUESTION. SO AGAIN, SOMEONE WHO SEEMS PRETTY KNOWLEDGEABLE WAS SAYING THAT THE LINE FROM STONY BROOK IS MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS OLD AND IS DUE TO BE REPLACED SOON AT A POTENTIAL COST OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT'S NOT TRUE, UH, THROUGH YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, UM, YOU KNOW, WE MONITOR THE STONY BROOK CONDUIT. YES, IT IS. UM, IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, PORTIONS OF IT WERE BUILT, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE 18 HUNDREDS. OTHER PORTIONS OF IT WERE BUILT LATER IN THE 19 HUNDREDS AND THE MID 19 HUNDREDS, UH, CURRENTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR OBSERVATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ON THAT SHOW THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT ANYTIME SOON. IT SEEMED, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE NO INDICATION THAT IT IS FAILING. UM, UH, UNDERGROUND UTILITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, CAN, UH, IF PROPERLY PROTECTED AND PROPERLY CONSTRUCTED CAN LAST, YOU KNOW, UH, MUCH LONGER THAN THEIR, UM, ESTIMATED, UH, SHELF LIFE WOULD, WOULD INDICATE. BUT CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, THERE WE HAVE NO PLANS TO REPLACE THE STONYBROOK CONDUIT AND NO REASON TO THINK THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. UH, OCCASIONALLY WE DO HAVE TO MAKE REPAIRS, BUT WE, WE MAKE THOSE AS SOON AS WE FIND THAT THERE'S AN ISSUE. THANK YOU. AND MY OTHER, MY OTHER QUESTION, WHEN WILL YOU HEAR IF YOU GET THE GRANT? AND WILL YOU PROCEED WITH SOME SORT OF STUDY REGARDLESS? IT SEEMS LIKE A, A FEASIBILITY STUDY NEEDS TO, UH, THROUGH YOU MAY SIDIKI. UM, UH, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE, WHEN THE GRANT WILL BE AWARDED. UM, WE, WE JUST RECENTLY APPLIED, UH, I THINK LIKE A MONTH AND A HALF AGO. UH, I, I CAN LOOK THAT UP FOR YOU AND I WILL LET YOU KNOW. I'LL SEND IT TO YOU. I DON'T KNOW THE DATE WHEN WE WILL HEAR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I YIELD COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF SHORT POINTS. I HOPE, UM, REALLY GOOD TO KNOW. THE USAGE IS LOWER. THAT SAYS THAT OUR COMMUNICATION IS WORKING. IT'S REALLY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW. NOT ALL NON-ESSENTIAL USE BY STATE REGULATION IS BANNED. HOWEVER, STREET TREES ARE ALLOWED, YOU CAN DO HAND WATERING ON CERTAIN, UH, PLACES. SO WHILE IT'S BANNED, WE ALSO ARE TAKING CARE OF OUR, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IN OTHER AREAS. BUT, BUT EVERYBODY IS ENCOURAGED TO ENSURE THAT THEY USE FAR LESS WATER. UM, I DID WONDER WHEN YOU, ON THE LONG TERM PLANNING ABOUT THE 2030S, DOES THAT MEAN WE THINK THIS WILL BE 2030S? IS 10 YEARS, IS IT LIKE 2030 OR MORE LIKE 2035 OR THAT, JUST SO THAT WE ARE ALL PREPARED FOR A TIMELINE TO UNDERSTAND WHEN YOUR PROJECTIONS ARE, THAT WE MAY HIT SOME, UH, DECISIONS TO BE MADE ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT, FOR INSTANCE, THAT THAT SPILLOVER FOR A, A VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE WATER TO BE SPILLING OVER, WHICH I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL I READ THIS REPORT. AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S WAYS THAT WE MIGHT, UH, ADDRESS THE 10% OF THE EVAPORATION AS WELL AS THE OTHER. SO JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THE TIMELINE FOR THAT. AND THEN, AND THEN I YIELD, UH, YES THROUGH YOU MAYOR SADIKI. UM, SO THE, THAT THRESHOLD OF, UH, 14.8, UH, MILLION GALLONS AVERAGE DAY DEMAND, UM, THAT WOULD BE OVER OUR SAFE FIELD DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT. UH, IT'S ALL DEPENDENT ON WHETHER THE POPULATION, UH, AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS GO. YOU KNOW, IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW QUICKLY THOSE, UH, EVOLVE. YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, THOSE PREDICTIONS HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEY, UM, WHEN THEY MADE THE PREDICTIONS FOR, YOU KNOW, POPULATION GROWTH FOR, FOR THE CITY JUST IN 2016, THEY HAD TO AMEND THAT BECAUSE IT WAS, UH, THEY HAD OVER PROJECTED AND THE NUMBERS WEREN'T SHOWING UP, UM, THE WAY THEY HAD PLANNED. AND SO PART OF THEIR RECOMMENDATION FROM THE STUDY THAT CDM PROVIDED US ON THE WATER DEMAND STUDY WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, EACH YEAR WE SHOULD REEVALUATE AND LOOK AT POPULATION GROWTH AND, AND ADJUST THE, UH, ADJUST THE CHART AS AS NECESSARY. SO, UM, WHERE THAT WILL FALL IN THE 2030S IS, IS STILL UNKNOWN. EXACTLY. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YEAH, THANKS. I WILL SAY I MISSED THE FIRST COUNCIL MEETING IN SIX YEARS, [01:25:01] I THINK LAST WEEK. AND I WAS IN A PLACE IN THE COUNTRY WHERE IT'S SEVERE DROUGHT IN UTAH, AND THE ONLY REASON THE RAFTS CAN CONTINUE IS BECAUSE THEY WERE RELEASING WATER IN A VERY, VERY CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT FROM A DAM. SO CLEARLY THIS, THIS, BUT CAMBRIDGE IS NOT IMMUNE EITHER. NEW ENGLAND IS NOT IMMUNE. WE USED TO BE 50 YEARS AGO, AND WE'RE NO LONGER. THANK YOU. I YIELD ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BODY. WE HAVE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, JUST ONE THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UH, DIRECTOR GALLAGHER, PRIOR TO THE UP ZONING IN CAMBRIDGE, DID ANYONE QUESTION YOU ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR WATER DROUGHT, UH, FOR YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI? UM, SO THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DROUGHT AND POPULATION GROWTH, ET CETERA. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS AGO PEOPLE WEREN'T REALLY TALKING ABOUT DROUGHT AS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. 'CAUSE AS, AS STATED IN, UH, IN THE REPORT, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR 20 YEARS WE ONLY HAD THREE DROUGHT, UM, INSTANCES. AND THEN IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR PAST SINCE 2016, WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD FIVE DROUGHTS AND YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN IN DROUGHT, SOME FORM OF DROUGHT RIGHT NOW, UM, FOR 20 OUTTA THE PAST 27 MONTHS. SO, UM, BUT FIVE YEARS AGO THAT WAS NOT THE CASE AND PEOPLE WEREN'T REALLY TALKING ABOUT TROUT. SO YES, IT, IT WAS DISCUSSED, BUT AT THE TIME, THE, THE NUMBERS INDICATED THROUGH POPULATION AND, AND AT THAT TIME, OUR AVERAGE DAY DEMAND WAS CONTINUING TO DROP. AND WE WERE, SO, UM, IT WAS DISCUSSED IN, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE, IN A NORMAL, UH, PRECIPITATION YEARS, WE, WE COULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE OVER, YOU KNOW, OUR MAXIMUM YIELD IS 24, LIKE 24.6 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY. THAT'S OUR AVERAGE YIELD. AND, UH, UM, FROM OUR RESERVOIR SYSTEM, THAT'S WHAT WE COULD, AND THE PLANT CAN ONLY PRODUCE 24 MILLION GALLONS A DAY. SO THEORETICALLY WE COULD NEVER, IF WE WERE CONSTANTLY GETTING RAIN, NEVER RUN DRY WITH THE CAPACITY OF THE PLANT. UM, SO, UH, YES, IT WAS DISCUSSED, BUT IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, UM, A BIG DECIDING FACTOR ON, ON WHAT THE ZONING CHANGES, YOU KNOW, SHOULD BE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. BUT I GUESS THE POINT IS WE ALWAYS KNEW WE WERE A DENSITY TO BEGIN WITH, RIGHT. I MEAN, THAT'S NO SURPRISE. OKAY. WELL THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE. I APPRECIATE IT. OKAY, WE WILL GO TO COUNSELOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU. UM, JUST IN CASE I MISSED THIS EARLIER, I APOLOGIZE, WE DIDN'T FLIP SWITCH OVER TO MWR WATER NOW, RIGHT? WE'RE STILL, UM, THROUGH YOU, UH, MAYA . THAT'S CORRECT. UH, WE'RE STILL ON, WE ARE STILL ON CAMBRIDGE ONLY WATER. UM, AND CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, THE PREDICTION IS AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SEE SOMEWHAT STANDARD PRECIPITATION, UH, THERE'S ONLY A 20% CHANCE IN THE NEXT YEAR IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY RECHARGE, THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO SWITCH TO MWRA, UH, OR SUPPLEMENT WITH MWRA WATER. I SAY THREE MAYORS CITY. I THINK ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS JUST IS TO NOTE, LIKE, SO WE'RE IN A DROUGHT SITUATION, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MWA, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TIMES WHEN WE'VE HAD AN ISSUE AT THE PLANT OR SORT OF COMPLETELY CLOSED DOWN. IT'D BE SUPPLEMENTAL WATER, UM, THAT WOULD COMPLIMENT CAMBRIDGE'S WATER. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR, IT WOULD NOT BE SORT OF FULL ON TO MWA, IT'D BE SUPPLEMENTAL WATER. OH. AND, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR AND THE, THE DROUGHT, UM, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS BECAUSE OF INCREASED USAGE OR IS THIS CLIMATE CHANGE AND IS THIS UNIQUE TO CAMBRIDGE OR OTHER CITIES EXPERIENCING THIS DROUGHT AS WELL, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI? UM, UH, NO. SO THE, THE DROUGHT IS, UM, CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW THE, UH, THE NORTHEAST REGION OF MASSACHUSETTS IS IN CRITICAL DROUGHT. MOST OF THE STATE IS IN A SIGNIFICANT DROUGHT. UM, THERE'S ONLY ONE AREA IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT IS IN A MILD DROUGHT, BUT EVERY PART OF MASSACHUSETTS CURRENTLY IS IN, UH, FORM, UH, ONE LEVEL OF DROUGHT STATUS, UM, UH, OR ANOTHER. SO, UH, THIS IS NOT UNIQUE TO MASS CAMBRIDGE OR MASSACHUSETTS OR NEW ENGLAND. IT'S, THIS IS A NATIONAL, UM, SITUATION GOING ON WITH, UH, INCREASED DROUGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME. SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I ASSUME TOO, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AN INTERNATIONAL ISSUE, NOT JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST LOCAL. OKAY. COUNCIL MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO YOU DON'T THINK IT'S A USAGE ISSUE? UH, NO. GREAT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS MATTER BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND PLACE ON FILE? HEARING NONE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL IN PLACING CITY MANAGER [01:30:01] AGENDA NUMBER 13 ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. 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 THAT CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 13 IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE TO 14. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN HUANG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AN UPDATE REGARDING A BOARDS AND COMMISSION, COMMISSION'S ORDINANCE REVIEW AND MODERNIZATION INITIATIVE. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI, AND THROUGH YOU TO THE CITY STAFF. REALLY APPRECIATE THIS UPDATE. THIS IS A, A LONG TIME COMING. WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE. IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF US UNDERSTANDING AND WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR 50 PLUS, UH, MULTI-MEMBER BODIES. IT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS JUST GOOD GOVERNANCE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GOING OVER THINGS. I I PULL THIS BECAUSE WHILE I APPRECIATE THE WORK AND APPRECIATE THAT THIS WILL BE PHASED IN OVER TIME, I DO HAVE A REQUEST, WHICH IS THE TIMELINE FOR CITY COUNCIL INPUT SHOULD BE MOVED UP RIGHT NOW. IF I READ THIS, I WOULD THINK THE CITY COUNCIL WON'T EVEN BE CONSULTED UNTIL THE VERY END WHEN ORDINANCES ARE ALREADY READY TO BE PROPOSED. I WOULD EXPECT THAT INSTEAD OF THAT BEFORE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS COME OUT, THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE INPUT EARLY IN THE PROCESS, PROBABLY IN THE, IN THE MIDDLE SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, EVEN BEFORE WE GOT OUT TO THE PUBLIC, THAT OBVIOUSLY, UH, HAVING COUNT, HAVING INPUT FROM THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS THEMSELVES MAKES SENSE. BUT THAT IT, IT SHOULD BE, AND I I I LEAVE IT THROUGH YOU OR MAYOR TO YOU TO WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF TO ENSURE THAT THAT HAPPENS, WHETHER IT'S IN A COMMITTEE MEETING OR WITH THE INDIVIDUAL COUNSELORS. BUT IT REALLY SHOULD HAPPEN BEFORE WE COME TO AN ORDINANCE CHANGE, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THESE ARE THE COMMITTEES THAT WERE ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE. SO YOU MIGHT EVEN START WITH THE COUNCIL, BUT I UNDERSTAND MAYBE STARTING WITH THE COMMISSION, BUT THEN GOING IMMEDIATELY TO THE COUNCIL BEFORE MUCH WORK IS DONE. THAT WAS, THAT WAS KIND OF MY, MY QUESTION AND COMMENT. AND I HOPE THAT THAT HAPPENS. YEAH. I COUNCIL, NO, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE HAD BRIEFLY TOUCHED BASE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AROUND SOME KIND OF, UH, WORKING GROUP, SOME KIND OF, UM, COUNSELOR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS. SO MAYBE MEGAN, WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW, UM, THAT'S POSSIBLE SO THAT THE COUNCIL'S VOICE ON THIS IMPORTANT WORK. UM, IS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS HEARING? NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON PLACING CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 14 ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? 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 EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 14TH IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO 15. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO RESPONSE TO A WAITING REPORT, 26 DASH OH TWO REGARDING SCHOOL PARKING ACCESS. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UM, MAYOR SADIKI. SO THIS IS A, A, A REPORT KIND OF LONG IN, IN WAITING FOR THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT'S BEEN RAISED, I THINK OVER THE LAST YEAR. UM, I WILL SAY IT'S, IT'S, UM, I UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE, AND YET I'M QUITE DISAPPOINTED THAT WE DID NOT MANAGE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO USE PUBLICLY OWNED PARKING SPOTS TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE IMPACT ON MUCH OF THE WORK THAT THE, AND, AND THE WORK I'VE SUPPORTED THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN DOING TO REALLOCATE PUBLIC SPACE. IT WAS A PREDICTABLE USE CASE FOR THESE PROJECTS. AND IT ALSO, I THINK THAT PART OF THE REASON THIS COUNCIL HAD PUT THAT POLICY ORDER FORWARD, I BELIEVE IT WAS EVEN A COUPLE YEARS AGO, WAS BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN RAISED IN THE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BUILDING TO MAKE THIS BUILDING, PARTICULARLY ON KING OPEN AND CAMBRIDGE STREET, WITH AN EYE TOWARDS ALLOWING THE COMMUNITY USE. SO IT'S, IT IS A VERY DISAPPOINTMENT THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO DESIGN THESE NEW FACILITIES IN A WAY TO BETTER ACCOUNT FOR COMMUNITY ACCESS. AND AS WE HAD TALKED DURING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT PASSING THIS, IS THAT, UH, BOSTON HAS DONE THIS. UM, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME IF WE, I MEAN, IT MAY BE THAT ALL OF WHERE BOSTON DOES IT, THEY'RE ALL LOTS THAT ARE SURFACE LOTS, WHICH ARE DIFFERENT FROM US. ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE IF WE'D REACHED OUT TO BOSTON TO UNDERSTAND, 'CAUSE BOSTON DOES ALLOW THIS DUAL USE OF THEIR, UH, PARKING, THAT ALL OF OUR SURFACE LOTS IN THE CITY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO THIS, UM, AS, AS WELL AT A TIME WHEN THE CITY IS NOT BEING USED. SO I, UM, WOULD, WOULD LIKE THAT TO HAPPEN, EVEN WHATEVER WE CAN DO FOR, UH, FOR THE FUTURE. AND ALSO TO ENSURE A ROBUST [01:35:01] RESPONSE TO HAVE REACHED OUT TO OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE ADDRESSED, HAVE, UM, HAD THIS PROBLEM IN, OR THIS OPPORTUNITY IN THE CITY TO REALLY WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY. I WILL ALSO NOTE WE DID GET A, THE COUNCIL GOT AN EMAIL, WHICH WAS COPIED TO, UH, ALL THE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE FROM JASON ALVES SPEAKING ON, UH, AGAIN, UNDERSTANDING AND YET DISAPPOINTMENT THAT, UH, CONFIRMING THAT THIS HAD BEEN ON THE TABLE BEFORE THE BUILDING PLANS WERE EVEN SOLIDIFIED, AND THAT THERE'S, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PARKING. IT'S A, IT'S A VERY THOUGHTFUL, UM, EMAIL THAT I THINK WE SHOULD ALL BEAR IN MIND FOR MOVING FORWARD TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO AD ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY EVERY TIME WE HAVE A BUILDING, UH, CONSTRUCTED. AND AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S DISAPPOINTING IN FUTURE BUILDING PROJECTS THAT WE'VE ALREADY NOW COMPLETED THREE BUILDINGS AND NONE OF THEM ANTICIPATED THAT THIS WOULD BE AN IMPORTANT NEED FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL, UH, TO MOVE FORWARD ON. IS THERE ANY RESPONSE BEFORE I GO TO THE NEXT COUNSELOR, OR DO YOU WANNA RESPOND AT THE END, UH, THROUGH YOUR MAYOR SADIKI? I THINK HAPPY TO RESPOND AT THE END. I MEAN, I WOULD MAYBE JUST HIGHLIGHT, AND I THINK THIS IS WHERE SOME OF THE INITIAL CONVERSATION WAS CLARIFYING THE GOVERNANCE OVER, UM, OVER THESE DECISIONS IS A, IS A, IS SOMEWHAT SHARED WHERE ULTIMATELY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAS A VOICE IN, UM, IN THE BUILDING AND UNDERGROUND PARKING. AND SO I, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT GOING BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE PLANNING AND DESIGN PHASE, THERE WERE DECISIONS MADE THAT ULTIMATELY ASSUMED THAT THESE PARKING LOTS WOULD ONLY BE USED FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES. UM, AND THERE WAS NOT BUILT IN, PARTICULARLY FOR THE KING OPEN COMPLEX, UM, A LOT OF PUBLIC ACCESS CONSIDERATIONS. SO, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE KIND OF ARE AT THIS POINT IS THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAS NOT EXPRESSED MUCH, UH, DESIRE TO PROVIDE FOR PUBLIC ACCESS. UM, BUT I THINK IF THERE WERE SPECIFIC EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE WE WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT OPENING UP THAT PARKING, THOSE COULD BE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. UM, BUT I THINK THE IDEA OF GENERAL PURPOSE PARKING IS ONE THAT WE'RE NOT HEARING A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM FROM THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE ON COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEAH, I JUST, JUST QUICK, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S JUST, IT WAS NOT GOOD PLANNING. IT WAS NOT GOOD FORESIGHT. I MEAN, THIS IS A PUBLIC BUILDING. THIS IS A PUBLIC LOT. THIS, AND IF THE DESIGN HAD INCLUDED THE IDEA OF HAVING A PARKING LOT THAT WAS SEPARATED ENOUGH FROM THE SCHOOL, THAT THE SAFETY ISSUES WERE CONCERNED, WE COULD HAVE DONE THIS. SO I APPRECIATE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE BEING CONCERNED, GIVEN THE DESIGN THAT WAS IN PLACE, BUT THE DESIGN WAS NOT PUT IN PLACE WITH AN EYE TOWARDS DUAL USE OF LAND THAT IS OWNED JOINTLY BY, OWNED BY THE CITY, BUT RUN BY THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S PART OF THE DISAPPOINTMENT AND CONCERN. AGAIN, I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT IT, IT'S, IT, IT, IT REALLY SAYS TO ME, WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF THAT KIND OF UNDERSTANDING IN A VERY DENSE ENVIRONMENT TO ENSURE THAT MULTIPLE USES CAN BE DONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD TO, I THOUGHT, I THINK I SAW COUNCILOR SIMMONS, YOU WANT THE FLOOR? PLEASE GO AHEAD. YEAH. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR THROUGH YOU TO THE CITY MANAGER. UH, I CERTAINLY, I SU SUPPORT YOUR RECOMMENDATION AS SOMEONE WHO SAT ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE LAST TERM, WHEN THIS CAME FORWARD AS A REQUEST. AND, AND I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL UNDERSTANDS THIS, UH, THE CITY, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE DOES SEE ITSELF AS A PARTNER IN THE CITY AROUND ALL THINGS. UH, AND, UH, IT CAME BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL. THE CITY COUNCIL, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE SENSITIVE AND CONCERNED AND WANT TO WANT TO SUPPORT CITY INITIATIVES, THEY DID NOT SEE IT THIS TIME THAT THEY COULD DO, COULD DO THIS BECAUSE OF THE, THE ISSUES OF SECURITY. SO IT'S NOT SO MUCH RELUCTANCE IN NOT WANTING TO, IT WAS AROUND SECUR SECURITY ISSUES. UM, I DON'T RECALL THE EARLIER CONVERSATIONS. I JUST CAN TALK ABOUT THE ONE I HAD WHILE CHAIRING. AND IT WAS AROUND TRYING TO KEEP THE BUILDINGS SECURE, WHAT IT WOULD COST BY WAY OF ADDING ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL IF THEY HAD ENOUGH MONEY. AND I TALKED TO THE ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS TO, WE WAS DEBATED ON THE FLOOR OF THE, OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. IF THERE WERE MORE MONEY AND WE COULD AFFORD, WE THEY COULD AFFORD THE SUPERVISION, THE SUPERVISION IT WOULD REQUIRE, IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING POSSIBLE, BUT IT, IT JUST WAS REQUIRING MORE THAN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT COULD TAKE ON AT THAT TIME. WHAT WE DO IN, IN THE FUTURE, AS WE CHANGE OUR PARKING, UH, PRACTICES ON THE STREET, WE, AND IF THERE ARE ANY BUILDINGS TO RENOVATE, UH, WHERE PARKING WOULD BE A PART OF IT, CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO, TO TALK ABOUT. BUT JUST AS [01:40:01] RECENT AS TODAY, WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE FROM THE SCHOOL SIDE OF IT, UM, AGAIN, IT'S NOT TRYING TO BE INDIFFERENT. IT IS REALLY ABOUT SAFETY. THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT PARKING FOR THOSE THAT HAVE TOURED, IT'S TANDEM PARKING. SO TANDEM PARKING GETS REALLY CRAZY AS, YOU KNOW, AS SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED FOR THE CITY AND, AND USED TANDEM PAR PARKING. IT WORKS WHEN IT WORKS AND WHEN IT DOESN'T WORK, IT'S A NIGHTMARE. UH, AND, AND SO AGAIN, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT NOT TO SAY THAT WE'RE CASTING ASPERSIONS, BUT JUST TO REITERATE, IT'S NOT A RELUCTANCE, IT'S JUST FINANCIALLY THEY DON'T SEE THEIR ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, THEY, THEY DON'T SEE THEIR ABILITY TO ACCOMMODATE AROUND SAFETY. AND, AND THERE'S BEEN A BROAD, UH, DISCUSSION, WHAT ABOUT ON WEEKENDS? BUT THE COMPLEX IS ONE OF THE THINGS I'M HAPPY TO SAY. WE USE A GREAT DEAL. AND SO THERE'S ALMOST LIKE, THERE'S ALMOST NO TIME FOR IT TO BE, UH, AVAILABLE. SO I CERTAINLY, I UNDERSTAND, UH, YOUR THOUGHTFULNESS AND THERE'S, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CERTAINLY, UH, CONSIDER GOING FORWARD AS WE BRING OTHER BUILDINGS, PARTICULARLY SCHOOL BUILDINGS ONLINE. AND I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, I'M TRYING TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK HERE. UH, , I THINK IT'S, UH, IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE BEEN REALLY GOOD PARTNERS GOING BACK, UH, 50 YEARS AGO WHEN WE MADE SURE THAT ALL SCHOOLS HAD ROOM FOR HEAD STARTS. WE DON'T DO THAT ANYMORE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE, UH, FACILITY. I DON'T THINK WE EVEN HAVE HEAD START. SO IT MIGHT BE A MOOT POINT IN THAT REGARD TOO. SO I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I UNDER, I FULLY UNDERSTAND IT. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, HAVING TALKED TO THE ADMINISTRATION AND MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO UNDERSTAND TO, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD THAT IT WAS NOT, IT'S NOT A RELUCTANCE TO DO IT. 'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA BE COOPERATIVE. IT'S RELUCTANT BECAUSE OF COST AND SECURITY IN, IN, IN THE MAIN, FOR THE MAIN PURPOSE. SO WITH THAT, I'LL YIELD THE FLOOR. THANK YOU COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ANYONE ELSE BEFORE I GO BACK TO COUNCILOR NOLAN? COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR SUKI. JUST A QUICK, UM, QUESTION I UNDERSTAND IS, UM, COUNCILOR UH, SIMMONS NOTED, THIS WAS BROUGHT TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE I THINK A YEAR AGO, BUT WHAT IS THE, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS FOUR NEW MEMBERS. HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED BY THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE? NOT THE SUPERINTENDENT, BUT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE? THIS QUESTION, THIS TERM, I'LL CHIME IN. UH, UH, IT HAS NOT, IT DID, HAS NOT COME UP. I DID BRING THAT UP WITH, UM, THE SUPERINTENDENT. UH, I THINK HE THOUGHT IT WAS PERTINENT THAT THIS BE REPORTED OUT BECAUSE IT HADN'T BEEN REPORTED OUT. BUT THE NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE HAD NOT, UM, SPOKEN ABOUT THIS MATTER. SO POINT OF INFORMATION, IF I MAY, IT DID GO BEFORE BUILDING SOME GROUNDS. DID IT GO BEFORE THE NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE? NO, BECAUSE IT DIDN'T COME BEFORE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WHEN IT CAME UP AS A SUBJECT. AND I THINK BECAUSE IT WAS TAKEN UP ALREADY, THEY DIDN'T BE VISITED THE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY SEND IT BACK TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, BUT, BUT I THINK, YEAH, THROUGH YOU, UH, COUNCIL, I THINK THAT IS A FAIR POINT AROUND, UH, THIS NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE COULD HAVE THIS REPORT BEFORE THEM AND STILL DISCUSS IT IN BUILDING AND GROUNDS AND, UH, SAY WHAT THEY WANT. UM, AND IT MAY BE JUST THE SAME, BUT IT COULD, WE COULD STILL HAVE A CONVERSATION. UM, SO I JUST ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT IF THE CITY STAFF WANTS TO SAY ANYTHING, FEEL FREE. I DON'T THINK ANYTHING WILL CHANGE SUBSTANTIVELY FROM WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US. BUT THERE COULD BE SOME NEW OPINIONS. SO THE ONE THING THROUGH MAYOR CYNTHIA, I JUST ADD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, BROOKE AND I, AND A NUMBER OF STAFF DID A NUMBER OF SITE VISITS WITH, UM, SCHOOL DEPARTMENT STAFF ON SITE. AND I THINK WE SORT OF WENT INTO IT THINKING LIKE, OH, PEOPLE BEING MAYBE OVERLY CONSERVATIVE. AND I WOULD SAY THAT WHEN WE WENT INTO THE BUILDING, WENT INTO THE GARAGE AND REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE WOULD EXPERIENCE IT WHEN IT'S NOT A HEAVY USE, WHEN IT'S NOT STAFFED. I THINK WE HAD, AND I'M NOT SOMEONE THAT LIKE SORT OF LE LEADS WITH SECURITY CONCERNS, BUT I WOULD SAY WHEN WE WERE IN THE BASEMENT AND, YOU KNOW, UNDERGROUND PARKING IN TERMS OF SORT OF DARK CORNERS AND SORT OF LIKE THAT HIGH VISIBILITY, UM, A LOT OF STORAGE THAT THEY'RE ALSO USING IN THE SPACE, THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF PRETTY SIGNIFICANT SECURITY ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, THE NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE COULD TALK ABOUT IT. BUT I JUST WOULD SAY THAT I THINK FROM, YOU KNOW, THE SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, YOU KNOW, REALLY SOME SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS ABOUT THE SECURITY. SO BASIC BOTH UP INTO THE BUILDING AS WELL AS HOW THE GARAGE ITSELF WOULD BE EXPERIENCED BY PEOPLE USING IT OFF HOURS WITHOUT OTHER STAFF AROUND. SO, UM, I THINK WE WERE, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT SOMEWHAT SURPRISED BY SORT OF THE IMPACT OF BEING THERE IN THE SPACE AND REALLY THINKING THROUGH THAT. AND SO I WOULD THINK WE'RE GONNA [01:45:01] GET A SIMILAR RESPONSE IN TERMS OF THOSE CONCERNS ABOUT SECURITY. COUNCILOR NOLAN, AGAIN, IT WASN'T DESIGNED WITH THAT IN MIND, WHICH IS THE PROBLEM. AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, I THINK, I THINK THIS WAS THE LETTER THAT WAS GIVEN TO US BY SUPERINTENDENT WAS DATED FEBRUARY 4TH. UM, AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER LETTER APRIL 22ND, SO I'M NOT SURE IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET THIS ON THE AGENDA. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THEN THE MEETING FOR BUILDING GROUNDS HAPPENED JUNE 12TH, 2025. SO I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS MAY HAVE BEEN, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE TIMING THERE, BUT IT'S TAKEN A WHILE TO GET THIS RESPONSE. UM, BUT COUNCILLOR NOLAN ON YOUR POINT, WE COULD CERTAINLY FOLLOW UP IF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE DOES HAVE FURTHER APPETITE TO TAKE THIS ON. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? HEARING NONE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 15 ON FILE AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. 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 CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 15 IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 17, A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAITING REPORT 26 DASH OH SEVEN REGARDING RESTRICTIONS TO ELIGIBILITY FOR ON STREET RESIDENT PARKING, COUNCILOR FLAIR. DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. SO I, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS THROUGH THE RIGHT LENS, AND IT SHOULD BE A LENS THAT, UH, THINKS ABOUT WHETHER PERSONS WHO, UH, CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE, UH, ZERO MINIMUM PARKING BUILDINGS SLATED TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN CAMBRIDGE ARE ABLE TO GET RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING IN CAMBRIDGE. AND THE ANSWER TO THAT SHOULD BE NO. AND, UM, WHAT CONCERNS ME A LITTLE BIT IS THAT IN THE REPORT IT READS, AND I'M, I'M READING ON STREET PARKING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE IN CAMBRIDGE, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE LEVEL OF DEMAND AND AVAILABILITY, AVAILABILITY OF PARKING, UH, VARYING FROM NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD. RESEARCH SHOWS THE PARKING AVAILABILITY INFLUENCES WHETHER PEOPLE OWN CARS AND HOW MUCH THEY DRIVE. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE, THE LENS THAT WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT THIS IS NOT TO, UM, ELIMINATE THE, THE NUCLEUS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE THAT NEED A CAR TO, UH, SATISFY THEIR OBLIGATIONS. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE ELDERLY THAT NEED A CAR. THERE ARE DISABLED PEOPLE THAT NEED A CAR, THERE ARE FAMILIES THAT NEED A CAR. WE HEARD FROM PUBLIC COMMENT GROCERY SHOPPING FOR A FAMILY OF SIX, A FELLOW AND HIS WIFE WERE SUPPORTING EIGHT DIFFERENT, UH, YOUTH, UM, OR, OR CHILDREN'S SPORTS TEAMS THROUGH COACHING AND BRINGING THE KIDS TO GAMES. THEY NEED A CAR. AND EVEN SOMEONE LIKE ME, IT'S, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT THE USE OF AN AUTOMOBILE. TODAY. FOR INSTANCE, I HAD A TRIAL IN PLYMOUTH DISTRICT COURT. I COULDN'T RIDE A BIKE AND TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO, UH, REPRESENT MY CLIENT THERE. AND SO THERE'S, THERE'S A NECESSARY USE OF AUTOMOBILES IN CAMBRIDGE, UH, FOR MANY OF OUR CITIZENS. SO I THINK WE'VE GOTTA KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN WE MAKE THIS ANALYSIS. AND CONCEPTUALLY THIS IS A GOOD IDEA THAT OUR PARKING SHOULD BE LIMITED, BUT I THINK IT SHOULD BE RESTRICTED, UM, OR AT LEAST DIRECTED TOWARDS THOSE PEOPLE THAT, UM, GO IN EYES FULL OPEN TO, UH, BUYING OR RENTING IN A BUILDING THAT IS A, UH, ZERO MINIMUM PARKING, UM, BUILDING. AND IN THAT WAY, I THINK, UH, CONCEPTUALLY, UH, THIS MAKES SENSE BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, PARKING IS A, UH, SIGNIFICANT CONCERN IN THE CITY. AND WE'VE LOST A LOT OF PARKING. WE'VE LOST METERED PARKING. UH, WE'RE INCREASING OUR RESIDENT PERMIT PARKING, UH, PROGRAM HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE MICRO MOBILITY AND UM, UH, BIKE INSTALLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SEPARATED BIKE LANES THROUGHOUT THE CITY HAS HAD THAT IMPACT. AND THERE'S MASSIVE FRUSTRATION AROUND, UM, THE LOSS AND COMPETITIVENESS OF STREET PARKING IN THE CITY. SO, UH, I THINK OVERALL IT WILL BE, UM, HOPEFULLY [01:50:01] A GOOD PROGRAM IF IT'S DIRECTED IN THE WAY THAT I HOPE IS DIRECTED. BUT I THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK OUTTA THE LENS THAT THERE IS A, UH, SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE POPULATION FOR WHICH, UH, THE USE OF AN HONOR BILL IS A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF THEIR LIFE. SO I YIELD, WE HAVE A FEW HANDS UP. WE'LL GO TO VICE MAYOR AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUI, VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, I WANTED TO SAY, UH, THIS IS FANTASTIC. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A LONG TIME. UM, AND I WANTED TO AGREE WITH COUNCIL FLAHERTY. I THINK THAT I WAS A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED BY THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND PERHAPS IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, ABOUT STUDYING THE STANDARDS, RIGHT? WITH WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO HERE. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT'S VERY MUCH TRUE. AND I THINK THAT THE SINGLE BIGGEST ISSUE WITH THE NEW HOUSING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS THAT WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH ON STREET PARKING, RIGHT? AND SO AS WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD MORE HOUSING, IF THERE'S, YOU KNOW, 40, UH, UNITS GOING ONLINE THERE, CAN THAT STREET, CAN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD REALLY FIT 40 NEW PARKING, UH, SPOTS OR, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE, 20 PEOPLE HAVE A CAR, CAN IT FIT 20 MORE CARS ON THE ROAD? UM, AND THEN I THINK THAT THAT IS, UM, A REAL ISSUE. AND SECONDLY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL CHOOSE NOT TO BUILD, YOU KNOW, PARKING ON SITE, WHICH IS FINE, BUT IF THEY DON'T, IT SHOULDN'T BE BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE COMMONS AND THAT STREET PARKING IS ABUNDANT AND AVAILABLE. AND IF IT'S YOU'RE NOT BUILDING PARKING, IT'S BECAUSE YOU DON'T THINK THAT THE PERSON IN THE BUILDING IS GONNA NEED IT, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA OWN A CAR, NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE. SO I ACTUALLY THINK THAT THIS WILL BE REALLY HELPFUL. I THINK THAT, UM, IT'LL MAKE A PRETTY BIG IMPACT IN THAT. I THINK THAT THIS LIVES A DIVERSE EFFECT IN THAT I THINK THAT MORE PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY BUILD, UM, SOME AMOUNT OF, UM, PARKING ON THEIR UNIT IF THEY NEED IT. UM, AND IT'LL REALLY INCENTIVIZE THAT. BUT ALSO FOR PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE NOT TO, IT'LL HELP GET PEOPLE WHO WON'T TAKE UP MORE ROAD SPACE, RIGHT? I THINK IT'LL BE A FANTASTIC THING TO SAY TO LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THREE UNIT BUILDING NEXT TO YOU IS GETTING REPLACED, ONE WITH 15, BUT ACTUALLY THERE'LL BE MORE PARKING AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE ELIGIBLE FOR A PARKING PERMIT. SO ACTUALLY PARKING WILL BE EASIER FOR YOU WITH THAT NEW DEVELOPMENT RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SO I THINK THAT THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE TO FIX. UM, I KIND OF WANTED TO ASK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT NEXT STEPS. YOU GUYS GAVE US THREE APPROACHES AND MY PERSONAL APPROACH, AT LEAST MY INITIAL INSTINCT IS TO DO IT AROUND, UM, MBTA BUS SPOTS. SO I KIND OF WANTED TO ASK, HOW WOULD YOU GUYS WANT TO GET FEEDBACK? IS THIS SOMETHING WHERE YOU GUYS WOULD WILLING TO MEET WITH US INDIVIDUALLY, COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDED ZONING LANGUAGE OR, UM, YOU KNOW, ORDINANCE LANGUAGE OR, YOU KNOW, WOULD YOU WANT SOME OTHER PROCESS? UM, JUST REALLY CURIOUS AND IT'D BE A BIG CHANGE. SO PROBABLY WOULD NEED SOME AMOUNT OF PUBLIC PROCESS AROUND IT. YEAH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, THIS IS, WE DEFINITELY ENVISION OUR CONVERSATION TONIGHT JUST AS THE JUMPING OFF POINT FOR THIS CONVERSATION. 'CAUSE I THINK THAT THERE IS A LOT TO TALK ABOUT BOTH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CITY STAFF AND, AND WITH THE COUNCIL. AND ALSO WE DO WANNA HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT, UM, ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC. 'CAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT THESE ARE ISSUES THAT REALLY IMPACT PEOPLE'S LIVES. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, AT INITIALLY WE WERE THINKING THAT IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO, UM, REFER THIS TO COMMITTEE FOR A MORE IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION. AND FROM THERE WE CAN KIND OF MAP OUT WHERE WE WANNA GO FROM THAT. WE ARE ALSO HAPPY TO, TO MEET ONE-ON-ONE WITH FOLKS IN THE INTERIM, IF, IF THAT'S THE PREFERENCE AS WELL. BUT THAT DOES SEEM LIKE, UH, THE NEXT STEP THAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE WOULD BE A COMMITTEE HEARING VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I THINK THAT THAT SOUNDS GREAT. UM, HAPPY TO FORWARD IT TO, UM, EITHER THE HOUSING OR TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, WHATEVER PEOPLE FEEL LIKE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO OFFER THAT, UH, EITHER COMMITTEE. AND SO, UM, UH, BUT I'LL YIELD FOR NOW JUST TO SEE MY COLLEAGUE'S COMMENTS. VICE MAYOR YIELDS, WE'LL GO AHEAD TO COUNCILOR ZUI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU CHAIR SIDIKI. UM, I, I WAS AGAIN, REALLY THRILLED TO HEAR BACK. THANK YOU. YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA DO IT BY THE END OF JUNE AND YOU DID IT. UH, IT'S A GREAT REPORT AND, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATED THE REALITY CHECK THAT WHILE, UM, ON PAGE THREE, WHILE ALL THESE APPROACHES ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION, AS OF NOW, THERE IS STILL A HIGH DEMAND FOR ON STREET PARKING. SO I APPRECIATED THAT. I APPRECIATED YOUR, UM, NOTING THAT WE NEED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THAT IT'S LIKELY WE NEED, UH, A SIGNIFICANT, WE NEED DATA COLLECTION AND ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO MOVE FORWARD. AND I THINK THOSE ARE GREAT. I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THAT SINCE I GOT ON THE COUNCIL. I'M REALLY THRILLED THAT YOU'VE COME TO THAT PLACE TOO. I'M SORRY THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID IT THAT WAY. I, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE GONNA DO THAT. 'CAUSE I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL, AND I THOUGHT JOHN PITKIN MADE SOME GOOD POINTS. YEAH, WE NEED [01:55:01] TO UNDERSTAND THE SUPPLY AND THE, THE DEMAND FOR STREET PARKING, AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONSIDER HOW LONG IT TAKES TO FIND A PARKING PLACE, UM, BECAUSE THAT, THAT'S WHAT REALLY IMPACTS PEOPLE'S LIVES. SO I'M, I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER, UH, UH, CONVERSATION. YOU KNOW, I CO-SPONSOR THE POLICY ORDER WITH COUNSELOR ZE ABOUT, UM, RESTRICTING PARKING PERMITS TO THOSE THAT LIVE IN TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS. AND I, I THINK IT SHOULD BE MBTA RELATED RATHER THAN, THAN BUS RELATED. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TWO MAPS ON PAGES SEVEN AND EIGHT, UM, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT BUS STOPS, IT WOULD MEAN THAT BASICALLY ALMOST NOWHERE IN CAMBRIDGE, UH, LIKE NO TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENTS WOULD GET PARKING PERMITS. BUT I FEEL AS THOUGH, UH, THE MBTA SPOTS ARE, THAT'S NOT ALL, ALL OF THE CITY. I, I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD BE THE BETTER, UM, UH, SORT OF THING TO HINGE THE PARKING PERMITS TOO. AND OF COURSE THERE WOULD BE EXEMPTIONS IF PEOPLE HAD TO HAVE EXEMPTIONS. UM, AND I HAD ONE QUESTION IN THE REPORT, I JUST WASN'T CLEAR. YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, SO PEOPLE AT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, RECEIVE AN EXEMPTION, BUT SO DID ON PAGE THREE, YOU WRITE THE POLICY IN INCLUDED, UM, AS PART OF THE ZONING PROCESS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND THEIR AFFORD IN THEIR COMMITMENT LETTER AGREED NOT TO OPPOSE A CITY POLICY THAT MAKES RESIDENTS IN THESE SPECIAL DISTRICTS INELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE RESIDENT PARKING PERMITS. SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT HARVARD STUDENTS DO RECEIVE PARKING PERMITS OR NOT? I'M CONFUSED. SORRY. THE LANGUAGE ON THAT ONE WAS PROBABLY NOT CLEAR ENOUGH. APOLOGIES. UM, NO, ANY, UM, ANY RESIDENT IN THOSE AREAS. AND THAT'S, UH, I WAS IT 12 13 14? UM, WHICH IS ALL KIND OF, UM, OVER NEAR MEMORIAL DRIVE BETWEEN, UM, I GUESS WEST OF OF RIVER GOING DOWN TOWARDS THE HARVARD CAMPUS. UM, UH, HARVARD GRAD. IT'S PRIMARILY GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THEY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR, UM, FOR PARKING STICKERS. AND THEY, YOU KNOW, WE FREQUENT EVERY YEAR WE GET PEOPLE WHO COME IN AND APPLY AND THEY'RE FLAGGED IN OUR SYSTEM THAT THEY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. SO, SO IT'S ONLY IN THAT ONE DISTRICT? IT IT'S THREE, IT'S THREE DISTRICTS, BUT IT'S REALLY A SMALL AREA. UM, IT'S NOT A VERY LARGE AREA. THANK YOU. AND I YIELD ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? WE'LL GO TO COUNSELOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. LIKE MY COLLEAGUES, VERY HAPPY TO SEE THIS RESPONSE. IT'S BEEN SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, FOR A LITTLE BIT AND EAGER TO HEAR. UM, I THINK THE SUGGESTED CHANGES AND OPTIONS ARE REALLY, UH, GOOD ONES TO CONSIDER, UM, WITH PROS AND CONS LAID OUT IN A VERY SUMMARY FASHION. I DO LOOK FORWARD, I THINK IT, IT DOES MAKE SENSE TO FORWARD THIS TO THE COMMITTEE, TO A COMMITTEE REPORT. I THINK TRANSPORTATION MAKES THE MOST SENSE. UM, AND THERE WE CAN DISCUSS VARIOUS OPTIONS. I DO HOPE THOUGH WE CAN GET TO POTENTIAL CHANGES IN OUR ORDINANCE QUITE SOON BECAUSE PROJECTS ARE GOING UP RIGHT NOW. AND PARTICULARLY IF WE ARE CONSIDERING IN THE TRANSIT RICH, UH, PLACES THAT PEOPLE THERE ARE MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AUTOMATIC RESIDENTIAL PERMIT, I THINK IT'S REALLY INCUMBENT ON US TO ENSURE THAT WE DO THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT I, UH, DEFINITELY AM IN IN FAVOR OF THAT AND REMIND OURSELVES IT'S ONLY NEW DEVELOPMENT, PERHAPS OF A CERTAIN SIZE. AND I WOULD THINK WE WOULD WANT TO HAVE, UH, BOTH APPENDIX A AND B LAID OVER ON EACH OTHER. SO IT'S EITHER MBTA OR BUS. THERE'S NO REASON NOT TO HAVE BOTH OF THEM. THERE'S, WHILE THERE'S A LOT OF OVERLAP ALREADY, THERE ARE A COUPLE AREAS THAT THEN WOULD BE CAPTURED AS WELL. UM, THE HARVARD EXAMPLE IS ONE TO REPLICATE THAT BECAUSE YOU MOVE IN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU MOVE IN THAT THIS IS THE, THE, THE PARKING SITUATION. SO I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO COMMUNICATE. UM, AND OF COURSE ALLOW, JUST LIKE WE HEARD, AND I THINK THE POLICY ORDER HAD WITH SOMERVILLE, THE EXEMPTIONS WOULD BE YOU COULD REQUEST AN EXEMPTION FROM IT. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS AGAIN, LET'S FORWARD IT SOON. LET'S TRY TO, UH, DEVELOP WAYS. I, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, WHICH IS, IS THIS ORDINANCE AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD MOVE FORWARD THROUGH ORDINANCE OR THERE, OR IS THERE SOME OTHER, MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE READ THIS MORE CAREFULLY, BUT I THINK THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING IS AFTER TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, WHERE WOULD IT GO AND WHERE WOULD IT LAND THROUGH YOUR MADAM MAYOR? UM, BEFORE I ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I'LL JUST JUMP BACK AND SAY, I THINK THAT THE TWO MAPS THAT WE INCLUDED WERE VERY MUCH JUST FOR KIND OF, UH, EXEMPLARY POSSIBLE OUTCOMES. THERE'S ALSO A SITUATION WHERE WE COULD LOOK AT THE FREQUENCY OF BUS LINES AND COME UP WITH THE SUBSET OF BUS LINES THAT ARE MORE SIMILAR TO A BUS, UH, TO, TO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RED LINE OR THE GREEN LINE IN TERMS OF ACCESSIBILITY. SO THOSE [02:00:01] ARE JUST KIND OF AS A STARTING POINT. UM, IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS, I MEAN, I THINK WE HAVE TO FULLY WORK OUT, LOOK AT WHAT THE FINAL POLICY DECISION IS, AND THEN FROM THERE WE'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO DO. BUT I THINK MOST LIKELY IT WILL BE A COMBINATION OF CHANGES TO THE TRAFFIC REGULATIONS, WHICH IS DONE, YOU KNOW, AT THE STAFF LEVEL. AND THEN PROBABLY ALSO ZONING CHANGES, UM, IS WHAT I IMAGINE IT WOULD BE. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEP. THANKS. I, AGAIN, LET'S MOVE FORWARD AS SOON AS WE CAN. PROJECTS ARE BEING PROPOSED RIGHT NOW. LET'S MAKE SURE IF WE ARE GONNA MAKE CHANGES THAT WE GET THE WORD OUT. AND I, I SUPPORT HAVING ALL NEW DEVELOPMENTS ABOVE A CERTAIN SIZE, UH, BEING IN THE SIM SIMILAR POSITION TO HARVARD BECAUSE, SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT OUT WITH EXEMPTIONS FOR FOLKS WHO NEED THEIR CARS AS COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY AND OTHERS HAVE ALWAYS MENTIONED. I USE MY CAR SOME AS WELL, BUT I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A DRIVEWAY. THANK YOU. I YIELD WE WILL GO TO VICE MAYOR. UH, WELL FIRST WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, WHO WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM, AND THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO COUNCILOR, WE'LL GO BACK TO VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UH, YES, THANK YOU ALSO FOR THIS REPORT. I MEAN, I THINK THIS IS, WE'RE TRYING TO BE CREATIVE ABOUT HOW TO BALANCE ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? AND, AND THIS IS, THIS IS A WAY, YOU KNOW, TO, TO LOOK AT THAT. I WOULD JUST SAY TWO THINGS, UM, ON, IN TERMS OF THE PUBLIC TRANSIT PIECE. UM, AND AGAIN, I'D HAVE TO LOOK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS MORE, BUT I, I THINK, NO PUN INTENDED, SORT OF DRIVING PEOPLE MORE TO USING BUSES, YOU KNOW, IS, IS PROBABLY SOMETHING WE WANNA DO, RIGHT? WE'RE PUTTING IN BUS LANES AND ALL THESE OTHER THINGS AND, AND, AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LIVE ON A BUS LINE THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE A CAR, WE'LL INCREASE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT USAGE. UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WOULD JUST SAY IS IN TERMS OF THE THINGS TO, TO LOOK AT WHEN WE DO THE PUBLIC PROCESS, UM, I THINK SOMETIMES THE, THE, THE, THE CITY'S DEFINITION OF HOW FAR A PARKING SPACE CAN AND SHOULD BE FROM YOUR HOME IS DIFFERENT THAN HOW THE INDIVIDUAL FEELS A PARKING SPACE SHOULD BE FROM THEIR HOME. AND I THINK HAVING SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, I MEAN, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE RADIUS? WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT IF YOU LIVE WITHIN A BLOCK, THE, THE NUMBERS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, IS ONE THING. I THINK MOST PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY OWN THE SPACE THAT'S IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE, UM, WHICH THEY DON'T. AND, AND, BUT FOR, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON MOBILITY ISSUES, DEPENDING ON KINDS OF THINGS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, TO SAY TO ME, I HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL TO PARK A BLOCK AWAY FROM MY HOUSE IS ONE THING TO SAY TO SOMEBODY WHO HAS MORE MOBILITY ISSUES OR OLDER TO SAY THAT IS, IS IS DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THE IMPACT IS DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS. BUT I DO THINK WE GET INTO THIS SORT OF, YOU KNOW, THE CITY IS KIND OF THINKING, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT A, WHATEVER THE RADIUS IS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE SAY, OH, THERE'S PLENTY OF PARKING. BUT TO THE INDIVIDUAL, THEY'RE SAYING, YEAH, BUT THAT'S STILL, THAT'S TWO STREETS AWAY. I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT. SO HOW DO WE GET SOME SORT OF BETTER DEFINITION OF WHAT WE'RE, HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THOSE TRAFFIC, THOSE PARKING STUDIES AND, AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. THANKS. I YIELD COUNCILOR, GOVERNOR YIELDS, WE'LL GO TO VICE MAYOR ZI. THANK YOU. AND I JUST WANTED TO LEAVE OFF WITH REMINDING PEOPLE THAT LIKE, YOU CAN'T ALWAYS JUST USE YOUR OFF STREET PARKING IF YOUR BUILDING HAS ONE. LIKE, IF YOU STILL NEED A CAR, YOU'RE STILL WELCOME TO USE IT AND HOPEFULLY THIS IS EVEN A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT TO BUILD SOME IF YOU NEED IT. UM, BUT I THINK THAT WE'VE HAD A GREAT CONVERSATION. HAPPY TO TAKE UP THE OFFER OF FORWARDING THIS TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL AND I CAN, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S A MEETING. UM, AND I THINK THIS IS HIGH PRIORITY AS WELL, SO I WOULD LOVE TO MOVE AS FAST AS, UH, IS REASONABLE. GREAT. SEEING NO OTHER HANDS. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE. CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17. WE'RE GOING TO FORWARD THIS ITEM, THIS COMMUNICATION TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE. AND WE CAN GO AHEAD ON THAT MOTION BY VICE MAYOR ZE AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. 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. THAT ITEM NUMBER 17 HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 18. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN HUANG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A HOME RULE PETITION THAT WOULD INCREASE THE PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION THRESHOLD OF $30,000 IN ASSESSED VALUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 AND ONWARD. THIS WAS PULLED BY ME, AND I KNOW COUNSELOR NOLAN WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON IT. UM, WANTED TO PULL IT BECAUSE [02:05:01] I HAD BEEN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ASSESSING, UH, DEPARTMENT ABOUT THIS HOME RULE AS I WAS BACK IN 21, WHICH SEEMS A, A LONG TIME AGO. BUT THAT WAS WHEN THE FIRST HOME RULE PETITION, UM, HAD BEEN, UH, FORWARDED, UH, TO EXEMPT, UH, PERSONAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTS UNDER 20,000. AND, UM, SO, UH, I THINK THIS IS, AS THE RESPONSE OUTLINES REALLY IMPORTANT GIVEN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, VOLATILE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS AND KIND OF, UH, PERSISTENT, UM, INFLATIONARY, UH, PRESSURES THAT THE MEMO, UH, ALLUDED TO, THAT THIS IS A VERY TANGIBLE WAY TO OFFER, UH, DIRECT STRATEGIC FINANCIAL, UH, RELIEF TO KIND OF EACH SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS. UH, SO, UH, WANTED TO JUST, UM, SAY THAT I'M SUP REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THIS. I'M GLAD THAT, UM, THE ASSESSING DEPARTMENT, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING ON KIND OF LOOKING AT ALL THE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMERCE AND, UH, UH, THROUGH, OBVIOUSLY THROUGH SO MUCH OF THE SMALL BUSINESS INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE, THE WORKSHOPS TARGETED TAX RELIEF AND SOMETHING LIKE THIS, UH, WILL REALLY GO A LONG WAY. SO THIS IS PROPOSING TO INCREASE THE EXEMPTION TO $30,000. UH, AND SO, UH, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING FURTHER, PLEASE DO, AND THEN I CAN OPEN IT UP TO COUNSELOR NOLAN. BUT, UH, REALLY GLAD THAT, UH, WE HOPEFULLY WILL HAVE THIS, UM, BE FORWARDED TO THE LEGISLATURE. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, NO, I THINK YOU SUMMED IT UP BEAUTIFULLY. UH, WE'RE READY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. COUNCIL NOLAN, THANK YOU, MAYOR, UH, SIDIKI AND THROUGH YOU TO, TO THE STAFF, THIS IS, UM, AN IMPORTANT PETITION. MY, I, I, UH, PULLED IT OR WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE I WONDERED HOW THE DETERMINATION FOR 30,000 WAS MADE AND WHY ISN'T IT 40,000 OR 50,000, BECAUSE IF I'M READING THE MEMO CORRECTLY, IT WOULD PROVIDE ABOUT $140 ANNUALLY RELIEF TO THE 2,574, UH, PERSONAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTS. AND IT SEEMS IF WE INCREASED IT, THEN IT MIGHT BE ANOTHER A HUNDRED DOLLARS RELIEF. SO IT, IT, IT SEEMS, I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS HOW 30,000 WAS MADE AND IF THERE'S ANY REASON WHY IT WOULDN'T AND SHOULDN'T BE HIGHER. UH, SURE. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, WE DID DO AN ANALYSIS SAME AS WE DID THE LAST TIME TO LOOK AT THE LARGER EXEMPTION AMOUNTS. AND, UH, WHAT WE FOUND IS IT INCLUDED MORE CHAIN AND CORPORATE BUSINESSES. AND WHAT WE WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON WAS, UH, HELPING SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES. SO AT A 30,000 AMOUNT, WE'RE LOOKING AT HELPING BUSINESSES SUCH AS DENTIST'S, OFFICE, OPTOMETRIST'S, OFFICE YOGA, AND PILATE STUDIOS, BEAUTY SALONS, BARBER SHOPS, UH, SMALL RESTAURANTS, SMALL COFFEE SHOPS. UM, AND THAT'S REALLY OUR FOCUS IS FOR IT TO BE THE SMALL LOCAL BUSINESS. AND WE'RE, UM, TRYING TO KEEP IT FOCUSED ON THAT AND TO NOT INCLUDE SO MANY OF THE CHAIN AND CORPORATE BUSINESSES THAT WE FOUND WERE INCLUDED WHEN WE INCREASED IT, UH, FROM THE 20,000 TO THE 30,000. I THINK THAT, UM, THE CITY MANAGER'S MEMO LAYS OUT THAT BASED ON LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE, THE PROPOSED $30,000 EXEMPTION WOULD INCREASE THE BUSINESS SAVINGS TO $422 AND 10 CENTS. UM, THE OTHER THING I THINK I WOULD SAY IS THAT THIS IS A BILL. THE BUSINESSES DO NOT GET, THEY DO NOT SEE, IT'S SOMETHING WE ARE NOT EVEN SENDING. UM, AND SO FOR ANY BUSINESS TO HAVE A BILL, THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY. AND A BILL THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE TO SEE IS A WIN. COUNCILOR NOLAN, RIGHT? NO, THANK YOU. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. BUT IT WOULD BE SAVE $422. THE CURRENT EXEMPTION SAVES $280. SO WHAT IF WE DID IT TO 50,000, OR WHAT IF WE DID IT TO, UM, 40,000 INSTEAD OF 30,000? WOULDN'T THAT BE ANOTHER $120 SAVINGS TO ALL OF THOSE BUSINESSES? IT WOULD BE, IT WOULD STILL COVER THE, ALL THE SMALL BUSINESSES AROUND IT WOULD BE A GREATER SAVINGS, BUT WE'D BE INCLUDING MORE CHAINS AND MORE CORPORATE, UH, ENTITIES, WHICH IS NOT REALLY THE FOCUS FOR OUR DEPARTMENT THAT WHAT WE WANNA FOCUS ON ARE THE SMALL BUSINESSES, THE SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES, NOT THE CHAIN, UH, CHAIN RESTAURANTS OR CHAIN, UH, RETAIL BUSINESSES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEP. I, I, I CAN FURTHER THIS CONVERSATION LATER. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT WOULDN'T BE HELPING THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES MORE, BECAUSE, AGAIN, ANOTHER $140 IS SIGNIFICANT, BUT IT WOULD BE NICE IF IT COULD BE EVEN HIGHER. UM, JUST THROUGH YOU QUICKLY, MADAM MAYOR, THAT WE DO WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT FOR THOSE BUSINESSES THAT ARE BEING INFECTED, IT'S WIPING OUT THEIR ENTIRE BILL SO THAT IF YOU ONLY HAD $25,000 IN PERSONAL PROPERTY, YOU CAN'T SAVE ANYMORE BECAUSE YOUR [02:10:01] WHOLE BILL IS, IS GONE. SO COUNCILOR NOLAN, RIGHT? AND IF IT WAS RAISED TO 40,000, YOU'D BE WIPING OUT THAT, THAT BILL FOR ANYBODY WHO IS 40,000 MORE, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE A CHAIN WOULD NOT ALSO, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES WITH 40,000, BUT AGAIN, I I MAYBE IF YOU SEND THE NUMBERS AT SOME OTHER TIME, I COULD APPRECIATE IT, BUT I'M JUST TRYING TO SAVE MORE MONEY MORE THAN THE, THE 140 EXTRA, WHICH AGAIN, I APPRECIATE. I'VE RUN A SMALL BUSINESS. I KNOW EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. I'VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE PAST, AND I KNOW IT MATTERS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, FOR I IT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT WAS EVEN HIGHER. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR SIKA YIELD. THANK YOU. CONS, NOLAN. AND I'LL JUST KIND OF, JUST IN CASE FOLKS ARE WONDERING WHAT PERSONAL PROPERTY IS, PERSONAL PROPERTY, UH, IS ANY TANGIBLE ASSET, UH, ASSETS OWNED BY AN INDIVIDUAL, A BUSINESS OR AN ORGANIZATION THAT ARE NOT REAL ESTATE AND ARE NOT PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO A BUILDING? COMMON EXAMPLES INCLUDE OFFICE FURNITURE AND FIXTURES. SO THAT'S YOUR DESK, YOUR CHAIRS, IT'S OFFICE EQUIPMENT, IT'S STORE FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT, IT'S MACHINE MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT. AND, UM, IT CAN BE, UH, INVENTORY. SO JUST IN CASE FOLKS ARE WONDERING, I HAVE COUNSELOR MCGOVERN WHO HAS A QUESTION. UM, YEAH, REAL QUICKLY, BUT JUST, JUST SOMETHING TO THROW OUT THERE. I MEAN, JUST SORT OF FOLLOWING UP ON COUNSELOR NOLAN AND, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE CHAINS, BUT, UM, A LOT OF CHAINS ARE FRANCHISED BY LO AND OWNED BY LOCAL PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THE FAMILY THAT OWNS SEVEN 11, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT, IF YOU THINK OF SEVEN 11 AS A BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION, THAT'S ONE THING. IF YOU LOOK AT SEVEN 11 AS A CAMBRIDGE FAMILY THAT HAS WON SEVEN 11, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE FEELING ABOUT CHAIN A CHAIN RESTAURANT MIGHT, MIGHT DIFFER. SO, I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO ABOUT BUSINESSES AND STUFF, AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING WE SHOULD KEEP CHAINS OUT OF CERTAIN PLACES. AND THAT JUST SORT OF OCCURRED TO ME THAT A LOT OF TIMES THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, LOCAL PEOPLE THAT OWN THAT FRANCHISE AND, AND THAT THEY'RE NOT MILLIONAIRES. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE BODY ON THIS MATTER? HEARING NONE, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON, UH, ADOPTING THE HOME RULE, THE ORDER FOR THE HOME RULE PETITION AND PLACING THIS COMMUNICATION ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE ABSENT VICE MAZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? 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 HAS ABSENT THE ORDER HAS BEEN ADOPTED, A COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN PLACED ON FILE FOR NUMBER 18. WE'LL MOVE ON TO 19. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAITING REPORT 26 DASH OH FOUR REGARDING UPDATES, THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE. COUNCIL, COUNCILLOR ZUI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, THIS IS ANOTHER REPORT BACK THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING, AND I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL FOR IT. I THANK YOU FOR DOING, UH, THE SURVEY WITH 928 RESPONSES AND THEN, UM, RESPONDING TO THE SURVEY FEEDBACK AND DRAWING UP THE, THE ORDINANCE. UM, SO I, BASED ON WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID, YOU HAVE, UM, CONDOMINIUMS WILL NEED TO REQUIRE, UM, UH, WILL NEED TO APPROVE, UH, BOTH FOR OWNERS AND TENANTS WILL BE REQUIRED. UM, THERE'LL BE A SET LIMIT OF THE NUMBER OF DAYS FOR SHORT TERM RENTALS. AND I THINK THAT'S 90 DAYS RIGHT? IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, UM, THAT YOU'LL BE DOING GREATER ENFORCEMENTS TOWARDS UNAUTHORIZED SHORT-TERM RENTALS, INCLUDING PENALTIES FOR BOOKING AGENCIES, AND THAT YOU WILL BE MAKING, UH, ISD WILL BE MAKING THE PROCESS OF HOW TO REPORT COMPLAINTS AND HOW TO CHECK ON AN EXISTING RENTAL REGISTRY MORE AVAILABLE. SO I, I THINK THOSE ARE ALL REALLY, REALLY GREAT THINGS. I WANTED, I WANTED TO ASK, UM, IN ONE OF YOUR CHARTS, UM, IT'S, THERE'S, THERE'S NO PAGE NUMBER, BUT IT SAYS, UM, NUMBER NINE, HAS A SHORT TERM RENTAL IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CAUSED YOU ANY HARDSHIPS IN, UM, MORE THAN HALF THE PEOPLE SAY NO, 523 AND 223 SAY, YES, 182 AREN'T SURE, BUT I, I WONDER IF PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE, THE ISSUE WITH THE SHORT TERM RENTALS IN PART, I MEAN, YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE A WILD PARTY AND THE CONDO NEXT TO YOU, BUT AL ISN'T THE REAL CONCERN HERE IS THAT HOUSING THAT COULD BE USED BY, UM, CAMBRIDGE RESIDE IS INSTEAD BEING USED FOR SHORT TERM RENTALS. SO THAT MAYBE THAT'S NOT A HARDSHIP THAT PEOPLE WERE ANTICIPATING, [02:15:01] BUT I THINK THAT'S THE MAJOR REASON THAT WE WANT TO HAVE, UH, TO, TO BETTER MANAGE OUR SHORT-TERM RENTALS. SO THAT, THAT'S MY QUESTION. AND THE OTHER THING, MY OTHER QUESTION WAS, I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA REQUIRE, LIKE BOSTON DOESN'T, BOSTON REQUIRES THAT ALL SHORT-TERM RENTALS ARE REGISTERED, UM, WITH THE CITY. IS IS THAT BUILT INTO THIS ORDINANCE AS WELL? SO THOSE ARE MY TWO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, AS FAR AS THE, THEY ALL HAVE TO GET REGISTERED SO THAT, THAT'S BEEN IN THERE, UM, WE ARE REQUIRING THEM TO PUT THEIR REGISTRATION NUMBER IN THEIR LISTING. SO IT'S EASIER FOR US TO KIND OF FIND OUT WHICH LISTINGS ARE, ARE FROM WHAT PERSON. UM, AND AS FAR AS YOUR FIRST QUESTION ABOUT THE HARDSHIPS, UM, IT WAS TO MAKE IT EASIER TO QUANTIFY THE ANSWERS, WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT MULTIPLE CHOICE INSTEAD OF A WRITE OPTION. SO IT IS KIND OF UP TO THE PERSON ON WHAT THEY CONSIDER THE IT A HARDSHIP TO BE, WHETHER IT'S, IN SOME INSTANCES IT COULD BE THAT IT'S TAKING AWAY FROM HOUSING STOCK, BUT IN SOME CASES IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY HAD A PARTY AND IT WAS A HARDSHIP BECAUSE THE NOISE LEVELS OR SOMETHING. UM, BUT WE JUST KIND OF WANTED TO MORE BROADLY PUT IT INTO SIMPLER CATEGORIES. THANK YOU. SO . YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYWAY, I JUST, I, I THANK YOU FOR MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS AND I THANK THE LAW DEPARTMENT FOR, UH, WRITING ORDINANCE LANGUAGE. I THINK THE SOONER WE CAN PASS THIS, THE BETTER, BECAUSE I THINK IT WILL, AGAIN, HOPE OPEN UP MORE HOUSING UNITS FOR OUR RESIDENTS. SO I THINK THIS IS, UM, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION. THANK YOU. AND IYE, WE'LL GO AHEAD TO COUNCILOR NOLAN AFTER COUNCILOR ZUI YIELDS. THANK YOU. YES, GREAT TO HAVE THIS BEFORE US. WE'VE BEEN AWAITING THIS FOR A WHILE. I KNOW COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER AND I HAVE BEEN, WHAT DO I SAY, NUDING NAGGING, REALLY EAGERLY AWAITING AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMISSIONERS HERE. I KNOW THE LAW OFFICE HAS BEEN INVOLVED. THANKS FOR THE LANGUAGE. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE OUTREACH CONDUCTED BECAUSE WE REALLY SAID WE WILL NOT PASS THIS AND CANNOT UNTIL WE HAVE THIS. AND IT WAS GREAT THAT THERE WAS 900 RESPONSES OVERREPRESENTED BY CONDO OWNERS, WHICH I THINK WAS APPROPRIATE BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME CHANGES FOR CONDO OWNERS. THAT WAS SOMETHING WE REALLY NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FEEDBACK WAS. AND I'M VERY GLAD THAT THE CHANGES GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL, WHICH IS, IF I'M A CONDO OWNER, I HAVE TO PROACTIVELY PROVE THAT THE CONDO ALLOWS THIS KIND OF SHORT TERM RENTAL. BECAUSE THAT WAS SOMETHING IN THE ORIGINAL, THERE WAS SOME QUESTION ABOUT IT CHANGING. AND I'M, AND I'M GLAD THAT, UH, THAT THE CURRENT LANGUAGE BEFORE US, UM, IS THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE REQUIRE. I WANT A QUICK NOTE BEFORE, UM, MAKING THE MOTION TO FORWARD TO ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND PLANNING BOARD, SINCE THIS IS A, A ZONING PETITION THAT HOPEFULLY THE COMMITTEE WILL ADOPT. WE HAD WORKED WITH STAFF ON THESE CHANGES BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM THE LAST TIME WE DISCUSSED THIS IN ORDINANCE. AND JUST TO REMIND US ALL, PART OF THE REASON WE'RE HERE, AND WE WANT ENFORCEMENT TO BE HIGHER, IS THAT LITERALLY ONE THIRD, WE BELIEVE AT A MINIMUM OF ALL RENTAL SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN CAMBRIDGE ARE NOT EVEN REGISTERED AND ARE ILLEGAL. SO LET'S MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE THIS FORWARD, THAT WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO, UH, PREVENT THAT. UH, I SUPPORT MANY OF THE AMENDMENTS. I DO WANT TO, UM, FULLY DISCLOSE THAT I, UH, DO NOT SUPPORT THE 90 DAY LIMIT ON ALL SHORT-TERM RENTALS, WHICH IS IN THE PROPOSAL. THE IDEA IS WE'RE GONNA FORWARD THIS TO, TO COMMITTEE AND DISCUSS THAT. I WOULD THE ONLY ONE OF THE THREE CATEGORIES, ASSUMING WE NOW HAVE THE NEW CATEGORY, UH, THAT I DO THINK THERE SHOULD BE A 90 DAY, UM, UH, LIMIT ON WOULD BE OWNER OCCUPIED WHOLE UNIT RENTALS. THERE'S TWO OTHER CATEGORIES, WHICH IS OWNER OCCUPIED, JUST INDIVIDUAL ROOM RENTALS AND OWNER OCCUPIED ADJACENT RENTALS. PERSONALLY, I'M FINE WITH, THERE ARE NO LIMITS IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF DAYS FOR THOSE, BUT THAT THE, THE ONE SHOULD HAVE 90 DAY LIMITS WOULD BE THE OWNER OCCUPIED WHOLE UNIT WITH THE IDEA THAT IF YOU'RE RENTING OUT YOUR WHOLE UNIT AND YOU'RE RENTING OUT FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS, DO YOU REALLY LIVE THERE? I KNOW, I, I KNOW MY COLLEAGUES SO, UH, JUVAN, UH, SABRINA WHEELER AND SOME OTHERS MAY FEEL DIFFERENTLY. I JUST WANT IT TO BE CLEAR THAT WHILE THAT'S IN THE ORDINANCE, WHEN, UH, THAT, THAT THAT'S IN THE PROPOSED LANGUAGE, WHEN WE COME TO ORDINANCE, I CERTAINLY WILL BE ADVOCATING FOR, UH, THE 90 DAY LIMIT TO APPLY TO ONLY ONE OF THEM. UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING AND DELIBERATING THIS IN, UM, AT THE DETAILS OF THIS LANGUAGE WHEN WE GET TO ORDINANCE. LOOK FORWARD TO THE PLANNING BOARD, UM, UH, RESPONSE TO THIS. AND I DO HOPE, AS COUNCILOR SUZI SAID, AND I KNOW MAYOR SADIK HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS TOO, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITH SOME OF THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE CONCERNED THAT SOME OF THE, THE ILL THOSE ILLEGALLY OPERATED SHORT-TERM RENTALS ARE REALLY A PROBLEM IN, IN MANY NEIGHBORHOODS. THAT THE SOONER WE CAN GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN ENFORCE IT BETTER, AND WE CAN HAVE BETTER, BETTER LIMITS AND BETTER DEFINITIONS, THE BETTER. SO THANK YOU, UM, VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS AND REALLY PSYCHED TO MOVE IT FORWARD. WE'LL GO TO, WE HAVE A FEW HANDS ON DECK. WE'LL GO TO COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. MAD MAYOR THROUGH YOU. JUST BRIEFLY, YOU KNOW, REALLY, UM, EXCITED [02:20:01] TO HAVE THIS COME FORWARD AND TO GO TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AS COUNCILOR NOLAN MENTIONED, UH, SHE AND I HAVE BEEN DOING A BUNCH OF, UH, HAVE A BUNCH OF WORK AROUND THIS, HAVING A BUNCH OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT AND ISD AND THANK YOU FOR, FOR ALL YOUR WORK, UH, CITY STAFF ON THIS. I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A LOT MORE CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS IN THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. I THINK THAT THE BROAD GOAL OF THIS IS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT HOUSING IS USED AS A PLACE FOR RESIDENTS TO LIVE IN YEAR ROUND. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, SHORT TERM VISITORS, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, ARE EXCEPTIONS IF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA ROOM IN YOUR HOUSE, HAVE TO LIVE OUT. BUT IF THERE'S A WHOLE OTHER UNIT THAT SHOULD BE HOUSING AND VISITORS FOR THE MOST PART SHOULD STAY IN HOTELS. UM, AND, AND THAT I THINK IS, IS A VIEW THAT MOST RESIDENTS IN CAMBRIDGE SHARE THAT HOUSING SHOULD BE A PLACE TO LIVE IN YEAR ROUND. AND THAT'S THE GOAL OF THIS ORDINANCE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSION ABOUT SOME OF THE POLICY DETAILS AND COMMITTEE, BUT THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF FOR, FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. 'CAUSE IT IS AN, UH, IMPORTANT PART OF THAT, THE HOUSING, UH, ADDRESSING THE HOUSING CRISIS IN CAMBRIDGE E BACK. THANK YOU COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. WE'LL GO TO FLAHERTY AND JUST SO YOU, MADAM MAYOR, I, ANY A QUESTION ABOUT ENFORCEMENT? SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, THE NUMBER OF APARTMENTS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE THIRD THAT ARE NOT REGISTERED, ABOUT HOW MANY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER DO YOU THINK? UH, THREE. YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO AS OF, YOU KNOW, EARLIER IN THIS MONTH WE HAD 216 REGISTERED UNITS. WE HAD, IT WAS, IT WAS PROBABLY THE OPPOSITE. IT WAS ABOUT 500 UNREGISTERED UNITS. UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE NUMBER THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. IT'S PROBABLY ONE THIRD REGISTERED, TWO THIRD UNREGISTERED. OKAY. SO, UM, YOU MADAM MAYOR, THE, UM, AND I, I LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE IN THE ENFORCEMENT SECTION THAT GIVES ISD THE RIGHT TO CONDUCT INVESTIGATIONS, SUBPOENAS, RECEIVE EVIDENCE, ET CETERA. UM, DOES ISD PRESENTLY HAVE THE STAFF TO, TO HANDLE THE ENFORCEMENT, UM, OBLIGATIONS OF THIS ORDINANCE AS DRAFTED? OR DO YOU NEED ADDITIONAL STAFF, UH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR? I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH STAFF FOR THAT. UM, JUST A MATTER OF LIKE FURTHER ENFORCEMENT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, WE'RE WORKING WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT, SO, UM, I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH STAFF FOR THAT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND COUNCIL FAHERTY? YEP. AND THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. SO, UM, I SUPPOSE WHEN THIS MOVES TO ORDINANCE, THAT ONE OF THE, UM, IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS, OBVIOUSLY, BECAUSE YOU'LL NEED SOME, UH, TEETH TO THE ORDINANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WORKS. IT WILL BE, UH, TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBER IS AND WHAT'S WORKLOAD AND WHAT DO WE NEED. DO WE NEED ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATORS? DO WE NEED, UH, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS? AND IS THIS A REVOLVING BASIS? WHAT'S THE TIME REQUIREMENTS? SO THAT'S THE STUFF THAT I MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN GOING FORWARD. SO I JUST MENTIONED THAT NOW, SO I YIELD THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. ANYONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS BEFORE WE ACT ON COUNCILLOR NOLAN'S MOTION? HEARING NONE ON A MOTION. OH, BEFORE WE DO THAT, WE'LL GO TO DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. THE DEPUTY CITY SOLICITOR. UH, THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UH, JUST WANTED TO, UH, REMIND, UH, THE COUNSELORS THAT, UM, AS THIS IS A ZONING PETITION, UH, JUST TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE IS ANY CONSIDERATION FOR AMENDING IT, WE JUST WANTED TO FLAG THAT IF THE CHANGES ARE TOO DRASTIC, UH, AND, UH, IMPACT THE CHARACTER OF THE PETITION, THERE MAY BE ISSUES RELATIVE TO A ZONING PETITION. JUST WANTED TO FLAG IT. GIVEN THAT COUNCIL NOLAN, YOU INDICATED THAT THERE, THERE MAY BE SOME DISCUSSION RELATIVE TO POTENTIAL AMENDMENT OF THE 90 DAYS. SO I JUST WANTED TO FLAG IT, UH, FOR THE BODY RIGHT NOW BEFORE, UH, THERE'S, UH, ANY CONSIDERATION OF IT OF SENDING IT TO ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING BOARD. ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? COUNCILOR NOLAN, BEFORE WE GO ON, IF IT ONLY APPLIED TO ONE INSTEAD OF THREE, WOULDN'T THAT BE FINE? 'CAUSE THAT'S LESS RESTRICTIVE, UH, THROUGH YOU TO, UH, THE, THROUGH THE CHAIR. UM, I THINK IT, IT COULD BE, UH, GIVEN THAT THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE IS THAT THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS, UH, WHAT'S WELL FOR ANY CATEGORY. I THINK TO THE EXTENT THAT AFTER DELIBERATION THERE'S A DECISION THAT 90 DAYS WON'T APPLY TO, TO ANY CATEGORY, I THINK AN ARGUMENT COULD BE MADE THAT YOU'RE GOING BACK TO THE DEFAULT STATUS, WHICH IS THERE'S NO RESTRICTIONS. SO I THINK SOME CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE MADE AT THE FACT THAT IF YOU ARE PARSING IT, WHERE INSTEAD OF IT THE 90 DAYS APPLYING TO ALL THE CATEGORIES, IT'S ONLY APPLYING TO ONE. [02:25:01] THERE COULD BE A POTENTIAL CONCERN THAT YOU ARE FUNDAMENTALLY AFFECTING THE CHARACTER OF IT COMPARED TO WHAT THE DEFAULT IS. BUT, UH, IT IS A GOOD POINT THAT IF YOU ONLY APPLY IT TO ONE CATEGORY INSTEAD OF ALL THE CATEGORIES, IT'S, IT'S NOT AS RESTRICTIVE AND THEREFORE, YOU KNOW IT, IT MAY PASS MUSTER. SO, HEARING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS ITEM ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO SEND CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 19, UH, THE COUNCIL WILL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS AS A ZONING PETITION TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION. SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. 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. THE PROPOSED AMENDED LANGUAGE HAS BEEN ADOPTED AS A ZONING PETITION TO THE, AND SENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNICATION IS ALSO FORWARDED TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. SURE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THAT COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN FORWARDED AS WELL. SO WE ARE DONE WITH CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 19. WE'RE ON TO 20. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAITING REPORT. 26 DASH 33 REGARDING A HOUSING NEEDS STUDY. COUNCILLOR ZUI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER REPORT THAT I'M ABSOLUTELY THRILLED TO HAVE. UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUICK DELIVERY. UM, I AM ALSO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THE INCLUSIONARY STUDY WILL BE OUT THIS SUMMER. UM, AND THAT WILL INCLUDE MANY, MANY THINGS, BUT IT WILL ALSO INCLUDE, INCLUDE INTERVIEWS WITH REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS AND HOUSING MARKET RESEARCH. AND GREAT TO KNOW THE INCENTIVE ZONING NEXUS STUDY WILL BE OUT IN THE FALL. AND THAT THAT WILL INCLUDE, UH, INTERVIEWS WITH COMMERCIAL DELIVERY, UM, DEVELOPERS. SO THAT'S REALLY GREAT TO KNOW. UM, SO MY ONE QUESTION IS, OR I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, UM, AND I'M ONLY ALLOWED TWO QUESTIONS, BUT ONE, ONE IS, UM, IN THINKING ABOUT A, IT MAKES SENSE TO USE WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA BE LEARNING FROM THE CONSULTANT STUDIES FOR, TO INFORM THIS STUDY, BUT, UM, WE REALLY WANTED THE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY TO INCLUDE INFORMATION ABOUT UNMET HOUSING NEEDS ACROSS INCOME LEVELS, AGE GROUPS, HOUSEHOLD TYPES, AND UNIT SIZES. SO I GUESS I WANT REASSURANCE THAT THAT WILL BE, UM, THAT WILL COME OUT AS PART OF THESE TWO OTHER CONSULTANT STUDIES. AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS, WHAT WILL THE TIMEFRAME FOR THIS HOUSING NEEDS STUDY BE? HOW I, YOU ARE ALL DOING AN AWFUL LOT, BUT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND I, UH, I, IT, IT SHOULD HAVE, I FEEL LIKE, PROCEEDED OUR UPZONING. SO HOW SOON DO YOU THINK IF THIS IS GONNA BE PRODUCED IN HOUSE, BUT BUILDING ON ALL THESE DIFFERENT BUILDING BLOCKS, HOW SOON CAN YOU PUBLISH SOME SORT OF REPORT? AND I'M ALSO THRILLED THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE CREATING A DASHBOARD TO PROVIDE, UH, UM, OTHER, OTHER DATA FOR EASY ACCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, THROUGH YOU. UM, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, COUNCILOR ZUI. SO, UM, AS YOU NOTED, A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND IN A HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT, WE WILL HAVE IN THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING STUDY AND OR THE INCENTIVE ZONING STUDY WILL HAVE, UH, THE FIRST ONE, UH, LATER THIS SUMMER. UH, AND THE INCENTIVE ZONING STUDY WILL BE DONE IN THE FALL. SO I THINK WHAT WE ARE, UH, THINKING TO DO IS TO USE THE INFORMATION THAT'S COMING, UH, FROM THOSE REPORTS, AND THEN SUPPLEMENT IT WITH PIECES THAT, UH, WE THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL TO INCLUDE IN THAT, UM, UH, HOUSING PROFILE, UH, ONCE WE HAVE, UH, THOSE REPORTS ON HAND. SO WHILE WE CAN BEGIN TO DO SOME OF THE WORK OVER THE COMING MONTHS, I [02:30:01] THINK WE WON'T BE LOOKING AT COMPLETING THE WORK UNTIL SOMETIME AFTER THE INCENTIVE ZONING STUDY IS DONE IN THE FALL. ADDING IN THAT IN INFORMATION, UM, I'D SAY THAT A LOT OF THE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE THROUGH A, A LOT OF, UH, PUBLIC DATA. SO THERE, THERE'S A, A FAIR AMOUNT THAT WE CAN GET, UH, TO WORK ON AS WE BEGIN TO SEE THOSE STUDIES, UH, UH, COMPLETE. UM, AND THEN WE WILL LOOK AROUND THAT OUT. UH, AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT LOOKING AT HOUSING NEEDS AND UN UNMET NEEDS, I THINK WE'LL SEE SOME OF THAT IN BOTH THE STUDIES THAT ARE UNDERWAY. UH, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING STUDY, THERE'LL BE, UH, DATA ON THAT, THE HOUSING MARKET, UH, WHO'S BEING SERVED, WHO'S NOT BEING SERVED, CHANGES IN, IN DEMOGRAPHICS, UH, AND SIMILARLY WITH THE INCENTIVE STUDY, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, UH, THAT TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON IS, IS SURVEYING, UH, PEOPLE THAT WORK IN CAMBRIDGE AND, AND TRYING TO GET A SENSE AS TO, UH, WHEN, UH, CAMBRIDGE BASED WORKERS ARE COMING TO WORK IN CAMBRIDGE, HOW MANY OF THEM ARE, ARE LOOKING TO, UH, LIVE IN THE CITY AND, AND SEARCH FOR HOUSING. SO THAT WILL GIVE US SOME SENSE AS TO WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE LOOKING FORWARD, UH, FROM, FROM THE EMPLOYMENT SECTOR AS WELL. EXCELLENT. SO DOES THAT MEAN MAYBE IT'LL BE OUT BY THE END OF THE YEAR? I THINK IT'S, IT'S EARLY FOR US TO SAY, WITH A LOT OF COMPLETE CLARITY. I'D SAY THAT, UH, CERTAINLY WE'LL BE, UH, WELL UNDERWAY, UH, BY THE END OF THE YEAR. I, I WOULD SAY IT'S PROBABLY MORE REALISTIC TO THINK ABOUT IT IN EARLY 27. UH, JUST GIVING US SOME TIME TO GET THROUGH THE STUDIES AND CERTAINLY THE, UH, STAFF THAT WOULD BE INVOLVED WITH THIS. UH, MANY OF THEM ARE GONNA BE INVOLVED IN THE, THE SAME DISCUSSIONS AROUND CHANGES TO INCLUSIONARY OR INCENTIVE FROM THE STUDY. SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT WILL BE HAPPENING, UH, FOR THOSE, UH, EFFORTS AS WELL. THAT WILL, UH, BE PRIORITY WHILE WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO, UH, PUSH THIS ALONG AND, UH, ROUND OUT THAT INFORMATION WITH A A A A PROFILE. AND I, WE PUT IN THE RESPONSE A LINK TO THE HOUSING PROFILE THAT, THAT WE COMPLETED IN 2016. AND THAT'S, UH, KIND OF THE MODEL THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. IT'S GOT A LOT OF THE SAME INFORMATION. UH, AND YOU'LL, AGAIN, YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THAT IN THESE STUDIES, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK TO, UH, GATHER THAT INTO A SIMILAR PROFILE THAT WOULD, UH, BE UNDERWAY. AND AGAIN, PROBABLY DONE SOMETIME EARLY IN 27. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS? COMMENTS ON THIS? ANYONE ON THE ZOOM? NO. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PLACE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO PLACE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 20 ON FILE. DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 20 IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL GO TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 21, A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION AND PLANNING BOARD REPORT. UH, THIS IS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR ZUI. THANK YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, UH, GREAT TO SEE THIS. WE, WE DISCUSSED THIS SET AN ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, LAST WEEK. SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, I, I SUPPORT THE PLANNING BOARD'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MASS AVE. SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS THROUGH YOU? MAYOR SIDIKI? I BELIEVE THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, UM, WILL, COMING BACK WITHIN UPDATED PROPOSAL, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE PLANNING BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION, AS WELL AS THE INITIAL FEEDBACK WE GOT IN THE FIRST ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. I BELIEVE DIRECTOR ROBERTS IS ALSO ONLINE AND MAY HAVE MORE DETAILED INFORMATION AS WELL, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. AND I CAN UPDATE TOO AS, UH, CHAIR OF THAT MEETING. OKAY. WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD, COUNCILOR MCG GO. SURE. UM, YEAH, SO WE, WE LEFT BOTH BASS AV AND CAMBRIDGE STREET IN, IN COMMITTEE, AND WE, UM, GAVE CDD SOME QUESTIONS, UM, AND ASKED THEM TO COME BACK. SO WE WILL BE SCHEDULING ADDITIONAL, UH, ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO CERTAINLY DURING THIS, YOU KNOW. YEAH. WE'RE NOT GONNA LET IT REST UNTIL WE COME BACK IN SESSION. WE'LL, UM, WE'LL MEET BEFORE THAT OVER THE SUMMER, BUT WE DON'T HAVE DATES YET. COUNCILOR SUZI. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. UM, I YIELD, SO THE ACTION, UM, THAT WE CAN TAKE ON THIS IS TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND PLACE, UM, THE CMA ON FILE AND, AND REFER TO THE [02:35:01] PETITION. SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT ITEM. ITEM 21. COUNCIL, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. SO THAT'S BEEN REFERRED TO THE PETITION. ITEM 21 WILL GO TO ITEM 22. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM EON WONG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ACTIVE USED ZONING PETITION PLANNING BOARD REPORT. COUNCILLOR ZUI. UH, THANKS. ONCE MORE. UH, CHAIR SIDIKI. I, I DON'T THINK I REALLY NEED TO CALL THIS. UH, SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'LL, WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THIS IN ORDINANCE AGAIN. AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATED THE PLANNING BOARD BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THREE STORIES SHOULD BE THE THRESHOLD FOR, UH, RETAIL ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. SO, I'LL, I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AT ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. I YIELD SEEING NO FURTHER HANDS ON THIS, WE CAN GO AHEAD ALSO ACCEPT THIS REPORT. PLACE THE CMA ON FILE AND REFER TO THE PETITION FOR SENIOR MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 22. AND DO A ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY? YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. SO WE'RE, THAT WAS REFERRED TO THE PETITION FOR ITEM 22. WE ARE NOW DONE WITH THE NON-CONSENT CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEMS, I AM GOING TO MOVE SUSPENSION OF THE RULES FOR THE PURPOSES OF, OF RECONSIDERATION AND ALL APPROPRIATIONS ON THE AGENDA. HOPING THE SAME WILL NOT PREVAIL. SO WE'LL HAVE TWO VOTES, ONE ON THE SUSPENSION AND THE OTHER ON THE RECONSIDERATION. CLERK COUNCIL ZUBIE ABSENT VICE MEINE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. 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. NOW MOVE ON TO THE RECONSIDERATION. VOTE. COUNCILOR ZUBI. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? NO. NO. COUNCILOR ZUI? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. ALL RIGHT. RECONSIDERATION FILLS. WE ARE NOW MOVING ON TO THE POLICY [POLICY ORDERS] ORDERS PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY POLLS ONE AND FOUR. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YOU'RE ALL SET. COUNCILLOR ZUI TWO, PLEASE. NUMBER TWO. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN NUMBER FIVE FOR A VERY QUICK COMMENT. NUMBER FIVE. AND ANYONE ELSE? WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT PAUL SEW NUMBER THREE. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILLOR ZUBI. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. 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. POLICY ORDER NUMBER THREE IS ADOPTED. AND JUST A LITTLE TIME CHECK. IT'S 8 0 9. RIGHT NOW, WE'LL GET TO THE FIRST POLICY ORDER THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR INCLUSIVE AND ROBUST ENGAGEMENT ON ANY PROPOSED LICENSING CHANGES. AND TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY'S LICENSING FRAMEWORK REMAINS AS EFFICIENT, ACCESSIBLE, AND STREAMLINED AS THE LAW ALLOWS WITHOUT IMPOSING UNNECESSARY BARRIERS OR BURDENS ON LICENSEES. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN, MYSELF, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN AND COUNCILLOR ZUEY. THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. I WILL GO TO THE LEAD SPONSOR, MADAM MAYOR, SHOULD WE PULL ONE FOUR AND THE LATE ORDER ALL AT THE SAME SUSPENSION TO PULL ONE, FOUR AND THE LATE ORDER ALL AT THE SAME TIME? SINCE THEY'RE ALL ON THE SAME SUBJECT MOTION, WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT. UM, YEAH, I'D LIKE TO DO THAT MOVE SUSPENSION TO BRING UP POLICY ORDER ONE, FOUR AND THE LATE ORDER. SO, COUNSELOR MCGOVERN WOULD LIKE TO MOVE SUSPENSION AND BRING FORWARD THE LATE ORDER, UH, AS ALONG WITH, UM, POLICY ORDERS. ONE IN FOUR. YOU SAID NUMBER FOUR? [02:40:01] ONE IN FOUR. ONE IN, YEAH. ONE IN FOUR. I'D ALREADY PULLED ONE. SO WE'LL PULL FOUR IN THE LATE ORDER AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT SUSPENSION. COUNCILOR ZUBE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR 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. SO WE HAVE ALL THREE BEFORE US. WE CAN GO, WE SHOULD GO PIECE BY PIECE. SO WE'LL STILL GO BACK TO THE FIRST ONE, WHICH WAS FILED BY COUNCILOR NOLAN AND MYSELF, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. COUNCILOR SUZI, PULLED BY COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. I WILL GO TO THE LEAD SPONSOR. COUNCILOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. YES. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INTEREST. WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY. WE'VE HEARD PUBLIC COMMENT. WE'VE HEARD IN A LOT OF EMAILS ABOUT THIS QUESTION THAT THE LICENSE COMMISSION, UH, AT AN EARLIER MEETING THIS YEAR HAD DRAFTED SOME PROPOSED RULES. THERE HAS SINCE BEEN SOME COMMUNICATION FROM THE LICENSE COMMISSION THAT THEY ARE NOT IN PLACE NOW, THAT THEY WERE INTENDED TO BE DRAFT. THERE, THERE WILL BE A PROCESS. I DO THINK IT SURPRISED A LOT OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE CITY COUNCIL, THAT THESE RULES WERE, UH, PUT FORWARD EVEN IN DRAFT FORM WITHOUT, UH, A TRANSPARENT, OPEN, COMPREHENSIVE PROCESS. A LOT OF OWNERS, WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF BARTENDERS, WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF, UH, SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE SAYING THEY, THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. I KNOW THE LICENSE COMMISSION INDICATED THEY HAD TRIED TO SEND IT OUT. I THINK IT WAS IN A FORM THAT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO ABSORB BECAUSE THE RED LINE, UH, UH, RULES WERE SENT OUT WITHOUT THE RATIONALE FOR THE CHANGES AND WITHOUT SOME UNDERSTANDING ABOUT IF THERE WERE SOME THAT WERE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW, THEN OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD NEED TO BRING OUR REGULATIONS IN LINE WITH THAT. BUT IF OTHERS WERE NOT, IT WAS NOT SOMETHING I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY, AND, AND I KNOW MANY OF US ON THE COUNCIL FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD BE PUTTING ANY ADDITIONAL BURDEN ON, ON OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND ON ON OUR BARS. WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO USE WAYS TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE ANY KIND OF NEW ONEROUS REGULATION. SO THIS POLICY ORDER, WHICH, UM, AS YOU NOTED, MAYOR SIDIKI, COUNCILORS, MCGOVERN, AND ZI ARE ON, UH, REQUESTS THAT ANY CHANGES THAT ARE TO BE CONTEMPLATED WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH A WIDE RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS, THAT THE PLAN IS INCLUSIVE, THAT IT'S ROBUST ENGAGEMENT. IT'S LAID OUT IN THE POLICY ORDER. THERE HAD BEEN SOME FOLKS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAD REACHED OUT TO THE LICENSED COMMISSION AND ASKED FOR A MEETING. THOSE MEETINGS, AT LEAST AT THE TIME, A FEW DAYS AGO WHEN I CHECKED, HAD NOT YET HAPPENED. I, I HOPE AND ENCOURAGE THAT THEY DO HAPPEN VERY SOON. AND ALSO NOTE THAT, UM, THE IDEA IS SOME OF THE RULES OR PROPOSED RULES SEEM TO MAKE IT WAY MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE. AND AS COUNCIL MCGOVERN WOULD NOTE, WHEN WE GET TO THE OTHER POLICY ORDER, WE'RE AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE OPENING IT UP AND HAVING, HAVING A WAY FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY THIS. AGAIN, WE ALL WANT PEOPLE TO BE SAFE, AND YET WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT SOME OF THE RULES ARE PRETTY ARCANE. SOME OF THEM WE DON'T CONTROL. IT'S DUE TO THE STATE, THE STATE MAKES, UH, THE LICENSED COMMISSION, ALCOHOL AND BEVERAGE. IT, IT PUTS A LOT OF RESTRICTIONS ON US THAT WE MUST FOLLOW. I WOULD LOVE FOR THE STATE TO OPEN IT UP AND DO, AND DO MORE TO, TO ENABLE, UH, A MUCH, UH, WIDER RANGE OF ACTIVITIES. I PERSONALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE WOULDN'T ALLOW THAT. UM, BUT THAT'S WHY THE POLICY ORDER ALSO MENTIONS THAT WE WOULD WANT THE LICENSE COMMISSION ANY CHANGES TO BE ACCESSIBLE, STREAMLINED, TO NOT BE ONEROUS, TO REALLY, INSTEAD OF MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT, TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO, TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR BUSINESS. SO THE, THE IDEA OF THIS WAS TO HAVE THE COUNCIL GO ON PUBLIC RECORD. AS WE KNOW, IT'S NOT IN THE COUNCIL. IT'S NOT IN ORDINANCE, IT IS IN THE REGULATIONS. BUT I ALSO KNOW THE CITY IS COMMITTED TO HEARING INPUT FROM THE COUNCIL AS WELL AS THE WIDER COMMUNITY. UM, SO, SO THAT IS, IS SOMETHING THAT I, I HOPE WE CAN PASS THIS TO SEND THE MESSAGE THAT WE STAND WITH, UH, THE PROCESS OF BEING MORE TRANSPARENT, OPEN, INCLUSIVE, AND ALSO LESS ONEROUS. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR FERRY AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. WELL, DREW YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I WANT TO GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS. AND, UH, LIKE ALL OF US HERE IN THIS CHAMBER, WE'VE ALL RECEIVED MULTIPLE CALLS, MULTIPLE EMAILS, MULTIPLE TEXT MESSAGES FROM OUR FRIENDS IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY, BAR OWNERS, RESTAURANT OWNERS. UH, I, MYSELF WAS A BARTENDER IN LAW SCHOOL. UM, I'VE HAD ALMOST EVERY JOB KNOWN TO MANKIND. AND, UH, I WAS TIP CERTIFIED, AND EVERYBODY IS TIP CERTIFIED. AND CHAPTER 1 38 HAS PENALTIES FOR SERVING INTOXICATED PERSONS. AND, UH, THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE REGULATIONS DO DO AS WELL. AND, UH, IN MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE, I'VE REPRESENTED BARS AND RESTAURANTS IN DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS HERE IN THE CITY AND AT THE A BCC. AND THE REGULATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED ARE, I THINK TO USE, UM, COUNCIL NOLAN'S, UH, WORD ARE SOMEWHAT ONEROUS. SO, UH, IT'S MY INTENTION, AND I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA, UH, TO CONVENE A HEARING. AND I'D LIKE EVERYBODY TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY [02:45:01] TO, UH, TALK ABOUT THIS. BUT I'D LIKE TO REFER THIS TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND HAVE, UH, ANYONE WHO'S A STAKEHOLDER, UH, BE ABLE TO COME AND TALK ABOUT THIS AND, AND VOICE THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT IT'S LIKE, UH, TO RUN A BUSINESS IN CENTRAL SQUARE OR, OR HARVARD SQUARE OR KENDALL SQUARE OR PORTER SQUARE, UH, WITH THE DIFFICULTIES THAT ARE IMPOSED, UH, IN THIS CLIMATE, THIS ECONOMIC CLIMATE, AND HOW HARD IT IS EACH AND EVERY DAY TO RUN A RESTAURANT. AND HOW THIS IMPACTS THE BOTTOM LINE, UH, WHEN YOU THINK OF IT, UM, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS NOW, BUT WHEN YOU THINK OF WHAT A, UH, LIMITATION OF, UH, NOT BEING ABLE TO SELL A CUSTOMER MORE THAN ONE DRINK EVERY 30 MINUTES, WHAT THAT DOES TO COST PER DRINK, UH, WITH THE OVERALL, UM, COST OF DOING BUSINESS, COST OF, WELL, IT'S CALLED COST OF GOODS AT THAT LOCATION, INCLUDING THE RENT, THE INSURANCE, UM, SALARIES. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A BIG DEAL, NOT TO MENTION THE LOSS OF REVENUE TO THE CITY. SO I THINK, UH, AT THE CONCLUSION, ONCE EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS, I DON'T WANNA CUT ANYONE OFF, UH, BECAUSE IT IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE. I'D LIKE TO REFER THIS, UH, TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR CLARITY. I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR GOVERNOR AND COUNCILOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. SO FIRST I HAVE A, I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FROM THE MANAGER, BUT, UM, SORT OF WHERE I STAND ON THIS, I, I, I THINK THIS IS NUTS, , HOW ABOUT, THAT'S ONEROUS. UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW, HOW YOU WOULD MAKE THIS WORK. SO, COUNSELOR SIMMONS, SABRINA WHEELER, NOLAN AND I ALL GO OUT AFTER THIS MEETING, AND I GET TO THE, I GET TO THE TABLE AT, YOU KNOW, NINE O'CLOCK AND I ORDER A DRINK. AND THEN COUNSELOR SIMMONS SHOWS UP AT NINE 15. AND COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER SHOWS UP AT NINE 18 AND COUNCILOR NOLAN AT NINE 20. WE'RE ALL ON DIFFERENT HALF HOUR SCHEDULES AT THAT POINT. AND WE EXPECT A SERVER TO, TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, FIVE TABLES. I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S FOOLISH. AND AS COUNCILOR FLAHERTY POINTED OUT, THERE'S ALREADY MECHANISMS IN PLACE IF A BAR OR A RESTAURANT OVERS SERVES SOMEONE, THERE ARE MECHANISMS IN PLACE FOR THEM TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. SO I, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S TRYING TO SOLVE. UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S FRUSTRATING THAT WE'VE, WE'VE, THIS IS NOT ABOUT ANYBODY IN PARTICULAR. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CHAIR OF THE LICENSE COMMISSION OR ANYTHING ELSE. BUT OVER THE YEARS, THIS IS ONE OF, THIS HAS BEEN A STICKING POINT WHERE THE COUNCIL OFTEN WANTS TO MOVE IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION OR, OR DO SOMETHING. AND THEN THE LICENSE COMMISSION, BECAUSE THE COUNCIL HAS NO OVERSIGHT OVER THE LICENSE COMMISSION, AND EVEN THE MANAGER HAS LITTLE OVERSIGHT OVER THE LICENSE COMMISSION, WE KIND OF FEEL SOMETIMES THAT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, BUTTING OUR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT'S FRUSTRATING BECAUSE PEOPLE LOOK TO US AND, AND, AND WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER IT. UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S ALSO TALK ABOUT AROUND THE ENTER ENTERTAINMENT PERMITS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD NEED A PERMIT FOR EVERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF ENTERTAINMENT THAT YOU WANT TO PROVIDE. SO IF ON MONDAY YOU HAVE TRIVIA, YOU NEED A PERMIT ON TUESDAY, YOU HAVE KARAOKE, YOU NEED A DIFFERENT PERMIT ON WEDNESDAY, YOU HAVE ACOUSTIC ACOUSTIC MUSIC, YOU NEED A DIFFERENT PERMIT ON THURSDAY, YOU HAVE A DJ, YOU NEED A, I MEAN, WHY, WHY ARE WE MAKING IT HARDER AND MORE EXPENSIVE FOR THESE BUSINESSES TO OPERATE? I, IT'S, I, I JUST DON'T, I DON'T GET IT. UM, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, I THINK RAISED A GOOD POINT ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY, OH, WE'RE JUST THROWING THESE IDEAS OUT THERE TO KIND OF SEE, TO START A CONVERSATION. BUT WHEN YOU ISSUE A RED LINE DOCUMENT, WHEN YOU ISSUE, WHEN WE GET A RED LINE DOCUMENT IN ORDINANCE, THAT'S WHAT IS BEING RECOMMENDED. WE'RE DELETING THIS, THIS, AND THIS, AND WE'RE ADDING THESE OTHER THINGS. SO WHEN YOU PUT IT OUT THERE IN A RED LINE DOCUMENT, ANYBODY WHO FOLLOWS ANY OF THIS IS GONNA LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, WOW, THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT YOU'RE RECOMMENDING. SO NO WONDER THE RESTAURANT FOLKS, YOU KNOW, GOT SO UPSET ABOUT IT SO QUICKLY. SO I, UM, I THINK IF WE WANT REFER TO COMMUNITY, I THINK THAT'S, I, I'M FINE. I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A BAD IDEA, BUT I DO WANT TO, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST FROM MY PART, I WANT THE LICENSED COMMISSION TO HEAR STRONGLY FROM ME THAT I THINK THIS IS A BAD IDEA. I YIELD, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND THEN COUNCILLOR ZUI, AND THEN VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I SIT, UH, BETWEEN MY TWO COLLEAGUES. YES. I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIZARRE. AND, UM, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, YOU SAID A LOT OF WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH REPEATING. SO FIRST OF ALL, I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE SPONSORS FOR BRINGING THIS ORDER FORWARD. AND I'D LIKE TO BE ASKED, [02:50:02] I LIKE TO ASK TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR. YEAH. I WANNA BE VERY CLEAR THAT I TAKE ALCOHOL SAFETY VERY SERIOUSLY. SO THAT, THAT EXAMPLE THAT MY COLLEAGUE SAID ABOUT EVERY 15 MINUTES, WE'RE JUST DRINKING WATER. UM, NONE OF US WANTS TO SEE OVERSERVING UNSAFE BEHAVIOR, IMPAIRED DRIVING OR HARM TO RESIDENTS, PATRONS, WORKERS, OR BUSINESS OWNERS. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY THAT WHEN WE ARE CONSIDERING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO OUR LICENSING FRAMEWORK, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE MOST DIRECTLY AFFECTED ARE FULLY INCLUDED IN THAT CONVERSATION BEFORE DECISIONS ARE MADE. A PROPOSAL SUCH AS REQUIRING A 30 MINUTE MINIMUM BETWEEN DRINKS MAY SOUND SIMPLE ON PAPER, BUT IN PRACTICE, IT RAISES A NUMBER OF SERIOUS OPERATIONAL QUESTIONS. ARE BARTENDERS AND SERVICES EXPECTED TO TRACK EVERY PATRON WITH A STOPWATCH? WOULD BUSINESSES NEED NEW SYSTEMS OR ADDITIONAL STAFF JUST TO COMPLY? HOW WOULD THIS BE ENFORCED FAIRLY? AND WHAT KIND OF LIABILITY WOULD BUSINESSES FAITH THAT THERE WERE GOOD FAITH MISTAKES? THOSE ARE NOT MINOR DETAILS. THEY GO DIRECTLY TO WHETHER A POLICY IS ACTUALLY WORKABLE. OUR RESTAURANTS, BARS, SMALL BUSINESSES ARE ALREADY OPERATING UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE. FOOD COSTS ARE UP, LABOR COSTS ARE UP, UTILITIES, RENT, INSURANCE AND DELIVERIES ARE ALL, ALL UP. MANY RESTAURANTS ARE WORKING WITH VERY SLIM MARGINS AND BEVERAGE. BEVERAGE SERVICE IS ONE OF THE FEW AREAS THAT HELPS THEM STAY VIABLE. NOW, THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE SHOULD NOT REGULATE. OF COURSE WE SHOULD, BUT WE NEED TO REGULATE THOUGHTFULLY WITH CLEAR EVIDENCE, WITH A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPACT AND WITH ROBUST INPUT FROM LICENSEES, WORKERS, RESIDENTS, BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS. AND THIS IS WHY I SUPPORT THIS ORDER. I DID A VERY BRIEF CALL AROUND TO SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT I KNOW THAT OWN RESTAURANTS IN CAMBRIDGE AND ONE, AND I'M NOT GONNA JUST, UH, FOR THEIR OWN CONFIDENTIALITY, NOT SAY THEIR NAME, FEEL LIKE IN SOME WAYS THEY'RE OVERREGULATED. AND SO I SUPPORT THIS ORDER. IT DOES NOT SAY THAT WE CAN NEVER CHANGE ANYTHING. IT SAYS THAT CHANGE SHOULD, IF CHANGES ARE GOING TO BE MADE, THEY HAVE TO BE DEVELOPED THROUGH AN INCLUSIVE, TRANSPARENT, AND PRACTICAL PROCESS. AND THAT WE SHOULD ALLOW, WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW UNNECESSARY BARRIERS OR BURDENS ON OUR LICENSEES. SO THAT, THAT IS THE RIGHT APPROACH. I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS POLICY ORDER, AND I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR. I YIELD THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. WE'LL COME BACK TO AJU MOMENTARILY AFTER WE'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE. GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUZI AND THEN VICE MAYOR ZI. UH, THANK YOU. I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I HEARD FROM MY SON IN NEW YORK ABOUT THIS POLICY ORDER. LIKE, IT, IT MADE IT, I THINK IT MADE IT AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND I HEARD FROM OTHER FRIENDS FROM OTHER PLACES THAT ASKED LIKE WHAT WE WERE THINKING. AND I WAS SURPRISED BY IT BECAUSE THERE, WE HAD A VERY INTERESTING HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT MEETING A COUPLE MONTHS AGO ABOUT TOBACCO USE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A MEETING WE THOUGHT WAS GONNA BE 15 MINUTES, AND IT ENDED UP BEING AN HOUR AND A HALF OR HOUR, 40 MINUTES. BUT WE REALLY WERE THINKING HARD ABOUT LIKE, SHOULD TOBACCO BE SOLD CLOSE TO HIGH SCHOOLS? AND, UH, UM, SO, AND, AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY. WE WERE PRETTY, UM, UH, FLEXIBLE. SO I, I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS CAME FROM. UM, AND SO I, I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR THIS TO BE, NOT, NOT, NOT ALL OF THIS, BUT I, I MEAN, WE WANT, THERE SHOULD BE MORE COMMUNITY PROCESS BEFORE, UM, WE'RE WRITING, UH, AN ORDINANCE, UH, ASKING FOR, UM, ALCOHOL USED TO BE MONITORED IN OUR BARS, UM, AT A, AT A 30 MINUTE INTERVAL. I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA AS COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, UM, MENTIONED FOR US TO TALK ABOUT THIS AT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND AGAIN, TALK ABOUT, UM, SORT OF FIND OUT, GET, TAKE A TEMPERATURE ON OUR, ON OUR BARS, ON OUR RESTAURANTS, AND SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING AND HOW WE CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH GREATER SUPPORT. AND MAYBE THIS IS THE, THIS IS WHAT WILL INSPIRE THAT CONVERSATION. SO I, THAT'S WHAT I RECOMMEND. THANK YOU. I YIELD VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, YES, JUST WANTED TO SAY TWO THINGS. ONE IS THAT, UM, I THINK, UH, SENDING IT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS GREAT. I WOULD ALSO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WHENEVER WE HAVE THAT COMMITTEE HEARING TO INVITE THE LICENSE COMMISSION, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL FOR THEM TO HEAR THE SPECIFIC CONCERNS AS WELL. AND I FEEL LIKE HAVING THEM AT THE TABLE WOULD BE REALLY, REALLY HELPFUL. AND THEN I WOULD JUST SAY THE SECOND, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE'RE WRITING THIS, WE DON'T SEE EXACTLY ALL THE POLICY ORDERS THAT ARE, UM, BEING FILED, AND THEY CAN SOMETIMES BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. BUT I JUST THINK THE LATE POLICY ORDER, THE ONLY, UM, MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE I CAN TELL IS JUST LIKE EXPLICIT DISAPPROVAL OF THE CHANGES. I LIKE, I, FOR ME PERSONALLY, IT'S NOT JUST THAT THESE WERE SURPRISED, BUT I JUST ALSO THINK THAT IT'S IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. LIKE, I THINK [02:55:01] WE SHOULD, UM, NOT BE MAKING THINGS HARDER, UM, FOR OUR BUSINESSES. AND ALSO, LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN REALLY NICE BEING AROUND THE CITY FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD MAKE THINGS EASIER, NOT HARDER. AND SO IF PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED, UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO, UM, RECONCILE THE TWO AND JUST, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE CAN JUST ADD AS WHEREAS WAS THE CITY COUNCIL IS NOT SUPPORTIVE OF THE CHANGES, UM, TO THE FIRST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I HAVEN'T HAD MY ASKED MY CO-SPONSOR SO APOLOGIES. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST SAW AFTER EVERYTHING WAS FILED THAT, UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF OVERLAP BETWEEN THE TWO. ANY OTHER COMMENTS BEFORE I SAY A FEW WORDS? GO AHEAD. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY I WOULD TAKE THAT AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT IF, UM, VICE MAYOR ZE WANTED TO TAKE THE FIRST ORDERED IN THE LATE POLICY ORDER IS A LITTLE STRONGER AND CLEARER ABOUT THAT THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL GOES ON RECORD DISAPPROVING. SO IT MIGHT BE, WE COULD ADD THAT TO THE OTHER ONE AS A, IF, IF, IF THAT MADE SENSE TO THE CO MAKERS AND AS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, AND THEN WE COULD MOVE FORWARD. SO WE'LL GET TO THAT. I THINK I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, INTENT VERSUS IMPACT. I THINK THE INTENT, UM, AS I HAD IN MANY CONVERSATIONS WAS THAT THIS, UM, THESE HADN'T BEEN REVIEWED OR UPDATED IN CAMBRIDGE SINCE 2016. UH, AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES TO PROVISIONS IN STATE LAW THAT AFFECT SOME OF THE CURRENT RULES. UM, AND THERE'S BEEN CHANGES TO THE INDUSTRY, THE PUBLIC NEED AND THE BOARD. AND SO THE, THE LICENSE COMMISSION WAS REVIEWING AND UPDATING THEM. I THINK YES, THEY DID COME AS A SURPRISE TO MOST OF US, ALL OF US. UM, AND SO I DO THINK THERE WAS SOME MISSING A LOT OF, SOME MISSING COMMUNICATION. PARTICULARLY ALSO AT THE SAME TIME, THE CITY IS SAYING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE WORLD CUP, HERE ARE ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN, UH, PUBLICLY CONSUME. RIGHT? AND SO, UH, BUT I, I DO THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME CHANGES, UM, OR SUGGESTIONS THAT, UM, I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, BE SUPPORTIVE OF, SUCH AS, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, STALKING TEST TRIPS FOR TAMPERED DRINKS. THERE'S OTHER THINGS IN THERE THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, I THINK CONSIDER AND, AND TALK ABOUT. AND SO I THINK HAVING THAT FURTHER COMMITTEE MEETING AND KIND OF GOING THROUGH THEM, UM, AND WHAT THE COUNCIL, UH, AND PARTICULARLY WHAT OUR LICENSEES ARE SAYING AND HEAR FROM THEM DIRECTLY, I WANNA APPRECIATE, UH, DANIELLE WHO CAME, UM, FROM ENSS, UH, WINE BAR IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE, UM, WITH A LOT OF HER COMMENTS. SHE ALSO HAD SOME SUGGESTIONS, UM, TO THE AMENDMENTS, UM, WHETHER THAT WAS TO THE, THE PATIO, UM, UH, OR TO BYOB, RIGHT? OTHER THINGS THAT WE SHOULD MAYBE CONSIDER TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FUN, RIGHT? AND SO, UM, THERE'S I THINK A LOT HERE THAT I THINK WE CAN END UP, UM, DOING. UH, I THINK FOR ME, MY BIGGEST QUESTION TO THE MANAGER WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK GIVEN THAT THERE'S JUST SOME CONFUSION ON OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UM, AND THE LICENSE COMMISSION IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE BODY THAT IS DEFINED BY STATE LAW, RIGHT? AND I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE ENSURE THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN A BODY LIKE THIS IS CHARGED WITH MAKING DECISIONS, UH, THAT THEY'RE INFORMED BY LOCAL NEEDS, RIGHT? AND I HOPE THIS POLICY ORDER AND THE, IT REALLY HELPS ENSURE THAT THE LIQUOR LICENSE CHANGES WE END UP ARE REFLECTIVE OF THOSE LOCAL NEEDS. UM, AND I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A BROADER CONVERSATION AROUND THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS HERE. UH, AND WE CAN HAVE THAT IN COMMITTEE. UH, BUT WHAT DOES IT ALSO LOOK LIKE TO POT, POTENTIALLY ADD SEATS TO THESE COMMISSIONS, RIGHT? THAT WOULD, RIGHT NOW IT'S THE, THE CHAIR, IT'S THE POLICE COMMISSION, IT'S THE POLICE COMMISSIONER, AND IT'S THE FIRE CHIEF. YOU KNOW, I THINK WHERE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, CDD, RIGHT? UM, SO I, I, I WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT WE'D HAVE TO, THAT'D BE A PROCESS TO GO THROUGH CITY MANAGER TO ADD FOLKS TO THE SEAT, BUT THAT'S MAYBE SOMETHING WE SHOULD HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT MAYBE IN THE COMMITTEE HEARING, UM, UH, BECAUSE IT'S JUST THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE LICENSE COMMISSION WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE PROPOSING OR, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE TASKED WITH THIS. AND I THINK THE DISCONNECT IS WHERE IS OUR, AND AGAIN, THESE WILL GO THROUGH, THERE'S COLLABORATION AT SOME POINT WITH CDD, BUT I THINK THERE WAS THIS DISCONNECT THAT PEOPLE FEEL, THE COUNCIL FEELS. AND SO HOW DO WE, WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THAT? SO CITY MANAGER, IF YOU HAVE SOME QUICK THOUGHTS, UM, ON THAT AROUND, UH, POTENTIALLY ADDING SEATS, UM, LET ME KNOW. UH, SURE I CAN, UM, I THINK, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI, UM, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, WATKINS AND I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS. SO MAYBE I'LL HAVE HER, UH, PROVIDE SOME OF THE CONTEXT AROUND, UM, I THINK ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FOR OUR THREE MEMBER COMMISSIONS. YEAH, AND I CAN JUST GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF, AND, AND I WON'T TAKE TOO LONG, BUT JUST IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RULES THAT WERE [03:00:01] SUBMITTED OUT PUBLICLY, YOU KNOW, THE INTENT, AND AGAIN, THIS GOES BACK TO WHOEVER TALKED ABOUT THE INTENT VERSUS THE IMPACT, UM, AND THAT IS UL THAT IS ABSOLUTELY THE CASE HERE. SO, 'CAUSE THE INTENT WAS TO GET OUT VERY INITIAL THINKING AND TO THE LICENSEES AND GET FEEDBACK EVEN BEFORE THEY WERE TALKED OUT AT THE BOARD. AND SO THAT WAS THE INTENT. I KNOW THAT WAS NOT THE IMPACT 'CAUSE PEOPLE GOT A VERY FORMAL RED LINE LOOKING DOCUMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK CAME WITH ENOUGH CONTEXT IN THE DOCUMENTATIONS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. THAT THIS WAS VERY EARLY. UM, AND IT WAS REALLY TO GET VERY INITIAL FEEDBACK. UM, AND ALREADY THE LICENSE COMMISSION HAS POSTED ON THE WEBSITE SORT OF AN ANNOTATED VERSION THAT INCLUDES SOME OF THAT INITIAL FEEDBACK. AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, THE TWO, UM, PROVISIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT, THEY'VE HAD VERY CLEAR FEEDBACK THAT THOSE ARE NOT WORKABLE. AND SO THEY'VE INCLUDED THAT IN THE DOCUMENT TO HOPEFULLY LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT THAT, LOOK, THESE ARE THE RULES AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT. IT WAS REALLY, LOOK, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT OVERCONSUMPTION. IS THIS A WORKABLE OPTION? AND THEY'VE HEARD VERY CLEARLY FROM, UM, RESTAURANTS AND BARS THAT THOSE ARE NOT WORKABLE OPTIONS. UM, AND SO WE'VE REALLY HAVE TRIED TO MAKE SURE IT'S VERY CLEAR TO PEOPLE WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROCESS. AND ALSO THAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK ON THE EXISTING RULES AND REGULATIONS. UM, SO TO SOME OF THE POINTS ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE, ARE THERE THINGS IN HERE THAT ARE ONEROUS THAT DON'T HAVE THE IMPACT AND THE VALUE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? SO I THINK THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SOME, YOU KNOW, MISCOMMUNICATION AND SORT OF LACK OF COMMUNICATION. AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE THAT IT IS A MUCH MORE OF A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS AND THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT, I'D SAY THAT WAS ALWAYS THE INTENT. THAT WAS DEFINITELY NOT HOW THE MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED. AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY WORKING ON. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THESE THREE MEMBER BOARDS THAT ARE VERY CHALLENGING IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS. 'CAUSE IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH TWO OF THE MEMBERS AT THE SAME TIME. 'CAUSE YOU HAVE AN OPEN MEETING VIOLATION. AND SO IT MAKES SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS VERY CHALLENGING. AND SO JUST FROM AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE YEARS, LIKE, WOULD IT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE MORE MEMBERS? UM, AND THEN ALSO IN TERMS OF HAVING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. AND SO I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS WORTH EXPLORING. IT IS SET UP IN STATE LAW. AND SO IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO LIKE AT THE CITY LEVEL, BUT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO SORT OF THINK THROUGH WHAT THAT PROCESS WOULD BE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO ADD TWO MORE MEMBERS SO THAT YOU MAINTAIN AN ODD NUMBER BUT HAVE FIVE MEMBERS INSTEAD OF THREE MEMBERS. UM, 'CAUSE THE THREE MEMBERS ARE SET BY STATE LAW. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'LL GO BACK TO, UH, AND THEN JUST TO RESPOND REALLY QUICKLY, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, NOW, AND BETWEEN THE SUMMER MEETING, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE. UM, IT'S NOT JUST THIS LICENSE COMMISSION, I DON'T WANNA PICK ON THEM. UM, BUT IT'S A NUMBER OF THEM. BUT I DO THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN SOMETHING THIS WOULD'VE BEEN REALLY HELPFUL. UM, HERE. SO GO AHEAD, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. SO THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. I WANNA THANK THE DEPUTY, UH, MANAGER FOR MENTIONING THAT BECAUSE I DID GO BACK EXACTLY IN THIS POINT, LOOKED AT THE STATUE AND SEE WHO WAS THE APPOINTING AUTHORITY AND WHAT THE MEMBERSHIP IS MADE OF AND WHAT THE TERMS ARE. AND, UM, AND I, AND TO VICE MAYOR, UH, ZIMS, UH, POINT, UH, THAT'S THE POINT THAT THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF HAVING, UH, THIS, UH, REVIEWED AT A COMMITTEE HEARING TO HAVE THE LICENSE COMMISSION, UH, PRESENT, UH, TO HEAR FROM, YOU KNOW, OWNERS, WORKERS, UH, AND FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL WANT TO ATTEND. UH, WHAT OUR FEELING IS ABOUT ALL OF THESE, UH, PROPOSALS, GOOD, BAD, AND INDIFFERENT. SO I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR, ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME TO HAVE A VERY COLLABORATIVE, UM, UH, THOUGHT PROVOKING DISCUSSION ABOUT ALL OF THESE, UH, ISSUES. SO, UH, THAT'S EXACTLY THE POINT. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I MOVE, UH, TO SEND THIS TO COMMITTEE. SO WE HAVE A FEW MOTIONS. UH, FIRST, UM, YOU KNOW THAT COUNCILLOR SIMMONS HAD WANTED TO BE ADDED YEP. TO, UH, THE, THE FIRST POLICY ORDER, CORRECT? COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. OKAY. SO YES, THE POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED IF THE AMENDMENT FLIES. YEAH, I THINK WE WILL. THE, WE WILL, WE CAN DO I THINK BOTH THEM AT, AT THE SAME TIME, UM, TO MOVE THE FIRST POLICY ORDER TO THE ECONOMIC, UM, AND DEVELOPMENT AND UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE AND ADD COUNCILOR SIMMONS. AND WE CAN DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. UM, POINT OF ORDER. YES. VICE MAYOR, UH, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO TAKE UP COUNCILOR NOLAN'S AMENDMENT TO COMBINE THE TWO POS? COUNCILOR NOLAN, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU SAY THAT. WOULD YOU WANT TO COMBINE THE ACCOUNTS? BOTH, I, I THINK IT'S THROUGH YOU. IF IT'S TO VICE AND HIS CO MAKERS, THAT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO TAKE THE FIRST ORDER FROM THE [03:05:01] LATE POLICY ORDER AND ADD IT AS AN ORDER TO THE POLICY ORDER. I BELIEVE THAT EFFECTIVELY COMBINES THEM. 'CAUSE THE REST OF IT IS VERY SIMILAR. IF, IF, IS THAT THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI? WHAT? VICE MAYOR THAT BELIEVES IS AN APPROPRIATE VICE MAYOR? YES. THIS IS POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE. NO, THIS IS, SO WE HAVE A LATE POLICY ORDER AS WELL. YES. WE'LL BE MAKING IT TO THE POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE. EXACTLY. WE'LL GET TO THE MIDDLE POLICY ORDER MOMENTARILY, BUT LET'S JUST DISPOSE OF THESE. SO, CLERK, DO YOU HAVE THAT? SO FOR CLARIFICATION PURPOSES, WE WOULD BE TAKING 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, PARAGRAPH NUMBER SIX, THE FIRST AUDIT IN THE LATE POLICY ORDER SPONSORED BY THE VICE MAYOR COUNCIL OF SABRINA IN COUNCIL MCGOVERN. AND WE WOULD ADD THAT TO THE POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE, CORRECT? YES, YES, YES. I HAVE IT. AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ADDING COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO THE FIRST POLICY ORDER. AND WE'RE, I THINK, REFERRING BOTH TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE. JUST, JUST THE ONE, YES. ONE IN FOUR. OKAY. ONE IN THE LATE POLICY ORDER. I THINK THE ONE KIND OF REPLACES THE LATE POLICY ORDER. YES. BECAUSE IT'S DUPLICATE. YEAH. DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING, ONE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS. AND GO AHEAD. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS REQUIRES AN AMENDMENT, BUT COULD WE JUST HAVE A ASSURANCE THAT I, I DO FULLY SUPPORT THIS BEING FORWARDED THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER BEING FORWARDED. WOULD IT BE MAKE SENSE OR CAN WE JUST HAVE ASSURANCE THAT THE LICENSE COMMISSION AND A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CDD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WILL BE AT THAT MEETING? BECAUSE I THINK OKAY. YES. DEPUTY CITY MANAGER IS CONFIRMING THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN. DEPUTY CLERK, YOU CAN CALL THE ROLL CALL. I'M GONNA REFER TO ECONOMIC OPINION. YES. COUNCIL ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR 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. NOW WE'RE GONNA DO A REFERRAL AS YES. REFERRAL AS AMENDED. OKAY. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. 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. OKAY. SO WE'VE DISPOSED OF THOSE ITEMS. WE DO HAVE, THE POLICY ARE NUMBER TWO THAT'S LEFT. SO THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUIRED TO CONFER WITH THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO EXPLORE THE ABILITY OF THE CITY TO PROHIBIT, RESTRICT, OR OTHERWISE REGULATE THE USE OF ALGORITHMIC PRICE FIXING IN ITS RENTAL HOUSING MARKETS, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL DRAFTING OF ORDINANCE LANGUAGE THAT WOULD REGULATE ALGORITHMIC PRICE FIXING AND REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN A TIMELY MANNER. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER, MYSELF, COUNCILLOR AL ZUBY, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, AND PULLED BY COUNCILLOR ZUI. SO I'LL GO TO THE MO MA MAIN MOTION MAKER, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER FIRST. THANKS, MADAM MAYOR. UH, HAPPY TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT ON THIS BRIEFLY, AND THANK YOU OF THE CO-SPONSORS FOR BEING PART OF THIS. UM, AS I THINK MOST FOLKS KNOW, PRICE FIXING AS A PRACTICE HAS BEEN ILLEGAL FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO ANTITRUST LAWS THAT GO BACK DECADES. UH, BUT MORE RECENTLY, TECHNOLOGY HAS BECOME A WAY FOR COMPANIES TO TRY TO GET AROUND ANTITRUST LAWS. UH, ALGORITHM PRICE MIXING IS, IS ONE WAY THAT CORPORATE RENTAL COMPANIES ARE DOING THAT. SO, WHERE IT WOULD NORMALLY BE ILLEGAL FOR TWO COMPANIES TO, YOU KNOW, CEOS OF TWO COMPANIES TO GET TOGETHER AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE BOTH GONNA CHARGE, UH, A REALLY HIGH PRICE FOR THIS, AND, AND NOBODY WILL HAVE A CHOICE BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE BOTH, YOU KNOW, FIXING IT TOGETHER. THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL. UH, CORPORATE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES FOR RENTAL UNITS ARE GETTING AROUND THAT BY USING ALGORITHMIC PRICE FIXING SOFTWARE TO SAY, TO TURN OVER TO A THIRD PARTY, THEIR RENTAL DATA AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE NOT TALKING TO EACH OTHER. WE'RE JUST TALKING TO THIS THIRD COMPANY AND SHARING WITH THEM ALL, ALL OF OUR DATA. AND THEN THAT COMPANY IS TELLING US BOTH HOW TO PRICE OUR UNITS AND, AND COINCIDENTALLY PRICING THEM QUITE HIGH. THIS IS THE WAY THAT, UH, RENTAL MANAGEMENT COMPANIES AROUND THE COUNTRY HAVE BEEN USING TO, UH, TO TRY TO DO PRICE FIXING. A NUMBER OF OTHER CITIES HAVE ALREADY, UH, ESTABLISHED EFFORTS TO REGULATE AND, AND BAN ALGORITHMIC PRICE FIXING, INCLUDING PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, JERSEY CITY, MINNEAPOLIS, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. THIS WAS ACTUALLY BROUGHT TO OUR, UH, ATTENTION LOCALLY FROM A STATE LEGISLATOR WHO'S BEEN WORKING ON THIS. UH, AND, UH, WE MET WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT IN CAMBRIDGE ABOUT THIS, UH, LAST WEEK. THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED TO LOOK INTO THIS. AND SO WE'RE FILING THIS POLICY ORDER AS A FIRST STEP, WHICH THEY SAID WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, I'M HAPPY TO [03:10:01] ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON IT. YIELD BACK, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SUZI. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING IT MORE COUNCILOR SABRINA WILLER. MIKE, IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA, BUT MY QUESTION IS, HOW WOULD YOU MONITOR AND ENFORCE THIS, UM, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR SABRINA WITHER. THANKS. YEAH, WE, UM, TALKED WITH THE, SAY THE LEGISLATOR ON THAT. THE ENFORCEMENT IS THE, WOULD BE THE KEY PART. UM, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND IS ACTUALLY IN A, A LAWSUIT ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW. UM, THEY HAVE FOUND TWO COMPANIES THAT ARE USING IT. UH, BUT THE, UH, THE KEY WOULD BE, UH, FIGURING OUT IF TWO COMPANIES ARE, ARE PRICING THEIR UNITS, UH, ON THE WAY THE, THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE COMPANIES THAT DO ALGORITHMIC, UH, PRICE TECHNOLOGY. AND SO THERE ARE WAYS TO SEE IF, UH, CERTAIN LANDLORDS ARE BOTH USING THE TECHNOLOGY AND, AND THE STATE LEGISLATOR WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO YOU SORT OF WALK THROUGH, UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES IN CAMBRIDGE ARE USING IT AND, AND FINDING ACCESS THAT WAY. BUT IT IS A PIECE THAT WE WOULD WANT TO BE REALLY INTENTIONAL ABOUT AS WE DESIGN THE ORDINANCE, UH, SO THAT IT'S A WAY IT'S FUNCTIONAL. AND I THINK, UH, A, UM, BOTH SUCCESS AND ALSO A, A CHALLENGE OF THAT ENFORCEMENT ACTUALLY CAME UP EARLIER TONIGHT IN THE MEETING ABOUT THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE, UH, AND REGULATING AIRBNBS. RIGHT? UH, IT IS BOTH SOMETHING WE HAVE DONE. WE HAVE A SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF AIRBNBS THAT ARE GETTING AROUND THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW. IT'S NOT THAT WE, WE SHOULDN'T DO IT. IT IS THAT ENFORCEMENT IS A CHALLENGE, UH, AND THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP GETTING BETTER AT IT. BUT PASSING AN ORDINANCE TO TRY TO REGULATE IT AS A FIRST STEP, AND THEN WE HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THE ENFORCEMENT IS GOOD. IS IT GONNA BE A HUNDRED PERCENT PERFECT? YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT. THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW IS NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT PERFECT, BUT I THINK EVERYBODY AGREES WE SHOULD DO A SHORT-TERM RENTAL ORDINANCE AND, AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THE ENFORCEMENT IS AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE. AND SO THIS IS A SORT OF A, A FIRST STEP IN THAT DIRECTION. , ONE OTHER, ONE OTHER QUESTION, DID YOU SAY, SO DO WE KNOW THIS IS BEING DONE IN CAMBRIDGE, OR WE SUSPECT IT'S BEING DONE IN CAMBRIDGE? COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? I THINK, UH, BOTH. WE, UH, WE KNOW IT'S BEING USED IN CAMBRIDGE. I DON'T THINK WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY UNITS ARE USING THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT WE KNOW THERE ARE COMPANIES USING THIS TECHNOLOGY IN CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I YIELD WE'LL GO AHEAD TO VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU. UM, I SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER. UM, I APOLOGIZE, JUST AT A POINT OF ORDER QUESTION IN THAT BEFORE WE PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT POLICY ORDER FOR BEFORE US, UM, UH, I THINK THAT WAS COUNCILOR MCGOVERN'S MOTION, AND THEN WE NEVER DISCUSSED IT AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF IT. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DID THAT POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR. OH, YOU NUMBER FOUR. WE DID ONE IN FOUR TOGETHER. WE DID ONE IN FOUR TOGETHER. BOTH REFER TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ONE WAS AMENDED FOR, YEAH. OKAY. COOL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. WE'LL GO BACK TO WHAT WAS, WHAT WERE YOU SAYING, VICE MAYOR, ON THIS POLICY ORDER? DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THAT COUNCIL? I SUPPORT THIS POLICY ORDER. UM, EXCITED FOR IT TO BE INTRODUCED. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE ON THIS PARTICULAR POLICY ORDER BEFORE US? YES, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. JUST THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. IT'S SORT OF A, UM, SEATBELT AND SUSPENDED, UH, ORDINANCE BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY AN EXISTING VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. SO IF THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT IT'S HAPPENING IN CAMBRIDGE, IT JUST SHOULD SIMPLY BE REPORTED. AND, UM, THEN THERE ARE MECHANISMS AVAILABLE TO INVESTIGATE IT. UM, UH, MUCH MORE, UM, GREATER RESOURCES THAN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE HAS TO INVESTIGATE THIS. AND, AND I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE CONCEPT OF IT, BUT THERE'S ALREADY MECHANISMS AVAILABLE, UH, TO SATISFY THE GOAL OF THIS ORDINANCE. SO I, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T DISAGREE WITH IT, BUT, UM, THERE'S A WAY TO DEAL WITH IT ALREADY EXISTING IN AT LAW. JUST RESPOND THAT BRIEFLY. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY YIELDS, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. UH, UH, THANK YOU. COUNCILLOR FERDY. THAT'S A GREAT POINT, ACTUALLY CAME UP IN THE DISCUSSION WITH THE STATE LEGISLATOR'S OFFICE. IF FEDERAL LAW WAS BEING ENFORCED PROPERLY, THIS COULD ALREADY BE BANNED NATIONWIDE. THE REASON THAT IT HASN'T IS BECAUSE ANTITRUST LAW HAS BEEN REALLY GUTTED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THE ADMINISTRATION. THERE HAVE BEEN CASES ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE FEDERALLY ALREADY HASN'T GONE ANYWHERE. WE HAVE NOT HAD ROBUST ANTITRUST ENFORCEMENT. IT'S THE REASON CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE, ARE WORKING ON ORDINANCES ON THIS. IT'S THE REASON THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE LEGISLATURE HAS A BILL AROUND ALGORITHM ALGORITHMIC PRICE FIXING, IS BECAUSE FEDERAL LAW [03:15:01] IS NOT BEING ENFORCED. AND SO CITIES AND STATES ARE HAVING TO TAKE, UH, TAKE IT INTO THEIR OWN HANDS AS WE'RE SEEING WITH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OTHER ISSUES RIGHT NOW WHERE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT ACTING. UM, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD POINT AND IT'S A, A REASON WHY WE NEED TO DO THIS. ACTUALLY. COUNCILOR NOLAN, UH, THANK YOU. I, I SUPPORT GETTING AT THIS. AND, AND AGAIN, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THE STATE LAWS MOVE FORWARD, OR IT'S ALREADY BEING, UH, DONE THROUGH STATE LEVEL LEGISLATION IN RESPONSE TO THE FACT THAT THE ANTITRUST AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL WE KNOW HAS BASICALLY BEEN SHREDDED, THEN HOPE, THEN I THINK OUR CITY WOULD THEN COME BACK TO US AND SAY, THIS IS, THIS HAS BEEN HANDLED. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT REPORT. UM, MY, MY ONLY QUESTION IS AT SOME POINT THROUGH YOU TO THE CITY, IS WE'VE BEEN PILING A LOT OF VARIOUS ORDINANCE CHANGES ON THE, ON THE STAFF. SO I'M NOT SURE HOW QUICKLY THIS CAN COME, BUT, BUT I EXPECT AND HOPE THAT THIS IS, UH, NOT GONNA BE A, A ELONGATED OR VERY LENGTHY PROCESS BECAUSE OF THE STATE LEVEL WORK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE ON IT. SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WE, WE DO THIS SO THAT WE PREVENT IT SINCE IT'S ALREADY ILLEGAL. LET'S MAKE SURE WE CAN ENFORCE IT. SEEING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS POLICY ORDER. WE CAN GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, YOU'RE GOOD TO ADOPT. DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? 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 EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT POLICY. RULE NUMBER TWO IS ADOPTED. WE'RE GONNA GO TO POLICY RULE NUMBER FIVE, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SUPPORT AND ACT TO PROTECT MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC HEALTH FROM PAS. COUNCILOR NOLAN FILED THIS ALONG WITH COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER AND VICE COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YES. I JUST PULLED THIS VERY QUICKLY TO SAY, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE. WE'VE HEARD MORE AND MORE ABOUT THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF PFAS AND, AND THE RANGE OF WAYS IN WHICH WE NEED TO ADDRESS IT. AND JUST TO, TO SAY THAT I'M WORKING WITH THE STAFF TO SCHEDULE A HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AT SOME POINT TO TALK ABOUT THE RANGE OF WAYS THAT, THAT PFAS IS IN OUR CITY. IT'S NOT JUST IN OUR WATER SUPPLY, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT OUR, OUR, UH, SLUDGE AND OTHERS GET, UM, GET TREATED BY OTHERS. SO WE WILL BE HAVING THAT AT SOME POINT, JUST, BUT THAT THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STATE LEVEL BILL THAT, UM, IS HOPEFULLY MOVING FORWARD AND HOPEFULLY THE WHOLE COUNCIL CAN SUPPORT IT. ANY COMMENTS ON THIS POLICY ORDER? HEARING NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO ADOPT POLICY NUMBER FIVE. DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? UH, YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. SO WE'RE DONE WITH THE POLICY ORDERS. AND JUST AS A RECAP, THE POLICY ORDER NUMBERS, NUMBER ONE IN FOUR WERE REFERRED AND COUN TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE. RIGHT. IJ THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM MAYOR. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT ONE IN FOUR ARE BEING SENT TOGETHER. YES. AND YOU WILL HOLD A HEARING AND INVITE EVERYONE. I, I HOPE THAT YOU COME. YES, YES. I'LL BE THERE. . ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE DONE WITH THAT. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE [CALENDAR] CALENDAR. WE HAVE TAKEN CARE OF ITEM NUMBER TWO IN THE CALENDAR. WE STILL HAVE ITEM NUMBER ONE, AND THEN WE HAVE A FEW TABLED ITEMS. SO WE'LL GO TO CALENDAR. WE'LL GO TO THE CHARTER. RIGHT. NUMBER ONE THAT THE CITY MANAGERS REQUESTED TO CONFER WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAMS, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO DEVELOP A NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY ADDITIONS PLAN FOR THE AREAS OF THE CITY. PREVIOUSLY SERVED BY SHOTSPOTTER TECHNOLOGY. THIS, THE CHARTER RIGHT. WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. SO I'VE HAD, SORRY, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. 'CAUSE THERE'S FOLKS ON ZOOM WHO WON'T BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU. . THAT'S YOUR JOB. UH, I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY THROUGH THE TRIAL TO WRITE, TO REVIEW AND TALK TO A FEW PEOPLE ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES. ONE OFFERED BY MY, UM, COLLEAGUE, COUNSELOR, VICE MAYOR. SORRY TO INTERRUPT. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, WE'LL PAUSE YOUR TIME. CAN YOU HEAR COUNCILLOR SIMMONS THROUGH THE MIC? I CAN. THANK YOU. CONTINUE. THANK YOU. UH, AND, UM, I REVIEWED WHAT WAS OFFERED BY COUNSELORS, UH, SABRINA WHEELER AND ZUBIE, AND I'M FINE WITH THAT. AND IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION, I WOULD, I'M PREPARED TO MOVE IT FORWARD AS AMENDED. I DON'T, WHAT'S THE AMENDMENT? SO THE CLERK IS ASKING WHAT THE AMENDMENTS ARE. THEY'RE IN THE DOCUMENT THAT WOULD, AND WHEN THE TRY [03:20:01] TO WRITE WAS EXERCISED, IT WAS WITH THOSE AMENDMENTS. BUT I MEAN, I HAVE IT BE, IT'S IN MY NOTES, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE TO GIVE TO YOU. IT SHOULD BE IN THE AGENDA. SO WHAT'S BEFORE US IN THE PACKET IS THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER FROM LAST, FROM THE LAST MEETING. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. THAT'S WHAT I MOVED MY CHARTER RIGHT ON. WAS ON THE AMENDMENT POLICY ORDER. SO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, OTHER CO-SPONSORS. SO MADAM CHAIR, IF I MAY VOTE, UM, IN THE POLICY ORDER, THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT TO THE THIRD POLICY ORDER. THERE WAS A, THE THIRD RAZ RAZ, THANK YOU. AND THEN, UM, ORDERED. THE FIRST ORDERED, AND THEN IN ADDITION, THE LAST ORDERED. SO THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN ONE OF THOSE BELONGED TO COUNSELOR MCGOVERN, I CAN'T TELL YOU WHICH. OKAY. SO LET'S JUST, UM, MAKE SURE. IT WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO. SO I DON'T THINK, UM, NAOMI, YOU HAVE WHAT WAS PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED COUNCIL, I THINK TO THINK SABRINA WHEELER IS JUST CHECKING. AND THE, THE AMENDMENTS WERE ADOPTED, BUT WE'RE JUST DOUBLE CHECKING THAT THEY'RE IN THERE. OKAY. YEAH. 'CAUSE I HAVE, I CAN I HAVE TO READ IT TO YOU. I THINK WE GOT IT. THEM ADOPTED. AND THEN YOU EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER RIGHT. TO SEE IF EXACTLY. TO HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION. THAT'S HOW I CAN CALL IT. YES. YEAH. SO I THINK IF WE'RE IN THIS AS, UH, COUNCILOR SIMMONS SAID THERE WERE NO FURTHER AMENDMENTS TONIGHT, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THE AS AMENDED POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED VICE MAYOR, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? NO. OKAY. DOES ANYONE ELSE WANNA SAY ANYTHING? WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED. YES. AND DO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. 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. THAT POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED AS AMENDED. WE'LL GO TO [TABLED] THE TABLED ITEMS. THERE'S THREE TABLED ITEMS. WE NEED A MOTION TO TAKE ALL ITEMS OUT. MOVED ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO TAKE ITEMS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE OFF THE TABLE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MEZE. 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 EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE ITEMS ARE OFF THE TABLE. THE FIRST ITEM NUMBER THREE IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE CITY'S ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN. THIS WAS TABLED IN COUNCIL JUNE 1ST, 2026. WE'LL GO AHEAD ALSO, UM, AND TAKE IT OUT OF ORDER. UM, DO WE, DO WE NEED A ROLL CALL TO TAKE IT OUT OF NUMBER? WE HAVE NUMBER FIVE. I THINK WE CAN JUST DO IT AT THIS. WE CAN JUST DO FIVE AND THREE TOGETHER RIGHT NOW. THE FIVE IS THE ACTUAL, UM, ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN ORDINANCE CHANGES. SO THAT CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILOR SIMMONS AT THE, UM, JUNE 1ST MEETING, AND IT WAS TABLED IN THE COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 8TH. SO WE'LL JUST HAVE, WE'RE DOING THOSE TOGETHER. AND THEN WE WILL DISPOSE OF NUMBER FOUR. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UM, I DO WANNA THANK THE COUNCIL FOR TABLING THIS. SO I WOULD'VE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT IT. AS I NOTED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, I WAS, UH, ON PERHAPS A POORLY TIME, BUT AN INCREDIBLE VACATION IN THE MIDDLE OF A, A PLACE WHERE I LITERALLY HAD NO INTERNET ACCESS. THE FIRST COUNCIL MEETING I MISSED IN SIX YEARS. AND I WAS SO BU BECAUSE THE AIR WASTE MASTER PLAN IS THE CULMINATION OF TWO YEARS OF WORK BY THE CITY, BY THE COMMUNITY, AND BY THE COUNCIL. UM, SO I, I KNOW WE DISCUSSED THIS A LITTLE BIT BEFORE, BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH WE'RE WE'RE GOING OVER THIS, RIGHT? YEAH. COUNCILOR NOLAND, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD YOUR COMMUNICATION? YES, I WOULD. AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. YES. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO, RECORDED IS ABSENT, AND THAT COMMUNICATION FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS NUMBER TWO, IS, UH, BROUGHT FORWARD AS THE SUMMARY OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND ORDINANCE CHANGES UNDER DISCUSSION FOR THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN UPDATE FROM COUNCILOR NOLAN. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK [03:25:01] YOU, MAYOR. I KNOW THAT THE STAFF IS HERE AGAIN, WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME. THESE ARE, UM, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE ORDINANCE CHANGES BEING PRESENTED ARE EXACTLY WHAT, IN THE SHORT TERM PLAN FOR THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN 2.0. THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL AND VOTED UNANIMOUSLY ONE YEAR AGO IN JUNE OF 2025. AND THEN THE STAFF TOOK THAT PLAN AND HAS CHANGED INTO ORDINANCE LANGUAGE WHERE APPROPRIATE. SO TO REMIND ALL OF US, WE HAVE HAD SOME CONCERNS RAISED BY THE COMMUNITY. MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. I BELIEVE THAT THE STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING, UH, QUITE HARD TO ENSURE THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE RAISED QUESTIONS AND WHO CAN BE ASSURED OF CITY SUPPORT. BECAUSE WHILE THESE ARE THESE MEN, MOST OF THESE CHANGES ARE COMPLETELY, UM, UH, SENSIBLE CHANGES BASED ON, AGAIN, WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE. AND, AND TO REMIND PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNICATION. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, FOR REMINDING ME TO MOVE IT FORWARD. UH, WE HAD, UH, THE STAFF AND, AND I HAD REACHED OUT TO UNDERSTAND PARTICULARLY THE, THE SMALL BUSINESSES WHO WOULD BE IMPACTED BY THIS. AND THE TESTIMONIALS IN THIS SHOULD REALLY, UH, LEAD US, I THINK, ALL TO WANT TO ADOPT THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT, UH, BY, UM, SAM HILBERT FROM FORGE CAMBRIDGE ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS. ADAM BING FROM THE DUMPLING HOUSE. UM, CARL FANTASIA FROM NEW DEAL FISH MARKET, VALERIE SCHLOCK FROM BASIL TREE CATERING. UH, QUITE A LENGTHY STATEMENT FROM KERRY, CLOSER OF GRENDEL'S DEN RESTAURANT IN SEA. HAG TALKING ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT THE CHANGES THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE IN THEIR RESTAURANTS ARE ACTUALLY HELPING THEM, HELPING WITH RODENT CONTROL, HELPING CONTROL COSTS, HELPING THEM WITH THEIR OPERATIONS. SO THAT, AGAIN, THESE CHANGES, UH, MANY OF THEM ARE ALREADY IN PLACE IN SOME PARTS OF THE CITY, BUT WE ARE CODIFYING THEM IN, IN, I THINK, REALLY IMPORTANT WAYS. AND THERE'S ALSO, IN THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS THAT LED TO THESE, TO, TO THE DISCUSSION OF THESE CHANGES. THE, FOR INSTANCE, THE, THE SKIP, THE STUFF, LIKE THE, THE LAST THING YOU WANNA DO WHEN YOU BRING HOME YOUR TAKEOUT FROM A RESTAURANT IS TO SAY, OH MY GOSH, I HAVE THE, THE, UH, THE 25TH PACKET OF THE FORK THAT HAS BEEN DUMPED INTO THIS THAT I DIDN'T EVEN WANT. AND IT JUST HELPS BUSINESSES SAVE MONEY. AND ALSO, UH, OUR RESIDENTS SEND THE MESSAGE THAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO AT LEAST THAT LITTLE BIT THAT WE CAN FOR, UM, FOR REDUCING PLASTIC USE. I WILL STATE, FOR THE RECORD, I WOULD'VE GONE WAY FURTHER IN THIS IF I HAD, IF I HAD HAD A MAGIC WAND AND COULD SAY, YES, LET'S MAKE THESE CHANGES. SO THESE CHANGES TO ME ARE THE, UM, QUITE MINIMAL COMPARED TO WHAT I PERSONALLY WOULD HAVE APPROVED. I WOULD GO MUCH FURTHER ALONG, MUCH FASTER ALONG, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE MOVING IN A WAY THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY. AND ALSO TO REMIND PEOPLE IF WE PASS THIS, THESE ORDINANCES TO A SECOND READING TONIGHT, WHICH I VERY MUCH HOPE WE DO, UM, THAT THEY WILL NOT BE ORDAINED UNTIL, THEY COULD NOT BE ORDAINED UNTIL THE SUMMER MEETING. SO THERE'LL BE FIVE WEEKS OF, OF TIME TO ABSORB IT. AND THEY WON'T EVEN TAKE EFFECT UNTIL SIX MONTHS AFTER. UH, THEY HAVE BEEN ORDAINED. AND THE STAFF HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT SAYING, WE ARE GONNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME OVER THE NEXT WHILE ENSURING THAT ALL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENCES WHO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS, WHO WANT SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY FOR THE BUSINESSES, REALLY WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS YOU GOTTA HAVE A, A SOLID WASTE PLAN FOR YOUR BUILDING. WE WANT THAT FOR OUR LARGE BUILDINGS. AND IT'S, BUT IT'S NOT ONEROUS. IT'S NOT GONNA BE DUPLICATIVE. IF YOU'RE ALREADY REPORTING ON ONE, UM, FORM THAT THE CITY HAS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO REPORT IT AGAIN. SO THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT WERE RAISED DURING THIS PROCESS OF THE COMMUNITY COMING FORWARD AND RAISING QUESTIONS THAT I THINK HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. AND I THINK AT THIS POINT, MANY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE BENEFIT TO THE CITY OF THIS. AND I, UM, VERY MUCH HOPE THAT, UM, SOME OF THE CONCERNS HAVE BEEN RAISED THE, AGAIN, FULL COMPLIMENT OF STAFF THIS YEAR. I REALLY, UM, SALUTE COMMISSIONER NAONE AND DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR WORKING ON THIS. AND OF COURSE, DCM WATKINS, WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE FROM DAY ONE. AND AGAIN, I WOULD'VE GONE MUCH FURTHER. BUT I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD. WE'VE GOTTEN LOTS AND LOTS OF EMAILS FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO'VE WORKED ON THIS, URGING US TO PASS THIS. UM, SO I WILL, I WILL STOP THERE AND HOPE THAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO READ THE COMMUNICATIONS. COUNCILOR NOLAN YIELDS PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL, COMMENTS ON ZERO WASTE PLEA PLAN. ANYONE, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. AND THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, I, I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE THAT ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, UM, UNDERSTAND THIS. AND, YOU KNOW, CONCEPTUALLY, I, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYONE THAT REALLY DISAGREES WITH IT, BUT I THINK THAT THE, UH, ENFORCEMENT PART OF IT AND THE, UH, THE PASSING ON OF OBLIGATIONS TO PEOPLE WHO MANAGE MULTI-UNIT, UM, HOUSING, UM, APARTMENT BUILDINGS, AND LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IS AND HOW THEY CAN ENFORCE INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN THE BUILDINGS THAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE TO MANAGE TO COMPLY WITH THE ORDINANCE. AND IF THEY CAN'T GET THOSE PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS TO CON, TO CONFORM THEIR CONDUCT TO THE ORDINANCE, ARE THEY RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS [03:30:01] FAILING TO DO WHAT'S REQUIRED OF THEM? SO I, I THINK THERE IS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW, AN AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT THAT IS, THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, DISCONNECT THERE, OR, UH, MAYBE THERE'S AN ENFORCEMENT ISSUE OR SOME GRAY AREA, MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL TIME THAT'S NEEDED. BUT I'M, I'M NOT CERTAIN THAT IT'S, IT'S A, UM, IT, IT'S A, IT'S AN ORDINANCE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS AND IS WILLING TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF IT INITIALLY. SO WHATEVER YOUR THOUGHTS ARE, I'M HAPPY TO LISTEN TO THEM. THANK YOU. UH, THREE, MADAM MAYOR. UH, SO COUNCILOR, UH, WE, I MEAN, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS HERE IS GETTING ZERO WASTE MASTER PLANS FOR OUR LARGER BUSINESSES, OUR LARGER BUILDINGS. AND THAT WILL ALLOW US TO ACTUALLY TALK WITH SOME OF THESE LARGE PROPERTY OWNERS, WHICH WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO IN THE PAST. WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO LIKE THE 13 FAMILY BUILDINGS, WE ACTUALLY HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THAT. RIGHT. AND I KNOW A LOT OF THE, A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE GOTTEN ARE THE SAME ONES THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN IS LIKE, THIS ENFORCEMENT IS GONNA KILL US. I, I THINK AS COUNCIL NOLAN MENTIONED, ONCE THIS IS ADOPTED, IT WOULDN'T TAKE EFFECT FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS. AND THEN WE DON'T ANTICIPATE DOING ANY ENFORCEMENT FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER SIX MONTHS. SO THAT'S A YEAR'S WORTH OF REALLY EDUCATING WHOEVER NEEDS TO BE EDUCATED ON THIS. AND THEN EVEN AFTER THAT YEAR, WE HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD INSPECTORS AT THIS POINT THAT ARE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, UH, PARTICULARLY WITH PROPERTY OWNERS THAT WE CAN GET IN, IN TOUCH WITH. AND THEY'RE ALL ABOUT EDUCATING PEOPLE. IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T HELP US AT ALL TO JUST FIND PEOPLE LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING ENVIRONMENTALLY. WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN IT COMES FINANCIALLY TO MAKING SURE THAT SOLID WASTE IS GOING IN THE RIGHT CONTAINERS, AND THAT WE CAN, WE CAN HANDLE IT THAT THE RIGHT WAY. SO THIS, FOR US, IT IS ALMOST ALL ABOUT EDUCATION. IS IT EVER GONNA GET TO ENFORCEMENT? YEAH. IF WE HAVE A LARGE PROPERTY THAT CONTINUES TO JUST PUSH BACK AGAINST US AFTER EVERYTHING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM AND HELP THEM TO MAKE THIS BETTER FOR THEM, THEN IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA END UP IN ENFORCEMENT. BUT I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING FOR A REALLY LONG TIME AFTER THIS GETS, HOPEFULLY ORDAINED. SO, MADAM MAYOR, FOR YOU, I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT, COMMISSIONER, I CONTINUE TO BE IMPRESSED BY YOU. AND I JUST HAVE, I, AND I, I HOPE THAT EVERYBODY HEARS YOU SAY THAT, AND THAT MESSAGE IS RECEIVED IN THE WAY THAT IT'S MEANT TO BE RECEIVED WITH DIGNITY AND GRACE AND IN A SPIRIT OF COOPERATION. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. K SUZI, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I FULLY SUPPORT THIS. UM, AND AGAIN, IT IS ABOUT, I, I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GIVING PEOPLE TIME TO ADAPT TO IT. UH, IT IS, YOU WILL BE PROVIDING EDUCATION, AND ULTIMATELY IT'LL SAVE US MONEY. IT'LL HELP US SOLVE OUR RODENT ISSUE. IT'LL HELP US REDUCE OUR WASTE, AND IT'LL HELP US, UM, ACHIEVE OUR 2050 GOALS. SO, I, UM, GREAT WORK. THANK YOU. I YIELD OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS. I'LL JUST SAY I AGREE WITH, UH, EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID, AND ESPECIALLY I THINK THE EDUCATION PIECE AND THEN THE TIMING PIECE. AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SIX MONTHS. UM, AND THEN AFTER THAT, IF THERE'S HARDSHIPS, YOU'LL CONSIDER IT. SO I THINK THOSE ARE IMPORTANT POINTS. UH, AND SO THE, WHAT COUNSELOR NOLAN, THE COMMUNICATION WAS REALLY HELPFUL AS A GOOD REMINDER. AND SO, COUNCILOR NOLAN, I'LL LET YOU DO THE HONORS. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. I THINK THE WORDING WOULD BE TO, I GUESS IT, TO MOVE THE ORDINANCE PROPOSED BY THE CITY MANAGER FOR, UH, TO A SECOND READING. EXACTLY. SO ON THAT MOTION, COUNCILOR ZUBI, ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND TWO RECORDED IS ABSENT. WE MOVED THIS, THIS, THESE CHANGES TO THE SECOND READING. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEAH. AND THEN TO, TO, DO WE JUST ACCEPT THE YES. COMMUNICATION. AND IS THERE ANY OTHER VOTES TO TAKE OR, OR WE'LL GO AHEAD AND YOU GONNA ADOPT ADOPT NUMBER FIVE? YEAH, WE WILL. YEAH. WE MOVED, WE ADOPTED THEM AND, AND MOVED HIS SECOND READING. THAT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING. YEAH. OF THE MOTION. OKAY. AND NOW IT WOULD BE TO FILE PLACE MATTER. FILE PLACE, THE COMMUNICATION ON FILE, PLACE, ALL THE MATTERS ON FILE PLACE NUMBER THREE ON FILE, WHICH IS THE COMMUNICATION COUNCILOR ZUBE, [03:35:01] ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND TWO RECORDED IS ABSENT. THAT COMMUNICATION HAS BEEN PLACED ON FILE. WE'RE ON TO THE TABLE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR. THIS WAS A COMMUNICATION FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAITING REPORT, ITEM NUMBER 26 DASH 25, REGARDING A REPORT AND HOW THE DECISION TO INSTALL ARTIFICIAL TURF WAS MADE. IF FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS ON IT, THEY CAN ASK. OTHERWISE WE CAN GO AHEAD AND PLACE THAT COMMUNICATION ON FILE. THE CITY DID COMMUNICATE ON THIS, UM, VIA A EMAIL TO THE CITY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS ALSO PUBLISHED WIDELY AROUND THE DECISION. AND AS THE STUDENTS WHO CAME TODAY, THE CARD WAS MADE AROUND THE CITY'S DECISION ON THIS TO NOT INSTALL ARTIFICIAL TURF. I THINK THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS, MAYBE, I THINK JUST TO, PEOPLE HAVE ASKED. OKAY. THAT ALLOCATION THAT'LL BE USED FOR, I THINK YOU SAID DANNY, HE PARK, UM, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. YEAH. SO WE HAD THE FUNDING THAT WAS GONNA BE USED FOR SOME OF THE IMPROVEMENTS AT A HEARN, UM, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE LIGHTING. SO THE INTENT HAD BEEN TO DO THE TURF FIELD AND ATHLETIC LIGHTING, WHICH WOULD ALLOWED MORE USE OF THAT FIELD SINCE IT'S NOT GONNA BE, UM, TURF FIELD. WE WOULD USE THAT FUNDING AND SUPPORT ADDITIONAL LIGHTING AT DANEE, AND THAT WOULD ALLOW ADDITIONAL USAGE OF SOME OF THE EXISTING TURF FIELDS AT DANEE WITHOUT SORT OF ANY EXPANSION OF TURF, UM, OR ANY OTHER SIGNIFICANT CONSTRUCTION, BUT WITH LIGHTING COULD DO ADDITIONAL USE OF THOSE TURF FIELDS AT DANEE. DO FOLKS HAVE ANY COMMENTS? UH, AND THROUGH YOU, MAYOR, JUST, UH, I THINK WOULD SAY, UH, APPRECIATE EVERYBODY THAT CAME OUT. AND I THINK THIS IS A REALLY ROBUST CONVERSATION. UM, AND SO I THINK WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE DECISION, BUT JUST WANTED TO, UH, TO BE GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE AND ALL THE PARTICIPATION, UH, THAT WE SAW OVER THE LAST WEEKS'S. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND HEARING FROM NO ONE ELSE, UH, PLACE THIS COMMUNICATION ON THIS REPORT ON FILE INTO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT? YES. OH, YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. MADAM CHAIR? YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. QUITE A PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO AFFIRM, I WOULD LIKE TO BE RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ON THE PREVIOUS VOTES TAKEN. I COULDN'T GET ONLINE FAST ENOUGH. OKAY. SO, COUNSELOR, UH, SIMMONS WILL BE RECORDED AS A YES ON THE PRIOR VOTES. AND DO WE NEED A ROLL CALL ON THAT? YES. AND SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. OKAY. COUNSELOR ZUBI. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. 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 THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. SO, COUNSELOR SIMMONS HAS BEEN RECORDED. SO ALL THOSE ITEMS ARE MOVED OFF THE TABLE. AND JUST TO, UH, REPEAT THE, WE HAD A COMMUNICATION THAT HAD, UM, THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THIS, THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN, AND THAT COMMUNICATION WAS PLACED ON FILE. THERE WAS ALSO A POLICY ORDER WITH THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE CHANGES THAT WAS MOVED, THAT WAS ADOPTED, AND MOVED TO THE SECOND, SECOND READING THE ORDER IN WHICH THIS APPEARED ON OUR CALENDAR. IT WAS 4 3 4 5. WE TOOK HIM OUT OF ORDER, BUT IT'S ALL, UM, BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. SO WE'LL MOVE ON. WE HAVE ONE APPLICATION [APPLICATIONS] AND PETITION PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO ADOPT THAT APPLICATION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. [03:40:01] YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE APPLICATION. NUMBER ONE WAS ADOPTED. WE MOVE ON TO THE COMMUNICATIONS. [COMMUNICATIONS] THERE. WERE ABOUT 176 COMMUNICATIONS MOVE TO PLACE ON FILE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO PLACE ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. 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. ALL OF THOSE COMMUNICATIONS HAVE BEEN PLACED ON FILE. WE HAVE [RESOLUTIONS] ONE RESOLUTION, I'LL JUST BRIEFLY SPEAK TO IT. UH, AND THEN I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN. UH, THIS IS FOR SUZANNE RASMUSSEN, DEPUTY CLIMATE CHIEF, UM, OFFICER IN THE, UH, OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY. SHE'S RETIRING THIS MONTH. THERE'S A PARTY FOR HER. UM, UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT MAKE THAT PARTY, BUT COUNCILLOR NOLAN WILL BE READING, UH, THIS ON BEHALF OF, UH, EVERYONE. UH, AND JUST WANNA THANK, UH, SUZANNE FOR HER MANY, MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CITY. UM, SHE'S DONE AMAZING WORK. UH, SHE'S SPEARHEADED, UH, A LOT OF INITIATIVES, UH, SO MANY TO NAME. UH, SHE'S JUST RECENTLY GOT, UH, THE BRIAN MURPHY LEADERSHIP IN THE WORKPLACE AND PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD, UM, LAST YEAR. AND, UH, SHE'S JUST DONE, UH, A LOT OF GREAT WORK. SO I WANNA JUST THANK HER AND WISH HER AN AMAZING RETIREMENT. IT'S AMAZING. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. I WILL SPEAK MORE WHEN I GO TO IT, BUT AMAZING WORK. WONDERFUL LEADER. AND ALSO UNDERSTATED AND ALL, AND QUITE SURE THAT EVEN WHEN I WAS NAGGING HER AND URGING HER ABOUT THINGS, SOMETIMES SHE WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SAY, OH, YES, SHE WOULD COME BACK WITH THE DATA AND THE INFORMATION TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS A THOUGHTFUL DECISION. I JUST WANTED TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR FOR THE RESOLUTION. DEFINITELY KOR ZUI. UH, SHOULDN'T WE ALL BE CO-SPONSORS? WE'LL BE ALL UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. YES. LET'S DO THAT. THIS ONE, NUMBER TWO. YEAH. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU. YES. I, I'M HOPING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE, UM, THE EVENT AS WELL. BUT, UM, WHEN I, DURING MY TERM AS MAYOR, I GOT INVITED OVER TO BELGIUM, TO THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND TO SPEAK ABOUT, THEY INVITED TWO MAYORS, UM, FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO SPEAK ABOUT WHAT CITIES ARE DOING TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE. UM, AND SUZANNE CAME WITH ME AND THANK GOD . UM, SHE, SHE DRILLED ME ON. UH, SO WHEN I GOT UP TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF ALL THESE FOLKS, I DIDN'T MAKE A FOOL OUTTA MYSELF. UM, I MEAN, I STILL MAY HAVE, BUT IT WASN'T, UH, SHE AT LEAST, UH, REDUCED THAT CHANCE. SO, UM, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE BELGIUM, SUZANNE, SO, , THANK YOU, . THAT'S, THAT'S SPECIAL. WELL, WE'LL GO AHEAD, UM, AND ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. I'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. 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 AT RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. WE'LL GO ON. THERE'S NO COMMITTEE REPORTS. WE'RE ONTO COMMUNICATIONS [COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS] AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. WE'RE, UH, WE'LL DISPOSE OF TWO. I'M JUST GONNA BRIEFLY PULL FOUR. UH, BUT WE CAN GO AHEAD. IS THERE ANYONE SET? I'LL PULL FIVE, NUMBER FIVE AND FOUR. AND WE'LL DO, GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON COMMITTEE REPORTS, COMMUNICATION REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS, ONE AND THREE. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IN THE NEXT IS ABSENT, I'M SORRY. THOSE, UH, COMMITTEE REPORT COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS ARE PLACED ON FILE WILL GO TO NUMBER FOUR, WHICH IS A COMMUNICATION FROM ME TRANSMITTING A MEMORANDUM REGARDING THE FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL YEAR IN REVIEW. JUST WANTED TO BRIEFLY PULL THIS. THIS IS A BODY THAT I CHAIR, UM, AND, UH, THIS, UH, THEY MEET SIX TIMES A YEAR. UM, AND IT'S INCLUDES THE YOUTH COUNCIL. AND SO, UH, WE WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH YOUTH COUNCIL. SO I WANTED TO, UH, AND THIS IS ALSO INCLUDES, UH, [03:45:01] COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER AS A MEMBER. SO THANK YOU. UM, AND INCLUDES JUST SOME UPDATES ON WHAT, UH, THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN WORKING ON AND, YOU KNOW, PLANS TO WORK ON. UH, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT. SO IT'S, IT WAS A, UM, GOOD YEAR WITH THE YOUTH COUNCIL AND, UH, THE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE, WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS AGENCIES, VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, UM, THE SCHOOLS, UM, OUR HOUSING AUTHORITY. SO IT'S A BIG GROUP THAT COMES TOGETHER. UH, AND I KNOW, UM, SOME OF YOU ALL HAVE, UM, COME, THE BIGGEST THING THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR WAS THAT THERE'S A CAMBRIDGE CARING ADULT 1 0 1 GUIDE, UM, WHICH IS BEING SHARED WITH DEPARTMENTS, SCHOOLS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. I CAN CERTAINLY SEND IT TO THE CITY COUNCIL. UM, UH, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY ABOUT HOW WE ENSURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE A CONSISTENT AND CARING, UH, ADULT OUTSIDE OF THEIR FAMILY WHO THEY CAN BUILD TRUST WITH, UH, AND SO FORTH. SO, PLEASE DO CHECK THAT GUIDE OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT. AND I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ALL GET A COPY. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND, UH, DO A ROLL CALL ON PLACING THIS COMMUNICATION ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZEIN. YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU, UH, HAVE EIGHT MINUTES RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THAT'S MATTER. NUMBER FOUR IS PLACED ON FILE GOING ON TO PAUSE THE, THE COMMUNICATION REPORT FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. NUMBER FIVE, FROM COUNCILOR FLAHERTY RELATIVE TO THE COUNCIL ORDER PO 20 26 1 15. AND THE DISC DISC CANO CONTINUATION OF SHOT SPOTTER TECHNOLOGY, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. SO, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, AND THIS IS NOT A SUBSTANTIVE ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT OF SHOTS BARTER, WE'VE HEARD THE SUBSTANTIVE ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST SHOTS BARTER, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE I AM. I THINK IT'S A GOOD LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL, BUT THIS IS PROCEDURALLY, UH, THIS COUNCIL IS OBLIGATED TO FOLLOW ORDINANCES. AND THE ORDINANCE IN THIS CASE WAS NOT FOLLOWED. UH, THAT'S WHY I'VE DRAFTED THIS COMMUNICATION. THAT'S WHY I WANT TO BE ON RECORD, UH, STATING THAT IN MY VIEW, THIS VOTE WAS INVALID. THE ORDINANCE IS CLEAR, IT'S SPECIFIC, IT'S UNAMBIGUOUS, AND IT HAS REQUIREMENTS. AND THE REQUIREMENTS ARE THAT THERE MUST BE BY THE COUNCIL A REVIEW OF THE ANNUAL SURVEILLANCE REPORT. THERE MUST BE A, UM, A, A, UM, DETERMINATION MADE WHETHER THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE COSTS OF ANY SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY, WHETHER THERE ARE REASONABLE SAFE SAFEGUARDS WHICH EXIST, UH, TO, UM, ALLEVIATE ANY CIVIL RIGHTS CONCERNS. AND, UM, THEN THERE'D BE THREE REQUIRED OPTIONS, UH, UH, RECOMMENDING MODIFICATIONS, REQUESTING A REPORT OF VOTING TO DISPROVE, DISCONTINUE THE USE OF THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. HERE, THE COUNCIL JUST, UH, CIRCUMVENTED THE ORDINANCE. AND, UH, SHOTS SPOTTER WAS REMOVED, UH, BASED UPON A HYPOTHETICAL THEORY THAT BECAUSE OF THE FEDERAL AGENCY'S, UM, POTENTIAL ABILITY TO ACCESS LIMITED ACOUSTIC INFORMATION, THAT THAT INFORMATION COULD BE USED TO, UM, ENDANGER UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. IT'S HYPOTHETICAL. UH, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES. UM, IT'S A LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL THAT, UH, SERVES A REAL BASIS. A A REAL HAS A REAL FUNCTION, UM, WHICH IS NOT HYPOTHETICAL. AND WE HEARD FROM COMMISSIONER WELLS, THERE WERE 11 INSTANCES OF GUNFIRE IN CAMBRIDGE, UH, WHERE 9 1 1 WASN'T CALLED JUST FROM THE GRACE OF GOD. NOBODY WAS INJURED AND BLEEDING OUT, AND THE POLICE WERE NOT SUMMONED BY AN ALERT FROM SHOTS BARTER. SO FOR ALL THOSE REASONS, UM, AND BECAUSE THE ORDINANCE WAS NOT FOLLOWED, UH, I'M SUBMITTING THIS COMMUNICATION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A VERY SIMPLE FACT OF STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION. PLAIN AND ORDINARY MEANING OF THE LANGUAGE MEANS THAT THE PLAIN AND ORDINARY MEANING OF THE LANGUAGE SHOULD BE FOLLOWED. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IF THIS WERE REVIEWED BY AN APPELLATE COURT, UM, IT WOULD BE OVERTURNED. BUT, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE, UH, MY [03:50:01] GOAL IN THIS. I'M CERTAINLY NOT GONNA SUE MYSELF AS A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. SO, UM, I'LL JUST GO ON RECORD SAYING THAT I BELIEVE THIS IS INVALID. SO I YIELD, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY YIELDS. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND THEN COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MAYOR DEACON, THROUGH YOU. I, I RESPECT, UH, MY COLLEAGUES' COMMUNICATION, AND AM ALWAYS IN FAVOR OF, UH, FOLKS LAYING OUT AND, AND DISCUSSING HOW IT IS THAT THEY SEE THINGS. I WILL NOTE THAT I SEE IT DIFFERENTLY. I SEE THE CITY COUNCIL HAVING FOLLOWED THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE BY HAVING, MAKING A SPECIFIC DETERMINATION. WE HAD SEVERAL MEETINGS ABOUT IT. SO IN, IN MY VIEW, IN, UH, DECIDING AND DELIBERATING WHETHER TO, AND THE USE OF THIS VERY SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY, WHICH HAD CONCERNS RAISED BY A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, PART NOTABLY THE A CLU AND SOME OTHERS. I SAID AT THE TIME, I'M OPEN TO TECHNOLOGY, UM, WHICH WE DISCUSSED EARLIER. IF THERE WAS ONE THAT DID NOT RAISE THOSE CONCERNS, THAT HAD BENEFITS WITHOUT THE, UM, THE DOWNSIDE, I'D CERTAINLY BE OPEN TO IT. BUT IN, IN MY VIEW, WE FOLLOWED THE ORDINANCE BY HAVING A DELIBERATIVE PROCESS TO DISCUSS HOW IT IS THAT THERE ARE BENEFITS OR, UM, OTHER CONCERNS THAT WERE OUTWEIGHED. AND SO THAT, THAT IS HOW I VOTED. I, I UNDERSTAND THAT IS INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY, PERHAPS BY, BY MY COLLEAGUE, BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY HOW I VOTED IN LINE WITH, UH, THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE, OF THE ORDINANCE. AND I STAND BY THAT. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILOR COVER. UH, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. YEAH. I'M NOT GOING TO DEBATE THE ISSUE OF SHOTS SHOT SPOTTER AGAIN, BUT, UM, AND I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY, BUT THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A CITY SOLICITOR. AND WE ASKED THE CITY SOLICITOR IF THE VOTE WAS LEGAL AND THE CITY SOLICITOR SAID YES. SO I APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES, UM, DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE LEGAL VOTES. THAT'S GOOD. WE SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE LEGAL VOTES. AND I KNOW IN THE LAW THERE CAN BE DISAGREEMENTS, BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE THINKING THAT THE COUNCIL DID NOT ASK FOR A LEGAL OPINION BEFORE TAKING THIS VOTE. WE DID, AND OUR SOLICITOR SAID THE VOTE WAS LEGAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ANYONE ELSE BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND PLACE THIS ON FILE? HEARING NONE WILL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL AND PLACE COMMUNICATION FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. NUMBER FIVE ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT CO VICE MAYOR ZE? 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 EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THAT ITEM WAS PLACED ON FILE. WE NOW GO ON [LATE AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING SUSPENSION OF THE RULES PER RULE 36A] TWO RESOLUTIONS. WE HAVE TWO LATE RESOLUTIONS. WE NEED TO SUSPEND THE RULES. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON SUSPENDING THE RULES TO ALLOW THOSE TWO RE RESOLUTIONS TO COME FORWARD. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. 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 RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. SO THOSE TWO LATE RESOLUTIONS, THIS IS A CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SIERRAS BOYS BASEBALL TEAM FOR HISTORIC SEASON. AND THIS IS CELEBRATING THE CAMBRIDGE ARLINGTON SEVENTH, EIGHTH GRADE BOYS MASSACHUSETTS YOUTH LACROSSE DIVISION. UH, TWO SELECT CHAMPIONSHIPS. SO ONE WAS FILED, THE FIRST ONE WAS COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THE SECOND WAS WAS COUNCILLOR ZI. WOULD EITHER OF YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS? WE'LL GO TO THE FIRST ONE, COUNSELOR. UH, WE WILL GO TO THE FIRST ONE, WHICH WAS COUNCILOR FLAHERTY'S, UH, WHICH WAS ON THE BASEBALL TEAM. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO, UM, UH, INCLUDE COUNCILOR SIMMONS AS A CO-SPONSOR, UM, ON THIS. BUT WE COULD DO THAT AT THE END. SO I'D LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT IT. THE, THIS WAS THE BEST OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, I CONGRATULATE THIS TEAM NOT BECAUSE OF THEIR PLAY, WHICH WAS EXCEPTIONAL, BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR COMPETITIVE NATURE, THEIR COMRADERY, THEIR SPIRIT, AND WHAT THEY BROUGHT TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. THIS WAS REMARKABLE. THIS WAS THE BEST SEASON IN THE HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGE BASEBALL, WHICH IS QUITE A STATEMENT TO MAKE. AND, AND THESE BOYS WHO PLAYED IN THIS TEAM, THEY WERE 17 TO TWO IN THE REGULAR SEASON, AND I THINK 23 AND TWO OR THREE OVERALL WERE REMARKABLE. UH, IT, AND I HOPE THAT EVERYBODY GET A CHANCE TO SEE THEM PLAY. UH, BUT THEY, UM, IN THE TOURNAMENT, THEY BEAT LINCOLN SUDBURY, AND THEN THEY PLAYED NATICK AT ST. PETERSFIELD. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, AND IT WAS A NAILBITER, IT [03:55:01] WAS A TREMENDOUS CROWD. AND, UM, STEFAN'S FATHER WAS HERE EARLIER TONIGHT. HE, HE MADE, UH, STATEMENTS AT PUBLIC COMMENT. STEFAN ALEXANDRA PLAYED AN OUTSTANDING GAME. UM, OLIVER HANKY HIT TWO HOME RUNS, OVER THE FENCE IN ST. PETER'S FIELD, WHICH IS REMARKABLE. THE FIRST TWO HOME RUNS HE HIT ALL YEAR. UH, AND, AND THEY CAME FROM BEHIND AND BEAT NATICK, UM, WITH, UH, ARI MAAM, UH, GETTING A BASE HIT IN THE TOP OF THE SIXTH, AND THEN SCORING TO TIE THE GAME. AND THEN, UH, JOE ROJAS CRUZ, UH, HITTING A TWO RUN DOUBLE TO PUT THEM AHEAD. AND THEN THEY, AFTER WINNING THAT GAME, UH, THEY ADVANCED, THEY WERE THE NUMBER EIGHT SEED GOING IN TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT. THEY WENT TO MOAN PARK, UH, NAMED AFTER FATHER MOAN AT BC HIGH, MY ALMA MATER, TO PLAY THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE STATE. AND I HAVE TO TELL THIS STORY BECAUSE IT WAS REMARKABLE. ONE OF MY VERY BEST FRIENDS IN LIFE WHO PLAYED BASEBALL AT HARVARD, UH, HE'S A KID FROM SOUTH BOSTON. HIS NAME IS EDDIE TOLLEN. I'M GONNA GET TO IT. I'M GONNA GET TO IT. AND EDDIE IS AN ASSISTANT COACH AT BBC HIGH. HE GAVE ME A BBC HIGH HAT WHEN I OFFERED HIM GOOD LUCK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME. AND HE SAID, I WANT YOU TO WEAR THIS AT THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY AFTER WE WIN. AND I SAID, HOLD THE PHONE, EDDIE. THESE GUYS FROM CAMBRIDGE ARE NOT GONNA FLINCH. AND ALL HANKY PITCHED THE GAME OF HIS LIFE AGAINST THE BEST TEAM IN CA IN THE, IN THE STATE. AND THEY BEAT HIM FIVE TO ONE. AND THEN THEY WENT TO LYNN AND ULTIMATELY SUCCUMBEDED TO CATHOLIC MEMORIAL, WHICH WERE, WHICH WAS AN OUTSTANDING TEAM. BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THESE GUYS WERE UNBELIEVABLE. THEY WERE FANTASTIC. THEY PLAYED TOGETHER. THEY LOVED ONE ANOTHER. THEY LOVED CAMBRIDGE, AND THEY LOVED THE GAME OF BASEBALL. AND THIS WAS SOMETHING TO SEE. SO I'LL ONLY MAKE THIS ONE LAST COMMENT BEFORE I LEAVE YOU PEOPLE. I RAN INTO LINUS HANKY, WHO'S OLIVER'S YOUNGER BROTHER AT THE Y BEFORE THE MEETING TONIGHT. AND I SAID, LINUS, AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS? AND LINUS SAYS, KNOWS WHAT? I SAID, THAT YOU ARE BETTER THAN YOUR BROTHER OLIVER. AND LINUS SAID, NO, THERE'S ONE OTHER PERSON WHO, WHO KNOWS. AND I, I SAID, WHO'S THAT? AND HE SAID, ME. SO IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO WATCH THIS TEAM GOING FORWARD, DON'T MISS THE CAMBRIDGE AND LATIN BASEBALL TEAM NEXT YEAR AND YEARS, HENCE, BECAUSE THEY ARE UNBELIEVABLE. SO I YIELD, BUT I WANT TO THANK THEM SO MUCH FOR BEING THE TEAM THAT THEY WERE. AND PLEASE, UH, INCLUDE COUNCILOR SIMMONS AS A, UH, AS A CO-SPONSOR, CO-SPONSOR SOLUTION. SO WE'LL ALL BE ADDED SOLUTION. ADD EVERYONE, CO-SPONSORS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUZI ON YOUR RE LATE RESOLUTION. YES. WELL, I, I WASN'T AT THIS GAME, BUT, UH, AGAIN, OUR CAMBRIDGE KIDS, UH, CAMBRIDGE, ARLINGTON SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE BOYS COMPETED IN THE MASS YOUTH LACROSSE DIVISION TWO CHAMPIONSHIP. AND THEY WON A DECISIVE 10 TO FOUR VICTORY. AND AGAIN, I, UM, CONGRATULATE THEM AND THEIR COACHES, THEIR FAMILIES, AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS FOR THEIR DEDICATION, EFFORT, AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT THAT MADE THIS ACHIEVEMENT POSSIBLE. AND WE NEED TO TWEAK THIS POLICY ORDER A LITTLE BIT. 'CAUSE THE LAST TWO WHEREASES SHOULD BE RESOLVED. BUT CAN WE DO THAT? DO WE NEED, DO WE HAVE TO AMEND THE POLICY ORDER? YEAH, WE'LL JUST FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. YES. SO LET'S CHANGE THIS TO RESOLVED AND, UM, UH, KUDOS TO OUR, TO OUR HOME TEAM. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. TWO LAST, UH, NEED TO JUST BE CHANGED. UM, TO RESOLVED. YEAH. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO SQUEEZE THIS IN 'CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE, NOT QUITE ON TOPIC, BUT ALSO A CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GIRLS VARSITY, ULTIMATE FRISBEE TEAM WHO WENT OUT TO, NOT, NOT WASHINGTON, DC WHAT'S THE OTHER ONE UP THERE? WHERE? SALEM, OREGON. OREGON. OREGON. SORRY. . UM, AND I RANKED 13TH IN THE COUNTRY. WOW. RIGHT HERE IN . SO, WOW. CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM AS WELL. IT'S RELATED TO CROSS. I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE A RESOLUTION FOR, BUT I KNOW MY DAUGHTER KILL ME. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THESE, UH, RESOLUTIONS. AND THEY'RE GONNA BE UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION, SO WE'LL ALL CO-SPONSORING 'EM. AND SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. EXCUSE ME, MADAM MAYOR. YES. QUICK QUESTION. WE NEED TO TAKE THE AMENDMENT UP, WHICH IS COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR ZUI AND CO. NO, IT'S A, THE AMENDMENT WAS ADDING COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILLOR ZUI. THE LAST TWO HAD TO BE RESOLVED. YES. YES. [04:00:02] THAT'S, THAT'S A TYPO. DO WE, DO YOU WANT US TO, THAT'S SO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IS SAYING THAT SHE WANTS TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR TO THE FIRST ONE. AND JUST TO CLAR CLARIFY, WE ALL GET ON THESE RESOLUTIONS, BUT IF YOU ASKED TO BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR, YOU GET TO BE NUMBER TWO AND THAT'S WHY SHE'S BEING ASKED TO ADDED. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. 'CAUSE SHE WANTS TO BE THE SECOND PERSON ON THE RESOLUTION. OKAY. AND THEN WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE IT UNANIM, ADOPT THE AMENDED RESOLUTION. LET'S DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YEP. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. AND NOW ON THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT THAT RATE, RELU RATE, LATE RESOLUTION HAS BEEN ADOPTED. WE HAVE COUNCILOR ZUI RESOLUTION ON YOUTH CAMBRIDGE YOUTH RE CROSS. AND THERE WAS JUST TWO TYPOS THAT THE CLERK WILL FIX. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YEAH. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS PRESENT. THAT LATE RE THE LATE RESOLUTION'S BEEN ADOPTED. WE HAD THAT LATE POLICY ORDER, BUT WHAT WE HAD DONE WAS TAKE FROM IT. AND WHAT WE CAN DO HERE IS JUST, WE, JUST FOR CLARITY PURPOSES, WE CAN WITHDRAW THE, THE REST OF IT. UM, AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR ZI. YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT COUNCILLOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED AS ABSENT. THAT WAS WITHDRAWN. WE COVERED, WE'RE ALL, WE'RE NOW DONE WITH THE MEETING. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN BY AN A, MOTION BY COUNCILOR ZUZI TO ADJOURN. AND IT'S 9 32. SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILLOR ZUBE. ABSENT VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR 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. WE ARE ADJOURNED. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE ROUND TABLE NEXT WEEK. * 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.