* 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. [00:00:04] A QUORUM [ROLL CALL] BEING PRESENT. I CALL TONIGHT'S AUGUST 3RD, 2026, REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. TO ORDER THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. PRESENT, VICE MAYOR ZE. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT. MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS. RECORDED IS PRESENT. PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG. THE UNITED THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AND MADAM MAYOR, IF I MAY PLEASE GO AHEAD. WE USUALLY DURING THE MOMENT OF SILENCE, ACKNOWLEDGE AND WE CAN, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT WE RECENTLY LOST LARRY ARONSON, UM, TEACHER, LONG TIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT. ABSOLUTELY. AND WE ALSO LOST, UM, KEVIN FOSTER. RIGHT. UH, AS WELL. SO LET'S PLEASE AND CHRIS AND CHRIS AFFLECK. AND CHRIS AFFLECK. YES. IT'S BEEN A ROUGH MONTH. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO WE CAN PAUSE FOR THAT PRAYER. CHAPTER [PUBLIC COMMENTS] TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY IS 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 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE. CHANNEL 22 TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU MUST 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 KNOW THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC OR FUTURE VIEWING. IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING. DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENT? HEARING NONE WILL GO AHEAD TO PUBLIC COMMENT. PUBLIC COMMENT MAY BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30 A SECTION IN 20 G AND CITY COUNCIL RULES 23 AND 37. ONCE YOU 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 OF THE RECORD AND THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING, SPEAKING ON RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 51 SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP AND EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS ZAIDA PIG, FOLLOWED BY JADA ANIME ZAIDA. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. GONNA HIT THE BUTTON. THERE YOU GO. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. I'M SPEAKING ON ITEM 14 AND MY NAME IS ZAIDA PJA TORI. OKAY. I'M A RISING SENIOR AT CLS AND FOR THE LAST MONTH I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH SEVEN OF MY PEERS THROUGH THE MAYOR'S SUMMER EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM TO RESEARCH JULIA CHILD. THROUGH OUR RESEARCH, WE HAVE COME TO REALIZE THERE IS NO HISTORICAL MARKER IN CAMBRIDGE TO COMMEMORATE JULIA CHILD AND BELIEVE THAT THE CITY SHOULD WORK TO PUT ONE IN PLACE FOR 40 YEARS, CHILD MADE 1 0 3 IRVING STREET IN MID CAMBRIDGE, HER HOME, AS WELL AS HER OFFICE AND THE STUDIO FOR MANY OF HER SHOWS, CHILDCARE DEEPLY ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION, THE VALUE I BELIEVE THIS CITY SHARES WITH HER. SHE HOSTED HER SHOWS ON W-G-B-H-A PUBLIC NETWORK. SHE HELD FREE COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS ACROSS THE CITY, AND AT THE END OF HER LIFE DONATED HER BELONGINGS TO RADCLIFFE'S SCHLESINGER LIBRARY FOR STUDENTS TO STUDY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. GROWING UP IN CAMBRIDGE, I LEARNED QUICKLY THAT EDUCATION HAPPENS EVERYWHERE, NEVER JUST IN THE CLASSROOM. I GREW UP WATCHING PBS EXPLORING FRESH POND AND READING POEMS IN SCRIBED IN THE SIDEWALK OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY. SINCE STARTING HIGH SCHOOL, I'VE WALKED DOWN IRVING STREET ALMOST DAILY ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL, JUST BLOCKS FROM CHILD'S HOME. A HISTORICAL MARKER WOULD NOT ONLY HONOR THE LIFE OF THIS GENEROUS, FUNNY, AND INSPIRING [00:05:01] WOMAN I'VE COME TO KNOW IN THE LAST MONTH, BUT SERVE AS A REMINDER THAT HISTORY AND OPPORTUNITY IS TO LEARN ARE ALL AROUND US. I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO HONOR A CHILD'S LIFE IN CAMBRIDGE AND UPHOLD THE SHARED VALUE OF EDUCATION BY INSTITUTING A HISTORICAL MARKER ON OR NEAR HER HOME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JADA ON ANIME, FOLLOWED BY MARI MCCAULEY, THEN GIDEON EPSTEIN. JADA, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS JADA SIMMONS . I RESIDE AT 5 28 FRANKLIN STREET. I'M HERE SPEAKING ON POLICY NUMBER 2026 DASH ONE 50. ITEM 14. ON BEHALF OF THE MAYOR SUMMIT YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, CITE BON PETITE FROM CAMBRIDGE KITCHEN TO CULINARY ICON JULIA CHILD. THE CIVIC DESIGNERS BELIEVE THAT JULIA CHILD SPENT A LOT OF TIME AT 1 0 3 IRVING STREET, CAMBRIDGE IS SPECIAL. SHE LIVED THERE FOR 40 YEARS. SHE FILMED SOME OF HER SHOWS IN THAT HOUSE. JULIA CHILD WAS A BIG PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND HELPED LOCAL BUSINESSES. SHE DONATED $17,000 TO THE OOK PROGRAM AT CAMBRIDGE IN LATIN. SHE'S AN AMERICAN ICON AND HELPED SHAPE THE WAY OF AN AMERICAN OF AMERICAN COOKING. JULIA CHILD INTRODUCED FRENCH COOKING TO AMERICANS AND TAUGHT PEOPLE HOW TO COOK FROM SCRATCH. THE MOST NOTABLE PART OF OUR HOUSE WAS DONATED TO THE SMITHSONIAN, HER KITCHEN THAT SPEAKS VOL VOLUMES OF HER NOTABILITY. WE FEEL THAT IF THE RESIDENTS THAT OCCUPY THE HOUSE DON'T WANT A MARKER PUT ON THEIR FENCE, THEN THE MARKER SHOULD BE PLACED ON THE SIDEWALK OR SOMEWHERE WHERE SHE RESIDED. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THE EIGHT CIVIC DESIGNERS, ABEL, EMMANUEL, NEO NORA GAVIN WITH A Y, ROBERT CLEM AND ZAIDA, WHO YOU JUST HEARD FROM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARI ELLI, FOLLOWED BY GIDEON EPSTEIN. THEN MEG STONE. MARI, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS MARY ELLI AND I LIVE AT 47 SEVILLE STREET. UM, AND I'M SPEAKING ON AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17. I AM SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE CAMBRIDGE CHAPTER OF MOTHERS OUT FRONT. WE HOPE THE CITY COUNCIL WILL GO ON RECORD AND VOTE YES ON THE IMPORTANT PROVISIONS IN POLICY ORDER. 2026 DASH 1 53. THE STATE ENERGY AFFORDABILITY BILL IS IN THE HOUSE SENATE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE NOW STRENGTHEN MASS SAVE. MASS SAVE SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED, NOT CUT. THE HOUSE BILL INCLUDES $1 BILLION IN CUTS, WHICH WOULD KILL EFFORTS IN 2027 TO WEATHERIZE HOMES AND SUPPORT ADOPTION OF HEAT PUMPS STATEWIDE. THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN A CRUCIAL RESOURCE FOR TRANSITIONING HOMES OFF GAS AND HELPING AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS BUILD FOSSIL FUEL FREE BUILDINGS. SUNSET GSEP, THE GAS SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM, GSEP SHOULD BE PHASED OUT. GS E BEGAN AS A PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO UTILITIES TO REPAIR GAS LEAKS AND ONLY REPLACE THEM WHEN TRULY NECESSARY. BUT GSEP HAS EVOLVED INTO A BOONDOGGLE THAT COSTS EACH GAS HOUSEHOLD HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR. GIVE MUNICIPALITIES THE AUTHORITY TO BAN THIRD PARTY ELECTRIC SUPPLIERS. THIRD PARTY ELECTRICITY SUPPLIERS OFTEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RATE PAYERS, OFFERING THEM ATTRACTIVE DEALS ON INITIAL CONTRACTS AND THEN RAISING RATES DRAMATICALLY. THESE TACTICS HIT HARDEST LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS. EXAMINE REGULATORY BARRIERS TO MUNICIPAL THERMAL NETWORKS. ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP THAT WOULD RECOMMEND LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CHANGES TO ENABLE MUNICIPALITIES AND PUBLIC ENTITIES TO OWN, INSTALL, OPERATE, OR BILL FOR CLEAN ENERGY SYSTEMS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GIDEON EPSTEIN, FOLLOWED BY MEG STONE. THEN PETER CROWLEY. GIDEON, TWO MINUTES. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS GIDEON EPSTEIN AND I'M A POLICY COUNCIL WITH THE A CLU OF MASSACHUSETTS AND A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE PROPOSED SHOT SPOTTER POLICY ORDER. I UNDERSTAND AND SHARE THE DESIRE TO BE RESPONSIVE TO RESIDENTS ACROSS CAMBRIDGE AND SPECIFICALLY IN THE PORT WHO FEEL UNHEARD. I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REMIND THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC WHAT CAMBRIDGE LAW SAYS ABOUT SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. BECAUSE IT'S FOCUSED ON EVIDENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING IS PARTICULARLY HELPFUL AT A TIME LIKE THIS. UNDER CAMBRIDGE'S SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE, THE STANDARD FOR DEPLOYING TECHNOLOGIES LIKE SHOT SPOTTER IS CLEAR THE BENEFITS MUST OUTWEIGH THE COSTS [00:10:01] AND THERE MUST BE REASONABLE SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE TO PROTECT CIVIL LIBERTIES AND PRIVACY. THOSE LEGAL GUIDELINES SHOULD BE THE COUNCIL'S STARTING POINT TONIGHT, A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF HOW EFFECTIVE SHOT SPOTTER HAS PROVEN TO BE HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AND CONSIDERATION OF WHETHER WE HAVE FULL CONTROL OVER SHOT SPOTTER DATA. THE EVIDENCE ON SHOT SPOTTER IS NOT FAVORABLE TO CONTINUE DEPLOYMENT AND IT'S NOT A CLOSE CALL. IT IS INEFFECTIVE AT REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE. IT ROUTINELY DEPLOYS OFFICERS TO SCENES WHERE THEY FIND NO EVIDENCE A GUN WAS FIRED AND DURING THE LAST 12 YEARS, THE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN CAMBRIDGE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT HELPED CAMBRIDGE POLICE SOLVE SERIOUS CRIMES OR HELPED THEM TO HOLD PERPETRATORS OF GUN VIOLENCE ACCOUNTABLE BASED ON THESE FACTS. SHOT SPOTTER DOESN'T MEET THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCES STANDARD FOR APPROVAL. IT'S TEMPTING TO TURN TO SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IN THE WAKE OF A TRAGEDY BECAUSE UNLIKE PROGRAMS THAT ACTUALLY REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE, IT'S A SWITCH THAT WE CAN FLIP ON IN SECONDS AND FEEL GRAD AND THAT WILL FEEL GRATIFYING EMOTIONALLY AND POLITICALLY. BUT CAMBRIDGE OUGHT TO BE BETTER THAN THAT. AND FOCUS NOW ON INVESTMENTS IN PROGRAMS THAT WE KNOW UPLIFT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TO STOP VIOLENCE BEFORE IT HAPPENS. FOR THESE REASONS, THE A CLU RESPECTFULLY REQUEST REQUEST THAT THE COUNCIL VOTE NO ON THE PROPOSED POLICY ORDER ON SHOTSPOTTER. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MEG STONE, FOLLOWED BY PETER CAULEY. MEG, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS MEG STONE. I HAVE BEEN A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT FOR 30 YEARS AND I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF IMPACT BOSTON, A VIOLENCE PREVENTION ORGANIZATION. OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL TO TALK ABOUT SHOT SPOTTER AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN CAMBRIDGE. THE CONVERSATIONS VARIED WIDELY IN SUBSTANCE AND TONE, BUT I WALKED AWAY FROM EACH CONVERSATION GRATEFUL. I HAD A NEW APPRECIATION OF HOW COMPLICATED IT IS TO MAKE POLICY ON VIOLENCE IN THE MIDST OF A TRAGEDY THAT IS APPARENT IN THE WIDE RANGE OF POLICY ORDERS THAT ARE PROPOSED BY THIS COUNCIL. THE URGENT NEEDS OF A TRAUMATIZED COMMUNITY AFTER A TRAGIC SHOOTING DESERVE ATTENTION AND ACTION, BUT SO DOES THE LONG-TERM STRATEGY OF CHANGING THE CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE VIOLENCE AND SUPPORTING COMMUNITY SAFETY. THE CARE TEAM IS SKILLED AND COMMITTED, BUT THE CITY'S EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION STAFF IS ONLY SENDING THEM ABOUT HALF THE 9 1 1 CALLS THEY'RE QUALIFIED TO RESPOND TO. THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. IF THIS COUNCIL IS GOING TO EVEN CONSIDER REINSTATING AND EVIDENCE POOR TECHNOLOGY THAT EVEN ITS SUPPORTERS ACKNOWLEDGE TO BE INEFFECTIVE, IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO INVEST AT LEAST AS MUCH IN THE CARE TEAM VIOLENCE, INTERRUPTERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS LIKE HEART. I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE THOUGHT AND CARE MANY OF YOU HAVE PUT INTO THIS ISSUE AND I AM HOPEFUL FOR A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PETER CROWLEY, FOLLOWED BY YOUNG KIM, THEN AUDREY SCHULMAN. PETER, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS PETER CROWLEY AND I LIVE ON THORNDYKE STREET IN EAST CAMBRIDGE. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER 16 TO EXPLORE THE BEST WAY TO MANDATE AND IMPLEMENT RESIDENTIAL ENERGY AUDITS AT THE TIME OF PROPERTY SALE. THIS IDEA IS NOT NEW. UH, I SPEND OVER A DECADE ON THE CITY'S CLIMATE COMMITTEE AND HELP DEVELOP AND UPDATE THE NET ZERO ACTION PLAN. THIS IDEA HAS BEEN ADVOCATED IN THE PLAN SINCE ITS EARLIEST VERSIONS WELL OVER 10 YEARS AGO. IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE REDUCING RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ADMISSIONS, WHICH COMPRISE ABOUT 20% OF CITYWIDE EMISSIONS HAS NOT HAPPENED UNDER TOTALLY VOLUNTARY MEASURES LIKE THE MASS SAFE FREE ENERGY AUDITS AND UPGRADE INCENTIVES. WE'VE LEARNED THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A TRIGGER AND AN INCENTIVE FOR HOMEOWNERS TO CONDUCT ENERGY AUDITS AND TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE UPGRADES UNDER THIS POLICY ORDER. THE TRIGGER IS THE PROCESS OF THE SALE AND THE INCENTIVE IS DISCLOSURE OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONDITION OF THE PROPERTY. THE TIME OF SALE IS AN EFFECTIVE MOMENT TO REQUIRE THE SELLER AND BUYER TO EXAMINE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF A HOME. AND IT'S A MOMENT IN TIME WHEN SIGNIFICANT UP RATES ARE TYPICALLY MADE AND CAN BE FINANCED BY EITHER OR BOTH THE SELLER AND THE BUYER. IT WORKS BECAUSE THE SELLER WANTS TO MARKET THE MOST ATTRACTIVE PRODUCT AND THE BUYER WANTS TO PURCHASE AN [00:15:01] ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME WITH LOW OPERATING COSTS IN MINIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS. I CAN EASILY SEE THE SELLER SHARING THE ENERGY AUDIT RESULTS WITH THE BUYER AND, UH, AND, AND THE PARTIES AGREEING ON THE TIMING AND FUNDING OF KEY IMPROVEMENTS. A SIMILAR PROCESS ALREADY OCCURS VIA A HOME INSPECTION INSPECTION, BUT STRUCTURAL PEST AND OTHER ISSUES. SO ADDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND APOLOGIES, PETER, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS YOUNG KIM, FOLLOWED BY AUDREY SCHULMAN, THEN SHANNON FINLEY. YEP, YOUNG. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. YOUNG KIM 17 NOR STREET. I URGE YOU TO APPROVE POLICY ORDER NUMBER 12 ON INTER DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION WITH AN AMENDMENT IMPOSING A MORATORIUM ON ALL MFH UH, DEVELOPMENTS UNTIL THE RECOMMENDATION IN POLICY ORDER 12 AND BY JULY 30 LETTER HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED, THE NEIGHBORS GUIDE HAS BEEN PUBLISHED. THE JOINT HOUSING AND NLTP COMMITTEE HAVE REPORTED BACK AND THE CITY MANAGER HAS REPORTED THE TOTAL HOUSING PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS THROUGH 2030, INCLUDING ALL HAHO AND AN MMFH PROJECT IN THE PIPELINE TO THE ASBESTOS RELATED PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEFICIENCY DOCUMENT IN MY LETTER ARE SERIOUS. IN JUST THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, I DOCUMENTED THREE PROJECT INVOLVING FOUR PROPERTIES WHERE ISD SHOULD STOP WORK ORDERS FOR VARIOUS REASONS, AND THE MASS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STANDARDS ISSUED CEASE AND DECEASED ORDERS FOR ASBESTOS CONTAMINATION. ISD AND DSA SHOULD BE ON LOCKSTEP AND ON SAME PAGE AND, UH, UH, UH, UH, ENFORCED, UH, UH, SAME STANDARDS. THE ISD PERMITTING PROCESS MUST BE REVIEWED AND PRE PREVENT, UH, UH, UH, PREVENT FURTHER VIOLATIONS. FINALLY, THE ANNUAL CYCLE SAFETY REPORT PROJECTS COMPLETION OF 25, UH, MILES OF SEPARATED BICYCLE LANES BY NOVEMBER 30TH THROUGH YOU. WOULD YOU PLEASE ASK THE CITY MANAGER WHETHER THE CITY IS ON SCHEDULED TO MEET THIS NOVEMBER DEADLINE? AND THAT WHAT? THANK YOU YOUNG. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AUDREY SCHULMAN, FOLLOWED BY SHANNON FINLEY, THEN RACHEL COBB. AUDREY, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU. I'M AUDREY SCHULMAN. I LIVE ON HAMILTON STREET. I'VE BEEN A PROUD CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT FOR OVER 40 YEARS. UM, AND I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE, UH, PATTY NOLAN'S POLICY ORDER ON HOME ENERGY ASSESSMENTS AT THE TIME OF SALE. UM, I'VE ALSO, I HELPED TO START HEAT THE, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY THERMAL NETWORK NONPROFIT, AND NOW I'M RUNNING BLACK SWAN LABS. SO ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND, UH, REDUCING EMISSIONS, UH, AND HELPING PEOPLE HAVE LOW AFFORDABLE BILLS HAS BEEN MY DRIVING GOAL FOR, UH, 20 YEARS NOW. UM, AND THIS POLICY ORDER OF HAVING A NO COST HOME ENERGY ASSESSMENT AT THE POINT OF SALE IS JUST MAKES SENSE, RIGHT? IT DOES NOT COST MONEY. IT GIVES PEOPLE INFORMATION WHO ARE ABOUT TO BUY IT. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO IT MAYBE MIGHT PUT OUT IS EITHER THE HOMEOWNER WHO WANTS TO SELL AND POTENTIALLY THE REALTOR WHO'S ABOUT TO MAKE A LOT OF MONEY ON THAT SALE. SO I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. UH, THE CO THE ASSESSMENTS ARE AT NO COST. UM, AND THEY HELP GIVE PEOPLE INFORMATION. UM, AND THE CITY HAS MANDATES TO REDUCE EMISSIONS AND YOU'VE CURRENTLY PAYING FOR LARGE, UH, YOU KNOW, ASSESS, UH, YOU KNOW, FINANCING ASSESSMENTS AND OTHER ASSESSMENTS OF ALL KINDS TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU'RE GONNA MEET YOUR MANDATES. THIS IS A WAY TO BRING IN FIND OTHER MONEY, RIGHT? IF, UH, IF SOMEBODY BUYS A HOUSE AND THEY KNOW THE PLACE HAS NO INSULATION, THEY'LL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND THE CITY WILL NOT HAVE TO. IT HELPS YOU DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. UM, THAT'S IT. IT'S JUST, IT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHANNON FINLEY, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL COBB. THEN CHRIS M SHANNON. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS SHANNON FINLEY AND I LIVE AT 10 PERRY STREET. I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS POLICY ORDER NUMBER NINE REGARDING TREE LOSS TRACKING AND PREVENTION. I ASK THE CITY [00:20:01] EXTEND THE SAFEGUARDS AND VALUE PROTECTING PUBLIC TREES TO PRIVATELY OWNED TREES, ESPECIALLY SINCE TREES ON PRIVATE PROPERTY MAKE A LARGE SHARE OF OUR URBAN TREE CANOPY. SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE NEW ZONING RE REDUCED SETBACKS, EXISTING MATURE TREES AND LAND, ENCOURAGING TREE GROWTH IS UNDER THREAT AS PART OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS. SITE PLANS SHOULD REQUIRE THE INCLUSION OF IMPACTED TREES ON ABUTTING PROPERTIES, AS WELL AS THIRD PARTY REPORT FROM A CERTIFIED ARBORIST STATING WHAT PORTION OF ROOTS NEED TO BE PROTECTED OF THE ABUTTING TREES TO MAINTAIN THE HEALTH OF THE TREE, THE AREA WOULD BE PROTECTED AND NOT ENCROACHED ON DURING CONSTRUCTION OR BY NEW STRUCTURE. UNDERMINING THE ROOTS AND HEALTH OF AN ABUTTERS TREE MAY LEAD TO ITS PREMATURE DEATH, RESULTING IN UNSTABLE DEAD TREES, AS WELL AS DEFLECTING COSTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE TREE ONTO THE ABUTTER, WHICH MAY OCCUR YEARS AFTER CONSTRUCTION TREES PROVIDE THE MOST LOCAL BENEFIT TO MORE THAN JUST ONE PROPERTY. ITS REMOVAL HARMS MANY A NEW TREE PLANTED ELSEWHERE TO OFFSET ITS LOSS, PROVIDES PRACTICALLY NO BENEFIT TO THOSE WHERE IT ONCE STOOD. THIS WOULD GO A LONG WAY IN FURTHERING THE TREE PROTECTION ORDINANCE AND AVOID CONTRACTORS AND DEVELOPERS FROM RUNNING A FOUL OF MASS LAW CHAPTER 87, SECTION 11, AND LAWSUITS OF WILLFUL DESTRUCTION OF INJURY TO A NEIGHBORING TREE. THE CITY IN ITS ATTEMPT TO DISCOURAGE REMOVAL OF HEALTHY TREES HAS FINES IN PLACE, WHICH IS HARDLY A DETERRENT TO A DEVELOPER. IF THE CITY IS SERIOUS ABOUT ENCOURAGING AND MAINTAINING TREE GROWTH, THEN THE RULES TO PROTECT THEM NEED TO BE ROBUST AND EQUAL. EVERYONE HERE KNOWS THAT WE NEED TREES FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCY TO MITIGATE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT FLOODING, AND PROVIDE CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT. NOT PROTECTING TREES IS AN ACT OF NEGLIGENCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RACHEL COBB, FOLLOWED BY CHRIS M, THEN JAMES ZA. RACHEL. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS RACHEL COBB. I LIVE AT ONE 40 LEXINGTON AVE AND I AM HERE TO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER NUMBER NINE. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT SO MANY HERE HAVE DONE TO SUPPORT THE CREATION OF OUR ROBUST URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN. OUR 33 CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF BEING A TREE CITY, USA, OUR SHADE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND SO MANY OTHERS. AND I AM PROUD OF THIS PROGRESS, BUT THIS PROGRESS IS AT RISK. WE NEED A POWERFUL THING, A CLEAR PUBLIC TRACKING SYSTEM, RECORDING OUR TREE REMOVALS, COUNTING TREES REMOVED PER PERMIT, AND FLAGGING IMPACTS TO CRITICAL ROOT ZONES. THIS IS NOT BUREAUCRACY, THIS IS BASIC STEWARDSHIP. YOU CAN'T MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T MEASURE. YOU ARE THE GUARDIANS OF OUR TREES AND THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CHILDREN AND OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. IT IS YOUR MISSION TO HAVE A FULL ACCOUNTING OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE. AND TREES ARE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THEY LOWER TEMPERATURES, CUT STORM WATER COSTS AND STORE CARBON. WE MAP AND FUND ROADS AND BRIDGES BECAUSE THEY ARE ESSENTIAL ASSETS THAT NEED LIFECYCLE CARE. TREES DESERVE NO LESS, ESPECIALLY IN A CITY WHERE 54% PER OUR 2026 URBAN FOREST UPDATE OF OUR CANOPY IS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. A TREE IS DOING THIS SAME WORK, WHETHER IT STANDS IN A YARD ON A STREET, OR IN A PARK. WE FACE A FUTURE. WE ARE LIVING IT IN WHICH THE NUMBER OF SWELTERING DAYS OVER A HUNDRED DEGREES WILL INCREASE TREES ACCORDING TO OUR OWN WORK, REDUCES SURFACE TEMPERATURES, WHICH IN TURN HELPS US MITIGATE EXTREME HEAT AND HEAT RELATED ILLNESS. HERE WE ARE ALONG THE CHARLES, THE ALEWIFE BROOK, THE MYSTIC, AND NEXT TO THE ATLANTIC. THE MASSIVE ALEWIFE SEWER SEPARATION PROJECT WAS UNDERTAKEN TO REDUCE COMBINED SEWER WATER OVERFLOWS AND IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH, WATER QUALITY, AND FLOOD RESILIENCE IN THE ALEWIFE WATERSHED. THE GOAL SEPARATES STORM WATER AND SANITARY SEWAGE. I WILL JUST END WITH YOU CAN'T MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T MEASURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRIS M, FOLLOWED BY JAMES ZALD AND ABBY BROWN. CHRIS, HI, I'M CHRIS. I LIVE ON ROYAL AVE AND I'M SPEAKING, UM, I GOT CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE. UM, SO A 2024 ANALYSIS OF BOSTON SHOT SPOTTER DATA, UH, COLLECTED BETWEEN 2020 AND 2022, UM, ANALYZED BY THE A CLU OF MASSACHUSETTS FOUND THAT 70% OF SHOT SPOTTER ALERTS WERE ACTUALLY FALSE POSITIVES. THAT IS THAT THE POLICE FOUND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF GUNFIRE, AND THAT INCLUDES 10 OVER 10% OF ALERTS THAT WERE FLAGGED AS FIREWORKS. UM, SO THIS IS TWO YEARS WORTH OF DATA, UH, THE DISTRIBUTION OF HOW OFTEN FIREWORKS GO OFF AS NOT EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UM, AND I'D ONCE AGAIN LIKE TO SEND MY DEEPEST CONSULTS TO THE, THE FAMILY OF XAVIER BATISTA, WHO WAS SHOT AND KILLED ON JULY 4TH. UM, HOPEFULLY THE TEMPERATURE HAS COME DOWN ENOUGH, UH, THAT WE CAN START TO LOOK AT WHAT REAL LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS ARE. UM, AND SO WE NEED [00:25:01] SOCIAL RESPONSES TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS. THIS INCLUDES THINGS LIKE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, STABLE HOUSING, MENTAL HEALTHCARE, TRAUMA SUPPORT, CONFLICT MEDIATION, REENTRY SUPPORT, EDUCATION, COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS, AND MEANINGFUL ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES ZAL. JAMES HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO ABBY BROWN, FOLLOWED BY ESTELLE DISH. ABBY, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ABBY BROWN AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF ITEM 16, THE TIME OF SALE ENERGY AUDIT REQUIREMENT. I'M A CURRENT STUDENT AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY. I SUPPORT THIS ORDER FOR A FEW REASONS. IT'S A LOW BURDEN, HIGH VALUE POLICY. IT DOESN'T MANDATE ANY UPGRADES. IT JUST REQUIRES SELLERS TO SHARE INFORMATION THAT BUYERS SHOULD ALREADY HAVE, HOW EFFICIENT THE BUILDING IS, AND HOW MUCH ENERGY IS LIKELY TO USE. THIS KIND OF TRANSPARENCY IS ALREADY EXPECTED IN A HOME SALE. ADDITIONALLY, THIS POLICY IS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE COST. SELLERS CAN SATISFY THIS REQUIREMENT WITH A FREE MASS SAVE HOME ENERGY ASSESSMENT. THIS WOULD NOT BE A FINANCIAL BURDEN ON RESIDENTS HAVING THIS REQUIREMENT AT THE TIME OF SALE MEANS BUYERS CAN FACTOR EFFICIENCY UPGRADES INTO FINANCING AND RENOVATION PLANS FROM DAY ONE. THIS IS NOT A NEW IDEA FOR CAMBRIDGE. IT BUILDS DIRECTLY ON COMMITMENTS THE COUNCIL HAS ALREADY MADE IN THE NET ZERO ACTION PLAN AND FOLLOWS THE LEAD OF CITIES SUCH AS AUSTIN, BERKELEY, AND ANN ARBOR THAT HAVE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS. RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ARE ROUGHLY 20% OF CAMBRIDGE'S TOTAL ADMISSIONS AND HOMEOWNERS HAVE FEW DIRECT LEVERS TO ACT ON THAT. THIS POLICY GIVES PEOPLE AWAY TOWARDS ACTION AT EXACTLY THE MOMENT THEY'RE MOST LIKELY TO TAKE IT. I'D ASK THE COUNCIL TO KEEP MOVING TOWARDS THE TIME, THE TIMELINE TOWARD ADOPTION OF THIS POLICY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ESTELLE DISH. ESTELLE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, I'M ESTELLE DISH. I LIVE AT 5 34 FRANKLIN STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. I SUPPORT CALENDAR ITEM ONE TO REINSTATE SHOT SPOTTER FOR A 90 DAY TRIAL PERIOD. I KNOW IT'S BEEN ON BEFORE, BUT THIS IS TO PUT IT BACK. UM, THIS WILL GIVE THE CITY A CHANCE TO TALK WITH PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS MOST AFFECTED BY GUN VIOLENCE IN ORDER TO FIND OUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT EITHER IT OR SOMETHING SI SIMILAR OR NOT. IT WILL ALSO GIVE THE CITY TIME TO EXPLORE HOW SHOT SPOTTER DATA ARE USED. WE OBVIOUSLY LIVE IN A SURVEILLANCE RIDDEN SOCIETY, AND I TOO AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE LEVEL OF SURVEILLANCE THAT WE'RE ALL SUBJECTED TO. HOW MUCH SURVEILLANCE WOULD SHOT SPOTTER ACTUALLY ADD IN THE BIGGER CONTEXT AND HOW WOULD THEIR DATA BE USED BEYOND IDENTIFYING SHOT LIKE NOISE? I SEE A POSITIVE ASPECT TO THE ANONYMITY OF SHOT SPOTTER. MANY PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO CALL THE POLICE OR TO GET INVOLVED IN PUBLIC CRISES AT ALL. I WONDER WHETHER ANYONE ACTUALLY EVEN WALKED BY XAVIER BATISTA AS HE LAY DYING AND JUST KEPT GOING. WE KNOW THAT HAPPENED TO THE MAN BEING STRANGLED BY HIS OWN CLOTHING AT THE BOTTOM OF A SUBWAY ESCALATOR IN DAVIS SQUARE LAST WINTER. IF TECHNOLOGY CAN FILL IN WHERE HUMANS FAIL, I THINK IT'S WORTH A TRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL MONIM, FOLLOWED BY MILES MAZZOTTA. THEN JASON ALPS, MICHAEL MONAS TEAM. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. UH, MADAM MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, MICHAEL MONES, TEAM PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL SQUARE BID, UH, RESIDENT AT FOR GEORGE. UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE MICHELLE KINCAID ON HER RETIREMENT AND THANK HER FOR YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE, EXPLORING THE RETURN OF CENTRAL SQUARE'S WORLD FAIR. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO REMEMBER IT, THE WORLD'S FAIR WASN'T JUST AN EVENT, IT WAS CAMBRIDGE AT ITS BEST. JOHN CLIFFORD HAD THE VISION TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT BROUGHT TOGETHER NEIGHBORHOODS, CULTURES, MUSICIANS, BUSINESSES, AND FAMILIES. MAYOR REEVES, UH, EMBRACED THAT VISION AND HELPED MAKE IT A REALITY, AND TOGETHER THEY CREATED ONE OF CAMBRIDGE'S SIGNATURE CIVIC CELEBRATIONS. THE DANCE PARTY HAS REALLY CAPTURED THAT SAME SPIRIT. IT SHOWS US WHAT'S POSSIBLE WHEN WE INVEST IN PARTNERSHIPS AND PEOPLE AND PUBLIC SPACE AT SCALE. UM, SO I, I'D LOVE TO SEE US BRING BACK THE DANCE PARTY AT A TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT OFTEN FEELS LIKE WE'RE FOCUSED ON WHAT DIVIDES US. WE SHOULD INVEST IN THE EXPERIENCES THAT BRING US TOGETHER. I'D ALSO LIKE TO SUPPORT A CITYWIDE DIGITAL WAY FINDING KIOSK PROGRAM. [00:30:01] CAMBRIDGE WELCOMES PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD EVERY DAY THROUGH OUR UNIVERSITIES, BUS BUSINESSES, TRANSIT SYSTEMS, ARTS AND MORE. THE WORLD CUP WAS A GREAT REMINDER OF THAT. DONE WELL. KIOSKS WOULD BECOME MUCH MORE THAN DIGITAL MAPS. THEY CAN HELP PEOPLE DISCOVER SMALL BUSINESSES, RETAILERS PROMOTE ARTS AND CULTURE, AND PROVIDE REAL-TIME TRANSIT INFORMATION. THEY CAN STRENGTHEN TOURISM, SUPPORT OUR NETWORKS, AND MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO, UH, ENJOY EVERYTHING OUR CITY HAS TO OFFER. LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO APPRECIATE THE CITY MANAGER'S WORK ON STREAMLINING PERMITTING. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MILES ADA, FOLLOWED BY JASON ALS, THEN VISHAL PATEL. MILES, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. HELLO EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MILES ADA. I LIVE AT 1 72 LEXINGTON AVE AND IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE. I WOULD SAY IF IT WASN'T SO HUMID, IT'S GREAT TO BE TALKING TO EVERYONE. AS I'M SURE SOME OF YOU MAY IMAGINE. I AM ALSO HERE TO SUPPORT, UH, POR 20 26 1 45 OR POLICY ORDER NUMBER NINE. UH, SO PERSONALLY I'M A BIG FAN OF THE TYPES OF INITIATIVES THAT, UH, ENSURE THAT WE GET PROPER DATA SO AS TO ENACT MORE SUBSTANTIVE POLICY CHANGES DOWN THE ROAD. AND I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT ORDER NINE IS ONE OF THOSE, IS EXACTLY THAT. UH, AND LET'S PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IN THIS TIME OF RAPID GROWTH AND MORE HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT, THAT THESE EXACT IMPACTS ARE MEASURED. THINGS LIKE TREES COMING DOWN, TREES BEING REBUILT, UH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY GREAT. UH, SO IN MY LIFETIME IN CAMBRIDGE, I'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO GROW UP SURROUNDED BY TREES. I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THESE TREES GO DOWN AND I'VE SEEN MANY NEW TREES PLANTED IN THEIR PLACE AND FEEL CONFIDENT IN THAT THE YEARS TO COME MY AREA OF CAMBRIDGE WILL EXTEND THAT SAME LUXURY TO MY GIRLFRIEND, TO MY SISTER, TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AND MANY NEW PEOPLE COMING INTO CAMBRIDGE, UH, TRANSPARENTLY, I WANNA ENSURE THAT THAT SAME LUXURY MAY BE EXTENDED TO THE REST OF THE CITY AS WELL. UM, AND I CONSIDER POLICY ORDER NINE TO BE A CRITICAL STEP IN THAT PROCESS. UM, MY STREET OF LEXINGTON AVE REAPS THE BENEFITS OF THE SEWER SEPARATION PROJECT. EVERY TIME I LITERALLY LOOK OUT MY WINDOW, I CAN LITERALLY SEE PATCHES OF THE STREET THAT WERE PAVED SPECIFICALLY TO CATCH RAINWATER AND DRAIN IT DOWN. AND WHEN WE'RE TAKING STEPS AS A CITY TO APPROACH THESE PROBLEMS HEAD ON, I THINK THAT THESE THINGS GET DEMONSTRABLY BETTER AS THE SEPARATION PROJECT HAS PROVEN. AND I THINK THAT CONTINUING TO KEEP TREES WOULD BE ANOTHER WAY OF DOING THAT. UM, NOW ALSO ANECDOTE. I AM DEEPLY ALARMED BY THE IDEA THAT SHOT SPOTTER HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. I WAS MADE AWARE OF IT, UH, JUST TODAY, AND I AM VERY CONCERNED BY THAT. I HOPE IT DOESN'T COME BACK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JASON ALVES, FOLLOWED BY VISHAL PATEL, THEN ES PATEL. JASON, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, JASON ALS. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EAST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, 5 44 CAMBRIDGE STREET. UM, I WANT TO, UH, SPEAK ALSO IN FAVOR OF THE CITYWIDE KIOSK AND WE FINDING PROGRAM. UM, I THINK THIS SUMMER HAS DEMONSTRATED WHAT TOURISM CAN MEAN TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD TIME TO KIND OF, UH, EXPAND ON THAT AND CAPITALIZE ON IT. UM, HOW ARE WE, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO KEEP VISITORS IN CAMBRIDGE AND, UM, GIVING THEM OPTIONS SO THAT THEY DON'T, UH, IMMEDIATELY GRAVITATE TO HEAD TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER? I THINK, UM, THIS CAN BE A GOOD PROGRAM, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THERE'S SOME MOVEMENT DONE AS IT'S BEEN A PART OF A NUMBER OF, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND, AND, UH, IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS CALLED OUT AS A WAY TO MOVE PEOPLE AROUND OUR BUSINESS DISTRICTS, UM, AND ALSO ON OUR BUSINESS DISTRICTS HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF, UM, PUTTING SOME PROTECTIONS IN FOR THE BUSINESSES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND FOR THE, FOR THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. UM, WE'D LOVE TO SEE, UH, THE COUNCIL MOVE ON. UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OPTION OF OF REQUIRING GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE SPACE ON, UM, NEW BUILDINGS, OVER THREE STORIES. UH, I'VE SPOKEN ABOUT THIS AT LENGTH, BUT I THINK, UM, CAMBRIDGE STREET IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND GOING FORWARD WE'RE WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS ALL AT ONCE. AND I THINK THAT WE DESERVE, UM, AS THE RULES HAVE CHANGED UNDERNEATH US, UM, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I THINK THAT THE FOLKS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET DESERVE THIS KIND OF, UH, PROTECTION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO BE A PLACE WHERE SMALL BUSINESSES CAN OPERATE, UM, WHERE PEOPLE CAN, UH, FIND SORT OF OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO GET THEIR BUSINESSES GOING AND OFF THE GROUND. UM, THIS IS NOT GONNA IMPACT HOUSING. I THINK IT'S GONNA BE COMPLIMENTARY TO IT. UM, SO I DO HOPE THAT YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD AND, AND PUT THESE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE AND, AND, AND KIND OF PUT THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION A BIT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VISHAL PATEL, [00:35:01] FOLLOWED BY VINES PATEL. THEN LOUISE VENDEN. VISHAL, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD AND GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS VISHAL PATEL. I'M, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF FERROS FOOD TOWN AT 3 36 RANGE AVENUE, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. UH, PHARAOHS HAS BEEN LONG ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY STORE AND, UH, PROVIDING THE QUALITY PRODUCTS AND FRIENDLY SERVICE AND SUPPORT FOR OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. UH, TODAY, UH, INDEPENDENT SUPERMARKETS ARE FACING INCREASING CHALLENGES, CHALLENGES FROM LARGE NATIONAL CHAINS WITH WHO HAS A GREATER PURCHASING POWER AND RESOURCES. SO THE PROPOSED HOME PETITION FOR, UH, POLICY ORDER ONE 40 ITEM FOUR, UH, REPRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP STRENGTHEN THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY FOR OUR STORE, UH, WHILE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THE CONVENIENCE AND SERVICE OUR CUSTOMERS EXPECT. UH, WE ARE A GROCERY FIRST BUSINESS, UH, AND ALCOHOL CELLS WILL BE LIMITED TO ONE AISLE AND WE ARE NOT SEEKING TO SELL NIP BOTTLES. UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW STRICT AGE VERIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS. SO WE GRACEFULLY ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE HOME BILL PETITION. SO FARES FOOD TOWN CAN CONTINUE SERVING CAMBRIDGE FAMILIES FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CONSIDERATION, AND SUPPORT. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS NESS, PATEL NESS. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, THIS IS VENUS PATEL. UH, WE ARE DOING THE BUSINESS AS THE FER FOOT TOWN LOCATED AT THE 3 3 6 VILLAGE AVENUE. WE HAVE, UH, I'M PRESENTING THE ITEM NUMBER FOUR TWO, UH, 2026 DASH ONE 40. POLICY ORDER NUMBER 1 4 0 REQUESTING THE OFF-PREMISES FOR LEGAL LICENSE. FERRIS FOOT TOWN IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS PROVIDING THE LOCAL RESIDENCE, EASY ACCESS TO EVERYDAY GROCERIES, ITEM, BEVERAGES, AND THE ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS. MANY CUSTOMERS WHICH ARE LIVING AT THE THREE LARGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING APARTMENT AT THE FIRST POND, RELY ON THE STORE BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO THE HOME AND OFFERS THE FAMILY AND PERSONALIZED SERVICE. THE ADDISON OF THE LIQUOR LICENSE WILL ALLOW NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THE SENIOR FAMILIES AND THOSE LIVING IN THE NEAR NEARBY AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO SOLVE FOR GROCERIES AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD NECESSITY IN ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION, REDUCING THE, UH, NEED TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS ADDED CONVENIENCE, UH, WILL SAVE TIMES, IMPROVE A FACILITY AND THE BETTER SERVE THE DAILY NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE, UH, COMMITTED TO FULL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL THE STATE AND LOCAL ALCOHOL, LOW RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL SELVES, AND MAINTAINING A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. WE RESPECT, UH, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF OUR LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATION SO THAT WE MAY BETTER SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WHILE CONTINUING TO BE A TRUSTED LOCAL BUSINESS. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LOUISE VENDEN, FOLLOWED BY SOPHIE GILLARD. THEN CATHERINE SYLVESTRI. LOUISE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. LOUISE VENDEN, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT, GREAT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LOUISE VANDEN 10 ROGERS STREET. I AM MAKING A COMMENT IN SUPPORTIVE POLICY ORDER 1 48. THIS COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED AMBITIOUS POLICIES TO LOWER DEVELOPMENT COSTS, HOPING THESE POLICIES WOULD RESULT IN LOWER RENTS, HOME SALES PRICES, AND INCREASED HOUSING UNITS, AND THEREBY ACCELERATING THE PACE OF DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT ESTABLISHING WAYS TO TRACK AND MEASURE THESE CHANGES. SUPPORTED SUPPORTERS OF THESE ZONING CHANGES. AND THOSE CALLING FOR CHANGES OFTEN BATTLE EACH OTHER WITH E EXAGGERATED CLAIMS BECAUSE THERE IS NO COMPREHENSIVE COMPLETE DATA TO EVALUATE HOUSING PROJECTS INSPIRED BY THESE NEW LESS RESPECT, LESS RESPECTIVE ZONING POLICIES, REMOVING AND LOWERING REQUIREMENTS AND REVIEWS HAS INFLAMED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISM AND ERODED PUBLIC TRUST TRACKING PROJECT DATA FROM CDD PLANNING PUBLIC WORKS AND ISD REQUIRES TIME CONSUMING INTEGRATION OF DATA IN DIFFERENT FORMATS, TIMEFRAMES, EVEN ADDRESSES AND LEAVES OUT KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRICING OF PROPOSED RENTAL AND OWNERSHIP HOMES. ACTIVISTS AND THE BROADER PUBLIC ARE CONFUSED ABOUT THE PROCESS FOR APPROVALS OF MFH HOUSING PROJECTS, HOW TO ACCESS THE STATUS AND NOTICES OF MEETINGS REGARDING THEM, AND OBTAIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT PROJECT SIZE PROPERTIES TO BE REPLACED, [00:40:01] TENANTS TO BE DISLOCATED, SCALE COSTS AND PRICES OF THE NEW HOUSING. I URGE THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE PO O 1 48 IN ORDER TO ENABLE ACCURATE AND RELIABLE MEASURES OF THEIR IMPACTS ON EXISTING HOUSING NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE ADDITIONAL PROPOSED HOUSING AND HELP RESTORE TRUST IN THESE POLICIES. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SOPHIE GILLARD OR GILLARD, FOLLOWED BY CATHERINE SYLVESTRI, THEN JASON STOCKMAN. SOPHIE, TWO MINUTES. HI, MY NAME IS SOPHIE GILLARD. UM, I'M A RESIDENT. SOPHIE, IF YOU CAN GET CLOSER TO THE MIC, PLEASE. I'M A RESIDENT OF PORTER SQUARE AND I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY TODAY. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE SURVEILLANCE TECH COMPANIES ARE SPYING ON PRIVATE CITIZENS TO HELP ICE KIDNAP AND IMPRISON OUR NEIGHBORS. THAT IS A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. FOR YEARS, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS HAVE COME BEFORE THIS BODY TO PLEAD WITH YOU TO PROTECT, UH, OUR CITY FROM THIS THREAT. SOME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS MOST TARGETED BY ICE WERE TOO AFRAID TO COME AND SPEAK PUBLICLY AT THESE MEETINGS. IN FRONT OF THESE CAMERAS, THESE RESIDENTS RECORDED MESSAGES AND WROTE LETTERS TO SHARE WITH THEIR COUNSELORS. A PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER AND MEMBERS OF THIS BODY LITERALLY SILENCED THEM WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS TECHNOLOGY MADE THEM FEEL SO UNSAFE. AND BY THE WAY, THE CAMERAS HERE TODAY HAVE THE SAME EFFECT OF SCARING AWAY THE VOICES THAT WE NEED TO HEAR THE MOST. A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, THE CITY CALLED A SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY SAFETY. OUR CITY NEEDED SPACE TO PROCESS THE GRIEF AND THE FEAR AS WELL AS A SPACE FOR RESIDENTS TO ASK ITS LEADERS WHAT'S BEING DONE TO PREVENT FURTHER GUN VIOLENCE IN CAMBRIDGE. INSTEAD OF MEETING THAT NEED, THE COMMUNITY MEETING AND THE SPECIAL MEETING WERE TURNED INTO REFERENDUMS ON SHOT SPOTTER. EVEN THOUGH WE'VE HAD NO CONFIRMATION FROM CITY OFFICIALS, THAT SHOT SPOTTER COULD HAVE SAVED A LIFE WATCHING THESE MEETINGS. IT FELT LIKE THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN TREATED LIKE A POLITICAL WEAPON AND NOT LIKE A WAKE UP CALL. YOU SHOULD BE USING COUNCIL TIME TO FOCUS ON ACTUALLY IMPROVING COUNCIL, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY BY ADDRESSING GUN VIOLENCE, NOT BY BRINGING BACK A TECHNOLOGY THAT THREATENS THE LIVES OF OUR NEIGHBORS. THIS COUNCIL LISTENED TO OUR CITY AND DID THE RIGHT THING BY ENDING THE USE OF SHOTSPOTTER. DON'T BRING IT BACK, ESPECIALLY NOT WITHOUT A THOROUGH COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CATHERINE SYLVESTRI, FOLLOWED BY JASON STOCKMAN, THEN RACHEL BICKMAN. CATHERINE, TWO MINUTES. MY NAME IS CATH EXCUSE. MY NAME IS CATHERINE SYLVESTER. I LIVE AT 2 5 3 NORFOLK STREET. I LIVE IN THE PORT, JUST A BLOCK FROM WHERE XAVIER BATISTA WAS KILLED. I AM HORRIFIED AT HIS DEATH. THIS DOES NOT CHANGE MY OPPOSITION TO SHOTSPOTTER AS AN INVASIVE FORM OF SURVEILLANCE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. AT THE COMMUNITY MEETING FOLLOWING BATISTA'S DEATH, THERE WERE UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS BY THE CITY MANAGER AND ACTING POLICE COMMISSIONER THAT SHOTSPOTTER MIGHT'VE BEEN ABLE TO SAVE HIS LIFE. I FEEL THAT THESE COMMENTS WERE SPECULATIVE AT BEST AND INFLAMMATORY AT WORSE. I ECHO THE PREVIOUS COMMENTER'S COMMENT THAT IT FEELS LIKE THIS TRAGIC DEATH HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A POLITICAL ISSUE BY PEOPLE WHO WANT TO REINSTATE SHOT SPOTTER AT ALL COSTS. SHOT SPOTTER IS DEMONSTRABLY INEFFECTIVE AT RISK, RESPONDING TO GUNSHOTS. IT IS A VERY HIGH FALSE POSITIVE RATE. ACCORDING TO STUDIES BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO AND THE CITY'S OWN DATA, SHOTSPOTTER IS PURELY A RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE. I WANT TO FEEL SAFE WHERE I LIVE IN THE PORT. I WANT MY NEIGHBORS TO FEEL SAFE. AND AT THAT COMMUNITY MEETING FOLLOWING THIS TRAGEDY, I HEARD HOW MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS, INCLUDING THE FAMILY OF XAVIER BATISTA, DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE PORT AND HOW MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY GUN VIOLENCE. BUT I REJECT THE ASSERTION THAT WE NEED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN SAFETY AND PRIVACY. AND I BELIEVE THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD INVEST IN VIOLENCE RESPONSE AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES LIKE THOSE LISTED IN OTHER POLICY ORDERS THAT WERE CHARTERED AT LAST WEEK'S MEETING, RATHER THAN REINSTATING SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY WITH SUCH A POOR TRACK RECORD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JASON STOCKMAN, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL BICKMAN. THEN JACOB BROWN. JASON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, JASON STOCKMAN'S SEVEN CORNELIUS WAY IN WELLINGTON HARRINGTON. UH, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON, UM, CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE. UH, I WANTED TO SPEAK STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF REINSTATING UH, SHOTS, UH, SHOT STOPPER TWO, TEST ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND UM, TRY TO IMPROVE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. YOU KNOW, I I WANTED TO SAY WE ARE A CITY FULL OF BRILLIANT DATA SCIENTISTS. WHY CAN'T WE TEAM UP WITH THE COMPANY TO TRY TO IMPROVE [00:45:01] THEIR ALGORITHMS, MAYBE LEVERAGE THE LATEST IN AI TO IMPROVE ITS EFFECTIVENESS? MAYBE IT'S TRUE THAT THERE ARE FALSE POSITIVES AND THAT THIS LEADS TO SOME EXTRA INTERACTIONS WITH POLICE. HOWEVER, THAT ALSO MEANS THERE ARE SOME TRUE POSITIVES AND IF POLICE CAN RESPOND, RESPOND MORE QUICKLY TO AN INCIDENT OF GUNFIRE. I SEE THAT AS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK THAT THE, UM, CONFLATION OF THIS DEVICE WITH VIOLATIONS OF PRIVACY OR CIVIL RIGHTS IS LARGELY ILLUSORY. I IT'S ANONYMOUS AND IT ONLY REPORTS ACTIVITIES THAT SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IN PUBLIC. YOU SHOULD NOT BE DISCHARGING A FIREARM AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE USING ILLEGAL FIREWORKS IN PUBLIC. PEOPLE ACT AS THOUGH THE FIREWORKS ARE NOT A BIG DEAL. YOU SHOULD NOT BE DO USING THOSE IN PUBLIC EITHER. SO EITHER WAY, THE POLICE ARE DIRECTED TO AN ACTIVITY THAT, UH, REQUIRES THEIR RESPONSE. UM, AND I I THINK WE SHOULDN'T LET THE PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD. I ACKNOWLEDGE THIS TOOL IS NOT PERFECT, BUT IT'S THE BEST TOOL AVAILABLE FOR IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY AND REDUCING, UH, GUNFIRE AND RESPONDING MORE QUICKLY TO IT. WE HAVE TO USE THE BEST OF AVAILABLE TOOLS THAT WE HAVE AND THEN TRY TO IMPROVE THEM OVER TIME. WE SHOULDN'T LET THEIR FLAWS STAND IN THE WAY OF PROGRESS. UM, AND UH, LAST THING I WANNA SAY IS THAT REMOVING THIS DEVICE WILL ONLY HARM UNDERSERVED NEIGHBORHOODS. UH, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERN, UH, IT WILL NOT HELP THEM. SO THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I HOPE THAT YOU WILL, UH, VOTE IN FAVOR OF RESTORING, UM, THE USE OF SHOTS STOPPER AND TRYING TO IMPROVE IT, UH, MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RACHEL BICKMAN, FOLLOWED BY JACOB BROWN. THEN JAMES RAFFERTY. RACHEL, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY, HI. MY NAME IS RACHEL BICKMAN. UM, I LIVE ON TROBRIDGE STREET AND RACHEL, IF YOU CAN, SORRY TO INTERRUPT, PLEASE PULL THE MIC DOWN SO FOLKS ON ZOOM WILL HEAR YOU AS WELL. SURE. UM, HI, MY NAME IS RACHEL BICKMAN. I LIVE ON TROBRIDGE STREET. UM, I'D LIKE JUST LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE RESOURCES FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT THAT RELATE TO SHOT SPOTTER AND PUBLIC SAFETY. NOWHERE IN THE CITY UNITED'S 30 60 90 RAPID DAY RESPONSE OR IN THE N-I-C-J-R NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM IS ADDITIONAL SURVEILLANCE RECOMMENDED FOR THE REDUCTION OF GUN VIOLENCE THEY ACTUALLY EVEN RECOMMEND AGAINST OVER POLICING, ESPECIALLY AFTER A COMMUNITY TRAGEDY. UM, AND WE KNOW WHAT WORKS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, THEY SAY HOW SAFETY IS DEFINED BY HOW RESIDENTS FEEL SAFE, BUT FEELING OR BELIEVING THAT YOU ARE MORE SAFE DOES NOT IN REALITY MAKE THAT TRUE. AND WE KNOW PLENTY OF STUDIES WHERE AN OFFICER IS PRIMED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE MAY BE A FIREARM, EVEN IF THERE IS NOT, THEY'RE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO REACH FOR THEIR OWN. AND THIS HEIGHTENS THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE TRAGEDY AT THE HANDS OF THE POLICE. AND IN OUR CITY HERE AT CAMBRIDGE, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE ARE ALL NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH. FROM WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE RESIDENTS WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES THEM FEEL SAFE AND THAT BRINGS ACCOUNTABILITY. BUT AS WE'VE HEARD, SHOTSPOTTER DOES NOT DELIVER ON THESE. BUT WE HAVE OTHER SOLUTIONS LIKE VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS THAT ARE CITED IN THESE CITY MANAGER REPORTS. I EVEN SAW A MOCK JOB POSTING FOR A SIMILAR POSITION IN THIS REPORT TOO. I THINK AS CITY COUNSELORS YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS EVEN WHEN THEY SEEM LIKE THEY GO AGAINST WHAT THIS RESIDENCE WANTS. IT'S NOT EASY AND I CERTAINLY DON'T ENVY YOU 'CAUSE IT PROBABLY FEELS LIKE YOU'RE LETTING SOME OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS DOWN. BUT IF THE GOAL IS TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE AND YOU KNOW, INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY SHOT SPOTTER IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE ANSWER. UM, SO I URGE YOU TO LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS AND THE USE OF SHOT SPOTTER AND ACTUALLY FOCUS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRUST. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACOB BROWN, FOLLOWED BY JAMES RAFFERTY. THEN ANDREW KIM. JACOB, TWO MINUTES PLEASE. GO AHEAD. UH, HI. MY NAME'S JACOB BROWN. I LIVE ON MAGAZINE HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE AGAIN AFTER THE PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING FROM THURSDAY BEFORE LAST BECAUSE I REMAIN HEARTBROKEN AND SHAKEN BY THE MURDER OF AVERY BATISTA AND BY THE MASS SHOOTING ON MEMORIAL DRIVE. AND BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE LONG-TERM COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS GUN VIOLENCE HERE. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT SHOT SPOTTER'S ACTUAL TRACK RECORD. I CURRENTLY LIVE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING WITH A SHOT SPOTTER MIC ACROSS THE PARKING LOT, WHICH MEANS THAT IF I STEP OUTSIDE THE HOUSE AND TAKE OUT THE TRASH AND I'M CALLING MY GRANDPARENTS WHILE I DO IT, IT IS LISTENING. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER MADE ME FEEL MORE SAFE FOR ME. THIS ISN'T BASED ON MY HYPOTHETICAL HOPES OR FEARS OR WHAT IT WILL DO, BUT RATHER BASED ON THE RESULTS OF ROLLING OUT SHOT SPOTTER IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, I'VE SEEN CITY AFTER CITY WHERE IT'S INEFFECTIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS, LESS THAN HALF A PERCENT OF ITS ACTIVATIONS LED TO AN ARREST IN CHICAGO. 9 1 1 RESPONSE TIMES WERE FOUR MINUTES FASTER AFTER THEY DROPPED THE TECHNOLOGY. FURTHERMORE, I'VE SEEN THE WAYS THAT IT CAN BE DANGEROUS BY PREPARING POLICE TO RESPOND TO AN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION WHERE THERE IS NO THREAT. CHICAGO SAW A CASE WHERE A COP SHOT AT A TEENAGE BOY WHO HAD BEEN LIGHTING FIREWORKS AND FALSELY JAILED A 65-YEAR-OLD MAN FOR NEARLY A YEAR AFTER OFFICERS INTENTIONALLY AND IMPROPERLY RELIED ON A SHOT. SPOTTER ALERT, WE [00:50:01] DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LOOK OUTSIDE THE AREA. BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT'S OWN RECORDS DETAIL INCREASED POLICE STOPS AND SEARCHES BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE IN THE WRONG TIME DUE TO A SHOT. SPOTTER ALERT AND CAMBRIDGE ITSELF SAW AN 82% OF FALSE POSITIVE RATE IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OWN REPORT. HOWEVER, I'D ALSO LIKE TO LOOK AT THE ORGANIZATIONS DOING VITAL WORK IN CAMBRIDGE TO CUT DOWN ON THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE. THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S CARE TEAM, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS ABLE TO RESOLVE 96% OF EMERGENCY CALLS WITHOUT SENDING POLICE VIOLENCE. INTERRUPTION PROGRAMS DO CRITICAL WORK TO REACH OUT TO THE PEOPLE AT HIGHEST RISK OF BEING IMPACTED BY GUN VIOLENCE. HOWEVER, CAMBRIDGE CUT OUT THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S GRANT FUNDING FOR THOSE PROGRAMS BY MORE THAN HALF, THIS IS NOT RIGHT. IF WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT VIOLENCE, WE NEED TO DO IT AS A COMMUNITY AND SUPPORT THE PROGRAMS THAT WORK WITH THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIVING IN THE CITY. WE NEED DECISIONS ON WHETHER TO IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS LIKE THIS TO BE MADE WITH THE HELP OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND INSTALL A COMMUNITY PROCESS HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES RAFFERTY, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW KIM, THEN MASON SHEPHERD. JAMES JAMES HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO ANDREW KIM, THEN MASON SHEPHERD, FOLLOWED BY MOHAMMED. EM. ANDREW, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. HELLO, MY NAME IS ANDREW KIM AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA AND A DEACON AT OLD CAMBRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH. I'M SICK TODAY SO I CAN'T BE UH, THERE IN PERSON TO SPEAK ONCE AGAIN ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER. ONCE AGAIN, I WOULD ADVISE THE COUNCIL TO NOT RE-IMPLEMENT SHOTSPOTTER DUE TO ITS POOR EFFICACY AND ITS CONNECTIONS WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND ICE. AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE MY DEEP CONDOLENCES FOR THE FAMILY OF XAVIER BATISTA AND SAY AGAIN THAT IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE PORT HAVE TO LIVE UNDER THE THREAT OF GUN VIOLENCE, LET ALONE ITS REALITY. I WILL ALSO SAY THAT THE USE OF THIS TRAGEDY TO CONDUCT A SEEMING REFERENDUM ON SHOTSPOTTER IS A CRUEL PLACEMENT OF POLITICS OVER THE REAL GOVERNANCE AND THE LIVES OF CAMBRIDGE CITIZENS. THIS ATTEMPT TO BRING BACK A WIDELY UNPOPULAR SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM HAS MADE A CIRCUS OF A TRAGEDY AND IS A DEEPLY SHAMEFUL DISPLAY FROM THIS COUNCIL. THAT SAID, I ADMIT THAT IF THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE PORT COLLECTIVELY STATE THAT THEY WANT A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, THEN THEY SHOULD HAVE ONE. THIS IS A DEMOCRACY. WE SHOULDN'T BE IN THE BUSINESS OF DENYING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, BUT THEY DESERVE A SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY WORKS THAT DOESN'T HAVE AN 82% FALSE ALARM RATE IN THEIR CITY. THEY DESERVE A SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY PROTECTS, THAT WON'T BE USED TO TARGET THEIR NEIGHBORS FOR KIDNAPPING AND IMPRISONMENT. AND THEY DESERVE A SYSTEM ARRIVED AT THROUGH THE CITY GOVERNMENT'S COLLABORATION WITH THEM, NOT THE ONE THAT WAS SIMPLY THERE BEFORE. THEY DESERVE BETTER THAN SHOT SPOTTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO JAMES RAFFERTY. JAMES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS JIM RAFFERTY. I'M AN ATTORNEY IN CAMBRIDGE WITH OFFICES LOCATED AT 9 0 7 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE. I'M SPEAKING, UH, ON ITEM NUMBER ONE UNDER PETITIONS. IT IS A ZONING PETITION FILED BY ALEXANDER REAL ESTATE EQUITIES. UH, IT IS A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE CREATION OF OVER 30 AFFORDABLE DWELLING UNITS AT A LOCATION OF 1 61 FIRST STREET. AS YOU KNOW, THE PETITION WILL BE REFERRED THIS EVENING, UH, FROM HERE TO BOTH THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING BOARD. JUST WANTED TO ALERT, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THIS ISSUE, WHICH WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH MANY COUNSELORS ABOUT, IS NOW GONNA BE COMING BEFORE YOU. IT DOES REPRESENT A CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR A 100% AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT RIGHT IN THE HEART OF KENDALL SQUARE, TWO BLOCKS FROM TOME PARK WITH A FAMILY FRIENDLY STYLE UNIT MIX INFLUENCED AND INFORMED BY MEETINGS WE'VE HAD WITH THE CAMBRIDGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEPARTMENT. UH, IN CLOSING, I'D SAY THAT THIS REPRESENTS NOT ONLY AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY, BUT ALSO A SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT UNDER HISTORICAL PRESERVATION. THE BUILDING ITSELF IS, UH, HAS BEEN, UH, REPRESENTS THE INDUSTRIAL PAST OF KENDALL SQUARE, THE FORMER ASHTON VALVE COMPANY, AND, UH, IT REALLY DOES REPRESENT, UH, UH, THE BEST OF WHAT CAMBRIDGE CAN DO, BOTH THROUGH PRESERVATION AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON BEHALF OF ALEXANDRIA. WE LOOK FORWARD TO ENGAGING FULLY WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ON THIS EXCITING OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MASON SHEPHERD, FOLLOWED BY MOHAMMED SHAFI. THEN KAREN BRUSH. I MASON HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO MOHAMMED EM. HELLO, MY NAME IS MOHAMMED EM. I LIVE ON DANA STREET AND I'M SPEAKING ON CHARTER, RIGHT. NUMBER ONE. I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC [00:55:01] SOCIALIST AMERICA. I GREW UP IN NEWNAN COURTS PUBLIC HOUSING, AND I AM A CLS 2019 ALUM. I WITNESSED THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE IN THE CITY GROW AS A WEALTH DISPARITY WIDENED WITH EACH NEW BUILDING IN KENDALL SQUARE. I CAN ASSURE THE CITY COUNCIL WHAT BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES DON'T NEED IS MORE SURVEILLANCE LIKE MORE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS LIKE SHOT SPOTTER. WE HAVE ALREADY HAD ENOUGH SURVEILLANCE WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S PATRIOT ACT. I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO SPEND ITS TIME AND RESOURCES ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE. SOLUTIONS LIKE SOCIAL HOUSING AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT CAN PREVENT FURTHER HARM TO THE SP TO THE CITY. SO I EMPLOY THE CITY, SORRY. SO I EMPLOY THE CITY COUNCIL TO NOT BRING BACK THE INEFFECTIVE AND FACTLESS SHOTS WATER SYSTEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KAREN BETTE, FOLLOWED BY JIM BRADFORD. THEN GLENNA WYMAN. KAREN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. KAREN BETTE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. WE WILL COME BACK TO KAREN. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO JIM BRADFORD, FOLLOWED BY GLENNA WYMAN. JIM, OH, THERE YOU ARE, JIM. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN. OH, ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. HELLO EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS JIM BRADFORD. I'M A STEWARD AND A MEMBER OF THE SEIU UNION. I'M AN ELECTRICIAN FOR MIT. FIRST OFF, I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY, SO I'LL JUST BE QUICK FOR MONTHS. NOW, WE HAVE BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH MIT FOR A FAIR CONTRACT FOR OUR MEMBERS. IN THIS TIME, MIT HAS BRAGGED THEIR FEET AND SLOWED THE PROGRESS FOR A REASONABLE AGREEMENT. OUR UNION HAS WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE GRAD STUDENTS UNION ON THE CAMPUS WHO HAS, WHO HAS RECEIVED SIMILAR, SIMILAR TREATMENT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR A FAIR CONTRACT. MIT HOLDS ITS STUDENTS AND GRADUATES TO THE HIGHEST ESTEEM. THEY COMMEND AND RESPECT THE STUDENTS, THE, TO THE HIGHEST REGARD MEMBERS OF THE SEIU, AS WELL AS THE MEMBERS OF THE GRAD STUDENT UNION FIELD. THAT MAYBE IT'S TIME THAT MIT HOLD, THE MEMBERS THAT KEEP THE INSTITUTE OPERATIONAL TO THE SAME REGARD. WITH THAT, WE WOULD LIKE TO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THIS BODY'S SUPPORT IN OUR VENTURE FOR MIT UNION AS WELL AS THE GRAD STUDENT UNION, UM, FOR A FAIR CONTRACT. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME. HAVE A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLENNA WYMAN. GLENNA'S, NOT ON THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO JOHN HORAN, FOLLOWED BY LILY GROB. THEN JOANNA JIMENEZ. JOHN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. SORRY, JOHN HAS NOT JOINED THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO LILY GROB. LILY HAS NOT JOINED EITHER. WE WILL GO TO JOANNA JIMENEZ, FOLLOWED BY SEAN HOPE. THEN GABRIELLE ROBERTSON, JOANNA. SORRY, JOANNA WAS JUST HERE AND SEEMS TO HAVE STEPPED AWAY. WE WILL GO TO SEAN. HOPE SO. SEAN, SORRY. IF YOU CAN HOLD ON A SEC. WE'RE GONNA GO TO JOANNA JIMENEZ, THEN SEAN HOPE. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOANNA JIMENEZ. A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, MY SON ANDREW WAS WALKING HOME THROUGH CAMBRIDGE WHEN HE WAS SHOT 15 TIMES AND KILLED. MANY OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW HIS STORY BECAUSE THE NEWS REPORTED THAT HE WASN'T FROM CAMBRIDGE, BUT ANDREW WAS RAISED HERE. THIS CITY WAS HIS HOME. I RAISED HIM HERE ALONGSIDE THE REST OF MY CHILDREN. AFTER HIS DEATH, THERE WAS ONLY ONE PUBLIC MEETING. MY FAMILY WAS NEVER INTERVIEWED AND I HAVE SPENT THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF REACHING OUT TO NEW STATIONS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD HELP BRING ATTENTION TO MY SON'S CASE. WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS. THE NIGHT MY SON WAS MURDERED, THE SHOT SPOTTER SYSTEM DID NOT ALERT POLICE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE SYSTEM HAS, UM, HAS SHOWN RELIABILITY ISSUES AND I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS CREATED FOR ONE PURPOSE TO HELP LAW ENFORCEMENTS RESPOND MORE QUICKLY TO GUNFIRE AND POTENTIALLY SAVE LIVES. IN MY OPINION, THE SYSTEM SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN REMOVED. IF IT WASN'T WORKING WELL ENOUGH, THEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN UPDATED, IMPROVED, AND HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD, NOT ELIMINATED. [01:00:01] WE DON'T ABANDON PUBLIC SAFETY TOOLS BECAUSE THEY NEED IMPROVEMENT. WE MAKE THEM BETTER. I WILL ALWAYS WONDER IF AN ALERT HAD GONE OUT THAT NIGHT, WOULD MY SON'S KILLERS HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIRE 15 ROUNDS? WOULD OFFICERS HAVE ARRIVED SOONER? I WILL NEVER KNOW THOSE ANSWERS. I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE THAT THE SHOT SPOTTERS IS PERFECT. I'M ASKING YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT OUR CITY HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE EVERY REASONABLE TOOL AVAILABLE TO HELP PROTECT ITS RESIDENTS. NO FAMILY SHOULD HAVE TO BURY A LOVED ONE AND SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES WONDERING IF A FASTER RESPONSE COULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOD BLESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ARE GONNA GO BACK TO EARLIER SKIP SPEAKER KAREN BETTE, FOLLOWED BY SEAN HOPE. THEN GABRIELLE ROBERTSON. KAREN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. TWO MINUTES. GOOD EVENING COUNSELORS. KAREN BRUSH AT 51 CUSHING STREET. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER 1 48 FOR GREATER INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION. AND TO ADDRESS THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT ON STREAMLINING PERMITTING. THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM RELATED TO THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT IS THE NEED TO QUOTE, FIX INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN ZONING AND BUILDING CO CODES. HOWEVER, CALLING THESE INCONSISTENCIES MISSES A CRUCIAL TRUTH. THESE ARE DIRECT CONFLICTS WITH GOVERNING CODE THAT LEAVE THE CITY NON-COMPLIANT AND THE RESIDENTS VULNERABLE. WHEN LOCAL RULES CONFLICT WITH MANDATORY STATE REQUIREMENTS LIKE MASS DP SEPARATION RULES FOR STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE, IT CREATES LEGAL AND PHYSICAL RISK FOR NEIGHBORS. THE CITY'S PRIORITY MUST BE UPHOLDING MANDATORY CODES BEFORE STREAMLINING THIS PROCESS. WE CURRENTLY RELY ON SINGULAR DEPARTMENT STAFF TO CATCH THESE CONFLICTS, BUT WE CANNOT EXPECT INDIVIDUALS TO CATCH EVERY DETAIL. LOOK AT 95 CUSHING STREET, A PROJECT UNDER A MICROSCOPE. THE DPW APPROVED A STORMWATER SYSTEM SEVEN AND A HALF FEET FROM AN BUTTER'S WALL, VIOLATING STATE SEPARATION RULES AND MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS. IN THIS SAME PROJECT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT APPROVED A SINGLE EGRESS PATHWAY DIRECTLY OVER BASEMENT WINDOW WELLS CREATING A SEVERE LIFE SAFETY TRAP. IN ISD FOR THE SAME PROJECT. A SUPERFICIAL ASBESTOS STUDY WAS APPROVED UNTIL STATE INTERVENTION FORCED A REDO AND CDD COUNTED GREEN ROOF AREAS IN PERMANENT SHADE TOWARDS THE GREEN FACTOR STANDARD SCORE. IF STAFF MISS THESE DETAILS ON A PROJECT UNDER A MICROSCOPE WHAT IS SLIPPING THROUGH ON OTHER DEVELOPMENTS? BEFORE STREAMLINING PERMITS, WE MUST ENFORCE FULL CODE COMPLIANCE AND IMPROVING INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATIONS IS A START. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SEAN HOPE, FOLLOWED BY GABRIELLE ROBERTSON. THEN CHARLES FRANKLIN. SEAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THOSE WAITING WE HAVE ABOUT 19 SPEAKERS TO GO. SEAN HOPE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING, MADAM MAYOR, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, SEAN HOPE THREE 50 WASHINGTON STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO. UM, THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO, UM, EXTEND SOME OF THE SUCCESSFUL POLICIES, INCLUDING THE 3M CLOSING AND THE TO-GO CUPS THAT WERE ENACTED BY THE STATE IN THE CITY DURING THE WORLD CUP. UM, I HAVE BEEN A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS OWNING LIQUOR LICENSES IN RETAIL VENUES, AND I'VE REALLY SEEN THE BOOST THAT THIS 3M LICENSES HAS REALLY HAD ON THE DIFFERENT SQUARES AND NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES IN MY BUSINESS, SPECIFICALLY IN HARVARD SQUARE. UM, ALTHOUGH EXPERIENCES ARE MORE POPULAR THAN EVER, IT IS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING WITH LABOR COSTS, RENT COSTS ALL INCREASING. CAMBRIDGE WAS INNOVATIVE WHEN IT DECIDED TO OPT INTO THIS PROGRAM, AND I THINK THE SUCCESS HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR. NOT ONLY FINANCIAL SUCCESS, BUT I'VE SEEN ACTIVE ACTIVITY IN THE SQUARE. AT TIMES, THEY WERE DEAD. I'VE SEEN PEOPLE WALKING AROUND AND JUST PATRONIZING OTHER BUSINESSES, AND IT REALLY WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING. UM, AND I WOULD HATE TO SEE THIS END. UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, EXCUSE ME, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE PROPER PROCEDURE. BUT I WOULD JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU ONE ANALOGY THAT I THINK COULD HELP MOTIVATE THE CITY COUNCIL TO PURSUE THIS ORDER. BUT THE LONGEST TIME IN CENTRAL SQUARE, IT WAS REALLY CHALLENGING TO HAVE OUTDOOR SEATING, UM, TO GET A PERMIT. IT WAS MONEY AND IT WAS TIME. OFTEN THE, THE, UH, THE SEA SIDEWALKS WEREN'T A DA COMPLIANT AFTER COVID, THAT ALL CHANGED. NOW CENTRAL SQUARE FEELS LIKE THE EAST VILLAGE, AND IT REALLY TOOK A NATIONAL PANDEMIC FOR US TO KIND OF GET OUT OF THE WAY WE USED TO DO THINGS. SO I WOULD IMPLORE THE COUNCIL TO LOOK AT THIS AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR CAMBRIDGE TO BE INNOVATIVE, TO BE THOUGHTFUL, AND TO PROMOTE SMALL BUSINESS. LASTLY, I'D LIKE TO SUPPORT WHAT MICHAEL MONING SAID ABOUT THE WORLD'S FAIR. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, AND IT'S IN KEEPING WITH THE BUILDING OFF OF THE [01:05:01] SUCCESSES OVER THE SUMMER. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GABRIELLE ROBERTSON, FOLLOWED BY CHARLES FRANKLIN, THEN FORMER MAYOR KEN REEVES. GABRIELLE, THANK YOU. I'M GABRIELLE. I LIVE ON WARE STREET. I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY. THE ONLY, THOUGH I ONLY MOVED HERE NINE YEARS AGO, UH, AND I'VE BEEN VOLUNTEERING AT THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER SINCE 2018. I'M INVESTED IN OUR COMMUNITY WORK WITH CAMBRIDGE FOR PALESTINE. I CONSIDER THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY A HUGE PART OF MY LIFE. UH, AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST CHARTER, RIGHT? ONE ATTEMPTING TO REINSTATE OUR USE OF SHOTSPOTTER AFTER OUR COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER TO END CAMBRIDGE'S INVESTMENT IN THIS FORM OF INEFFECTIVE OVER-POLICING. WE ALL KNOW BUDGET CUTS TO OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NET ARE HAVING AN EFFECT ON OUR NEIGHBORS RIGHT NOW, CARRYING OUT TRUMP'S PROMISES IN 2024. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CAMBRIDGE CITY POLICE BUDGET PROPOSED FOR THIS COMING YEAR IS $57 MILLION, A ROUGHLY $1.5 MILLION INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET. OUR NEIGHBORS ARE EXPERIENCING EBT CUTS. THE MARKET, FULLER HOUSE FACES SO MUCH DEMAND THAT IT NEEDED AN EXTRA PUSH FOR DONATIONS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. TRUMP'S THREATENED CUTS TO DISABILITY BENEFITS AND HEALTHCARE ARE KICKING IN NOW. ERASING ESSENTIAL INCOME STREAMS FOR PEOPLE THAT REALLY NEED IT. FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY RENT IN THE CITY. THAT HAS ALMOST TWO TIMES THE NATIONAL, NATIONAL AVERAGE OF RENT. AND THE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER, WHERE I INVEST MY TIME EVERY WEEK AND PROVIDE, UH, FREE ADULT BASIC EDUCATION HAS HAD TO CUT OPERATIONS AND CUT THE NUMBER OF CLASSES WE CAN OFFER WITH ALL THIS NEED. WE HAVE 12 ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE DON'T NEED A 13TH. WE NEED SAFETY AND WELLBEING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE NEED THE CITY COUNCIL TO SHOW UP, NOT BY INCREASING SPENDING ON OUR POLICE BUDGET OR LEANING ON TRUMP'S DHS, WHICH FOR REASONS OF ITS OWN, IS HELPING FUND CAMBRIDGE'S USE OF SHOTSPOTTER. WE NEED OUR CITY COUNCIL TO SHOW UP FOR NEIGHBORS IN WAYS THAT WORK. IF WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES, WE NEED TO INVEST IN WHAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO WORK. COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS ARE ALREADY DOING SUCH VITAL AND EFFECTIVE WORK, AND WE NEED TO SEE WHAT'S WORKING AND INVEST IN THAT RELIABLY. I WANNA CONTINUE INVESTING IN MY COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, GABRIELLE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER FOR ANYONE WHOSE TIME EXPIRES. YOU CAN ALWAYS EMAIL CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHARLES FRANKLIN, FOLLOWED BY KEN REEVES, THEN LAWRENCE ATKINS. CHARLES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. TWO MINUTES. UH, GUESS THE NEWS. DOESN'T WANNA HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. , UM, CHARLES FRANKLIN, 1 6 2 HAMPSHIRE STREET. I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE SURVEILLANCE ITEMS ON, UH, ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT. I SUPPORT THE INSTALLATION OF THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS. I USED TO BE AGAINST THEM, BUT I'M TIRED OF BEING NEARLY RUN DOWN BY DRIVERS SPEEDING AND RUNNING RED LIGHTS. THEY ONLY RECORD WHEN AN INFRACTION HAS BEEN DETECTED, AND THEY ARE LIMITED TO THIS SCOPE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I'M AGAINST THE INSTALLATION OF CAMERAS ON OUR PUBLIC PARKS THAT INDISCRIMINATELY RECORD EVERYTHING, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY AT NIGHT. I WON'T SAY THAT I'M CATEGORICALLY AGAINST IT, BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S JUSTIFIED. AND THEN THERE'S SHOT SPOTTER. UNLIKE THE PARK CAMERAS, THE PURPOSE OF SHOT SPOTTER ISN'T SURVEILLANCE FOR THE SAKE OF SURVEILLANCE. IT'S TO SAVE LIVES. DESPITE THIS, BECAUSE IT RECORDS CONSTANTLY, IT BRINGS THE SAME BAGGAGE AND PRIVACY CONCERNS THAT OTHER SIMILAR SYSTEMS HAVE. IT'S BEEN SHOWN REPEATEDLY THAT PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES WILL SHARE THEIR DATA WITH GOVERNMENTS OR OTHER BAD ACTORS SUCH AS PALANTIR, DESPITE HAVING PREVIOUSLY PLEDGED NOT TO. THAT'S WHY WE CANCELED THE FLOCK CONTRACT. THESE CONCERNS SHOULD NOT BE DISMISSED YET. WE ALSO SHOULDN'T DISCOUNT THE VALUE THAT SHOT SPOTTER HAS. SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS THIS IF POSSIBLE? I THINK THE CITY SHOULD NEGOTIATE WITH SHOT SPOTTER'S, OPERATOR SOUND THINKING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET A SAFER DATA RETENTION POLICY. IDEALLY, THE CITY WOULD STORE AND OWN ALL DATA RECORDED AT A MINIMUM. NO DATA SHOULD BE RECORDED TO DISC UNLESS A GUNSHOT WAS DETECTED. THAT WAY WE CAN BRING BACK THIS LIFESAVING TOOL WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT BEING A SOURCE OF DATA FOR BAD ACTORS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FORMER MAYOR KEN REEVES, FOLLOWED BY LAWRENCE ADKINS, THEN RACHEL WALTON. KEN, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. AND, UH, TWO MADAM MAYOR AND THE COUNCIL. I'M KEN REEVES, THREE 40 HARVARD STREET, PRESIDENT OF THE CAMBRIDGE RANCH OF THE N-A-A-C-P. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO AT TWO MINUTES, BUT I'LL DO MY [01:10:01] BEST. I'LL SIMPLY SAY THIS, THAT THE JOB, WHAT I LEARNED, SITTING WHERE YOU'RE SITTING, IS THAT THIS JOB IS TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. AND I'M REMINDED OF OUR CONGRESSWOMAN AYANNA PRESLEY, WHO SO ELOQUENTLY TELLS US ABOUT HOW THAT THE POLICIES THAT ARE MADE SHOULD BE INFLUENCED BY THE PEOPLE WITH THE PROBLEM. SO HERE WE HAVE MOTHERS WHOSE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN MURDERED, WHO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY OR A BETTER POSSIBILITY FOR THEM. AND WE DON'T SEEM TO, WE WANT TO BE IDEOLOGICAL, WE WANT TO BE THEORETICAL. ONE COUNSELOR IS QUOTED IN THE PAPER SAYING, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT PERFECT. WELL, WHAT AN AMERICAN SOCIETY IS PERFECT. DO YOU WATCH YOUR TELEVISION? SO MY POINT IS THIS. IT'S NOT THIS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND ARE ARE UNLIKELY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WHO DO HAVE THE PROBLEM, WHO WANT YOUR HELP TO NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM. IT'S NO MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT. DON'T KNOW BETTER THAN THEY KNOW, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW BETTER THAN THEY KNOW. IT'S SIMPLE AS THAT. NOW, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SAY, AND I'M HOPING THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO A PUBLIC MEETING WHEN THE PEOPLE SAID, WHO VOTED FOR THIS POLICY, WHO VOTED FOR THIS, VOTED FOR THIS, AND THE VOTERS FOR THE POLICY ARE IN THE ROOM, AND NOBODY STANDS UP AND SAYS, I VOTED FOR IT. PLEASE, PLEASE HAVE MORE INTEGRITY THAN THAT. AND I WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR SIMMONS AND, AND ALSO, UH, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY FOR LEADING ON THIS ISSUE. BECAUSE BOTH OF YOU, FROM THE WAY FROM YOUR LIFE'S JOURNEY KNOW THIS ISSUE. WE NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO LEARN IN THIS COUNCIL CHAMBER ABOUT LISTENING. LASTLY, I SUPPORT THE RETURN OF THE WORLD'S FAIR. YOU COULDN'T GIVE THE CITY A BETTER GIFT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE LAWRENCE ADKINS. THEN WE'RE GONNA CIRCLE BACK TO GLENNA WYMAN, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL WALTON. LAWRENCE, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LAWRENCE ATKINS. I'M A RESIDENT OF 45 HAYES STREET. I AM HERE BECAUSE I'M HEARING ALL THESE THINGS THAT CREATE DISPARITY. WHY ARE WE NOT DOING SOMETHING THROUGHOUT THE CITY? UM, YOU TALK ABOUT DATA. HOW CAN DATA BE ON THE MONEY? AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CAMBRIDGE, AND IT'S ONLY IN CERTAIN SECTIONS. WE ARE A CITY THAT HAVE ALL CITIZENS. IF YOU LIVE HERE, YOU WANT PROTECTION AS IS, NOT AS A SECTION BECAUSE SOMEBODY TELLS YOU SOMETHING'S GOING ON. THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON IN EVERY SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THIS CITY. AND IF YOU THINK YOU ARE TELLING, YOU'RE TELLING A LIE TO YOURSELF, THESE DEVICES ARE IN PLACE AS A DETERRENT. DO YOU SEE ANYBODY ELECTRONICALLY JUMPING DOWN FROM THESE TELEPHONE POLES THAT ARRESTING ANYBODY? THEY'RE NOT. THEY'RE THERE TO ENCOURAGE CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT SO THAT THE, THE TRACKING OF INFORMATION HAS AN IDENTITY AND THE POLICE CAN DO A MUCH BETTER JOB. WE NEED TO EMPHASIZE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS AND PROTECT ALL CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. DON'T HAVE THEM SITTING IN THEIR HOME AND SAYING THAT, DON'T GO ON IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. WHILE THE OTHERS UNSUSPECTING THAT THEY BELIEVE THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE JUST AS GOOD, HAVE SOMETHING GOING ON AND THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT. INCLUDE THEM. BRING THEM TO THE MEETINGS. HAVE ALL THE DATA THAT YOU GOT BE EXPOSED, NOT LIMITED TO JUST A FEW, INCLUDING WHERE YOU'RE NOT DOING IT. AND WHY. AND LIKE MY PREDECESSOR SAID, THOSE COUNCILS WHO WANNA STAND ON THAT CAN STAND UP AND SAY WHY THEY'RE IN CERTAIN ZONES AND WHY THEY ARE NOT IN OTHERS, INCLUDING THE POLICE COMMISSIONER. BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THIS CITY IS STRUCTURED WHERE THE POLICE COMMISSIONER RUNS THIS CITY'S DEPARTMENT. YOU GUYS ARE THEIR BOSSES AND YOU ONLY GOT ONE THING TO DO WITH THEM, YAY. OR FIRE. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, LET YOU GUYS DO THE JOB THAT YOU SUPPOSED TO DO FOR EVERYBODY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GLENNA WYMAN, FOLLOWED BY RACHEL WALTON AND DAVID HALPERIN. GLENNA, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN PLEASE. GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, I WANNA SAY AT THE OUTSET THAT IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPOSSIBLE, UH, TO EASILY GET IN [01:15:01] REMOTELY, UM, THROUGH MY CELL PHONE. UH, AND I'VE MISSED BEING ABLE TO SPEAK IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF THAT. AND IT ASKS, UH, YOU TO COME THROUGH GMAIL, WHICH SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE, AND TO GIVE YOUR BIRTHDAY AND ALL KINDS OF INFORMATION IT SHOULDN'T ASK. UH, THE CITY NEEDS TO MAKE THAT SIMPLER. UM, I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO STAND FIRM ON THEIR DECISION MADE MORE THAN ONCE IN RECENT WEEKS AND MONTHS TO GET RID OF SHOT SPOTTER. I I THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN, I I'M SURPRISED THAT OUR FORMER MAYOR, KEN REEVES, HAS SWITCHED SIDES ON THIS BECAUSE I LOOKED INTO THE OLD CAMBRIDGE DAY ARCHIVES AND HE WAS OPPOSED TO THIS KIND OF SURVEILLANCE IN THE PAST. AND, UM, HE HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWING THE NEWS IF HE HAS NOT SEEN THE HEARINGS WE HAD ON THE MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH SHOTS SPOTTER. UH, AND, UH, ITS INABILITY TO DO WHAT IT'S PROMISED AND ITS ABILITY TO SURVEY OUR MOST VULNERABLE, UH, FELLOW CITIZENS. UM, AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED BY THE POLICE AND SOME OF OUR, A HANDFUL OF OUR, A SMALL HANDFUL OF OUR CUSTOMER, OUR COUNSELORS, INTO SAYING THAT THIS DOES, YOU KNOW, IS THE HOLY GRAIL THAT'S GONNA HELP, UM, TERMS OF VIOLENCE. UH, AND I JUST URGE OUR COUNSELORS TO STAND FIRM ON KEEPING SHOTS SPOTTER OFF OUR THANK YOU GLENNA FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RACHEL WALTON, FOLLOWED BY DAVID HALPERIN. THEN MEGAN GEORGE. RACHEL, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI THERE. MY NAME IS RACHEL WALTON. UM, I LIVE AT 15 IAN STREET. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT SHOT SPOTTER. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD NOT INVEST ANY MORE TIME OR MONEY INTO SHOT SPOTTER, EVEN IF IT IS A TEMPORARY MEASURE. SHOT SPOTTER IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT INCREASES THE LEVEL OF SURVEILLANCE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND NOT THE LEVEL OF SAFETY SHOTS. SPOTTER DOES NOT DECREASE THE RATE OF FIREARM RELATED HOMICIDES IN THE COMMUNITY IS INSTALLED IN, BUT IT DOES INCREASE THE CHANCES OF FALSE ALARMS OR NOISES THAT ARE NOT GUNFIRE, BUT ARE REPORTED TO THE POLICE. AS SUCH, THIS CAN CAUSE POLICE TO ARRIVE IN A COMMUNITY EXPECTING A PUBLIC SAFETY CRISIS WHERE THERE ISN'T ONE. NOT ONLY DOES THAT INCREASE THE CHANCES OF ESCALATED AND POTENTIALLY VIOLENT ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, IT ALSO ENCOURAGES POLICE TO PERFORM INVASIVE SEARCHES AND UNNECESSARY STOP AND FRISK. THE DEATH OF XAVIER BAA IS A, IS A TRAGEDY, BUT WE CANNOT BE DRIVEN BY FEAR TO READOPT A TECHNOLOGY THAT INCREASES SURVEILLANCE OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY OUR BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY MEMBERS. AND ALSO IT INCREASES THE RISK OF HARM TO THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THE HANDS OF POLICE. WE MUST TRUST THAT THE PREVIOUS DECISION TO DEACTIVATE SHOT SPOTTER IN CAMBRIDGE WAS THE CORRECT ONE. AND INSTEAD INVEST IN INITIATIVES THAT ARE PROVEN TO ACTUALLY MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES SAFER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID HALPERIN, FOLLOWED BY MEGAN GEORGE, THEN FORMER COUNSELOR AISHA WILSON. DAVID, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. DAVID, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. TWO MINUTES. HI. GOOD EVENING. DAVID HOPPER, 14 VALENTINE STREET, UNIT THREE. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT, UH, TO EXPRESS MY STRONG OPPOSITION TO TODAY AS DOUG BROWN JOINING PETITION. UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR GIVING IT A NEGATIVE RECOMMENDATION AND COMMITTEE. AS OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS HAVE TESTIFIED THIS WOULD REALLY HURT THE A HO. IT WOULD ALSO MAKE, UM, AFFORD INCLUSION OR UNITS IN C ONE DISTRICTS AS INTENDED BY MULTIFAMILY VOTING AND FEASIBLE. WE REALLY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, MOVE BACKWARDS ON OUR AFFORD OH, HOUSING PRODUCTION. UH, PLEASE VOTE THIS DOWN TONIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MEGAN GEORGE, FOLLOWED BY AISHA WILSON, THEN JALEN BERNARD. MEGAN, TWO MINUTES. HI CAMBRIDGE. MY NAME IS MEGAN GEORGE. I LIVE AT 25 HIGH. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER 1 48. AND I URGE YOU TO GO MUCH FURTHER. I SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND MULTIFAMILY ZONING. WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE WAS THAT THESE CHANGES WOULD ALSO WEAKEN AND REMOVE PROTECTIONS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN, MATURE TREES, STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, A BETTER INPUT, ET CETERA. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE PROPOSED PLANS FOR 95 CUSHING, I REALIZED THERE WERE BROADER PROBLEMS WITH OUR ZONING THAT I HADN'T UNDERSTOOD. SINCE THEN, [01:20:01] MY NEIGHBOR AND I HAVE MET WITH EVERY CITY COUNSELOR AND STAFF FROM MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE GOT HERE. ONE OF OUR CITY COUNCILORS SAID THERE'S A FIREWALL BETWEEN THEM AND CRITICAL INFORMATION. CITY STAFF SAID CAMBRIDGE HAS FANTASTIC EXPERTS, BUT THE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT LISTEN TO THEIR EXPERTS. THEY SAID, OUR EXPERTS ARE NOT SHAPING OUR ZONING. INSTEAD, THEY SAID THEY ARE LEFT MANAGING ITS CONSEQUENCES. WE HAVE INVESTED IN PLANS LIKE THE URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN, RESILIENT CAMBRIDGE PLAN. YET THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE SITTING ON A SHELF AND NOT GUIDING ZONING DECISIONS. POLICY ORDER 1 48 IS AN IMPORTANT FIRST STEP, BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH. KEEP MAJOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD AND TEMPORARILY PAUSE ALL NEW BUY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT. SPEAK WITH YOUR EXPERTS, BRING OUR URBAN DESIGNERS INTO THE CENTER WHERE THEY BELONG, AND WHERE THEY CAN SHOW YOU WHO, HOW TO CREATE EVEN MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. REPAIR OUR ZONING. SHOW US THIS ZONING CODE WAS WRITTEN BY OUR EXPERTS. PROVE, PROVE TO US A PROJECT LIKE 95 CUSHING IS SAFE AND RESILIENT, AND THEN ALLOW BUILDING TO RESUME. CAMBRIDGE IS NEARLY 400 YEARS OLD AND HAS SOLVED EXTRAORDINARY PROBLEMS FROM SHIPPING ICE AROUND THE WORLD TO SEQUENCING THE HUMAN GENOME. SURELY WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WITHOUT CHOPPING DOWN OUR TREES, SENDING HISTORIC BUILDINGS TO LANDFILLS OR ERODING THE CHARACTER OF THE 13 NEIGHBORHOODS THAT MAKE CAMBRIDGE SUCH A REMARKABLE PLACE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AISHA WILSON, FOLLOWED BY JALEN BERNARD. THEN JULIAN MALL. AISHA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. TWO MINUTES. GREAT, THANK YOU. AND GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR, CITY COUNSELORS AND CITY LEADERS. I'M AISHA AND WILSON, FORMER CITY COUNSELOR AND KIDS FROM CAMBRIDGE. I APPRECIATE THE DIFFICULTY THAT YOU ALL HAVE AROUND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BALANCE PUBLIC SAFETY, CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO USE TAX DOLLARS. I KNOW THAT THE DECISION THAT YOU ALL MADE TO REMOVE SHOT SPOTTER WAS NOT MADE LIGHTLY. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT AND MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE SPOKEN THIS A THIS EVENING BELIEVE THAT IT WAS A WRONG DECISION. WHEN SOMEONE FIRES A GUN, THE COMMUNITY EXPECTS AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THE REALITY IS THAT NOT EVERY GUNSHOT IS REPORTED TO 9 1 1. AS WE ALL KNOW, PEOPLE MAY BE FRIGHTENED, UNSURE OF WHAT THEY HEARD OF AND UNWILLING TO GET INVOLVED. A GUNSHOT DETECTION SYSTEM CAN HELP TO PROVIDE FIRST RESPONDERS WITH THE RESOURCE, WITH ANOTHER RESOURCE, A TOOL THAT WE ALL KNOW IS A, COULD BE HELPFUL AND SUPPORTIVE TO RESPONDING TO PEOPLE MORE QUICKLY WHEN SOMEONE NEEDS HELP. AS WE KNOW, AND AS FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT, OUR COMMUNITY ARE GRIEVING THE LOSS OF XAVIER BAPTISTA, A KID FROM CAMBRIDGE, AND A DEDICATED EMPLOYEE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, HIS FAMILY, HIS FRIENDS, HIS COWORKERS, AND OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY ARE MOURNING HIS LIFE THAT WAS TAKEN FAR TOO SOON. WHILE WE CANNOT CHANGE WHAT HAS HAPPENED, WE CAN ASK OURSELVES WHETHER WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING REASONABLY POSSIBLE TO PREVENT THE FUTURE TRAGEDIES AND TO HELP FIRST RESPONDERS REACH VICTIMS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WERE CONCERNS ABOUT THE ACCURACY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR UNNECESSARY POLICE INTERACTIONS. HOWEVER, THOSE CONCERNS DESERVE CAREFUL, OVERSIGHT AND TRANSPARENT EVALUATION. WE NEED TO DO BETTER. AS A CITY, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ALL DO BETTER. WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON PUBLIC SAFETY. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY HAS THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED TO HELP ALL VICTIMS IN CASE OF, UH, UM, HARDSHIP. BUT WE AS A CITY NEED TO DO BETTER. SO I HOPE THAT YOU ALL HAVE SOLUTIONS TO THIS CHALLENGE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE FIND A BETTER WAY TO, UH, SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY VERSUS, UM, NEGATIVELY IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JALEN BERNARD, FOLLOWED BY JULIAN MA AND HEATHER HOFFMAN. JALEN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND CITY OF COUNCIL FOR HAVING ME TODAY. AND, UH, I HOPE KEN REEVES IS STILL IN THE BUILDING. KEN, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOICE TODAY AND YOUR LEADERSHIP. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, THINGS CHANGE, PEOPLE'S OPINIONS CHANGE. IT'S ALL GOOD. UM, BUT I'M CALLING IN TODAY, UM, I GUESS IN SUPPORT OF SHOT SPOTTER, BUT REALLY ASKING THE CITY TO EVALUATE THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WE CAN USE. I DON'T THINK SHOT SPOTTER IS THE ONLY, UM, ANSWER, BUT I THINK NOISE DETECTION, I THINK VIDEO SURVEILLANCE IS GOOD. I THINK WE NEED IT THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UM, I THINK THAT, UM, WE HEAVILY [01:25:01] RELY ON, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S, UH, RING CAMERAS TO SOLVE CRIMES. UM, AND IT JUST MAKES MORE SENSE FOR US TO HAVE CITY CAMERAS WITH POLICIES AND PROTECTIONS IN PLACE THAT WE ONLY USE THIS FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF CRIMES. UM, AND JUST REALLY LOOKING AT THE POLICIES AROUND THESE CAMERAS AND HOW WE USE THEM TO SURVEY, UM, PEOPLE. UM, SO IT'S NOT LIKE AN ACTIVE LIVE FEED THAT THE POLICE ARE WATCHING, BUT HEY, IF SOMEONE CALLS 9 1 1 AND SOMEONE WAS SHOT, THAT WE COULD GO USE THOSE CAMERAS FOR LIVE, UM, RESPONSE TO THAT SITUATION. UM, SO I THINK WE NEED TO EVALUATE THAT, UM, SERIOUSLY. BUT I THINK BRINGING BACK SHOT SPOTTER IS IMPORTANT. UM, AGAIN, I'M FROM WASHINGTON ELMS, I GREW UP ON HARVARD STREET. UM, I'VE HEARD GUNSHOTS, I'VE SEEN SHOOTINGS IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SCARY, YOU KNOW, UM, TO BE A PART OF THAT STUFF. SO I WOULD JUST REALLY URGE THE CITY TO, UH, LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE FROM THAT AREA. AND I THINK THAT, UM, FOR PEOPLE TO BE TALKING ABOUT PRIVACY IN A PUBLIC SPACE IS CRAZY WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE DYING IN THESE PUBLIC SPACES AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS FOR THESE PROBLEMS. UM, AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME. UM, HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JULIAN MO, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER HOFFMAN, THEN JAMES WILLIAMSON. JULIAN, TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO. THANK YOU. UH, MY NAME IS JULIAN MO. I'M AN ALUM OF HARVARD COLLEGE AND AN EIGHT YEAR RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE. I LIVE AT NORRIS STREET. UM, I'M SPEAKING, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I FEEL LIKE IT GOT QUIETER. OKAY. UM, I'M SPEAKING AGAINST THE REINSTATING OF, UM, SHOT SPOTTER. UH, I WANNA EXPRESS MY DEEP CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF XAVIER BATISTA. UM, HOWEVER, I THINK IT'S IMMORAL TO USE THE TRAGEDY OF HIS DEATH TO INCREASE SURVEILLANCE AND POLICE FUNDING. UM, THESE TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORT THE, I MEAN, THEY'RE FUNDED LARGELY, EXCUSE ME, SHOT SPOTTER CONTRACTS NATIONALLY ARE FUNDED LARGELY THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. THIS IS SUPPORTING THE VIOLENCE THAT ICE CAUSES. UM, SURVEILLANCE IS NOT SAFETY. UM, SURVEILLANCE DOES NOT STOP VIOLENCE. IT IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT. ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE MEANS ADDRESSING STABLE HOUSING, FOOD SECURITY, MENTAL HEALTH CARE, BETTER SCHOOLING AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THERE'S NO AI SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM THAT WILL REPLACE THE NEED FOR STRONG COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND THE NETWORKS OF MUTUAL CARE THAT ACTUALLY DEFINE SAFETY. WE NEED TO INVEST IN THESE PROVEN SOLUTIONS. COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS ARE ALREADY DOING THIS WORK, AND THEY NEED MORE RELIABLE FUNDING. HAVE WE FORGOTTEN THE LESSONS OF 2020? POLICE HAVE MURDERED AN INCREASING NUMBER OF PEOPLE EVERY YEAR SINCE THEN. WE NEED LESS RESOURCES FOR POLICE, NOT MORE. AS PREVIOUSLY NOTED SHOT SPOTTERS NOTORIOUSLY UNRELIABLE IN NEW YORK CITY. THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE FOUND IN AN OFF AN AUDIT THAT THE NYPD, EXCUSE ME, AN AUDIT OF THE NYPD, THAT ONLY 13% OF SHOT SPOTTER ALERTS WERE RELATED TO SHOOTINGS. ADDITIONALLY, THE AUDIT STATED THAT THE NYPD SUBSTANTIALLY OVERSTATES THE REDUCTION IN RESPONSE TIMES ACHIEVED USING SHOT SPOTTER. IT'S NOT AN EFFECTIVE DETERRENT FOR SHOOTINGS NOR EFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING THEM, UH, BASED ON THE REPORT. THANK YOU, JULIAN. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER HOFFMAN, FOLLOWED BY JAMES WILLIAMSON, LEE FERRIS, THEN DAVID SOLA. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET. ONCE AGAIN, LITIGATION. I'D LOVE TO HEAR THE STATUS OF THE CHALLENGE TO INCLUSIONARY ZONING AND THE EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION SUITS THAT, AS FAR AS I KNOW ARE ONGOING AND THAT YOU DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT. WITH RESPECT TO, UM, JULIA CHILD, I ENJOY THE HUGE MURAL OF HER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, AND YES, SHE SHOULD BE MEMORIALIZED. UM, WITH RESPECT TO CAMBRIDGE STREET, I THINK JASON ALVES PRETTY MUCH SAID WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY. YOU SAY THAT YOU WANT, YOU NEED PEOPLE FOR RETAIL, AND THEN YOU SAY, BUT IF WE REQUIRE RETAIL, THEN THERE WON'T BE ENOUGH PEOPLE. AND SOMEHOW YOU DON'T SEE THAT THERE'S A PROBLEM THERE. [01:30:01] UM, WITH RESPECT TO CHAPTER 40 U LIENS, I'VE BEEN WONDERING FOR YEARS WHEN THE CITY WAS GOING TO GET AROUND TO THIS. UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE POLICE REVIEW AND ADVISORY BOARD. I WAS, I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THAT THEY DO EVEN LESS THAN I THOUGHT AND I DIDN'T HAVE A VERY HIGH OPINION. YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT WHY THAT MIGHT BE. WITH RESPECT TO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ATTACKING OUR TREE CANOPY BECAUSE WE THINK THAT IT IS BETTER FOR PEOPLE TO NEVER SEE A TREE AND THEN WE CAN PAT OURSELVES ON THE BACK BECAUSE WE'RE SO FABULOUS. WE'RE, WE'RE FEEDING THE CURB CUTS. WE ARE SPEEDING HOUSING, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT OF HOUSING FOR RICH PEOPLE. STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS FOR AND THEN HOW TO GET THERE. IT'S NOT POLITICAL. THANK YOU. HEATHER. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES WILLIAMSON, FOLLOWED BY LEE FERRIS. THEN DAVID SOLA. JAMES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. THANK YOU. UM, SO JAMES WILLIAMSON, UH, FIRST OF ALL, I'M KIND OF CONFUSED 'CAUSE IT'S CONFUSING. THE POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR ABOUT, UH, AN ADDITIONAL LIQUOR LICENSE FOR PHARAOH'S FOOD TOWN, A PLACE WITH WHICH I'M VERY FAMILIAR. UM, WHY TWO LIQUOR LICENSES? WHY AN ADDITIONAL LIQUOR LICENSE? UM, AND WHY IS IT CRAFTED IN A WAY THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO TAKE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE IF DISPLACED? I MEAN, ARE THEY GONNA BE DISPLACED BY THE NEW 10 STORY SO-CALLED A HUNDRED PERCENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING? UH, UH, UH, HIGH RISE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR THAT LOCATION? I, IF I WERE A CITY COUNSELOR, I WOULD WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS. I WENT AND LOOKED AT, UM, CHAPTER 31, 38. I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT. IT'S COMPLICATED. MOST OF IT'S ABOUT BOSTON. WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THIS ADDITIONAL LIQUOR LICENSE? WHY NOT JUST REPLACE THE CURRENT ONE WITH ANOTHER ONE IF, IF THE, THE CURRENT ONE ISN'T SUFFICIENT FOR MAKING MORE MONEY? BY THE WAY, IT'S NOT 57 UNITS AT JEFFERSON PARK. THOSE WERE THE BASEMENT UNITS THAT WERE CLOSED DOWN AND LIQUOR IS NOT A FOOD. LAST TIME I CHECKED, UM, ON THE BICYCLE, UH, SO-CALLED BICYCLE SAFETY REPORT, UM, I THINK WE NEED A, A BIKE SPOTTER TECHNOLOGY. I'M HALF A BLOCK FROM AN INTERSECTION IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE AT A BUS STOP. THERE'S A RED LIGHT THERE. THERE'S A DEDICATED PEDESTRIAN PHASE. NOT A SINGLE BICYCLIST EVER STOPS AT THAT RED LIGHT. AND THERE ARE OVER A HUNDRED ELDERLY AND DISABLED PEOPLE JUST HALF A BLOCK AWAY WHO NEED TO BE ABLE TO CROSS SAFELY AND KNOW THEY'RE, THEY'RE SAFE WHEN THEY CROSS IN THAT CROSSWALK. THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE WHERE THE PEDESTRIANS AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IS COMPLETELY IGNORED. THERE AREN'T ANY RULES FOR BICYCLISTS. IF YOU WANT BICYCLISTS TO BE SAFE, HOW ABOUT HAVING RULED THE RULES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE? HOW ABOUT ENFORCING THEM? BECAUSE IF THEY OBEYED THEM, THEY'D BE, IF THANK YOU, JAMES. APOLOGIES. UH, PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER YOUR TIME EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LEE FERRIS, AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER WILL BE DAVID SOLA LEE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. TWO MINUTES, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. UH, I'M LEE FERRIS AND I'M SPEAKING, UM, ON THIS MATTER FOR THE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENCE ALLIANCE. I'M SPEAKING WITH REGARD TO, UM, EXCUSE ME, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, ZONING. AND I JUST WANNA REMIND COUNSELORS THAT THERE WAS QUITE A UPROAR, UH, WHEN THE DRAFT CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING CAME OUT LAST YEAR WITH, UH, VERY HIGH HEIGHTS IN MANY PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE STREET AND MUCH HIGHER THAN HAD BEEN TALKED ABOUT IN THE, UM, COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS WITH CDD, WHICH TALKED ABOUT SIX FLOORS. SO I WAS DISMAYED TO SEE THAT HAVING PASSED SIX FLOORS NOW, THE COUNCIL, UH, AT THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING SAID NO. UM, COUNCILOR AZIM SAID, NO, WE NEED TO HAVE SEVEN FLOORS. AND I HOPE THAT THERE IS A WAY THAT THE COUNCIL CAN VOTE ON THE [01:35:01] ORIGINAL PETITION THAT CDD DRAFTED WITH LOTS OF COMMUNITY AND COUNCIL INPUT, UH, THAT CALLS FOR SIX FLOORS AND STARTING GROUND FLOOR RETAIL OR ACTIVE USE AT EITHER THREE OR FOUR FLOORS. I HOPE THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU WILL SUPPORT TONIGHT. AND THERE'S MORE IN MY EMAIL. I ALSO WANTED TO SPEAK JUST FOR MYSELF ON SHOTSPOTTER. I LIVE ON NORFOLK STREET, A BLOCK FROM WHERE MR. BATISTA WAS KILLED. AND, UH, DESPITE THE CALLS FOR RESTORING SHOT SPOTTER, I HOPE THAT YOU WILL GET COMMUNITY INPUT FIRST, GO THROUGH A COMMUNITY PROCESS FIRST, AND ALSO THAT YOU WILL HAVE A, UM, SURVEILLANCE REVIEW AS PER THE SURVEILLANCE ORDINANCE BEFORE YOU TAKE A VOTE ON WHAT TO DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR FINAL SPEAKER FOR THE EVENING WILL BE DAVID SOLA. DAVID, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS DAVID. SO I LIVE ON LANSDOWN STREET FROM 2019 TO 2025. I WAS THE CHIEF OF THE COLD CASE HOMICIDE UNIT OF THE MIDDLESEX DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. I WAS RESPONSIBLE IN THAT POSITION FOR INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 300 UNSOLVED HOMICIDES IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY, INCLUDING MANY UNSOLVED HOMICIDES IN CAMBRIDGE. MY JOB WAS TO GET JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS WHO HAD FALLEN THROUGH THE CRACKS. IN ONE OF THE CASES THAT I INVESTIGATED IN A NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY, SHOT SPOTTER WAS CRITICAL TO SOLVING THAT CASE. IN 2015 IN THE CITY OF EVERETT, A GUNMAN FIRED A HAIL OF BULLETS IN A CROWDED NIGHTCLUB PARKING LOT. ONE OF THOSE BULLETS INJURED A YOUNG MAN. ANOTHER BULLET KILLED AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER, A 21-YEAR-OLD MOTHER NAMED ASHLEY BERRYMAN BECAUSE THEY HAD SHOT SPOTTER IN THAT COMMUNITY. EVERETT POLICE WERE ON THE SCENE WITHIN SECONDS AND THEY IDENTIFIED WITNESSES AND SUSPECTS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. BECAUSE WE HAD IDENTIFIED KEY WITNESSES, I WAS ABLE TO SOLVE THAT CASE YEARS LATER. AND THE MAN WHO WE ALLEGE PULLED THE TRIGGER HAS BEEN INDICTED BY A GRAND JURY AND IS NOW IN CUSTODY. I RESPECT THE CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE HAVE RAISED AND ARTICULATED ABOUT EQUITY, BUT ANY HONEST PERSON HAS TO ADMIT THAT IN AMERICA, THE HARMS OF GUN VIOLENCE DISPROPORTIONATELY FALL ON OUR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. GETTING JUSTICE FOR THOSE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND NOT ALLOWING THEIR CASES TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS WAS MY MISSION AS A PROSECUTOR. SHOT SPOTTER IS NOT JUST A TECHNOLOGY THAT HELPS POLICE TO APPREHEND PERPETRATORS OF GUN VIOLENCE, THOUGH THAT IS A GOOD THING. IT IS ALSO A TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS DISPATCHERS TO VECTOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL PERSONNEL TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE IN NEED DESPERATE NEED OF RESCUE, WITHOUT WHICH THEY ARE LIKELY TO LOSE THEIR LIVES. AND I STRONGLY URGE THE COUNCIL TO RESTORE SHOT SPOTTER. AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. THAT IS ALL THAT WE'RE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. THANK YOU NAOMI, AND THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SPOKE. COUNCILOR NOLAN MAKES A MOTION TO CLOSE PUBLIC CON WE'LL CALL THE ROLL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE [SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD] SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD. THERE ARE SIX SETS OF MINUTES FROM THE JULY, EXCUSE ME, JANUARY 26TH, MARCH 3RD, MARCH 30TH, APRIL 13TH, APRIL 27TH, AND MAY 4TH MEETINGS ON A MOTION TO BY THE MINUTES AND PLACE THEM ON FILE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO ACCEPT THE REPORTS AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE MINUTES HAVE BEEN PLACED ON FILE. THERE ARE NO RECONSIDERATIONS BEFORE I, [CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA] WE MOVE TO THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. I JUST WANNA SET THE STAGE A LITTLE BIT. UH, WE HAVE A LOT TO OF GROUND TO COVER. THERE ARE MANY, UH, CMAS, UH, AND SO I KNOW THAT SOME OF THEM WE HAVE TO DEFINITELY DISPOSE OF TONIGHT. UM, AFTER THE C CMAS, I RECOMMEND THAT WE'LL SUSPEND THE RULES TO TAKE UP THE FOUR CHARTER RIGHTED ITEMS AFTER WHICH WE'LL MOVE INTO POLICY ORDERS AND THE REMAINDER OF THE AGENDA. THIS IS ACTUALLY TECHNICALLY A SPECIAL MEETING, SO WE'RE NOT PRESSED, UH, BY OUR 10:00 PM DEADLINE TO AJOUR RECESS. THAT SAID, [01:40:01] AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE A LOT TO GET THROUGH AND WE WON'T MEET AGAIN UNTIL OUR FIRST REGULAR MEETING AFTER RECESS, WHICH IS ON SEPTEMBER 14TH. AND THE GOAL FOR TONIGHT IS TO REALLY GET THROUGH EVERYTHING, UM, AND GET OUT AT A REASONABLE HOUR. IF THERE ARE ITEMS THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW UP ON SEPARATELY, ASK QUESTIONS, UH, TO STAFF, UH, LATER, THAT WOULD BE PREFERRED. WE WILL BE USING RULE 23 F, WHICH ALLOWS EACH CITY COUNSELOR TO TAKE THE FLOOR UP TO TWO TIMES PER AGENDA ITEM AND ASK UP TO TWO QUESTIONS, UH, OF EACH OF CITY STAFF. EACH TIME THE TIMER WILL BE USED. AND YOU'LL BE ALLOWED TO HOLD THE FLOOR FOR UP TO FIVE MINUTES. AND I, UH, WILL ASK YOU TO WRAP UP WHEN THE BUZZER, UH, BUZZES. AND I'D ASK THAT YOU POSE BOTH YOUR QUESTIONS UP FRONT AND TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO STAFF OR MAKE SURE THAT YOU ASKED YOUR SECOND QUESTION BY THE FIVE MINUTE MARK AFTER WHICH STAFF WILL BE PERMITTED THAT NEED, THE TIME NEEDED TO RESPOND WITHIN REASON. SO, AS I MENTIONED, THERE ARE ITEMS, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO TAKE UP ON THIS CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM THAT WE MUST, UH, VOTE ON TODAY. UH, SO, UH, WE WILL CERTAINLY GET THROUGH, UH, EVERYTHING IN AS TIMELY MANNER AS WE CAN. SO WITH THAT PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ON ITEMS I'D LIKE TO POLL. RIGHT. MAYOR COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER. POLL NUMBER 17. NUMBER 17, MADAM MAYOR COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UH, 22 AND 23. 22 AND 23 ARE PULLED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, MAYOR SIDIKI, COUNCILLOR NOLAN NUMBER TWO. AND HAS ANYONE PULLED 21? NOT YET. SO, COUNSELOR NOLAN, YOU'RE PULLING TWO YES. AND 21. YEP. AND 17 HAS BEEN PULLED. AND 18 YOU'LL PULL 18. OKAY. SO COUNCILOR NOLAN, YOU'RE PULLING NUMBER TWO, YOU'RE PULLING NUMBER 18 AND YOU'RE PULLING NUMBER 21. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. WE CALL ON THE BALANCE HEARING FROM NO ONE ELSE. JUST FOR THE RECORD, WE HAVE PULLED NUMBER TWO. WE HAVE PULLED 17, WE HAVE PULLED 18. WE HAVE PULLED 21, 22, AND 23. AND SO ON THE BALANCE OF THE CM CITY MANAGER AGENDA, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCIL. COUNCIL SIMMONS MOTION? YES. VICE MAYOR Z. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE BALANCE OF THE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEMS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. WE'LL GO TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A RESPONSE TO AWAITING REPORT 26 DASH 22 REGARDING ELECTION WORKERS. COUNCILOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, AND THANK YOU TO THE STAFF. I THINK FOR ME, THIS IS A HALLELUJAH MOMENT SINCE I STARTED ASKING ABOUT THIS LITERALLY FOUR YEARS AGO. IN 2022, AUGUST OF 2022, I STARTED EMAILING THE CITY BECAUSE I HAD HEARD FROM MANY OF THE ELECTION POLL WORKERS ACROSS THE CITY THAT IT WAS A CHALLENGING PROCESS TO FILL OUT ALL THE PAPERWORK THEY HAD TO SET UP AN, UH, AN, UM, RETIREMENT ACCOUNT, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE WORKING ONE DAY A YEAR. SO, I'M GLAD WE'RE FINALLY HERE, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO ALL UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PLAN IS. AND I DID SEND A COUPLE QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD. JUST SO, SO FOLKS KNOW, UP UNTIL THIS POINT, IT HAS BEEN EVERY SINGLE ELECTION POLL WORKER HAS HAD TO BECOME A CITY EMPLOYEE. I THINK THAT WILL CONTINUE, BUT IT'LL BE AT LEAST LESS, THEY WON'T HAVE TO FILL OUT SOME OF THE RETIREMENT. SO IF SOMEONE COULD EXPLAIN WHAT, HOW MUCH OF THIS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTION POLL WORKERS AND TO MAKE SURE IT, THAT THEY WILL HAVE LESS CHALLENGES TO AND, AND LESS BARRIERS FOR THEM TO SIGN UP. I LITERALLY AT ELECTION POLL WORKERS SAYING, I'M NOT GONNA EVEN DO IT BECAUSE IT'S TOO ONEROUS FOR ME TO EVEN SIGN UP. I WOULD ALMOST WORK FOR FREE. AND THE CITY WAS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO EVEN WANT TO BE AN ELECTION POLL WORKER, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER CATCHINGS. THANK YOU. UM, SO WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS WAS REALLY JUST TAKING A LOOK AT THE CURRENT PROCESS, SOME OF WHICH IS, MOST OF WHICH IS COMPLIANCE BASED. AND THERE WERE SOME CONFUSION AROUND, UM, CATEGORIES OF POLL WORKERS, THE WARDEN VERSUS THE INSPECTOR AND EARLY VOTING. AND SO WHAT WE DID IS KIND OF CLARIFY THE CATEGORIES. THAT'S WHAT WE STARTED WITH. UM, WHO'S LIKELY TO HIT, UH, THE, THE THRESHOLD FOR TAX COLLECTION, WHICH IS A FORM THEY HAVE TO COMPLETE, UM, TAX COLLECTION ALSO [01:45:01] THEN LEADING INTO OBRA. AND SO WE JUST REALLY KIND OF UNTANGLED, UM, THE, THE, THE COMPLICATED, UH, PROCESS THAT YOU, YOU'VE OUTLINED, CATEGORIZE IT IN A WAY. AND SO AS PEOPLE INITIATE THEIR INTERESTS, UM, WE'VE CREATED SOMEWHAT OF A SCRIPT TO IDENTIFY, IS THIS A PERSON WHO'S GONNA BE WITH US FOR MULTIPLE ELECTIONS? AND THEY'LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DOCUMENTATION TO FILL OUT IF SOMEONE'S HERE AS A POLL WORKER FOR THE DAY. IT'S LESS, UM, TO YOUR POINT, UM, WHICH WE WERE GETTING RID OF OBRA, THE DOCUMENTATION THAT HAVE TO BE COMPLETED THERE, AS WELL AS, UM, THEY CAN BE TAX EXEMPT AS WELL IF THEY FALL UNDER A CERTAIN THRESHOLD. SO THERE'S TWO LEVERS WE PULLED AND ALSO CLARIFIED THE PROCESS FOR PEOPLE. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANKS. YEAH. I MEAN, THIS WAS SOMETHING INITIALLY WAS, WELL, WE HAVE TO DO IT 'CAUSE OF THE IRS AND IT TURNS OUT THE IRS LETS YOU, IF YOU DON'T MAKE $2,500 A YEAR, YOU DON'T HAVE TO. SO IT WAS, IT WAS, UH, MISINFORMATION THAT IT'S TAKEN SEVERAL YEARS TO CORRECT, BUT I'M GLAD IT'S THERE. AGAIN, ELECTIONS ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE, RIGHT. PEOPLE THERE TO PAY PEOPLE FAIRLY, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET ENOUGH PEOPLE TO RUN THE ELECTIONS AND TAKE THE STRESS OFF THE, THE ELECTION WORKERS. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO STREAMLINE THAT, WE'LL BE TALKING LATER ON. THIS IS IN LINE WITH OUR GOAL AS A CITY TO STREAMLINE. IT'S TOO BAD WE'RE NOT, I THINK DOING IT AS JUST STIPENDS, WHICH IS EVEN EASIER. A LOT OF CITIES DO THAT. MUNICIPALITIES ARE ALLOWED TO DO THAT. BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE GOING TO, IT'S STILL GONNA BE EMPLOYEE BASED, BUT AT LEAST NOT THE OPRAH ONEROUS WHERE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS THING HANGING OUT THERE WITH $37 AND 17 CENTS IN YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT AFTER, AFTER WORKING FOR A DAY. SO THOSE ARE JUST MY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW SOON, WHETHER THIS DEFINITELY WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THIS YEAR AND IF IT'S BEEN COMMUNICATED TO ALL POLL WORKERS SO THEY UNDERSTAND WE ARE GIVING THEM THIS LESS, UH, PAPERWORK RESTRICTIVE, UM, WAY TO WORK FOR US. I'LL JUST QUICKLY RESPOND. IT WILL BE IN PLACE FOR THIS YEAR AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ORIENTATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, FOR WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS WITH FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING FOR US THIS YEAR. COUNCILOR NOLL WITH, WITH, WITH THAT I YIELD. I'M REALLY HAPPY THIS IS MOVING FORWARD AND ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO EVEN FURTHER STREAMLINE IT OR MOVE TOWARDS EVEN EASIER THAN I'M, I'M, I'M WITH YOU. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM FROM THE BODY? HEARING NONE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO PLACE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO ON FILE TO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER TWO IS PLACED ON FILE. MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF CURB CUT REVIEW. THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANKS MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. I AM REALLY, REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THIS BACK BEFORE US. THANK YOU TO CITY STAFF FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS. UH, I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS, UH, POLICY TO TRY TO ADDRESS OUR CURB CUT POLICY FOR AT LEAST A YEAR AND A HALF. I THINK THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE THAT. THIS COMES FROM THE CITY COUNCIL PASSING A POLICY ORDER UNANIMOUSLY LAST TERM, ASKING, UH, THE CITY TO ADDRESS TWO ISSUES AROUND OUR CURB CUT POLICY. THE FIRST ISSUE IS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD NOT HAVE TO VOTE TO APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL CURB CUT. MOST OF US, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT I THINK MOST OF US DID NOT RUN FOR CITY COUNCIL IN ORDER TO GET THE FINAL SAY ON WHETHER EVERY SINGLE PERSON AND BUSINESS IS ALLOWED TO HAVE A NEW DRIVEWAY OR IF THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A NEW DRIVEWAY. THAT WASN'T WHY I RAN FOR CITY COUNCIL. THUS, THIS POLICY IS NOT HOW BOSTON DOES THIS. IT'S NOT HOW SOMERVILLE DOES THIS. IT'S NOT HOW MOST CITIES DO THIS. AND I THINK IF WE WENT ON OUT ONTO THE STREET RIGHT NOW ON MASS AVE AND ASKED FOLKS, YOU KNOW, WHAT POWERS THEY THINK THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE, I BET WE COULD NOT FIND A SINGLE PERSON WHO, WHO WOULD SAY YES. I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD BE ABLE TO BLOCK EVERY NEW CURB CUT AND THEY SHOULD VOTE ON EVERY SINGLE ONE. I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT FOLKS THINK. THE CITY COUNCIL DOESN'T VOTE EVERY TIME SOMEONE APPLIES FOR A NEW A DU. WE DON'T VOTE ON EVERY SINGLE NEW DORMER. WE DON'T VOTE UP OR DOWN ON EVERY NEW STOP SIGN. WE SHOULD NOT BE VOTING UP OR DOWN ON EVERY SINGLE CURB CUT. WE SHOULD HAVE A SAY ON THE BROADER POLICY AROUND CITY PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION. AND WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED ON A POLICY LEVEL AROUND CURB CUTS. WE JUST SHOULD NOT BE VOTING ON EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL ONE. UH, THE SECOND ISSUE IS THAT CURB CUT APPROVAL SHOULD BE BASED ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA AND NOT ON THE LUCK OF THE DRAW ON WHO YOUR ABUTTERS ARE AND WHETHER THEY'RE REALLY ZONED INTO YOUR, YOUR PROPERTY OR WHETHER THEY'RE NOT. UH, IF THEY'RE ZONED OUT, YOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SLIDE THROUGH AND GET A CURB CUT AUTOMATICALLY. AND IF THEY'RE HYPERVIGILANT, [01:50:01] THEY SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BLOCK YOUR CURB CUT. IT SHOULD BE ON OBJECTIVE POLICY CRITERIA, NOT ABOUT WHO YOUR PARTICULAR ABUTTERS ARE. AND THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULDN'T BE GETTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT. WE SHOULDN'T BE MITIGATING DISPUTES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORS AND, YOU KNOW, THESE FOLKS THINK YOU SHOULD GET A CURB CUT. THESE SHOULDN'T YOU DIDN'T, WE SHOULDN'T BE THE COUNCIL SHOULDN'T BE THE FINAL SAY. AND THOSE DISPUTES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL NEIGHBORS, I THINK OF ONE OF THE CURB CUTS WE, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT. AND WE SPENT HOURS AND HOURS TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUAL CURB CUTS ON THE CITY COUNCIL. I THINK ONE OF 'EM, UH, THERE WAS A CASE ABOUT, OH, THIS, THESE FOLKS NEED A CURB CUT 'CAUSE ONE OF THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS HAS A DISABILITY. AND THEN OTHER FOLKS SAYING, NO, THEY, THEY DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE A DISABILITY. OH, THIS PERSON, THIS ISN'T A REAL DISABILITY. THE CITY COUNCIL JUST SHOULDN'T BE THE ARBITERS OF LIKE HOW YOUR DISABILITY IS. THERE ARE EXPERTS AROUND THIS, AROUND TRANSPORTATION POLICIES, AROUND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PIECES. IT SHOULD NOT BE THE CITY COUNCIL HAVING THE FINAL SAY. UM, SO I'M REALLY GLAD TO HAVE THIS REPORT BACK THAT THAT LAYS OUT A WAY FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO NO LONGER BE THE FINAL ARBITER ON CURB CUTS TO HAVE A FORMALIZED POLICY ON THAT. IN THE MEMO BEFORE US, THE CITY STAFF LAY OUT, UH, THEIR PRIMARY PROPOSAL AND AN ALTERNATE PROPOSAL IN THE MEMO, UM, WE TALKED WITH THE, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, ASKING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO WEIGH IN AND MOVE FORWARD WITH ONE I ONE OF THESE OPTIONS EITHER TONIGHT OR AT A COMMITTEE MEETING. THE PRIMARY PROPOSAL THAT STAFF LAID OUT IS THE ONE THAT I THINK MOST CLEARLY ADDRESSES. YOU KNOW, BOTH THE ISSUES WE WERE TRYING TO ADDRESS ON NOT, YOU KNOW, VOTING ON EVERY SINGLE CURB CUT AND HAVING IT BASED ON OBJECTIVE CRITERIA RATHER THAN, THAN JUST ON A BUTTER FEEDBACK. UM, I, I'D BE HAPPY TONIGHT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PRIMARY PROPOSAL. UM, IT WOULD MAKE THAT MOTION TO SEND IT TO A SECOND READING IF THERE IS SUPPORT. IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO HAVE MORE CONVERSATION BEFORE MOVING SOMETHING FORWARD, WE CAN SEND IT TO THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. I'M THE CHAIR OF THAT COMMITTEE. I WILL WORK TO GET IT SCHEDULED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I KNOW COUNCILOR NOLAN, I THINK WOULD PREFER THAT OPTION. INTERESTED TO HEAR FROM, FROM OTHER COUNSELORS, UH, ON IF YOU'D WANNA HAVE MORE CONVERSATION AND COMMITTEE OR MORE FORWARD WITH THE PRIMARY PROPOSAL TONIGHT. UH, AND WITH THAT I YIELD BACK COUNCILLOR SERENA WE YIELDS. I HAVE COUNCILLOR NOLAN NEXT. THANK YOU. LIKE, UH, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. AND I THINK ALL OF US WE'RE VERY EXCITED. THIS IS HERE. WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A LONG TIME. AND I AM, UH, JOIN EVERYONE AT, AT LEAST THOSE OF US WHO I THINK SUPPORTED THESE POLICY ORDERS THAT, UH, SUPPORTIVE OF HAVING CLEAR GUIDELINES FOR CURB CUTS AND HAVING IT BE NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE END WEIGHS IN ON. UM, INSTEAD OF HAVING THE COUNCIL PROVE EVERY SINGLE ONE AND ALSO GETTING IN THE WAY, I DO BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE CRITERIA JUST LIKE, UH, COUNCILLOR SABINA WHEELER SAID, UM, CURRENTLY THE ONLY PART OF THE PROCESS THAT INCLUDES THE COMMUNITY AT ALL IS THE COUNCIL. YOU KNOW, HISTORIC JUST DOES HISTORIC ISD SAYS ZONING. NO ONE ELSE SAYS, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT, UH, THE COMMUNITY WANTS? THAT ELEMENT OF NEIGHBOR'S INPUT BEING INCLUDED, I THINK TO ME IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND CERTAINLY FOR US TO LET THE CITY KNOW WE ARE CONSIDERING DRAMATICALLY CHANGING THAT RIGHT NOW IT IS IN THE COUNCIL. SO I, I DO THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A MEETING OF WHETHER IT'S ORDINANCE OR NEIGHBORHOOD LONG-TERM PLANNING OR, OR UM, GOV OPS TO SAY, OKAY, WE'RE CONSIDERING THIS. HERE'S A COUPLE OPTIONS HERE. UM, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD PASS SOME VERSION OF OPTION TWO. AGAIN, THAT DOES THE SAME THING. IT TAKES THE COUNCIL TOTALLY OUT OF IT. IT JUST SAYS THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME KIND OF OUTREACH TO THE NEIGHBORS. I THINK THE REASON THAT'S SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, AS WE ALL KNOW, CURB CUTS ARE HYPER-LOCAL CHANGES. THEY CAN SERIOUSLY IMPACT A SMALL AREA AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN AFFECT ACCESS TO PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE PARKING TRAFFIC FLOW. THE IMPACTS OF NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE OFTEN MOST ACUTELY KNOWN BY THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THAT STREET AND RIGHT NEARBY. SO THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST SOME VOICE IN THIS PROCESS. I THINK WE CAN ESTABLISH CRITERIA TO SAY HOWEVER IT IS THAT IF THEY'RE INCLUDED, HERE'S HERE, HERE'S THE, THE, THE CRITERIA TO MEET. AND THEN IF IT MET, IT GOES FORWARD. IF IT DOESN'T. SO AGAIN, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, UM, PERSONALIZED, BUT IT SHOULD BE VERY SPECIFIC CRITERIA. AND I ALSO WANNA REMIND ALL THOSE OF US, IT'S A TRANSFER OF A PUBLIC GOOD CURB SPACE, WHICH IS CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW, CITY PROPERTY. IT'S PUBLIC PROPERTY. A CURB CUT OPENS UP, BASICALLY GIVES THAT PUBLIC AMENITY TO PRIVATE PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT, WHICH ENDS UP INCREASING THE VALUE OF THOSE PROPERTIES FOR ANYWHERE FROM 50 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. WHEN YOU COMPARE A HOUSE WITHOUT A CURB CUT TO ONE WITH A CURB CUT, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD APPROVE ANY SUCH GIFT WITHOUT AT LEAST CONSULTING WITH NEIGHBORS AND LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. AGAIN, NOT FOR THE COUNCIL TO APPROVE IT, BUT FOR US TO APPROVE A PROCESS BY WHICH THE CITY UNDERSTANDS WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD. AND HERE'S THE CRITERIA THAT, THAT WE COULD USE. I DO WISH WE COULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT FEE FOR CURB CUTS. I BELIEVE HAVING ASKED, UH, OUR CITY SOLICITOR A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT THAT IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN DO AS A FEE. I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN FIGURE OUT A CREATIVE WAY TO SAY, WELL, IT'S NOT A FEE FOR DOING THE CURB CUT. IT'S VALUABLE GROUND THAT IS WORTH $50,000 AND WE'RE GONNA DO IT. I I DON'T THINK WE COULD DO IT, BUT I WISH WE COULD BECAUSE THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WHEN YOU OPEN A CURB CUT, YOU ARE GIVING THAT PROPERTY OWNER PROPERTY, UH, THE VAL THE PROPERTY VALUE GOES UP A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT. WE DO OFTEN PROCESS APPLICATIONS VERY QUICKLY AND WITHOUT MUCH DISCUSSION, BUT THEY CAN BE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR VERY SMALL NEIGHBORHOODS IN OUR, [01:55:01] IN OUR VERY REAL, UM, DISPENSING OF THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY FOR EXCLUSIVE USE BY ONE PROPERTY OWNER. SO I, I HOPE WE CAN HAVE JUST ONE MORE MEETING ON THIS FOR, FOR TO COMMITTEE. I'M OPEN TO ANY COMMITTEE, WHETHER IT'S GOV OPS OR NEIGHBORING LONG-TERM PLANNING OR ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. BUT I DO THINK WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES. WE ALWAYS SAY WE NEED TO LET THE COMMUNITY KNOW WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A CHANGE. THIS IS A CHANGE. THIS IS PEOPLE RELY ON US TO, AT LEAST IF SOMEBODY'S GOING TO HAVE A PARKING SPOT ON A STREET AND TAKE A CURB CUT AND IT MEANS IT'S GONNA AFFECT MY PARKING, I SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW. AND RIGHT NOW, I DON'T THINK ANYONE KNOWS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DISCUSSING POSSIBLY CHANGING THAT HERE. COUNCILLOR NOLAN YIELDS. I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUI. HI THERE. I I ALSO SUPPORT, UH, THIS NEW CURB CUT PROCESS AND AS CHAIR OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND LONG-TERM PLANNING. I'M HAPPY TO HOLD A MEETING ABOUT THIS. I SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE NUMBER TWO BECAUSE I DO THINK NEIGHBORS NEED TO BE CONSULTED EVEN IF IT'S AFTER ISD AND DPW AND, UH, DOT HAVE MADE A DETERMINATION. UM, AGAIN, NEIGHBORS ARE MOST IMPACTED BY THE CURB CUTS, SO THEY NEED TO BE IN THE LOOP. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I'LL JUST, UH, OFFER IF, UM, THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO HAVE A HEARING ON THIS. I'M HAPPY TO CONVENE A MEETING, BUT I THINK IT'S RIGHT TO HAVE SOME OBJECTIVE, UH, CRITERIA TO LOOK AT THE CURB CUTS. SO I YIELD MADAM MAYOR, IF YOU CAN HOLD FOR ONE SECOND. SORRY. WE JUST NEED TO FIX THE AUDIO IN THE CHAMBER. OKAY. ALL SET. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FER DE YIELDS. WE'LL GO TO VICE MAYOR. HELLO. UM, MY ONLY SUGGESTION WAS PERHAPS WE WANNA SEND IT TO ORDINANCE 'CAUSE IT'S A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AND IT'LL REFLECT WHAT THE FINAL ORDINANCE LANGUAGE IS IN ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES. AND WHILE IT'S NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS SORT OF, UM, ORDINANCE CHANGE, IT MIGHT JUST BE HELPFUL. VICE MAYOR YIELDS, ANYONE WHO'D LIKE TO SPEAK WHO HASN'T SPOKEN BEFORE. I GO BACK TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO SEND ORDINANCE BASED ON THE DISCUSSION BASED ON THE DISCUSSION. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER IS MOVING TO SEND CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 17 TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT MOTION. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 17 IS REFERRED TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 18. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER REGARDING THE SIXTH ANNUAL CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE PROGRESS REPORT. COUNSELOR, NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. CAN YOU PLEASE SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT? WE HAVE A DISABLED WOMAN IN THE BACK, UNABLE TO PICK UP WITH WHAT YOU SAYING. SURE, SURE. I WILL SLOW DOWN. WE ARE GOING TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 18. AND THIS IS THE PSYCH SIXTH ANNUAL CYCLE SAFETY OR ORDINANCE PROGRESS REPORT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI AND THANK YOU STAFF. THIS IS, ONCE AGAIN, I LOVE GETTING THESE ANNUAL REPORTS. GLAD IT'S ON TIME AND TO SEE THE PROGRESS AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING THIS WORK AND TO HAVE IT LAID OUT VERY NICELY. I, I PULLED IT PARTLY BECAUSE, UH, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE, UNLESS I MISSED IT, AN UPDATE ON THE GRAND JUNCTION MULTI-USE PATH. IT'S MENTIONED IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES THAT I SAW AT LEAST I DIDN'T READ IT IN DEPTH OF, UH, AS PART OF THE CONNECTIVITY OF SECTION B OF CAMBRIDGE STREET. AND ALSO THAT IT'S PART OF THE CONSIDERATION FOR WAVERLY STREET AND HENRY STREET NEAR THE BU BRIDGE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. BUT WE DID HAVE IN THE CYCL AND SAFETY ORDINANCE, THE LANGUAGES DOES REQUIRE A STATUS REPORT ON THE COMPLETION OF THE GRAND JUNCTION AND MULTI-USE PATH. SO I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN THERE AND I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE STATUS OF THAT. AND AGAIN, THIS IS, IT SHOULDN'T TAKE LONG, BUT IF THIS IS A VERY LONG ONE, THEN WE CAN GET THAT ANSWER ANOTHER TIME. BUT COMMISSIONER, UH, THREE YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, I CAN GIVE A QUICK UPDATE. I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, WE'RE STILL, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE PATH ITSELF, WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THE KIND OF JURISDICTIONAL DIMENSIONAL ISSUES WITH MIT AND WITH THE MBTA. UM, THE SECTION OF PATH THAT IS PROBABLY CLOSEST TO BEING IMPLEMENTED IS THE SECTION BETWEEN, [02:00:01] UM, UH, MAIN STREET AND CAMBRIDGE STREET. UM, AND WE ANTICIPATE, OR I'M SORRY, UH, IT'S REALLY LITTLE BITTY IN, IN CAMBRIDGE STREET, AND WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO DO THAT WHEN EVERSOURCE IS DONE WITH THEIR WORK, UM, ALONG THAT RIGHT OF WAY. SO THAT'S PROBABLY THE NEXT BIG STEP. BUT IN THE INTERIM, WE'LL HAVE WORK ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET SECTION, UM, AROUND GRAND JUNCTION, INCLUDING THE CARDINAL MADERO INTERSECTION. UM, AND THEN WE'LL JUST BE WORKING THROUGH ALL OF THOSE ISSUES, UM, AND MOVING FORWARD. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YEAH, THANKS. SO JUST AGAIN THERE SINCE THERE WAS NO UPDATE IN THE REPORT AND IT'S, WE ACTUALLY AMENDED THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS AN UPDATE. IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE THAT COMPLETE AND MAYBE IF IT COULD BE ADDED TO THE REPORT BEFORE IT'S, I I THINK THAT THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, WE, WE GOT SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, WHICH IS WHY I ASKED, AND I ALSO WENT TO LOOK FOR IT. SO AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT HERE, WHICH I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, REVIEWING MORE CLOSELY, BUT I DON'T THINK I NEED TO DO THAT RIGHT TONIGHT. AND IF SO, THEN I'LL COMMUNICATE THROUGH THE CITY STAFF ABOUT ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS I HAVE OR COMMENTS. SO I YIELD MAYOR SIDIKI, COUNCILOR NOLAN YIELDS PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I HAVE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. IJI JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION AND THAT'S ON, UH, I THINK IT'S PAGE 13 WHERE THE HURON AVE PROJECT IS MENTIONED. IT, UM, WHEN I LOOK BACK AT THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE, IT TALKS ABOUT CONNECTIVITY, MEANING, UM, PROVIDING A PERMANENT SEPARATE, PERMANENT SEPARATED BICYCLE LANE THAT WERE, THAT, UH, REFLECTS DESIRED ROOTS BETWEEN ALL MAJOR ORIGINS AND DESTINATIONS IN THE CITY. DOES THAT INCLUDE A, UH, A MAJOR ORIGIN OR DESTINATION IN THE CITY? THAT LITTLE SECTION OF HURON AAV PASSED THE GOLF COURSE THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO WHILE WHAT YOU JUST READ DESCRIBES KIND OF THE OVERALL APPROACH TO THE SEPARATED BIKE LANE NETWORK, THE SPECIFICS OF HOW THE NETWORK WAS, THE NETWORK AS A WHOLE WAS DEVELOPED AS PART OF THE 2015 BIKE PLAN AND THEN UPDATED IN THE 2020 BIKE PLAN. SO WE REALLY GO BY THE CONNECTIONS THAT ARE IN, UM, ARE IN THAT PLAN. SO THAT SEGMENT OF HURON AAV IS INCLUDED FOR GREATER SEPARATION ON THE BIKE NETWORK VISION, WHICH IS REALLY KIND OF THE OVERARCHING, UM, YOU KNOW, AREA OF OR SOURCE OF TRUTH FOR WHERE WE ARE PUTTING THE SEPARATED BIKE LANES, UM, THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN. AND I WOULD SAY IT'S AN IMPORTANT NETWORK. YOU HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, ANYONE COMING IN FROM THE WEST, THAT'S A REALLY GREAT CONNECTION TO THE EXISTING HURON AVE TWO-WAY BIKE PATH, UH, OVER TO ABERDEEN WHERE YOU CAN THEN GET TO EITHER BRATTLE STREET OR TO MOUNT AUBURN. SO IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE NETWORK. COUNCILOR FEHERTY. OKAY. I GUESS TONIGHT'S NOT THE NI THE TIME TO, I GUESS, HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT IT LATER, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE. I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER MCGOVERN AND COUNCILLOR EY, UH, EXCUSE ME. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, THROUGH YOU. JUST A, A QUICK QUESTION ON MASS AVE FOUR. UM, JUST LOOKING AT, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS THIS DESIGN AND WAS APPROVED IN APRIL OF 22, UH, 2022. UM, MID DESI, UH, WAS SUPPOSED TO, THE COMPLETE DESIGN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE BY MID 20 20 23 BEGIN CONSTRUCTION IN 2024 AND FINISHED CONSTRUCTION MID 2025. WE'RE NOW MID 2026. UM, SO WAS CURIOUS ON THE STATUS OF THAT. AND THEN, UM, I BELIEVE THAT THE REPORT SAYS THAT THE DESIGN NEEDS TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. SO I GUESS I CAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE DELAYS IN CONSTRUCTION AND THINGS THAT HAPPEN AND THAT CAN DELAY PROJECTS. BUT FOR A DESIGN THAT WAS APPROVED IN, YOU KNOW, 20 22, 20 23 TO ONLY NOW BE SAYING IN 2026, IT HAS TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING. JUST WHAT, WHY DID THAT HAPPEN? AND, AND CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR? UM, I, I, I DUNNO IF THE LANGUAGE DIDN'T COME OUT CLEARLY, BUT IT'S NOT THAT WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD NOW. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UM, KIND OF FROM THE, FROM THE CAMBRIDGE COMMON END DOWN TOWARDS MONT PARKWAY. UM, WE DID GO BACK AND REVISIT AND DO SOME VALUE ENGINEERING ON, UM, THE KIND OF THE, THE FAIRLY WELL PROGRESSED, UM, DESIGNS FOR THAT FIRST SECTION BETWEEN, UH, WATERHOUSE AND IAN. AND WE DID GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD AND DO VALUE ENGINEERING AND BRING DOWN SOME COSTS THAT WERE, THAT [02:05:01] WERE GOING TOO HIGH. UM, AND THEN, BUT THAT'S READY, THAT'S GETTING READY TO BE BID OUT FOR CONSTRUCTION AND IN, AND CONSTRUCTION HAS TECHNICALLY ALREADY BEGAN BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN OUT THERE TAKING OUT THE MEDIAN AND DOING, UM, YOU KNOW, PREP PREPARATORY UTILITY WORK AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT'S BEEN ONGOING FOR, I THINK OVER MORE THAN THE PAST YEAR. UM, BUT WE ARE CLOSE TO FI UH, READY TO BID OUT THE, THAT FIRST SECTION. AND THEN THE VALUE ENGINEERING THAT WE DID ON THAT FIRST SECTION WILL INFORM, UM, THE DESIGNS AS WE MOVE FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PRE PRELIMINARY, UH, DESIGNS ON THE SEGMENTS MOVING FROM LINEAN DOWN TOWARDS AT WIFE REC PARKWAY. THE THING, THE VALUE ENGINEERING WE ALREADY DID WILL INFORM THOSE DESIGNS SO THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD A LITTLE BIT QUICKER. BUT WE DO, OUR GOAL IS TO BE READY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEXT SEGMENT AS SOON AS CONSTRUCTION IS DONE ON THE FIRST SECTION. COUNCIL MCGOVERN. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. UH, LAST QUESTION. WHERE, WHERE IS, ARE WE ON TARGET FOR COMPLETIONS TO IN OUR TIMELINE? OR IS IT, IS THIS DELAYED THINGS? I I DON'T THINK THERE WERE CLEAR TARGETS GIVEN FOR THE COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION, UM, IN THE ORDINANCE IT'S, WITH THE LARGER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, IT'S A LITTLE BIT, UM, BECAUSE MOST THINGS ARE MEASURED BY WHEN CONSTRUCTION STARTS. UM, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE NOW IN TERMS OF HAVING, UM, SOME MOMENTUM TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, UH, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WATKINS JUST POINTED OUT TO ME THAT I WAS FOCUSING ON THE WATERHOUSE TO LIF BRICK PARKWAY, BUT THERE ARE ALSO THE TWO PORTIONS IN HARVARD SQUARE, UM, THAT WERE CALLED OUT FOR SPECIFIC TREATMENT BECAUSE THE DESIRE WAS TO HAVE SEPARATION, UH, FOR THE BIKES AND THE BUSES AT THE TWO VERY LARGE BUS STOPS ALONG MASS AVE, UM, IN, IN HARVARD SQUARE. SO THAT'S BY HOLYOKE GATE AND UM, JOHNSON GATE AND THE JOHNSON GATE AREA IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND IS MOVING FORWARD. WE'VE REALLY TRIED VERY HARD TO MAKE THE SECTION WORK, UM, ALONG HOLYOKE GATE WITH SEPARATED BIKE LANES AND, UH, FLOATING BUS STOPS. AND WE'VE, WE FIND, WE HAVE REALIZED THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FROM A DIMENSIONAL PERSPECTIVE TO HAVE A CROSS SECTION THERE THAT WORKS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND FOR JUST REGULAR OPERATIONS AND PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE AREA. UM, IF WE WERE TO HAVE THE SIDEWALK LEVEL SEPARATED BIKE LANES AND THE FLOATING BUS STOPS. SO WE ARE, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE REVISITING NOW TO COME UP WITH A WAY THAT WE CAN HAVE THE BEST FACILITIES POSSIBLE WITHOUT, UM, KIND OF BREAKING THE OPERATION OF MASS AVE IN THAT AREA FOR, FOR ALL USERS REALLY. SO THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, I YIELD MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR GOVERN YIELDS. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILOR ZUI ON THE ZOOM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I THINK ROLLING OUT 17, UH, 19.75 OF THE 25 MILES, UM, THAT THEY'RE, THEY'VE BEEN INSTALLED OR THAT THEY'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IS AN EXTRAORDINARY ACCOMPLISHMENT. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE GOALS OF THE BICYCLE SAFETY ORDINANCE. I MEAN, NOTHING IS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT, UM, SETTING A GOAL AND THEN FOLLOWING THROUGH. UM, AT THE SAME TIME, I JUST WANT TO REMIND ALL OF US THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF PAIN, UM, INFLICTED BY THE ROLLING OUT OF THE LANES AND THAT IT'S THE ROLE OF THE CITY TO CONSIDER HOW TO EASE THAT PAIN AND TO ACCOMMODATE THE BROAD NEEDS OF RESIDENTS OF THE CITY. SO ON BROADWAY AND CAMBRIDGE STREET, I KNOW THERE IS A, A BIG ISSUE WITH, UM, PARKING IMPACT ON BUSINESSES ON NORTH MASS AVE. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THOSE CONCERNS, BUT ALSO PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. PEOPLE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SIDEWALK CROSSWALKS THAT HAVE BEEN REMOVED AS, AS THE CITY HAS BEEN VALUE ENGINEERING THERE. SO AGAIN, WE NEED THESE LANES, WE NEED THE NETWORK. I USE THE NETWORK. I FEEL SAFER USING THE NETWORK. UM, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO BE THINKING MORE BROADLY AND MAKING SURE THAT RESIDENTS THAT HAVE TO DRIVE, HAVE PLACES TO PARK AND THAT PEDESTRIANS FEEL SAFE. AND THAT, AGAIN, BUSINESSES HAVE THE PARKING THAT THEY NEED TO BE SOLVENT. UM, ALSO BUILDING ON WHAT COUNSELOR FLAHERTY SUGGESTED EARLIER, I REMAIN REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ROLLOUT OF THE HALF MILE ON LOWER HURON. UM, THAT IS LIKE THE CITY'S GREAT RECREATIONAL HUB. WE HAVE FRESH POND THERE. WE HAVE THE GOLF COURSE THERE. WE HAVE THE RUSSELL COMMUNITY CENTER THERE. UM, WE ALSO [02:10:01] HAVE TWO BASEBALL FIELDS, A TENNIS COURT, THE VFW HALL. UM, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE COMING TO RECREATE IN THAT AREA. AND I DO QUESTION WHETHER INSTALLING THAT HALF MILE THERE MAKES ANY SENSE. I THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ROLL OUT A LANE ON ALBANY STREET OR SYDNEY STREET, UM, IN CAMBRIDGE PORT. UM, I'M JUST, I'M JUST NOT, I JUST, I THINK WE HAVE TO AGAIN, CONSIDER THE BROADER IMPACTS OF THESE LANES AS WE, UM, AS WE, AS WE, AS WE DEVELOP THEM. SO WITH THOSE REMINDERS, I THANK YOU, UM, COMMISSIONER MCKENNA FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE BROADER INTERESTS OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. 'CAUSE WE CAN'T JUST HAVE THE BIKE LANE SEPARATED BIKE LANES. WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE ACCOMMODATE ALL THE OTHER NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR ZUI YIELDS. IS ANYONE, WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS HEARING? NONE ON A MOTION BY A COUNCILLOR NOLAN TO PLACE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 18 ON FILE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES, YES, YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. IT'S NINE MEMBERS VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 18 IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 21. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM EON WONG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO OPPORTUNITIES TO STREAMLINE THE PERMITTING PROCESS. COUNCILLOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. I AM, SO ANOTHER THING, I'M TOTALLY EXCITED AND JAZZED TO HAVE SEEN THIS AND TO HAVE SEEN THE PREVIEW. I WOULD LOVE TO JUST HEAR FROM THE STAFF ABOUT HOW QUICKLY THIS WILL UNFOLD. WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT, AND HOW THE WORK WILL CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN GATHERING FROM A RANGE OF PEOPLE, INCLUDING ONE CERTAINLY I REFERENCED TO YOU, I THINK PEOPLE HAVE NOW BEEN WRITING TO, UM, THE COMMUNITY. WE GOT AN AN EMAIL TODAY, I DUNNO IF IT WAS FORWARDED TO YOU BY A, A CONDO DEVELOPMENT WHO SAID, JUST BECAUSE OF A LACK OF COMMUNICATION, THE CONDO LITERALLY TO PUT A SOLAR PANEL IN, LOST $5,000 IN STATE FUNDING BECAUSE OF A JUST A COUPLE MONTHS DELAY. IT'S ONE OF THOSE THAT OUR HEART BREAKS BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. AND YET IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED, BUT IT DID HAPPEN. SO IT'S A VERY SPECIFIC EXAMPLE, AND I CAN FORWARD IT TO YOU IF YOU DIDN'T SEE IT, BUT IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WE HEAR THAT TIME AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN. EVEN IF THE INTENTION IS WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AS WELL AS WE CAN, AND I KNOW THE STAFF WORKS REALLY HARD ON IT, BUT THE REALITY IS CONSTANTLY, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, IT FAILS. AND I THINK THE PARALLEL PROCESSING WILL HANDLE A LOT OF THAT, WHICH IS OUTLINED IN THE REPORT. BUT I DO WANNA HEAR LIKE, HOW QUICKLY WILL WE SEE ANY, UM, CHANGES IN THIS AND DO YOU WHAT? AND IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC YOU NEED FROM THE COUNCIL NOR TO MOVE FORWARD? GREAT ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR NOLAN THROUGH YOU MAYOR. UM, WE'RE ALSO VERY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, THIS UPDATE. UM, SO WE'VE BEEN, UH, WORKING WITH AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL TEAM, UM, TALKING TO DEVELOPERS, ARCHITECTS, AND OTHERS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND, UM, WHERE KIND OF THE, UM, PAIN POINTS ARE, AND NOT ONLY, UM, THE PROCESS, BUT THE REGULATIONS AS WELL. AND SO JEN KYRA, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF OF PLANNING, HAS BEEN LEADING THAT PROJECT. I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO HER TO PROVIDE MORE DETAILS ON THE VARIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE BROKEN DOWN INTO SHORT, MEDIUM, AND LONG TERM ACTION ITEMS. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MAYOR, WE HAVE, WE'VE BROKEN THINGS DOWN INTO WHAT WE THINK WE CAN GET DONE IN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS, AND WHAT WILL TAKE NINE PLUS MONTHS. UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE, REQUIRE LEGISLATIVE ACTION, SO THEIR ORDINANCE CHANGES, SO THEY WILL NEED TO GO THROUGH THE NORMAL PROCESS OF PLANNING BOARD, ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, CITY COUNCIL VOTE, ET CETERA. WE'VE ALREADY STARTED A LOT OF THESE EFFORTS. UM, WE HAVE MULTIPLE STUDIES UNDERGOING CURRENTLY, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THE INCLUSIONARY ZONING STUDIES HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WE'VE STARTED STUDYING BIKE PARKING, DOING AN ANALYSIS OF UTILIZATION AS WELL AS BEST PRACTICES ON THE ACTUAL DESIGN OF THE BIKE PARKING. WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT GREEN BUILDING. WE THINK THERE'S SOME IMMEDIATE CHANGES WE CAN MAKE THERE WHERE WE HAVE REDUNDANCY WITH BUILDING CODE, FOSSIL FUEL FREE ORDINANCE, AND THEN SOME LONGER TERM THINGS THAT MIGHT REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT MORE ANALYSIS. SO THE PRESENTATION BREAKS IT, BOTH THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THE PROCESS AND THE COMMUNICATION ALL [02:15:01] INTO SHORT, MEDIUM, AND LONG TERM. SO THE SHORT TERM IS ALL UNDERWAY. WE HOPE TO HAVE COMMUNICATION MATERIALS UP, UM, SHORTLY. UH, BETTER PROCESS GUIDES, THINGS LIKE THAT. A MORE CENTRALIZED PLACE FOR INFORMATION ON THE PERMITTING. WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER COMMUNITIES FOR EXAMPLES THAT DO THIS WELL. AND MEANWHILE CONTINUING TO TALK TO PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS. SO I DO WANT TO STAY ENGAGED WITH THOSE WE ALREADY SPOKE TO, UM, TO GET FEEDBACK AS WE MOVE ALONG, TO DO FOCUS GROUPS, PARTICULARLY IN SOME OF THE MATERIALS WE'RE DEVELOPING. AND THEN I CONTINUE TO HAVE, UM, PEOPLE THAT ARE REFERRED TO ME THAT, UM, HAD SOME SPECIFIC CHALLENGE OR JUST WANTED TO SPEAK IN GENERAL ON THEIR EXPERIENCE THAT I AM SCHEDULING TIMES WITH. SO I SEE THIS AS ONGOING WORK. THIS IS BUILDING ON WORK THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN HAPPENING, UM, AND IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE IN THE REGULATION SIDE AND THE PROCESS SIDE. I KNOW THERE WAS ANOTHER, UM, BIG EFFORT IN 2024 IN THE REPORT. SO WE'RE BUILDING ON THAT AND WANT TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE. AND, UM, ALSO START TO LOOK AT SMALL BUSINESSES AS WELL IN THE PERMITTING AND LICENSING PROCESS THERE. COUNCILOR, COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. AND AGAIN, AS SOMEONE WHO PUT IN I THINK THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO, A REQUEST TO HAVE ALL OF OUR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS ONLINE, I THINK IT'S ON THE LIST. I THINK WE SHOULD ALSO, I'M GLAD. 'CAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING I'VE BEEN WAITING AND DYING FOR FOR A LONG TIME. AGAIN, IT JUST HELPS A LOT OF PEOPLE CROSS THE CITY AND SAVE STAFF TIME AS WELL, BECAUSE INSTEAD OF HAVING TO RESPOND TO THOSE, LIKE, WE'LL GO, LIKE EVERYONE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD SAYS, WELL, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THAT GIOS OLD PLACE RIGHT ON HERE ON AVE. AND IF I COULD JUST SAY, GO LOOK ONLINE AND ANY APPLICATIONS WILL BE ONLINE, IT WOULD BE REALLY EASIER. SO THAT'S PART OF THE STREAMLINING. AGAIN, ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO MAKE IT EASIER TO BUILD. OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH SAFETY, BUT IT, WE, WE ARE NOT A ROLE MODEL IN THIS AREA, AND I WANT US TO BE A ROLE MODEL AS A CITY IN THIS AREA FOR, AND EVEN IF IT'S BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SOME GLITCHES, LET'S GET RID OF THOSE GLITCHES. THANK YOU. I YIELD FOR NOW MAYOR COUNCILOR NELAND YIELDS. I HAVE COUNCILOR ZUBIE AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, JUST A QUICK COMMENT AND A QUESTION. I DID SEE THE DEMO ISSUE ADDRESSED IN THERE AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S ON THE SHORT TERM LIST, SO I'M GLAD THAT HOPEFULLY WE'RE MOVING FORWARD MORE URGENTLY ON THIS. AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS, THIS IS CONNECTED TO THE QUESTION OF SAYING, OH, WELL, IS THERE A WAY FOR US TO CONNECT THE DEMO PERMITTING PROCESS WITH THE BUILDING PERMITTING PROCESS? I KNOW THERE ARE CASES IN WHICH A DEMOLITION HAPPENS, AND THEN IT'S NOT A YEAR, IT'S UNTIL A YEAR LATER THAT WE SEE A BUILDING ACTUALLY GO UP. IS THERE A WAY TO WORK ON HOW WE CAN ACTUALLY REDUCE THE TIME AND THAT WE DON'T JUST HAVE A DEMOL BUILDING? I YOU THROUGH YOU MAYOR? SO WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR LIST IS LOOKING MORE AT THE HISTORIC PROCESS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE DEMOLITION PERMITS THEMSELVES. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF ASPECTS TO DEMOLITION. THERE'S THE DEMOLITION DELAY ORDINANCE, WHICH IS THROUGH THE, WHICH IS A HISTORIC REVIEW PROCESS. AND THAT IS LOOKING AT DEMOLITION OF ANY BUILDING OVER 50 YEARS OLD. WE WANNA DO A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THAT ORDINANCE SINCE IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED IN ABOUT 50 YEARS. SIMULTANEOUSLY, WE'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH INSPECTION SERVICES ABOUT THE DEMOLITION PERMITTING PROCESS, THE REQUIREMENTS THAT GO ALONG WITH A DEMOLITION PERMIT AND HOW THOSE ARE MOVING TO BUILDING PERMIT, BECAUSE DON'T THINK ANYBODY WANTS THOSE SITES SITTING VACANT OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION LONGER THAN THEY NEED TO BE. UH, SO THAT IS SEPARATE FROM THIS EFFORT, BUT CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE ALSO HAPPENING. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW. ALL YIELD COUNCILOR ZUBE YIELDS, WE WILL MOVE TO COUNCILOR ZUI. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I ALSO HAD WONDERED, UM, WHAT YOU WERE TALKING, WHAT YOU WERE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF, UM, THE DEMOLITION, UH, DELAYS. I HOPE YOU'RE NOT THINKING OR ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT REMOVING THE DEMOLITION DELAY OR CAN YOU TALK TO JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT? NO, UM, JUST TAKING A LOOK AT THAT ORDINANCE. UM, IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED IN QUITE A WHILE, SO, AND IT BOTH SETS THE THRESHOLD FOR BUILDINGS THAT NEED TO COME THROUGH HISTORIC REVIEW FOR DEMOLITION DELAY, AND ALSO THE PROCESS FOR HOW THAT'S DONE. SO JUST TAKING ANOTHER LOOK TO SEE IF THERE ARE EFFICIENCIES THAT CAN BE GAINED, UH, AND WHETHER WE HAVE THE THRESHOLD CALIBRATED AT THE RIGHT PLACE. COUNCILLOR ZUZI. YEAH, SOUNDS GREAT. I I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THERE BE CONSIDERATIVE DE CONSIDERATION OF DEMOLITIONS, AND [02:20:01] I LIKE COUNSELOR ZUBIE. I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THE EMPTY LOTS AND WE, WE DON'T WANNA BE LIKE SEATTLE WHERE THERE WERE A LOT OF BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED AND NOW THEY'RE JUST EMPTY LOTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, UM, THAT ARE PLACES WHERE UNHOUSED PEOPLE ON CAMP. SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BUILDING IF WE'RE DEMOLISHING, AND THAT IF WE'RE DEMOLISHING IT'S DONE WELL AND WE'RE DOING IT THOUGHTFULLY. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO ASK ABOUT, UM, YOU SUGGESTED THAT WE NEED TO MAKE IT MORE FLEXIBLE, UM, WITH SITE PLAN REQUIREMENT. SO DOES THAT RELATE TO OPEN SPACE AND TREES? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THERE? THANK YOU. THROUGH YOUR MAYOR NOT TALKING ABOUT OPEN SPACE AND TREES, THE OPEN SPACE IS SET AS A DIMENSIONAL CONTROL AND THE TREES ARE REGULATED THROUGH A SEPARATE, THROUGH THE TREE PROTECTION ORDINANCE IN 19.50 OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE. THERE ARE SOME BUILDING AND SITE PLAN, MORE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON UPDATING. ONE OF THE THINGS WE HEARD WAS THAT THE WAY SOME OF THESE ARE WRITTEN, THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO MEET THE LETTER OF, DEPENDING ON CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, SITE CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY'RE ALSO NOT NECESSARILY RESULTING IN THE OUTCOMES WE WANT. AS WE SEE MORE OF THE BUY RIGHT CONSTRUCTION WITH MULTIFAMILY ZONING, WE THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME FLEXIBILITY, UM, WHERE YOU HAVE A MENU OF DESIGN OPTIONS AND YOU'RE HAVING TO MEET A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THOSE, OR YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN NUMBER UNDER EACH CATEGORY. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE CHANGES, THOSE POTENTIAL CHANGES. RIGHT NOW, UM, WE ARE FINDING THAT MORE PROJECTS NEED A SPECIAL PERMIT SOMETIMES FOR SOMETHING VERY SMALL OR TECHNICAL THAT WASN'T A BIG DEAL WHEN THEY NEEDED A SPECIAL PERMIT TO BUILD THE HOUSING, BUT IT'S A BIGGER DEAL NOW THAT THEY'RE OTHERWISE BY RIGHT. COUNCILOR SUZI. I SEE. I SEE. THANK YOU. UM, WELL, I, ANYWAY, I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE. I THINK OVERALL, I THINK IT'S A, A GREAT IDEA. I I REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK TO EXPEDITE PERMITTING. UM, AND I, I DO THINK IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT WHAT WE DON'T WANNA LOSE IS, AGAIN, A BALANCED APPROACH. WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR STORM WATER NEEDS AND OUR TREE CANOPY NEEDS AND OUR OPEN SPACE NEEDS ARE, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION NEEDS ARE ALL CONSIDERED. UM, SO WE, SO WE DON'T WANNA, UM, FAST TRACK PERMITTING AT THE EXPENSE OF, AGAIN, A BROAD, BROADER, HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CITY PLANNING. SO I, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AND I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COUNCILLOR SUI YIELDS COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY DREW, YOU, MADAM MAYOR. AND, UH, JUST VERY QUICKLY AT THE END OF THE REPORT, IT SAYS INPUT FROM CITY COUNCIL'S NEXT STEPS. SO I'LL JUMP THE GUN AND GIVE YOU MY TINY BIT OF INPUT WITH THE BUY RIGHT FROM MULTIFAMILY. UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS ALL AROUND THE CITY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON ANY INDIVIDUAL PROJECT THAT IS, UH, IS TARGETED. AND, UH, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN TO EXERT WHATEVER EFFORT, UH, EXPENSE NECESSARY TO MAKE THE PUBLIC FACING, UM, PORTION OF THE REVIEW ABLE TO BE ACCESSED BY THE PUBLIC. UM, BECAUSE THERE IS, UH, NO END TO THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT I'M FACED WITH, PROBABLY OTHER CO COUNSELORS ARE FACED WITH THAT I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO, AND PEOPLE ON THE STREET DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO. SO TO THE, TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT CAN BE DEVELOPED AND MADE EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND READILY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU DO IN ALL OF THIS. BUT I'M ALL IN FAVOR OF EFFICIENCY. LET'S JUST MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE DOING. SO THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY YIELDS. WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS? I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY, I THINK, UH, THIS HAS BEEN A COUNCIL PRIORITY, UH, FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S BEEN GREAT THAT WE'VE WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AND HAVE TIMELINES. AND I LIKE HOW WE'VE SEPARATED COUNCIL ACTIONS FROM NON COUNCIL ACTIONS AND WAS CURIOUS ABOUT WHETHER SOME OF WHAT'S LISTED IN THE COUNCIL ACTIONS, CAN ANY OF THAT BE FOLDED INTO THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING AMENDMENTS WE HAVE COMING UP? THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES, WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT CAN BE PULLED INTO THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING EFFORTS. UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE WORKING ON THE BUILDING AND SITE PLAN DESIGN REQUIREMENTS IN 19.50 SIMULTANEOUSLY PLANNING TO PRESENT THOSE AS WELL. ALSO, LOOKING AT WHETHER THINGS LIKE THE GREEN BUILDING CHANGES THAT ARE READY COULD BE FOLDED IN. [02:25:01] SO WHEREVER THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO PACKAGE THINGS TOGETHER THAT NEED TO COME TO COUNCIL, UM, AND THEIR TIMING ALIGNS, WE'D LIKE TO DO SO. GREAT. UH, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT. I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO BE EFFICIENT, UH, AND FOR THE COUNCIL TO REALLY KNOW. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL, WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE ORDINANCE CHAIRS ON GETTING, UH, THE MEETINGS THAT NEED TO NEED TO HAPPEN. UM, AND THEN I'LL JUST SAY I AM EXCITED ABOUT THE STREAMLINING THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THINKING ABOUT THAT WORK. UM, AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE UPDATES THERE AS WELL. SO, HEARING NONE, NO. AND, UM, HEARING FROM NO ONE ELSE, WE WILL GO AHEAD AND ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO PLACE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 21 ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF LAITY? 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 21 IS PLACED ON FILE. WE ARE GOING TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 22. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO EDITS TO THE MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION. I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, AS I THINK FOLKS KNOW, UH, AND REMEMBER THAT WE HAVE BEEN, UH, DISCUSSING, UH, AMENDMENTS TO, UM, ACTIVE USE SALON MA MASS AVE, NORTHERN MASS AVE FOR QUITE A WHILE. WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS ABOUT THIS, UM, PAIRED TOGETHER WITH CAMBRIDGE STREET, WHICH WE WILL DEAL WITH NEXT. UH, WE'RE ONLY DEALING WITH MASS AVE RIGHT NOW. UM, AND, UH, TONIGHT JUST, UH, TO GIVE FOLKS A SENSE OF SCHEDULE, UM, TONIGHT, TH THIS, BOTH OF THESE PETITIONS WILL EXPIRE SEPTEMBER 16TH, 14TH, 14TH, 14TH. UM, IT'S CLOSE. UM, SO, UH, IF WE ARE GOING TO PASS THESE, UM, THEN WE NEED TO MOVE THEM TO A SECOND READING TONIGHT. THEY WILL COME BACK ON THE AGENDA, THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR FINAL APPROVAL. UM, SO THERE WILL BE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THEM, UH, AT THAT MEETING. UM, BUT TO MOVE THEM FORWARD AND KEEP THEM ALIVE. SO, YOU KNOW, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, WE WILL NEED TO MOVE ON, UH, ON THIS TONIGHT. SO WITH THAT MADAM MAYOR, THERE'S A NUMBER OF MOTIONS. SO I'LL DO ONE AT A TIME. I LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER FIVE FIVE A AND FIVE B. COUNCIL MEMBER GOVERNOR MOVES TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD THOSE COMMITTEE REPORTS. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS IS ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THE MASS AVENUE PETITION BY SUBSTITUTION WITH CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 2026 DASH TWO 18. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN MOVES TO AMEND THE MASS AVENUE PETITION BY SUBSTITUTION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. 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. UH, MADAM MAYOR. UM, IF THERE'S NO DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS FOR THE CITY, I WOULD MOVE TO PASS TO A SECOND READING, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF FOLKS HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS. ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS ON THIS? I DON'T SEE ANYONE ON THE ZOOM. SO, ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN TO PASS THE PETITION TO A SECOND IN TREATING AS AMENDED. AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTE BY SUBSTITUTION. NICE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIS. ABSENT. COUNCILLOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. [02:30:01] YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE MASSACHUSETTS, UH, THE MASS ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION IS, UH, MOVED TO A SECOND READING AS AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTION COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, FINAL MOTION TO PLACE C. CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM ON FILE. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN MOVES TO PLACE THE CMA ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILLOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. WELL, NOW WE'VE DISPOSED OF CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 22, WE WILL MOVE TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 23. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM EON WONG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO EDITS TO THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, AGAIN, THIS IS A, UH, ZONING PETITION THAT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING FOR QUITE SOME TIME, UH, WHICH WILL, AS I MENTIONED, EXPIRE ON SEPTEMBER 14TH. SO, UM, IF WE WANT TO, UM, NOT HAVE TO REFILE THIS POSITION, UH, PETITION, THEN WE WOULD NEED TO MOVE THIS TO A SECOND READING TONIGHT. UM, JUST TO SET A, THIS ONE'S A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED, SO IF YOU BEAR WITH ME JUST TO KIND OF SET A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THE GROUNDWORK HERE. UM, SO JUST TO REMIND FOLKS, THE CURRENT CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING, WHAT, SO WHAT'S IN PLACE TODAY DOES NOT HAVE AN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S IN PLACE. NOW, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING AND WHAT HAS COME BEFORE US IS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, DO WE WANT TO CHANGE THAT? AND DO WE WANT TO REQUIRE, UM, ACTIVE USE, UH, MAKE AN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET? UH, AND THEN IN WHAT WAY WOULD WE, WOULD WE DO THAT? SO THAT'S KIND OF HOW, HOW WE GOT HERE. UM, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, WE'VE RECEIVED SOME EMAILS TODAY FROM FOLKS WHO HAVE SAID, UM, YOU KNOW, DON'T RUSH THIS. LIKE, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS IN SUMMER? JUST REMIND FOLKS, WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS CLOSE TO A YEAR, OVER A YEAR. UM, IT ACTUALLY WAS GONNA COME UP FOR, OR CAME UP FOR A VOTE LAST DECEMBER. WE, WE DELAYED THE VOTE UNTIL THE NEW COUNCIL WAS SEATED. UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN OUT IN THE PUBLIC FOR A VERY LONG TIME. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, NOT SOMETHING THAT'S BEING DONE IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE, IN THE SHADOWS HERE. UM, SO THE, THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO, AND IT'S AGAIN, A LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED, IS TO AMEND THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION BY SUBSTITUTION WITH CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 2026 DASH 2019. NOW, JUST TO LET FOLKS KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. UM, SO IF COUNSELORS WANT THE GROUND, THE GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT TO ONLY APPLY TO LEACH MARE AND THE WINDSOR WEBSTER AREAS, THEN THEY WOULD VOTE YES TO AMEND BY SUBSTITUTION. IF COUNSELORS WANT ACTIVE STOR ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE REQUIREMENT TO APPLY TO LECHMERE WINDSOR WEBSTER AND THE REST OF THE CAMBRIDGE STREET CORRIDOR. SO BASICALLY ALL OF CAMBRIDGE STREET, YOU'LL VOTE NO ON SUBSTITUTION. SO THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST VOTE WE NEED TO TAKE. MADAME MAYOR DISCUSSION, COUNCILOR SERENA WHEELER. THANKS, MAD MAYOR. I, UM, YOU KNOW, SAID BEFORE ON THIS, THAT IF THERE WERE AWAITED TO DO GROUND FLOOR RETAIL JUST ON THE SPACES THAT, THAT HAVE RETAIL, UH, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO, TO DO THAT. THERE ARE A LOT OF SPACES ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET THAT ARE, ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING USED FOR RETAIL. THEY'RE BEING USED AS OFFICE SPACES. AND IN THOSE CASES, WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE HOUSING, UM, FROM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS WELCOME TO TO CORRECT IF I'M WRONG. THERE'S NO WAY TO, TO JUST PRESERVE THE RETAIL THERE. UM, SO IN THIS CASE, I'M, UH, WILLING TO VOTE YES FOR THE, UH, THE SUBSTITUTION COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANK YOU. BECAUSE I DO WANNA MAKE SURE I'M VOTING. I I DO BELIEVE WE SHOULD HAVE RETAIL. I THINK THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF HOUSING. SO THROUGH YOU MAYOR SADIKI OR TO STAFF OR COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, IT MEANS FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THAT I SHOULD VOTE NO ON SUBSTITUTION AND THEN WE WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING BEFORE US THAT DOES INCLUDE THAT LANGUAGE. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. CORRECT. SO, AND AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW IF THE SOLICITOR WANTS TO CORRECT ME OR, OR, OR ADD ANYTHING, BUT IF, IF YOU WANT THE CURRENT PETITION, THE SUBSTITUTE [02:35:01] PETITION WOULD ALLOW ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL JUST IN THOSE LIMITED AREAS. SO IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, YOU WOULD VOTE YES. IF YOU WANT ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, UH, REQUIREMENT THROUGHOUT CAMBRIDGE STREET, YOU WOULD VOTE NO. WE WILL THEN GET INTO DOES THAT ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL HAPPEN AT THREE STORIES OR FOUR STORIES AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF. OKAY. BUT THIS IS THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. AND WE'LL GO TO A COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. I THINK MY QUESTION WAS JUST ASKED, AND I'M WAITING FOR THE ANSWER FROM THE CITY SOLICITOR WHO I SEE AT THE TABLE. WELCOME. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, AGAIN, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN IS CORRECT. HE'S CORRECT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO I'M GONNA JUST BE VOTING NO ON THIS BECAUSE OF WHAT'S SOME OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID. AND THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THESE AMENDMENTS WAS TO PROTECT, UH, GROUND FAIR GROUND FLOOR RETAIL. DOES ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK MADAM MAYOR? YES. VICE MAYOR AZI? UM, UH, I WILL BE VOTING YES. I'LL JUST KEEP IT BRIEF, WHICH IS LIKE, UM, I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO WORK OUT AS PEOPLE EXPECT IN THAT FIRST FLOOR. UH, CAMBRIDGE STREET ALREADY HAS FIRST FLOOR RETAIL AND WE DON'T REQUIRE IT. AND I THINK THAT THIS WILL REQUIRE, WITH THAT, WITH THE AMENDMENTS, IT WILL STILL REQUIRE ON THE BIGGEST PARCELS, BUT IT WILL NOT REQUIRE ON THE SMALLEST PARCELS. AND IT'S JUST VERY HARD TO FIT EVERYTHING ON A SMALL PARCEL. EVERY TIME WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION, SOMEONE HAS COME UP AND BEEN LIKE, WELL, ACTUALLY IT DOESN'T WORK FOR MY PARCEL IN CAMBRIDGE STREET. AND THEN WE EXEMPTED THAT PARCEL AND THEN IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE, AND THEN WE EXEMPTED THAT PARCEL. AND YET HERE WE ARE ON FOR LIKE A THIRD TIME TALKING THIS. AND I THINK THAT IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT DEFACTO THIS IS GOING TO DO IS NOT PRODUCE ANY MORE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL. INSTEAD IT'S GOING TO MEAN ON SMALL PARCELS YOU JUST CAN'T FIT EVERYTHING. 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO, AND SO SMALL PARCELS WILL JUST BE SMALLER. UM, SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, BUT THANK YOU. A YIELD COUNCIL MCGOVERN. UM, SO I MOVED, UH, IF NO ONE HAS, IF EVERYONE'S CLEAR ON, ON WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, A MOTION TO AMEND THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION BY SUBSTITUTION WITH CMA 2026 DASH TWO 19. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR OF LAITY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? YES. YES. COUNCILOR ? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE TWO MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ISN'T SEVEN RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THE MOTION TO AMEND THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION BY SUBSTITUTION WITH THE CMA FAILS CONSER MCGOVERN. OKAY. SO THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UH, WE NOW MOVE ON TO THE, THE LARGER DISCUSSION. THE, THE AND I, AGAIN, I TOOK LOOK TO ASSISTANT MANAGER PETERS TO JUMP IN HERE. UM, THAT THE CURRENT PETITION IN FRONT OF US CALLS FOR ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL TO BE REQUIRED ANY BUILDING ABOVE THREE, BUILT ABOVE THREE STORIES. UM, AND SO THAT IS WHAT'S, IF THAT IF YOU WANT THAT YOU WOULD BE VOTING YES. UM, IS THAT THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, ASSISTANT MANAGER, PETER? YEP. THAT'S CORRECT. THE CURRENT PETITION IS ANY BUILDING ABOVE THREE STORIES, WHETHER IN CAM SIX, WHICH IS THE MAJORITY OF CAMBRIDGE STREET OR CAM 10 OR 12 WEBSTER, WOODS, WEBSTER, AND WINDSOR AND LEACH MAYOR WOULD ALL REQUIRE ACTIVE GROUND FOR USE. ANY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ON THIS AND WHAT PROCEDURALLY WE SHOULD DO? SO BASICALLY THE MOTION IS, WELL, NO ONE RIGHT NOW HAS MADE A MOTION TO AMEND ABOVE THIS THREE STORIES, RIGHT? SO IF WE, IF WE MOVE ON TO, I'M SORRY MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. IF WE MOVE ON TO PASSING WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US NOW TO A SECOND READING, IT WILL BE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL WOULD BE REQUIRED THREE STORIES OR ABOVE. THERE WAS TALK OF FOUR STORIES OR ABOVE THAT WOULD TAKE AN AMENDMENT. UM, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HAD MENTIONED ALSO, UM, AT THE END OF THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, THE VICE MAYOR HAD TALKED ABOUT POTENTIALLY GOING TO SEVEN STORIES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET. JUST TO BE CLEAR TO FOLKS, UM, THAT'S NOT IN FRONT [02:40:01] OF US. AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE A REFILING OF THE PETITION. SO THAT'S NOT ON THE TABLE RIGHT NOW. IT'S JUST A QUESTION. UM, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO MAKE AN AMENDMENT TO SAY FOUR STORIES OR ABOVE. OTHERWISE, I WILL MOVE THIS TO A SECOND READING. SO MADAM, ON A MOTION TO MOVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THAT MOTION, MOVE TO A MOVE TO, UH, SEND TO A SECOND READING. MADAM MAYOR, COUNSELOR MCGOVERN MOVES TO PASS THE PETITION, WHICH IS RIGHT NOW, UM, THREE STORIES FOR GROUND STORE, UH, GROUND STORY ACTIVE USE, UH, FOR THE GROUND, GROUND STORY ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT. SO WE'RE MOVING THAT PETITION TO A SECOND. READING AS AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTION. IS THAT WHAT YOU SAID? COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN? YES. MADAM MAYOR. NO, NO, NOT, UH, GO AHEAD. UH, YES TO YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, THE MOTION TO AMEND BY SUBSTITUTION FAILED. SO IT'S JUST PASSED THE ORIGINAL PETITION TO A SECOND READING. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THE, SO WE'LL JUST PASS THE ORIGINAL PETITION TO A SECOND READING. YES. UH, GO AHEAD. ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, JUST JUST TO CLARIFY, THE ORIGINAL PETITION IS REQUIRE ACTIVE USES AT ANYTHING ABOVE THREE STORIES. SO THREE STORIES COULD BE ALL RESIDENTIAL. YEAH, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE SAID IT A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS, BUT JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY ABOVE THREE STORIES. ANY OTHER, ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS BEFORE WE MOVE ON? HEARING NONE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? NO. NO. 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 IN THE NEGATIVE. THE MOTION TO PASS THE PETITION TO A SECOND. READING PASSES COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. TWO MORE. MADAM MAYOR, UM, MAKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO PLACE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM ON FILE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL TO PLACE THE CMA ON FILE. COUNCILLOR ZUBE? YES. YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE CMA IS PLACED ON FILE. AND FINALLY, MADAM MAYOR, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER FIVE AND PLACE ON FILE. COUNCIL MEMBER GOVERNOR MOVES TO ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER FIVE AND PLACE ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE DOCUMENT. REPORT NUMBER FIVE IS PLACED ON FILE. WE ARE DONE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. I'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD, UH, THE CHARTER AND ITEMS UNDER THE CALENDAR. 1, 2, 3, AND FOUR. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON SUSPENSION. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. SO WE ARE IN SUSPENSION AND SO WE HAVE ALL THE FOUR POLICY ORDERS THAT, UH, COUNCILLORS EXERCISERS CHARTER RIGHT BEFORE US. WE WILL MOVE TO CHARTER, [CHARTER RIGHT] RIGHT. NUMBER ONE, THIS WAS NUMBER ONE, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY STEPS TO TEMPORARY RESTORE AND REACTIVATE SHOT SPOTTER WITHIN THE AREAS OF CAMBRIDGE. PREVIOUSLY COVERED BY THE SYSTEM. THE CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILOR ZUBI IN THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON JULY 23RD, 2026. I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR ZUBI. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I, I EXERCISED MY CHARTER. RIGHT. IN ORDER TO TRY AND HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIALOGUE ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PIECE, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT COUNCILOR MCGOVERN HAS SOME SORT OF SUBSTITUTE POLICY ORDER, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND DEFER TO HIM. SO WE [POLICY ORDERS] HAVE A POLICY ORDER THAT'S, UH, YOU SHOULD HAVE IT IN WITH YOU. IT'S FILED BY MYSELF AND COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. SO [02:45:01] I'LL JUST SPEAK REALLY BRIEFLY TO IT. UH, AND THEN WE CAN ALSO PULL IT UP, UH, ON, ON THE SCREEN. SO I'LL THEN GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. SO THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE POLICY ORDER THAT I WORKED WITH COUNCILOR MCGOVERN ON AFTER SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH CITY STAFF. I WANNA JUST FACTUALLY STATE THAT IN MAY, I VOTED WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE COUNCIL TO DISCONTINUE SHOT SPOTTER BECAUSE I HAD SERIOUS CONCERNS, PRIMARILY WITH ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND ITS ACCURACY. AND THOSE CONCERNS HAVEN'T CHANGED AT THE SAME TIME OVER THE PAST MONTH, I'VE HEARD FROM MANY RESIDENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS MOST AFFECTED BY GUN VIOLENCE WHO HAVE TOLD US THAT THEY DO NOT FEEL THEIR VOICES WERE FULLY PART OF THAT DECISION. AND THIS SUBSTITUTE REFLECTS OUR ATTEMPT TO RECONCILE THOSE TWO REALITIES. THE SUBSTITUTE PROPOSES A RESIDENTIAL ASSEMBLY, A PROCESS THAT BRINGS TOGETHER A REPRESENTED GROUP OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS SELECTED BY A LOTTERY TO HEAR EVIDENCE FROM EXPERTS, STAKEHOLDERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND ASK THEM TO DELIBERATE TOGETHER AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS ON A COMPLEX PUBLIC POLICY QUESTION. THIS WAS ONE OF THE OPTIONS WE HEARD IN OUR LAST SPECIAL COUN SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING WHEN I ASKED THE CITY MANAGER TO SPEAK TO WHAT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AROUND THIS ISSUE MIGHT LOOK LIKE. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. SI SINCE THEN, WE'VE HAD FURTHER CONVERSATIONS SO I COULD GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS WOULD ACTUALLY WORK. POLICY ORDER DOES TEMPORARY RESTORE SHOCK SPOTTER FOR 90 DAYS. FOR ME, THIS IS NOT BECAUSE I'VE REACHED A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY, BUT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY DESERVES THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A THOUGHTFUL EVIDENCE-BASED PROCESS BEFORE WE MAKE A LONGER TERM DECISION. THIS SUBSTITUTE IS NOT ABOUT REACHING A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME, NOR IT IS AN, IS IT AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE TECHNOLOGY. IT'S ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WHATEVER DECISION WE ULTIMATELY MAKE IS INFORMED BY BOTH EVIDENCE AND THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED. I HOPE THAT THIS PROCESS WILL BUILD GREATER TRUST IN WHATEVER DECISION WE DECISION WE ULTIMATELY MAKE. BECAUSE OUR GOAL SHOULD NOT SIMPLY BE TO REACH AN ANSWER, BUT TO ENSURE THE COMMUNITY HAS CONFIDENCE IN HOW WE GOT THERE. WITH THAT, I'LL TURN TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN TO SPEAK MORE ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTE AND WHAT IT DOES AND HOW IT EXPANDS ON THE ORIGINAL COUNCILOR GOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU AND I I JUST SAY THAT LIKE YOU, MADAM MAYOR I TOO WAS ONE OF THE VOTES TO REMOVE SHOT SPOTTER OVER CONCERNS, UM, AROUND ITS ACCURACY AND IMPACT ON PRIVACY. I STILL SHARE, I STILL HAVE THOSE CONCERNS. SHOT SPOTTER HASN'T GOTTEN ANY MORE RELIABLE IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. UM, I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I HEAR THE, AND AGREE STRONGLY WITH THOSE WHO ARE SAYING THAT, UM, SHOT SPOTTER DOES NOT PREVENT A CRIME FROM HAPPENING. UM, AND WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO, IF WE WANT TO END VIOLENCE OR ADDRESS VIOLENCE IS TO DEAL WITH THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE. UM, AND SO INVESTING IN HOUSING AND FOOD SECURITY AND JOB TRAINING AND MENTAL HEALTH AND ALL OF THOSE ROOT CAUSES ARE ABSOLUTELY VITAL AND EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. UM, I DON'T SEE THIS AS AN EITHER OR CONVERSATION. I THINK WE NEED TO INVEST IN THOSE, UH, RESOURCES AND WE NEED TO ALSO REALIZE THAT TECHNOLOGY ON SOME LEVEL CAN BE USEFUL IN SOLVING CRIMES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY PREVENTING THOSE CRIMES. AND SO THE QUESTION FOR US IS HOW DO WE BALANCE THE USEFULNESS OF TECHNOLOGY WITH THE VERY VALID CONCERNS AROUND PRIVACY AND SURVEILLANCE, PARTICULARLY IN THE CLIMATE THAT WE ARE IN, UH, TODAY. SO THE SUBSTITUTE ORDER, UM, CALLS FOR THE CITY TO, UM, MOVE FORWARD WITH A, A RESIDENT, UH, UH, ASSEMBLY, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WAS DISCUSSED DURING THE CHARTER REVIEW PROCESS. UM, WE DID NOT INCLUDE IT IN THE CHARTER. UM, WE WERE NOT READY TO TAKE THAT STEP, BUT THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, GENERAL SUPPORT FOR TRYING SOMETHING LIKE THIS OUT, UM, AS A WAY TO BETTER INCLUDE AND BE A MORE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY PROCESS. SOMETHING THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING TO IMPROVE ON, UH, IMPROVE ON. SO THIS ORDER, UM, IN A NUTSHELL WILL SAY THAT, UM, THAT FOR THE CITY DIRECT TO CITY MANAGER TO CREATE THAT PROCESS, START THAT PROCESS. CIVIC ASSEMBLIES, RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES WOULD, WOULD DRAW FROM THE DIVERSE AND POPULATION OF OUR CITY. PEOPLE WOULD BE RANDOMLY CHOSEN. WE WOULD HAVE STIPENDS FOR PEOPLE AND WE WOULD INVOLVE A MUCH WIDER VARIETY OF VOICES THAN HAVE BEEN INVOLVED THUS FAR ON THIS REALLY COMPLICATED ISSUE. AND SO, [02:50:01] UM, WE FILED THIS BECAUSE WE THINK THIS IS A, A IMPORTANT AND, UM, PRODUCTIVE WAY TO MOVE FORWARD. UM, THE QUESTION I THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE IS DURING THESE 90 DAYS OR YOU KNOW, DO WE TURN SHOT SPOTTER BACK ON OR DO WE LEAVE IT OFF? AND I WENT BACK AND FORTH ON THIS. UM, I SETTLED ON TURNING IT BACK ON FOR THAT TIME BECAUSE I HEARD AT THAT COMMUNITY MEETING AT THE SENIOR CENTER, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WE HADN'T HEARD OF, HEARD FROM BEFORE, WHO RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY VIEW THIS TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY TO KEEP THEIR COMMUNITY SAFER. I HAVE REAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT. I THINK THIS IS WHY WE'RE GONNA DO THIS PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN DEBATE THOSE QUESTIONS. UM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE, I THINK TURNING IT BACK ON FOR 90 DAYS IS NOT GOING TO BE EXTREMELY HARMFUL. IF THE ORDER WAS TO TURN IT BACK ON PERMANENTLY, I WOULD FEEL DIFFERENTLY AND I MIGHT HAVE A DIFFERENT CONCLUSION. BUT TURNING IT ON FOR 90 DAYS WHILE WE ENGAGE IN THIS PROCESS WOULD BE A DEMONSTRATION TO THOSE FOLKS WHO FELT UNHEARD THAT WE ARE HEARING THEM NOW. AND SO THAT'S WHAT THIS POLICY ORDER, UH, DOES. I'M MADAM MAYOR, AM I MISSING ANYTHING? NO, YOU GOT IT. ALRIGHT. AND THEN I WILL YIELD. SO WE HAVE COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR SADIQUE. I, I DID WANNA, I HAD A FEW QUESTIONS. I WANNA TALK ABOUT THINGS, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE THIS SUBSTITUTE, WHICH I DO THINK IS, UM, IS SOMETHING I COULD SUPPORT MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE. I THINK IT IMPROVES ON IT. UM, I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, BUT ALSO I'D WANNA AMEND THAT SUBSTITUTE. SHOULD I WAIT TILL THAT SUBSTITUTE IS VOTED BEFORE US AND THEN PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT? I THINK THAT'S THE BEST WAY. OKAY. SO, UM, I THEN JUST IN REGARDS TO THE UNDERLYING POLICY ORDER AND THE SUBSTITUTE, I, I AM LIVING, LIKE ALL OF US ARE WITH THIS QUESTION OF HOW BEST TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY. AND THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE WHATSOEVER FROM ANYTHING I'VE SEEN, AND I'VE DUG DEEP TO, TO SEE HOW IT IS THAT WHETHER THIS SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGY COULD MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER. AND WE HAVE ALWAYS SAID IT TO BE EVIDENCE-BASED AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT IT DOES. SO I REALLY, UM, DO NOT THINK WE SHOULD TURN IT BACK ON. I THINK WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING OUR ORDINANCE TO REMIND PEOPLE WE NEVER ASKED THE COMMUNITY TO DEPLOY IT. WE DIDN'T HAVE A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY ORDINANCE 12 YEARS AGO, SO THERE WASN'T A REASON TO ASK THE COMMUNITY. I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULD HAVE, BUT LITERALLY WE DIDN'T. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THIS COUNCIL DID NOT OVERRIDE THE COMMUNITY THAT HAD HAD REVIEWED THIS AND SAID, WE WANT THIS. WE REVIEWED A LOT OF, UM, INFORMATION OVER A YEAR, AND THIS COUNCIL MADE A DECISION. SOME PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHETHER TO CONTINUE THAT, BUT IT WAS A VERY DELIBERATIVE PROCESS TO MAKE A DECISION FOLLOWING OUR OWN ORDINANCE TO, UH, NOT HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYED AS WAS POINTED OUT IN IN PUBLIC TESTIMONY. OUR ORDINANCE REQUIRES THAT WE BASE IT ON DATA AND EVIDENCE. AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, I DON'T SEE THAT THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE, UM, THE COST. BUT I DO THINK THAT THE SUBSTITUTE IS, UH, A BETTER ONE. AND IF THAT PASSES AND IS BEFORE US, THEN AFTER THAT DOES, THEN I WILL BE PROPOSING, UH, UH, ONE AMENDMENT TO THAT, TO THAT POLICY ORDER, WHICH I BELIEVE THROUGH YOU MAYOR CITY, I SHOULD WAIT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS BEFORE. YES. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I HAVE COUNSELOR SERENA WHEELER, AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. THANKS MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. I WANTED TO STEP BACK A BIT AND, AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF GOOD DISCUSSION HOLISTICALLY ABOUT IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY, INCLUDING ABOUT AT OUR COUNCIL MEETING AT PREVIOUSLY. YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATED THE FRAMING AND HAVING THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS, UH, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ALL AT THE TABLE THINK TALKING ABOUT HOW ALL OUR DEPARTMENTS CONTRIBUTE TO PUBLIC SAFETY IS REALLY KEY IN THIS CONVERSATION. UH, I DID WANT TO SAY I WAS DISAPPOINTED ON, ON HOW SOME OF THE CITY COUNCIL CONVERSATION WENT LAST WEEK. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD CONVERSATION ABOUT WHO WE'RE LISTENING TO AND, AND WHO WE'RE NOT LISTENING TO AND HOW WE IMPROVE THAT. I WANTED JUST TO, TO SAY THOUGH, TO NAME, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS DISAPPOINTED ABOUT WAS WHEN ONE CITY COUNSELOR, WHO I, I WON'T NAME, BUT IGNORED SORT OF BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS WHO'VE SPOKEN OUT AGAINST SHOTSPOTTER AND SAID, WE WERE JUST HEARING TOO MUCH FROM WHITE RESIDENTS ON THIS. ON THE ONE HAND, THIS, THIS WAS IRONIC BECAUSE THE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY WHO SAID THIS WAS ALSO WHITE AND HAD SPENT A LOT OF TIME SPEAKING, IT WAS ALSO REALLY SURPRISING AND DISAPPOINTING FOR TWO REASONS. I THINK THE FIRST REASON IS THAT THE SAME COUNSELOR SAID LAST YEAR AND QUOTE, WE ARE CANCELING WHITE, EDUCATED, OUTSPOKEN RESIDENTS BECAUSE THE CITY COUNCIL WAS NOT AGREEING WITH THEM ABOUT BLOCKING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IF YOU'RE GONNA BRING RACE INTO THIS CONVERSATION, I THINK WE NEED TO DO IT REALLY INTENTIONALLY. AND, AND AS A COUNSELOR CAN'T ARGUE THAT WE'RE LISTENING TOO MUCH TO WHITE RESIDENTS ON THIS ISSUE AND THEN TURN AROUND AND ARGUE [02:55:01] THAT WE AREN'T LISTENING TO WHITE RESIDENTS ENOUGH WHEN THEY SPEAK OUT AGAINST BUILDING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THAT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. UM, THE SECOND REASON, AND I THINK WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE, AND I THINK THE ONE WE NEED TO TO BE AWARE OF HERE, IS THAT BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN LEADING THIS CONVERSATION FROM THE BEGINNING ABOUT ENDING THE USE OF SHOT SPOTTER. THE REASON THIS EVER CAME BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL WAS THAT THE BLACK RESPONSE HAS BEEN ADVOCATING ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS. THESE ARE FOLKS WHO GREW UP IN PUBLIC HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE, WHO YOU ARE AT THE CORE OF THESE ISSUES WHO HAVE TALKED TO THEIR NEIGHBORS ABOUT THIS, WHO HAVE ORGANIZED, WE CANNOT IGNORE THEIR VOICES IN THIS. ALSO, THE MAJORITY OF THE CITY COUNSELORS WHO VOTED TO END THE USE OF SPOT SPOTTER, WE'RE COUNSELORS OF COLOR. WE, WE ARE FOLKS IN THIS CONVERSATION. ARE WE NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO THE FOLKS? ARE WE NOT GONNA PRETEND THEY DIDN'T SPEAK ON THIS? ARE WE GONNA PRETEND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ORGANIZERS FROM THE BLACK RESPONSE HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING ON THIS ISSUE LITERALLY FOR YEARS? OR ARE COUNSELORS SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, BLACK AND BOUND RESIDENTS, THE LOW INCOME RESIDENTS WHO HAVE SPOKEN UP AGAINST SHOTSPOTTER DON'T MATTER BECAUSE THEY AREN'T THE RIGHT ONES? I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT COUNSELORS WERE TRYING TO SAY LAST WEEK, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT WHAT I HEARD AT THE COUNCIL MEETING LAST WEEK. WHAT I HOPE THAT, UH, COUNSELORS ARE TRYING TO SAY IS THIS, THAT WE VALUE ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE WEIGHED ON IN, ON THIS, THE BLACK AND BROWN RESIDENTS AND THE WHITE RESIDENTS AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN. BUT WHAT THAT WE NEED TO HEAR FROM MORE RESIDENTS THAT WE NEED TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T ALWAYS FEEL COMFORTABLE SPEAKING UP WITH THAT AND WHO ARE MOST IMPACTED. AND I AGREE WITH THAT. THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO DO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BEFORE THE CITY PUTS UP SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. WE SHOULDN'T PUT IT UP FIRST AND THEN ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT IT BEFORE WE BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BEFORE WE BUILD BIKE OR BUS LANES, BEFORE WE BUILD A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BEFORE WE MAKE CHANGES TO A CITY PARK. THAT'S WHAT WE DO. WE HAVE A COMMUNITY MEETING. WE PUT UP FLYERS ON LIGHT POSTS AND RESIDENT DOORS TO LET THEM KNOW AND GET THEIR FEEDBACK. AND IF THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE AGAINST AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT WON'T GET BUILT, BUT WE DO THE ENGAGEMENT ANYWAY AND WE INCORPORATE THE FEEDBACK INTO WHAT GETS BUILT. WHY DON'T WE DO THAT FOR SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY? WHY DON'T WE OUTREACH, DO OUTREACH TO RESIDENTS BEFORE WE PUT UP CAMERAS AND MICROPHONES IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND ASK THEM FOR INPUT. YOU KNOW, I I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THIS AMENDMENT. I CAN TELL THERE'S THOUGHTS THAT IN IT THAT WENT INTO IT. UM, AND ESPECIALLY THAT INCLUDES RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES. I BELIEVE I WAS THE ONLY CITY COUNSELOR WHO VOTED FOR THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY PROCESS AS PART OF THE CHARTER PROCESS. IT'S GREAT. I WISH WE HAD IT INCLUDED. IT THEN IF THIS, IF THIS AMENDMENT SAID LET'S DO THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH FIRST, LET'S DO THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY PROCESS FIRST BEFORE WE TURN ON THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. I WOULD VOTE FOR THAT. I JUST THINK THIS APPROACH HAS IT THE WRONG WAY AROUND. AND THE THING THAT THAT REALLY DOESN'T SIT RIGHT WITH ME IS HOW MUCH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WE DO BEFORE BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING VERSUS HOW MUCH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WE DO BEFORE PUTTING UP SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY. SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IS MOSTLY PUT UP IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WEST CAMBRIDGE HAS VERY LITTLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IT'S NO SURPRISE WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT PUTTING UP CAMERAS OR MICROPHONES IN WEST CAMBRIDGE TONIGHT. WHEN WE BUILD NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WE DO A LOT OF OUTREACH TO NEIGHBORS ABOUT IT. IS THAT SOMETHING WE DO? WE SURE DO. UH, IF THERE'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING UP THE STREET FROM ME, THERE HAVE BEEN LOTS OF MEETINGS ABOUT IT. I HAVEN'T NOTICED THEM. WHEN PEOPLE MOVE INTO THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, DO THEY THEN GET A SAY ON WHETHER THE CITY IS GONNA SURVEIL THEM OR NOT? ARE THEY GONNA GET A FLYER OR A MAILER, AN EMAIL ASKING FOR THEIR INPUT BEFORE WE PUT UP THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY? NO, THEY WON'T. WHY, WHY NOT? THAT'S WHAT IS WHAT I'M ASKING FOLKS TONIGHT. THAT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING. AND I DON'T THINK WE WANT TO BE A CITY THAT LISTENS TO THE OPINIONS OF WEALTHY RESIDENTS ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT DOESN'T LISTEN TO POOR RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WHEN IT COMES TO IF THEY GET TO BE SURVEILLED OR NOT. I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHO WE WANNA BE AS A CITY. AND I'M NOT GONNA, UH, VOTE FOR THAT TONIGHT. COUNCILOR SERENA WHEELER YIELDS WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND THEN VICE MAYOR AZI, FOLLOWED BY COUNCILLOR EY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. YOU HAVE THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SHAZ BARTA IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT SAVES LIVES AND SOLVES CRIMES THAT'S IMPORTANT. SO I'M GONNA SAY IT AGAIN. SHOTS SPOTTER IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT SAVES LIVES AND SOLVES CRIMES. IT IS NOT A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. IT IS NOT USED AS A SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO RECORD AND COLLECT DATA. AND WE'VE BEEN LISTENING TO HYPOTHETICAL ARGUMENTS THAT I THINK HAVE HAD AN IMPACT ON THIS COUNCIL. AND, AND JUST QUICKLY, UM, HYPOTHETICALLY IT'S BEEN ARGUED THAT BECAUSE THE CONTRACT IS, UM, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THAT THEREFORE POTENTIALLY ICE HAS ACCESS TO SOME DATA THAT MAY BE RECORDED, THAT'S A HYPOTHETICAL. AND HYPOTHETICALLY THAT DATA CAN THEN SOMEHOW BE USED TO DETAIN AND DEPORT UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. AGAIN, A HYPOTHETICAL THAT IT'S A HYPOTHETICAL THAT THIS IS SOMEHOW A RACIST POLICE, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL. ALSO A HYPOTHETICAL, THE REALITY OF THE, OF THIS IS THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE SINGLE INSTANCE OF AN ABUSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES HERE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. NOT ONE. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE SINGLE [03:00:01] INSTANCE OF A CLAIM OF OVER POLICING. NOT ONE. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ONE SINGLE INSTANCE OF A POLICE OFFICER RESPONDING TO AN ALERT OF, UH, SHOTS BARTER WHERE A POLICE OFFICER'S OVERREACTED. NOT ONE THAT'S IN STOCK. CONTRAST TO THE REALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, AND WHETHER WE WANNA ADDRESS THIS OR NOT. THE REALITY IS, AND I SPEAK TO YOU AS A PERSON WHO HAS BOTH PROSECUTED MURDER CASES AND DEFENDED MURDER CASES, THE REALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE IS THAT THERE IS STREET CRIME, THERE IS URBAN VIOLENCE, THERE IS AN ONGOING FEUD BETWEEN THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE AND THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE THAT INVOLVES GUNFIRE. THAT'S TRUE. AND IT HAPPENS IN THE PORT, AND IT HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON ELMS AND IT HAPPENS IN NEWTOWN COURT. AND IF YOU ATTENDED THE JULY 8TH, UH, COMMUNITY MEETING AT THE SENIOR CENTER, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT IT DOES BECAUSE THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR SHOTS BARTER FROM THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WAS APPARENT. IT WAS EVIDENT. IT WAS, IT WAS EXPRESSED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A RACIST LAW ENFORCEMENT TOOL. IT'S A SOUND DETECTION, UM, TECHNOLOGY THAT ALLOWS US TO SAVE LIVES AND SOLVE CRIMES. NOW WOULD IT HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE? WE DON'T KNOW. WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT A DIFFERENCE IN A YOUNG MAN'S LIFE AND WOULD THERE BE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY WITHOUT A FATHER? WE DON'T KNOW. WOULD THE THREE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALLEGED TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS HEINOUS ACT BEEN, HAVE, HAVE BEEN APPREHENDED IMMEDIATELY? WE DON'T KNOW. BUT THAT UNCERTAINTY IS IN AND OF ITSELF ENOUGH TO TURN SHOTS BARTER BACK ON. IF YOU INVESTIGATE AND ARE CHARGED WITH RESPONSIBILITY OF PROSECUTING THESE MAJOR FELONIES, YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND IT IS A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH. THAT'S OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM. THINK OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OVER THE LAST GENERATION, LIKE DNA. IT HELPS BOTH IN THE SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH, FOR CONVICTIONS AND FOR ACQUITTALS. THAT'S WHAT SHOTS BARTER CAN BE USED FOR. THIS IS A VERY EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY THAT, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO DETER CRIME SIMPLY ISN'T. THIS IS AN EFFORT TO ALLOW POLICE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS TO RESPOND PROMPTLY TO BOTH SAVE LIVES AND SOLVE CRIMES. AND IT'S INCONCEIVABLE TO ME IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, IN LIGHT OF THE TRAGEDIES THAT WE'RE ALL VERY WELL AWARE THAT, UH, WE CAN IN GOOD FAITH SAY THAT HYPOTHETICALLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL INVADE ON PEOPLE'S CIVIL LIBERTIES AND THEREFORE WE SHOULD NOT HAVE SHOTS. PORTER, I AM IN FAVOR OF SHOTS PORTER. I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. AND IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME, THEN I'M VERY HAPPY TO TELL YOU. PLEASE DON'T VOTE FOR ME. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, WHEN THIS POLICY ORDER, THE, THE BASE POLICY ORDER, UH, WAS INTRODUCED AND VERY SIMILAR TO THE AMENDMENT THAT'S BEFORE US NOW, UM, WHICH CAME MUCH, WHICH IS COMING NOW, BUT THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER THAT WAS INTRODUCED ON THE 23RD, I WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE STRONG DISAGREEMENT. AND THERE STILL IS, EVEN WITH THIS AMENDMENT, THERE IS SOME STRONG DISAGREEMENT AND I KNOW SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF, OF THIS COUNCIL AND MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC REMAIN FIRMLY OPPOSED TO SHORT SPOKE SPOTTER. AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THEIR RIGHT. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S RIGHT TO THE, EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO THEIR OWN OPINION AS LONG AS THEY REMAIN RESPECTFUL. UH, PEOPLE CAN AGREE OR DISAGREE ABOUT THIS TECHNOLOGY AND ABOUT HOW BEST TO KEEP US SAFE. BUT I WAS AT THAT MEETING ON JULY 8TH AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THE MEMBERS OF MY COMMUNITY CAME OUT VERY STRONG FOR SAYING THEY WANTED TO SEE IT REINSTATED BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MADE THEM FEEL SAFE. AND THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. AND, AND I AM CERTAINLY THINKING OR LEANING TOWARDS SUPPORTING THE AMENDMENT WITH THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT THERE YET, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE I COULD BE WOOED INTO IT. UM, AS LONG AS WE PUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST. AND THAT'S ALL I'VE EVER BEEN ASKING. SO I WAS, I WAS, I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I WAS REALLY NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT AN ACCUSATION THAT WAS HURLED UM, AND [03:05:01] I THINK WAS NOT VERY, UH, WASN'T KIND AT ALL. UM, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO OUR BEST. AND FOR ME, MY BEST IS REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE THAT I LIVE WITH AND AROUND. AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. AND I THINK, UM, FORMER MAYOR REEVE SAID IT, UH, PARA UH, SAYING SOMETHING THAT CONGRESSMAN CONGRESSWOMAN AYANNA PRESSLEY OFTEN SAYS, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CLOSEST TO THE PAIN SHOULD BE CLOSEST TO THE POWER, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CLOSEST TO THE INCIDENT, TO BE CLOSEST TO THE SOLUTION. AND I THINK THAT'S EASY FOR US TO GET AND UNDERSTAND. SO THIS IS NOT PUBLICIZING A STRATEGY, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A REAL POOR, UM, USE OF WORDS. UH, MANY OF US RIGHTLY REJECT THAT ARGUMENT WHEN A TERRIBLE EVENT EXPOSES A POSSIBLE WEAKNESS IN PUBLIC POLICY. EXAMINING THAT POLICY IS NOT EXPLOITATION. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY. IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE, UH, ON JULY 8TH. IT'S THROUGH OUR RESPONSIBILITY, THROUGH THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, WHICH I THINK IS ONE TOUR TOOL OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO HEAR FOLKS. SO I DON'T WANNA WAIT TILL WE HAVE THIS BROADER CONVERSATION 'CAUSE I'M, THAT SAYS TO ME THAT WE'RE SAYING TO THE PEOPLE IN THE PORT, HURRY UP AND WAIT. HURRY UP AND WAIT FOR YOUR JUSTICE. THE JUSTICE THAT WE BAN THE ABOUT HAVE TO HAVE THIS EVENING, HURRY UP AND WAIT. AND I'M SAYING WE ARE NOT WILLING TO WAIT. WE WANT THIS COUNCIL TO DEFEND ALL OF US, ALL OF OUR RIGHTS. THE UNFORTUNATE MURDER OF XAVIER BARISTA WAS IN OUR CITY, AND HIS DEATH CAUSED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF GRIEF, FEAR, AND ANGER. I HAVE A 12-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER THAT LIVES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THAT LIVES WITH LISTENING TO SHOT SHOTS BEING HEARD. AND WHEN SHE HAS TO ASK ME WHY WE ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF HER, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY? BECAUSE WE WANNA HAVE A PROCESS TO SEE IF IT MIGHT BE THE RIGHT THING. THAT'S JUST NOT FAIR. THAT'S NOT POLITE. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SPEAK FOR THOSE THAT ARE LEAST LIKELY, THAT DON'T HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF TIME TO SIT HERE FOR FOUR HOURS. SO FOR ME, WHEN WE RAISE THESE, THESE ISSUES, WE ARE RAISING, OR I AM WE SERIOUS, LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TOOLS CAMBRIDGE USES TO DETECT GUNFIRE. WE'RE NOT CONFUSED IN THE PORT. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S JUST A TOOL, BUT WE WANT THAT TOOL. THE, THE PEOPLE IN THE PORT WANT POLICE. WE DON'T FEEL OVER SURVEILLED. AND WHAT'S SO INTERESTING, AND THE REASON WHY I RAISED THAT IS FOUR, FOUR MEMBERS OF OUR POLICE FORCE LIVE IN THE PORT. THE LOWS, THE BINOS, THE MILLERS TO NAME A FEW. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH SURVEILLANCE AS, AS THEY CALL IT, WE DON'T SEE SURVEILLANCE. WE CALL IT SAFETY. NOT THAT LONG AGO, THIS COUNCIL BENT TO THE WILL OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH WAS TO PUT A CRUISER IN CLEMENT MORGAN PARK BECAUSE HE WANTED TO INTERRUPT THE ACTIVITY AROUND DRINKING AND DRUGGING IN THE PARK. TOOK US MONTHS, WE GOT THE COMMUNITY, STAYED WITH IT, WE DID IT, AND THINGS CHANGED IN THAT PARK. SO I CAN, YOU KNOW, I CAN REALLY ACCUSE THOSE WHO HAVE LONG SOUGHT TO ELIMINATE SHOTS. CONOR SIMMONS, I'M NOT, I'M, WE HAVE TO WRAP UP. I'M ALMOST, I AM WRAPPING UP. I AM ASKING US TO VOTE TEMPORARILY TO REINSTATE SHOTS BOTTLE WHILE WE DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT IS OR CAN BE EFFECTIVE IN HELPING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. I THINK THAT MEANS MR. SIMMONS, I'M SORRY. I HAVE TO BE FAIR. I THINK THAT'S THE, I HAVE TO BE FAIR. WE OWN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. WE WILL GO TO VICE MAYOR AZI, AND THEN I WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUI AND I WILL INTERRUPT BECAUSE WE HAVE A RULE HERE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. THANK YOU. I'M WATCHING. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, I'M NOT THE BIGGEST FAN OF THIS SORT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT PROCESS AND LIKE COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND WHO IS INVOLVED, WHO IS NOT. I THINK FUNDAMENTALLY WE HAVE 120,000 PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND LOTS OF DIFFERENT OPINIONS. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S ALL DIFFERENT WAYS TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM PEOPLE WHO JUST HAVE TIME TO TELL US PERSONALLY OR WRITE US AN EMAIL OR SHOW UP AND DO A LENGTHY, UM, PROCESS LIKE WE'RE PROPOSING HERE. UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, WE'VE NEVER REALLY DONE A CITIZEN ASSEMBLY LIKE THIS BEFORE, UM, TO THE STAFF, IF THEY'RE THERE. UM, DO WE THINK WE CAN DO THIS IN 90 DAYS? CITY MANAGER, UH, THREE MAYOR, UH, I CAN OPEN A LITTLE BIT AND THEN, [03:10:01] UH, MAYBE JACKSON CAN COME UP AND, UH, AND JUMP IN A LITTLE. UM, I WOULD SAY THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, VICE MAYOR. UM, I THINK 90 DAYS WILL BE SOMETHING WE WILL LOOK INTO AND REPORT BACK ON. UM, I THINK MOST OF THE MODELS FOR RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES HAVE A MUCH LONGER TIMELINE. UM, AND, UH, AND I THINK WE'LL BE DOING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME. UM, JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE IDEA BEHIND CIVIC ASSEMBLIES AS A MORE DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRATIC MODEL, UH, IS ROOTED AROUND HOW WE BRING TOGETHER A BETTER REPRESENTATION, UM, OF OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY TO DEBATE ISSUES THAT CAN BE VERY CONTENTIOUS, VERY DRIVEN BY VALUES. AND, UH, I THINK EVEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, WE CAN SEE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WHERE THE PEOPLE, ALL OF WHOM ARE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY WHO TURN OUT ARE VERY DIFFERENT. UM, AND SO WE'LL HEAR ONE VOICE IN CERTAIN SETTINGS AND OTHER VOICES IN OTHER SETTINGS. AND HOW WE ACTUALLY NAVIGATE THAT CONVERSATION IS BOTH, UM, THE ROLE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL PLAYS, BUT ALSO ONE THAT WE'RE ASKING WHEN WE GO INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WE SAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK? UM, SO I THINK THE, THE IDEA BEHIND A CIVIC ASSEMBLY IS TO TRY TO HAVE BOTH MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TYPICALLY ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS TO DELIBERATE TOGETHER. UM, BUT ALSO, AND I THINK THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE POLICY ORDER TO HAVE SOME SELECTION THAT INCLUDES AN OVERWEIGHTING OF VOICES THAT WE DON'T TYPICALLY HEAR. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY SOME OF THE CONCERN IN THE CONVERSATION THAT, THAT WE'RE HAVING. SO I KIND OF RECOGNIZE LIKE THIS IS A NEW METHOD. IT'S, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK WE, WE THINK COULD HAVE PROMISE FOR HOW WE DO, HOW WE INCLUDE VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND ALSO HOW PEOPLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY CAN DELIBERATE TOGETHER IN A SETTING THAT'S GUIDED, WHERE THEY CAN SEE THE EVIDENCE, UM, AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN ULTIMATELY TRY AND COME TOGETHER TO FIND SOME PATHWAY FORWARD, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE REAL TRADE-OFFS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE. UH, MAYBE I'LL TURN IT OVER QUICKLY TO DIRECTOR PRICE, JUST TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL AROUND THIS AND, AND WHY WE KIND OF ARE SUGGESTING THIS AS A POTENTIAL WAY, UH, FORWARD. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER AND GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. UH, CIVIC ASSEMBLIES, RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES, UH, THEY'RE AN EXCITING TOPIC IN DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY SPACES. THEY REALLY CENTER MORE REPRESENTATIVE AND INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION BEST PRACTICES AT THE FOLD AND TO ALL THE POINTS EON MENTIONED, UH, HAVING A GROUP OF RESIDENTS THAT ARE MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF CAMBRIDGE, BUT ACTUALLY HAVE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT AN ISSUE TO DELIBERATE ON THE TOPIC AND WAY TRADE-OFFS, UH, ACCORDING TO THE MODEL IS OF PARTICULAR VALUE TO DECISION MAKERS WHO HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES. UH, SO WE'RE GOING, GOING TO INCORPORATE, UH, BEST PRACTICES FROM THE EXAMPLES WE'VE SEEN ACROSS THE US AND THE WORLD, UH, AND THE PROCESS, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION THIS COUNCIL WANTS TO, UH, MOVE FORWARD WITH. UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK YOU, I THINK YOU COVERED IT WELL. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR. YEAH, MY CONCERN IS JUST THAT WE'RE GONNA BE BACK HERE IN 90 DAYS ASKING FOR AN EXTENSION ON SHOTSPOTTER BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE A RESULT YET. I THINK THAT THE CITY COUNCIL KIND OF IS A CITIZEN, UH, ASSEMBLY ALREADY. AND I THINK THAT IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO HEAR, BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE SELECTIVE HEARING. I MEAN, MY PREFERRED OUTCOME WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DEBATED SHOT SPOTTER, I'D BE FINE. I THINK THAT SHOT SPOTTER LISTENS EVERYWHERE. WE TALKED ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY. SO I'D SAY LIKE HAVING PARKS, HAVING CAMERAS IN PARKS ONLY AT NIGHTTIME, YOU COULD ONLY ACCESS WITH A WARRANT ARE PROBABLY MORE EFFECTIVE AND WOULD HAVE A HIGHER IMPACT. SO THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERRED SOLUTION, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF MOMENTUM BEHIND THIS. AND SO IF THIS IS WHAT THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL IS, I WILL VOTE FOR IT. BUT I JUST THINK THAT IT'S, WE'RE GONNA END UP IN THE SAME PLACE IN 90 DAYS BACK HERE. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR AZI YIELDS, WE WILL GO TO NAAR ZUI AND THEN I WILL GO TO EVERYONE ONCE AGAIN. I ALSO AM OPEN TO THE OOPS, TO THE WILL OF THE COUNCIL, BUT I, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS, UH, CITIZENS ASSEMBLY IS LIKE THE, IT'S LIKE GOING ON A, A DETOUR. UM, MY MANTRA HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE IMPACTED. AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULDN'T GO DIRECTLY TO TALKING WITH THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE VIOLENT IS MORE PREVALENT. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE THE ONES MOST DIRECTLY [03:15:01] IMPACTED. SO I THINK WE SHOULD BE SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THEM RATHER THAN TO A, A BROADER RANGE OF CITIZENS. UM, LIKE AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT SHOT SPOTTER IS ACTUALLY AN EFFECTIVE TOOL, BUT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE RESIDENTS THAT AT THE CITY MEETING, UM, TO DISCUSS, UH, XAVIER BATISTA'S DEATH, THAT SHOT SPOTTER MADE THEM FEEL SAFER. IT WAS A MATTER OF HOW IT MADE THEM, IT MADE THEM FEEL SAFER. THERE WAS, UM, MORE PROMPT POLICE RESPONSE. AND, UM, SO I-I-I-I-I WOULD RATHER SUPPORT, UM, COUNSELOR SIMMONS AND COUNSELOR FLAHERTY'S ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER, WHICH JUST SAID REINSTATE SHOT SPOTTER FOR 90 DAYS. AND DURING THAT PERIOD, TALK TO THE PEOPLE MOST IMPACTED BY VIOLENCE IN THE CITY AND COME BACK WITH A DECISION ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT AND HOW WE CAN MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SAFER AND ACTUALLY MAKE THEM SAFER. UM, I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT, UM, SHOT SPOTTER LISTENS TO CONVERSATIONS AND REPORTS RESIDENTS TO ICE AS COUNSELOR FLAHERTY SAID. I THINK THAT'S A HYPOTHETICAL. I, I, I, UM, SO I, I, AGAIN, I, UH, I I WISH WE COULD VOTE ON COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND FLAHERTY'S POLICY ORDER BEFORE, LIKE CONSIDERING THIS AMENDED POLICY ORDER BECAUSE I, AGAIN, I THINK IT SORT OF TAKES US ONE DEGREE FURTHER FROM THE PEOPLE IMPACTED. AND THIS, AGAIN, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT WHETHER SHOTS BUTTER ACTUALLY MAKES PEOPLE SAFER, IT'S ABOUT WHETHER IT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL SAFER. AND SO, AGAIN, LIKE WHY NOT TALK TO THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES MOST IMPACTED BY CRIME AND VIOLENCE? WHY NOT GO TO THEM FIRST? THANK YOU. I YIELD ANYONE WHO HASN'T SPOKEN ON THE SUBSTITUTE PO BEFORE US. AND PROCEDURALLY WE DO HAVE TO VOTE THIS UP OR DOWN BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE. SO I HAVE A FEW OTHER HANDS UP. I'VE COUNCILOR GOVERN, AND THEN COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, I APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYONE'S, UH, COMMENTS. THIS IS NOT AN EASY, UH, THING TO DO OR CONVERSATION TO HAVE. UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE I THINK THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY COULD BE USEFUL. YOU KNOW, IF WE JUST SAY WE'RE GONNA DO, UH, WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE A COMMUNITY MEETING AT THE PAANI CENTER OR, UM, YOU KNOW, FLETCHER MAYNARD OR THE SENIOR CENTER, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF COMMUNITY MEETING. WE TYPICALLY ALWAYS HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA TURN OUT PEOPLE SAYING, SHOT SPOTTER, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE SHOT SPOTTER. OTHER PEOPLE WILL TURN OUT AND SAY, WE SHOULD HAVE SHOT SPOTTER. EVERYONE'S GONNA GET UP AND SORT OF MAKE THEIR CASE. AND WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA WALK AWAY WITH NO REAL DIRECTION OTHER THAN TO MAKE THIS A POLITICAL DECISION OF COUNTING HEADS AND WHAT'S IN OUR OWN PERSONAL BEST INTEREST FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS. I'M NOT SURE THAT'S A GREAT WAY IN THIS, ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SHOTS SPOTTER. WE, COUNCILORS, VICE MAYOR ZI AND I HAVE AN ORDER ON ABOUT CAMERAS. WE HAVE TO HAVE A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE MOST IMPACTED BY VIOLENCE TO DISCUSS BALANCING THE USEFULNESS OF TECHNOLOGY WITH THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE OVERREACH OF TECHNOLOGY. THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU DO IN A COMMUNITY MEETING WITH PEOPLE KIND OF GOING AT EACH OTHER. AND THIS NEEDS TO BE A MORE THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION. IT NEEDS TO BE ONE WHERE, WHERE PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW WHERE DIFFERENT EVIDENCE IS PRESENTED, RIGHT? THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME PEOPLE WHO MAY THINK, OH, SHOT SPOTTER REALLY DOES KEEP ME SAFE. IT, IT PREVENTS CRIME. AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA HEAR SOME THINGS AND SOME OF THE EVIDENCE AND THEY MIGHT SAY, OH, GEE, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT. MAYBE I DON'T AGREE ANYMORE. THERE'S GONNA BE SOMEONE WHO THINKS THAT MAYBE SHOT SPOTTER IS A HORRIBLE IDEA. AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA LISTEN TO SOME PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE GONNA SAY, WELL, YOU'VE KIND OF CONVINCED ME. THAT'S WHAT DIALOGUE IS ABOUT. AND HAVING A COMMUNITY MEETING WHERE EVERYONE'S JUST KIND OF GETTING UP AND SAYING THEY'RE ONE MINUTE AND TALKING AT EACH OTHER IS NOT GONNA GET US TO A BETTER PLACE. SO BY DOING THIS AND HAVING, AGAIN, AS THE MANAGER SAID, WE WILL, YOU CAN OVER, UM, IT'S A RANDOM DRAW, BUT YOU CAN OVEREMPHASIZE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT, YOU KNOW, UM, WHERE YOU CERTAIN FOLKS FROM THE COMMUNITY [03:20:01] CAN BE MORE LIKELY TO SERVE. I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, AND HAVE THIS AS A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION. I MEAN, WE ALSO NEED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF, WE KNOW THE SHOTSPOTTER IS PRETTY MUCH ONLY BEING USED IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD, A LITTLE BIT IN RIVERSIDE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD FROM THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN SHOOTINGS IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE. HOT SPOTTER DOESN'T EXIST IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE. THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A WE STILL HAVE AN UNSOLVED MURDER OF THE MAN WHO DIED IN DHE PARK. THERE'S NOT BY A GUNSHOT, BUT THERE'S NO CAMERAS IN DHE PARK. THE REALITY IS THAT THESE KINDS OF TRAGEDIES AND THESE KINDS OF THINGS CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN THE CITY. SO HOW DO WE BALANCE THAT, RIGHT? IS IT JUST FOCUSING ON THE COMMUNITIES WHERE IT'S MORE LIKELY? IS IT FOCUSING IN ON A WIDER RANGE ACROSS THE CITY? WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE DATA? WHO CONTROLS THE DATA? WHO, WHO'S DOES, DOES THE DATA GET SHARED WITH? WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE DATA? I DON'T WANT ANY TECHNOLOGY WHERE WE SHARE THAT DATA WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. I DON'T WANT THIS FUNDED THROUGH FEDERAL GRANTS THAT TIE OUR HANDS AND HAVE STRINGS ATTACHED TO IT. I WANT CAMBRIDGE TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL THAT DATA, NOT SHARE THAT DATA, UM, AND USE IT ONLY WHEN IT'S NECESSARY. UM, AND THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS AS TO HOW WE DO THAT IS NOT SOMETHING YOU GET IN A TYPICAL COMMUNITY MEETING WHERE PEOPLE JUST GET UP AND SAY THEIR PEACE FOR A MINUTE. IT'S A DEEPER CONVERSATION. AND SO THIS WOULD ALLOW US TO HAVE THAT DEEPER CONVERSATION. AND I'LL POINT OUT THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THE SAME THING AROUND COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOR SO LONG. WE HAVE THESE COMMUNITY TYPES OF MEETINGS ALL THE TIME. AND THIS COUNCIL CONSTANTLY YELLS AT THE CITY FOR NOT DOING IT WELL AND NOT TRYING NEW THINGS AND NOT GETTING MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED. WELL, LET'S DO IT. LET'S TRY IT. THIS WILL GET MORE PEOPLE INVOLVED. IT WILL GET MORE VOICES TO THE TABLE, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT WE SAY WE WANT. AND I THINK IT WILL LEAD US TO A BETTER PLACE. AND, AND I HOPE WE DO IT. I MEAN, I, I JUST, I, I I HOPE WE DO IT. BUT AGAIN, I THINK TURNING SHOT SPOTTER ON IN THAT MEANTIME, I THINK IS A, IS A, IS A WAY TO SAY TO THE COMMUNITY THAT'S NOT FEELING HEARD, THAT WE'RE HEARING THEM. AND IT'S, AGAIN, TEMPORARY, RIGHT? AND WE, THIS, THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY WILL COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THIS COUNCIL WILL THEN HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH AND ADOPT. SO WE'RE NOT GETTING OFF THE HOOK, BUT WE ARE GETTING SOME GUIDANCE FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY. AND I THINK THAT THAT IS A BETTER USE OF, UM, MOVING FORWARD. COUNCIL MEMBER GOVERNOR YUS, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR, SERENA WHEELER AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. THANKS, MAD MAYOR. I'LL BE BRIEF, UM, THROUGH YOU AND, AND TO THE COUNCILOR GOVERNANCE'S POINT ABOUT HAVING THESE BROADER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. I WOULD JUST, YOU KNOW, NOTE THAT'S WHAT THE TWO POLICY ORDERS I HAVE THAT WERE ALSO CHARTERED RIGHT AFTER THIS, ARE ABOUT, ABOUT HOW DO WE LOOK AT HOLISTIC PUBLIC SAFETY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKING ABOUT THOSE NEXT, UH, I AGREE WITH THE, THE COUNSELORS WHO SAY, WE NEED TO BE NOT TALKING ABOUT HYPOTHETICALS, AND WE NEED TO BE GROUNDING THIS IN EVIDENCE. UH, AND I I WANNA JUST TALK ABOUT THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS THAT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, VOTED TO END USE OF SPOT SPOTTER HAVE GOTTEN SOME PRETTY OFFENSIVE EMAILS FROM FOLKS WHO ARE ENGAGING IN A LOT OF HYPOTHETICALS. AND I HOPE FOLKS WILL, WILL PUSH BACK ON THOSE AS WELL. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO ACTUALLY BE GROUNDING THIS IN EVIDENCE, IN FACTS NOT, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE OPINION PAGES FROM WRITERS AND THE BOSTON HERALD OR THE GLOBE, OR THE WASHINGTON POST WHO DON'T LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE. THEY DON'T LIVE ANYWHERE NEAR CAMBRIDGE. UM, WE WANTED TO SHARE TO THAT POINT ABOUT FACTS, A QUESTION I ASKED LAST WEEK THAT THE, UH, CPD OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY DIDN'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR IT AT, AT THAT TIME. UM, THEY WENT AND, AND LOOKED AT THE ANSWER AND FOUND IT AND GOT BACK TO ME. AND I APPRECIATE THEM, THEM DOING THAT WORK AND COMING BACK WITH THE ANSWER SO THAT WE CAN GROUND THIS IN MORE FACTS. THE QUESTION I ASKED LAST WEEK WAS, HOW MANY SHOTS SPOTTER ALERTS WERE THERE IN 2025? AND IN HOW MANY INSTANCES WAS THERE ACTUALLY ANY, ANY EVIDENCE THAT SHOTS WERE FIRED? AND THE RESPONSE, AND I'LL I'LL QUOTE IT TO, TO REALLY GIVE THE FACTS, IS QUOTE, THERE WERE EIGHT SHOTS, SPOTTER ALERTS IN 20 25, 3 OF WHICH RESULTED IN THE LOCATION OF EVIDENCE OF SHOTS FIRED. SHOTS FIRED. SO, AND THAT'S NOT QUOTES NOW, BUT SPOTTER TOLD CAMBRIDGE POLICE EIGHT TIMES IN 2025 THAT THERE WERE GUNSHOTS IN THE PORT OR CAMBRIDGE PORT. THE MAJORITY OF THOSE TIMES, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT THERE WAS A GUNSHOT FIRED. THE OTHER FACT HERE, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE IT HASN'T COME UP TONIGHT, AND I BROUGHT IT UP LAST WEEK. IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO SAY THIS OUT LOUD. LESS THAN FIVE YEARS AGO, CAMBRIDGE, A POLICE OFFICER KILLED SED FAISEL THREE BLOCKS FROM FROM THE STREET, JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM HERE. WE HAD EIGHT INSTANCES IN 2025 WHERE WE, WE TOLD CAMBRIDGE POLICE THERE WAS A GUNSHOT AND THEY NEEDED TO RESPOND TO THAT URGENT IN FIVE TIMES. NO EVIDENCE OF A GUNSHOT. NO ONE WAS INJURED THERE, NO ONE, NO ONE WAS KILLED. AS S SED FAISAL WAS KILLED. THIS IS THE PIECE THAT I'M, I, IT WORRIES ME HERE. THERE'S FOLKS SAYING THE, THOSE OF US WHO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER, WE ARE PRIVILEGING PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OVER PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S NOT IT. THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL. I'M NOT AGAINST TECHNOLOGY. I AM A CO-SPONSOR TONIGHT AT THIS MEETING ON RED LIGHT CAMERAS ON THE AGENDA WHEN THEIR TECHNOLOGY PROVES A BENEFIT. I, I AM ALL FOR THAT. I'M WILLING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. DO NOT SAY I AM, I'M NOT. UH, FOR, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY, THERE WERE FOUR SHOOTINGS WHERE RESIDENTS WERE [03:25:01] INJURED IN 2025 FACT, FOUR SHOOTINGS WHERE RESIDENTS WERE INJURED IN 2025. FACT SHOT SPOTTER DID NOT PICK UP A SINGLE ONE OF THOSE SHOOTINGS, BUT FIVE TIMES WE TOLD SHOTS SPOTTER, THERE WAS, THERE WAS A SHOT FIRED, THEY NEED TO RESPOND TO IT. THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF A SHOTS FIRED THERE. THE LAST TIME THERE WAS A SHOOTING ON JULY 4TH, FOURTH FACT SHOTS SPOTTER DID NOT PICK UP THAT THAT SHOOTING, SHOOTING ON JULY 4TH LAST TIME SHOT SPOTTER WAS ACTIVATED AT SHOT SPOTTER DID NOT ISSUE AN ALERT FOR THAT SHOOTING ON JULY 4TH. THAT IS A FACT. THIS CONVERSATION IS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT MY, MY COLLEAGUES WHO SUPPORT SHOTS SPOTTER, THIS IS WHAT IT'S ABOUT FOR THEM. I'M NOT QUESTIONING THAT, I'M NOT NOT DENYING THAT FOR THEM. ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT FOLKS UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS ALSO WHAT THAT CONVERSATION IS ABOUT FOR US WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT SHOTSPOTTER. IS IT ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND OUR CONCERN THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY MAKES US LESS SAFE, NOT MORE SAFE? I YIELD BACK, I HAVE COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND THEN I WILL GO TO COUNSELOR NOLAN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. UM, FOR ME, THIS IS, THERE'S TWO ISSUES. ONE IS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY THAT CAME OUT ON JULY 8TH THAT SAYS, WE DISAGREE WITH THE COUNCIL. FOR US, THIS IS WHAT MAKES US SAFE. SO I'M HOPING THIS COUNCIL WILL VOTE TO EXTEND SHOTS SPOTTER UP UNTIL 90 DAYS OR A HUNDRED AND AND 20 DAYS, UM, IS IMPORTANT. UH, THIS IS, WELL FOR ME, SHOT SPOTTER IS NOT A TOOL TO PREVENT SHOTS BEING SHOT. IT'S A TOOL THAT MAY, THAT MAY HELP BRING OR AID TO A GUNSHOT VICTIM. AND I, I, IT'S VERY PROBLEMATIC WHEN WE, WE, IN MY OPINION, MISIDENTIFY WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO. AGAIN, I'M GONNA SAY THIS, I'VE SAID THIS A MILLION TIMES FOR THE PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY WHERE I LIVE. SO I THINK I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, EXPERTISE IN THIS. WE ARE SAYING, WE LIKE THIS BECAUSE WE FEEL SAFE. MY GRANDDAUGHTER FEELS SAFE. THAT'S ONE THING. THE REST OF THE ASSEMBLY IS A WHOLE NOTHER THING THAT I WOULD CAUTION US NOT TO CHARACTERIZE HOW PEOPLE EXPRESS THEMSELVES IN THE COMMUNITY MEETING AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN EXPRESSING THEMSELVES. EVEN IF IT'S IN A WAY THAT'S LIVELY. I DON'T KNOW THIS IDEA THAT MR. PRICE HAS COME UP WITH. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A PLEASE PLACEBO. AS ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS JUST SENT TO ME, SHE FEELS AS THOUGH SHE'S BEING GASLIGHTED. UH, BECAUSE YOU WANNA TRY SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T KNOW. AND IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL IN THE WAY WE HAVE PEOPLE COME AND PARTICIPATE, WE ARE NOT GONNA GET ANYTHING DIFFERENT. SOME OF US JUST RESPOND AND ACT DIFFERENTLY. IT DOESN'T MAKE US WRONG OR BAD, IT JUST MAKES THE WAY WE RESPOND DIFFERENTLY. AND THAT'S A REAL RACE AND CLASS ISSUE. SO I AM HOPING IF WE GO FORWARD WITH THIS, WHICH I HAD SAID TO, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI AND TO MR. MCGOVERN WHEN HE, WHEN THEY INTRODUCED THIS ORDER TO ME EARLIER ABOUT THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, MY, MY CONCERNS ARE THEN, AS THEY ARE NOW, THAT IF WE DO THE SAME THING THE SAME WAY, WE'RE GOING TO GET WHAT WE ALREADY HAD. AND SO WE HAVE TO BE DIFFERENT. WE HAVE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE. WE HAVE TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL VALUED AND VALIDATED. AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE WAY I SPEAK OR ACT OR MOTE, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FIT A CERTAIN PARADIGM, IT'S DISMISSIVE. AND I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. BUT THAT'S HOW IT COMES OFF. IF YOU WANT GENUINE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, YOU HAVE TO ENGAGE PEOPLE GENUINELY. SO IF WE'RE GONNA DO THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, I'M SPEAKING TO YOU, MR. PRICE, I'D LIKE YOU TO LOOK AT ME IS TO, IS TO REALLY WORK WITH PEOPLE, ENGAGE, TRAIN PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY TO BE INVOLVED, AND THEN HAVE THEM ASK, DO YOU WANNA JOIN THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY? THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE. BUT WE CAN'T GO IN LIKE BIG BROTHER AND, AND ASK PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE WHEN WE DON'T EVEN WALK IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS ANY OTHER TIME. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO. SO IF YOU WANT ME TO SIGN ON TO THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, I WANT YOU TO SIGN ON TO TRUE AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SAYS, I'M GOING TO ENGAGE PEOPLE ON THE BASIC LEVEL, FIND THEM WHERE THEY ARE AND BRING THEM TO THE TABLE. BUT TO DO THIS, A RESIDENT ASSEMBLY THAT DOESN'T DO THAT BECAUSE IT LOOKS GOOD, 'CAUSE IT'S A SHINY BIBLE, ISN'T GOING TO BE ENOUGH AS WELL INTENDED AS YOU MAY BE. IT HAS TO BE AUTHENTIC. AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT YET. SO FOR ME, I AM WILLING, I'D SAID THIS TO MY COLLEAGUES, THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY MAY BE ONE OF MANY TOOLS LIKE SHOTSPOTTER THAT WE USE TO REACH OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL. THAT'S ALL I ASK COUNCILOR SIMON NEILS, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR SIKA, I APPRECIATE ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES [03:30:01] REMARKS. JUST LIKE I APPRECIATE EVERYONE FROM THE COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU END UP. AND I DO AGREE WITH THAT. OUR JOB IS TO THINK OF EVERYONE. THE REALITY IS THE COMMUNITY IS SPLIT, INCLUDING THE COMMUNITY WHO LIVES RIGHT NEAR WHERE SHOTS WERE FIRED. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WHERE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY SAYS ONE THING OR THE OTHER. EITHER WE DON'T WANT SHOTS SPOT AT ALL, OR WE DO WANT IT, IT IS NOT A CONSENSUS IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT. WE ALSO HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, AND I THINK PUSH BACK ON A COUPLE THINGS. YES, SHOTSPOTTER PURPORTS TO SAVE LIVES AND TO SOLVE CRIMES THAT MAY BE, BUT WE HAVE ZERO, ZERO EVIDENCE OR PROOF OF THAT HAPPENING IN CAMBRIDGE IN THE 12 YEARS IT WAS DEPLOYED. AND THAT'S WHAT I KEEP GOING BACK TO. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC CASES WHERE IT COULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. AND I BELIEVE, UM, IN THIS INSTANCE, WE DON'T YET HAVE ANY PROOF THAT IT WOULD'VE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN, IN THIS CASE, AS COUNCILOR FLAHERTY SAID, THERE'S A SMALL CHANCE WE DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT BECAUSE THE REPORT FROM THE CORONER IS NOT OUT. BUT THE REALITY IS, IT LIKELY WOULDN'T HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE ACTUAL LIFE. AND SO I, I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO TELL THE COMMUNITY WE CAN MAKE YOU SAFE BY BRINGING THIS TECHNOLOGY, WHICH IS KIND OF THE, THE UNDER UNSTATED ELEMENT OF THIS, WHICH I THINK GIVES PEOPLE FALSE HOPE THAT IF WE JUST DO THIS, THE COMMUNITY WILL BE SAFE. I KNOW THAT'S NOT OUR INTENT, BUT I WORRY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT IS JUST NOT THE CASE. AND AGAIN, IT'S BEEN HERE FOR 12 YEARS AND WE HAVE THE SAME VIOLENCE THAT WE HAD IN THE PAST. SO FOR ME, I KEEP COMING BACK TO WHAT OUR SURVEILLANCE ORDINANCE SAYS, WHICH IS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO, IN A NEW TECHNOLOGY, DECIDE DELIBERATE DISCUSS IS THIS, DO THE BENEFITS OUTWEIGH THE CONCERNS AS SO COUNCILOR SO REAL SAID FOR ME, THIS ISN'T ABOUT SURVEILLANCE PER SE. THIS IS ABOUT SAFETY. THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER THIS MAKES SENSE. THIS IS ABOUT WHETHER IT HAS BEEN KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. I I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY AND, AND HOW WE'RE GONNA END UP WITH A REPRESENTATIVE BODY IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT IT MEANS. AND THROUGH YOU, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE CAN EVEN ANSWER THIS, BUT WE HAVE 30% OF OUR COMMUNITY IS IMMIGRANTS AND THERE'S A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE NOT ENGLISH SPEAKING AND THEY ARE FOLKS WHO ARE MORE, UH, SUBJECT AND VULNERABLE TO CERTAIN KINDS OF, OF CRIMES. IT HOW WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THOSE ARE INCLUDED AS WELL. WOULD WE HAVE A PLAN FOR THAT? AND I'M ALSO WITH COUNCILOR AZI AND VICE MAYOR THAT I LOVE DEMOCRACY OF, UM, THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS OF, OF ASSEMBLIES. I'VE WORKED ON A FEW. THEY CAN BE VERY, VERY POWERFUL. I, I'M NOT SURE ANY WITH A SPECIFIC ISSUE CAN BE SET UP FROM THE BEGINNING WITH NEVER HAVING DONE IT BEFORE AND BE CONCLUDED WITHIN JUST A COUPLE MONTHS. SO I THINK IT'S A GREAT THING TO MOVE FORWARD, POSSIBLY FOR LARGE ISSUES IN THE FUTURE. BUT IS THE INTENT HERE THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, WHETHER IT'S 90 DAYS OR 120 DAYS, THIS IS JUST LITERALLY TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION AND IT WILL EXPIRE, WHICH MEANS EVERYTHING, IF THERE'S NO ACTION TAKEN BY THE COUNCIL WOULD AUTOMATICALLY BE PUT BACK ON IF WE WERE TO, TO DO THIS. SO I THINK THE QUESTION IS HOW ARE WE GONNA MAKE SURE THE TRUE LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN CAMBRIDGE ARE? 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WE NEVER HEAR FROM. WE DON'T HAVE TRANSLATORS HERE FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN. SO ON THAT NOTE, I'LL POINT YOU TO ONE OF THE WHERE AS IS WHICH, UM, WE'VE INCLUDED HERE THAT, UM, KIND OF POINTS TO, UH, THE, THIS IS THE SECOND ORDERED. SO RIGHT NOW IT SAYS THAT THE CITY MANAGER BEING HEREBY IS REQUESTED TO TEMPORARILY RESTORE AND REACTIVATE SHOT SPOTTER WITHIN THE AREAS OF CAMBRIDGE PREVIOUSLY COVERED BY THE SYSTEM. AND THAT SHOT SPOTTER REMAIN IN OPERATION THROUGH THE COMPLETION OF THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY PROCESS SUBMISSION. THE CITY MANAGER'S REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND FORMAL CONSIDERATION DISPOSITION BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF ANY RESULTING RECOMMENDATIONS. SO THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS. AS TO THE OTHER QUESTION AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE INSURANCE WHO REPRESENTATION THE REPRESENTATION, THE CITY, AND I THINK THIS WILL LET ME FINISH COUNSELOR, UH, NOLAN, I THINK THE, THE GOAL WOULD BE IN TALKING TO THE CITY MANAGER ABOUT THIS, IS HE WILL HAVE A REPORT BACK. WE'LL, THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS WE CAN'T ANSWER RIGHT NOW. THE PLAN HAS TO BE DEVELOPED, AND I'LL JUST GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TEXT, WHICH CALLED FOR A ROBUST AND INCLUSIVE PUBLIC PROCESS REGARDING SHOT SPOTTER AS WE BRING IT BACK TEMPORARILY. AND IN OUR EFFORT, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND I SAID, WELL, CIVIC ASSEMBLIES, RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES IS AN IDEA THAT'S BEEN NOT BROUGHT UP. SO WE WANTED TO BE MORE SPECIFIC. AND SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE INTENT BECAUSE IT REALLY DOESN'T CHANGE ALL THAT MUCH FROM THE ORIGINAL, BUT WE WANTED TO BE SPECIFIC OF WHAT AN ACTUAL ROBUST AND INCLUSIVE PUBLIC PROCESS MEANT AND TO GIVE GUIDANCE TO THE CITY MANAGER AND DIRECTOR PRICE ABOUT WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS. RIGHT? NO, I, I LIKE IT. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIMING THAT, [03:35:01] YOU KNOW, THE COMPLETION OF THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY. THAT MEANS IF IT TAKES A YEAR, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THIS FOR A YEAR. UNLESS THERE'S A, WE CAN COME BACK. WHAT I'VE SAID BEFORE IS, THIS IS BEFORE US NOW, IT'S ABOUT 9 0 7. WE'VE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH. I WILL HEAR FROM COUNCIL ZUBU HASN'T BEEN HEARD. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE BOTH VOTE THIS UP OR DOWN, SEE WHERE THAT LANDS SO THAT WE CAN MOVE ON. AS WE ALSO HAVE MANY OTHER POLICY ORDERS TO GET TO THAT HAVE BEEN THAT A COUNSELOR HAS EXERCISED THEIR TURN RIGHT ON. AND WE HAVE OUR REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF A POLICY ORDER. SO COUNSELOR ZUBIE THANK YOU THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. I DEFINITELY HAVE HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD PEOPLE'S NEED TO FEEL SAFE, AND I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE DOING THAT BY COMMISSIONER WELLS RESPONSE. UM, AND COUNCILOR ZUBI, WE HAVE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY IN THERE. YES. JUST PULL IT UP, UP. APOLOGIES. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE'S NEED TO FEEL SAFE, AND I DO BELIEVE WE'RE DOING THAT IN PART, ESPECIALLY BY COMMISSIONER WELLS. QUICK RESPONSE. WE GOT IT IN THE UPDATE, UPDATED MEMO ON A POLICING STAFF UPDATE THAT THERE ARE 19 NEW OFFICERS THAT HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO PATROL OPERATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PAIRED WITH EXPERIENCED FIELD TRAINING OFFICERS TO SUPPORT VISIBLE PATROL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND STRUCTURED FIELD TRAINING. AND THAT THIS STAFF ALSO WILL COVERAGE ACROSS DAY AND EVENING SHIFTS, SHIFTS AND THE DEPLOYMENT WILL PRIORITIZE THE PORT AREA, CENTRAL SQUARE, HARVARD SQUARE, AND DONNELLEY FIELD. AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE MEMO ACTUALLY GOES FURTHER TO TALK ABOUT ANY ADDITIONAL SHIFTS WHERE IT DISCUSSES THAT THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL SHIFT DEPLOYMENT IN THE PORT BEGINNING ON JUNE 8TH. SO FOR ME, I, THE QUESTION BECOMES, DO WE REALLY NEED SHOT SPOTTER ON WHEN THERE HAS BEEN MEASURES TAKEN TO SUPPORT PEOPLE'S NEED TO FEEL SAFE? UM, I I DO HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION. UH, FOR DIRECTOR PRICE, I'M, I'M CURIOUS, LIKE THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, UH, PROCESS, HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM OTHER APPROACHES TO ENGAGEMENT LIKE WE'VE SEEN TRADITIONALLY? AND ARE THERE WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT IT IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED? THANK YOU COUNCILOR ZUBY FOR THE QUESTION. AND THROUGH YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, ONE WAY THIS PROCESS WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM A MORE TRADITIONAL FORM OF ENGAGEMENT IS THAT IT PRIORITIZES, UH, DEPTH OVER SPEED TO WEIGH INTO THE ISSUES FOR RESIDENTS TO REALLY LEARN ABOUT THE TOPIC THEY'RE DELIBERATING OVER, UH, AND GIVE THEM TIME TO HEAR FROM A DIVERSITY OF VOICES AND EXPERTS, UH, TO MAKE MORE INFORMED RECOMMENDATIONS BACK TO THIS BODY, UH, AS TO THE WILL OF OF THE COMMUNITY. ANOTHER WAY IT DIFFERS, IT'S THAT IT'S MORE REPRESENTATIVE OF CAMBRIDGE'S RICH DIVERSITY. UH, THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE ACCESS AND OUR IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY. THERE IS, UH, I HAVE HEARD THE IMPORTANCE OF WEIGHING TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL REPRESENTATION FROM, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF GUN VIOLENCE AND EXPERIENCE WITH GUN VIOLENCE. AND THAT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT AND WE'LL WORK TO INCORPORATE THAT IN THE PROCESS AS WELL. I'VE ALSO SEEN IN MODELS THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL, THERE ARE, UH, THEY INCORPORATE DEMOGRAPHICS REGARDING AGE, UH, INCOME LEVEL, UH, EDUCATION ATTAINMENT, UH, AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. THERE'S SO MANY WAYS TO CUT THE DIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UH, WHAT THIS MODEL ALLOWS IS A CHANCE FOR THAT BODY THAT CONVENES, IF THERE'S PRIORITIES SET FOR WHO, UM, WHICH DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WE INCLUDE IN THIS PROCESS, WE CAN ENSURE THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED IN THE ROOM AND THAT WOULD, UH, BE FAR MORE REPRESENTATIVE THAN A MORE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC MEETING THAT WE TYPICALLY SEE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE, THANK YOU, THAT'S SUPER HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THERE IS ROOM FOR US IN THESE RESIDENT ASSEMBLIES, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, TO BE ABLE TO SEEK MORE REPRESENTATION AGAIN FOR THOSE THAT ARE MOST AFFECTED. AND I ABSOLUTELY WOULD WANT THAT TO HAPPEN IF WE WERE TO APPROACH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I, AGAIN, JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE MOVING ON WAYS TO HELP PEOPLE FEEL SAFE. AND I MENTIONED THOSE BASED ON THE MEMO THAT WE GOT, AND JUST HOPE THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO, UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY FALL ON SHOT SPOTTER, LIKE WE HAVE PATROLS HAPPENING, UM, DAY AND NIGHT. SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND YIELD, BUT THANKS. IS THERE ANYONE ON THE ZOOM? OKAY, SO WE'VE ALREADY GONE AROUND TWICE, SO I SUGGEST THAT WE VOTE THE SUBSTITUTE PO UP OR DOWN, AND THEN WE, UH, IF IT FAILS, WE'LL HAVE THE ORIGINAL. IF IT PASSES, THERE MAY BE A FEW, UH, MORE AMENDMENTS. BUT, UH, I HOPE WE CAN GO AHEAD AND JUST TAKE THE VOTE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM [03:40:01] ON THE AMENDMENT? YES, YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY PAYING ATTENTION. YES. I'LL VOTE FOR THE AMENDMENT. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY COUNCILLOR ZUI ON VACATION. MY MIC. COUNCILLOR ZUI, ARE YOU? YEAH. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. SO THE AMENDED PO IS BEFORE US NOW AS WE'VE ADOPTED IT. PLEASURE. OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MAYOR, MAYOR SIDIKI, COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. I HAD, UM, AS I INDICATED BEFORE AND YOU INDICATED I SHOULD WAIT TO SEE IF THE SUBSTITUTE PASSES WHETHER, UM, THAT'S WHEN I SHOULD PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT, WHICH I HAVE. I SENT IT TO THE CLERK EARLIER. I BELIEVE THEY HAVE IT. UM, AND JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW, IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I, I THINK OUR ORDINANCE ANTICIPATES, WHICH IS LET'S FOLLOW OUR ORDINANCE INSTEAD OF RIGHT NOW DOING THIS, YO-YO, BACK AND FORTH, WE HAD IT, AND THEN WE TOOK IT AWAY AFTER A LONG PROCESS OF DELIBERATION. THIS WOULD BE SAYING THE CURRENT POLICY ORDER IS, WELL, WE'RE GONNA JUST PUT IT BACK ON WITHOUT ANY DELIBERATION WHATSOEVER, WHICH I DON'T ACTUALLY THINK IS IN THE SPIRIT OF OUR AMENDMENT, OF OUR ACTUAL ORDINANCE. OUR ORDINANCE REQUIRES THAT BEFORE ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY IS BROUGHT IN. AND RIGHT NOW, THIS IS A NEW TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE IT IS NOT BEING DEPLOYED RIGHT NOW. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TAKE TIME REQUEST FROM THE CITY MANAGER A STIR, A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT REPORT. UM, I DON'T THINK THAT HAS, HAS THE, UH, STRIKEOUTS, NAOMI, IS THERE A VISION WITH THE STRIKEOUTS FOR THE AMENDED PO? GIVE ONE SECOND. IT WASN'T AN EMAIL, SO I NEED TO IT. YEAH, IT WAS, I SHOULD I SEND IT TO YOU IN WORD INSTEAD? HOLD ON. SO IT IT, IT TAKES OUT THE FIRST ORDER ENTIRELY BECAUSE I, I DON'T THINK, I, I I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS, IS YES, GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK. WE SHOULD HAVE A ASSEMBLY, WE SHOULD GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, AND THEN WE SHOULD DECIDE WHETHER TO PUT SHOT SPOTTER BACK IN. THAT'S WHAT OUR ORDINANCE ASKS US TO DO. THAT'S THE ORDINARY COURSE OF BUSINESS, WHICH IS, RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT DEPLOYED. WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY, WE REALLY WANT VOICES AT THE TABLE. SO WE SHOULD REALLY HAVE THOSE VOICES AT THE TABLE OF ACROSS THE BOARD. AND TO REMIND PEOPLE, THIS COMES FROM THE FACT THAT WE NEVER ONCE WENT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY 12 YEARS AGO OR ANYTIME OVER THE LAST 12 YEARS, AND ASKED IF PEOPLE WANTED THIS. WE DID OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT, WELL, IT'S IN PLACE. IT WAS NEVER DISCUSSED IN THE COMMUNITY, SHOULD WE KEEP IT? AND A MAJORITY VOTED NOT TO, AND THEN IT WAS TAKEN AWAY. SO THIS ACTUALLY IN, IN MY MIND, SIMPLY FOLLOWS THE, UH, ORDINANCE, WHICH SAYS, ALRIGHT, WE SHOULD DO THE COMMUNITY PROCESS. AND BASED ON THAT PROCESS, WE ASKED THE CITY MANAGER AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO PREPARE AND PRESENT THE STIR THE SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT REPORT IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR ORDINANCE, WITH THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF USING EUGENE SOFT SPOTTER ONLY AFTER PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY PROCESS. SO IT, IT DOES IT IN THE ORDER THAT IT SHOULD HAPPEN, WHICH IS WE'RE NOT USING A TECHNOLOGY NOW, LET'S MAKE SURE WE GET COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AND HEAR FROM OUR CITY, UH, STAFF, GET A RECOMMENDATION, LOOK AT THAT RECOMMENDATION, DECIDE WHETHER BASED ON THAT RECOMMENDATION, IF IT IS TO DEPLOY SHOT SPOTTER, THEN WE WOULD VOTE ON IT. IF IT WAS NO, WE DON'T NEED SHOT SPOTTER, THEN WE WOULDN'T DO IT. SO THAT'S WHAT THIS DOES. THIS KEEPS THE REST OF THE, THE POLICY ORDER AS IS ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE WANT TO BE, UM, THOUGHTFUL ABOUT REACHING OUT TO, TO THE CITY. SO I HOPE THAT EXPLAINS IT. AND I THINK THAT IS NOW YES, THAT IS THE CORRECT FORMULATION. MADAM MAYOR. SO COUNCILOR NOLAN HAS THESE AMENDMENTS BEFORE US, UH, THAT ARE RED LINED. I WILL OPEN IT UP TO DISCUSSION. COUNCILOR GOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, JUST THROUGH YOU. SO THIS WOULD, THIS WOULD BE TAKING OUT THE PART OF THE ORDER THAT KEEPS SHOTSPOTTER ON IN THE TEMPORARILY IN THE INTERIM. SO SHOTSPOTTER WOULD REMAIN OFF. YEAH, YEAH. THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. YEAH, IT IT, IT'S NOT ON NOW. SO IT SAYS, DON'T PUT IT, IT, IT, IT DOESN'T SAY, PUT IT BACK ON, YOU KNOW, IT'S COUNCILOR GOVERN. I'LL YIELD FURTHER COMMENTS ON THIS. YEAH. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. WELL, THE REASON WHY I JUST VOTED FOR THE AMENDMENT IS BECAUSE SHOTS WATER IS BEING TURNED ON. SO THIS IS ENTIRELY INCONSISTENT WITH THAT. UH, IT FRANKLY, UM, DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE BECAUSE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, WE DIDN'T FOLLOW THE ORDINANCE AND I MADE AN ISSUE OF THAT. AND NOBODY HERE IN THE COUNCIL I THINK AGREED WITH ME ABOUT THAT. BUT FRANKLY, THAT'S WHAT TRANSPIRED. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A RESIDENT ASSEMBLY, UM, MY [03:45:01] RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE THAT THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY IS AUTHENTIC AS THE POPULATION WAS AT THE SENIOR CENTER ON JULY THE EIGHTH, BECAUSE THAT WAS A, UH, A SECTION OF CAMBRIDGE THAT WE DON'T SEE HERE IN, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS BECAUSE THEIR LIVES ARE BUSY. THEY'RE RAISING THEIR FAMILIES, TRYING TO KEEP A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS, TRYING TO, UH, MAINTAIN 1, 2, 3 JOBS TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES AND TO GET THEIR VOICES INVOLVED IN THIS RESIDENT ASSEMBLY ARE THE VOICES THAT WE SHOULD BE LISTENING TO BECAUSE THEY WERE THERE ON JULY 8TH AND THEY TOLD US OVERWHELMINGLY THAT THEY DEMANDED SHOTS BAR. SO I WON'T BE VOTING FOR THIS AMENDMENT, BUT I I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT, UH, WE'LL MOVE FORWARD AND TURN SHOTS SPOTTER BACK ON TO IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, HELP SOLVE CRIMES AND SAVE LIVES. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. MAD MAYOR. I WILL SUPPORT THE AMENDMENT. I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK BRIEFLY ON TWO THINGS. UM, THE ONE WAS JUST TO CORRECT THE RECORD AND THE CITY DID FOLLOW THE PROCESS IN REMOVING SHOTS. SPOTTER, THE LAW DEPARTMENT IS HERE, SOLICITOR'S HERE. IF SHE WANTS TO SAY WE DIDN'T CORRECT, FOLLOW THE PROCESS. SHE CAN. SHE HAS SAID MANY TIMES, WE FOLLOWED THE PROCESS. IT'S JUST FACTUALLY INCORRECT TO SAY WE DIDN'T. THE SECOND PIECE IS, I, I THINK WE SHOULD BE REALLY CAREFUL IN SAYING THAT SOME RESIDENTS VOICES ARE NOT AUTHENTIC. AND I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR TO EVERYONE WHO SPOKE TONIGHT, EVERYONE WHO SPOKE TO THE MEETING ON JULY 8TH. EVERY RESIDENT WHO'S WEIGHED IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER ON SHOTSPOTTER, YOUR VOICE IS VALUED. YOU ARE AUTHENTIC. EVERY SINGLE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT IS AUTHENTIC. IF WE WANT TO GET MORE INPUT FROM, FROM CERTAIN RESIDENTS, FROM IMPACTED COMMUNITIES, I AM ALL FOR THAT. BUT I, I JUST REALLY DISAGREE TO SAY THAT SOME VOICES ARE NOT AUTHENTIC AND I YIELD BACK PLEASURE OF THE COUNCIL ON THE AMENDMENTS. IS ANYONE ON THE ZOOM? NO. MADAM COUNCILOR SIMMONS, WHAT DID YOU SAY? OKAY. COUNCILOR SIMMONS HAS CALLING THE QUESTION. SO WE HAVE TO, PROCEDURALLY WE HAVE TO VOTE ON CALLING THE QUESTION, AND THAT'S A YES OR NO VOTE. AND THEN WE HAVE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE VOTE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? CLERK? WE'LL DO A ROLL. COUNCIL ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE HAVE CALLED THE QUESTIONS. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD TO VOTING THE AMENDMENTS BY COUNCILOR NOLAN. COUNCILOR ZUBI. YES. VICE MAYOR? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. ABSOLUTELY NOT. NO. COUNSELOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE THREE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND SIX RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. SO THE AMENDMENT FAILS. SO NOW WE HAVE A FINAL VOTE BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT POLICY ORDER, WHICH IS TO ADOPT THIS POLICY ORDER AS AMENDED. SO I SUGGEST WE GO AHEAD TO THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNCILOR ZUI. COUNSELOR ZUI? YES. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SIX ME MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND THREE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. WHO RECONSIDERATION THE ORDER IS AMENDED. COUNCILOR SIMMONS MOVES TO PRE CONSIDERATION, HOPING THE SAME, DIDN'T NOT PREVAIL CONSIDERATION, HOPING THE SAME OR NOT PER PREVAIL. SO WE HAVE TO DO TWO VOTES. CAN MADAM MAYOR, COULD I ASK A QUESTION ON THIS? COUNCILOR? HAS COUNCILOR ZIR WHEELER HAS A QUESTION? I THINK WE PREVIOUSLY MOVED RECONSIDERATION THE LAST TIME WE VOTED ON SHOTSPOTTER, AND THAT DID NOT PREVAIL. SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND. DIDN'T DIDN'T WE ALREADY MOVE RECONSIDERATION ON THIS PREVIOUSLY? SO I'LL HAVE THE SOLICITOR COME, BUT I THINK SAY AGAIN, RESIGNED AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THE ROBERT RULES AND THE D MOTION BEING IN AND OUT OF ORDER IN IT'S NOT OUT OF ORDER. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO THIS IS A NEW POLICY ORDER THAT'S BEFORE THE COUNCIL THAT THE MAYOR HAS, UH, TAKEN, PUT BEFORE THE COUNCIL. SO AS DETERMINED IT'S IN ORDER. AND SO NOW COUNCILLOR SIMMONS HAS, UH, MOVED TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO MOVE [03:50:01] RECONSIDERATION ON THIS PRESENT POLICY ORDER. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, SO WE VOTE MOVE RECONSIDERATION. THE LAST TIME WHEN WE ENDED SHOTS SPOTTER SAME. DID NOT PREVAIL. THAT WAS FINAL. WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN, BUT IF CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE, WE CAN VOTE ON THIS AGAIN. SAY SOLICITOR, UH, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. UM, THE MAYOR AS CHAIR OF THE BODY HAS HAD THIS POLICY ORDER MOVE FORWARD. SO THERE HAS BEEN A DETERMINATION THAT THIS IS A NEW, UM, POLICY ORDER, A NEW QUESTION BEFORE THE BODY BECAUSE OF CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES. GREAT. THANKS FOR STARTING TO CLARIFY WHAT, WHAT THESE VOTES MEAN. UH, I'M GLAD TO GO AHEAD. SO THERE'S TWO VOTES AHEAD OF US ON SUSPENSION AND THEN ON ACTUAL RECONSIDERATION. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YEAH. I ESPECIALLY GIVEN, I MEAN, IF WE'RE DOING RECONSIDERATION, GIVEN THAT WE HAD TWO ZONING PETITIONS THAT EXPIRE, IF WE DON'T ORDAIN THEM BY THE NEXT TIME, IS THERE, SHOULDN'T WE MOVE RECONSIDERATION IF COUNCILOR SIMMONS WOULD SAY THAT THOSE SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECONSIDERATION AS WELL? BECAUSE I I BELIEVE THAT WE PASSED 'EM TO A SECOND READING, BUT THEY HAVE TO BE PASSED AT THE NEXT MEETING. COUNSELOR? NO. AND WE CAN DO THAT AT THE END. OKAY. FOR OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA AS WELL. BUT LET'S JUST GO FORWARD WITH THIS VOTE. SO ON SUSPENSION COUNCILOR ZUBI. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. NOW MOVE ON TO THE ACTUAL RECONSIDERATION VOTE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. NO. VICE MAYOR ZE? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCIL COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? NO. NO. COUNCILOR ZUEY? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. SO RE CAN SAY RECONSIDERATION FAILS ON THIS. AND THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD. COUNCILOR NOLAN, DO YOURS, UH, AT A LATER POINT. SO NOW WE'VE DISPOSED OF CHARTER. RIGHT? NUMBER ONE, WE MOVE ON TO TWO THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS HEREBY REQUESTED TO REPORT ON PROGRESS OF THE FEBRUARY, 2026 REPORTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND PLANS FOR ENSURING APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF SUPPORT AND STAFFING FOR THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING CONTINUED EXPANSION OF CSDS VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM, THE NUMBER AND TYPES OF CALLS HANDLED BY THE CARE TEAM AND THE TIMELINE FOR MORE COMPREHENSIVE STAFFING FOR THE CARE TEAM EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM. AND IS REQUESTED TO REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN A TIMELY MATTER. THE CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND THE SPECIAL CITY COUNSELOR COUNCIL MEETING JULY 23RD. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MIC? 'CAUSE THE FOLKS ON ZOOM CAN'T HEAR YOU. THE CLERK IS HEARING. CAN'T HEAR YOU. SORRY ABOUT THAT. FULL AIRING AND DISCUSSION OF, OF THIS ITEM. THE MEETING WAS QUITE CONTENTIOUS. GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET COOLER MOUNDS PREVAIL, THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HAVE A FULL MORE, A FULL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE MERITS OF THE MOTIONS THAT ARE BEFORE US. AND SO I I THAT'S, THIS IS PART OF THE REASON WHY I EXERCISE MY CHARTER, RIGHT? AND BECAUSE MY CONCERN WITH THE POLICY ORDERS THEMSELVES, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE POLICY ORDERS THEMSELVES, BUT BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH WE FIND OURSELVES, THE MEETING HAD GROWN, HEATED, WE HAD JUST CONCLUDED SEVERAL HOURS OF PUBLIC COMMENT AND THE HOUR WAS LATE. ALMOST AS LATE AS, AS RIGHT NOW, SOME OF WHICH LENDS ITSELF TO THE KIND OF THOUGHTFUL, RESPECTFUL DISCUSSION SOMETIMES WILL NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE, UH, LATENESS OF THE HOUR AND THE INTENSITY OF THE CONVERSATION. SO I FELT IT WAS BEST TO GIVE US ALL A CHANCE TO PAUSE, COLLECT OURSELVES, AND RETURN TO THESE ORDERS WITH FRESH EYES. AND I HAVE NO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM. I'M GLAD TO LET THE CONVERSATION MOVE FORWARD. AND WITH THAT, I YIELD THE FLOOR COUNCILOR SIMMONS YIELDS. WE ONLY HAVE NUMBER TWO BEFORE US, SO WE'LL TAKE THEM UP ONE BY ONE DISCUSSION ON THIS. I, I SUPPORT THE INTENT AND SO I'LL BE VOTING IN FAVOR, COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER. THANKS. I'LL JUST SPEAK BRIEFLY AS THE, THE LEAD SPONSOR 'CAUSE I SPOKE ON IT LAST WEEK BEFORE THE CHARTER RATE. SO IT, THE GOAL IS TO LIFT UP THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK THAT THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT IS DOING, BOTH ON ITS OWN AND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, INNER CITY WHIP, [03:55:01] WEIGHTLIFTING, SISTER TOTER, SISTER SIFTER ON THEIR EYES ON CAMBRIDGE HEART AND SAY WE NEED TO EXPAND THAT VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK. THIS RECOGNIZES THE CRITICAL WORK THAT THE CARE TEAM AND CSD DO TO PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY, BOTH IN THE IMMEDIATE RESPONSE WHEN SOMEONE'S IN CRISIS AND IN THE ONGOING CASE MANAGEMENT WORK THAT THEY DO. THIS IS HOW WE PREVENT VIOLENCE, IS BY DOING THIS KIND OF IN-DEPTH CASE MANAGEMENT WORK AND CONNECTING FOLKS WITH RESOURCES. AND TO SAY THAT THIS, WE NEED TO MAKE THIS AROUND THE CLOCK WORK. IT'S NOT ENOUGH RIGHT? TO JUST BE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, 7:00 AM TO SEVENTH AM WE HAVE EXPANDED IT, BUT WE NEED TO KEEP EXPANDING IT AND MAKE SURE THAT IT HAS THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO DO THIS CRITICAL VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK. UH, AND SO I HOPE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS POLICY ORDER TONIGHT. I SEE COUNCILLOR ZUI. UH, THANK YOU. UH, CHAIR SIDIKI. UM, I THINK THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT DOES IMPORTANT WORK, AS DOES THE CARE TEAM. UM, BUT I DO FEEL LIKE THE, THE PROGRAMS ARE UNDERUTILIZED AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THROWING MORE MONEY AT THEM WILL GET US, UM, BETTER RESULTS. UM, I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO ESTABLISH CASE MANAGEMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE INVOLVED IN GUN VIOLENCE. AND I THINK BETTER COLLABORATION WITH THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA. SO, UM, AGAIN, I WANT TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE CARE TEAM AND OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT AND OUR, UM, OUR VIOLENCE, UM, PREVENTION PROGRAM. AND I, AND WE'RE ON OUR WAY. I FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE ALREADY DOING TREMENDOUS WORK. AND WE'VE GOTTA REMEMBER THAT IN THE CASE OF BATISTA'S DEATH, IN THE CASE OF THE, UM, MAN WITH THE ASSAULT RIFLE ON MEMORIAL DRIVE, THOSE WERE, THOSE WERE PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE OF CAMBRIDGE. SO I, I FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE, AGAIN, ALREADY DOING GREAT WORKS. I FEEL LIKE WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO IS FIGURE OUT HOW TO BETTER EMPLOY OUR CARE TEAM AND COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT RATHER THAN, UH, ADDING MORE MONEY TO THEIR PROGRAM. I ALSO WONDER, I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO MAYBE CHANGE THEIR HOURS. I THINK CURRENTLY EVERYBODY IS WORKING. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE HOURS ARE, BUT THEY'RE JUST DURING THE DAY. SO MAYBE CHANGE THE HOURS. BUT I FEEL LIKE WE CAN WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE. I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO NECESSARILY COMMIT MORE RESOURCES 'CAUSE WE ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MORE MONEY TO, UM, DEDICATE TO ADDITIONAL ITEMS AT THIS POINT. BUT I THINK WE CAN BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT HOW WE'RE USING EXISTING RESOURCES. SO AGAIN, I SUPPORT THIS, THE I IDEA OF SUPPORTING THE CARE TEAM AND OUR COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, BUT I, I DON'T THINK THAT ALLOCATING MORE FUNDS, UH, IT WILL NECESSARILY GET US BETTER RESULTS. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR SUI YIELDS. I WILL GO BACK TO, UM, A FEW OF MY COLLEAGUES. I'LL JUST WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S BEEN HEARD IF THEY WANNA BE HEARD. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. YES, I WAS HAPPY TO, UH, CO-SPONSOR THIS AND TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CONCERNS. THIS DOESN'T NECESSARILY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL FUNDING. THIS SAYS LET'S MAKE REALLY GOOD USE OF THE FUNDS WE HAVE. IF IT, IF THE RECOMMENDATIONS COME BACK TO SAY WE, HERE'S WHY WE NEED MORE STAFFING, THEN WE SHOULD LOOK AT THAT. BUT FOR ME THEN I WOULD SAY, WELL THEN WHERE ELSE IN THE CITY DO WE THEN NOT NEED THE STAFFING? THIS DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THIS WOULD INCREASE THE BUDGET, ESPECIALLY AS FINANCE CO-CHAIR, I UNDERSTAND THAT CAN HAPPEN. I ALSO VERY MUCH SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT THIS IS BUILDING ON REPORTS. TOO OFTEN THE CITY WOULD GET A REPORT, WE HAVE PEOPLE SPEND IT, AND THEN THIS IS BASIC ACCOUNTABILITY. LET'S FOLLOW UP WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. IF THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE PUT IN PLACE, WHY, IF THEY ARE GONNA BE PUT IN PLACE WHEN SO THAT WE CAN, UH, MOVE FORWARD. I MEAN, THIS IS A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT THAT WE'VE MADE. AND AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE CARE TEAM. I SEE THEM AND I ALSO AGREE THAT THEY'RE UNDERUTILIZED AND WE NEED TO MAKE BETTER USE OF THEM AND WE NEED TO BE DEPLOYING THEM TO EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE NINE ONE ONE CALL SHOULD BE PUT OFF TO, UM, THAT IS POSSIBLE AND IS APPROPRIATE TO BE ON THE CARE TEAM. WE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOADING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THAT. AND MANY, MANY MORE OF THOSE ITEMS NEED TO BE, I BELIEVE CAN BE HANDLED BY CARE AND WILL BE BETTER. JUST LIKE THERE'S OTHER ONES THAT THE CARE TEAM SHOULD BE NOWHERE NEAR AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS BEST POSITIONED TO, TO, UM, TO MEET THE, THE NEEDS OF, OF THAT PARTICULAR CALL AND EMERGENCY. BUT I I, I DO THINK WE NEED TO REALLY DEMAND A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCOUNTABILITY HERE, BUT ALSO WHERE IS IT THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GOING? WHAT IS IT THAT THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS AND BEEF UP AND UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN HAVE THE IMPACT THAT WE DESERVE FROM THIS, FROM THIS MULTI-YEAR MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT. I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR STAFF, AND I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE ABLE TO ANSWER IT, BUT [04:00:01] FROM, FROM AN OPERATIONS STANDPOINT, WHEN THERE'S A 9 1 1 CALL, UM, WHAT CRITERIA, I MEAN, IS THERE A SPECIFIC CRITERIA USED TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESPONSE IS MADE BY THE POLICE OR BY CARE? AND CAN YOU SHARE THAT CRITERIA? AND IF THIS ISN'T APPROPRIATE TONIGHT, IF THIS IS A LONGER CONVERSATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LET ME KNOW. BUT I'M, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THAT DECISION IS MADE BECAUSE AS WE ALL KNOW, CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE IN AN INSTANT, UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. SO OUR 9 1 1, UH, DISPATCHERS IN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS HAVE SPECIFIC PROTOCOLS. THEY HAVE OVER 200, UH, CALL CODES THAT THEY CAN CATEGORIZE A PARTICULAR 9 1 1 CALL. AND SO IF IT IS DETERMINED THAT, UM, IT IS A CALL THAT FITS THE CALL TYPE, THAT, UH, CARE IS ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT IS WHEN WE ARE DISPATCHED. AND SO SOMETIMES THERE MAY BE A CALL THAT WE ARE ELIGIBLE FOR, HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE SOME SCENE SAFETY RISKS. UM, AND SO THEREFORE EITHER WE ARE NOT DEPLOYED OR WE'RE ALSO DEPLOYED WITH POLICE, UH, BECAUSE OF SOME SAFETY RISKS THAT MAY EXIST ON ON SCENE. SO THE DISPATCHERS ARE REALLY SCREENING FOR SCENE SAFETY AND THEN MAKING SURE THAT THERE ARE NO WEAPONS. UM, IF THERE ARE ANY PREVIOUS INCIDENTS AT A PARTICULAR ADDRESS AROUND, UH, VIOLENCE, THEN OUR TEAM MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE DEPLOYED TO THOSE CALLS, UM, IN, UM, ON OUR OWN. SO THEY MAY SEND POLICE ALONG WITH US. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. YEAH. AND JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP, UH, JUST FOR MY OWN INFORMATION, OPERATIONALLY SPEAKING, IF THERE'S A CALL, SAY FOR A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOUSEHOLD VIOLENCE, UH, IS THAT SOMETHING WHERE THE POLICE ARE SENT WITH CARE TEAM OR IS IT, IS IT ONE OR IS IT THE OTHER? BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, THESE SITUATIONS CAN CHANGE VERY QUICKLY AND ABRUPTLY AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE PROBABLY ALL HAD SOME SORT OF EXPERIENCE AND I'VE HAD LOTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH HOW CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE IMMEDIATELY AND THEY CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, GET BETTER OR GET WORSE AND, AND I LIKE IS THERE, IS THERE ONGOING COMMUNICATION? UH, AT THE, AT THE CALL I WOULD SUGGEST YOU CAN BRIEFLY ANSWER, BUT GIVEN THE TIME COUNCILOR FLAHERTY MAYBE A MEETING WITH THEM TO EXPLAIN, YOU KNOW, RIGHT. THESE DETAILS WOULD BE HELPFUL. BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THIS POINT, I THINK AFTER WE SHOULD, I WANNA MOVE THE MEETING ALONG. SO GO AHEAD. UM, CURRENTLY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CALLS ARE NOT A CALL THAT WE ARE APPROVED TO RESPOND TO. HOWEVER, WHAT, UM, OUR COLLABORATION WITH CPD HAS ALLOWED US TO DO IS IF THEY GET ON A SCENE AND THERE ARE NO SAFETY RISKS, THEY WILL REQUEST CARE IF, UM, THE FAMILY OR THE INDIVIDUALS ON SCENE NEED ANY ONGOING SOCIAL SUPPORTS. THANK YOU COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THAT'S I YIELD. THANK YOU. ANYONE WHO HASN'T SPOKEN ON THIS WOULD LIKE TO BE HEARD. I'LL GO BACK TO COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. I JUST BRIEFLY WANTED TO CORRECT A COUPLE, UM, FACTUAL INACCURACIES AND, AND JUST TRY TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTAND THIS. THE ONE IS THAT, UM, I THINK THERE'S A POINT RAISED ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, SHOOTERS COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF CAMBRIDGE. AND SO THIS NOT BEING APPROPRIATE HERE, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT TRUE THAT THE, THE CARE TEAM, UH, ONLY RESPONDS TO FOLKS INSIDE CAMBRIDGE. I'VE NEVER SEEN THE CARE TEAM, YOU KNOW, ASK FOR, FOR SOMEONE'S ID AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT BEFORE PROVIDING, UH, ASSISTANCE OR CASE MANAGEMENT. WE DO, THEY DO THAT INDISCRIMINATELY THE SAME WAY OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICES DO. UM, SO THAT, THAT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE HERE, JUST LIKE THE POLICE AND, AND OTHER ORGS. UM, THE OTHER PIECE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE, AS COUNCILOR NOLAN SAID, THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS POLICY ORDER THAT SAYS MORE MONEY FOR THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT EVEN SOMETHING WE HAVE THE POWER TO DO AS THE CITY COUNCIL UNDER OUR CHARTER, ONLY THE CITY MANAGER CAN PUT MORE MONEY TO SOMETHING THIS ASKS FOR VIEW OF APPROPRIATE STAFFING FOR, TO DO THAT REVIEW. SO A NO VOTE FOR THIS WOULD NOT BE A VOTE FOR NO MORE MONEY. IT'D BE A, A VOTE TO SAY, NO, THIS VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK IS, IS NOT IMPORTANT. WE SHOULDN'T LOOK AT APPROPRIATE STAFFING. AND I, I THINK THAT'D BE REALLY UNFORTUNATE. THERE'S A LOT OF RESEARCH, UM, THAT SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION WORK THAT SHOWS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IT IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND DISRUPTING THESE VIOLENCE PATTERNS OF DOING THIS, THIS SUPPORT FOR FOLKS. UH, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN THIS MOMENT TO AFFIRM THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK AND TO SAY, YES, WE WANT TO KEEP THIS CRITICALLY AND TO DO THAT REVIEW. IT'S NOT A QUESTION ABOUT MONEY. SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO DISPEL THAT, UH, RUMOR YOU'RE BACK. I SEE NOAH HANDS UP ON THIS, SO I SUGGEST WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO ADOPT THE POLICY ORDER. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. I'M SORRY, COUNSELOR, I COULDN'T HEAR YOU. YES, YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR [04:05:01] MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS ABSON. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED. WE GO ON TO THE THIRD POLICY ORDER BEF ON UNDER THE CHARTER. RIGHT. THAT'S THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF VIOLENCE RESPONSE AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES, ALONG WITH SURVIVOR SUPPORT SERVICES ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING C-P-D-C-S-D-C-H-A AND DHSP AND COME WITH RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL'S PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN A TIMELY MATTER. THIS CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN SPECIAL IN THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING. DO NOT SEE COUNCILLOR SIMMONS HERE. COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. AND THANK YOU TO THE CO-SPONSORS TO THIS. A LOT OF THIS CONVERSATION TONIGHT AND AT OUR PREVIOUS MEETING FOCUSED REALLY NARROWLY ON A, A COUPLE, UH, TECHNOLOGIES AND THE MERITS OF THOSE TECHNOLOGIES. UH, AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. BUT THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY ORDER IS TO TAKE A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE CITY'S PUBLIC SAFETY WORK AND THE EFFECTS OF OUR PROGRAMMING AND RESOURCES ON VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY. AND OBVIOUSLY, A HUGE PART OF THAT WORK IS DONE BY THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND WE SHOULD TAKE STOCK OF WHAT IS WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT. UH, AND THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT IS NEWER, BUT ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT IN THAT WORK. I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING DHSP, THE MULTI-SERVICE CENTER, THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND THE CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE, ALL HAVE REALLY CRITICAL ROLES IN PUBLIC SAFETY. AND WE NEED TO BE INCLUDING THEM IN THIS CONVERSATION AS WELL. WE CANNOT LEAVE THAT OUT AND JUST TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES OR ABOUT POLICING, HOUSING AND HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS PLAY A CLEAR, CRITICAL ROLE IN REDUCING VIOLENCE AND IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY. AND THAT CAME UP AT THE MEETING AT THE JULY 8TH. AND EVERY CONVERSATION I'VE BEEN ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE, IT ACTUALLY GOES BACK, EVENTUALLY. IT GOES BACK TO, YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T MORE YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE JOBS? WHY DON'T THEY HAVE CARING ADULTS IN THEIR LIFE? WHY DON'T THEY HAVE EDUCATION THAT, THAT THEY CAN GET? YOU GO TO ANY COMMUNITY AROUND THE COUNTRY AND SEE THAT VIOLENCE GOES HAND IN HAND WITH POVERTY AND LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND LACK OF JOBS AND LACK OF MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTHCARE. WE CAN'T SAY WE SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRY TO MAKE IT HARDER TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE CANNOT SAY WE SUPPORT PUBLIC SAFETY AND NOT FUND JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS OR MENTAL HEALTHCARE. THOSE THINGS ARE AT THE CORE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS HAS THE RESOURCES AND THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO MAKE CAMBRIDGE SAFE. THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY ORDER IS TO DO THAT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. UH, AND ALSO IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT SURVIVOR SUPPORT SERVICES, WHICH WAS ANOTHER KEY THING THAT CAME UP ON THAT MEETING ON JULY 8TH. WHAT ARE WE DOING TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS? THIS WAS SOMETHING I DID A BUNCH OF WORK ON IN MY, UH, FIRST TERM WITH REMEMBERING OUR CAMBRIDGE KID, UH, KIDS IN CAN WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S THE LEWIS BROWN PEACE INSTITUTE OVER IN BOSTON. FOLKS CAN GET SUPPORT THERE. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE FOLKS, FOLKS CAN GET THESE SERVICES IN CAMBRIDGE WHEN IT HAPPENS. AND I KNOW THESE SYSTEMS, UH, YOU KNOW, EXIST HERE. THERE ARE FOLKS PLUGGED INTO THEM. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THEM. IT IS NOT JUST A, A THING THAT IS HIDDEN, THAT YOU HAVE TO BE A PART OF THIS TINY COMMUNITY OF GUN VIOLENCE SURVIVORS TO BE A PART OF. WE SHOULD, SHOULD BE OUT, OUT THERE OPEN. ONE QUESTION THAT I GOT FROM, FROM RESIDENTS AND WORKING WITH THEM IS, IS, YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A MEMORIAL GARDEN? WHY DON'T WE HAVE A PUBLIC SPACE WHERE FOLKS COULD, COULD BE THERE FOR, IS THAT SOMETHING WE COULD DO? THIS NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION, UH, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT IT, IT IS SUPPORTED AND INTEGRATED WITH THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, SO THAT SURVIVORS KNOW THAT, THAT WE ARE ALL HERE FOR THEM AND WE LIFT THEM UP. SO I HOPE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS POLICY ORDER TONIGHT FOR BOTH OF THOSE REASONS. ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS POLICY ORDER BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO ADOPT IT? HEARING NONE, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING POLICY ORDER NUMBER THREE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THAT POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED. WE CAN GO AHEAD TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR UNDER THE CALENDAR THAT THE CITY MANAGER HAS REQUESTED TO INVESTIGATE DIRECTING THE APPROPRIATE CITY DEPARTMENTS TO INSTALL SECURITY CAMERAS OVERLOOKING CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC PARKS WITH SUCH CAMERAS OPERATIONAL ONLY BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00 PM AND 8:00 AM THE CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, I'M SORRY, THIS CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY YOU ON THE CAMERAS. YOU CAN, YOU'RE WELCOME TO YIELD I'LL YIELD. OKAY. I WILL GO TO VICE MAYOR AND THEN COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UM, I THINK THAT MOSTLY THIS IS NOW DISCUSSION ITEM FOR THE, UH, CITIZEN ASSEMBLY. SO I WOULD, UH, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT THE MOTION WOULD BE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO JUST FORWARD THIS TO THE CITIZEN ASSEMBLY. SO COUNSELOR, EXCUSE [04:10:01] ME. VICE MAYOR ZIM IS MAKING A MOTION TO REFER THIS POLICY ORDER TO THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY BASED ON THE PRIOR DISCUSSION THAT'S, THAT'S HAS HAPPENED. COUNCILOR GOVERN. UH, THAT'S FINE. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. MAD. I THINK I'M O OKAY WITH THAT REFERRAL. I DID HAVE A COUPLE, COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR COUNCILOR OR VICE MAYOR ZE ABOUT THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE REFERRING. I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM. UH, IT SAYS CITY PARKS. THAT'S, THAT'S ALL CITY PARKS, UM, IN CAMBRIDGE. NOT JUST ONES IN THE PORT OR SOMETHING, BUT THAT INCLUDES LIKE LARGE ROAD PARK AND WEST CAMBRIDGE AND CORCORAN PLAYGROUND AND OBSERVATORY HILL. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL THE CITY PARKS VICE MAYOR. UM, WELL, I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY WANT CAMERAS IN EVERY PARK, BUT I WAS GOING TO SAY I KEPT IT INTENTIONALLY BROAD AND INTENTIONAL. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE THE BEGINNING CITY MANAGER, WHOEVER WOULD COME BACK WITH IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS, BUT WOULD WANT IT TO BE EQUITABLE, I THINK, TO THE POINT THAT YOU'RE GETTING TOWARDS. UM, BUT I THINK THAT NOW THESE DETAILS WOULD BE FOR THE, UH, RESIDENT ASSEMBLY TO DISCUSS. SO IF THEY WANT IT AND IF SO, HOW AND ALL THAT SORTS OF CASES. COUNCILOR MR. MILLER. GOTCHA. I, THAT SORT OF GETS TO MY SECOND QUESTION, BUT IT WAS ON HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST. I THINK UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE, THERE WOULD BE A PRICE TAG WITH THIS. CAMERAS, CAMERAS COST SOMETHING. AND DEPENDING ON HOW MANY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND HOW MANY PARKS, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE SUBSTANTIAL IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EVERY CITY PARK. THERE'S MORE THAN 80 CITY PARKS, TWO TO 300 CAMERAS. JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST OR IF THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING, UH, THAT WOULD NEED TO BE RESEARCHED. VICE MAYOR. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT KEEPING SHOT SPOTTER DATA LOCALLY AND NOT TAKING THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NATIONAL GRANT FOR THEM, THAT WOULD ALSO COST MONEY. AND SO THIS WAS IN THAT SPIRIT OF BEING A COMPROMISE. I THINK THAT CERTAINLY IF WE DID EVERY SQUARE INCH OF EVERY PARK, THAT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE. THAT'S NOT MY INTENTION. AND I THINK WE WOULD START OFF IN A VERY SMALL WAY AND THEN SEE IF WE EVEN LIKE THE PROGRAM AND THEN TAKE IT FROM THERE. UM, BUT YES, I THINK WE SHOULD BE BUDGET CAUTIOUS. COUNCILOR, SENATOR WITHER. YEAH. ONE OF MY, UH, QUESTIONS ON THIS WAS AROUND MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. UM, THERE WASN'T A A PIECE ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THERE, BUT I'M GLAD TO HEAR VICE MAYOR ZI, UH, SUGGESTING REFERRAL TO THE RESIDENT ASSEMBLY. SO I'M, I'M FINE TO GO WITH THAT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. AND, UH, JUST FOR THE RECORD, I, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE CAMERAS AT LODGE, UH, PARK. MY SON PLAYS BASKETBALL THERE AND I'D LOVE THE CAMERAS THERE BECAUSE I WANT HIM TO BE SAFE. AND I WANT ALL THE BOYS THAT PLAY BASKETBALL THERE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD TO BE SAFE AND PUT 'EM AT RANGE PARK, PUT 'EM AT EVERY SINGLE PARK IN THE CITY. UH, IT MAKES SENSE. PUT SHOTS, BARTER ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY. IT MAKES SENSE. AND TO, TO THE EXTENT THAT IMPROVES PUBLIC SAFETY. I THINK WE SHOULD DO IT. SO I YIELD ANYONE ELSE WANNA SPEAK TO REFERRING THIS? YES. UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YEAH. UM, I WAS ACTUALLY JUST, I, I KNOW THIS WOULD BE A LITTLE TANGENTIAL TO THE, TO, TO THE ORDER, BUT IT IS ABOUT CAMERAS. I WAS WONDERING IF THE MANAGER COULD, 'CAUSE WE ALREADY DID GIVE APPROVAL TO EXPAND CAMERAS INTO SQUARES AND THAT WE DID THAT A LONG TIME AGO. IT HASN'T HAPPENED AS FAR AS I KNOW. CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THAT? IS THAT AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION? YEAH, I'LL ALLOW IT. THANK YOU MADAM. UH, THROUGH YOU. MAYOR SADIKI. UM, I THINK THE POLICE ADMINISTRATOR CAN GIVE AN UPDATE. UH, JUST TO CLARIFY, I THINK COUNCILOR MCG MCGOVERN, UM, THERE IS A, THERE WAS A APPROVAL FOR A NARROW USE OF PUBLIC CAMERAS IN CENTRAL SQUARE. UM, SO IT WASN'T SORT OF PUBLIC CAMERAS WRIT LARGE. UM, BUT I THINK WE CAN GIVE AN UPDATE ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THAT PROGRAM. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YEAH, I THOUGHT WE, I BELIEVE WE VOTED TO ALLOW THE CITY TO EXPAND THE CENTRAL SQUARE CAMERA PROGRAM INTO OTHER SQUARES. YES. I'M PRETTY SURE WE DID. SAME MANAGER? YES, WE DID. YES. OKAY. I CAN CONFIRM THAT. WAS THERE MORE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SAY, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SADIKI? DID YOU WANT LIKE A QUICK UPDATE IN TERMS OF THAT PROGRAM? YES. AN UPDATE. IS THAT HAPPENING? NOT HAPPENING, UH, THROUGH, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. SO THE UPDATE ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY CAMERAS, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE ONES IN CENTRAL SQUARE HAVE BEEN QUITE, UM, THE ONES IN CENTRAL SQUARE. THIS IS, BY THE WAY, I'VE BEEN SITTING OVER THERE. THIS IS A HORRIBLE SYSTEM. I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING WHEN I'M JUST SITTING RIGHT THERE. BUT ANYWAY, UM, SORRY. UM, WE DO HAVE, UH, WE JUST, WERE NOTIFIED THAT WE HAVE, UM, SOME MONEY COMING FROM UI FOR PUBLIC SAFETY CAMERAS. AND WE HAVE PUT INTO, UM, ON PAPER SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD DO WITH THOSE CAMERAS, EITHER HARVARD SQUARE, PORTER SQUARE, DEPENDING ON THE DATA. LOOKS LIKE PORTER SQUARE'S, UH, GIVEN HARVARD SQUARE RUN FOR ITS MONEY. BUT, UM, WE HAVE, [04:15:01] UM, A DATA SURROUNDING THAT AND ALSO THE DIFFERENT PARKS AS WELL. THANK YOU. AND, AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, YOU'LL COME BACK TO US FOR, DO YOU HAVE TO COME BACK TO US FOR APPROVAL OF THAT UNDER THE SURVEILLANCE ORDINANCE, OR DID WE ALREADY, BY ALLOWING YOU TO EXPAND? DID WE ALREADY GIVE YOU PERMISSION? YOU HAVE, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOME COLLABORATION AROUND, UM, WHERE THEY WOULD BE PUT AND THE DATA AROUND THAT. FOR SURE. I'LL YIELD MADAM MAYOR. SO YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN. YEAH. CAN I JUST FOLLOW ON THAT? 'CAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. WE DID APPROVE AT LEAST SOME EXTENSION. DID I NOT HEAR THE TIMING OF IT? UH, WELL, IT WAS, UH, THE TIMING CAN BE ANYTIME NOW BECAUSE WE JUST GOT THE MONEY, UM, FROM UI. BUT FOR A, FOR A, THEY, THEY'RE ABOUT $12,000 A PIECE. AND, UH, WE GOT, UH, APPROPRIATED, UH, $120,000. SO WE HAVE PLANS THAT WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR A SMALL MEDIUM AND, AND, UM, UPWARDS OF THAT WITH MORE CAMERAS IF NEED BE. THANK, THANK YOU. AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WOULD LIKE SOME COUNCIL FEEDBACK ON THAT. SO THERE'LL BE SOME COMMUNICATION FROM THE CITY MANAGER ABOUT ANYTHING THAT'S NEEDED. THANK YOU. SO, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION AND, UH, JUST GOING BY THE RULES, UM, THE VICE MAYOR HAD SAID, LET'S REFER TO THE RES, UH, RESIDENT ASSEMBLY PER THE RULES. RULE SEVEN. UM, ALL PETITIONS, MEMORIALS, COMMUNICATIONS, ANY MATTER BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL MAY BE REFERRED TO A STANDING COMMITTEE. THE, THE CITY COUNCIL TO A CONSENT AGENDA TO A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE CITY COUNCIL, TO THE CITY MANAGER, AND THEN TO ANY DEPARTMENT OR DEPARTMENT HEAD OR ANY GROUP PERSON ORGANIZATION TO WHOM REFERRAL IS PERMITTED, AUTHORIZED, OR ALLOWED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE CITY CHARTER. AND UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS. BASED ON THIS, I WOULD, UM, JUST ADD A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, VICE MAYOR TO SAY, TO REFER THIS TO THE CITY MANAGER. UM, VICE MAYOR. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO WE WILL REFER THIS POLICY ORDER TO THE CITY MANAGER AND WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. SO THAT POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR HAS BEEN REFERRED, AND NOW I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO GO TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS. UH, NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS A ZERO WASTE PLAN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT. THIS WAS PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL ON JUNE 22ND. IT'S BEEN ELIGIBLE TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER JULY 13TH. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. IT, AS YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED A NUMBER OF TIMES. IT WAS BASED ON, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M SORRY. DID WE, WE HAVE TO VOTE ON SUSPENSION. . WE'LL DO SUSPENSION AND THEN WE'LL GO TALK ABOUT IT. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THAT'S NOW BEFORE US. BACK TO YOU. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. YES. THIS IS ANOTHER EXCITING MOMENT THAT IT'S ORDINATION AS FOLLOWS, MORE THAN A YEAR PROCESS THAT THE STAFF HAS BEEN WORKING ON UPDATING THE PLAN DIRECTED BY THE COUNCIL TO DO THIS. AGAIN, THERE'S THE SHORT TERM, MEDIUM TERM, AND LONG TERM IN THE ZERO WASTE MASTER PLAN. AND THE, AND THERE WERE SOME THAT WAS PASSED ALMOST A YEAR AGO. AND THEN THE, THE ORDINANCE CHANGES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WERE THE ONES IN THE SHORT TERM PLAN. SO IT'S ORDINANCE LANGUAGE IN ORDER TO PUT IN PLACE THE STEPS THAT WE HAD ALREADY APPROVED IN PRINCIPLE. AND THIS WAS, UH, LANGUAGE THAT MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE CITY STAFF FEELS IS GONNA MOVE US FORWARD IN A VERY POSITIVE DIRECTION. AND, UM, HOPEFULLY SAVE US SOME MONEY AND ALSO, UH, MOVE, UH, ACHIEVE, MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO ACHIEVE SOME OF OUR GOALS. SO, I KNOW WE HAD SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND JUST TO REMIND FOLKS, THE STAFF IS WORKING REALLY HARD ON COMMUNICATION AROUND THIS. AND WE GOT A LOT OF TESTIMONIES FROM MANY OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT THEIR PILOT PROGRAMS WERE HELPING THEM A LOT. SO I THINK, UM, I'M HOPEFUL THIS WILL BE ANOTHER UNANIMOUS VOTE TO MOVE THIS, UH, TO ORDINATION. COUNCILOR NOLAN IS MOVING THIS TO THIS, UH, ZERO WASTE, UH, PLAN, UH, TO BE ORDAINED. THAT'S HER MOTION DISCUSSION ON THAT BEFORE WE DO A ROLL CALL. HEARING NONE WILL PROCEED TO THE VOTE. COUNCIL ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? [04:20:01] YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE ZERO WASTE PLAN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT HAS BEEN ORDAINED. WE WILL NOW GO BACK TO POLICY ORDERS. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. IT'S 9 52. JUST AS A REMINDER, MADAM MAYOR. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. UH, POLL NUMBER 14, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. POLLS NUMBER 14, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MAYOR SIDIKI. UH, I'LL DO COUNCILOR NOLAN. THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. UH, YES. UH, LET'S SEE. NUMBER TWO, WHICH WILL BE SHORT 'CAUSE I WANNA BE ADDED NUMBER, UH, 10 AND NUMBER 16. SO COUNCILOR NOLAN IS PULLING NUMBER TWO, NUMBER 10. AND NUMBER 16, HEARING FROM NO ONE. OH, I, I WOULD LIKE TO PULL COUNSELOR. EY NUMBER 4 9 12 15 19 4 9 12 15, 19. YES. THANK YOU. WAIT, IS THERE'S NO 19? WHERE'S THE 19? THERE'S NO 19 COUNCILLOR UZI. UH, I'M SORRY. UH, NO. 19. OKAY. SO WE'VE PULLED 2, 4, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, AND 16. WE WILL DO A ROLL CALL. MAYOR SIDIKI. I, YES. SORRY, I DON'T NEED TO TALK ABOUT NUMBER 10. I ALREADY TALKED TO OKAY. COMMISSIONER MCKENNA ABOUT IT. UH, SO COUNSELOR 10 IS NOT GOING TO, COUNCILOR NOLIE IS NOT PULLING 10. SO WE WILL DO A ROLL CALL ON THE BALANCE COUNCIL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. IT'S A BALANCE OF THE POS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. WE'RE GOING TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO. THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGERS REQUESTED TO DIRECT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND THE LICENSE COMMISSION TO JOINTLY LEAD THE CITY'S EVALUATION OF A LICENSED PILOT PROGRAM FROM FALL 2026 THROUGH FALL 2027, ALLOWING CERTAIN ELIGIBLE LICENSED ESTABLISHMENTS TO SERVE ALCOHOL UNTIL 3:00 AM THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN, BUT WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. AND VICE MAYOR ZEMA GO TO THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNCILORS UNLESS SHE YIELDS COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS Y YIELDS COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. THIS SO COULD BE BRIEF. I WANTED TO THANK THE SPONSORS, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND VICE MAYOR E. THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT POSSIBLY DOING. JUST TWO QUESTIONS. ONE, I'D LIKE TO BE ADDED IF THAT WAS POSSIBLE. AND SECONDLY, IS THERE ANY SENSE THAT WE WOULD NEED A HOME RULE IN ORDER TO DO THIS? OR DO WE HAVE A SENSE THAT THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THE STATE WOULD ALLOW US THROUGH YOU TO THE SPONSORS? SO THE QUESTION IS AROUND THE HOME RULE AND WHETHER WE'D NEED IT. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU MADAM, MADAM CHAIR. IN CONSULTATION WITH SOME PEOPLE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AS WE KIND OF DID SOME THOROUGH RESEARCH, WE, THAT SEEMED TO BE THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH THIS, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S BEING OFFERED THAT WAY. COUNCILOR NOLAN. OKAY. SO, WE'LL, WE'LL, IN OTHER WORDS, WE'LL GET THE REPORT BACK ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT WE DO IT, AND THEN IF I COULD BE ADDED, IF THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE, THAT'D BE GREAT. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADD COUNCILOR NOLAN TO THE PO AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAY. YES. FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. COUNCIL MCGOVERN IS ABSENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE ON THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER ON ADOPTION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, THE AMENDED PO. NUMBER TWO PASSES. WE'RE GOING TO POLICY NUMBER FOUR. THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER BE IN, HEREBY IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH THE CITY SOLICITOR AND [04:25:01] THE LICENSED COMMISSION TO DRAFT AND SUBMIT A HOME RULE PETITION TO AUTHORIZE ONE ADDITIONAL SECTION 15, ALL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES LICENSE NOT TO BE DRUNK ON THE PREMISES. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND VICE ZE PULLED BY COUNCILLOR ZUI. I WILL GO TO THE LEAD SPONSOR FIRST. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, UH, THROUGH YOU. UM, THE REASON WE FILED THIS, UM, PHARAOH'S UH, FOOD TOWN HAS, UH, BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR APPROXIMATELY 70 YEARS IN, UM, THE NORTH CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, IT'S LOCALLY OWNED. IT'S GONE THROUGH A DIFF, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE DIFFERENT OWNERS, UH, IN THAT TIME. BUT IT, IT IS A LOCALLY OWNED, UH, SMALL BUSINESS. UM, IT'S VERY, UH, IMPORTANT TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, YOU KNOW, THE ONLY OTHER PLACE FOR FOLKS TO, UH, BUY ANY TYPES OF GROCERIES ARE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD IS ACROSS THE TRACKS AT WHOLE FOODS, WHICH IS NOT NECESSARILY AFFORDABLE TO, UM, MANY FOLKS. UM, THEY HAVE, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE A, A LIQUOR LICENSE CURRENTLY, UM, THEY WOULD LIKE TO, UH, EXPAND THEIR, UH, LIQUOR SALES, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE, UH, THEM TO GET A DIFFERENT, UH, AN ADDITIONAL DIFFERENT TYPE OF LICENSE. UM, AND, UH, IN ORDER TO DO THAT, UM, IT WOULD REQUIRE A HOME RULE PETITION. THIS IS NARROWLY FOCUSED, A NARROWLY FOCUSED REQUEST. IT WOULD AUTHORIZE ONE LOCATION, ONE LOCATION SPECIFIC LICENSE THAT CAN ONLY BE EXERCISED AT PHARAOHS. IT DOES NOT CREATE A NEW CLASS OF LICENSE OR OPEN THE DOOR TO ADDITIONAL LICENSE ACROSS CAMBRIDGE. IF THE STORE EVER CEASES OPERATING AS A GROCERY STORE, THE LICENSE DOES NOT BECOME A TRANSFERABLE ASSET THAT CAN BE SOLD ON THE OPEN MARKET. UM, CAMBRIDGE HAS NO AVAILABLE SECTION 15, ALL ALCOHOL LICENSES AND PURCHASING AN EXISTING TRANSFERABLE LICENSE CAN COST HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SIMPLY NOT A REALISTIC OPTION FOR A SMALL INDEPENDENT NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET. UM, AND SO BY SUPPORTING THIS HOMEROOM PETITION, I VIEW IT AS A WAY OF SUPPORTING THIS LOCAL BUSINESS, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, NEEDS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, NEEDS TO INCREASE ITS SALES TO STAY, UH, TO STAY OPEN AND STAY VIABLE. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO, WE DON'T WANT THIS STORE TO CLOSE. WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE ACCESS TO, TO FOOD, UM, THAT IT PROVIDES A LOT OF, UM, FOOD THAT IS, UH, CULTURALLY SPECIFIC TO DIFFERENT GROUPS, RIGHT? THIS IS, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, PROVIDES A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF FOOD FOR FOLKS WHO, WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, AND SO, UM, THIS IS THE WAY WE WOULD HAVE TO DO THAT, UH, IS THROUGH THIS HOME RULE. AND, AND, AND THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY IT'S FILED. COUNCILLOR GOVERNOR YIELDS WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR ZUI. I HAVE VISITED PHARAOH'S, UH, FOOD TOWN, AND I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL GROCERY, AND I RECOGNIZE ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE ON RINJ AND CLOSE BY. AND I ALSO WAS JUST AMAZED BY THE EXTRAORDINARY ASSORTMENT OF TWO BURRS AND FLOWERS, UM, THAT WERE PRESENT THERE, UM, PROVIDING, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS COULD COOK THEIR FAVORITE MEALS. SO I DO WANT TO SUPPORT THE CONTINUANCE OF PHARAOH'S FOOD TOWN AT THIS LOCATION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE TO ASK FOR A HOME RULE PETITION FOR A FULL LIQUOR LICENSE FOR AN ADDITIONAL FULL LIQUOR LICENSE FOR THIS ONE ENTITY JUST DOESN'T SEEM APPROPRIATE TO ME. UH, I, I FEEL AS THOUGH WHEN WE'RE ASKING THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO SUPPORT HOME RULE PETITIONS, IT SHOULD BE FOR THINGS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT, LIKE TRULY SIGNIFICANT. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, UM, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE PHARAOHS ALREADY HAS SERVES ALCOHOL. I, I VISITED, I SAW THE AISLE OF ALCOHOL. UM, SO I, I I THINK IT'S AN INAPPROPRIATE USE OF A HOME RULE PETITION TO, UH, TO BE REQUESTING AN EXTRA LIQUOR LICENSE JUST FOR THIS ONE BUSINESS. SO I WILL BE VOTING NO, THOUGH I SUPPORT PHARAOH'S FOOD TOWN, UH, CONTINUING IN THIS LOCATION. AND I, I REALLY MARVEL AT THE BREADTH OF THEIR OFFERINGS. I WISH THERE WAS, UM, UH, I WISH THEY HAD MORE ROOM AND COULD EVEN [04:30:01] OFFER A GREATER VARIETY OF GOODS. I THINK THERE'S A REAL NEED FOR A FULL GROCERY STORE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILOR ZUI. YOU WILL GO TO THE VICE MAYOR AND THEN COUNCILOR NOLAN. UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I THINK THAT WE ARE UNIQUE IN THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD, UH, FAIRLY LAX RULES THAT MADE, IT SAYS THIS IS NOT A FREQUENT PROBLEM, BUT IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE VAST, VAST MAJORITY OF HOME RULE PETITIONS ARE ACTUALLY VERY, VERY NARROW. AND THAT THE FACT THAT WE PASS AMBITIOUS BILLS OPTION THAT REQUIRE HOME RULE IS ACTUALLY, UH, THE RARER THING. AND MOST HORMONES ARE VERY TINY, UH, SPECIFIC CHANGES LIKE THIS. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. I, UM, I WILL PROBABLY SUPPORT THIS, BUT I HAVE TO SAY IT'S RIDICULOUS WE HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT , IN ORDER TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, I DO HAVE A QUESTION THROUGH YOU, EITHER TO THE CITY OR TO THE SPONSORS. EXPLAIN, ARE THERE LIMITS OF THESE LICENSES AND IS THAT SOMETHING THE STATE CONTROLS, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THE CITY CONTROLS TO THE NUMBER OF THESE LICENSES? I'M GONNA BRING UP THE CITY SOLICITOR THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UH, YES. SO THIS IS, UM, CONTROLLED BY THE STATE LAW CHAPTER, UH, 1 38 SECTION. THIS IS CONSIDERED A SECTION 15 LICENSE, AND SECTION 17 IS THE SECTION THAT TALKS ABOUT HOW MANY LICENSES EACH COMMUNITY CAN HAVE. AND IT'S A RATIO BASED ON POPULATION. UM, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT EQUATION IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I DO KNOW THAT, UM, PER THAT RATIO, WE IN CAMBRIDGE HAVE, UH, 24 ALL ALCOHOL PACKAGE STORE LICENSES AVAILABLE. THEY CURRENTLY ARE ALL ISSUED TO A BUSINESS. SO THERE AREN'T ANY, UM, PRESENTLY AVAILABLE. THE CITY ALSO HAS A TOTAL OF 24 MAL AND WINE PACKAGE STORE LICENSES, UM, OF WHICH 23 HAVE ISSUED. UH, SO THAT TYPE HAS ONE AVAILABLE. UH, BUT THIS PARTICULAR STORE ALREADY HAS ONE OF THE MALT AND WINE. AND WHAT THEY'RE SEEKING IS THE HOME RULE LEGISLATION TO INCREASE OUR NUMBER OF, UM, THE ALL ALCOHOL TO ALLOW FOR THIS ONE PARTICULAR LOCATION TO HAVE AN ALL ALCOHOL LICENSE. COUNCIL NOLAN, THANK YOU. AND I GUESS THEN, DOES THAT MEAN IF THEY GOT THIS, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE UP THEIR OTHER ONE AND THEN WE'D HAVE 20? WE HAVE TWO AVAILABLE, UH, THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT. IF THEY GET THE ALL ALCOHOL, THEY'LL NO LONGER NEED THE MALTIN WINE. AND THEN THERE WOULD BE TWO MALT AND WINE STILL AVAILABLE IN CAMBRIDGE. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. I WILL SUPPORT IT. I, I, I, I JUST KEEP COMING BACK TO WHY DOESN'T THE STATE JUST LET US HAVE, I DON'T KNOW, 57 OR 72 OR 39, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS NOT REALLY SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE DELIBERATING, IN MY VIEW. IT SHOULD BE JUST UP TO THE MARKET TO DECIDE HOW MANY PACKAGE STORES THERE ARE IN CAMBRIDGE. BUT I RECOGNIZE THAT'S NOT WHERE WE'RE SITTING NOW. SO GIVEN THE ANSWER, I WILL BE SUPPORTING IT AND JUST WISHING THAT WE COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HAVE THE STATE ALL THE LIQUOR LAWS AT THE STATE BE UPDATED. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR NOLAN YIELDS PICKING UP ON JUST, UH, A QUESTION. I'M TRYING TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT LIKE WHAT THE POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT OF THIS COULD BE, JUST POTENTIALLY. AND SO I AM DOING SOME, I GUESS THE QUESTION WOULD BE COULD THOSE, UM, MALT AND WINE LICENSEE HOLDERS, COULD ANY OF THEM NOW SAY TO US, HEY, WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE THIS ALL PACKAGE LICENSE. I DUNNO IF THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT I'M JUST, IF YOU COULD MAYBE SHARE IF THERE ARE SOME, DO YOU ALL ALL HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT SOME OF THAT PIECE OF THIS? UH, THANK YOU THROUGH TO MADAM MAYOR. I, I CAN'T SPEAK ON THE, THE POLICY POSITION SO MUCH IF THERE'S A CONCERN, BUT, UM, I DO THINK THAT, UH, BECAUSE THIS WOULD BE DOING A HOME RULE PETITION TO ALLOW ONE PARTICULAR STORE TO GET AN ALL ALCOHOL LICENSE, UM, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER STORES THAT ALSO HAVE THIS INTEREST THAT WOULD COME FORWARD IN A SIMILAR WAY TO THE COUNCIL. UM, WHETHER THEY HAVE CURRENTLY A MALT AND WINE LICENSE OR NO LICENSE, BUT WANT THE ABILITY TO BE A FULL ALL ALCOHOL PACKAGE STORE. OKAY. YEAH, I'LL JUST SAY, I GUESS THAT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING JUST IN THAT I DON'T WANT A BUNCH OF FOLKS TO COME TO US. I WILL SAY I GREW UP GOING TO THIS PLACE. UM, AND SO I UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING IT THERE. UH, BUT [04:35:01] I THINK THAT'S ONE THING I'M A LITTLE LIKE, UM, WORRIED ABOUT COUNCILOR GOVERN. YEAH. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. I MEAN, I WOULD, I WOULD JUST SAY, I MEAN, I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILOR NOLAN AND COUNCILLOR UZI THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS ISN'T THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE BUSINESS, BUT IT IS THE WAY THE STATE HAS SET THIS UP. AND I DON'T WANNA PUNISH THIS BUSINESS THAT'S TRYING TO SURVIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE THE PROCESS THAT THE STATE HAS SET UP. UM, AND MAYBE IF THEY GOT MORE OF THESE AND DIDN'T WANNA DEAL WITH THEM, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY MOVE ON CHANGING SOME OF THESE LAWS AND, AND MAKING IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER, UM, TO DO. UM, SO AGAIN, I CAN UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THE CONCERN THAT IS THIS THE, A PROPER USE OF A HOME RULE PETITION OR NOT, BUT THIS IS WHAT THE PROCESS IS SET UP. THIS IS HOW IT'S SET UP. SO I DON'T WANNA PENALIZE THIS BUSINESS BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE THE WAY THE SAUSAGE IS MADE. THAT'S NOT IN OUR CONTROL. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND VOTE TO ADOPT POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR? HEARING NONE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. 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 ZUEY. PRESENT, PRESENT COUN, UM, MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS PRESENT. POLICY FOUR IS ADOPTED. WE NOW MOVE ON TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER NINE. THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING IMPROVED TREE LOSS ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING SYSTEMS BY OCTOBER 1ST, 2026. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZUI, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AS WE'RE ALL HEARING FROM CITIZENS ACROSS CAMBRIDGE ABOUT LOTS OF TREES COMING DOWN, I JUST HEARD ABOUT AN, UM, WHAT WAS IT? A BIG OAT COMING DOWN THIS MORNING. THE, THE GOAL OF THIS POLICY ORDER IS TO KEEP BETTER TRACK OF, UM, HOW MANY TREES ARE COMING DOWN WHENEVER WE DO ANY SORT OF DEVELOPMENT. SO WE WOULD BE KEEPING TRACK OF THE TREES THAT ARE COMING DOWN ON THE PROPERTY SITE. UM, THE TREES IMPACTED BY ON, ON A BUTTER'S PROPERTY, AND THE TREES, UM, IMPACTED THAT ARE CITY TREES, UH, IN PARKS OR ALONG, ALONG THE STREETS? UM, CURRENTLY, UH, IT'S, IT'S, WE OFTEN DON'T NOTE HOW MANY SIGNIFICANT TREES WE'RE TAKING DOWN WHEN DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS. AND, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO CARE FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT IS TO BE AWARE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING OVERALL. UM, I WILL TELL YOU ON HAMILTON STREET, ON MY STREET AT 1 74 HAMILTON STREET, THERE'S A DEVELOPMENT, WHICH I THINK WILL IMPACT TWO ABUTTERS TREES AND POSSIBLY THREE, IF NOT FOUR CITY STREET TREES BECAUSE OF THE FIVE FOOT SETBACK RULE. BECAUSE EVEN, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S A FIVE FOOT SETBACK RULE, THE DEVELOPER IS DIGGING TO THE EDGES OF THE PROPERTY LINE IMPACTING TREES. SO ULTIMATELY, I HOPE FOR GREATER PROTECTION OF OUR TREES OVERALL. UM, BUT I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP, WHICH IS TO REALLY KEEP TRACK OF, OF WHAT OUR CURRENT POLICIES ARE, WHAT THEIR IMPACTS ARE, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE BETTER POLICY. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ZUI YIELDS, WOULD ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS HEARING? NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ADOPTING POLICY ORDER NUMBER NINE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE WILL MOVE ON TO POLICY NUMBER 12. THIS IS ABOUT GREATER INTERMENTAL DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZUI, COUNCILLOR ZUBY, AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UM, SIDIKI, UM, A AGAIN, I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH THE REPORT ON STREAMLINING PERMITTING THAT WE HEARD EARLIER TODAY. [04:40:01] THIS POLICY ORDER WOULD NOT ONLY SORT OF BUILD ON THAT AND ENCOURAGING THAT REGULAR INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMUNICATION, BUT IT, THERE'S ALSO A FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE, BUT I, I FEEL AS THOUGH OUR CURRENTLY, WE'RE SORT OF DRIVING PEOPLE CRAZY, BOTH DEVELOPERS AND RESIDENTS, BECAUSE IT'S SO UNCLEAR WHAT THE PROCESS IS, WHAT THE TIME LINES ARE, WHAT THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE. AND, UH, THIS WOULD REQUIRE A CLEAR, UH, A CLEARER PROCESS THAT'S COMMUNICATED TO ALL PARTIES. SO, UM, PEOPLE WOULD KNOW IF, IF THEY HAD COMPLAINTS HOW TO DO THAT, THEY WOULD UNDERSTAND WHAT A DEMOLITION SHOULD REQUIRE, WHAT SORT OF NOTIFICATION THEY SHOULD GET, WHAT SORT OF REGULATIONS THEY SHOULD ASSUME, UM, ARE STANDARD PRACTICE. UM, I THINK, UH, BETTER PROCESS AND BETTER COMMUNICATION WILL JUST MAKE LIFE AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CITY BETTER FOR ALL PARTIES. UH, THANK YOU. I YIELD, I HOPE YOU'LL SUPPORT THIS COUNCILLOR ZUI YIELDS. IS ANYONE LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? UH, YES. MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. JUST A, A QUESTION TO, UH, COUNCILLOR UZI. UM, THE WAY I READ THIS, THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT'S JUST ASKING THE INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS TO KIND OF COME TOGETHER AND STREAMLINE, MAKE CLEAR KIND OF WHAT THE PROCESS IS, WHAT STEPS HAVE TO BE FOLLOWED, SO, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S NOT CONFUSION, THERE'S MORE PREDICTABILITY. UM, ONE CONCERN, THAT'S THE WAY I READ IT. ONE CONCERN, I, I GUESS A COUPLE PEOPLE HAD EMAILED ME THAT, THAT A CONCERN THAT THIS WOULD ALSO ALLOW MORE PUBLIC PROCESS TO INTERVENE AT DIFFERENT STEPS IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS. BUT I, I DIDN'T QUITE READ IT THAT WAY. CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY THAT? IS THIS TO BASICALLY CREATE A DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE SHARED WITH PEOPLE, BUT, OR IS THIS CREATING A WHOLE NEW PUBLIC PROCESS? UM, OPPORTUNITY. COUNCILOR SUZI THIS. YEAH. THIS DOESN'T CREATE A NEW PUBLIC PROCESS OPPORTUNITY. I, I FEEL LIKE, UM, I, LIKE I'M SURE THE REST OF YOU RECEIVE HUNDREDS OF EMAILS FROM CONSTITUENTS THAT ARE, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT DOOR. AND SO THIS WOULD, UM, ENSURE THAT THE PROCESS WAS CLEARER AND BETTER COMMUNICATED SO THAT THEY WOULD KNOW WHAT TO ANTICIPATE. UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED WHETHER, SO THEY'LL GET A NOTICE THAT THERE'S A GONNA BE A DEMOLITION HAPPENING NEXT DOOR, AND THE NEXT TWO WEEKS THEY WANT TO KNOW, LIKE, SO IS THAT THE LAST NOTICE THEY'LL GET? WHAT SHOULD THEY EXPECT? UM, THIS WOULD REQUIRE THE CITY TO PROVIDE THAT SORT OF COMMUNICATION. AND IT ALSO WOULD PROVIDE, I HOPE, I MEAN, WE, AND THIS WOULD HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED BY THE C CITY DEPARTMENTS, BUT IT JUST SEEMS LIKE ONE POINT OF CONTACT FOR DEVELOPERS AT THE CITY WOULD BE VERY, VERY USEFUL IF WE COULD PROVIDE SORT OF A CONCIERGE SERVICE FOR DEVELOPMENT, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW THEY CAN RELY ON SOMEONE IN THE CITY TO HELP GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH PROPER ORIENTATION AND PROPER UPDATES. AND OF COURSE, THE DEVELOPERS NEED TO DO THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AS WELL. BUT THE WHOLE IDEA IS THAT, NO, NO. SO THE ANSWER IS, COUNSELOR MCGOVERN. THIS WOULDN'T REQUIRE MORE PUBLIC PROCESS. THIS WOULD CREATE A CLEANER PROCESS AND IT WOULD IMPROVE THE PROCESS FOR ALL PARTIES INVOLVED. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. UH, THANK YOU FOR, FOR THAT EXPLANATION. I, I, I, I AGREE THAT WE, UM, NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, FOLK, NOT ONLY FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE HEAR FROM DEVELOPERS TOO, THAT THE, THE LACK OF PREDICTABILITY OR GETTING DIFFERENT INFORMATION. I MEAN, WE, NOT EVEN DEVELOPERS, WE THINK, UH, REMEMBER THAT THE, UM, THE DAYCARE THAT OPENED, UH, NEXT TO ARMANDO'S THAT, UH, TOOK YEARS TO OPEN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ONE DEPARTMENT TOLD 'EM THEY HAD TO DO A, B, AND C. AND SO THEY DID IT. AND THEN ANOTHER DEPARTMENT CAME IN AND SAID, OH, NO, YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO IT THAT WAY. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT THIS WAY. AND IT COST 'EM HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN YEARS OF TIME BECAUSE THEY WERE GETTING DIFFERENT BITS OF INFOR, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FROM DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. SO IF WE CAN STREAMLINE THAT AND MAKE THAT MORE CLEAR FOR PEOPLE, I THINK IT WILL HELP SPEED UP DEVELOPMENT. I JUST DIDN'T WANT, INADVERTENTLY TO CREATE A PROCESS WHERE, UM, THAT COULD BE USED TO, UM, SLOW DOWN THAT PROCESS. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPLANATION. I'LL SUPPORT IT. COUNCILOR NOLAN, UH, VERY QUICKLY, EXACTLY WHERE, UH, COUNCILMAN MCGOVERN IS, WHICH IS SUPPORTED. AND I READ THIS, THIS WILL BUILD ON THE STREAMLINING WORK THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, IN [04:45:01] PAST TODAY TO SAY, ONCE THAT'S DONE, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A, THIS IS MORE ABOUT COMMUNICATION OF WHAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE, NOT CREATING SOMETHING NEW. FOR INSTANCE, I KNOW I HAVE REFERRED OFTEN PEOPLE TOO, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT MAYBE LATER, THE SHORT TERM RENTALS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE HAVE A FLOW CHART LIKE, ARE YOU THIS A OR B? ARE YOU THIS C OR D? AND IT'S A REALLY EASY TO FOLLOW. WE HAVE THAT VERY RARELY IN THE REST OF THE CITY. SO I WILL DEFINITELY SUPPORT TONIGHT. IT'S ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION. THANK YOU. I YIELD, I DON'T SEE ANYONE WHO ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THIS, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT POLICY RULE NUMBER 12. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE POLICY. ORDER NUMBER 12 IS ADOPTED. WE'RE GOING TO POLICY NUMBER 14, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO CONFIRM WITH THE CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, THE PROPERTY OWNER, AND THE OTHER APPROPRIATE PARTIES REGARDING PLACING A HISTORICAL MARKER ON 1 0 3 IRVING STREET IN RECOGNITION OF JULIA CHILD'S LIFE WORK IN CONNECTION TO CAMBRIDGE. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. IT WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER. I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SIMMONS FIRST, UNLESS SHE YIELDS COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, AS YOU HEARD, THE YOUNG, YOUNG LADY, UH, THIS AFTERNOON, THIS EVENING, WHENEVER IT WAS, UH, SPEAK TO THE TIME SHE SPENT DOING RESEARCH ON, UH, JULIA CHILD, OF GOING TO THE SCHLESINGER LIBRARY, REALLY KIND OF DIGGING INTO HER LIFE AND SAYING, HERE'S THIS HISTORICAL ICON. NOW, HOW DID SHE FIND ABOUT THIS PERSON? SO THE MANY OF YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S A LARGE PICTURE OF HER AT CAMBRIDGE CROSSING, AND A CONVERSATION ENGENDERED AROUND HER AND WHAT SHE DID. AND WHEN THEY VISITED, VISITED HER HOME, THEY NOTICED THERE WAS NO MARKER FOR SOMEONE WHO WAS KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY. AND, AND THE QUESTION WAS ASKED, WOW, HERE'S THIS WOMAN KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY. AND HERE WE DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE HER, YOU KNOW, IN HER OWN HOMETOWN OF SORTS. 'CAUSE SHE LIVED SO MANY YEARS. SO SHE, SHE DID THE WORK, SHE VISITED THE CLERK'S OFFICE SO SHE COULD WRITE THIS, UH, POLICY ORDER TO PRESENT TO THE CITY COUNCIL. AND I HAVE TO SAY, I'M, I'M MOST PROUD OF A YOUNG LADY THAT WOULD COME AND SHE SAYS, A RISING SENIOR, NOT ONLY TO WRITE THIS POLICY ORDER, BUT THEN SORT OF DEFEND IT BY BRINGING IT BEFORE THE COUNCIL. AND SO I'M HOPING THAT THE, THE COUNCIL WILL UNANIMOUSLY, UH, SUPPORT, UH, THIS, UH, ACTION BY THIS YOUNG LADY. WE WANT TO, UM, WHAT THEY SAY BREED WHAT YOU NEED. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MAYBE ONE DAY SHE'LL SIT IN ONE OF THESE CHAIRS AND WHAT LAUNCH THAT INTEREST MIGHT HAVE BEEN, WHICH SHE DID THIS AFTERNOON, IN FRONT OF ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT WERE HERE EARLIER. AND THE COUNCIL, I YIELD COUNCILOR SIMMAN YIELDS. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS . I LOVE JULIA CHILD. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THIS MARKER UP BEFORE TOO LONG. UM, IT DID REMIND ME THAT LAST TIME WE, WE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO PAUSE THE HISTORICAL MARKER PROCESS SO THAT WE COULD REVIEW THE CRITERIA FOR WHO WE ARE HONORING AND, AND WHO WE'RE NOT. UPDATE THE PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LEAVING FOLKS OUT OF THAT. UM, THE NEXT STEP, I BELIEVE THERE WAS TO HAVE A DISCUSSION IN THE CIVIC UNIT COMMITTEE AND OR THE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. THINGS COME UP AND I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULED. UM, IT'S A GOOD REMINDER THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, TO DO REVIEW THE PROCESS IS PLANNING TO, TO CHARTER RIGHT. THIS SO THAT WE COULD GET THAT MEETING SCHEDULED. AS YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY A JOINT COUNCILOR, SABRINA WHEELER, YOU'RE EXERCISING YOUR CHARTER, RIGHT? WELL, I WAS GONNA SAY, I, IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THIS BEFORE US. I WAS GOING TO, UH, SUGGEST WE COULD REFER IT TO THE CIVIC UNITY COMMITTEE AND JOINT OPERATION, GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, AND THEN WOULDN'T NEED TO CHARTER WRITE IT. IF THAT WORKS, WE CAN, WE CAN REFER IT AND THEN HAVE THAT MEETING. SO LET ME JUST CLARIFY. MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THE, I THOUGHT IT WAS, UM, DEDICATIONS, RIGHT? DID IT ALSO INCLUDE, UM, HISTORICAL MARKERS? THAT'S WHAT I'M NOT CLEAR ON. AND NAOMI, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE MORE ON THAT. THE PROCESS THAT WAS PAUSED BY THE COUNCIL WAS THE DEDICATIONS, WHICH ARE TYPICALLY MORE RELATED TO FOLKS DEATHS. I BELIEVE THIS WOULD FALL UNDER WHAT WAS FORMERLY MEMORIALS, MONUMENTS AND MARKERS, WHICH IS A SEPARATE, A SEPARATE PROCESS. SEPARATE THING IF, IF I MAY MADAM MAYOR? YES. GO AHEAD. COUNCILOR SIMON. I THREW YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE. UH, JUST RECENTLY, WELL, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, THE MASSACHUSETTS, I'M GONNA SAY THIS WRONG, THE MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL WOMEN MARKER GROUP, THAT'S NOT THEIR NAME, BUT I'M JUST NOT REMEMBERING IT. RIGHT. UH, DID VERY, DID SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR. AND THEY HAD, THERE IS A MARKER IN FRONT OF MARIAH BALDWIN, [04:50:01] TONE ON PROSPECT STREET. SO THAT WHAT, WHAT SHE'S ASKING IS, I KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT. UM, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP. BUT WE'RE NOT, SHE'S NOT TRYING TO DO THAT. SHE'S TRYING TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, AND ASKING THE CITY TO SEE IF WE CAN DO THIS IS TO PUT A MARKER SIMILAR, BUT YOU HAVE TO TALK TO, 'CAUSE IT'S IN FRONT OF SOMEONE'S HOUSE, YOU HAVE TO ASK, YOU KNOW, ASK THEM IF THEY'RE WILLING AND IF NOT, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THEM. BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME COUNCILORS, COUNCILOR ZAMAN WHEELER. IN THAT CASE, I THINK I'M ACTUALLY FINE WITH MOVING FORWARD THIS, IF THIS IS A DEDICATION PROCESS, WE, THERE IS A GOOD REMINDER. WE NEED TO HAVE THAT MEETING. BUT HISTORICAL MARKER BEING SEPARATE THAN THE DEDICATION. AND THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT MS. MS. STEFAN AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. I, I THINK I'M FINE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS. THANK YOU. IT'S A GOOD REMINDER. AND WE SHOULD DO THAT. WE CAN GO AHEAD HEARING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS PO ADOPT THE POLICY ORDER. COULD WE FOR, UH, JUST IN CASE SHE'S WATCHING, CAN WE DO A ROLL CALL? WELL, WE ARE DOING THE ROLL CALL 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE ONLINE ANYWAY. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THAT POLICY ORDER NUMBER 14 IS ADOPTED. WE GO ON TO 15. THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHED, OF ESTABLISHING A CITYWIDE DIGITAL WAY FINDING AND INFORMATIONAL INFORMATION KIOSK PROGRAM ON PUBLIC PROPERTY THROUGHOUT CAMBRIDGE. THIS WAS FILED BY MYSELF, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND VICE MAYOR ZIM. THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNCILOR ZUI. I'LL JUST SAY BRIEFLY, THIS WAS SUBMITTED AFTER CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, INCLUDING, UH, MIKE MONING AND THE CENTRAL SQUARE BID. UH, AND, UH, OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS. UH, I THINK THERE VARIOUS BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH DIGITAL WAY FINDING AND INFORMATIONAL KIOSKS, INCLUDING APPROVED VISITOR EXPERIENCE, SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES, STRENGTHENING COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, ACTIVATING PUBLIC SPACES. AND IMPORTANTLY, THEY HELP THE CITY MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, PARTICULARLY ALSO IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. UM, THERE'S A LOT OF EXAMPLES OF THIS THROUGHOUT, UM, VARIOUS CITIES. MM-HMM . UH, AND MANY ARE, UH, SELF-SUFFICIENT. AND, UH, THERE'S NO COST REALLY TO THE, UH, CITY OR USERS. UH, THE COST IS COVERED BY ADS, UH, AND REQUIRING LITTLE OR NO MUNICIPAL INVESTMENT WHILE, UM, GENERATING REVENUE TO SUPPORT MAINTENANCE. SO THAT'S JUST A SUMMARY. I'LL YIELD TO COUNCILLOR ZUI, AND THEN I'LL GO TO MY COLLEAGUES COUNCILLOR ZUI. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, SO I ATTENDED A PROGRAM ABOUT THESE KIOSKS WHEN I WAS AT THE, UM, NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES MEETING IN WASHINGTON. AND I, THEY, THEY'RE USED IN BEVERLY HILLS. THEY'RE, THEY'RE USED IN LA THEY'RE USED IN ATLANTA, THEY'RE USED IN ST. LOUIS. THEY'RE USED IN LIKE, MUCH BIGGER CITIES THAT DON'T JUST HAVE A STRIP. UM, AND I THINK I, I UNDERSTAND FROM MIKE MONAS TEAM THAT THERE MIGHT BE A NEED FOR A KIOSK. I CAN IMAGINE LIKE ONE KIOSK AT KENDALL SQUARE, MAYBE TWO. I CAN IMAGINE ONE AT CENTRAL SQUARE. I CAN IMAGINE MAYBE ONE OR TWO MAX AT HARVARD SQUARE. BUT THESE COMPANIES THAT ARE INSTALLING THESE KIOSKS WANNA HAVE AT LEAST 10 KIOSKS. THEY'RE REALLY FOR BIGGER CITIES, NOT SMALLER CITIES. I CAN IMAGINE THAT THERE BEING A KIOSK PROGRAM IN BOSTON, IT'S A MUCH BIGGER CITY THAN CAMBRIDGE. AGAIN, LIKE ATLANTA IS 134 SQUARE MILES. ST. LOUIS IS 62 SQUARE MILES. UM, LA IS 539 SQUARE MILES. I MEAN, WE'RE LESS THAN SEVEN SQUARE MILES. SO I, AGAIN, I CAN APPRECIATE THE NEED FOR A FEW KIOSKS. UM, MAYBE ESPECIALLY AS WE DRAW TOURISTS FROM ABROAD. AND I UNDERSTAND, I THINK THIS WAS, THIS POLICY ORDER WAS IN PART INSPIRED BY ALL THE WORLD CUP VISITORS. UM, BUT I, I WORRY ABOUT CLUTTER. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALREADY, I'D RATHER HAVE A TREE THAN A KIOSK. UM, OR TOO MANY KIOSKS IN, AT OUR CITY SQUARES. AND I, I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR PUBLIC SPACE. I MEAN, WE'RE PUTTING IN BIKE LANES. AGAIN, WE WANT TREES, WE WANT BROAD SIDEWALKS. WE WANT OUTDOOR EATING. UM, THERE ARE ALREADY A LOT OF COMPETING DEMANDS. SO, UM, I JUST THINK WE'RE, AGAIN, I'M OPEN TO THE IDEA OF EXPLORING A FEW KIOSKS, BUT I THINK 10 WOULD BE WAY TOO MANY. AND I THINK WE'D HAVE TO BE REALLY JUDICIOUS ABOUT PLACEMENT. AND I [04:55:01] ALSO THINK THEY'RE SORT OF DISTRACTING. UH, 'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE SCREEN IS ALWAYS CHANGING. UM, SO I, I'M HESITANT TO, I WON'T BE SUPPORTING THIS POLICY ORDER. UH, I, I, I WILL, I WOULD SUPPORT SOME SORT OF KIOSK, BUT I, I DON'T WANT 10 OR 20 OF THESE DIGITAL KIOSKS IN OUR LITTLE CITY ALL OVER TOWN. I JUST THINK WE'RE, WE'RE TOO LITTLE FOR THIS. UM, BUT I THINK THERE ARE OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE BETTER WAY FINDING AND THAT WE, UM, BETTER MAKE OUR AMENITIES, UM, ACCESSIBLE AND AVAILABLE TO VISITORS. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILLOR ZUI YIELDS. I HAVE COUNCILOR SIMMONS, DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING OR YOU SET COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, DREW YOU MAD MAYOR? I THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE THE KIOSK BECAUSE IT AVOIDS THE GOOGLE AL ALGORITHM, WHICH IS PAID FOR, AND PEOPLE MAKE SEARCHES, UH, AND THEY'RE SENT SOMEWHERE THAT'S NOT CLOSE IN PLACE TO THEIR, UH, LOCATION BECAUSE, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT ALGORITHM THAT'S PAID FOR. AND THESE ARE WAY FINDINGS, UM, MECHANISMS THAT ALLOW OUR RESIDENTS TO GET WHERE THEY WANT TO GO IN A QUICK, UH, AND OUR VISITORS IN A QUICK AND EASY WAY. AND WE, WE AREN'T A, UH, GIANT METROPOLIS, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS VERY HELPFUL, UM, FOR OUR VISITORS TO FIND OUR WAY AROUND CAMBRIDGE AND, UH, TO DIRECT THEM TO OUR LOCAL, UH, UH, BUSINESSES. SO I'LL SUPPORT IT. I LIKE IT. I HAVE, IT'S ALL THE PLACEMENT. I HAVE COUNCILOR NOLAN, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, AND THEN COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI AND THE SPONSOR OF THIS. I SAW THIS SAMPLE AT, UH, STREET THEORY COLLABORATIVE. I'M, UH, WHICH SEEMS GREAT. I'M HAPPY TO, TO SUPPORT IT. HOWEVER, I DO EXPECT AND ASSUME THAT WE WOULD ONLY DO IT IF IT TURNS OUT TO COST THE CITY NOTHING. BECAUSE WHAT WAS VERY CLEAR AND WHAT WAS MARKETED THERE WAS THIS IS SOMETHING CITIES GET REVENUE FROM, NOT THAT THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR. SO I CERTAINLY AM NOT INTERESTED IN WAY FINDING THAT WE WOULD'VE TO PAY FOR WHEN THE, WE KNOW THERE'S ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE. I'M, UH, NOT AS CONCERNED. THE COUNCILOR, SUZI SAID, 10 MIGHT BE TOO MUCH. I THINK 10 WOULD BE FINE IN CAMBRIDGE, BECAUSE WE HAVE PORTER SQUARE, WE HAVE ALEWIFE, WE HAVE OTHER AREAS OF THE CITY THAT THAT COULD CERTAINLY BENEFIT FROM WAY FINDING. BUT I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WILL BE BASED PARTLY ON, WELL, HOW MUCH REVENUE DO WE THINK THE CITY WILL GO? SO GIVEN THAT THAT'S PART OF WHY, TO LET PEOPLE KNOW, THAT'S WHAT WE ALL HEARD. AND AS THE MAYOR NOTED IN HER REMARKS, THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS, UM, UH, KNOWN TO ALREADY BE DEPLOYED IN OTHER CITIES. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR NOLAN. I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, THE ORDER, JUST CALL FOR THE FEASIBILITY, RIGHT? WE'RE NOT SAYING DO THIS. WE'RE SAYING COME BACK WITH SOME FINDING AND RECOMMENDATIONS. AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE SOME MORE FACTUAL INFORMATION COMING BACK. UM, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE SAID, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING IT IS FREE. AND, UM, AND SO THAT, THAT I THINK WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT COMES BACK HAS MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. SO I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UM, JUST REAL QUICK, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS ACTUALLY. I THINK THESE ARE REALLY COOL. UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN ADDITION, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE CAMBRIDGE AS A SMALL CITY. I SEE US AS, WE'RE THE FOURTH LARGEST CITY IN THE STATE. WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL CITY. UM, OBVIOUSLY PLACEMENT, YOU KNOW, WILL BE IMPORTANT. BUT, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO WHAT FOLKS HAVE ALREADY SAID ABOUT, YOU KNOW, TOURISTS AND OTHER FOLKS FINDING WAYS TO GO TO RESTAURANTS AND, YOU KNOW, SHOPS AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF BENEFITS, YOU CAN PROGRAM THEM TO HAVE ALL KINDS OF THINGS. WE COULD HAVE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THIS. WE COULD HAVE, IF YOU'RE UNHOUSED YOU COULD, YOU COULD HAVE ALL THE SHELTERS. YOU KNOW THAT IN THE AREA THERE, THAT IF YOU CLICK ON IT, YOU CAN GET A LIST. YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A MILLION DIFFERENT USES FOR THIS TO, IN, IN REALLY CREATIVE WAYS. UM, SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT. I, I, I THINK, UH, LET'S LET, LET'S FOR A, FOR A TECHNO. SO FOR A CITY, SO BASED IN TECHNOLOGY AND SO BASED IN, IN A LOT, SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING HERE AND, AND WANTING TO DO THAT, I, I THINK THIS IS GREAT. IT'S ABOUT THE TIME WE STEPPED INTO THE FUTURE CONCERT SIMMONS. I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF THIS WAY FINDING. UH, WE ARE A LITTLE BIG CITY AND PEOPLE COME HERE ALL THE TIME. JUST BE HERE IN, IN MAY WHEN EVERYONE'S GRADUATING. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME THROUGH. AND IT'S NOT EASY TO FIND YOUR WAY AROUND. AND SO TO HAVE THIS AID, I THINK, UH, MIKE WAS BRILLIANT FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW IT, HOW IT WORKS. AND I HOPE THAT IT REALLY DRIVES MORE BUSINESS TO OUR SMALL STORES AND SHOPS [05:00:01] AND ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT WE DO IN THE CITY THAT IT'S JUST VERY HARD TO FIND OUT ABOUT. SO I'M LOOKING HOPE, I HOPE THIS PASSES AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION. I YIELD COUNCILLOR SIMMONS YIELDS. I THINK WE'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE WHO'D WANTED TO SPEAK ON THIS, SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND VOTE TO ADOPT POLICY ORDER NUMBER 15. COUNCILOR ZUBI. YES. YES. 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. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED. WE MOVE ON TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER 16, THAT THE CITY MANAGERS REQUESTED TO DIRECT THE APPROPRIATE STAFF TO WORK WITH THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS A TIME OF SALE, ENERGY AUDIT AND REVIEW POSSIBLE ORDINANCE LANGUAGE FOR POTENTIAL ADOPTION AFTER DELIBERATION AND REFINEMENT. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILOR NOLAN, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCILLOR AL ZUBIE, AND MYSELF, COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. I JUST PULLED THIS PARTLY TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTOOD WHILE WE COULD JUST CALL A HEALTH ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING. THE WHOLE IDEA IS TO ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTOOD THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING WE WOULD BE DISCUSSING. IT DOESN'T SAY, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD IMMEDIATELY, BUT IT, AS WE HEARD IN PUBLIC COMMENT, AND I'M GRATEFUL TO, TO THE ADVOCATES WHO REMINDED US ALL. WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING DOING SOMETHING TO ADVANCE OUR CLIMATE GOALS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. AND WE HAVE NOT REALLY FOCUSED AS MUCH ON ANY KIND OF REQUIREMENTS ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE OR ANY KIND OF DEEP INCENTIVES. WE HAVE ELECTRIFIED CAMBRIDGE. WE HAVE DONE SO MUCH WORK IN THAT AREA. AND YET I THINK RAMPING IT UP SOME IN, IN MOVING FORWARD WITH A POSSIBLE PROGRAM WHERE WE UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN ADDRESS RENTERS, HOW WE CAN ADDRESS, UH, HOMEOWNERS, IS THIS, IS THIS A TOOL THAT WOULD REALLY HELP US MAYBE MEET OUR GOALS? SO THIS IS, UH, SOMETHING TO HAVE THE HEALTH ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING REVIEW THE BEST PRACTICES FROM A RANGE OF OTHER CITIES. AUSTIN IS ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS HERE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, AS IT HAS ACTUALLY MANDATED ENERGY AUDITS. NOT JUST FOR ONE TO FOUR FAMILIES, BUT FOR EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY SOLD IN THE, UM, IN THE CITY. AND THOSE, UH, PEOPLE IN AUSTIN HAVE SAID IT HAS REALLY HELPED THEM ACCELERATE AND ALLOW PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE CITY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO MOVE FORWARD. SO, AND AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING WE WOULD START, IF WE DID SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THE IDEA WOULD BE TO START JUST WITH THOSE FOR WHOM A MASS SAVE AUDIT IS FREE. AND WE WOULD, UH, ONE OF THE CONCERNS RAISED, WELL, IF SOMEONE IS SELLING THEIR HOUSE, BUT IT'S JUST GONNA BE DEMOLISHED, WHAT DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, WOULD THIS MAKE SENSE? WELL, WE CAN ALSO INCLUDE THAT IN THE CONVERSATION AS WELL. BUT I, I HOPE THIS IS SUPPORTED FULLY. 'CAUSE IT'S SOMETHING MANY FOLKS IN THE CITY HAVE BEEN ASKING US TO DO MUCH MORE AROUND, UH, WORKING WITH RESIDENTS. AND I THINK THIS IS ONE WAY TO DO THAT. AND I AM GRATEFUL THAT CO-SPONSORS AS WELL, COUNCILOR NOLAN YIELDS. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THIS HEARING? NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS POLICY ORDER. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE POLICY ORDER IS, UM, IS ADOPTED. WE WILL, WE'RE DONE WITH THE POLICY ORDERS. WE'RE DONE WITH THE CALENDAR. WE WILL GO TO [APPLICATIONS] APPLICATIONS PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN TO ADOPT ALL THREE APPLICATIONS. WE CAN DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THE ALL THREE APPLICATIONS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. WE NOW MOVE [PETITIONS] ON TO PETITIONS. THERE'S ONE PETITION. THIS IS A ZONING PETITION RECEIVED FROM MICHELLE R OF ALEXANDRIA. REAL ESTATE EQUITIES TRANSMITTING A PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 13 POINT 59.42 IF THE ZONING AMENDMENT ORDINANCE TO ALLOW FOR THE TRANSFER OF 250,000 SQUARE FEET OF GROSS FLOOR AREA FROM THE PUD FOUR C ZONING DISTRICT ON THE INDUSTRY B ZONING DISTRICT IN EXCHANGE FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE, OF THE EXISTING BRICK AND BEAM STRUCTURE AT 1 61 FIRST STREET INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THIS PETITION SEEKS TO AMEND THE ZONING MAP BY CREATING THE TECHNOLOGY SQUARE TRANSFER RECEIVING DISTRICT. THE ONLY VOTE HERE IS TO REFER TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND PLANNING BOARD FOR HEARING AND REPORT. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING BEFORE WE GO AHEAD ON [05:05:01] THAT? I DON'T SEE ANYONE. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON REFERRING TO THIS PETITION TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND PLANNING BOARD FOR THE, FOR A HEARING AND REPORT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE PETITION IS REFERRED. WE MIGHT NOW MOVE ON TO COMMUNICATIONS. [COMMUNICATIONS] THERE ARE 65 COMMUNICATIONS PLACE ON FILE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO PLACE ALL COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PLACED ON FILE. WE HAVE 12 [RESOLUTIONS] RESOLUTIONS. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. I'D LIKE TO PULL FIVE, 10, AND 12 COUNCILLOR SIMMONS POLLS FIVE, 10, AND 12. YES. PLEASURE. OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I'M GONNA QUICKLY PULL, UM, THE, UH, NUMBER, WHERE IS IT? UM, EIGHT. SO WE'VE PULLED 5, 8, 10, AND 12. AND WE CAN GO AHEAD, DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING THE BALANCE OF THE RESOLUTIONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION BY MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE, THE BALANCE OF THE RESOLUTIONS THAT ARE ADOPTED. WE WILL GO TO RESOLUTION NUMBER FIVE. THIS IS A RESOLUTION OF THE DEATH OF CHRISTOPHER AND AFFLECK. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, BUT PULLED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. I, YOU WOULD LIKE TO YIELD I'LL DEFER TO MY COLLEAGUE. I WOULD, I JUST PULLED IT TO ASK TO BE ADDED. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I, I WON'T READ THE, THE WHOLE THING AND OUTTA RESPECT FOR THE TIME, BUT I DO JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THE PASSING OF CHRIS AFFLECK. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK TO MOST PEOPLE WHO, WHO KNOW THAT NAME OUTSIDE OF CAMBRIDGE, JUST KNOW HER AS, YOU KNOW, KNOW HER AS THE MOM OF BEN AND CASEY AFFLECK. UM, WHICH I THINK SHE WOULD, SHE WOULD SAY IS PROBABLY HER GREATEST JOB. UH, YOU KNOW, AND MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT SHE ACCOMPLISHED IN HER LIFE. BUT SHE WAS, UH, REALLY SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. AND, UM, AS A TEACHER IN THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR DECADES AT, UH, AT THE TOBIN, UM, REALLY HAD AN INFLUENCE OVER SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE. SHE WAS AN ACTIVIST, UM, YOU KNOW, IN A, IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS. UM, I'M GONNA REMEMBER HER. AS YOU KNOW, I SPENT AS A TEENAGER A LOT OF TIME, UH, HANGING OUT WITH HER BOYS IN THEIR BASEMENT, , UM, DOING WHAT KIDS IN THE EIGHTIES DID, PLAYING VIDEO GAMES AND FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER AND WHATEVER. AND SHE WAS JUST ALWAYS, UM, UH, GAVE US ENOUGH SPACE TO, YOU KNOW, BE KIDS, BUT WATCHED OVER US ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TOO STUPID. UM, AND THEN THAT RELATIONSHIP GREW. UM, I WAS A, I DID AN INTERNSHIP IN HER FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOM AT TOBIN, UM, AND THEN GREW, UH, YOU KNOW, INTO MY POLITICAL LIFE. AND CHRIS WAS NEVER ONE WHO WAS AFRAID TO, UM, TELL YOU HOW SHE FELT. SO, UM, MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO BEN AND CASE AND, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WHO'S LIVES SHE, SHE TOUCHED. SHE WAS A REMARKABLE, UH, REMARKABLE PERSON. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ADD COUNCILOR SIMMONS. AND I'LL JUST SAY, THESE ARE UNANIMOUS ABOUT ADOPTION, BUT ADDING SOMEONE GETS THEM RIGHT. ALPHABET PUTS THEM SECOND, UH, AS A SPONSOR. SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT, THAT'S WHY, UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADD COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AS A CO-SPONSOR AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND NOW ON THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS [05:10:01] UPON ADOPTION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI. YES. VICE MAZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE RESOLUTION. NUMBER FIVE, AS AMENDED AS ADOPTED. WE'LL GO TO RESOLUTION NUMBER EIGHT. THIS IS THAT THE CITY, CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. GO ON RECORD THANKING MICHELLE KINCAID FOR HER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, AND WISH HER A HAPPY RETIREMENT. I PULLED THIS JUST TO SAY, I KNOW I AM SURE SHE'S WATCHING, BUT, UM, SHE WORKED FOR THE CITY FOR 28 YEARS, UM, HAS WORKED FOR THE CITY AND IS RETIRING AFTER 28 YEARS OF SERVICE. UM, SO JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK MICHELLE FOR ALL HER CONTRIBUTIONS. UM, I WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH MICHELLE DURING, YOU KNOW, COVID TIMES. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SHE'S, UH, YOU KNOW, DONE A GREAT WORK WITH THE CITY. THERE IS, UM, A RETIREMENT PARTY FOR HER TOMORROW MORNING, UM, THAT HOPEFULLY IS ON YOUR CALENDARS. UH, AND SO HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE, BUT WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE HER 28 YEARS. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. I JUST WAS CURIOUS. MADAM MAYOR, WILL SHE BE GOING TO RETIRE TO THE CREDIT UNION? WE WILL HAVE TO ASK HER TOMORROW. OKAY. YEAH. I'LL RESERVE THAT THEN. , MAYBE RUNNING OUTTA ROOM. SO, THANK YOU, MICHELLE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS, UH, RESOLUTION MAKING UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE RESOLUTION. NUMBER EIGHT PASSES. WE CAN GO TO RESOLUTION NUMBER 10. THIS IS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF VINCENT, VINCE LAWRENCE DIXON. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, PULLED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. JUST TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT VINCE, BUT YES, I LIKE TO BE ADDED. SO WELL GO AHEAD AND ADD COUNCILLOR SIMMONS FIRST. MM-HMM . TO THE RESOLUTION. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE NOW TO SPEAK ON THE AMENDED RESOLUTION. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. THANK YOU. UH, MANY OF US, UH, MAY HAVE KNOWN, A LOT OF US HAVE KNOWN VINCE DIXON. HE WAS A UNIQUE GENTLEMAN. HE GREW UP IN CAMBRIDGE, LIVED HERE FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. LOVED HISTORY MORE THAN MORE THAN YOU, MR. WINTERS , OR VERY CLOSE TO IT. UH, HE WAS A WALKING, UH, THAT OF INFORMATION WHEN IT CAME TO, CAME TO CAMBRIDGE HISTORY, PARTICULARLY POLITICAL HISTORY AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. I ACTUALLY HAD NOT REALIZED HE HAD MOVED TO WINCHESTER UNTIL AFTER HE HAD PASSED, BECAUSE I'VE SEEN, I HAD SEEN HIM SO MANY TIMES IN CAMBRIDGE. I DON'T KNOW. A GENTLEMAN WHO DID NOT LOVE THE CITY MORE THAN HE DID WAS SURPRISED. UH, HE, HE DIED AFTER A SHORT ILLNESS, UH, WHICH WAS SAD. UH, I WILL MISS HIM. I'LL MISS THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS HE SECOND ONLY TO RED MITCHELL, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT KNEW RED, ALTHOUGH RED ONLY SPOKE ABOUT ONE THING, VINCE TALKED ABOUT A GOOD MANY THINGS. AND SO HE WILL BE SORELY MISSED. AND I JUST WANT US TO, I HOPE THIS WILL PASS, BECAUSE I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, UM, FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FOR WHO HE IS, WHO HE WAS, AND WHAT HE MEANT TO CAMBRIDGE. I YIELD THE FLOOR. COUNCILOR FER. I JUST SECOND THAT. HE WAS A STATESMAN. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THE RESOLUTION. AMENDED. AS AMENDED. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. 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 SIMMONS. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS. THAT WAS ME. YOU MET MAYOR SIKI. OH, SORRY. I SAID YES. YEAH. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI SAID, YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. SO THAT RESOLUTION AS AMENDED IS PASSED. WE'LL GO TO RESOLUTION NUMBER 12. THIS IS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF COREY J HELEY. HEADLEY HEADLEY. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, PULLED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK, UM, TO BE ADDED TO THIS, UM, RESOLUTION. UH, COREY WAS A, A UNIQUE YOUNG MAN. [05:15:01] LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED BY HIS FAMILY. GAVE A LOT OF HIMSELF, UH, EVEN RIGHT DOWN TO THE TIME WHERE HE BECAME SICK, JUST WHEN THEY HAD HIS HOMEGOING SERVICE. SO MANY PEOPLE CAME JUST TO TALK ABOUT. HERE WAS SOMEONE THAT LOOKED OUT FOR EVERYONE, STOOD UP FOR PEOPLE, NEVER MET A STRANGER. ALWAYS WANTED TO GIVE HIS BEST TO HIS FRIENDS, HIS FAMILY, TO HIS COMMUNITY. HE WAS A YOUNG MAN, DIED ENTIRELY TOO SOON. THIS IS A FITTING WAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS LIVING. NOT HIS DEATH, BUT HIS LIVING. I YIELD THE FLOOR. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. CORY HADLEY WAS A GENTLEMAN GONE BEFORE HIS TIME. I'M SADDENED BY HIS LOSS AS, AS IS HIS FAMILY. AND, UH, I HOPE THAT THIS PASSES. I YIELD. WE'RE GONNA ADD COUNCILOR SIMMONS AS A SECOND CO-SPONSOR FOR THE RESOLUTION. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND NOW ON THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED TO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILLOR SUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE ARE FINISHED THAT, UM, RESOLUTION AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED. WE ARE FINISHED WITH THE RESOLUTIONS. WE WILL NOW [COMMITTEE REPORTS] MOVE ON TO COMMITTEE REPORTS. WE'VE DISPOSED OF A, A FEW ALREADY. UM, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. UM, THE BROWN PETITION, IT'S EITHER NUMBER SIX OR NUMBER EIGHT. SIX SHOWING UP ON NUMBER SIX AND NUMBER EIGHT. YEAH. IT'S NUMBER SIX AND EIGHT. NO, I THINK IT'S JUST, I THINK IT WAS NUMBER, JUST EIGHT INCORRECTLY. SO IS, IT WAS NUMBER INCORRECTLY IN THE BOOK. UM, SO IT'S SIX. YEAH. SO WE WILL GO AHEAD AND PLACE THE REMAINDER OF THE COMMITTEE REPORTS ON FI AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. EXCUSE ME. EXCEPT THE REPORT. EXCEPT THE REPORTS THAT PLACED ON FILE DISCUSSION. COUNCIL FLAHERTY ON THE BROWN PETITION. YES. WE'RE PULLING THAT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. WE HAVE TAKE THE OTHER, WE HAVE TO TAKE THE COMMITTEE REPORTS FIRST. ONE THROUGH FOUR. ONE THROUGH FOUR. AND MADAM CHAIR, THE ONLY COUNCILOR SIMMONS, ONLY THING I WANTED TO ADD. 'CAUSE I DIDN'T, WASN'T SURE. AND I WANTED TO ADD, ADOPT ANY UNDERLYING ORDERS. THEY MAY NOT, THEY MAY NOT BE ANY. THERE AREN'T ANY. SO I WAS, I JUST WANTED TO BE SURE. OKAY. VERY GOOD. SO, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND PLACE ONE THROUGH FOUR, ACCEPT THESE COMMITTEE REPORTS AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YEP. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE FOUR COMMITTEE REPORTS ARE PLACED ON ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. GO TO NUMBER COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER SIX, COUNCILOR SARNO WHEELER. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANKS. MAD MAYOR. THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MET TO HEAR THE PETITION. UH, AND AT THE, AT ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, THE COMMITTEE VOTED, UH, TO MOVE IT FORWARD TO THE FULL COUNCIL WITH A NEGATIVE RECOMMENDATION BY, I BELIEVE THE VOTE WAS SEVEN TO TWO. UM, TO DISPOSE OF THE MOTION, UH, WE WOULD NEED TO MAKE A VOTE TO ADOPT THE PETITION. UH, IF YOU DO NOT WANNA MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PETITION, YOU WOULD VOTE NO. THAT'S HOW I'LL BE VOTING, UH, ON THIS AS NO. UM, IT WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE PETITION. SO THAT MOTION IS BEFORE US DISCUSSION. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, I'M GONNA EXERCISE MY CHARTER RIGHT ON THIS. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER. RIGHT? IT'S NOT NEW BUSINESS BECAUSE IT'S NOT NEW BUSINESS. WELL, I THINK I CAN EXERCISE A CHARTER. RIGHT? CAN I, ON A, ON A PENDING COMMITTEE REPORT? NO. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT. SO IT WAS A NINE. IT WAS, I THINK IT WAS, I DON'T THINK IT WAS A NINE NEGATIVE VOTE. I THINK COUNCILOR FLAHERTY VOTED IN FAVOR OF IT. SO, SO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU CAN'T EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER RIGHT. ON THIS. SO, UM, WELL, I WOULD, I DONT THINK IT, IT'S NOT NEW BUSINESS. IT'S, YEAH, IT'S NOT NEW BUSINESS. I'M, I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S WE'RE CLERK IS CHECKING, BUT [05:20:01] MM-HMM . YEAH. I, I, I MEAN, I THINK, I THINK WE DON'T, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A, THE VOTE WAS TAKEN. IT WAS A NEGATIVE RECOMMENDATION. SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT EVEN EXERCISING THE CHARTER, IF IT'D BE PERMISSIBLE, WHAT IT WOULD DO. WELL, I CAN EXPLAIN IT WHAT THE INTENT OF IT IS. AND I, AND IT'S, I THINK IT'S PROVIDED FOR ON THE, SO ROBERT'S RULES, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON THE RULES THAT YOU CAN ONLY EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER RIGHT. ON CERTAIN ITEMS, ON MOTIONS, ON THINGS THAT HAVE HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE THE BODY. SO I'M, I THINK THE SOLICITOR IS, AND I ARE TEXTING RIGHT NOW, SO I THINK I WILL RULE THAT YOU CAN'T DO IT AND THAT WE PROCEED WITH THE VOTE. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, GIVEN THAT IT WAS A MAJORITY NEGATIVE RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? NO. THAT, THAT WAS BEFORE THE BODY, BUT MOVING. IT WAS NOT BEFORE THE BODY. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M EXERCISING MY CHARTER RIGHT ON. I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO A COMMITTEE REPORT BASED ON WHAT THE SOLICITOR HAS TOLD ME AND WHAT I, WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. SORRY. I WOULD SAY WE PROCEED TO THE VOTE. WELL, I, I'LL JUST SAY FOR THE RECORD, THE REASON WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT IT BE CHARTER WRITER IS BECAUSE WE'RE IN A POSITION OF NOT BEING IN A, IN A, UH, FULLY INFORMED DECISION MAKING, UH, POSTURE. BECAUSE CDD APPARENTLY IS PREPARED TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THAT MAY OR MAY NOT CONSTITUTE A REPETITIVE, UM, ACTION, A REPETITIVE AMENDMENT. AND I THINK IT MAKES SENSE FOR THIS PARTY TO EVALUATE THE BROWN PETITION ALONGSIDE ANY CDD PETITION, TO AMEND THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE SO THAT WE DON'T FIND OURSELVES IN A PETITION WHERE IN, IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE FACED WITH, UH, AN ARGUMENT THAT THIS IS A REPETITIVE PETITION. FOR INSTANCE, IF THE BROWN PETITION IS VOTED DOWN AND THEN CDD COMES FORWARD WITH A SUBSEQUENT PETITION, IF THAT SUBSEQUENT PETITION IS ARGUABLY, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT IS, BUT IF IT'S ARGUABLY REPETITIVE, THEN WE BOXED OURSELVES IN. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO EXERCISE OUT, AND, AND THAT'S WHY I'M EXERCISING MY CHARTER RIGHT ON THIS PETITION AT THIS MOMENT. SO, COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, I'M GONNA RULE THAT THIS IS NOT A NEW BUSINESS, SO YOU CAN'T EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER. RIGHT. SO I WOULD SAY, LET'S GO AHEAD AND PROCEED TO THE VOTE. IT'S NOT NEW BUSINESS. YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. I, I WOULD JUST SAY TO, UM, COUNCILLOR FLAY, WHEN WE ASKED THAT QUESTION OF, OF THE CITY'S SOLICITOR AT THE TIME, AND SHE SAID IT WOULD NOT BE A CONFLICT. WELL, AND CON AND THE SOLICITOR HAS SAID VIA TEXT THAT YOU CANNOT EXERCISE YOUR CHARTER RIGHT. ON THIS. RIGHT. AND WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE CITY SOLICITOR, SHE'S NOT THE FINAL WORD ON THIS. I AM. 'CAUSE I'M THE CHAIR. SO I THINK FOR NOW WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND PROCEED TO THE VOTE THAT, THE MOTION THAT COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER MADE. SO, CLERK, CAN YOU DO A ROLL CALL? COUNCILOR ZUBE? NO. VICE MAYOR. NO. NO. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? OH YEAH. NO, NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNCILLOR ZUI? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THE PETITION IS NOT ADOPTED. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. UH, MOTION TO PLACE ON FILE. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER MOVES TO PLACE COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER SIX ON FILE. ACCEPT TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND PLACE IT ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE COMMITTEE. REPORT NUMBER SIX IS PLACED ON FILE. WE'RE DONE WITH THE COMMITTEE REPORTS SO WE CAN GO AHEAD TO [ROUNDTABLE/WORKING MEETING SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD] THE TWO SETS OF ROUND TABLE [05:25:01] MINUTES. SUBMISS OF THE RECORD. ON, ON A ME ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO PLACE ACCEPT, ACCEPT, AND PLACE FEES ON FILE FROM FEBRUARY 2ND AND APRIL 6TH. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILLOR ZUBIE. YES. 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 EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE TWO REPORTS ARE ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO [COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS] COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICE OFFICERS. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. MAYOR SIDIKI. COUNCILOR NOLAN, NUMBER TWO. NUMBER TWO, COUNCILOR NOLAN POLLS. NUMBER TWO, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. PLACED THE OTHER TWO ON FILE. WE, WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN TO PLACE COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. ONE AND THREE ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI. YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN. YES. YES. NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. UH, YE. EXCUSE ME. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE COMMUNICATION AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. ONE AND THREE ARE PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL GO TO TWO. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM COUNCILLOR NOLAN SUBMITTING PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ZONING PETITION. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. MAYOR SIDIKI. UH, I DID SUBMIT THIS. WHAT'S THAT? UH, TO MY COLLEAGUES, UH, BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE AT THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH. THIS IS THE SHORT TERM RENTAL. THE STR ORDINANCE CHANGES ARE SOMETHING I'VE WORKED ON ALONG WITH MANY ON THIS COUNCIL FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. AND I WANTED TO BRING THIS FORWARD. 'CAUSE I THINK IT, IT WOULD BE A BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER THE PETITION BEFORE US TO REMIND US ALL. THE PETITION BEFORE US HAS A NUMBER OF CHANGES. AND THE MAIN GOAL, ONE OF THE MAIN GOALS IS TO CLARIFY THE SITUATION, BUT ALSO TO HAVE BETTER ENFORCEMENT. 'CAUSE AS WE KNOW, MORE THAN HALF OF THE SHORT TERM RENTALS AVAILABLE IN THE CITY ARE ILLEGAL AND ARE NOT ALLOWED. UM, AND SO THIS GIVES, THE CITY HAS WORKED REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY MIGHT DO TO HAVE BETTER ENFORCEMENT. ONE OF THE PROPOSALS, WHICH, UM, AT LEAST I THINK ONE OF, UH, OUR COLLEAGUES IS SUPPORTIVE OF, WELL, WHY DON'T WE JUST HAVE A 90 DAY, UM, LIMIT ON ALL SHORT-TERM RENTALS. I AM IN FAVOR OF DOING THAT ONLY FOR ONE TYPE OF RENTAL, WHICH IS WHOLE UNIT RENTAL. I THINK IF WE HAD A 90 DAY LIMIT ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS FOR EVERY SINGLE TYPE, BASICALLY WE'RE NOT HAVING SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN THE CITY. IT'S, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT SOMETHING ANY, UM, OPERATOR OF AN, UH, AN ADJACENT SO THAT IF YOU OWN A TWO FAMILY AND YOU WANT TO USE, HAVE A SHORT-TERM RENTAL ON THE OTHER HALF, YOU'RE, YOU'RE REALLY NOT GONNA DO IT. AND WE'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF THOSE OPERATORS THAT IT WOULD NOT BE SOMETHING THEY WOULD EVER CHOOSE TO DO WHEN THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE IT'S SOMETHING THAT MEANS THAT THE CITY IS SERIOUS ABOUT EVEN HAVING A SHORT-TERM RENTAL. SO THE, THE GOAL OF THE ENFORCEMENT ALSO IS, IN MY VIEW, IS IF WE CAN GET THOSE HUNDREDS OF UNITS THAT ARE NOW ILLEGAL TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE USED AS SHORT-TERM RENTALS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE RETURNED TO THE LONG-TERM RENTAL MARKET, WHICH WOULD BE A NET POSITIVE FOR THE CITY. I EXPECT THERE TO BE HUNDREDS. AND I JUST WANT MY COLLEAGUES TO KNOW, I, I DID SEND THIS AS WELL. I SUBMITTED TO THE PLANNING BOARD. THEY ARE HAVING THEIR MEETING ON THIS ORDINANCE CHANGE TOMORROW. AND AT THE MEETING, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT WOULD UNFOLD, BUT IF ANY OF THE COLLEAGUES BASED ON THAT WANT TO SUBMIT THIS DURING THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, THAT'S HOW I WOULD BE PROPOSING TO VOTE FOR IT FOR, FOR FUTURE. UM, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, FINE, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S EXPLAINED IN THE COMMUNICATION FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. COUNCIL NOLAN YIELDS. ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND BASE THIS ON FILE? NO. SORRY. COUNCILOR NOLAN WAS, WHAT WAS YOUR MOTION TO REFER THIS TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE? YES. TO REFER TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE ON AUGUST 19TH. ON AUGUST 19TH. SO THAT'S THE MOTION BEFORE US. YES. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. COUNCILOR ? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THAT COMMUNICATION FROM OTHER AND REPORT FROM OTHER CITY. OFFICER NUMBER TWO HAS BEEN REFERRED TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE ON AUGUST 19TH. WE ARE DONE WITH THE, THOSE COMMUNICATIONS. WE'LL GO TO LATE [LATE AGENDA ITEMS REQUIRING SUSPENSION OF THE RULES PER RULE 36A] AGENDA ITEMS, THIS EITHER'S THREE. AND THEY REQUIRE SUSPENSION. THE RULES PER RULE 36 A. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON SUSPENSION TO BRING THOSE FORWARD. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. [05:30:01] YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE ARE IN SUSPENSION. THERE'S THREE LATE RESOLUTIONS. FIRST ONE IS A RESO, UH, CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF DOROTHY TOR SEA. YOU CAN CORRECT ME. PAOLO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YOU FILED IT. YES. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING, BOB? YES. UM, I'M SURE EVERYBODY IN THIS CHAMBER IS FAMILIAR WITH ARMANDO'S, UM, AN ICONIC, UH, PIZZA ESTABLISHMENT ON, UH, HURON AVE IN WEST CAMBRIDGE. UM, FREQUENTED BY NEARLY EVERY KID WHO'S PLAYED LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UH, THIS IS THE MOTHER WHO PASSED. SHE WAS A, UH, A STAR WART, ALWAYS THERE, ALWAYS BEHIND THE COUNTER, ALWAYS SERVING, UH, WONDERFULLY, UH, DELICIOUS PIZZA, AND ALWAYS WITH A SMILE. JUST A, A LOVELY PERSON OF TREMENDOUS FAMILY AND, UH, REAL COMMUNITY PARTNERS. SO, UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO EXTEND MY HEARTFELT SYMPATHIES, UH, UPON HER PASSING FROM THE CITY TO HER FAMILY, NO CONDOLENCE TO HER FAMILY. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION, MAKING A UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ROSE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR ZIM. YES. YES. COUNCILOR 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 NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THIS, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THAT RESO LATE RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. WE'LL GO TO RESOLUTION NUMBER TWO HERE, CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY OF LARRY ARONSON. THIS IS FILED BY COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, MYSELF AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. UM, ANOTHER BIG LOSS FOR THE CAMBRIDGE COMMUNITY. UH, LARRY, UM, JUST A MORE THAN JUST A LONG TIME EDUCATOR, GOING BACK TO THE SEVENTIES. UM, HE WAS EVERYWHERE IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, YOU'D ALWAYS SEE HIM WITH HIS, HIS CAMERA. HE, HE, THEY, THEY, THEY'RE, DO THEY, THEY'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH LARRY'S PICTURES IN THE LAST BITS OF HIS LIFE. THERE'S ALMOST A MILLION, LIKE, LITERALLY PICTURES THAT HAVE TO BE ARCHIVED, THAT HE'S TAKEN OVER 40 YEARS, 40 PLUS YEARS. UM, I MEAN, HE PROBABLY HAS MORE PICTURES OF ME THROUGH THE VARIOUS AGES THAN MY PARENTS DO, UM, BECAUSE HE WAS JUST EVERYWHERE. AND, UM, HE'S GOING TO BE SORELY MISSED. UH, HE DIED PEACEFULLY, UH, THANKFULLY, UM, LAST WEEK. UM, BUT HE WAS, YOU KNOW, HE'D ALWAYS BE IN HIS CAMBRIDGE GEAR AND, UH, JUST HAD A, A TRUE PASSION, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS CITY. AND, UM, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ANOTHER, IT'S JUST ANOTHER BIG LOSS, UH, FOR US. UM, SO THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, I, I TOO, UM, WAS SAD TO HEAR ABOUT MR. AARONS. AND ALTHOUGH WE KNEW HE HAD BEEN SICK AND IT WAS INEVITABLE, BUT IT GIVES US AN OP, IT GIVES US AN OP ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO REMEMBER A LIFE WELL LIVED. I DO KNOW A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THEY SAY, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN HE WORE THE TUTU FOR THE PILOT SHOW. I DON'T REMEMBER THAT. BUT, UM, I CAN'T GET THAT IMAGE OUTTA MY BRAIN. ONE OF THE THINGS I DO WANNA MENTION IS THAT IN THE POLICY ORDER, I WANTED TO, AND I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, IT TALKED ABOUT, IT SAYS, UM, VOTED MORE THAN 40 YEARS TO EDUCATING, WELL JUST PUT 40 YEARS EDUCATING CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS, CAMBRIDGE STUDENT. UH, AND, BUT HE ALSO WAS A COLLEGE PROFESSOR AT UMASS. AND I JUST WANTED THAT ADDED, AS YOU KNOW, I WROTE IT DOWN, BUT I DON'T HAVE WHAT I WROTE IT ON. SO, SOMEONE WHO WAS FAR MORE SKILLED THAN I. SO WE'LL PUT IN THE SECOND. UH, WHEREAS LARRY DEVOTED MORE THAN 40 YEARS TO EDUCATING CAMBRIDGE STUDENTS, INCLUDING AT THE FORMER GROUP SCHOOL AND PILOT SCHOOL. UM, AS WELL AS, UH, HE WAS A PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT UMASS BOSTON, AS WELL AS BEING, UH, IN OKAY. WE'LL ADD, UM, THEY SEND IT TO US IN ADDITION. SHE DOESN'T HAVE, WE'RE DOING IT ON THE FLY FLIGHTS. OH, OKAY. AND CHICKEN SAID ABOUT THAT, IT LATER, BUT WE'LL ADD THE, AND INCORPORATE THAT HE WAS A PROFESSOR AS WELL AT UMASS. THANK YOU. SO ON THAT, UM, AMENDMENT, WE CAN DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCIL [05:35:01] OF FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE THAT AMENDMENT HAS BEEN ADDED. CONS, FLAHERTY, JUST, JUST A QUICK WORD ABOUT LARRY. HE LIVED NEXT DOOR ON WOODBRIDGE STREET FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, AND HE WAS A REAL GIFT. HE WAS A GREAT NEIGHBOR. HE BECAME GREAT FRIENDS WITH MY MOTHER. AND, UH, HE AND MY MOTHER AND OUR NEIGHBOR, JUDY, WOULD SIT OUT BACK AND HAVE A GLASS OF WINE OR IN A SUMMER EVENING, AND DISCUSS ALL THE IMPORTANT THINGS IN THE WORLD. AND, UH, HE WAS A REAL GENTLEMAN. SO I'LL MISS HIM. AND I WANT TO EXTEND MY CONDOLENCES ON BEHALF OF MY MOTHER AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY TO HIS FAMILY COUNSELOR NOLAN. YES. AS I THINK EVERYONE SAID, THE REMARKABLE THING ABOUT LARRY, HE REALLY WAS EVERYWHERE. AND HE TOOK PICTURES EVERYWHERE. AND HE WAS ALSO OPEN AND COULD REMEMBER A LOT OF PEOPLE HE HAD JUST MET VERY BRIEFLY. I KNOW THAT MY KIDS KNEW HIM JUST FROM BEING AROUND CRLS WHEN HE WAS IN VARIOUS STAGES. I THINK HE'D ALREADY RETIRED BY THEN, AND YET, PRETTY MUCH EVERY KID AT CRLS DURING THE TIME KNEW HIM. I CERTAINLY KNEW HIM FROM MY YEARS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, PARTICULARLY ON SCHOOL COMMITTEE. AND HE WAS A, A, A MENTION EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD AND, AND REALLY A COMMUNITY ASSET. SO IT'S A DEEP LOSS TO THE COMMUNITY. BUT AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, HE, HE'S, HE KNEW THIS WAS COMING. HE WAS SICK FOR A WHILE. AND HE ALSO HANDLED THAT WITH GRACE AND WITH AND WITH WIT, AND WITH CHARM, AND WITH, UH, A GIFT TO THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS THAT YOU CAN PASS PEACEFULLY. I DIDN'T HAVE, UH, LARRY AS A TEACHER, BUT, UM, SINCE, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING THE TIME BEING IN OFFICE, HE WAS JUST ALWAYS, UH, SO SUPPORTIVE. UM, SO KIND. I HAVE SO MANY RANDOM MESSAGES FROM HIM. UM, AND I'LL, I'LL MISS HIM. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST AM GRATEFUL FOR WHO HE STA YOU KNOW, WHAT HE STOOD FOR. AND, UM, I THINK HIS LEGACY WILL REALLY, UH, LIVE ON. SO, MADAM MAYOR? YES. COUNCILOR. I JUST WANNA THANK YOU AND TELL YOU THAT, UM, WHEN I WENT OVER TO TO SEE LARRY FOR THE LAST TIME, JUST A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE HE PASSED, UM, I ASKED YOU FOR A KEY TO THE CITY TO PRESENT TO HIM. AND, UM, HE WAS IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND REALLY AT THE END, BUT HE DID NOT LET GO OF THAT FOR THREE DAYS, AND HE DIED WITH IT IN HIS HAND. UM, SO THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS RESOLUTION, UH, AS AMENDED AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THAT RESOLUTION AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED, WE GO ONTO THE FINAL LATE RESOLUTION. THIS WAS FILED BY MYSELF, COUNCILOR GOVERNOR, AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. THIS IS ON THE PASSING, THE UNTIMELY PASSING OF KEVIN FOSTER, UH, WHO'S BEEN A LONG TIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT. UM, AND HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE BEEN DEEPLY, UH, ROOTED IN OUR CITY. AND, UH, ACTUALLY IN JUNE, WE APPROVED HIS REAPPOINTMENT TO THE, UH, COMMUNITY PRESERVATION ACT COMMITTEE. UM, AND HE HAD BEEN FIRST APPOINTED IN TO, UM, 2012. 2012. SO THIS IS A HUGE LOSS, UM, UH, TO HIS FAMILY, UM, TO SO MANY OF HIS, UH, BELOVED FRIENDS. UH, AND SO WE WANTED TO BRING THIS FORWARD, UM, AND, AND RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, THE OBITUARY, UH, WAS RELEASED TODAY, AND THEIR SERVICES WILL BE, UH, NEXT WEEK. COUNCILOR MCG, GOVERNOR COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YEAH. I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON LATELY. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, UM, SO MANY, SO MANY LOSSES. AND I JUST, UM, AGAIN, JUST WAS TALKING TO KEVIN A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. UM, SO JUST MY CONDOLE DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO NADIA AND THE BOYS. UM, AND, UH, YEAH, IT JUST, IT WAS VERY UNTIMELY AND VERY TRAGIC. THANK YOU. YEAH. WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THIS, UH, RESOLUTION. MAKING AN UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YEAH. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. [05:40:01] THE LATE RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED. WE'RE DONE WITH THE LATE RESOLUTIONS. THERE ARE NO LATE POLICY ORDERS. IT IS 1112. WE WILL ADJOURN ON A MOTION BY COUNCIL MCGOVERN AND WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR 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 NINE MEMBERS. RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE, WE'RE ADJOURNED. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. SEE YOU SEPTEMBER 14TH. * 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.