City Council

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Good afternoon everyone. It's been a very busy morning. I want to welcome all our guests to the chamber this afternoon. I call to order today's meeting of the Boston City Council. Viewers can watch the council meeting live on YouTube at boston.gov backslash city dash council dash tv At this time, I ask my colleagues and those in the audience to please silence their cell phones and electronic devices. Also pursuant to Rule 42, I remind all in this Chamber that no demonstration of approval or disapproval from members of the public will be permitted. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, will you please take a roll call vote to ascertain the presence of a quorum?

Councillor Breadon.

Yes, here.

Here. Councillor Coletta Zapata, Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkan. Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell.

I've been informed by the Clerk that a quorum is present. Now it is my pleasure to ask Councillor Flynn to come forward and introduce today's clergy, Pastor Enoch.

Good afternoon. I have the opportunity and the privilege to invite Pastor Enoch provide a prayer to the Boston City Council and to the residents of the city. I wanted to invite the pastor to be with us today for the incredible role in leadership His church plays in the city of Boston, especially throughout the Asian community and greater Boston as well. The Boston Chinese Evangelical Church have had the opportunity to I wanted to ensure that the voices of this church are heard, the prayers are heard. Asian American brothers and sisters across Massachusetts, across the nation.

And also as we address anti-Asian racism that was seeing I do think it's important to Join the pastor as we pray for peace in our city. Pastor, it's an honor to be with you.

Thank you, Councillor and thank you for having me, Councillors and esteemed members of I was told I have a 45-minute time to preach, which is about half the time I usually do on a Sunday. But on behalf of just being a part of Boston, the Chantown community, member of the Chan Town Coalition executive team for several decades and just a longtime part of our church, Boston Chinese Evangelical Church which has been in Boston's Chinatown since 1961. And for just on behalf my senior pastor Thomas Lee it is an honor to be here we do pray for the city leaders and government weekly. and our services because the word of God tells us to uphold you all for the incredibly important, challenging and vital work that you do. So allow me to pray as guided by the words of our sacred text, the Bible. So invite us to pray if you're welcome to join Oh, you're welcome to stand in my church. We stand, we kneel, whatever is comfortable, whatever you want. You can also, if you're not a member of faith, just listen and see how it affects

I'm gonna pray through four passages of the sacred scriptures of the Christian text as we just lift up our voices for these counselors and their staff, and really all those in power to serve people. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the great opportunity In a democracy, in the opportunity to vote and the opportunity have a voice. It is so precious that I think sometimes unless we have the privilege to really travel to some parts of the world It is so easy for me and perhaps others to take for granted the incredible freedoms we have here, help us to cherish it. And as we pray for these Councillors and pray for our city I'm reminded of the words of scripture in Leviticus 19.15, where you shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or deferred to the great but in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. I pray that there will be no deference to the rich and a great compassion for the poor, that there would be justice and impartiality in all that these councillors do.

as well as our mayor and the state, and the country. So help us to really understand what it means to be fair and just in the eyes of a holy God. I also pray for this council in the words of Proverbs 3 27 where it says Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it. We pray for the proper and respectful use of power. I know people think sometimes city government is sort of like the lowest rung and people think of the federal government, but there's incredible power in the city. And we pray that these men and women would steward that with great humility and indeed love for their fellow People in our great city, whether they're citizens, whether the sojourners. And we pray that when they have the power to do good let their impulse be to do it unless something holds them back because of fairness justice resources but let each of these councillors have an impulse to do

when it's in their power, not just them but really everyone in our great city. Lord I'm also mindful of the words that amazing woman in the book of Esther chapter 4 verse 14 where she was challenged by her cousin For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise from another place. But you in your father's house may perish. And who knows whether you have not come to this kingdom for such a time as this? Lord, in the theology of Christianity, every single person here standing as a counselor is here by your divine appointment. I know they worked hard to get elected, to get the word out on the street, to mobilize people, to make a case for why they should be entrusted but in our real theology, you've appointed each of them here. I pray that they would do the good that You want them to do and I pray not only would they do the Good but they would experience the Good of a God who knows and loves each one of them in a way that really not just transforms the city, but I pray a special prayer for these councilors and their staff, and all those they work with. Would you let this be?

It's a hard thing to say in the city hall but let this job be a blessing to them. Let them find joy. They have a lot of criticism and a lot people pushing and pulling all directions as it should be When they have so much ability and power, but Lord in the midst of all that may they actually become better people and experience joy from the awesomeness of having the ability to Leverage their voice on behalf of those around them. And Father, finally I pray in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when he said in Luke chapter 12 saying this, everyone to whom much was given, much will be required. And from him who has been entrusted much they will demand them more. I pray a positive prayer for these counselors Help them to not get too heady about all that power and all the attention about them being in city government, which is one globally important city like Boston.

We all have our insecurities and egos and hopes and dreams, and that's well and fine but at the end of the day Help them to be faithful and responsible. Teach us as a city to support them, to keep them honest and challenge them but also ultimately to love them and encourage them as they do your work knowing that Lord at some point they will relinquish their power to someone else who will hopefully carry on the great work of you in this city, this City on a Hill Boston that we're so grateful for. We thank you and I pray all this and for the City Council and for everyone here in our vast city may it be a blessing to the world And I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for All.

Thoughtful words this morning. We have two presentations this morning. Councilor Weber is recognizing retired BPS educators, Councilor Webber would you like to come forward? And then that will be followed by Councilor Louijeune It's recognizing the crew love basketball tournament. So we'll start with Councilor Weber.

Okay, thank you Madam President. This morning we had our second annual breakfast honoring Our retired BPS teachers, administrators, staff were joined this morning by an amazing group of We have ESL teachers and English teachers, history teachers, math teachers, administrators, at least one school nurse. And I just want to thank my colleagues who attended. It's a wonderful occasion for us to celebrate people who mean so much to our city, so I think I did all of my talking and hopefully my colleagues were able to convey how grateful they are in our breakfast. If I could just invite everyone down here and my colleagues for a group photo on the council floor if you attended the breakfast, is that?

Yeah, we can all squeeze in, I think. Yes, we'll stand around the front and up here on the dais.

Yeah, if you just come forward and take the stage. This is a logistical challenge.

We could probably stand out in front over there, it might be more space. Let's try that.

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Thank you, everyone. And thank you to Councillor Weber and thank you all the many retiree teachers Thank you for your service and all your commitment to our students across the city for many, many years. I will now invite... Before I proceed, I'd just like to amend the attendance to recognize that Councillor Culpepper and Councillor Mejia have joined us. Louijeune, would you like to come forward with your guests this afternoon?

Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you to the Crew Love team for coming on down. I'm so excited to have y'all here with us to recognize for the first time ever Crew Love Weekend in the city of Boston. The Crew Love Basketball Tournament is not just about basketball, it's about spreading love in the city of Boston. It has always been a joy for me to attend Crew Love, to show up and to see the joy that y'all bring to people in neighborhoods You know, the pastor just talked about the power that we have here as city councillors but you all have tremendous power when it comes to bringing community together. When it comes making sure our young people have good and positive role models to look up to Y'all are that. And so I'm just happy to have you all here. I want to say a happy birthday to my fellow Leo Giosmatti, today's her birthday turning 12. So shout out to you and we are also in the presence of greatness with Chilwell William Veal and all that you've done and all

The foundation for what it looks like, the Diamond Ring Tournament with all you do and centering community in all that you do. I just want to say thank you, thanks to the entire team. To Royce, to Drew, to all of y'all for what you do. I think this is beautiful how beautiful this is to give one to each city councilor a crew love Jersey with Hyde Park on it. Although I'm always conflicted when Mattapin's, I think the last two years, Mattapine and Hyde Parker played always conflict as a Mattapan girl who grew up watching people like y'all play basketball Y'all are the people that we look up to, and that y'all doing this for The Next Generation is really beautiful. So I'm honored to present Crew Love Weekend Krulov, I'm just going to read a little bit of this. This is a resolution recognizing the second weekend of August as Krulove Weekend in the City of Boston. Come on up. Caesar and Drew? Yeah.

Crew Love Weekend began in 2012 as a friendly basketball rivalry among a group of friends and has grown into one of Boston's most celebrated community traditions, bringing together residents from neighborhoods across the city through the unifying power of sport culture and civic pride. and what started as spirited basketball competition between local brands and small businesses grew to include city love games, adding neighborhood rivalries to the tradition. Beginning with Roxbury and Dorchester The City Love Games have since expanded to include Mattapan, High Park and other Boston neighborhoods fostering healthy competition while strengthening relationships and building lasting connections across communities. This tournament remains entirely community-driven and volunteer led, with participants competing not for monetary prizes but for neighborhood pride, sportsmanship, and a shared love of the city of Boston. The event is intentionally inclusive, featuring youth competitions, women's games and family-friendly programming that encourages participation across generations while promoting positive recreation, mentorship and community engagement.

And whereas since its inception, Crew Love has maintained a safe, welcoming and positive environment that exemplifies how grassroots initiatives can strengthen neighborhoods, promote public safety through community engagement, and celebrate the diversity and resilience of Boston's residents. And whereas Crew Love has attracted the support and participation of civic leaders, professional athletes, and community advocates further demonstrating its importance as a unifying event that showcases the very best of Boston's neighborhoods and community spirit. Now, therefore be it resolved that the Boston City Council hereby designates the second weekend of August as Crew Love Weekend in the city of Boston in recognition of the enduring positive impact of this annual community tradition and its role in bringing together residents from every corner of our city in celebration of unity, sportsmanship, and love for Boston. Congratulations y'all.

I was advised by my better half not to write anything down and speak from the heart, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do here. So bear with me a little bit.

Shout out to his better half. Yes. Candace in the back there.

First off, Louijeune, thank you and the entire Boston City Council for having us here today. And not only recognizing but declaring crew love weekend in the city of Boston as a second week in August That means so much to not my team, not my crew. These are my brothers. My name is Cesar. This is Drew, Rich, Phil. We have Keith back here. We're missing Phil. Greg, and Dave who's one of our founding members of Crew Love. We've been at this for 14 years, 14 hard years of sacrifices, sacrifices from financial to time to relationships, even friendships. And this is what it's all about. I can't tell you how many times we sat at our tables and said, we don't want to do this anymore. But that turned into, what's the city going to think? We're going to let the city down. And we can't have that. Everyone recognizes Cruella as a basketball tournament, but it's bigger than that, much bigger than That Basketball is just the foundation

We use basketball to bring our communities together, to compete on a high level in a safe environment. 14 years we never had any issues at our tournaments and we've been policing ourselves through that with the support of our counselors I know Julia, you've been a big part of it. Brian, Ruthie, you have been a part of this and Fitz, you are out there with us as well repping your Dorchester so we would love to see more of you guys out there supporting us. We give much thanks to all our vendors, supporters All our participants over the past 14 years and I just got to give one big shout out to The Sunbeams, which is our significant others because they deal with it the most. We argue, we fight, we have disagreements and I guarantee you every single one of you are getting an earful All year long, not just when it's tournament time but all year long so we appreciate you guys so much. To my brothers thank you guys for 14 years of hard work sacrifice and this is what it's all about. We came here we're not doing this for recognition

We're doing it for the love of the city. Our motto has always been spread love. So when you see that, that's crew love and that's what we represent spreading love throughout our city. So thank you guys again for declaring this. This is major for not only us This is not a moment for us, this is a moment of the city of Boston and we truly appreciate that. So thank you guys.

Man, how do you top that? That's hard. We want to say thank you. First and foremost, everybody in the room we want to say thank you. We are deeply and greatly humbled by this recognition. Again, this is coming from a A little conversation from a cookout, right? A little creative idea, a little banter over some burgers and fries, hot dogs, things of that nature. But, you know it took us some time to get to where we are and I think When it comes down to it when we started. We were at Garvey Park And now we're at Harambee park And you can see the difference between both parks. One's bigger than the other, so we outgrew one and again our message is always spread love. We just want to unify the city the best way we can right? So with your help

You know, and the city's help. You know as one We will continue to spread love the right way. I know we are in some hard times of violence and things of that nature, and I think that Crew Love is a weekend that shows that we can come together and be peaceful to one another. So again, thank you all but I can't say anything else I want to thank the people that come. The city of Boston, the people who live in the city they make crew love what it is every year. From the players, the coaches, our families, we truly thank you for the recognition. Truly, thank you for everything that you've done. Ruth, thank for everything you have done but again we all have a mission here and to make Boston a safe and better place and I just know that we are

We're trying to be a part of that, you know? And we just want to keep going the best way we can. So these are my brothers. This is a forever thing. We wanna pass cool love down to the next generation. Again, mentoring is big. and that's what we're on. So if you don't see us, as we all get older and things of that nature there is always gonna be somebody that's bringing crew love forward so again thank you guys.

Thank you Drew and Cesar, and the entire crew. We're gonna pray for no rain this weekend, even if there is we'll have a backup plan so if I could ask my colleagues to come up with your beautiful jerseys For us to take a picture, that would be amazing. Thank you. The sunbeams, if the sunbeam can come on down that would be great.

Caesar.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Group of the Weekend

I'm so excited to be here today.

Thank you so much.

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Thank you so much.

Thank you everyone.

Thanks again to Crew Love. Have a wonderful weekend, Crew Love weekend. We're now on to the first order of business, which is the approval of the minutes for the meeting of July 22nd, 2026. All in favour say aye. All opposed say nay. The ayes have it the minutes of July 2022nd meeting are approved We are now on to communications from our honourable mayor. Mr. Clerk, can you please read docket 1513?

Docket number 1513 message in order authorizing the city of Boston to accept and expend the amount have $130,000 in the form of a grant. from the HBS Leadership Fellow Grant awarded by Harvard Business School to be administered by the Mayor's Office. The grant will fund the HPS Leadership Fellow position, which will provide one year of support to the mayor's office.

Thank you Mr. Clerk, the Chair recognizes Councilor Worrell, the chair of the Committee on Labor and Economic Development. You have the floor.

Thank you Madam President I'm looking forward-I'm looking to suspend and pass this low dollar grant This is a fellowship funded by Harvard Business School that places someone in the mayor's office to help gain experience as well as connections and help shape the programs and policies for the city. We've seen some strong fellows through the years dating back to 2002 under Mayor Menino, both Dan Coe and Chris Osgood served as fellows from HBS So I'm looking forward to suspending and passage of this low dollar grant. Thank you.

Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1513?

Councilor Breadon Yes Councilor Brayton, yes Councilor Coletta Zapata Councilor Culpepper, yes Councillor Culpeper, yes Durkan, yes. Councilor Fitzgerald? Yes. Council Fitzgeral, yes, Council Flynn? Yes, Councilor Flynn, yes Council Loujeune, Council Mejia? Council Meijia, yes Counselor Murphy? Yes Councilor Murphy, yes Council Santana? Yes. Council Santina, yes. Council Weber? Yes Council Weber, yes and Council Worrell? Yes Councillor Worrell, yes Dock number 1513 has received 10 votes in the affirmative

Thank you. Docket 1513 has passed. Mr Clerk, could you please read dockets 1514 through 1524?

Dock number 1514, message in order to declare surplus city-owned property currently under the management of the Mayor's Office of Housing and transfer the care custody control on property and management thereof to the Public Facilities Commission. The property comprises two unnumbered parcels located at Monlea, Cass Boulevard and the Roxbury District. Ward 9 Parcel 02225000 and 0224 The surplus vote will allow the city to later transfer the land to the Boston Planning and Development Agency pursuant to a 2002 Memorandum of Agreement between the City BPDA, and MassDOT. Dock number 1515 message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Giovanni Valencia as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeal

for a term expiring May 1st, 2027. Councillor Murphy?

Yes, thank you. Sorry, Claire.

You had a question?

I do. So, I just wanted to speak on dockets 1515 through 1527 quickly before we read them into the record. Before we read the materials? Yes, yes. So before we act on dockets 1515 through 1527 and before we vote later today on the appointment of Felicia Jacks. I did want to remind this body why I raised concerns about the appointment process nearly two years ago. I do know that 1-5 through 2-1 are reappointments, so there's no question there but 1522 through 27 are new appointments. But on November 15th, 2024 I wrote a letter to my colleagues after the council had a vote to approve an appointment, which we later learned that appointment was replacing someone who had been forced out before the end of their term. That information may have changed some votes. At a minimum, it would've ensured that every councilor had all of the facts before we took a vote.

Following that letter, Claire Kelly who at the time was leading intergovernmental relations assured me and this body that the council would be told who an appointee was replacing and why the seat had become vacant. For a period of time, we did receive that information but we are not Receiving it consistently anymore. The issue is simple We should know whether a term expired, whether someone stepped down voluntarily or whether someone was removed before a vote to replace them happens To me this is basic transparency It protects the integrity of the process, the council, the nominee and the person being replaced. If appointments are going to be suspended and passed without a hearing, then at an absolute minimum that information should be provided to every Councillor before the vote.

Murphy.

I'm almost done, but it's important that I get the rest in. Going forward when appointments do receive hearings, the identity of the person being replaced and the reason for their vacancy should also be included. Thank Councillor Durkan held a hearing yesterday which I attended for Felicia Jacks. I did not raise this issue during her hearing because i did not want this broader process concern to distract from her qualifications or take away from her appointment. I appreciated hearing from Ms. Jacks, she is well qualified and I believe she will be a great addition to the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board and I look forward to voting in favour of her appointment later in this hearing. But this isn't about her or any individual nominee, it's simply asking that we return to the transparent process that we were told by the administration they would continue to do for us. And I know that dockets 1522 through 27 are new appointments.

The reappointments, we are clear. We know if they're asking to Stay on to where they already are. So I am asking that you as the president help us get that information before we take votes on any of these.

It's not our intention to take votes from these today, we're going to be referring all these documents

If we could in the future, because even if we're holding hearings, we are not given that information. And I can share with you the letter that was given back to me from Claire then, the intergovernmental.

Murphy. Thank you, Councillor Murphy.

Thank you so much, Chair. And I'll keep it very brief. My intention as the chair of this committee was not to suspend and pass these today. And all of my hearings regarding any appointments Flynn I just wanted to follow up

Briefly, I'll take less than one minute but we did have a hearing yesterday. It was a very productive hearing and exceptional person that will soon join the board. What I'm discouraged about is this person is highly educated, highly trained will be a tremendous asset to the board but the city council didn't show up for the meeting. There was only two or three people maybe How do we think this nominee feels that's going to go into an important position and the City Council really seemed indifferent or not interested at all? When we have these hearings We should have about 80-90% attendance. I think we owe it to the nominee to be there and be prepared, and attend the meeting. Thank you Madam Chair.

If you don't mind, could you start with docket 1514 again just to hit the reset button? How far did we get? You've read the first two so pick up where you left off. Down to 1524. Thank you.

Dr. Number 1516, message in order for the confirmation of reappointment of Katie Werewell as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for term expiring May 1st, 2027. Doctrine No. 1517, Mr. General for the confirmation of the reappointment of Alan Langham as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for term expiring May 1st, 2028. Doctrin No. Message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Sherry Dong as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for term expiring May 1, 2029. Document number 1519. Message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of Samaya Turner as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeal, for a term expiring May 1st, 2029. Docket number 1520, message in order

of the reappointment of Jean Pinado as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for a term expiring May 1, 2027. Document number 1521, message in order for the confirmation of the reappointment of David Collins as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for term expiring May 1st, 2028. Docket number 1522, message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of Carla Montero as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for a term expiring May 1st, 2028. Docket number 1523, message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of Patrick Walsh as an alternate member of the Zoning Board of Appeal for a term expiring November 1st, 2028 and document number 1524. Message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of William Masterson as an alternate member of the zoning vote of appeal for a term expiring May 1st, 2029. Thank you Mr.

Clerk. Dockets 1514 through docket 1524 will be referred to the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation.

for the confirmation of the appointment of renewal constables authorized to serve civil process upon the filing of their bonds for the period commencing May 1, 2026 and ending April 30th, 2029. In document number 1526, message in order for the confirmation of the appointment of new inspectional services constable Carl C. Horner authorized to serve civil process upon the filing of his bond for a period commencing May 1st, 2025 and ending April 30th, 2028.

Thank you Mr. Clerk. The Chair recognizes Constance Santana the chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice. You have the floor.

Thank you Madam President, this order ensures that qualified constables are properly appointed and authorized to serve civil processes on behalf of the City of Boston supporting the efficient administration of the judicial system. Constables are authorized to serve legal documents such as summons, subpoenas, eviction notices and court orders. The majority of appointments included in this order are renewals for constables who have served The order also maintains compliance with the state law by clarifying that appointed constables may not exercise arrest powers unless they obtain the required certification from the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. As Chair of the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee, I recommend that dockets 1525 and 1526 are to pass.

Thank you Councillor Santana. Councillor Santanas seeks suspension of the rules in passage of Docket 1525 All in favour say aye. All opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1525?

Councillor Brayton. Yes. Councillor Brayan yes. Councillor Coletta Zapata. Councillor Culpepper. Yes. Councilor Culpepper, yes. Council Durkan? Yes. Counselor Durkan, yes Counselor Fitzgerald? Yes Councilor FitzGerald, yes Councilor Flynn? Yes Counselor Flynn, yes, Councilor Louijeune? Yes, Council Louijeun, yes councilor Mejia? Councilor Meijia, yes Murphy, yes. Councilor Pepén? Yes. Council Santana? Yes, Council Weber? Yes and Council Worrell? Docket number 1525 has received 12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you. Docket 1525 is passed. Councillor Santana seeks suspension of the rules and passage of docket 1526. All in favour say aye, all opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1526?

Councilor Breadon. Yes. Councilor Brayden, yes. Council Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Yes Councilor Culpeper, yes Councilor Durkan Durkan, yes. Councilor Fitzgerald? Yes. Council Fischel, yes, Council Flynn? Yes Council Flynn, yes Council Louijan? Yes council Louijen, yes council Mejia? Council Mejía, yes Councillor Murphy? Yes Councillor Murphy, yes councillor Pepén? Pen, yes. Councilor Santana? Yes. Council Santana, yes, Council Weber? Yes Council Weber, yes and Council Worrell? Yes, Councilor Worrell, yes Token number 1526 has received 12 votes in the affirmative

Thank you. Docket 1526 has passed. We are now on to reports of public officers and others. Mr Clerk could you please read dockets 1527 through 1537?

Document number 1527, notice of receipt from the mayor of the appointment of Ava Callender Concepcion as a member of the City of Boston Licensing Board for a term expiring June 7th, 2032. Doctrine No. 1528, notice received from the City Clerk in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Ordinances of 1979 regarding action taken by the Mayor on papers acted upon by the City Council at its meeting of July 8th, 2026 Doctrine No. 1529, notice will receive from the city clerk in accordance with Chapter 6. of the ordinances of 1979 regarding action taken by the mayor and papers acted upon by the City Council at its meeting on July 22nd, 2026. Dock number 1530, notice received from the auditing department providing the fiscal year 2027 payroll allotment schedules for all city departments. Docking number 1531

Notice was received from Robert Allison regarding his resignation as a member of the Commemoration Commission effective July 9th, 2026. Document number 1532. Communication was received by Councilor Flynn regarding the selling of stolen goods and food including meat in the city of Boston. Talking about 1533, communication was received from Councilor Flynn regarding increases to phone theft financial and related scams. Dock number 1534. Communication was received from Councilor Culpepper regarding the medical examiner's homicide determination in the death of Shakol Bikini and the accompanying letter to the acting Suffolk County Sheriff. Docket number 1535, communication was received from Councilor Murphy regarding a request for independent state oversight of Boston Public Schools Transportation and Transdev. Docket number 1536.

Communication was received from Councilor Murphy regarding the requested briefing on Boston's summer public safety plan and docket number one five three seven Communication was received from the law department regarding an open meeting on a complaint filed in City Council on July 8, 2026. Docket number 1327.

Thank you Mr Clerk. Dockets 1527 through 1537 will be placed on file. Councillor Flynn, do you have a question?

Yes Madam Chair On that open meeting law related issue, can you explain that? Just read it into the record just so we all know what it is.

The language of the order here is that on Friday, July 24th, 2026, the City Council received a complaint alleging a violation of the open meeting law. And whereas pursuant to the provisions of the Open Meeting Law and the Attorney General's Regulations, the City Council is required to review the open meeting law complaint and respond to the complaint within 14 business days. See General Laws Chapter 30A. 23B and 940 CMR 29.055, and whereas to comply with the open meeting law and the Attorney General's regulations attached to this order is the complaint referenced herein. Now, therefore be it ordered that the Law Department of the City of Boston addresses the open meeting law complaint and responds accordingly on behalf of the Boston City Council. And please refer to the complaint if you have any further questions.

Thank you, but what was the alleged complaint?

It was a violation of the open meeting law and we responded last week We're having the law department respond on our behalf.

Thank you, I just wanted to know what they are alleging in the complaint?

I think it's in the documentation Thank you. Mr. Clerk, could you please read Docket 1539? I beg your pardon. I'm jumping forward. 1539. Oh, sorry. 1538. Thank you Mr. Clerk.

and respond accordingly on behalf of the Boston City Council.

Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1539?

Docket number 1539. Communication was received by the city clerk from the Boston Landmarks Commission for a City Council action on the designation of the New England Conservatory 290, Huntington Avenue, Boston Mass as a landmark in effect after August 28th 2026 if not acted upon.

Thank you chair recognizes Councillor Durkan the Chair of Planning and Development and Transportation. You have the floor.

Thank you, Council President. Today before us is a landmark designation for the New England Conservatory at 290 Huntington Ave in the Fenway. This building is significant to the cultural history of the city, the Commonwealth, the New England region and the nation as a permanent home for the New which has made an international impact in the field of music education and is the oldest independent music school in the United States. The New England Conservatory stands as the best example of Renaissance revival in Boston and contributes significantly to the architectural character of the Fenway neighborhood. Many notable historical figures have graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, including Florence Price, Cecile Taylor and Coretta Scott King. The designation process for the site began in 2011 when citizens petitioned to make the conservatory a Boston landmark. The landmark's designation applies only to the exterior of the building and not the interior. as there were concerns about the intricate technicalities of the acoustic design.

I imagine we're all familiar with this site, and I request that my colleagues vote to make this a Boston landmark and protect this historical piece of cultural and educational, sorry architectural history in the Fenway. I would also like to give Councillor Culpepper an opportunity to speak as well since this is in his district.

Chair recognizes Councillor Culipepper. Councillor you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise to support the designation of the New England Conservatory as a Boston landmark. While this history is undeniable, it is also vital engine for Boston's contemporary cultural life and a cornerstone of the future of the Fenway and South End neighborhoods. Every year this institution opens its doors to the public for hundreds of concerts, many of which are free to our residents by designating the site as a landmark We are ensuring that world-class arts remains accessible. The conservatory serves as a classroom, not just for its enrolled students but for the thousands of young people who participate in this preparatory and continuing It is a place where the next generation of Boston's creative leaders is being forged right now.

Protecting your conservatory means that as new developments rise, they do so alongside a permanent home for artistic excellence. A place that reminds our community that we value spaces that prioritize community gathering, cultural exchange and public inspiration. By suspending the rules today, we are not just looking back at where we have been but we are recognizing that the arts are a catalyst The social connection and progress. We are honoring the inspiration that only the arts can provide. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you. Councillor Durkan, the Chair of the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation seeks suspension of the rules in passage of Docket 1539. All in favour say aye. Mr Clerk could you please take a roll call vote on Docket

Brayton. Yes. Councilor Braydon, yes. Council Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper? Yes. Councillor Culpeper, yes, Councillor Durkan? Yes Councillor Durkin, yes Councillor Fitzgerald? Yes Councilor Fitzgeral, yes Councilor Flynn Flynn, yes. Councilor Louisiane? Yes. Council Louisiane, yes, Councilor Mejia? Councilor Murphy? Council Murphy, yes Councilor Pepén? Yes Councilor Santana? Yes Weber, and Councilor Worrell.

Docket No.

1539 has received 11 votes in the affirmative.

We're now on to matters recently heard. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1223?

Docket number 1223. Message in order for your approval. An ordinance authorizing the City of Boston acting through its Environment Department to amend the Distributed Energy Resource Revenue Revolving Fund 30396E. The current language for 303916 is limited in its use and the changes proposed will allow for proper usage of 30396E while maintaining its original purpose. The amended language will allow the fund to properly capture revenues and expenditures, ensuring an enhanced and Seamless Financial Process for Current City Energy Activities. These amendments will properly capture demand response revenue, and allow for further development

of the City's Demand Response Program, increasing energy savings and reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions produced by emissions not addressed through the city distributed energy resources.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councillor Louie Jeanne. The Chair of the Committee on Government Operations—the Vice-Chair of the committee on government operations.

Councilor, you have the floor. Thank you Madam Chair. The Committee on government Operations held a hearing on this docket. This matter was sponsored by Mayor Michelle Wu and is referred to the committee The summary of the legislation. Docket number 1223 is an ordinance proposing amendments to City of Boston Code of Ordinances, specifically docket number 123, the distributed energy resource revenue revolving fund strikes the ordinance's existing text and replaces it with provisions that will allow the fund to capture demand response revenue, and allow for further development of the city's Demand Response Program. increasing energy savings and reducing the city's greenhouse gas emissions. Although striking in its entirety, the proposed ordinance makes four minor changes to the ordinances existing text and it inserts additional provisions as well. Specifically, the proposed ordinance amends clause one sub-clause C by striking the words revenues and school department combined heat and power units and replaces them with the words payments and city demand response program systems

under the proposed ordinance, one C reads as demand response program payments earned by city demand response programs systems. charged and received by the Environment Department. The proposed ordinance also amends clause three, sub-clause A, by striking the words which shall be associated with a portion of electricity consumed by the city annually and inserting the words to compensate for municipal emissions not otherwise addressed through the city's distributed energy resources, renewable energy and demand response programs. Under the proposed ordinance, 3A reads purchase offsets of greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for municipal emissions not otherwise addressed to the city's distributed energy resources, renewable energy and demand response programs. and there is an additional amendment as well. The current distributed energy resource revenue revolving fund ordinance was first adopted in 2017, which also allows mass cities and towns to provide financing

to property owners for qualifying energy conservation and renewable energy improvements on their private properties. Under this provision of the law, the fund must be authorized by ordinance. Accordingly, the administration has a proposed docket number 1223 for our consideration. And I just wanted to talk about, we held a hearing yesterday on this docket. The hearing was conducted by myself as Vice Chair of the Committee and attended by Council President Breadon Murphy, Councilor Fitzgerald and Councillor Flynn. During this hearing the committee heard testimony from Oliver Sellers-Garcia Commissioner of the Environment Department and Chris Kramer, Director of the Municipal Energy Unit, Environment Department who testified on behalf of the administration. And I also want to thank them for being very clear in their explanations because a lot of the terms are very technical One of the questions that I had, especially is about whether we are just talking about internal city buildings. And we are talking about City of Boston buildings and these proposed changes are administrative fixes to allow us to capture

More Savings from from efficiencies. The administration testified that docket number 1223 makes minor administrative amendments to the distributed energy resource revenue of evolving fund ordinance, to better reflect the city's current municipal energy programs while preserving the fund's original purpose. The administration testified that the amendments would expand the fund to capture revenues generated through demand response participation at all city-owned buildings, rather than being limited primarily to Boston Public Schools combined heat and power units and certain city-owned solar arrays. The administration described the municipal energy unit's role in managing municipal energy use, pursuing energy saving initiatives and reinvesting revenues into additional efficiency projects. As vice chair of the committee on government operations, I remind moving the listed docket from the committee to the full council for discussion and formal action. And at this time, my recommendation as the vice chair of the committee to the full council will be that this matter matter ought to pass. And again I just want to thank the administration and those who are present for

testifying and always thinking about how we can make our buildings more green, more efficient, and save the city money. While also an important part here as well is that this will lead to an approximate $150,000 addition to the Revolon Fund. So thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Louijeune. Councillor Murphy, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President. I attended the meeting yesterday and as the Vice Chair stated they shared important information and I think explained it very well. But one thing I do want to highlight, my one question was will this support the air conditioning and the concerns all of us here from teachers, staff, students Thank you for joining us. to make sure our students and teachers are learning in safe environments. So thank you, I'm looking forward to supporting this.

Councilor Louijeune do you have a response to the question? I think there was a question. There wasn't a question? No, sorry.

I was just thanking them. They made it clear that's what it would go to.

Very good. That's very important that we're using the revolving fund Flynn. Thank you, Madam Chair. I also attended this important meeting yesterday and listened closely to the Administration

We wanted to thank them for the important work they are doing. My comments were similar to what Councillor Murphy highlighted as well. I want to ensure that when our public school children, students go into their building that they have the necessary air conditioned system is working, is operational. We do know that over the last several months many students in BPS buildings were in classes where it was Over 90 degrees, over 95 degrees in their classroom. What my goal is to ensure that any time we make policy changes as it relates We also factor in the impact it has on Boston public school children so that they can learn

in a healthy and safe environment. Thank you Madam Chair.

All opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1-2-3?

Councilor Breadon.

Yes.

Councilor Brayden, yes. Council Colletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Yes Councilor Culpeper, yes Councillor Durkan Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén Councilor Pepén, yes. Councilor Santana? Yes. Councilors Santana, yes, Councilor Weber? Yes Councilor Webber, yes and Councilor Worrell? Councilor Worell, yes Dock number 1223 has received 11 votes in the affirmative

Thank you Mr. Clerk, the committee report has been accepted and docket 1223 has passed. Mr. clerk could you please read docket 1316 Docket number 1316 message in order

for the confirmation of the appointment of Felicia Jux as a member of the Boston Planning and Development Agency Board for term expiring August 15, 2029.

Thank you. The chair recognizes Councillor Durkan, Chair of the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you so much. We had a great hearing yesterday. We were joined by Councilors Flynn, Murphy and Weber and received letters of absence from Councillor Louijeune and Councillor Pepén I do want to just note that there was a typo in the initial docket we were given, so we've corrected the candidate's name as well as some more information in the order. To be consistent with other BRA, BPDA and EDIC nominations. Felicia is incredibly qualified. She will be the first black woman to serve on the BPDA board, and she answered questions from our colleagues yesterday We are really looking forward to welcoming her and speaking with her as we all testify before the board. Thank you to my colleagues for attending, and I look forward to moving this forward today.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to say thank you to the chair of the committee for an important discussion and as we met with Felicia who I know will be an outstanding addition Well qualified, has a tremendous amount of experience and education. She answered all the questions. She was diligent, she was professional. And I do think it is important to have a woman of color on the BPDA Board. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank You, Councillor Flint. Anyone else wish to? Oh, Councilor Louijeune you have the floor.

Thank You Madam Chair I'm just really excited for Felicia's nomination as I stated I think that this is really great to have her she has such incredible experience across the city in a number of different fields when it comes to planning and housing in our city. And so I'm really grateful for her leadership as the first black woman to serve on this board, I think is incredibly important. So Madam Chair, I wanna thank you for hosting the hearing and I'm incredibly excited to have Felicia serve on the board and looking forward to your expertise and her leadership in our City.

The Chair of the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation seeks acceptance of the committee report in passage of Docket 1316. All in favour say aye. Aye. All opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1316?

Councillor Breadon.

Yes.

Councillor Bradon, yes. Councillor Coletta-Zapata. Councillor Culpepper. Yes Councillor Culepper, yes Councillor Durkan. Yes Councilor Durkan, yes Councilor Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, yes. Councilor Flynn?

Yes.

Council of Flynn, yes, Council Louijeune? Yes Council Loujeune, yes Council Mejia? Council Murphy? Yes Councillor Murphy, yes Councillor Pepén? Yes, Councillor Santana? Santana, yes. Councilor Weber? Yes. Council Weber, yes and councilor Worrell? Yes Councilor Worrell, yes Doctrine number 1316 has received 11 votes in the affirmative Thank you

The committee report has been accepted and docket 1316 is passed. We are now on to motions, orders and resolutions. A reminder that under Rule 39 remarks on new matters not up for a vote today shall be limited to three minutes from the lead sponsor and two minutes from co-sponsors. Mr. Clerk, can you please read Docket 1540?

Docket number 1540. Councilor Worrell will offer the following ordinance to address street takeovers in the City of Boston.

Chair recognizes Councilor Whale.

Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to add Councilor Culpepper as an original co-sponsor Councillor Culpepper so added. I'd like to suspend the rules and add Councillor Murphy as another original close sponsor.

Seeing and hearing no objections, Councillor Murphy is added as a third.

Thank you. If you're a district councilor, you've heard all the calls and got an email from constituents talking or sharing their concerns about street takeovers. This is a noise issue, a public safety issue, and a quality of life issue. This isn't a problem affecting just Boston. It's not a new problem. These activities started springing up more and more during the pandemic. But what we hear from our law enforcement officials is that it can be difficult to follow through with our current laws on the books. This ordinance tackles the problem with a focused law that levels steep civil fines on offenders, higher fines for repeat offenders and includes those fines for spectators as well as participants. We're still working on how we can leverage license renewal penalties as part of this law as well, but it's going to need some of our help from our state partners. This ordinance however is a chance for us To say to these offenders, enough is enough. Cut it out or there will be consequences.

I'm looking forward to this discussion with all my colleagues and all stakeholders at the hearing. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank Councilor Worrell for his leadership in filing this ordinance to address street takeovers. I'm proud to join him as a co-sponsor Because if we have discussed in this chamber in our last meeting, our residents deserve a city that responds effectively when the quality of life is being diminished by noise and nuisance issues. District 7, we have talked extensively about the frustration residents feel when they call for help and see no change. Whether it's a loud party or an illegal dirt bike, the court issue is the same. The need for clear enforceable standards and consistent follow-up. This ordinance takes a critical step forward by acknowledging that the persistent noise and street disturbance issues do not just disrupt sleep

They impede emergency access and threaten the physical safety of everyone on our streets. What I appreciate most about this proposal is that it addresses the enforcement gap we have previously identified We know that significant confusion has existed regarding which department is in charge and how to distinguish between a participant and a bystander. By clarifying these roles and establishing specific Penalties, including vehicle impoundment and equipment seizure. We're giving our city agencies the tools they need to actually solve the problem rather than just documenting it. We're not looking to over-police peaceful assemblies, in fact this ordinance explicitly protects that right We're looking for accountability.

Whether it's a noise complaint in District 7 or a street takeover in another part of the city, every Boston resident deserves to know that the systems we've created are working as intended. I look forward to working with Councilor Worrell, the Boston Police Department and our colleagues to ensure this ordinance provides a safety, clarity and peace that all our neighborhoods deserve. Thank you Madam Chair

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. Chair recognizes Councillor Murphy. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President and thank you Councillor Worrell for adding me and for a well-written ordinance I am a victim. The first time, I actually was a victim of the street takeover and when I looked back on my text message the next morning that I sent to one of the offices from B3 I had texted last night was wild. Like, I have driven by parties that have blocked streets. I've been in my car when I've seen Bikes come past me 10, 20, 40 taking over the street. But it started around 10 and at 435 in the morning it was still going on and it was continuous. And like I was telling Councilor Worrell I'm a healthy, somewhat young person. I can make up my sleep another time. My dogs weren't so happy about it but I have many elderly neighbors and many young children, and it was just unbelievable how the quality of life it was knowing that this happens often.

and other parts of the city time and time again. So in the ordinance states, something that I say often when it's all different kinds Ordinance we're talking about, we already have laws on the books. There are state laws, there are ordinances, there's noise ordinances. Things we can already do, but we have to make sure there's no confusion from the police officers who can enforce it and also residents. Thank you, Councillor Murphy. Would anyone like to add their name?

Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Pepén, Santana, Weber. Thank you. Docket 1540 will be referred to the Committee on Government Operations. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1541?

Docket number 1541, Councillor Santana and Louijeune offer the following. Ordinance establishing minimum training requirements for unarmed security guards.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Chair recognizes Councillor Santana. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank You Madam President Unarmed security guards serve as an essential pillar of community safety and support. Every day, they protect people and property in our health care facilities, residential buildings, worksites, and public spaces. The first to respond when someone is experiencing a medical emergency, a mental health crisis or another urgent situation. Despite these growing responsibilities there are currently no minimum training requirements for unarmed security guards in Boston These professionals are expected to make quick decisions, de-escalate conflicts and respond to emergencies. Yet many have not received consistent training to prepare them for these situations. Establishing minimum training standards is about investing in both worker safety and Public Safety. Providing training in areas such as first aid, CPR, opioid overdose response, de-escalation, behavioral health awareness and emergency preparedness would help ensure

that those on the front lines have the knowledge and the tools they need to respond safely and effectively. As we move this conversation forward, we must as a city of Boston and as a City Council examined the feasibility of establishing minimum training standards for unarmed security guards so they are prepared for their emergency situations and de-escalation challenges they may encounter on the job. By investing in people who are often The first to respond, we are investing in safer workplaces and a safer Boston for everyone. Also just want to give a big shout out to this 32 BJ and Paolo who's also joining us here today for their incredible work looking out for workers here in the city of Boston. And I'm looking forward to the conversation that lies ahead. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Councilor Santana. The Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam Chair and I want to say thank you to Councillor Santana for your leadership. Welcome back. Glad you're taking care of yourself. This is a really important ordinance and I also want to give a big shout out to 32BJ for their leadership here in making sure that our unarmed security guards have a minimum level of training. Fundamentally, this is about treating security guards and security work as a real profession Clear training standards help workers do their jobs safely, give employers a better prepared workforce and give the public greater confidence in the people responsible for protecting buildings and the people inside them. What also stands out is how practical this proposal is. Unarmed security guards are already being asked to handle difficult situations every day. They may be responding to a medical emergency, trying to calm a tense situation, helping someone in crisis or coordinating with police, fire or EMS. Too often we expect people to carry out these responsibilities without making sure they have consistent training or clear standards.

If we are going to ask workers to take on that level of responsibility, we should also make sure that they are properly prepared and supported. This proposal helps create that consistency. It gives workers a stronger foundation, helps employers know what preparation should look like and creates clear expectations across the industry. I know for a number of folks, especially working class that we are, a lot of people's first job was as security guards or their second or third jobs making sure they're prepared oftentimes for life-or-death situations is incredibly important So again, I want to thank Councilor Santana for bringing this forward and I look forward to working with and hearing from security workers, employers, labor organizations, and public safety organizations about how we can make the proposal as strong as possible. Thank you.

Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkan, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Pepén, Councillor Weber, Councillor Worrell and please add the chair. Docket 1541 will be referred to the Committee on Government Operations. No, 1541, that's correct. Mr Clerk, could you please read docket 1542?

Dock number 1542, Councilor Weber offered the following. Order for a hearing to review safety of the operation of heavy commercial vehicles and potential measures to protect pedestrians and cyclists in the city of Boston.

The Chair recognizes Councillor Weber. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. As has been widely reported and I think as the Boston Police Department determined, Louisa Gag was killed by an 18-wheel truck operating on Tremont Street and in the public letter issued by the mayor last Friday, she wrote that there's work to be done to advance more comprehensive truck safety legislation. And that includes work at the state level here in Boston We have a truck side guard ordinance. It's been on the books since 2014. The ordinance prohibits or it requires city contractors to have Safety gear on their trucks, including side guards and convex mirrors to prevent deaths to pedestrians and cyclists. but this only covers city contractors. We have to see if we can have this

Applied more broadly even if we can't have legislation maybe we can work with some of the most companies that use large and many more. Certain roads where heavy commercial vehicles are not permitted, but we don't have anything more restrictive. There's a couple of streets like Beacon Street and a few others We can use this hearing to look at whether we should have a map for, a route for trucks to operate on rather than Leaving these trucks to sort of work their way through our neighborhoods. I'm sure everyone has been on a small, tight street and seen an 18-wheel truck and wondered what's doing there. And so this hearing will give us a chance to work on that and approve safety. The hearing order is intended to bring members of the streets, cabinet advocates, the members of public together to review current and proposed protective measures

regarding heavy commercial vehicle operations in the city so we can prevent deaths going forward. So I look forward to working with my colleagues and working on this issue both here and in the Statehouse.

Thank you. Pepén, Councillor Santana, Councillor Worrell and please add the chair. Thank you docket 1542 will be referred to the committee on planning development and transportation Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1543?

Docket number 1543. Councilor Durkan offered the following. Order for a hearing on traffic enforcement of blocked bike lanes and crosswalks.

Chair recognizes Councillor Durkan. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you so much and I'd like to add, Council President, I would like to Thank you so much. In conversations on pedestrian safety from the west end to Mission Hill, blocked bike lanes and crosswalks have been a top concern I hear from my constituents It has come up more and more lately, and I found myself struggling to enter crosswalks myself along Cambridge Street and along Tremont Street in Mission Hill. Under state law and in the City of Boston, crosswalk and bike lanes are protected spaces Pedestrians always have the right of way in a crosswalk, and it is against the law for a car to pull into the box without enough space on the other side. When vehicles unlawfully obstruct bike lanes and crosswalks, they force pedestrians and cyclists into active traffic and out of protective visible spaces jeopardizing their safety. A lack of consistent enforcement and public education has perpetuated a culture that empowers drivers who don't feel accountable enough for adhering to the rules of the road.

This is putting our most vulnerable road users at risk, and many more. This program is designed to help people with disabilities, especially elders, folks with disabilities families and residents who use alternate modes of transportation. It deters residents from walking or biking on our streets Our resident safety must be a top priority and we need to stop drivers from stopping, parking in bike lanes or crosswalks. Consistent enforcement is essential. Take a look on Reddit and you'll see drivers driving in bike lanes, and you will see and many more. Reddit has become my most reliable part of the Internet for determining what is happening in Consistent enforcement is essential.

We shouldn't have to look on Reddit to know where the issues are so we need this hearing, we need to examine whether existing resources are sufficient to support and identify barriers. We might be talking about paint as well and the role that can play in stopping driver behavior. We should also examine the potential for traffic enforcement cameras like State Bill, Senate Bill 2344 and House Bill 3754, which we supported at the last meeting. Curve management practices also play a role and we should think holistically about how public education can promote accountability and how to improve resident reporting mechanisms to change these pervasive and dangerous norms in Boston. I've had so many conversations with constituents about this issue, and I think it's time we roll up our sleeves To improve accountability. This really is a downtown issue when I looked on 311 It's the Council President's District, it's Councilor Coletta Zapata's district, its Councilor Flynn's district

So look forward to talking about this, specifically blocking the box. And I'm really... I'm really upset sometimes to see how emboldened drivers can be to hurting and making a dangerous and so on. We really need to make sure that pedestrians are king in District 8 and they're king in our city, and we need to be sure that they have all the protections. Getting drivers from stopping at crosswalks is the bare minimum. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Durkan and thank you for adding me as an original co-sponsor to this docket. I think pedestrian safety is a huge issue in our neighbourhood. In my time in this office we've had three fatalities of We have multiple instances of elders in particular being struck while crossing a crosswalk. They survived, but the wing mirror of a car passing when they were still on the crosswalk clipped their shoulder and broke her arm. Another elder was hit by a truck, she got away with a broken leg but it could have been so much worse. Incidents. We need safety for all of our road users, and this is critically important. Thank you for bringing this issue forward.

Flynn has spoken about his concerns about pedestrian safety in his district for many years over time. The people who are most vulnerable in this situation are our elders, Young families and folks with disability and mobility problems. So I really look forward to this conversation going forward. Would anyone like to add their name? Culpepper, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell. Thank you. Docket 1543 will be referred to the Committee on Planning, Development and Transportation. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1544?

Docket number 1544. Councilor Louisian offer the following order for a hearing to discuss the future of Boston's nighttime economy.

Thank you, Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune. You have the floor. Thank you so much Madam Chair. I'd like to add Councilor Culpepper as a second original co-sponsor Conchita Culpepper, so added. And I'd like to request suspension of the rules to add Councilor Worrell as a third original co-sponsor. And seeing and hearing no objections, Councilor Werrell is added as a 3rd. Thank you. This is actually a hearing that I wanted to have for quite a long time, and I think the World Cup sort of gave it us more reason to have this discussion. The World Cup gave us a real lifetime opportunity to look at how Boston functions later How our restaurants, venues and public spaces respond. when there is greater demand for activity after traditional business hours. We oftentimes in these chambers heard the joy outside, when folks were enjoying FanFest, asking for more days for FanFest and the joy that was brought by all the diaspora groups from Morocco, our homegrown diasporas of Cape Verde

in Haiti, our Scots and the Taran army. There was so much joy, so much jubilee. And if you talk to our Boston police officers, very few, if any incidents related to the number of people who are out celebrating and many more. This conversation is bigger than just about alcohol service when we're talking about our nighttime economy. A strong nighttime economy includes live music, comedy, theater, late night dining, night markets, museums, Cultural Programming, Recreation. And it also includes larger conversations about transit Sanitation, Accessibility and Worker Protections. Important city services that we have a mandate to not only oversee but to make sure that we're expanding where we wanna do Good and fun things in our city.

We should be asking what worked, what did not, what lessons we can carry forward. That includes whether Boston should consider more targeted tools like special event late night licensing for major sporting events, international broadcasts Festivals, conventions, holidays, concerts or cultural events. It means working in partnership with Meet Boston and other organizations about intentionally going after opportunities, large-scale opportunities. The goal is not to extend hours everywhere all the time. The goals have a thoughtful conversation about how we support a more vibrant, safe and accessible city after dark. One that supports all of our neighborhoods, one that uplifts our local businesses especially those that oftentimes have a hard time getting into these large markets, our black and brown businesses, our veteran owned businesses And so it's important for us to make sure that we are having an inclusive conversation. There's more that we could have done, and I was very happy to champion As much as possible, equitable access to opportunities during the World Cup here in the city of Boston.

This will be an opportunity for us to discuss that further. So I want to thank everyone and I look forward to figuring out how Boston can build a nighttime economy that works for everyone. I wanna give a big shout-out to Corrine Reynolds, our Director of Nighttime Economy, for all she does for our city. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to begin by thanking Councilor Louijeune for including me as a co-sponsor of this hearing order. One of the biggest lessons from the World Cup was seeing what Boston can become. People from every corner of our city, from around the world came together. Our restaurants, bars and small businesses experienced record-breaking activity especially when it came to beer. and we showcase Boston as a vibrant, welcoming world-class city. But we should also remember that the benefits of events like the World Cup shouldn't be confined to just a few neighborhoods. Every neighborhood should have the opportunity to experience a joy, camaraderie, cultural vibrancy and economic opportunity that come from hosting world-class events. I believe Boston's nighttime economy has tremendous untapped potential.

This hearing gives us the opportunity to examine what worked during the World Cup, identify the infrastructure and policy changes that could sustain that momentum and ensure that our nighttime economy grows in a way that benefits all residents, workers, businesses and neighborhoods across the city. I look forward to the discussion And I thank Councilor Louijeune for bringing this forward. Thank you, Madam President

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. The Chair recognises Councillor Worrell. You have the floor.

Thank you Madam President and thank you to Councillor Louijeune for including me on this hearing order and also thank you too Corrine Reynolds for all her work around night time I also want to thank my statehouse partners for creating more flexibilities and leeways around liquor licensing laws and other successful initiatives. that was able to roll out. And I think now is like the great time to take a look at how can we boost our nightlife economy as we see a lot of local restaurants that have been closing their doors in the past few months, Estella's downtown and then the Pearl temporary closing their location in Brighton. The solution isn't always going to be later hours, but there are a lot of tools we can use to help out these restaurants and I do want to dive a little bit more in what a social district is. I think that whether it's permits on streets for live music, whether its creating

Art Deco districts across the city of Boston, but I know it's making sure that every neighborhood across the City of Boston is treated as a destination. So looking forward to this conversation and looking forward how we can invest more into our night light nighttime economy. Thank you

Thank you, Councillor Worrell. Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Durkan, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Pepén, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber and please add the chair. Docket 1544 will be referred to the Committee on Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Tourism and Special Events.

Talking number 1545. Councilor Worrell, I'll offer the following. Order for a hearing to explore a pilot program allowing the Boston Police Department to deploy noise cameras.

Thank you, Chair. Recognized as Councillor Worrell. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to add Councilor Culpepper as an original co-sponsor. Councillor Culpeper so added. Thank you. I mentioned this earlier in the meeting around the amount of emails and phone calls my office receives weekly around noise complaints. During the course of this year, my office has held conversations and meetings with the ACLU Police Captains in my district and law enforcement officials in other towns and cities in the Northeast that already have noise cameras. Cities like New York and Providence have moved forward with this technology and Newport is on a second generation of noise cameras. These cameras are limited in the data they collect, so they aren't privacy concerns but it has a noise meter that can capture the license plate of cars that trigger that issue. It is portable, so if you know where street takeover might be or where there's often cars with modified engines then you can position the technology there. We talk about

Using the technology for road safety enforcement, and I was proud to introduce that resolution in favor of that at last meeting. This is taking that same principle of automated enforcement in another direction and hopefully yielding some better results. I know the BPD officers and captains have been supportive of this. And I think holding a hearing to discuss it further would be productive, thank you.

Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank You Madam President. Building directly on my previous comments regarding street takeovers, I am proud to join Councilor Worrell as a co-sponsor of this hearing order. As we just discussed defining the penalties for street takeover is a vital step for public safety. However, we must recognize that street takeovers are the visible acute symptom of a much broader chronic condition Noise pollution. It is not enough to just discuss these large-scale events, we must understand the daily persistent efforts that noise pollution has on the health of our neighborhoods and the productivity of our city Moments ago, I spoke about the enforcement gap that leaves our residents feeling frustrated. We know that the Boston Police Department is operating below its mandated staffing levels making it nearly impossible to have a manual response For every passing vehicle with a modified muffler.

If we want the systems we created to work as intended, we have to provide our agencies with 21st century tools by exploring pilot program for automatic noise cameras, a model successfully implemented in cities like New York and Providence. We are looking for a way to provide consistent equitable accountability without further straining our manual Enforcement Resources. This technology could allow the city to solve the problem of persistent noise rather than simply documenting their complaints. Accountability means that the rules apply Even when an officer is not standing on the corner, by exploring this pilot we're taking a practical concrete step to ensure that the peace and safety we just spoke about becomes a reality for every neighborhood Every single day. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank You, Councillor Culpepper. Would anyone like to add their name? Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber. And please add the chair. Docket 1545 will be referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice.

Doctrine number 1546, Councilor Flynn offered the following order for a hearing to examine services provided by the City of Boston to families of victims of violent crime and homicide.

Thank you. The chair recognizes Councillor Flynn. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam Chair. Madam Chair may I add Councillor Culpepper as an original co-sponsor? Councillor Culipepper so added. May I suspend the rules and add Councillor Worrella as well?

Seeing and hearing no objections, Councillor Worrell is added as a third.

Thank you Madam Chair. This hearing order is important, but I also am doing it on behalf of the families that suffered Terrible, terrible losses. Survivors of crime and their families deserving respect, deserving to be heard. An 87-year old woman was beaten, strangled. Her name was Maude Hines. She was killed by A person by the last name of Delvile who went to prison and then was out on parole.

But when he was out in parole, The family of Miss Hines was not notified properly. DelVal has been convicted of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to life without parole. First degree murder typically carries a sentence of life with no parole, however In January 2024, in the Supreme Judicial Court case Commonwealth v. Mattis, the court ruled that emerging adults between the ages of 19 and 20 at the time of the offense cannot be sentenced to life without parole. This granted more than 200 inmates in Massachusetts eligibility for parole

DelVal became eligible for parole following the 2024 court ruling after serving about 25 years in prison. Mrs. Hines' family was not alerted, as I mentioned of this It was not asked to be present to provide a victim impact statement. DelVal was granted parole. With the parole board claiming he had accepted full responsibility for his actions and benefited from programming. I can't imagine what Mrs. Hines Maude Hines' family must have felt finding out from a newspaper that the perpetrator of this violent crime was granted parole.

and that they did not have the opportunity to express to the parole board how this tragic event has affected them. But I do know how they felt because I'm friends with one of the relatives that's here right now, my friend Chip. And I'm forwarding this hearing order on behalf of the family But I believe it is critical that officials communicate with the families of victims prior to scheduling a parole hearing and public release date. Families of victims have a right to be present, to offer testimony to pursue justice for their loved one. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank You, Councillor Flynn.

The chair recognizes Councillor Culpepper and Councillor Hewitt. You have the floor.

Thank-you, Madam President. I want to thank Councilor Flynn for his leadership in filing this hearing order to examine the services that the city provides to the families of victims of violent crimes and homicides. I am honored to stand alongside Councilor Flynn as a co-sponsor because, as we are reminded by the tragic case of Maude Hines, our residents deserve that stands by them not just in an immediate aftermath of a crime, but throughout the entire pursuit of justice. We know that the trauma of violent crime does not end with a court date. It is a lifelong journey and our city's role must be able to provide a bridge of support, not a wall of silence. This order is about mitigating the isolation that families feel during parole and release proceedings. The hearing is an opportunity

To audit our current notification systems to ensure that families and communities are no longer blindsided by the legal process. We aren't just asking for better paperwork, we're asking for a system that centers human dignity. Every resident in Boston, regardless of their neighborhood deserves a city government that is proactive and it's compassion. I look forward to this collaborative process to ensure our victim services are as robust and reliable as our residents need them to be. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank You. Chair recognizes Councilor Worrell.

Councilor, you have the floor Thank you, Madam President. And thank you to my co-sponsors for adding me and bringing this forward. I think it's always important to examine the policies that we have on the books especially when it comes to services provided to families of victims of violent crime and homicides. So looking forward to this hearing, to hear from the Boston Public Health Commission and the churn team and Dr. Isaac Yablo on the services that they provide because they're critical in the time when families are going through something so traumatic. So thank you, Councilors. I'm looking forward to the hearing.

Thank you. Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Durkan, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Louijeune, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Pepén, Councillor Santana, Councillor Weber and please add the chair. Thank you. Docket 1546 will be referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1547?

Docket number 1547. Councilor Flynn offered the following. Order for a hearing to study a waiver from the residency requirement and allow for transfers from other municipalities to the Boston Police Department.

Chair recognizes Councilor Flynn. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam Chair. Madam Chair I filed this hearing order in light of recent violence in our city and the difficulty Boston Police face with maintaining the minimum requirement for sworn officers in our city. In July 1980, the Boston Municipal Code mandate established a minimum of 2,500 sworn officers. In May of this year, Boston police reported 2,100 sworn officers However, in July the Boston Police Patrolman's Association stated they are down roughly 600 officers. Boston police have worked more than 16 hours a day for years disregarding physical and emotional well-being, as well as that of their families. Our staffing level shortage increases in transfers to other departments across Massachusetts

Voluntary retirements and resignations have resulted in this mandatory overtime. This results in both the physical and emotional burnout in our police officers, Potentially diminishing their ability to maintain public safety for Boston residents as well as themselves. Boston Police need a consistent influx of recruits to replace Retirements, resignations and transfers to help prevent shortages. Waiving the residency requirement could potentially aid the recruitment process. Current policies require Boston residents for Boston residency for at least one year prior to the civil service exam. It is critical to examine whether the residency requirement is now impacting the ability of the Boston Police Department to protect our city. Over the weekend nine people were shot, two deceased.

Early Friday morning one person was shot in the South Boston waterfront. Friday night in Dorchester two people were non-fatal injuries. Early Sunday morning, Boston Police responded to reports of a person shot in East Boston. The victim died. Monday morning Gunfire broke out in Hyde Park. Several shootings, stabbings and assaults in downtown Boston, Chinatown, Boston Common Residents don't feel relieved when they hear that these are isolated incidents. Now, with all the violence and shootings that have since happened we need to

provide the critical leadership needed to do everything we can to encourage people to not only take the exam, to support them, factor in residency But I think it's critical for us to address the shortage of police officers we have in the city, do everything we possibly can because police officers are part of our community. They're providing exceptional public safety support, we don't have enough of them When a police officer is working 15 straight hours or 16 hours, he or she is not on top of their game. And when there is an issue I can guarantee you they will not be supported at City Hall because there's little support at City Hall for police officers.

It's also about respecting police officers and their family, and I'm looking forward to this hearing. Thank you Madam Chair.

Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Murphy. Docket 1547 will be referred to the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice. Mr Clerk could you please read docket 1548?

Dr. Number 1548, Councilor Flynn offered the following resolution in support of allowing retired police officers the opportunity to work paid details.

Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn. Councillor, you have the floor.

Madam Chair, thank you. This is similar to the hearing order I just discussed but this resolution, Madam Chair is important It's important for public safety. It would allow retired police officers with the opportunity to work paid details I highlighted the long-standing issues of staffing, overstretched resources, mandatory overtimes, retirements. In 2015, the Massachusetts State Legislature enacted Chapter 124, an act authorizing the appointment of retired police officers as special police officers in the City of Boston. This act authorizes the police commissioner to appoint retired Boston Police Officers as special police officers for the specific purpose

of Police Details and Duties Arising from Police Detail Work. This act grants the police commissioner sole discretion to appoint qualified retired police officers for one-year terms subject to annual renewal authorizes the Police Commissioner to establish qualifications, training requirements, medical standards Department policies governing such appointments. utilizing the Commissioner's ability to appoint retired police officers as special police officers could relieve the pressure on the already strained Boston Police Department. Utilizing the authority granted under Chapter 124 makes use of experienced police officers that are already familiar with the Boston neighborhoods, with traffic patterns, department procedures.

Increasing the available pool of officers for detailed work helps ensure that assignments are filled and do not affect patrol operations. Madam Chair, this is a common sense proposal resolution. I'm asking my city council colleagues to support it. Thank you.

Flynn, Chair recognizes Councilor Murphy. You have the floor. Thank you Madam President. Thank You Councilor Flynn for putting forth this resolution I do just want to add Councilor Flynn referenced the state Council of the City. Council of Police Commissioner, it's on his desk so I am hoping that this resolution will help urge him to start implementing the power we already have to let our retired Well-trained, like we always say. We just came off of two nights of National Night Out which was a wonderful time I always enjoy this time when are thanking our first responders for showing up in the community, but we do know that they're stretched thin and working hard. So if this can relieve that in any way I am in support of it. Thank you

Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President. I will be voting yes on this resolution. First it's important to recognize that this resolution is not asking the legislature to create a new authority. That authority already exists under state law. Since 2015, the Boston Police Commissioner has had the discretion to appoint retired Boston police officers as special police officers to perform paid detail. This resolution simply urges the commissioner to make greater use of that authority. I think there's a compelling case for doing so. Retired Boston police officers understand the culture of this department. They know our neighborhoods, our residents, our streets and the expectations that come with policing in Boston allowing inexperienced officers to work paid details

can help relieve pressure on our active officers while ensuring those assignments are staffed by people and officers who already know this city. That said, I do have questions about implementation Retirement can mean someone left the department one year, one year ago or 15 years ago. Policing involves policing changes, technology changes, training evolves Before someone returns in any capacity, I think it's reasonable to ask what level of recertification, refresher training, medical evaluation or onboarding should be required to ensure every retired officer is required to meet today's standards. Fortunately, as Councilor Murphy said, state law already gives a police officer the commissioner the authority to establish qualifications, training requirements Medical Standards, and Departmental Policies for these appointments.

I would encourage that authority be exercised thoughtfully so we maintain the high standards our residents expect For these reasons, I will be voting yes. Thank you Madam President

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper.

The chair recognizes Councillor Louijeune. Councillor, you have the floor. Thank you Madam Chair. I'm rising because we were on this body when we talked in great detail about developing a civilian flagger program something that was really upheld, especially by community by community advocates and by community leaders to ensure that these details, many of them were going unfulfilled could also be civilianized. And we've seen in the process that the whole civilian flagger program has had a really We haven't seen it take off in the way that I personally would want it to, that this council voted and supported. So I would need to know more information about how this would impact What community advocates came in these chambers and really made clear is a desire to develop the civilian flagger program. And so I think it's really important for us to have that discussion. I know that we started having it, but continuing to have

so that we are not doing anything to the detriment of what community came here and asked us for, Hearings, and Roxbury Read hearings all across the city on this very topic. And so I want more information. I'm not prepared to vote yes or no. It is a resolution that often binds you. I think it's important for us to have this conversation So I'll be voting present on this resolution. I do want to make sure that community is part of the discussion because right now we have a tiered system where it starts with police officers, then other local police and then to civilians and we haven't seen it actually even develop out I want more information and I think it's important that we owe it to those who fought for this program. Thank you.

I fail to mention, I did want to add Councillor Murphy as an original co-sponsor.

Councillor Murphy is still added?

Madam Chair. This resolution is different from the civilian flag issue. It's totally separate. Resolution would support allowing retired police officers the opportunity to come back to the city Support, public safety support around details. Yes we can have a conversation about civilian flaggers but that's a different conversation this is something totally different So I want us to keep the focus on bringing back police officers that retired from the Boston Police Department, give them an opportunity to continue to provide that important leadership That's necessary. And I do want to ask my colleagues respectfully to vote yes and not to vote

President, because that's a totally different issue in terms of civilian flag. I just don't want to get it confused and mixed up on people.

Thank you Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam President. And thank you, Councilor Flynn for bringing this forward and also to Council Louise Janspoint. Three years ago our city made a historic agreement in that deal the city will begin a detail system with different tiers of workers staffing those details. It created a second tier of retired officers and university police officers, as well as the third tier of civilian flaggers who have been properly chained and certified. We are nearly three years later, and this detailed system is still not up and running. However I do believe because of that city policy in the state law For me, this is an easy resolution to support because it's already supposed to be part of the city's policy and we have seen no results on one of the major agreements of the entire collective bargaining agreement that was passed years ago.

I'd like to add that the city gets a cut of all these details, so we are leaving extra revenue on the table. So I thank again Council Fink for bringing this forward and I look forward to supporting this resolution.

Thank you, Councillor Worrell. The chair recognizes Councillor Durkan. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Chair. I disagree that this is a different conversation than I will be supporting this resolution but I do think it's a conversation that is definitely tied together and I actually that was one of my first votes on the city council was that collective bargaining agreement that created a type 1 and a type 2 detail As someone who has a lot of events in my district, over 5,000 people. I think that was an important step separating out the most important details from type 2 details and creating and so forth. We have not moved on creating that mechanism for type 2 details and civilian

and I think that's what the spirit of the resolution is. So, I will be supporting that but I think these are definitely intertwined and definitely a conversation that needs to take place and I would like my voice in this I'm voting yes with that asterisk that we absolutely need to look at the collective bargaining agreement and make sure So thank you to Councillor Louieune for bringing us back to that moment. Thank you, Councillor.

Flynn and Murphy seek suspension of the rules and adoption of Docket 1548. All in favour say aye, all opposed say nay. Mr Clerk could you please take a roll call vote on Docket

Brayden, yes. Councilor Braydon, yes, Councilor Coletta Zapata, Council Culpepper, yes Councilor Culpeper, yes Counselor Durkan, yes Councillor Durkin, yes council Fitzgerald, yes councillor Fitzgeral, yes counselor Flynn, yes Flynn, yes. Councilor Louisianne? Present. Council Louisiann present. Council Mejia? Present, Council Mehia present. Councillor Murphy? Murphy, yes. Councilor Pepén?

Yes.

Council of Pepén, yes, Councilor Santana? Yes Council Santana, yes Council Weber? Council Weber present. Council Worrell?

Yes

Nine votes in the affirmative and three present.

Thank you docket 1548 has been adopted Mr. Clerk could you please read docket one five four nine

Talking number 1549. Councilor Flynn offered the following resolution in support of waiving the residency requirement to allow for transfers from other municipalities to the Boston Police Department.

Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn. Councillor, you have the floor. Thank you Madam Chair.

This is a resolution in support of waiving the residency requirement and allowing for transfer from other cities or towns to the Boston Police Department. I highlighted how understaffed we are at Boston police. Again, I'll mention this again. Since 1980 the Boston Municipal Code mandate established a minimum of 2,500 sworn officers We have a staffing shortage with Boston police officers consistently work 16 hours a day, several days a week. Burnout. may potentially impact the city's ability to maintain public safety. We need hundreds of recruits due to retirements, resignations and transfers Waving the residency requirement could potentially aid the recruitment process.

Boston residency is required for one year prior to a civil service exam. But we have the ability to waive the requirement for those currently serving as police officers in other cities and towns. And giving Those police officers have an opportunity to live in their own city or town, because we know how difficult it is to try to come to Boston searching to buy a house or to rent and to continue working. In my opinion, especially during these challenging times we need to do everything we can to make it easier to recruit police officers in Boston.

Part of the solution as well is retention, those police officers that are currently employed on the Boston Police Department I think I probably spoke to, I don't know 40-50 of them over the last two nights during crime watch national night out related events. Many of them continue to tell me that they consistently work 16 hours a day. One person the other day missed his daughter's after school program His wife was working. Another officer told me he had a medical appointment that he needed to go to, but he wanted to do the shift because he was needed and he needed be there for his colleagues It's putting a major strain on marriages.

It's having an impact on public safety. We need to have a little bit of compassion and support our police officers especially during these challenging times in our city. Thank you Madam Chair.

Flynn for bringing this to the chamber today. I want to start off by acknowledging that recent days, obviously there's been an uptick in violence and one of them impacting my district specifically It's not been easy. I've had multiple conversations with officers at E18, B3, E5 on what's been happening across the city. Just want to thank the captains and the officer in the community service officers for all the work they do on an everyday basis. When this, when I saw that this resolution was filed, I immediately called the union and I said I do have concerns with this because one of my favorite things that I enjoy about the Boston Police Department, that the officers are from Boston. For me it's really cool when I get to see a former high school classmate wearing the uniform helping out in the streets and directing traffic, reporting to duty.

I know that they understand the streets. They know our neighbors. They live in our district. and I think that's a huge advantage to our community policing. But I am grateful that Councilor Flynn partnered this with the hearing order, and I thing that that's gonna be a place where I'm going to ask a lot of my questions about how can this impact the police department because I do want to also highlight that police officers, the ones I speak to at least, do have concerns about the amount of hours that they work. But I do think we have a very good toolbox at the Boston Police Department which is the cadet program I was just speaking with a lot of them during National Night Out and what struck me was that they were all from Boston. They grew up here or they moved here at a very young age, and they were just looking forward to serve on the Boston Police Department

So today I will be voting present on this resolution and I'm going to ask my questions at the hearing because I think that we need to explore all measures but i do not agree with this at the moment so thank you madam president for the time

Thank you, Councilor Pepén. Chair recognizes Councilor Mejia. You have the floor.

Thank you Madam President and I appreciate my colleague for bringing this resolution to the council and Having grown up here in the city of Boston, I understand how important it is to have diversity and have representation. And I think while I do appreciate the intent behind Having more officers and reducing the barriers, I don't feel comfortable with a resolution that prevents us from having a more diverse workforce. We already have issues as it is within that workforce. And I think that if anything, what we should be doing is working on strengthening our recruitment efforts

Working with our Boston public schools, working with our nonprofit partners and working with other folks who deeply care about workforce development and developing pipelines that increase Diversity, and therefore the way our officers interact with our community would feel differently because there will be more cultural competency. in that, and not just because of race but also because you live here in the city of Boston. And when you live hear in the City of Boston, that is a whole different way of how you're gonna show up and you're going to need that ability to also understand how to interact with people who are from Boston. So I think while I appreciate the intent, this is not the type of conversation

I believe we should be having, what we should focusing on in this moment is the residue of the trauma that so many of our neighbors are carrying now as a result of violence. and what we should be doing is talking about how we're going to get ahead of that. And if that's not what we're talking about, it's just politics.

Thank you, Councilor Mejia. Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to begin by saying that I have tremendous respect for the men and women of the Boston Police Department. Every day they answer the call to protect our neighborhoods often under incredibly difficult circumstances. And without a doubt, Councilor Flynn has been one of the department's fiercest supporters. I also recognize that the staffing, this shortage Facing the department is real. It places an enormous burden on officers who continue to serve, resulting in mandatory overtime and burnout. This is a challenge we cannot ignore But after giving this resolution careful thought, I cannot support it. If we truly believe that the Boston Police Department is one of the finest departments in the world with world-class training, high standards

and a culture of professionalism, then we should expect every officer who wears this badge to meet those same standards from the very beginning. Consistency matters. We've worked too hard to build public confidence in this department to lower our expectations down. To me, this resolution addresses the symptom and not the disease. The real question isn't how we make it easier to fill vacancies, the real question is why fewer people are choosing policing as a career. Why officers are leaving? And what can we do to recruit and retrain the next generation of exceptional public servants? These are the problems we should be diagnosing. These are investments we should make, whether that means modernizing recruitment, improving incentives, expanding community-based recruiting

Let me just say that again. Whether that means modernizing recruitment, improving incentives, expanding community-based recruiting or creating stronger pathways into law enforcement We owe it both to our officer and our residents to solve the underlying challenge instead of applying what I believe is a temporary band-aid. For these reasons, Madam President, I will be voting no on this resolution.

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. In order of—I'm just trying to keep—Councillor Murphy, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President and thank you to Councillor Flynn for bringing up what I would consider probably one of the hardest conversations I wish that we could always make sure all of our city jobs are filled by city kids, city residents. I say it all the time, I'm a strong advocate For the residency laws, I think it is important that we continue to try to get kids in our neighborhoods to want this path but we know that the state we are in today is very different than it was even five years ago, 10 years ago. There was a time when there were thousands of people on the list to try to get onto the Boston Police. It was very competitive. It more competitive than trying to get on the fire department. but now we're funding classes in the academy over 200 and we're lucky if we get 120.

So, we have more money than were able to fill spots I do appreciate that Council of Flynn isn't just putting forth this resolution. I think a lot of his advocacy these past nine years on the council has been around our first responders and making sure that they have the tools needed to do their job. So I will support this because it's gonna also be with more of a conversation, and as we know resolutions aren't binding But I do think we really have to sound the alarm. We did it a couple years ago when close to half of our swimming pools were closed in the summer and not because of maintenance, many of them were closed because of lifeguarding and we had to change the rule, and now residency was stripped and things were changed about certain positions that we're trying hard to fill. So we do have to have this hard conversation

There's no easy fix there, but I think we have to address it because the current office is there and I also believe But as this body and this city needs to do a better job supporting our offices, the morale is really low. And that's one of the reasons many kids don't see this as a path. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Murphy. The chair recognizes Councillor Durkan. You have the floor.

Thank you so much, Chair. I definitely think we need to have a conversation about residency in all city departments There are members of the Parks Department team that are making under $50,000 and expected to be able to afford to live in the city. So not to distract from this conversation but I think I just want to say, I believe that the sponsor of this heart is absolutely in the right place and I thank him for his leadership. I think on this issue in particular, I have questions about whether these lateral transfers have served for over 10 years and some of the details regarding allowing I think that this is definitely a response to an actual problem which is that we have officers We are able to laterally transfer to other departments very easily. And so we're losing right now a lot of officers

I have a lot of respect for this proposal, but it's not one that I'm willing to support today without getting questions answered. And I do think If you talk to every union that represents the city of Boston, you will get a different answer on residency from every single one. So we absolutely need to have this conversation with labor at the table and other city departments. And realizing that there are even lower paid workers expected to find residency within the City of Boston, I can't vote yes on this resolution without really navigating The intricacies of thinking about all of our city departments. And so I'm grateful to the sponsor for this, but I will be voting no today and look forward to the conversation regarding this.

Thank you, Councilor Durkan. The chair recognizes Councilor Weber. Councilor, you have the floor.

Yeah, thank you very much. I'm the council's designee on the Residency Compliance Commission and I think this raises important issues that this is a system that has a lot of problems that we need to work on. For example, where people we can't fill positions with folks that live here. Maybe we can look outside the city But I don't think this is one of those areas. This is, you know, I think as some of my colleagues have said, this is the positions that I would be least likely to waive the requirement Our Boston police officers to live and want to live, work here and raise their kids here. Plus we had a hearing with BPD on staffing I think it was a couple years ago

and I asked BPD if there was a pool of police officers in other towns who wanted to work here, and I remember the answer being no. I think staffing is an issue across, you know probably the whole country. It's definitely across the commonwealth so um you know i continue to I believe in the principle that we want our police officers to live here in the city. So for those reasons, I'm going to vote no on this resolution.

Thank you, Councillor Weber. The chair recognizes Councillor Flynn. Councillor, you have the floor.

Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I do want to highlight or respond to some of the comments my colleagues made and I don't take this personal. I probably provided seven or eight recommendations on how we can move The city forward as it relates to hiring more police officers, retention recruiting. I'm doing everything I possibly can because I know we're in a crisis When someone is working 16 hours a day consistently, I need to respond and provide recommendations on how we address that. We just can't accept the status quo on what is happening in this city If we're voting against this, come up with a couple proposals on how we get more police officers in the city of Boston. Just don't shut it down and say no, we're not doing that. Come up with your own proposals.

I came up with seven or eight proposals that are being considered, that are factored into the discussion. But when police officers can't go home after their shift because they have to work 16 hours, and then when that police officer is on in their 15th hour of tour and there's an incident We know that someone that is working 15 straight hours is not on top of their game. I know that because when I was in the military, we would work 24 straight hours a day carrying a weapon It's not healthy. You're tired. When you're tired, you make mistakes I'm doing everything I can to provide the leadership that's necessary to address this crisis in Boston. I'm asking my colleagues to stand with me and support this proposal. Thank you Madam Chair.

Thank you. Just two points after my colleagues, I think said some good points themselves. My biggest fear when it comes to leniency on residency or lifting I've always been most concerned about our highest paid positions. are going to start going to people who live outside the city. I want to make sure that if you're the head of the parks commission or if you are the police commissioner, that you live here. Those positions making well over what we would ever I reiterate the importance and how this is a hard conversation about residency, but I don't want us to just focus on the lowest paid workers trying to figure out how to afford to be here.

because once we're giving out political favors and jobs to people who don't live here. And another thing I want to say, and I enjoyed it these last few nights but at any community event anytime I see our cadets Our police officers, our firefighters. My first question is always what neighborhood do you live in? And we all smile, we laugh, I ask them what high school they went to so I enjoy those conversations But there are, when you can get into the fire cadet program, you only need three years residency. So for many of our cadets Um, kids. They're not all city kids. I would not consider you a city kid because you spent your college years or you spent in your early twenties living in an apartment in Southie I'm not saying that they're not good cadets and that they are not going to make good firefighters. But if we truly want to make sure that every kid gets a spot on the fire cadet, I would advocate that we make

That residency even longer than three years that it gets you back into your high school years to ensure that you really did grow up in these streets and these neighborhoods You know it, because it's important. I think we all agree that when you've lived here and you grew up here, you have a much better understanding. Thank you.

Thank You Councillor Murphy. Councillor Behe has already spoken so I'll go to Councillor Fitzgerald because he hasn't spoken yet. I'll come back to you. Councillor FitzGerald

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to say I am a fan of the residency and I do appreciate it and what it brings and having people committed to the city that they live in but I do believe the job of government is to be flexible with the reality of the times we are in Right now, police are leaving. We do not we do have a hiring problem I actually had a friend of mine just text me the other day. I got to get out of here police officer he said so They are feeling it. It is a real thing. We have to be flexible as a government to the reality of the times and the less police officers we have, the more crime will go up so we really have to ask ourselves what we want and look for options I thank Councilor Flynn for bringing this forward and I think even though it really would pain me, there's ways we can do it to make sure Boston residents get priority. Thank you.

Mejia, you have the floor.

Yes. So just one last point. Thank you President for allowing me to speak again. I think when we look at all things considered Officers usually come after the incident has already occurred. And so I'd like for us, if you're looking for proposals, I'd to propose that we start looking at prevention and intervention and start investing in things that will help reduce violence and crime in our neighborhoods. And I think that anyone who's willing to do that work when it's time for the budget Thank you for joining us. I know what is possible, and I'm looking forward to

having productive conversations around just that.

Thank you, Kanchmihive. I'll just say a few brief words. I will be voting no on this resolution. I really feel that we have to dig deep and explore all the other ways can recruit and retain new police officers. One thing that I feel passionate about is we really look to our public schools to look at a public safety pathway, like a career pathway into public safety careers in our high schools. and then from there on into a cadet program, and ultimately to recruitment as a Boston police officer. I really appreciate the fact that we have such a strong community policing model in the city of Boston And much of that is due to the fact that we have police officers who grew up in the neighbourhoods, they know the neighbourhood and they reflect a diversity. We need to cultivate and expand that diversity in our police force.

I totally appreciate Councillor Flynn's ongoing A commitment to trying to find solutions for this situation, but I'm not convinced that this is the best way to go. So I will be voting no on this resolution today. Would anyone like to add their name? Fitzgerald, Councilor Murphy. Thank you. All opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1549?

Councilor Breadon.

No.

Councilor Brayden no. Council Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Culpepper, no. Councilor Durkan? No. Council Dorcan, no, Council Fitzgerald?

Yes.

Council FitzGerald, yes. Council Flynn? Yes Council Flynn, yes, Council Louijeune? No Council Loujeune, no Council Mejia? Mejia, no. Councilor Murphy? No. Council Murphy, yes. Council Pepén?

No!

Council Pepín, no! Council Santana? No Council Santina, no Council Weber? No and Council Worrell? No Councilor Worrell, no. Nine votes in the negative and three in the affirmative.

Thank you Mr. Clerk Docket 1549 has not been adopted Mr. Clerk, could you please read Docket 1550?

Docket number 1550. Councilor Culpepper offered the following resolution calling for the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department to adopt critical incident Administrative Leave Standards in Light of the Medical Examiner's Homicide Determination in the Death of Shakobi Kenny.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank You Madam President. I would like to add Councilor Mejia as the second original co-sponsor and request suspension of the rules to have Councilor Worrell as a third original co sponsor. And if I could, I would add Councilors Flynn as a fourth co-sponsor.

But you're allowed to, so Councilor Mejia is added as the second and seeing and hearing no objections, Councilor Worrell is added this third.

Madam President I'd also like to request suspension of the rules to vote on the passage of this docket. Earlier this year, the council considered docket number 0872 which called for the temporary suspension of Correctional Staff involved in the December 2025 in-custody death of Shakobi Kinney. Unfortunately, that resolution did not pass much of the discussion Senator on concerns regarding Section 17G of the Boston City Charter. Section 17 G only pertains to city employees, not state employees. Those concerns should not have prevented The Council from expressing its position on this matter. Since then, the facts have materially changed. On July 21, the Massachusetts Office of Chief Medical Examiner

determined that the manner of Shakopee's death was homicide and found that the cause of death was a result of cardiac arrest during physical restraint by correction officers. While that determination does not establish Criminal Liability, it substantially changes the circumstances before us and heightens the need for appropriate administrative safeguards while the Attorney General's investigation remains ongoing. The resolution before us today takes a broader approach by calling upon the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department to adopt and apply clear critical incident administrative leave standards whenever an in-custody death involving the use of force occurs. Such standards should help ensure that investigations proceed with the highest level of integrity, protect incarcerated witnesses and other detainees

Preserve public confidence and respect the due process rights of employees. The medical examiner's homicide determination demands renewed consideration, the medical examiners' homicide determination demands renewed consideration of the duty status of the officers directly involved in Mr. Kinney's death. I respectfully ask my colleagues to support this resolution and to join me in urging the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department to place the officers directly involved in the use of force against Mr. Kinney on administrative leave while the Attorney General completes its investigation. Doing so would not prejudge the outcome of that investigation, rather it would demonstrate our collective commitment to accountability, transparency, due process

and maintaining public confidence in our criminal justice system. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank You, Councillor Culpepper. The Chair recognizes Councillor Mejia. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President and I want to thank Councilor Culpepper for adding me to this resolution. I think when we think about our incarcerated loved ones they are under our care and custody Care and Custody. And I think it's really important to uplift the care piece of it, and I think that we have an opportunity here to set the bar higher in the accountability factor will help support the narrative that we are paying attention and that we doing everything in our power. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Suffolk County's Chair's Department there is very little that we can do In the accountability factor, aside from resolutions and applying public pressure. And I just want to thank the advocates who as of last year was sounding the alarm long before anyone caught up

And so just wanted to thank their advocacy and acknowledge all of the emails that we received back then. And I'm hoping that this process in this resolution here with my colleagues standing is another Affirmation of why it's important to support Councilor Culpepper in this resolution. Thank you.

Thank You, Councillor Mejia. Chair recognizes Councilor Worrell. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President, and thank you to Councilor Culpepper for adding me. And also thank you Councilor Mejia for your advocacy around this. Last December a day after Mr. Kenney died I met with the South Bay officials to discuss what happened I left that meeting knowing we needed to see more. That's why I called for the release of the security footage, and it was released in late December and shows a troubling scene. And when you look at the statistics of in-custody death in the Suffolk County Sheriff Department The number is even more troubling. It's more than 20 fatalities this decade, that is unacceptable. This resolution allows for standards and consequences in the Sheriff's Office when these all too common incidents occur. So looking forward to the resolution and hoping, looking forward again at some more standards put in place inside this Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Worrell. The chair recognizes Councillor Durkan. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you so much, Chair. I have previously cited Section 17G of the Boston City Charter which—the Acts of 1951 which says neither the City Council nor any member, committee or officer employee shall directly or indirectly on behalf of the city take part in the employment of labor nor the conduct of the executive or administrative business of the city or county, nor the appointment or removal of any city or County employee. So I will be voting present. Again, I know I've cited this probably Five times on the council floor, but after receiving guidance on a previous matter from the chief of people of this city and reading more into that I will not be weighing in on this incident. Though my heart goes out to the family and anyone who has passed away in custody, I just want to make sure that I'm doing my due diligence and following what I believe the city charter says about our role in employment matters.

Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Durkan. Chair recognizes Councillor Flynn. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam Chair. I do want to recognize and acknowledge Councillor Culpepper and Councillor Ralph for their Important work that they have done on issues relating to people serving a sentence, whether it's in Suffolk County Jail or House of Correction or State Prison. The work that both counselors provided is important work. Justice does need to take place. I'm going to support this resolution Because I know how important it is to have standards, especially after a homicide. at a house of correction or when someone is detained.

But I think this recommendation provided by Councilor Worrell, Councilor Culpepper is about providing a little bit of justice and dignity to the family as well. I just want to acknowledge both councillors, especially these are controversial issues and they're doing their due diligence to provide the best positive leadership that they can. Thank you Madam Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to thank Councillor Culpepper and Councillor Rell who have been advocating and speaking about this particular incident but i know when you wrote this resolution that it's making sure that The critical standards and making sure that we have the highest standards at all of our prisons and jails in the city of Boston. So I will support this. I do think based on weighing in, and I know not just in the charter but last term we did have a rules meeting on weighing-in I don't want to stop this resolution. I think calling for them to be put on paid leave, I do just want to go on record. I don�t have enough information to know if that's necessary

But I do trust my colleagues and their intent, making sure that all of the residents who are in our care and their families can trust that we have the highest standards. I am supporting it for those reasons. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to make it clear that since 2009 the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office they've operated as an independent State Agency, so we are well within our right to support this resolution. They are not in any way city employees. Thank you Madam President.

Flynn, Louijeune, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber. Culpepper, Mejia and Worrell seek suspension of the rules in passage of docket 1550. Councilors Culpepper, Mejia and Worrell seek suspension of the rules in passage of Docket 1550. All in favour say aye. Mr Clerk could you please take a roll call vote on 1550? Yes.

Councilor Breadon, yes. Council Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper?

Yes.

Councillor Culpeper, yes, Councillor Durkan? Present. Councillor Durkin present. Councillor Fitzgerald? Yes Councillor FitzGerald, yes Councillor Flynn? Flynn, yes. Councilor Louisiane? Yes. Council Louisiane, yes, Councilor Mejia? Yes Councilor Mehia, yes Councilor Murphy? Yes Councillor Murphy, yes Counselor Pepén? Yes Counselor Santana? Yes Councilor Weber, yes. And Councilor Worrell? Yes. 11 votes in the affirmative and one present.

Thank you Mr Clerk. Docket 1550 has passed. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1551?

I understand has that docket been withdrawn?

Docket 1561 has been withdrawn. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1552?

Docket number 1552. Councilor Louijeune offered the following resolution calling for an immediate housing stabilization response system for Boston residents who involuntarily lose work authorization due to federal changes in immigration policy.

Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Could I please add yourself as an original co-sponsor? So added. Thank you. And I'd like to request suspension of the rules to pass this resolution. This is work that is already ongoing, and we need to pick up the pace Today during this meeting, the district court judge down in DC made the official final determination about enacting Supreme Court's decision to end temporary protected status. We've been talking about it for the past month now, but today is sort of when the judges made their final having to follow what the Supreme Court stated put out an order on the end of TPS which means people who work in The city, and everywhere around the country frankly but our concern is the city here will lose their ability to work.

There are a number of employers who have come to me in our office frantically I'm not just talking about our Haitian community. It's about to end for El Salvador in a few weeks. It's going to end Honduras, it ended for Venezuela and did for Somalia and Syria, Syria and Haiti combined together so people are really frantic and worried about what's happening that happen in their workplaces and we have cause for concern. We also need to try to get as much ahead of a housing crisis as possible, and that includes having a housing stabilization response plan to those who are not going to be able to, in the current moment pay for their rent or their mortgages because they no longer have work authorization which was always... I always said it that If the moral or humanitarian argument does not stick with you, there's a big economic argument here too.

There is one about a potential crisis in the foreclosure market because people are unable to pay their mortgages So I want to give a shout out to Daniel Johnson and Chief Dillon. Our office has been having ongoing conversations with them about how we get ahead of this. The city obviously cannot restore federal immigration protections, We can prevent the loss, we can prevent this from becoming a housing crisis Boston already has many of the tools we need. The Office of Housing Stability, RAFT screening, rental assistance, eviction prevention services, landlord mediation, legal referrals and trusted community partners. We just need to be more coordinated. There's a bunch of work happening on this So many meetings tomorrow. Executive Office of Housing, United Way. So many people doing important work to try to fill the gaps and the holes that are here and that are coming. We're hearing so much about self-evictions

Only a judge can evict someone in Massachusetts, and I need people to understand and remember that. And whether they are someone who is an immigrant or whether they're five generations here in the city of Boston So this resolution is about putting urgency behind the need for us to have an immediate housing stabilization plan for those who are losing work authorization. A lot of our industries are going to hurt, a lot of families are gonna be hurt A lot of our families are going to be torn apart. Just yesterday, someone stopped me saying like what should we do? And I frankly, to be honest, I don't have all the answers but it's important that we work in coordination and collaboration to find solutions.

Thank you councillor Louijeune for including me in bringing this important resolution forward. and including me as a second. Boston has long been a city of immigrants, and many of our residents contribute to our community—all of them do actually! Our workforce and local economy every day When federal immigration policy changes unexpectedly, the impacts are felt first by families here in Boston. A sudden loss of work authorisation can quickly become a housing crisis. When someone loses their ability to work through no fault of their own, it becomes very much more difficult to pay the rent. As this resolution notes, the City has programs that provide rental assistance, eviction prevention services, legal assistance and landlord mediation. The challenge is ensuring these resources are coordinated and easy to access When families face an immediate crisis.

Creating a single point of contact for residents and coordinating services across departments would help people access assistance more quickly while reducing unnecessary barriers during an already stressful time. Preventing displacement is always more effective than trying to stabilize families after they've entered the shelter system. This resolution focuses on improving coordination among existing city departments and ensuring residents can access available resources before a temporary loss of income becomes a long-term housing crisis. I appreciate Councillor Louijeune for bringing this issue before the council and I look forward to continuing this conversation about how we can better support Boston residents experiencing housing disability as a result of destructive changes in federal immigration policy. And I know many of those folks, even residents who have elders or family members who are in nursing homes et cetera

Many, many people are worried about this, not least especially the immigrant communities who have been impacted most. But as Councillor Louijeune just mentioned, this is an economic issue and so many of our industries Thank you, Madam Chair. May I ask a question?

To you about, do we have an idea about will city resources be used When someone potentially loses their job, will city resources be used to Thank you, Mr. Chair. How much money would the City of Boston be putting aside to invest in this? Those are some of the questions I do have, and I don't know if they're better answered in a hearing or not. I do have questions that I would like to ask before we vote on this.

Louijeune, would you like to answer Councilor Flynn's query?

Sure. Thank you. This is a resolution about understanding that there's a problem and responding to that problem by having Thank you. So there would be no...

City Resources, I guess that would be used as part of this plan. Is that accurate to say?

I think it's going to be a broad-based support Call to really support these folks going forward. I think as Councillor Louijeune said, there's no dollar amount attached at this moment

As in any crisis when folks are being displaced and we don't want to have a... Madam Chair, does it make more sense to actually have a hearing so we could ask them these questions? Or... or do we just vote on it without knowing what the issues are?

Thank you. Councillor Louijeune, would you like to respond to that?

Yes. This is a resolution and I have asked for suspension of the vote and I would like a vote on this matter. These are Boston residents. It is very clear that these are Boston Residents who are often facing a housing crisis Our resources go and help Boston residents regardless of whether they are immigrants or not This is about a coordinated plan because we have a crisis at the moment For Boston residents who are in need of housing support, I'm putting this resolution forward so we have a coordinated plan. Thank you

Thank you, Councillor Louijeune.

I'm going to vote for it, Madam Chair, under the information I received back that there are no city resources going to be used.

Flynn. I don't think you can make that assumption. I think it's really— All right, then I'll object.

We'll have a hearing on it, Madam Chair.

Councilor Louijeune, you have the floor. Oh, This is an emergency. We're in a crisis. Thousands of our residents and city of Boston are facing very, very uncertain future. If we're going to have a hearing, I would urge us to expedite the hearing as soon as possible. A crisis demands that we respond with some urgency so given Councillor Flynn's objection this will go to committee and Committee to Housing. This will go to the Housing Committee, and we will work together to expedite a hearing as soon as possible. Thank you for your leadership, Councillor Louijeune. On to the next docket. Docket 1552 will be sent to the Housing Committee. Mr.

Clerk, could you please read docket 1553?

Docket number 1553. Councillor Mejia will offer the following resolution recognizing the importance of teen dating violence awareness.

Chair recognizes Councillor Mehia. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I hope nobody objects today. So thank you, Madam President. Our office is filing this resolution to recognize the importance of teen dating violence awareness as a survivor and as a parent of a teenager myself, this issue is close to my heart. Teen dating violence is a public health problem and includes many forms of abuse, harassment and or stalking of a teenager. in the context of current or past romantic or consensual relationships. Unfortunately, it is prevalent as one in every 12 teenagers will experience physical dating violence and one in 10 teenagers will experience sexual dating violence. Teen dating violence impacts youth regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and more but females

and youth who identify as LGBTQIA2 plus experience higher rates of teen dating violence. Teen dating violence awareness is crucial, as discussing the issue helps us combat it. By bringing this conversation to the forefront, survivors and those experiencing teen dating violence are affirmed that they are not alone and hopefully are more likely to reach out for help. Researchers are better known and supported and therefore more accessible and support networks of survivors. And those who are experiencing teen dating violence are better informed on how to discuss teen dating, violence connect with individuals to resources advocate and be present with the individual With this resolution, the Boston City Council affirms its commitment to spreading awareness and advancing equitable, accessible, and culturally responsive teen dating violence resources. And I want to thank and give a shout out to Shakira

Robinson from Shakira's story for her leadership in the most recent scenario that we faced here in the city of Boston. And I look forward to having a unanimous

Thank you, Councillor Mejia. Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Durkan, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Louijeune, Councillor Murphy Pepén, Councilor Weber and please add the chair. Councillor Mejia seeks suspension of the rules adoption of docket 1553 all in favor say aye all opposed say nay Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1553?

Councilor Breadon.

Yes.

Councilor Brayden, yes. Council Colletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Yes Councilor Culpeper, yes Councilor Durkan. Council Durkan, yes council Fitzgerald Bichelle, yes. Councilor Flynn? Yes. Council Flynn, yes, Councilor Louijeune? Yes Councilor Lujan, yes Councilor Mejia? Councilor Mehia, yes Counselor Murphy? Yes Counselor Murphey, yes councilor Pepén? Yes councilor Santana? Weber. Councilor Weber, yes. And Councilor Worrell. Doctrine number 1553 has received 10 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you Mr. Clerk, docket 1553 has been adopted Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1554?

Docket number 1554. Councillor Murphy offered the following. Resolution supporting state and federal oversight of transdev safety records and calling for greater transparency and accountability in Boston Public Schools transportation.

Chair recognizes Councilor Murphy. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President. I would like to add Councilor Flynn please

Flynn is so added.

And I'd like to suspend the rules and add Councilor Pepén.

And seeing and hearing no objections, Councillor Pepén has added as a third.

Thank you. A few weeks ago I wrote a letter to BESI, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. And it was continued my ongoing advocacy for our transportation department to deliver the best service, especially when we're spending close to $200 million a year. But when we talk about the best services I think we all agree that safety is the number one thing that we care about I would always rather kids get to and from school safely than on time. But the Boston Public Schools transports approximately 19,000 students each school day. And the City of Boston has a fundamental responsibility to ensure that every child is transported safely, reliably and with full public

Transdev serves as the contracted operator of Boston Public School buses and is responsible for hiring, training, and managing the drivers who transport Boston students. A June 2026 investigation by WBUR and ProPublica identified at least 60 fatal crashes involving Transdev operated buses nationwide Between 2016 and 2025, yet only 18 appeared under TransDev's name in the Federal Safety Database. And the fatal April 28, 2025 crash here in Boston of a kindergartner was not attributed to TransDev's list of accidents that they should be reporting.

The investigation also identified at least 71 serious crashes involving Transdev-operated Boston Public School buses during that period, with none appearing under Transdev's name in the company's federal safety records. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration relies on crash and inspection data to identify Transportation companies that may need more enforcement or oversight. BPS, state education officials in the City of Boston I believe should not rely on a federal safety record that does not accurately connect to the serious concerns we have. Since I wrote that letter, I do want to highlight that Senator Markey and others who are working under his committee have requested answers and trans-dev specific crash and inspection records from the same time that I'm asking for them in my letter to Bessie. So, I filed this resolution

I know that I filed the letter directly to the Board of Education, but the reason I filed this resolution now is I was happy to see that at the federal level also that Senator Markey is also advocating to make sure Transdev, which I know we've had many conversations and it feels like our hands are tied that it's the only company that can transport our students. But I do not believe that we can in good faith go into another school year without knowing exactly what we're dealing with, thank you.

Thank you Councillor Murphy. Chair recognizes Councillor... I beg your pardon, Councillor Murphy, your second was Councillor Flynn? It was. Councillor Flynn, you have the floor.

Thank You. Thank you, Councilor Murphy for adding me. Last fall the administration in Boston Public Schools released the Tidwell Report a complete and independent review of safety policies and performance under contracts with trans-deaf At that time, I recommended an independent investigation into certification compliance. The city stated they would adopt all recommendations. The report stated both trans-deaf and BPS administrators did not implement any meaningful and sustained auditing in oversight measures, that there were warnings on data collection identified by the state in 2019 an internal 2020 safety audit and a 2023 report by the State Inspector General's Office. Moreover, a news report stated that there were 15 personal injury claims involving trans-deaf since 2013.

BPS provides daily transportation to approximately 22,000 students. Families across the city can trust us with their children's safety. It is our obligation to ensure that when we qualify properly certified and closely monitored drivers are allowed to operate school buses. I do not have any confidence at all in Transdev, I don't think it's a good contract that the city engaged in and I do think the city council has an obligation to hold Transdev accountable because parents are asking questions, and they don't feel safe with the current system being operated by Transdev, the city council has to provide critical oversight of Transdev. Or if we don't want to do that, the state should provide that oversight. I actually believe that BPS transportation should be under state receivership.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank You, Councillor Flynn. The chair recognizes Councillor Pepén. Councillor Pepen, you have the floor.

Thank-you, Madam President. I wanted to speak on this resolution because of the impact that it had on my district on April 28, 2025. It's a day that I remember because What happened? And to this day we get questions about the bus systems and how are we making sure that kids are safe. I am not in agreement with my colleague about BPS Transportation going on under Destiny Receivership. I believe that Dan, Rosengard, Jackie, everyone at BPS transportation is working tremendously with their school buses. It is not an easy job. I have sat with them probably more than a handful of times every month to go over what are they doing, how are we going to continue to improve the system. However, I do know that

In regards to TransDef, there has been concerns not just in the City of Boston but across the country which is why Senator Markey has taken this up over at the federal level and I do thank him for doing that. I know that his office is working closely on this Thank you for joining us. I just want to make sure that our kids are getting to and from home safely when they're on a school bus. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. For years we have seen the increase in the BPS transportation budget and the decrease in service and accountability for the BPs community. These issues were especially highlighted in the hearing that was hosted in the Education Committee held earlier this year on docket 0374. I think we can all agree that trans dev needs to be held accountable for missed buses, tardiness and its unaccountable I recognize the real issues with BPS transportation, but and or federal oversight language. The responsibility of oversight lies with the Boston School Committee, which they have not done their job. Instead of having the state

or federal government intervene and take over an entire department within BPS, we need to hold the overseers accountable for ensuring that our students are getting to and from school safe and in a timely manner. The school committee has the power to ask BPS the difficult questions around trans-dev operations, and ensure they are upholding every part of their contract. Our constituents should not be paying I strongly encourage the Boston Public School Committee to do their job at holding the district accountable and trans-dev accountable, and making sure that we are prioritizing students' well being above all.

in order to recognize the issues with BPS transportation, but not to support a state or federal takeover. And because of this, today I will be objecting to this resolution today and I'm going to ask that it be placed in my committee so that we can make sure that we're not putting BPS in the state receivership.

Mejia. Docket 1554 will be referred to the Committee on Education. There is no discussion after a docket has been objected to. Thank you. Mr Clerk, could you please read docket 1553? Oh sorry, beg your pardon I'm going backwards in this book here Doc at 1555.

Doc number 1555, Councilor Breadon offered the following resolution recognizing National Farmers Market Weekend.

Mr Dean, if you would take the chair for a few minutes.

The Councillor recognises. Councillor Breadon, you have the floor.

Thank You Mr Chair I'm proud to offer this resolution recognizing National Farmers Market Week and an important role that our farmers markets play and communities across Boston. Farmers markets support local and regional farmers by giving them a place to sell directly to consumers while also providing residents with greater access to fresh, locally grown food. They also serve as important third spaces. Our farmers markets bring neighbours together and create welcoming places for people to gather and connect with one another. Access to fresh and healthy food remains a challenge for many families in Boston. Farmers markets across the city help address this by accepting SNAP, a Healthy Incentive Programme and other nutritional benefits that make fresh produce more affordable and accessible. In Alston Brighton, we are fortunate to have the Brighton Farmers Market

which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary, its ten-year anniversary and at the end of this meeting today I will be heading over there to recognize their 10 years of incredible work. Farmer's Markets across Boston including Roxbury, Dorchester, East Boston, Mattapan, South and many more locations provide our residents with access to fresh food while supporting the farmers and vendors who work incredibly hard to bring their products to our communities. These markets would not be possible without farmers, producers, market managers and community partners who put in the work each week to make them successful. and I urge my colleagues to support me in recognizing National Farmers Market Week.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilor Pepén. Councilor Peppin, do you have the floor?

Thank you Mr. Chair, thank you Council President for submitting this resolution I am very lucky because I have two great farmers markets in my district and one of them I attend every single weekend It's right down the street from my house. It's the Rosnell Farmer's Market. I put that against any farmer's market, against the country. It is by far one of my favorite places to hang out and it's not because of just what do they sell there The fact that it's local produce and its people bringing in their own supplies and things they want to sell. My favorite bagels are sold there, my favorite empanadas are sold here. It's also the sense of community that it builds. I was able to read a book to some kids two weeks ago at the farmer's market. You know you're going to run into a neighbor at the farmers' market. You're going to spend more time than you wish, but it's because it's such a magnet for community.

And I'm so thankful to have farmers markets in my district and I'm glad that he brought this resolution. I should go check out the Brighton one and all the other ones across the city. But thank you so much, I am gonna fully support this vote yesterday.

Thank you. The chair recognizes Councilor Durkan. You have the floor.

Thank you so much, Chair Culpepper. So I had the opportunity to cut The Ribbon or I should say Tulip ribbon at the oldest farmers market in Boston, the Copley Square Farmers Market this year. We also have a Mission Hill Farmer's Market, and I have been known to venture to Roslindale for the Roslindeal Farmers' Market. It is incredible. Great selection, amazing flowers. I truly love farmers markets. It's every city and place that I've lived in, farmers markets have been part of my life so I just want to thank our Council President for bringing this forward. Farmers markets are more than meets the eye They're connecting farms with, you know, it's farm to table. It's sustainable. It builds community and most importantly I think we've all faced what its meant to have SNAP

Under Fire, and so farmers markets are often a place where low-income people can receive amazing fruits and vegetables with their SNAP and EBT cards. So I'm really grateful to the two that exist in my district. I'm grateful to ones that exist throughout the city, it's such an important part of our local economy and connecting farmers with the people I'm excited to celebrate. I don't know how I'm going to celebrate this week, but the Copley Square Farmers Market is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., so please stop by. And maybe I'll be in Rossi this weekend. You reminded me I need to stop by one of my favorite haunts. So thank you, Councilor Culpepper.

Chair recognizes Councilor Flynn. Councilor Flynn, do you have the floor?

Thank you Mr. Chair and thank you To the maker for bringing this forward, I have an exceptional farmer's market in my district which is actually in my neighborhood in South Boston on West Broadway right of the municipal a lot. and have the opportunity to go there once in a great while. But I do know that they provide incredible services, food access, support of families in need but also there's There's a sense of community there as well. Many people from all walks of life come to this area in South Boston, as Councilor Pepén mentioned and it's a place to talk to your neighbors Support each other and learn more about what's happening in the community. It's a great place to be, and it's a good place to come together as a neighborhood. I also want to acknowledge the farmer's market

at Copley Square as well. A lot of my Back Bay constituents and residents across the city really go there because it's such a unique place, and also brings people together in community. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you. Would anyone like to add their name? Councilor Murphy, you have the floor.

I always love a good farmer's market. We do have so many across all the neighborhoods, but I wanted to give a special shout out to our main streets who in some run them directly, but all of the main streets if your neighborhood does have one work closely with our Farmers markets that provide like not just the great bagels which I know the lines there early in Rossendale you have to get there earlier they sell out soon but for many it's the coupons that our food justice office Supplies also. The Codman Square kickoff I was at a couple weeks ago for their farmer's market There were lots of people in line really needing the food and there have been some changes in the coupons we're giving out so I know it continues to be on us to support these farmers markets. Make sure that all of our residents have healthy food to eat. So thank you.

Would anyone like to add their name? Councilor Durkan, Fitzgerald... Flynn, Louijeune, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber. And please add the chair. Councilor Breadon seeks suspension of the rules and adoption of docket 1555. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Council of Breadon. Yes. Council of Breadon, yes. Councilor Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Yes Councilor Culpeper, yes Councilor Durkan. Yes Counselor Durkin, yes Counselor Fitzgerald. Yes Flynn, yes. Councilor Lujan? Yes. Council Luján, yes Councilor Mejia? Councilor Murphy? Yes Councilor Murphey, yes, Councilor Pepén? Yes Councillor Pepén, yes Councillor Santana? Yes, Councillor Weber Weber, Yes and Councilor Worrell. Talking number 1555 has received ten votes in the affirmative.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. Docket 1555 has been adopted. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1556?

Docket number 1556. Councilor Murphy offered the following resolution recognizing National Health Center Week and honoring Boston's community health centers.

Chair recognizes Councillor Murphy. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President I would like to add Councillor Fitzgerald please.

Councillor FitzGerald is so added

And I'd like to suspend the rules and add Councilor Flynn.

Seeing and hearing no objections, Councillor Flynn is added as a third.

And if I could, I would add Council of Pepén. He had asked, and I do just want to shout out at the beginning, so I don't forget to say it. I know that he's been advocating strongly that High Park gets a community center because he does understand the value that they give to a community not just offering the health medical Thank you for your advocacy. So I'm writing this resolution, it's National Healthcare Week. Michael Curry and some of our community centers, health centers today. But I know we already had a few presentations already but I do just want to uplift the work they do We have talked a lot about it, but it's very important that we remember that the community health centers in Boston provide trusted accessible neighborhood-based care and we know

that regardless of your insurance status, your income, your immigration status or language background you're always welcome at a health center and they give the best support to all Patients that come through their doors. They provide language access, culturally responsive care in a staff who understands the communities they serve. Many of the employees at the community health centers are residents in the neighborhoods themselves, so they do understand. How much the need is. They also understand that good health is connected to access to food, stable housing, transportation, language services, mental healthcare and supports that allow individuals and families to thrive so we know they work closely with many of our city departments.

I also want to recognize Michael Curry who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, and the league for their continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of our health centers. So I do hope that my colleagues join in honoring and celebrating our health centers. I'm asking to suspend and pass this resolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to acknowledge them as well and thank you to Councilor Murphy for having me as a co-sponsor here. Especially in the wake of Dorchester losing its local hospital in Kearney Hospital, the Neighborhood Health Center has really stepped up for those in the area. And that includes Neponset Health Center, Dot Health, Codman Square Health Center and even the first ever community health center in the United States, the Geiger Gibson down at Columbia Point. I think it's really right to recognize them, the work they continue to do in the absence of a local community hospital in the neighborhood and for those that they help each and every day. Thank you Madam President

Thank you. The Chair recognises Councillor Flynn. You have the floor.

Thank you Madam Chair and thank you to Councillor Murphy for adding me. I'm fortunate to have many health centres, community health centres in my district I just wanted to highlight them, including the South Boston Community Health Center. It serves a diverse group of patients where nearly 60% of patients rely on On public assistance, this health center provides critical healthcare to not just residents across South Boston but throughout other neighborhoods as well. But there's also several other health centers in my district or just outside of my district that I do want to highlight, including the South Cove Community Health Center in Chinatown. Exceptional work. The South End Community Health Center merged with the East Boston Community Health center.

It's under the East boston community health center name now, but they do exceptional work in the south end, in the Roxbury area as well. Fenway Community Health Center is outside of my district, but at one time they did play a critical role inside the district, Many from the LGBTQ plus community and just want to acknowledge the work of Fenway Community Health Center as well. I also want to highlight one issue. I do believe that financially many of the community health centers are struggling. I think there is an opportunity for us eventually hearing at the City Council to learn more about the financial situations many of these community health centers

are in and to see what role the city of Boston can play or the state as well, to support our community health centers because I think sooner or later we're going to deal with that particular issue. Thank you Madam Chair.

Thank you, Councillor Flynn. The chair recognizes Councillor Culpepper. You have the floor and then we'll go to Councillor Pepén.

Thank you Madam President. I rise in support of this resolution recognizing National Health Centre Week Community Health Centers. I'd like the Whittier Street Health Center in my district that are approachable, accessible and affordable to help keep our families healthy. No corner of the Commonwealth should ever Becoming a healthcare desert, and leaders like Michael Curry along with the dedicated professionals who serve in our community health centers every day made that possible. I hope we use National Health Center Week not only To celebrate these institutions, but also to renew our commitment to advancing community health centers, supporting the professionals who work in them and advocating for the resources they need to continue serving our neighborhoods. For these reasons, I am proud to support this resolution offered by Councillor Murphy. Thank you Madam President.

Chair recognizes Councillor Pepén. You have the floor.

Thank you so much, Madam President. And thank you so to Councilor Murphy for introducing this resolution and for the words at the beginning. I really strongly have been advocating for Hyde Park Health Center to be able to make that a reality. But, that wouldn't be possible without the Healthy and Wellness High Park Coalition that people like Marcia Kim Jackson are leading in the community It's a big beautiful neighborhood that the residents are saying, you know we live in one of the furthest parts of the city right at the tail end of the City and it takes them a long time to get there. And they know the value of a health center that it reflects the community, which is why they're fighting for it. They've been making progress though because now they're teaming up with The Family Van and they're teaming up with Whittier Health Center from another neighborhood, with President Frederico Williams.

And seeing how we can bring more resources in the meantime until we get to that conversation working with people like Michael Curry to bring any health center to Hyde Park I also want to give a shout out to Rossendale Community Health Center because they are amazing. They're the health center where my family goes too, again right down the street from where we live and it makes you feel like family when you walk in that care is personal Another health center in my neighborhood that it is a gem is the Mattipan Community Health Center. And they've been doing such a great job of taking care of our residents, especially with the closure of the Kearney Hospital but also in recent Thank you so much for joining us. I was there with other colleagues to be able to have those conversations in an open setting.

I want to give a shout out also to Miss Davina Masol, who is a Hyde Park resident but she helped establish the South End Community Health Center and we are using her knowledge to really help formulate how do we get to that point in other places across the city. So thank you Madam President, I will be supporting voting yes on this resolution.

Thank you, Councillor Pepén. Chair recognizes Councillor Durkan. Councillor, you have the floor.

Thank you chair and thank you to Councillor Murphy for sponsoring this. Health care centers and our community health centers really help break down Right now in Boston, we have very unequal access to health care. And there are people that have access to the best healthcare and there are flying in from around the world to receive care from our world-class hospitals and there are folks that don't have basic needs treated like diabetes, insulin resistance and so on. I know that there are a lot of issues related to diabetes and other issues that are so basic, The social determinants of health and helping people get access to the healthcare that they need in every neighborhood. It helps create stable relationships and many more.

I think it is important to bring awareness to people and their health care providers, they are deeply needed in the city of Boston so as much Flynn, and I know Councilor Flynn mentioned Fenway Health which is currently located in my district but has had multiple locations over their history. It's a deeply important I'm grateful to all of my colleagues for their support of community health centers because we deeply need that access in our neighborhoods. And I think there's a number of issues at the state and federal levels that we can push for to make sure they're really getting fair reimbursement.

there's a lot of issues that we can work on as a council to talk through those issues so I want to thank Michael Curry as well for his leadership and everyone who works to expand access to community health centers. Thank you

Thank you. Anyone else? I would also like to give a shout out to the Charles River Community Health Centre, which celebrated 50 years last year. It started off Due to the visionary leadership of a guy called Joseph Smith, who was an Alston resident. The original iteration was the Joseph Smith Community Health Centre which is housed in two apartments and the original Charlesview Housing Complex on Western Ave. And over the years, They outgrew that, and they moved into a building that was rented from Harvard. And then in recent years with the incredible support of Majority Leader Moran The Charles River Community Health Centre got a brand new building. So there's dental, medical, behavioural health, pharmacy It's just a really vibrant and essential part of our neighbourhood infrastructure.

My mother-in-law was one of their first patients, and Mary and I are still patients over there at the Charles River Community Health Centre And it helps me. There's a crisis in primary care right now, and our community health centers are the pride of Boston because we have a whole network of them across the city. I look forward to working with Councillor Pepén to do anything I can to help Support your quest to have a new community health centre in Hyde Park, because it's critically important to the health of the neighbourhood. So anyone like to add their name? Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Pepén, Santana, Weber, Worrell. Murphy, Fitzgerald and Flynn seek suspension of the rules for adoption of Docket 1556. All in favour say aye. All opposed say nay. Mr.

Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1556?

Councilor Breadon. Yes. Councilor Brayden, yes. Council Coletta Zapata. Council Culpepper. Yes, Councilor Durkan. Council Durkan, yes, Council Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, yes. Councilor Flynn? Yes. Council Flynn, yes, Council Louijeune? Yes Council Loujeune, yes Council Mejia? Yes Councillor Mejía, yes Councillor Murphy? Yes Penn, yes. Councilor Santana? Yes. Council Santana, yes, Council Weber? Yes Councilor Weber, yes and Council Worrell? Councilor Worrell, yes Token number 1556 has received 12 votes in the affirmative

Thank you. Docket 1556 has been adopted. Mr. Clerk, could you please read docket 1557?

Doc number 1557, Councilor Worrell offer the following. Resolution recognizing August 6th as Jamaica Independence Day in the city of Boston.

Chair recognizes Councilor Warrell. You have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to wish Jamaica and Jamaicans everywhere a happy Independence Day. This year feels a little different. Last October Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with winds of 185 miles per hour taking 95 lives across the Caribbean, including 45 in Jamaica and devastating communities across the island. What has stayed with me is how Jamaican people responded with strength, grit and unmatched resilience. That is why this year's theme, Uniting in Celebrating Resilience, is so fitting. Resiliencia has always been part of Jamaica's story from emancipation in 1838 to August 6th, 1962 when the black green and gold flag was raised over an independent Jamaica. And Jamaica's impact can be felt right here in Boston

We see it in leaders like Leila G. Frederick, who came from Jamaica and devoted her life to fighting for children and families across Roxbury and Dorchester and we saw it again after the hurricane when the city of Boston stepped up. My office worked with local organizations to hold supply drives, to help rebuild and get supplies to Jamaica but we know that work isn't done I also want to shout out Bianca Rose, our Hannah City of Boston who helped also organize a lot of those supply drives. We have to continue to show up and to all my Jamaicans and to the island of Jamaica happy Independence Day and I look forward to celebrating tomorrow from noon to 4.30 right here on City Hall Plaza, thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Worrell. Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank You Madam President. I rise today in support of The resolution recognizing August 6th as Jamaica Independence Day in the City of Boston. As we mark the 64th anniversary of Jamaica's independence, we are not just commemorating a date on the calendar We are celebrating the vibrant and deep influential Jamaican community that calls Boston home. There's been a real debate about who makes the best cocktails and I have been in a deep battle with Councilor Worrell's brother, Representative Worrell. We still haven't had our cook-off yet but for the record Northern baked oxtails are far better than Jamaican oxtail. The Jamaican community has a longstanding presence in Boston

and the influences felt from our local economy and healthcare system to our arts and civic leadership. Recognizing this day is a way to honor the heritage of our residents of Jamaican descent, and to uphold the diversity that makes Boston a dynamic place to live. This resolution serves as reminder of the global connections that exist right here in our neighborhoods and when we celebrate the independence of Jamaica, we are acknowledging our neighbors, our colleagues and friends who help drive Boston forward every day. I am honored to stand and celebrate Jamaica Independent say, and for these reasons I will be voting yes. Thank you Madam President. Thank You Councillor Culpepper

I think you two guys better stop talking about who's better and actually show us the proof of the oxtails here. Good, we're looking forward to it. Would anyone like to add their name? Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune, Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber. And please add the chair. Worrell seeks suspension of the rolls and adoption of docket 1557. All in favor say aye. All opposed say nay. Mr. Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket

Brayden.

Yes.

Councilor Braydon, yes. Council Colletta Zapata. Council Culpepper? Yes. Councillor Culpeper, yes, Councillor Durkan? Yes Councillor Durkin, yes Councillor Fitzgerald? Yes Councilor Fitzgeral, yes Councilor Flynn? Flynn, yes. Councilor Louisianne? Yes. Council Louisianna, yes, Councilor Mejia? Yes Councilor Murphy, yes Councilor Pepén, yes Counselor Santana, yes Webber, and Councilor Worrell. Docket No. 1557 has received 12 votes in the affirmative.

Mr. Clerk, could you please read Docket 1558?

Docket number 1558. Councilor Mejia offered the following resolution recognizing August 16th, 2026 as Dominican Cultural Day.

Chair recognizes Councilor Mejia.

Councilor, you have the floor. Thank you Madam President and I would also like to add my Dominican brothers, Councilor Santana as a second co-sponsor and I'd like to Suspend the rules and add Councilor Pepén as an original third co-sponsor.

Councilor Santana is added as a second, and seeing and hearing no objections, Councilor Papen is added at a third.

I'm proud to file this resolution recognizing Dominican Cultural Day and highlighting the Semana Cultural & Festival Dominican de Boston organization, which continues to uplift the Dominican culture, values, art and contributions of our city. This year marks the 163rd anniversary of the restoration of the independence of the Dominican Republic. And as you all know, I'm a proud Dominican immigrant The Dominican community is the second largest Latino and the second-largest immigrant population in the city of Boston. And our entrepreneurs, activists, leaders, athletes, politicians, educators, and more making our city a better place alongside all of our cultural communities. On Dominican Cultural Day, we celebrate the Dominican community while also committing to further advocacy on behalf of the Dominican Community. Especially given the climate of the federal government, the Dominican and all the Latino immigrant communities are being targeted.

And we will continue to uphold our values as a sanctuary city that uplifts and protects all of our communities. The Trump administration is promoting hatred and wants us to be afraid, but we will continue to celebrate our community in joyful resistance to the federal government. You all know that the Dominican Republic is a very proud country, and I hope that this Esta semana cultural también quiero resaltar a Luis Matos y la Casa de la Cultura, y Rosana y todas las personas que están poniendo todo su esfuerzo para asegurarse So I just added something that I didn't say in English. I just want to uplift the Casa de la Cultura, it's the organization

that is led by Luis Matos and a series of other Dominicans who are leading the charge in making sure that the Dominican Festival and our culture is represented and celebrated here in August. I just want to say felicidades.

Thank you, Councillor Mejia. The Chair recognizes Councillor Santana. Councillor, welcome back. We're glad to see you.

Thank You.

You have the floor.

Thank-you Madam President and I want to thank the lead sponsor Councillor Meja for your leadership on this resolution and for including me as a co-sponsor. As someone who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised here at Mission Hill, it is an honor to recognize the Dominican Cultural Day and celebrate the rich heritage and lasting contributions of the Dominican Community here in Boston. This year, as Councilor Mejia mentioned and her remarks, we recognize the 163rd anniversary of the restoration of the independence of the We also recognize the work of Semana Cultura y Festival Dominicano de Boston, whose dedication has helped preserve and celebrate Dominican culture and traditions for generations. Boston's Dominican community The city's second largest Latino and immigrant community continues to make meaningful contributions in business, education, public service, the arts, and civic life. I am especially proud to serve alongside my fellow Dominicans, Councilor Mejia and Councilor Pepen.

And just a major shout out for Councilor Mejia being the first Latina, but first Dominican to serve here in the Boston City Council creating a pathway for many others to be able to serve. I also want to invite all my colleagues and the public to join us on August 16th for the Dominican Parade and Festival. It is a wonderful opportunity to experience the music, food, art, and traditions that make our community so vibrant I hope to see so many of you there, and I can't wait to celebrate. Thank you.

And thank you to my Dominican brothers and sister for adding me on this resolution. I'm always so proud when this time of the year comes around, it's filled with so much joy and celebration because we get to truly honor what it means to be Dominican. All the sacrifices that they made when they left continue to instill that tradition in us. I'm a perfect example of a Dominican-American who was born here, but my parents taught me how to speak Spanish first. I learned how to eat arroba y chuele carne every single day and to this day that's why We carry that much pride with us because of what we do, how our families and neighbors reach out to us making sure they feel represented.

Just about a day or week, it's just making sure that our people feel represented and that they know that they have a voice fighting for them every single day inside the Boston City Council. And that's why I'm so proud to wave that flag so proudly in making sure They have people that understand them in their culture, in their language and in their upbringing. I'd like to thank Luis Matos, my dad, All the organizers who work day after day to bring Dominican culture into our city. With that, I'm going to vote yes to make sure we keep fighting as Dominicans and have more representation and in the future. Thank you.

Councilor Pepén, Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper. You have the floor.

Thank You Madam President. The Dominican community's legacy extends well beyond the vibrant festivals in parades that will fill our streets and have filled our streets, and will fill out streets each summer. While Boston will always cherish the cultural richness and energy brought to our neighborhoods, this community has also consistently demonstrated how heritage and tradition can be used as a platform to invest in our city Thank you all for joining us. To small business growth. Through grassroots organizing and a steadfast commitment to neighborhood empowerment, they have directly invested in the next generation. Those contributions have a lasting impact

that resonates across every district and in the hearts of all our residents as we look toward the future of our city The influence of Dominican culture continues to be felt in our schools, economy and our shared civic life. This is why I will be voting yes on recognizing August 16th 2026 as Dominican Cultural Day in the City of Boston. Looking forward to those parties, Councilor Pepén and Councilor Mejia once again. Thank you Madam President.

Thank you, Councillor Culpepper. I see Councillor Mejia, you have your light on.

Yes, I want to clear something up really quick. I also want to acknowledge our Dominican, Banilejo, Councilor Weber who also is Dominican. But I did stand up to clarify something that Dominicans also make good oxtails, and so do Haitians. But I have to say that Jamaicans, hands down, even though I'm Dominican, I have The Chair recognizes Councilor Culpepper.

Madam President, I must say that when Councilor Mejia tastes my oxtails she will rescind the statement that she just made this morning and it's coming up soon.

Thank you. I look forward to this bake-off or cook-off, or whatever we're going to call it. Would anyone like to add their name? Councillor Culpepper? Councillor... Flynn, Councillor Louisiane, Councillor Murphy. If you're down as a sponsor, hold on. Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flynn, Councillor Louijeune, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Weber and Councillor Worrell. And please add the chair. Mejia, Santana and Pepén seek suspension of the rules adoption of docket 1558. All in favor say aye. Thank you. Docket 1558 has been adopted. I'm getting distracted by the thought of these oxtails.

Before we move on to green sheets, is there anyone who would like to add their name to a docket they may have missed? I'll start with Councillor Worrell.

Add my name to docket number 1553 and vote yes. And also, docket Number 1555 add my name and then also a yes vote.

Thank you. Councillor Santana, you have the floor.

Thank you Madam President I would like to add my name and also record a yes vote for docket 1551, 1552 and 1553

Thank you. Everyone else all set? Very good, thank you. We now on to green sheets. Is anyone looking to pull anything from the green sheets? Weber, you have the floor.

Thank you very much this is a second reading on funding appropriations for MSBA projects here in the City of Boston so I'd like to pull docket number 1311 and 1312, which are the last two pages in the green sheets. I don't know what the number is.

Objection. The motion of the committee chair is accepted and dockets 1, 3. Can you repeat?

So yeah, it's 1311 and 1312.

1311 And 1312 are probably before the body. Mr Clerk could you please read those two dockets?

From the Committee on Ways and Means, Doctrine Number 1311. Message in order. Authorizing the City of Boston to appropriate the amount of $5 million for the purpose of paying the cost of a feasibility study and Schematic Design associated with the project for the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School located at 75 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury, Mass. 0120. This includes a payment of all costs incidental or related thereto and for which the City of Boston may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. said amount to be expended under the direction of the Public Facilities Department on behalf of the Boston public schools. Talking about 1312, message and order authorizing the City of Boston to appropriate the amount of $850,000 for the purpose of paying costs of a feasibility study in schematic design work associated with window

Boston Adult Academy, Joseph J. Hurley School, Ellis Mendel Elementary School, Joyce Kilmer K-8 School and Lyon Upper 9-12 School This includes the payment of all costs incidental related there to and for which the City of Boston may be eligible. For a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, said amount to be expended under the direction of the Public Facilities Department On behalf of the Boston Public Schools.

Thank you Mr Clerk, absent objection the motion of the committee chair is accepted and dockets 1311 and docket 1312 are properly before the body Weber, the floor is yours.

Sure thank you very much Madam President we voted in support of both of these at our last meeting and they require two votes to approve. Just as a reminder, 1311 would appropriate $5 million for the planning and design of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School. The money would be used to procure a project manager, an architect, complete a feasibility study by the summer of 2027 and then this is only The first phase, if we satisfy the MSBA requirements with the feasibility study, the City Council will take a vote on the total appropriation for the project after the results of the feasability study and schematic design. They've been approved by the MSBA. And so I'm going to recommend that be read for a second time and approved for docket number 1312, $850,000

For the design and planning costs related to sort of a roof window and other improvements to the Boston Adult Academy, the Hurley, the Mendel. Kilmer, and Lyon. And again I'm going to recommend that would be read for the second time and approved by this body so thank you very much

Thank you. Councillor Webber moves for passage of docket 1311, which has had a second reading. Mr Clerk could you please take a roll call vote on docket1311?

Brayton, Colletta Zapata, Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune Eugene, Councilor Mejia, Murphy, Pepén, Santana, Weber and Worrell. Royal, yes. Docket number 1311 has received 12 votes in the affirmative and it has received a second reading.

Thank you Mr. Clerk. Weber, Moosh Passage of Docket 1312, which has had a second reading. Mr Clerk, could you please take a roll call vote on docket 1312?

Councillor Breen.

Yes.

Councillor Been, yes. Councillor Coletta Zapata. Culpepper, yes. Councilor Dirk? Yes. Council Dirk and yes. Counsel Fitzgerald? Yes Counsel FitzGerald, yes Counsel Flynn? Yes Council Flynn, yes Council Louijeune? Yes council Louijeun, yes council Mejia? Council Mejía, yes Murphy, Pippen, Santana, Weber, Worrell, 1312. has received 12 votes in the affirmative, receiving its second reading.

Thank you Mr Clerk. Docket 1312 has received a second reading and has passed. Any other polls from green sheets? We're now moving on to late files. I am informed by the Clerk that we have two late files? One emergency resolution and one personnel order. Mr Clerk, I am informed that we have two late files. One is a personnel order and the other is a late emergency resolution. Absent objection, these late file matters will be added. Mr Clerk, could you please first read the personnel order? Councillor Flynn.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I didn't get a copy of the late file. Could I kindly get a I'm not objecting to it. I just wanted to get a copy of it.

Yes, I apologize for you not having it. Has everyone else got a copy?

I don't believe in objecting

Yeah, thank you. I just wanted to get a copy. We'll start with the personnel order. Mr.

Clerk, we'll do the... First late file matter, personal order, Councilor Breadon for Councillor Louijeune.

Thank you. The chair moves for passage of this personnel order. All in favour say aye. Aye. All opposed say nay. The ayes have it, thank you the personnel order has passed We're now on to the emergency resolution. Absent objection, this emergency late file order has been added. Mr Clerk, could you please read the late file emergency resolution?

offered by Councilors Pepén and Louijeune. Emergency resolution urging the City of Boston to oppose the leasing of parking spaces to ICE in Boston.

Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune, you have the floor. No, Councilor Pepén, I beg your pardon. Councilor Peppen, you're the lead sponsor and Councillor Louijeunes is second. You have a floor.

Thank you Madam President. Last night, it was reported that ICE agency is seeking to secure up to 250 parking spaces in downtown Boston to support their operations. I strongly oppose this request and any operation that threatens the sense of safety and belonging that our immigrants deserve. Botham is a city for all, the city where everyone should feel protected despite immigration status. Today I am urging my colleagues and all stakeholders to stand beside me and reject this request and instead prioritize policies in partnership that keep our community safe. I think it goes without saying that right now, our community members do not feel safe. ICE agents do not make our communities feel safer We obviously see what has happened with our aging brothers and sisters with TPS.

And there's a lot of people that are scared right now, and I think Boston has to stand strong with the Protect Act that was just signed by the governor to make sure that we do everything in our power possible, that continues to make the city of Boston a welcoming and safe place. That's why I'm asking my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this resolution to show where we stand and this trying times. Thank you.

Thank You, Councilor Pepén. Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune. You have the floor. Thank-you Madam chair and thank-you Councillor Pepén for adding me as ICE continues to terrorize our cities in our communities it is important that we are very clear and take a stance on pushing back against anything that's going to aid and abet their terrorizing of our communities. We made it very clear via executive order as a city in February No city-owned properties will be allowed to be used for ice for any staging or any ice activity. And we have to make it abundantly clear, as did Greg Vassell yesterday from the Greater Boston Real Estate Board that For anyone in the city of Boston, finding parking is a difficulty thing. We're not going to be setting aside $250 and for ICE. And we hope that the signal from the governor who today signed the Protect Act, which keeps ICE out of our courthouses or schools and hospitals, that it's a signal to everyone in private industry

where the Commonwealth of Massachusetts stands, where the city of Boston stands. As from my prior resolution it is very clear that we are in a crisis mode at this moment for our communities. There have been city after city, whether it's Minneapolis or Houston where ICE encounters with community members has led to death. We need to do everything we can to keep ICE out of our city. And this resolution is one of those things that we need to do, thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Louijeune. Chair recognizes Councilor Flynn. Councilor, you have the floor.

Thank Madam Chair. I'm going to be voting in support of this resolution I also want to... Madam Chair, may I ask a question to Councilor Pepén please? you can address your question to me. Okay, I represent a large area of downtown Boston. I was unfamiliar with this issue. Can you just explain a little bit about why were they Why were they trying to rent so many spots in downtown Boston? Were they trying do it privately, in private lots or are they trying get public space in terms of parking. I was just curious because I was just curious because parking is certainly a major issue, but I just wanted to get some more of the logistics. His answer has nothing to do on whether or not I'm supporting this. But I just wanted to get a response.

Councillor Pepén, could you answer Councillor Flynn's query?

Yes. In regard to the details this was brought to our attention as of yesterday The specific details on to where exactly the parking spaces are being requested from is unclear. In regards to the reasoning behind it, I think that's very clear in regards to scare tactics The terrible harm that this federal administration is causing on our people, and obviously Boston they are trying to take advantage of our people. So in regards to specific details I think we are awaiting where exactly But that's why I'm calling for this emergency resolution where we're just saying it doesn't matter if it's on public or private. We want to do everything possible to keep them out. Thank you, Madam President.

Chair recognises I've got two lights on here and I will start Councillor Santana and then we'll go to Councillor Webber.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to thank Councilor Pepan and Councilor Eugène for your leadership on this resolution here. I think this is unacceptable. Many of my colleagues have expressed the harm that this agency has created amongst our neighbors here in the city of Boston and across the United States, I do want to emphasize, you know, I think we've mentioned the public side of this that we're not allowing for them to be on public property. But I really want to urge our property owners and businesses who may be engaging in some of these conversations to not lease to an agency who's doing harm to our neighbors. And so I think that's very important right here as an immigrant, this is extremely personal to me

Our immigrant communities are right now experiencing so much fear and this is just another way, another storyline right now of creating more fear amongst our neighbors. So I really do want to urge our business owners particularly in the downtown area and across the city to now engage in these conversations.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilor Weber. Councilor, you have the floor.

Yeah, thank you. I support this resolution and oppose ICE trying to infiltrate our city in this way for all the reasons my colleague said. I think this is a very fast-developing issue. Just to answer some of Councillor Flynn's questions, ICE's main office in the area is in Burlington. and then the Boston Globe has reporting today. They asked the president of the downtown Boston Alliance, Michael Nichols said of this search for parking spaces, he said quote we don't want it. We don't need it and we hope it goes elsewhere Our property owners and other stakeholders have worked hard to create a welcoming and economically successful neighborhood, and I haven't spoken to a single one of them who views this as supportive of the work we are doing in downtown Boston. Hopefully that helps inform your ultimate decision here. Thank you.

Just in terms of folks from downtown speaking, so thank you.

Thank You Councillor Webber. Anyone else wish to speak? I am totally in support of this resolution. The reality is that ICE is literally hunting down our law-abiding neighbours We have seen what happens in other cities, and I applaud the sponsors for your leadership in bringing this forward. I will be supporting this resolution. Thank you. Councilors Pepén, anyone else like to add their name? Councilors Culpepper, Durkan, Fitzgerald, Flynn, Louijeune is already on, Mejia, Murphy, Santana, Weber, Worrell and please add the chair. Pepén and Louijeune move for passage of this late-file matter. All in favour say aye, all opposed say nay. Mr Clerk could you please take a roll call vote on this late file matter?

Brayden. Yes. Councilor Braydon, yes. Council Colletta Zapata. Council Culpepper? Yes. Councillor Culpeper, yes, Councillor Durkan? Yes, Councillor Fitzgerald? Vassell, yes. Councilor Flynn? Yes. Council Flynn, yes, Council Louijeune? Yes! Council Loujeune, yes! Council Mejia? Yes, Councilor Murphy? Murphy, yes. Councilor Pepén? Yes. Council Santana? Yes, Council Weber? Yes and Council Worrell?

Yes

The emergency resolution has received 12 votes in the affirmative.

Thank you Mr Clerk, the resolution has been adopted thank you all We're now moving on to the consent agenda. I have been informed by the Clerk that there are no additions to the Consent Agenda. The question now comes in approval of the various matters contained within the Consents Agenda, all those in favour say aye. Thank you. The consent agenda has been adopted. We are now on to announcements. Please remember these are for upcoming dates and events. Does anyone have, please put your light on if you have an announcement. Anyone? Announcements? Councillor Santana, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I know you said it was specific for events. I didn't know what time of the meeting I could have a time to speak but I just wanted to rise today and first and foremost Everyone's aware of the, you know I was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and I just wanted to thank my colleagues. You all reached out I wanna thank the residents of the city of Boston. So many who reached out, who kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I am doing a lot better. I'm glad to be back at work I'm thankful for God to be able to put me in this position, to continue doing this work. I want to thank my family. I think my mom was speaking to Councilor Murphy earlier. She gave me the most strength as You know, she's been battling cancer for the last three years and there was not a single morning or afternoon or evening time that she wasn't checking in on me, visiting

I think just her strength, dealing with her own personal battle but still being a mother. And I think we can all relate to the amazing mothers that we all have and I'm very thankful for mine. I also just want to finally thank my amazing team here at City Hall from the top down, they were so respective of of my privacy, but also just so committed to the work that we're building and doing in our office. They didn't skip a beat and I'm just so grateful for them Just for their friendship, but obviously the commitment to the city of Boston and the residents of Boston. And again I want to thank my colleagues and then the residents who all reached out it truly meant the world to me to know that I have so many people across the city who are looking out for me and again praying for me.

So I'm just glad to be back at work, and I'm honored to be able to continue serving the City of Boston. Thank you.

Thank You. We're very pleased to see you back. Anyone else? We also are wishing folks a very happy birthday. We're wishing a very Happy Birthday to Amanda Curley from Councillor Fitzgerald's office, Mary Karski of Councillor Murphy's office Flynn. I think I sent you birthday greetings last month, but here you go. Happy birthday, Councillor Flynn. Ellie Sanchez of Councillor Coletta Zapata's office and Cindy D'Eugius Jacob of Councilor Louijeune's office. I need some coaching, Councillor Louijeun. It is a work in progress but we wish Cindy a very happy birthday. We are now moving on to memorials.

I would ask my colleagues to speak up as loudly if you're offering somebody new to the list but um and i'll start to go around if you have someone you'd like to uh honor please We'll start with Councillor Durkan today.

Thank you so much, Chair. My dear friend and many of our dear friends passed away yesterday, Helen Cox at the age of 94. She was an incredible leader in the Fenway, founded The Fenway News I was a board member of Fenway CDC, Fenway Forward. I first met her she's my first friend in the Fenway we when I joined the Ward 5 committee she was a 20-year member she often approached I feel like some of the grit that I have really I think one of the things that we've gotten is really from her and being able to answer questions. During my campaign, she was like the person in the Fenway I just really am going to miss Helen.

And I know former Councillor Kenzie Bach and I were planning a trip to go see her, and she passed away yesterday morning. We're mourning her in the Fenway, and I know there'll be some chances to mourn her. But she was a huge supporter of affordable housing and her work with the Fenway News. She was known as the mayor of the West Fenway, represented Really working class people in the Fenway and artists and people that were trying to hang on. So I'd love for us to adjourn in her memory today, Helen Cox, informally known as the Mayor of the West Fenway.

Thank you. Councillor Culpepper.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to lift up the family of Reverend Dr William Means, great minister One who led the national chaplains. And so we want to keep this family, Pamela Means and Prayer member of the National Bar Association.

William Reins.

Councillor Flynn, you have the floor.

Thank You Madam Chair I

I want to mention two women from South Boston, Mrs. Mary Cunniff who was married to John Cunnif but she had a wonderful I want to acknowledge the family in our neighborhood and contributed greatly to The passing of Mrs. Mary Cunniff and her children, her husband John has passed away years ago but our children are John and David and Patrice. So I want to acknowledge the family. Another young woman that passed away, Denise Toomey.

She was a friend of mine from South Boston at the same age and grew up together in the neighborhood. I also want to acknowledge an older gentleman that passed away originally from Savin Hill, moved to the South Shore but Billy O'Shea. He was a Dorchester High School graduate and the first president of the Colonel Daniel Ma Boys & Girls Club. And I want to acknowledge the passing of Billy O'Shea, I went to The Wake with my parents last night and we went to the wake for Mrs. Conniff as well, and said our prayers but want to remember all three people. Thank you Madam Chair.

Thank you. Chair recognizes Councilor Louijeune. Thank you, I have some names that I've offered Madam President but i'd like to just uplift the memory of Neela Nelson and Christopher my aunt-in-law's mother who passed away at the age of 78 years old and it was really, really somber. And I know that my aunt-in-law is still pushing through but I just wanted to give my condolences to Kemi, her brothers Chris Wallace and their kids because I know that it's a very, very tough loss for them. And I also wanted to uplift the memory of Edwige Guillaume, the brother of Smith-Guillaume who works at 1199 and is really mourning their passing of his sisters. We just wanted to adjourn in memory of those and the other names that I've shared with you. Thank you, Madam President.

Councilor Mejia, you have the floor. Thank You Madam President I want to offer my Condolences to my own family. My uncle passed away yesterday, Manuel Pena. He was my mother's brother and he was the life of the party, always had a joke about everything and about everyone. And everyone got a little nickname. All of his siblings and my mom he named her affectionately La Escobita which is the little broom. I don't even know why he called her that, but I guess she used to sweep the floor everywhere that she went so just wanted Honour my uncle Manuel Peña.

May he rest in peace and may your children know that you lived a good life, and you will always be remembered.

Councilor Mejia would you mind? Manuel

Peña.

Help me with that one.

Pe-nya. Peya. No, no, no. You can say Pina about that.

Got it. Thank you. Thank for your assistance with that Anyone else? I'd like to uplift the memory of Bill Marchione. For those of you who are familiar, he's a founder... He's a historian. He grew up in Alston Brighton in the Italian community He is a graduate of Brighton High School and Boston University. He was a historian and founder member of the Brighton Alston Historical Society and the Brighten Heritage Museum. He and his wife left Brighton about 10 years ago to live down in Atlanta, but they are fondly missed by the community in Alston Brighton. And we look forward Having some sort of memorial and recognition of his great contributions to

documenting the history of Alston Brighton from the Revolution and before forward to more recent history. So Bill will be greatly missed, and we really give thanks for his diligence His academic attention to the history of Alston Brighton over the years on behalf of Councillor Coletta Zapata, Ellen T Doris O'Rourke. On behalf of Councilor Louijeune Nella Nelson Christopher Chaplain Robin D. Holley, and Edwige Guillaume. On behalf of Councillor Durkan, Helen Cox, on behalf of Councilor Worrell Janet Jones, and Mark Reed Jr.

On behalf of Councillor Culpepper, the Reverend Dr William Rains. On behalf Councillor Flynn, Mrs Mary Conniff, Denise Toomey and Billy O'Shea and on behalf of Councilor Mejia, Manuel Beyer. and on behalf of Councillor Breadon, Bill Marchione. The chair moves that when the council adjourns today it does so in memory of the aforementioned individuals A moment of silence please.

Council is scheduled to meet again in the Ionella Chamber on Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 at 12pm. Thank you to my colleagues, central staff, the Clerk, the clerk's office and the council stenographer All in favour of adjournment please say aye. Thank you the council is adjourned