Malden City Council 06-02-2026

Good evening, everyone. Just letting you know we'll be starting a few minutes late. Hope to be getting going in about five, ten minutes. Thank you so much for your patience.

The council will come to order. All rise and salute the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, Indivisible, Liberty, and Justice for All. Please remain standing for a moment of silence in honor of our veterans, service members, and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. We honor and acknowledge the Massachusetts, Pennacook, and Pawtucket peoples whose ancestral lands we now call home and on which we gather today. We express gratitude to the indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for generations. predating European colonization and continuing to the present. Moving forward, we are committed to ensuring that the histories, voices, and contributions of indigenous peoples are recognized and respected in the life of our city. Clerk, will you now call the roll?

Colón Hayes, Councilor Condon, Councilor Crowe, Councilor Luong. McDonald, O'Malley, Sica, Simonelli, Taylor, Winslow, Linehan, here.

Under the provisions of open meeting law, for those of you in attendance, please be informed that UMA Urban Media Arts will be recording this evening's meeting. So just be aware there will be audio and video recordings of this meeting. Is there anyone else present tonight who is recording in addition to Uma? I know we do have language interpretation happening tonight. Thank you so much for being here. Okay, seeing no one else who's doing any recording, I'll go to our first order of business.

Okay. First order of business. Council will hold public hearings on national grid petitions to install new poles and underground conduits. The first one is paper 284-26. Petition. Massachusetts Electric Company, DVA, National Grid, and Verizon New England Incorporated. Plan number 3, 1-1-1, 5-1-2-3. National Grid to install one jail pole on 4th Street beginning at a point approximately zero feet. Northwest of the center line of the intersection of Forest and Nevada Avenue and continuing approximately 28 feet in a northwest direction. National Good is petitioning to install new pole P2501-84 approximately 38 feet northwest of an existing pole P2501, Malden, Mass. Hearing required.

Thank you for coming back. Nice to see you again.

You too.

Thank you. You have the floor.

I'm just open to any questions.

Okay. Hang on one second. Let me put on your light, Councilor Taylor.

Can you, okay, thank you so much. Thank you. So this one is located on Forest Street across from Nevada Ave, correct?

There's two of them, yes. One is Forest Street on Nevada, another one is Gordon Street, and Flora. I think they're part of the same petition.

Yes, is that right, Madam Clerk? We have, it looks like,

Well, the Gordon Street one is paper 285. I have not read that into the record yet, so these are two different locations.

They are two separate. Okay. Okay. So it might have been the same proposal, but it's separated here just for the purposes. Understood. So I think for this one, we're currently looking at an easement for the cemetery. So the ones on Forest Street, because of the way the guy wires go, that would have to be included in that proposal. and that easement request as well because the guy wires make it so it's not handicap accessible going down Forest Street. So that is what I have for my notes here that that was just an extending of the Forestry work.

Yeah, and we requested the easements for all of those.

It hasn't, it hasn't gone, so this would just need to be pending that.

Yep. Okay, so are you comfortable conducting the hearing on this one and moving forward pending that easement. Okay, so at this time I will declare the public hearing open. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of the petition, please come forward, state your name and address for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in favor? please come forward. Okay. And we don't have any emails regarding this one, correct? Okay. Hearing none and seeing none, I declare that portion of the hearing closed. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to this petition, please come forward, state your name and address for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition? Okay, hearing none and seeing none, I declare that portion of the hearing closed. do we have a motion related to this petition?

Make a motion.

Okay, so the motion would be on Councilor Taylor's motion to grant seconded by Councilor Luong with the following conditions that the engineer be called when dig safes notified, that the streets and sidewalks be restored to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works, all those in favor.

There are a few more, sorry. Oh, did I miss something?

Sorry, and pending. Pending the easement.

Your easement. And for anything along the cemetery because of the work within, if there's funeral processions, we ask that you work with the cemetery superintendent to make sure that there isn't work going on during a service.

Is that clear? Is that adequate?

Okay.

Apologies for missing that. All those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, we can move on to the next petition.

Paper 285-26, petition Massachusetts Electric Company, DBA, National Grid, and Verizon New England Incorporated, plan number 3, 1115123, National Grid, to install one jail, Cole on Floral Avenue, beginning at a point approximately zero feet northeast of the center line of the intersection of Floral Avenue and Gordon Street, and continuing approximately 20 feet in the northeast direction. National Grid is petitioning to install new pole P4799-84 and sidewalk guy wire fixture approximately 29 feet southeast off existing pole P4799 on Floral Avenue, Malden, Mass. Hearing required.

Okay, I'll go back to Councilor Taylor.

So we did have some feedback about this from the neighborhood, and I think, Carolyn, would you like to read that into record, or would you like me to?

Do you want to do that during the hearing? During the opposition portion of the hearing, I have it ready to go.

Okay, great. So I would just say to take that into consideration, what the neighborhood is asking for. And I believe this one is to help keep up

So right now it's leaning towards Gordon Street and we're adding a new pool to help bring it back straight.

Can I ask, are there plans to fix a lot of the existing poles that are completely deteriorating?

Because there are several, and there's one that... We have hundreds, if not thousands, of poles, just in Malden, that were We have designs for it to fix, replace them or guy them.

Is there a way to get a plan? Because a lot of these are safety issues and there are some that are a little bit more pressing than this that just, you know. they have chunks missing, they're leaning. I have multiple constituents from not just that area. One is by a school that is, and significant disrepair that I've been asking for for a while. So I'd just like to see maybe some sort of plan as to what what we are going to do going forward.

Yeah, if you have my email, if you email me the poll numbers, I can send you back.

I will email them again. Yeah, I've emailed them a few times, so I will definitely email them.

I'm the engineer for Malden, so anything that goes on in Malden, I'll take care of it.

Okay, great.

Okay, any other questions before we do the hearing on this petition? Oh, sure, Councilor Crowe, let me put your light on. Oh, hang on, let me turn someone else off.

So just as you answered, Councilor Taylor, about the the poll numbers, can you figure out a list of the hundreds of thousands that you're looking at in Malden? Hundreds of thousands, but hundreds. Hundreds or thousands, whatever, that's what he meant, hundreds or thousands. If you have a list, the ones you have. I don't have the list, no.

I'm not the only designer that's working on them, so I wouldn't have all the lists. Can you get the list? If you just email me what pool numbers you're looking at and what street they're on, I can take a look at it and see if we have something in the work for it.

Okay. Yeah, that would be good to know. Can we email a street number, a street name if we don't have the poll numbers and could you provide that or do you really need the poll numbers as well?

If you have two crossing streets, I can go out there and take a look.

Okay, that's great to know. Any other questions before we move into the hearing portion? Okay, at this time I'll declare the public hearing open. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of the petition, please come forward, state your name and address for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in favor? Okay, hearing none and seeing none, I declare that portion of the hearing closed. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to this petition? This is 88 Floral Avenue. Please come forward, state your name and address for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition? Okay. We do have one email to read.

Is that correct?

Yes.

I am writing regarding National Grid's petition to install a new J.O. Poll P4799-84 on Floral Avenue. Most of the utility poles on Floral Avenue are located on the odd numbered side of the street. Given the existing pole configuration, I question whether it is necessary to install an additional pole directly across the street from an existing pole. from a visual standpoint the proposed placement would be unattractive and could negatively affect the appearance of the neighborhood. Additionally, there are no new homes or developments in the area that appear to require this new infrastructure. If the purpose of the proposed poll is to provide support for Poll P4799, I would suggest that National Grid instead repair or replace the existing poll, which appears to be deteriorating due to rot. rather than installing an entirely new pole. Thank you for considering my comments. Sincerely, Maria D'Esposito, 81 Laurel Avenue.

Okay, thank you, Madam Clerk. One last call for anyone wishing to speak in opposition.

Do you want me to speak on that or?

That would be fine, sure.

Okay, so regarding her question about replacing the pole, the pole is being replaced for pole 4799. were placed into a class two poll, but in the future it's gonna do the same thing and lean towards Gordon Street again. So that's the reason we're adding a poll for guiding purposes.

Do you have a question or comment on that, Councilor Taylor?

I was under the impression that the poll wasn't being replaced, it was just being supported. Is the poll also being replaced?

Yes, but we don't include that on the petition since we don't need to petition for a replacement of a poll. Since it's an existing poll, we don't have to petition for a replacement.

Okay.

That's why it wouldn't be on the petition.

So then I guess I'm just concerned, or my question is, so then when we ask for poll replacements, why are we told, why are we waiting so long when there are safety hazards? When there's things that, you know, again, we have a poll that is in complete disrepair where children walk to school. If we don't need a petition to do that, why can't it just be replaced?

So if the pole is being placed within four feet of the existing pole, we don't have to petition. But if it's further than four feet, we have to petition for it again. so I'm not sure what polls you're talking about again but I'd like to take a look if you provide me the numbers or the street.

I think maybe for this one, just to get a little bit more information of other options that we have, because if we can just replace...

I mean, we can replace it, but... The poll without adding another one. Let's say in the future it leans again, do you want me to come back and petition for a new poll, or...

Are you thinking of tabling it?

I'm thinking of tabling, just pending more information so we can go out there and Get more information from you.

Okay, Maria, did you want to speak to this? We do have a resident, it looks like, waiting to speak on it. So let's take the comment for the hearing before I close the hearing.

So the Poll 4799 is currently... Can you state your name and address, sorry? Maria Desposito, 81 Floral Ave. Thank you. Poll 4799 is currently only feeding one house across the street. So I don't understand why we need a whole poll there. And the poll that's been there, I've been in the House for over 30 years, and that poll was there before I even got there. So saying that you can't replace it with a new one because it's going to deteriorate and go again, you're talking 40, 50 years down the road. There's no need to put a pole to hold up one pole and feed one house. in my opinion, and my neighbors and I were talking, and we're all kind of like, we don't understand why that's happening. There's no polls on that side, and it just leaves you a nice open sky right now.

Okay, thank you. I see a light from Councilor Winslow.

Yeah, I know, Zane, we have something similar happening on Granite Street, and one of the things I asked about is, and I know if people recall when we were doing the cell phone towers, We actually had reports on the engineering. This is the static engineering exercise of what wires pulling where. And so it's a calculation that engineers make. to determine whether that guy wire is necessary. So do you, is that something you could bring back if we table this to show what they need?

If you're talking about poll analysis, we've never done poll analysis. National Grid has never done. I know Telecom has done poll analysis.

So, but in this instance, I mean, that's really what the question is. What is driving the need for the guy wire? I mean, you're making the assumption You guys don't actually calculate whether the poles can carry? We calculate them internally, but we don't provide it externally. So, well, I mean, we could... We did that with aerial stuff, so it isn't unprecedented that we're asking for that calculation, so I don't understand why you can't and so forth. And I think it's important to present when there's this issue in the neighborhood why you can't present those calculations that other people gave willingly stamped by engineers and everything like that. So I don't get why we can't get that information to really establish what the needs are. Thank you.

So I'm going to do one last call because I actually never closed the hearing. So I'm going to do one last call for opposition comments. Going once, going twice, declare the hearing closed. Now we can be free to take up motions.

I would like to make a motion to table it pending further investigation as to what we can do. Second.

Okay, on a motion by Councilor Taylor to table, seconded by Councilor Winslow. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that petition is tabled.

Next order of business. Paper 286-26 petition. Massachusetts Electric Company DBA National Grid Plan Number 31295951 National Grid to install underground facilities on Salem Street. National Grid to install handhold 223 in front of 300 Salem Street. Trench and install one 3-inch concrete encased conduit from MH 223 to handhold approximately 110 feet on the public right-of-way. Hearing required.

Is this also your section of Salem Street? Lucky you. Councilor Taylor.

So this one, I believe, is a private customer that is requesting this. Am I understanding that correct? And it is underground and the street will be repaired.

It's going to be on the sidewalk and the sidewalk to Bird.

Yeah, so this, I have no objection here.

Okay, any other questions before we open the hearing? Are you able to say what the purpose of the private request is for?

It's to serve 300 Salem Street.

Just to serve the one residence? Yes. Okay. All right, at this time, I will declare the public hearing open. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of this petition, please come forward, state your name and address for the record. Anyone wishing to speak in favor? Okay, hearing none, seeing none, I declare that portion of the hearing closed. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to this petition? 300 Salem Street. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition? Okay, seeing none, hearing none, I'll declare that portion of the hearing closed. We don't have any emails, okay. Do we have a motion regarding this petition?

I have one more request. Of course. That if there are any trees along the sidewalk, those also get replaced. Okay. I didn't look at that.

Add condition regarding trees? Yep. Okay. Thank you. So is that a motion to grant with that additional condition? Oh, yes. Sorry, Councilor O'Malley. Go right ahead.

Is the property currently served with electricity or is it just upgrading the service?

They're currently served but they're upgrading the service and their service is not up to standards so we're replacing their entire service.

Oh, and is it currently fed by an overhead wire?

No, it's currently fed from the same manhole.

Okay. But you're not just running a new line?

You have to... We're running a new conduit, yep.

Okay.

The condo is very old, deteriorating.

Oh, you need the handhold to make the 90-degree turn. Yes. Okay, thank you.

Okay, thank you, Councilor O'Malley. Did we have a second to that? Okay. motion by Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Colón Hayes, with the following conditions, that the engineer be called when DigSafe is notified, that the streets and sidewalks be restored to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works and with the additional condition regarding trees?

not that I like to put more work on people, but consult the tree warden. That the tree warden is consulted? If there is a tree. Okay, understood. I don't have it in front of me. It looks like there is a tree.

Okay. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that petition is granted. Next order of business.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming again.

Appreciate it. Council will hold a public hearing for the purpose of receiving public comment regarding the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. Paper 233-26 order the Mayor will submit the fiscal year 2027 annual appropriation orders for the general fund.

Okay, and before I open the hearing, I do just want to remind folks, so at a public hearing, there is no time limit. We just ask that you come to the podium, everyone take a turn coming to the podium to address us. State your name and address, or you can just state the street that you live on under our new rules. You are only to be speaking on the budget, but you do not have a time limit on what you can address us on tonight. We do have interpreters interpreting tonight so I would ask that folks, if you can, take the time to speak slow so that our interpreters have a chance to keep up with those who are listening on the devices in the audience. McDonald, and I'll give the floor to Councilor McDonald in a moment if there's anything that you do want to say about the budget before we get started. But just as a reminder, this is for us to listen to you and hear your feedback. on the proposed budget. We are not gonna vote on the budget tonight. That's gonna happen next week. So tonight is all about listening and hearing from the public.

The last thing I'll say is that the council does not engage in debate or answer questions in this forum tonight. And we also don't take questions from our teams or our online audience. So the only questions that are going to come in tonight is going to be from in the chamber. Do folks feel like I missed anything that would be helpful to say before we get started? Okay, I'm gonna give Councilor McDonald just a few moments before I open the hearing. McDonald, you have the floor.

Thank you all. I'm Councilor Kerry McDonald, and I'm the chair of the Finance Committee. And so we have breakout committee meetings, which we've been doing for the past month to discuss the budget. And I have to say that every year we hold a public hearing on the budget and it's required in our council rules. but it is also a really good thing to do because it's one of the most important decisions we make as the city council about approving the budget. And I've never had such a great turnout at a finance committee or rather a budget public hearing. And so I'm really glad to see so much engagement in the chamber. and did folks write in as well? And we also have emails and things like that. So I'm really glad to see this kind of public engagement. I just wanted to say a word about the budget process up until this point. Under state law, the mayor is the one who has to propose spending and the budget.

and the budget is then sent to the city council for review and approval. So we have spent the last month in the finance committee of the City, meeting with every city department to talk about the changes that are being proposed in their budget and what the impact might be and what they can do to help the overall budget situation. And we've had great conversations with each of our department heads about those things. the context as I think we all know is that we have a budget gap this year. The city had proposed a tax increase override that was not passed by the voters here and as a result, have a budget proposed by our mayor that does reduce positions by over 30 positions, I believe, across nearly every city department.

with a clear exception of our schools where the state requires us to continue to invest at higher levels and investing in our schools is also good. So we are wrestling with the question of how to balance the budget. and how to deal with the cuts that the Mayor has proposed. I want to reiterate what Council President Linehan has said, which is that we have not voted in the Finance Committee. We will vote in the Committee. and many more. I think that we've had great discussion so far and look forward to hearing what you all have to offer on this proposal for how to make the best of a rough financial situation and continue to serve our residents as best we can.

Thank you so much. The only other thing that I would add for anybody watching at home or anybody who is going to be watching the recording of this meeting over the next week, the full budget is available on the city's website, cityofmalden.org. It's and so forth. So that's front and center when you get to that home page. It's very easy and interactive to page through. So if you're following along, listening to the comments that we get tonight and you want to go look at that to any or all of the councilors for us to consider. I will say that's something I'm definitely willing to take emails from the community and I bet all of us up here are as we mull over what we hear tonight and get ready to take our final vote next week. so with that I think I will get started. At this time I will declare the public hearing open. Anyone wishing to speak in favor of The budget, please come forward, or the petition, please come forward, state your name and address. And again, you can just say what street you live on.

Come to the podium and state your name and street for the record. We have a brave first taker.

My name is Edwin Lucy and 116 Daniel Street, and I'm not sure if I'm speaking out of turn, but I did have an idea that it might be of little help to the city in terms of what you're trying to accomplish, which is a challenge and a heart both for the administration and of course for the people here, for the city council as well as the people in the school committee. But I happened to be in City Hall the other day and I was surprised when I asked the question How many bills go out every month for the water bill? And I was told there was 11,000 bills go out every month or the Waterville. That surprised me because I wasn't aware it was that many. And if you do the math, even with metered mail,

and you multiply the cost of a letter that goes out with the bill, which is 79 cents, that's over $8,000 a month times 12 months. That's over $100,000 is spent sending out water bills. I made some inquiries in some neighborhood communities and I spoke to people in Revere, Everett, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, in Wakefield, there were six communities. Five of the six communities send out quarterly bills. for the water. We used to do that years ago, and at one point, for the convenience of the public, they extended it here in the City of Malden for 12 months. They also do that in Everett.

and Malden has one advantage over Everett, which I'll touch on in a little while, but if we were sending out bills just four times a year, like the tax bills for the real estate, If you do the math for over $8,000 a month for the stamps on the bills that go out, and you were sending eight months that you weren't sending them, and four months you were, that's about $70,000 the city would spend less sending out the bills. I haven't even got to the cost of the envelopes or the inserts in the envelope or the envelopes that's in the envelopes because that's all part of the bill. The reason I mentioned about Everett being somewhat different is I talked to someone from Malden recently and he mentioned to me that when he receives a water bill, he doesn't even bother with it. He takes it, opens it up and throws it in the wastebasket. He will shred it so somebody can't,

Find out how much Waterville is going to be. In other words, we're going to look and advertise this bill. But he goes online, as a lot of people do today, whether they're in Malden. and that's particularly among the younger people. So all he does every month when the bill would normally come to him, he goes online, finds out the amount of the water bills, has the city paid out of his checking account just like you do on a credit card. So if he never got a water bill, it wouldn't bother him, it wouldn't be a problem. And I think there's a lot of people in that situation. They don't need the bill to remind them that they have to pay it. The idea is that if you did that, just send four bills a year, and you had a lot of people that would still not bother opening the bills because they would then in turn do the same thing this man told me he does. which is that he just would know the bill was due and he would go on the online and pay his bill.

Either way, in this day and age, when you deal with millions and millions of dollars in different departments, a significant amount of money isn't $70,000. But if you add it all up, you're also sending out, because it's two envelopes in each bill, about 250,000 envelopes. And there is some cost to envelopes, even if they're not that expensive and you buy in bulk. and the other thing, which I'm not aware of, but I'm assuming a lot of those envelopes that are put together to send the bills out every month, which is a lot of staff hours, that they're done manually. because you'd have to think about it. You put one envelope, and then you put a bill in an envelope, and then you put another envelope in that so you could return it.

that would mean that in some ways now when you're dealing with issues of personnel, there are probably gonna be some instances now where you know, the people who are not gonna have a job after July 1st, they may be some of the personnel that are helping doing all these bills and therefore, If you didn't have the bills to go out, that would mean they could be doing jobs that would result in better performances and quicker services for the people of Malden. The thing that it just seems to me is that in some fashion that the city could maybe consider going back to the four times a year instead of the 12 times. They can work it out to ensure that you are going to inconvenience some people because people maybe don't always pay the bill on time. So if they get a quarterly bill instead of a monthly bill, that means the bill is that much higher that they're behind.

I think the most people in the community would be paying them as due. If they didn't want any bill at all, as this gentleman said, he could just tell the city, don't send me a bill, I'll send you the money every quarter and take it from there. And The other thing is I meant to be comparing Everett and Malden. Malden is set up with the computer system, whichever it is not. In other words, in Everett, if you wanted to pay the bill the same way as I just mentioned is being done by this other person, Everett isn't set up for that, but Malden is, so therefore, It would be a convenience for the public that are currently doing it. It would certainly be an advantage to the community personnel who will have less time to spend doing menial kinds of things. And most important, There's a savings there without really doing anything other than changing the system and getting people used to a new system which is just a less frequent bill.

One caveat that would be important is to ensure that If you're sending out, and the city agrees to do it in some fashion, that... If people might not knowingly have a leak, you don't want them to wait three months to find out when they get the bill that the leak is resulting in a bill of $1,000 instead of $100 or whatever. So you'd have to have a monitoring system. They used to have that, I recall years ago, and I don't want to keep dwelling on the past because things weren't always good either then. The city's department was able to flag attention when bills were excessive in terms of water bill. And therefore, sometimes it might be just the people watering the lawns in the warm weather, the bill would be... would be higher than normal and would be standing out the amount being paid.

But in any event, that's an idea I thought maybe the city could consider. without imposing on anybody within the community, I think overall, and what would be worthwhile is that may save some person's job or maybe take care of a shortfall in a portion of the budget that's currently an issue. Again, on that, I appreciate you listening to me. If anybody had any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer if I know it.

Thank you. We appreciate it.

One other thing is an afterthought, and separate from Waterville, is I was reminded... Tonight, there's a state mandate program which is to require communities to advise people they have an option when they want to vote. They can do it by mail. and the state being a typical state-level business, they've said, let's do this, and oh, by the way, the community's gonna have to pay some of that cost. I think if you look at the, not only just in Malden, but generally, I think there was a 15% turnout in the last election at the local level, so that obviously at the state level when voting there will be a bigger percentage in the national election it's even bigger but the

with Bill Galvin being on television reminding people about the options to vote by mail or by absentee and People get those mailings and they don't really take advantage of them. And it seems to me that's a lot of money being spent. we can think about asking our state legislators to sponsor bill to have the state fully fund the cost of the absentee ballots and over-the-counter voting and that way that's one less expense that you'd have that would also serve the purpose of getting in as many people to vote which seems that they don't vote so rather than waste the money and if it's going to be spent let the state spend it instead of the community. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Anyone else wishing to speak in favor? Okay, going once. Seeing none and hearing none, I will close that portion of the hearing. Do we have any emails in favor? Okay. At this time, I will... Open the second section of our hearing. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to the budget, to the petition? Anybody wishing to speak in opposition, please feel free to come to the podium and state your name and address.

My name is Tang Ying. I live on 120 Mountain Avenue. Hi everyone, my name is Tong Ying and I live at 120 Mountain Avenue. I love the culture and the life here. I went to the old people's centre, went to school, and sang and danced with friends. I love modern life because I feel that the local government

I have lived in Malden over 10 years and I'm proud to call Malden my home. I love the diverse culture and all the things to do in Malden. I go to the senior center to take classes, to sing and dance with my friends. And I love Malden because I feel that our local government listens and cares about what residents need.

今年年初,當我和鄰居知道市政府面臨財政缺口, Thank you very much. We are very disappointed that the voting results have not been approved. When we learned that the municipal government planned to cut down on the translation of the language and reduce the working hours of the election workers, we were even more disappointed.

Earlier this year when my neighbors and I heard about the city's budget gap and the override attempt, we wanted to keep our city services. The activities and events that support seniors, students, and residents across the city. so we voted yes. As the results came in, we were disappointed to hear that the attempt failed, but then we were further saddened to hear that the city plans to cut the language access coordinator's position and reduce bilingual study

Clerk, Staff, Hours. Every year before the election, the mayor and the city council members would come to our building and sit with us Thank you very much. Thank you.

The language access coordinator and bilingual staff, they are vital bridge between Asian residents and the city. The bilingual City Clerk staff comes to our building every year before elections to do outreach, to sit with us, and to explain how to vote. The Language Access Coordinator makes sure that there is interpretation and translation across City Hall. that important information reaches every resident of Malden no matter what language they speak. Immigrant residents are part of the fabric of what makes Malden a great city. Without this bridge, we would be cut off. Our voices and our needs will not be heard.

We hope that the City Government will restore its support for these positions and build a model that truly embraces everyone. This work has just begun. We should move forward, not back down.

We urge the city to restore funding for these positions. The work of building a truly inclusive Malden has only just begun, and we cannot afford to go backwards now. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi,大家好,我叫李麗英,我住在天昆士族村Modern Hi, everyone. My name is Lian Li, and I live at 10 Quincy Street.

I am very grateful that our city has always worked hard to protect basic services. At this time, in order to stop tax evasion, Like many cities and towns across Massachusetts,

Malden is facing real budget pressures. I'm grateful that our city has worked hard to protect essential services, which is why it felt really unfortunate that the override didn't pass and the city now needs to make cuts to make ends meet.

I have lived in Malden for eight years. As an immigrant, I serve as a speaker. is a very important blessing for me. It is the way we participate in this city's life, are still able to see our water and electricity bills, manage our houses, and evaluate our property. I have lived in Malden for eight years.

As an immigrant to the US, language access isn't just a service. It is how I participate in the city to understand my water bill, navigate the assessor's office, and access elections information. These services make the difference between feeling included and invisible.

Modern has made a huge progress in this area. Three years ago, Modern became the second and many other cities. This is the result of years of joint efforts between the city government and the community. Because of this, every time we go to vote, there are workers from both sides helping us. All the signs need to be translated into Chinese. All the people who work in the election are here to serve our community. Thank you very much.

From the community, we are here to pay tribute to the workers of Tietouyuan and the Chamber of Commerce.

and Malden has made tremendous progress. Three years ago, the city became the second in Massachusetts to provide fully bilingual ballots, a landmark achievement through years of city and community advocacy. because of that, every time I go to the polls, there's a bilingual worker there to help me. The signs are translated, election staff come to our community events to walk us through how to vote, This didn't happen by accident. It happens because of sustained commitment from the city, community groups, and city hall staff like the language access coordinator and bilingual staff at the clerk's office.

Yeah. More than 20% of the residents of Malden come from Asia. This work is very important to our community. We are proud of the achievements we have made together. Thank you for watching. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. We hope that the government can find a way to protect these positions. For this progress belongs to all of us. We hope that their hands will continue to move forward. Thank you.

With over 20% of Malden residents being Asian, this work is crucial for the growing community here. We are so proud of what Malden has built together. The work of including all residents in every language is a reflection of our city's values. We know these are difficult decisions and we are grateful for everything the city has done so have all done to support our community. We hope the city will find a way to protect these positions because the progress belongs to all of us and we want to keep moving forward together. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Annabel Hsu. I have lived and worked in Malden for the past three years, and I live on Summer Street. Thank you. So I work with Asian American youth based in Malden. and the surrounding areas and I helped them build a sense of empowerment, agency and political consciousness. The youths have all handwritten their own responses to the change with the Language Access Coordinator and I've passed those on to the City Clerk who will be reading them out later. As a representative of the GMAC youth, we deeply oppose the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator position. The first feeling we had upon hearing this news was shock because it seems like a joke that such a crucial and deeply necessary position can just be cut, can be treated as a privilege rather than a necessary service for so many in our community in Malden.

We know as well, we have personally worked with the language access coordinator, as many probably have in this room, It's a deeply essential position, and it's overloaded as well. It's like the work of, it touches every single city service, and it works for the most vulnerable among the people of Malden. Cutting this position feels very short-sighted. It doesn't only affect our elders and our older generations. It also affects the youth of Malden. 60% of the high school has used ESL services in some way. It's something that touches every socioeconomic status. Every group has someone maybe who will need these services. And it really fails the very communities that we pride ourselves on nurturing and sustaining.

and will result in greater inequities across Malden. I think talking about supporting immigrant communities is chief and we really need action to show that and to continue the work, the great work as well that the city council and other Thank you. Hello, everybody, how are you?

Good evening. Good evening.

Hi, my name is Lily and Chinese name and I live at 557 Pleasant Street. I've lived in Malden for 28 years.

When I first came from China to America, My first choice was to come to Washington, Malden, because my brothers and sisters were in Chicago, San Francisco, but I didn't go there. The first choice is to come here. I like to come here.

When I first came to the U.S. from China, I first landed in Greater Boston, lived in Boston, and now I've landed in Malden. All of my family members, they live in Chicago, San Francisco, but I decided not to move with them because I've fallen in love with this city.

I love Malden. When I came to the U.S., my son was 18 years old. He went to another community without a high school diploma. Thank you.

I've worked in Malden. And then my son, before he was 18, he was in high school. And when we moved to Malden, You know, he was enrolled in schools here, and he also really liked the community here.

. I was interested in buying a house, so I discussed where to buy it. I told my son, just buy Malden. Malden is a very good area.

As my son's grown up, and he's an adult now, thinking about buying a home, buying his first home, and I was like, Don't buy elsewhere in other cities. Buy in Malden. This is where our roots are. Our community is here. We love Malden. So buy here.

This city is very good. During this period, the mayor must be very There is a way to lead. His team cares a lot about the people of Malden. I worked at McDonald's 22 years ago. I've been retired for four years now.

The community here is really great. What we really love is the government, the city council leadership, the mayor's leadership. We love this community because it's great. lots of things are, you know, people really care about the community and the residents here. You listen to our voices, you listen to our needs. and this is why I've lived here for so long. I used to work at Stop and Shop in Malden for 22 years and this is why I settled here.

I am very grateful to this community every day. I feel that our city is very dear to the old people.

I've been retired for four years. Every day I'm grateful for this community and what the city has done for us and the care that you've shown the senior residents here.

I used to be a housekeeper, but after I retired, through Modern, This is Fuli. After I retired, I lived in 557 Laoyuan Apartment. Our life was very peaceful.

I used to rent in Malden but a while ago I was able to get government subsidies and benefits and I was I got approved to move into 557 Pleasant Street and this is when my life has finally

become more steady. They came to our building, to our office. Their staff was very kind. They are very enthusiastic, helping us, sitting by our side, helping us until we fill in the form.

and thank you for listening to my story. And the reason why I'm here today is because it's important For me, that we're able to have a voice and be able to share what our needs are in this community. And one of the things I really care about is election and voting. It's one of the ways that we can get our voices heard. So every year during elections, I always vote. And the city clerk's office, the election department always have really nice staff that come to our building, talk to us. guide us through the voting process and how to fill out the ballot if we decide to vote by mail.

For those of us who don't speak English, this is not an opinion. Thank you. Thank you. Without this help, we won't be able to participate. We will be excluded.

and for those of us who don't speak English or read and write in English, voting is not a small task. and it is because that the city has staff members, bilingual team, language access coordinator that come to work with us and help us through the process. This is how we could get it done. And this is how I could participate civically and fulfill my responsibility as a citizen, as a resident here. but without that, without that bridge, that language access, we won't be able to be heard and seen.

This is why language co-workers and double language workers are so important to us. It is because of them that we can truly become a part of this city. Please keep their position.

This is why the Language Access Coordinator, bilingual staff members at the City Hall matter so much to us. It's why we feel that we're part of the city. So please protect these positions.

I'm here today for two more things. I live in 557. The residents asked me to do two more things. The park behind our building is very close to the park. Every morning, noon, and evening, many people come to the park. I was lucky enough to be able to walk and exercise, but the lights on the roads behind me are broken. I would like to ask the City Government to take care of the restoration as soon as possible. Also, the 557 road in front of us,

There was also a police officer. Maybe the screws were loose. I saw him every time he was eating food. When I got to the police station, he was thinking like this. Thank you. Thank you. I hope that the government will pay attention to these two things and repair them as soon as possible. Thank you.

I have two more issues I wanted to tag along since I have an interpreter here today. The other 557 Pleasant Street residents asked me to make sure to bring those two issues up. The first is a traffic light at the crosswalk right behind our building. Lots of residents, senior residents cross, use that crosswalk every morning for exercise, go on walks and things like that. So the traffic light has been broken, so please, Help us address that. And then also, there's a loose manhole over the street in front. And every time, like at night, when the cars and trucks pass by, it makes like the kunk-kunk sound. It's really noisy. So please help us fix that. Please. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Good evening, Councillors. My name is Mina Kim. I'm with the Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, GMAC, 381 Pearl Street. Do you need my home address? Okay, so I think this meeting is actually a really great illustration of why language access is so essential. You would not have understood the stories and experiences of some of your constituents and they also would not have had the opportunity to share their experiences in their own words and voice. And so as some of the folks who spoke before me said, visibility is so important to being a part of community and building that So thanks for this opportunity for sharing our comments. I know that you're already aware of this information, but over 70 languages are spoken in the Malden public school system.

More than 28% of Malden's residents identify as AAPI with the majority speaking Mandarin and Cantonese and we also have many neighbors who also speak Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Spanish and many other languages. This diversity is what I hear of so often when people talk about what makes Malden special. And I feel like this diversity also brings something More powerful with it, which is a sense of belonging, which is also another word that I hear very often spoken at different events. But belonging doesn't happen on its own. It depends on infrastructure to support it, built over many years by people who have come together to organize and advocate to open up city conversations to participate in civic processes and decision making and the creative life of this community. And in Malden, belonging has been shaped by years of advocacy that started way before my tenure at GMAC.

And it has led to very great successes, including the passing of the transliteration bill which enhance voting rights for Chinese speaking residents in the city. The work of Elena Martinez as the language access coordinator. She has taken language access beyond translation to build relationships within and across many non-English speaking communities. establishing civic infrastructure to facilitate civic engagement between residents and City Hall. As part of an AAPI coalition with the Asian Community Development Corporation, the Chinese Progressive Association, and the Asian Outreach Center at the Greater Boston Legal Services, we have worked with the city clerk and the mayor's office to ensure language access isn't a nice to have, but a critical piece of sustaining belonging in Malden. We have greatly appreciated the City of Malden's partnership and commitment to language access over the years, and urge this council to continue investing in the infrastructure of belonging that makes Malden the exceptional place that it is.

and just as a final comment, we did try AI as a possible translation tool and it really did not work. And so I hope that is not being considered as a viable option. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else wishing to speak in opposition at this time? Sure, please come forward.

Hi, everyone.

Good evening. My name is .

I was born in the year 1212. Leomigok, Mottun, Chioyegala, Wegamgok, Mottun, Uyungtun, Uyungtun, Uyungtun, Uyungtun, Uyungtun

I came to the U.S. in 2020, and I've lived in Malden ever since. I found that Malden as a neighborhood feels safe. It has a great environment. The people are nice.

I want to say, don't wait until the National Assembly is over. If you don't wait until it's over, you'll have to wait until it's over. When you look at my hand, it shows that I have a lot of strength. I hope that at some point, I don't think anyone will ever be able to do it, except for Long Yuen Ka. Because Long Yuen Ka doesn't know how to do it. Thank you. There are a lot of things that I don't understand. I can't understand more.

I would like to say that I think there is enough time for all of us to discuss this matter.

So what also makes Malden really great is that we have really great representatives from the federal government, state government. We also have a really good mayor that really care and listen to the community. and I understand right now that Malden has to face really difficult decisions with the budget. And this is really unfortunate and we all don't want to see that. but one thing that I really do want to bring up is like our concern from a lot of seniors. As a senior resident, there are a lot of things that I don't know. Just like when you guys were speaking up here, we were having issues with the translation equipment once the audio was on, so the equipment wasn't working. So he was saying that I didn't know what was going on. And so language access is how we can communicate with you and talk to you about what we really want to see in the city and what can make the city really great. It's kind of like a car.

If you want to drive a road, you have a car of passengers, you want to move forward, you need a GPS, right, to kind of connect us. show us where the road to go and why and give us that information. So language access is like that GPS for us, for the whole city and the whole car ride to work and for the whole city to work for all of us. Thank you so much for all of your support, for listening to us today. Thank you, city councilors. Thank you, mayor. And we really want to work together to make this city a really great and inclusive city for all of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Last call for anybody wishing to speak in opposition.

Hello, everyone. Ryan O'Malley. I'm the ward for city councilor. I'm also a resident of the community. I rise not necessarily to speak in opposition but to try to propose some ways in which we can resolve the challenges that we are all facing and the hard decisions that none of us want to make. and some of the hard decisions that we've heard tonight. Just for people's edification, I'm not a member of the Finance Committee and so I can't make motions in the Finance Committee. We will be voting. and I do not want to be accused of blindsiding anyone by making motions the night the budget needs to be passed. So I figured I'd propose these to you tonight so you have a chance to think about it and so the public also understands So we have a budget gap that we need to resolve and we need to make some decisions. I'm proposing some cuts that would then allow us to restore some of the positions that we have heard would really be painful.

When it comes to what I think is fair, I don't think it's fair to pay people overtime when we're talking about cutting people's full-time positions. I think that you know when you think about that you're talking about whether or not someone can afford a vacation home versus someone being able to afford their rent or their mortgage. So I would propose that we cut overtime by $289,000 roughly in the police overtime, which is not the entirety of it. And by cutting $289,000 from overtime in the police budget we would be able to restore the four police cadets for the same amount of money. I would propose that we cut the firefighters overtime by $446,000 and by cutting that over time, we would be able to restore four firefighters for the same amount of money.

In our budget, we have a line item called salary reserve, which is $1.2 million. I understand that that might be a gesture, but really it's hiding the amount of free cash we have by $1.2 million. I propose that we cut that line item, put it back into free cash, What we learned in finance recently is that we will have to make the transfer regardless of where that money is. It would at least show the community what we really have when it comes to free cash. Additionally, I think that it makes sense to bring some of our landscaping budget back to what we did in 2019. And I'm proposing that we cut some of our landscaping budget by $55,000. That would definitely pay for the language access officer in the city clerk's office that we heard is so important when it comes to our elections.

Additionally, I'm proposing that we cut professional services by $120,000 in the legal department I think that if there needs to be a transfer from free cash for some particular reason I think we should be doing that but I think what we've seen is that by having such a large Thank you. a number of the award accounts for 4th of July be cut down to $2,500. And so I'm proposing that we cut the mayor's events budget by 7,500, bringing it down to 2,500, the same amount that each ward councilor has for 4th of July.

Additionally, I think that we should be cutting professional services of $40,000 from the executive branch. And that would also help restore additional positions. So I have other ideas. Those are just like, I think, low hanging fruit. if you really wanted to right-size the budget, you could just go back to 2019 numbers across the board. But this was some of the ones I think we could pick out. In the total savings from some of those things that I just recommended, would be $1.6 to $1.8 million. That would be my proposal. I'll state it again in finance. And if there was motions aren't made in finance, I'll be making them next week on the floor. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor O'Malley. Anyone else wishing to speak against this petition? Hang on one second, the podium seems to have gone off. Okay.

Hi, I'm Christopher Dreyer, resident at 166 Mountain Ave. I'm looking at the budget proposed and also for fiscal year of 2027 and also the fiscal year budget of 2026. I just would like to iterate that there's a fair percentage of people that rent in Malden and raising property taxes only... it affects property owners disproportionately to people who rent. There's not much revenue generated from raising property tax on a rental property. And I think...

that in addition to several other line items on the budget, like for example, the city rakes in a whopping $1.2 million for I believe parking tickets. It just refreshes my mind back to like, we're just, If we need to make that many parking tickets, I mean, I just would like to iterate that, well, that is literally a third of the ARPA funds that we had from previous years. I'd like to state that the parking garage revenue is down by 20%.

and so if we could as a city garner the utilization of the parking garage more effectively and actually not just one parking garage but I think the city owns several parking garages if I'm maybe mistaken. And these public garages are underutilized and honestly under revenue generating. and that could be a way to preserve people's cars as well as other things. But one other thing that I was going to mention that was really important is vacant property. Well, it is a challenge to get people to offload vacant property onto the real estate market.

I think heavy liens should be placed on vacant property because whether it's commercial property or residential property, These owners need to understand that they're part of the community of Malden and watching the community of Malden and the city of Malden deteriorate based on lack of active ownership and active investment in the community is something that should be financially revenue generating for the city at some point. and I think a vacant property tax should be explored because it's just, there's a list that isn't comprehensive or complete

on the City of Malmo's website about vacant property, and I think that's just residential property. The amount of vacant commercial real estate property that is for lease but just for rent and just waiting for that high ticket renter is kind of profane because We as a city need to generate revenue, but I think if more people are focusing on getting renters, not owners, we will be a city forever stuck in and a difficult do loop of tax revenue being funneled to only a few people who are owning. And out of respect for time, I'm sorry, I'll keep this short.

I just wanted to say that I think the ARPA funds and the school budget aren't the major aspects the budget being misappropriated. I really think... Well, I'm not a financier or like a accountant. I think there are just major flaws in the budget that could be adjusted. And I think, and I made this point to a pretty much, I think it was like a year ago or something like that, two years ago. But I think the city of Malden should do, like budget cuts on or and freezes on any salary above 100,000 that goes across the board to any city,

employee. I think making over $100,000 as one individual for one year is excessive from a city perspective. enriching oneself from the city coffers of the city's hardworking residents. it's just disturbing because I think people need to be seen as public servants and that is the true nature of what it means to be of public service and public administration. It's not to become like, Affluent Millionaires, Off the Public Dollar. And that's basically my time, and I'm sorry I was so jumping on different topics, but I think

there should be a budget freeze across the board for every single line item and no one should take salary from like going forward if like There's such a disgraceful amount of budget impasses. It's just, it's something that Malden could write itself with within its own resources and it's kind of, embarrassing. That's all I'm saying. I think we need to get the budget in order. That's all. Thanks.

Thank you.

Hi, good evening. My name is Karen Colón Hayes. I live at 105 Wyoming Avenue. I want to thank Councilor O'Malley. You're always coming up with some great thoughts to come here. We are residents also. So I did do some work with Councilor O'Malley, and I want to say that there will be more ideas that we'll either present in finance, if not, on a paper. One of my top priorities was, of course, the language access coordinator. So hopefully some of these cuts that we will make will be able to get that position back because of what everyone else just said here tonight. It's extremely important, especially in our city. So thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else wishing to speak in opposition to the petition this evening? I know we do have some emails to read before I close the hearing. Yes, we do. Okay.

I think we can move into the emails then. Okay. Dear City Council, my name is Thomas and I live in Malden at Diane's View. I am also a GMAC youth leader. I wanted to ask why it is necessary for you to cut the entire language access position. You gave very little notice. Next one says, my name is Alex and I live on Westcott Street. As a GMAC youth leader, I am against the cutting of the language access coordinator position. Language access as a whole is significantly important to all people throughout their lives and community. without language we would not be able to communicate properly with a lot of people we meet and converse with every day. More access to language leads to newly discovered connections and communications which can lead to influential or significant changes that benefit our society. Altogether having more language access helps us as a community unite. as someone fortunate enough to have language access to the point where I've made so many connections and friends, it has positively impacted my life and relationships and I could not be more grateful.

As for questions, do you think cutting positions rather than Earning the money elsewhere is beneficial and efficient. Why? To the City Council. My name is Cyberman and I live on Hancock Street. I am also a GMAC youth leader. and I am against the cutting of the language access coordinator position. Malden is a very diverse city and if positions like this are cut, it would put a huge portion of this city in a really rough situation. It will decrease participation in public events, because many people who cannot yet speak English well may not be informed about events. To the City Council, my name is Andy and I live on Stadium Road. I am also GMAC Youth Leader and I am against the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator position. Language access allows all cultures and races to partake in city council affairs. And isn't this nation built on freedom and equality?

Well then language is one of, if not the most important in connecting communities and bringing equality. My name is Seth Vinder and I live on Ferry Street. I am also a GMAC youth leader. As GMAC, I am against the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator position. I wish to feel empowered by having my voice heard. It is especially important to have an opportunity for people to actually participate in the community. Hello, City Council. My name is Terrence and I live on Main Street. I am a GMAC youth leader, and as a youth leader, I am against the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator position. I am wondering why the position was cut and what will happen to those who have been cut. Also, what will happen to the language access position since it is important to our community and how diverse the Malden community is? Getting rid of it will only handicap those who are in need of language access, removing lots of participation from community members. To the City Council, my name is Cheryl. I live on Coleman Street. I am also a GMAC youth leader.

As a GMAC youth leader, I am against the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator position. Language access is very important and it allows many who are not fluent in English to be able to complete many important documents and also express themselves. Learning a new language is very difficult and takes a lot of time. This position should not be cut or taken in such a light way. Why did the entire position have to be cut? It doesn't make sense to me since Malden has such big diversity in its families and benefits greatly from this. that this job will be transferred and added onto another position, but this doesn't seem to be very efficient as it is not an easy job. Will there be support for this person or a new group? Last year GMAC went to see and learned about this position as we were working towards a new language at Malden High School. My family also personally has had trouble with some documents or even just speaking about things that don't come up in daily life. Translating for me is not easy. or from my siblings.

Even though my mom is able to understand, write, read, and talk with good proficiency, translating some words is not easy. So I can understand how many people who may not understand English very well will find it even more difficult. I propose finding a new grant for the language access coordinator position. My name is Henry. I live on Alden Street. I'm also GMAC youth leader. As a youth leader, I am against the cutting of the language access coordinator position. This position is very important to us because our community is very diverse. We all came from different backgrounds. Some of them know English, but not all, so we should not leave those people who do not know out. We should help them and encourage them to be part of Malden. It is very important to me because I have to do translation for my parents and grandparents. By doing that, it helps them out a lot. But some other people don't have that privilege. and that is why we need this position to help those people. We should find funding for this important position.

Question, why are we cutting positions just to make other people's lives harder? to the City Council. My name is Ryan and I live on Coleman Street in Malden. I am also GMAC Youth Leader. As a GMAC Youth Leader, I am strongly against the cutting of the Language Access Coordinator. Malden prides itself on being among the top Five most diverse cities in the state, with Malden High School ranking as the number one most diverse public high school. Every day the streets of the city are filled with dozens of families coming from various backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles. the lack of a language access coordinator would not only disrupt the voices of Malden residents, but also shake the foundations of the city as a whole. Throughout my experiences with volunteering or hosting community events, I have witnessed dozens of individuals lost struggling to grasp and understand the sheer amount of English words being thrown at them. Language barriers are some of the strongest walls dividing humankind, which is why solutions that overcome these obstacles should be encouraged, not weakened.

therefore I hope everyone considers the consequences of making this decision. Thank you. And then we have one more. To the honorable members of the City Council, the Massachusetts Inspector General's June 2026 Final Report on Sheriff Budgets and Expenditures identifies fiscal principles directly applicable to Malden's proposed FY27 budget. I respectfully submit the following questions as they apply to the proposed FY27 budget. One, the OIG report warns that budgets lacking itemized purpose-specific line items enabled uncontrolled spending and mission creep. Does the FY27 proposed budget separate mandatory obligations such as debt service and collective bargaining costs from discretionary expenditures to allow the Council to evaluate each on its merits? Two, the report identifies use of reserves to close structural deficits as unsustainable.

The Mayor's Transmittal Letter proposes drawing $5.2 million from reserves. What is the projected reserve balance after this draw, and what is the plan if the structured deficit persists into FY28? 3. The OIG found that eliminating discretionary spending while protecting mandated services is essential. Has the Council received a clear breakdown distinguishing which of the proposed cuts affect legally mandated services versus purely discretionary ones? 4. Court emphasizes that clarity of purpose and clarity of funding ceilings are essential controls. Are the proposed zero COLA wage freezes for open union contracts reflected with sufficiency contingency funding in the event Those contracts are ultimately settled above zero. Five, the OIG stresses the fiscal decisions conducted outside normal oversight systems create accountability failures. Our all proposed grant funded position shifts as such as an engineering and general government backed by executed grant agreements or those revenues offset speculative. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Brian DeLacy, 1 Earl Street. And that is all we have for.

Thank you very much. So at this time I am going to declare the public hearing portion of our agenda closed. Do we have any Questions or comments from the council before we move on to our next agenda item. And I am going to, before we go into questions, I do just want to remind folks that the council, again, is not going to be voting on the budget tonight. We do have our finance subcommittee that's going to continue discussing this tonight. and next week and our full council will be coming back here one week from tonight to vote on the budget. I do want to thank everybody who joined us tonight. I also want to thank our interpreters. This was a long discussion, and I know that's a long time to be interpreting, so thank you. and I'm sorry that there were some technical difficulties but I appreciate you bearing with us.

Please again come and speak to me if there's anything you have questions about that I can help you with afterwards. and with that I will go to questions from the council, questions or comments from the council. Councilor McDonald.

Yeah, thank you so much. I just want to say heard loud and clear that there is significant community concern around the access to language translation and interpretation. I want to note that came up also in the council's committee conversation, so I'm sure we'll be talking about that very soon. But I do just want to say to Councilor Malley and others, Regardless of whether you are a member of the Finance Committee, any of our counselors can attend the Finance Committee and raise your suggestions there. So I just want to be clear that we will... it will be an opportunity to share all the things that you may suggest. I don't know that all of us are gonna take the chance, take the time right now to get into as much detail, but I appreciate the points that you that you shared there. So just thanks again to the many folks who are here attending and participating in this process.

Yes, thank you very much. Okay, with that, I will move on to our next and I think final agenda item for this evening.

A representative from the Solicitor's Office will follow up on paper 277-26 with an update to the Council. on the investigation into the open meeting law complaint filed by Bruce Friedman of 8 Marvin Street on May 13th, 2026 against the council related to the executive session held on May 12th, 2026.

Okay, and I couldn't even see you over there. Our Assistant City Solicitor, Attorney Semih, is with us. If you can please join us at the podium. Thank you for hanging in for this long evening.

Yeah, so this is an open meeting log complaint submitted by Bruce Friedman regarding an executive session of the city council that took place on May 12th, 2026. And basically two things that the complaint It says that the topics listed were not sufficiently specific and that the purpose of the session was improper. So one of our other Assistant City Solicitors has drafted a response which addresses both of those complaints. With respect to the first complaint about the notice not being sufficiently specific, Prasanna Rajasekaran in our office pointed out that the notice was sufficiently specific under the open meeting law guidelines and determinations of the Attorney General because it identified the specific litigation that was going to be discussed and it identified it by name.

and with respect to the purpose of the session not being proper, the complaint seems to say that because the case was fully adjudicated, the exemption does not apply. I don't think that's actually right at all because the case technically was not fully adjudicated. There were hearings still being conducted and even after the hearings are being conducted, even after a decision is made, there could be an appeal. So really, it's not fully adjudicated. So I think that's one way in which the complaint just got it wrong. The other thing that the complaint says is that there was no detrimental effect on the litigation position of the city. So the open meeting law complaint, and again, the response addresses this. It doesn't have to be a detrimental effect. The law says there may be a detrimental effect.

So I'm happy to address any other questions. I don't know if you guys have read the response, but I'm just sort summarizing what the response from our office says on behalf of the City Council.

Okay, thank you. Do folks have any questions? Okay, seeing none, I'd be looking for a motion to approve allowing the legal department to submit to the complainant and the Attorney General's office. Okay, motion by Councilor Luong, seconded by Councilor Colón Hayes. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Present. President, Councilor O'Malley. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next order of business. The docket is clear. Do we have a motion to adjourn? that everybody wants to adjourn. Okay. I'll go with Councilor Sica, seconded by Councilor Crowe. All in favor? Aye. We are adjourned at 8.53. Thank you, everyone.

We're going to reconvene in five minutes in room 105 for the Finance Committee meeting and back on Teams.