Executive Summary
At the September 22, 2026 meeting of the Quincy City Council, the body conducted a committee meeting on municipal technology followed by a regular council meeting. Key topics addressed included an administrative report and technology update regarding resident online municipal services and Title II ADA compliance, an election report from the City Clerk following the September 3 primary, and discussions regarding municipal transparency, solar canopy leases, and specialized stretch building codes. The Council approved seven routine traffic and parking measures and referred major items—including solar lease approvals, politician salary adjustments, a public art and placemaking program, a specialized stretch energy code review, and a 'no surprise government' transparency resolution—to their respective committees for detailed evaluation.
Municipal Technology Committee: Review of Resident Interactions and Online Municipal Services (Order 2026-036)
- Chair Walter Hubley introduced Council Order 2026-036, "Resolution ordering a preview of resident interactions with City Hall and opportunities to expand accessible online municipal services," which was delayed to follow recent online service upgrades.
- Christopher Walker presented the administration's report detailing department-by-department online services, noting that 61% of top constituent interactions can be completed fully online, 22% partially, and 15% in-person only (often due to legal or identity verification requirements or social service confidentiality in Veteran Services).
- Web Administrator Gordon Jones reviewed municipal website accessibility upgrades for Title II ADA compliance, including:
- Removing special characters (such as ampersands and at symbols) to ensure compatibility with screen readers.
- Enforcing descriptive alt-tags without embedded textual graphics.
- Archiving pre-2025 PDFs and partnering with Doc Access to convert post-2025 documents and council packets into accessible, screen-readable, and phonetically translatable formats within 20 minutes of publication.
- Updating terminology from visual-dependent language (e.g., changing "view" to "review" and "click here" to "select").
- Treasurer-Collector Molly Smith reported that over 246,000 payments were processed in FY 2026, and highlighted the launch of the new ePay system on July 1 (FY 2027), which includes auto-pay (nearly 2,000 enrolled), e-billing (nearly 700 enrolled), mobile app availability (75 downloads), and real-time API payment posting.
- Smith clarified the fee structure: a $0.50 transaction charge for ACH e-checks versus 2.99% for credit card payments.
- Councilors discussed future improvements, including centralized ticketing for constituent request tracking, streamlined home page navigation, text-alert capabilities, and a potential public-facing database for municipal street paving schedules.
Open Forum
- Direct quotation: One public commenter stated, "I demand from the government our right to vote on our salaries."
- Summaries of public comments:
- A member of the public raised concerns regarding the design of the Nickerson Squaw Rock parking lot, stating that it fails to follow the Quincy City Code and standards for low-impact stormwater development and permeable surfaces, requesting the project be redesigned under a comprehensive master plan.
- A member of the public engaged in local building construction urged caution regarding the adoption of the specialty stretch code, citing continuous electricity usage for mandatory Energy Recapture Ventilation (ERV) systems and the strain placed on the local electrical grid.
- A member of the public expressed support for the establishment of a Public Arts Space Committee and approved proposed salary increases for the mayor and city councilors.
- A member of the public criticized municipal power structures under a "strong mayor, weak council" model and argued that Section 17A of the City Charter requires city council pay raises to be voted upon by the electorate.
- A member of the public expressed data privacy and security concerns regarding Flock Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras and the storage of municipal data by private corporations without prior public approval.
- A member of the public raised financial concerns regarding the Quincy Retirement System, questioning the decision not to move remaining assets to the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Trust (PRIT) and inquiring about the status of $3.5 million unrecovered from a 2020 cyber incident.
Commendation: Recognition of Renzi Daly
- Councilor Richard Ash presented an official City Council commendation to 22-year-old Quincy resident and YMCA swim instructor Renzi Daly for her heroic actions on July 5, 2026.
- Direct quotation: The council commended Daly for "her bravery and quick thinking in rescuing a woman from the water at Wollaston Beach on July 5th, 2026. A strong swimmer and South Shore YMCA swim instructor, the 22-year-old Miss Daly swam out to the woman despite challenging conditions, brought her safely to shore, and called 911."
September 3, 2026 State Primary Election Update
- City Clerk Nicole Crispo provided an overview of the September 3, 2026 primary election proceedings and voter roll statistics.
- Election operations and turnout highlights included:
- Over 30,500 confirmation postcards mailed to non-respondents to the annual street census to reconcile voter registration records.
- Current voter rolls contain approximately 70,000 voters; recent updates recorded 4,495 newly registered voters and 4,275 moved to inactive status, representing a net gain of 220 active voters.
- Processing of 574 mail-in applications for the primary and 8,758 processed to date for the upcoming general election, with expectations to reach 10,000.
- Deployment of 16 multi-language iPads and live ballot-tally poll pads at polling places.
- Clerk Crispo clarified that a reported machine breakdown at Southwest Middle School was a temporary jam resolved on-site with assistance from the vendor.
- Discussion occurred regarding compliance with Mass. General Law Chapter 51, Section 15 governing three-year staggered appointments to the Board of Registrars and council approval requirements.
Solar Energy Implementation on General McConville Way Parking Garages, referred to the Committees on Public Works and Finance (Item 2026-122)
- Department of Public Buildings Commissioner Paul Hines introduced an order approving the location and lease agreements for rooftop solar arrays on the two newly constructed General McConville Way parking garages.
- Commissioner Hines noted that unlike the Public Safety Headquarters garage, the vendor (Select) is absorbing the cost of steel support structures and installation, offsetting peak delivery charges from National Grid.
- A motion was made by Councilor Ziqiang Yuan and seconded by Councilor Maggie McKee to refer the matter to committee.
- Outcome: Referred 9-0 to the Public Works Committee and Finance Committee.
Discussion of Fair Data-Driven Pay Raises for Politicians, referred to the Committee on Ordinance (Item 2026-123)
- Councilor Maggie McKee introduced an order to formally revisit and establish criteria for city official and council pay adjustments.
- Councilor McKee moved to refer the matter to the Ordinance Committee; seconded by Councilor Ziqiang Yuan.
- Outcome: Referred 9-0.
Public Art and Placemaking Program Ordinance, referred to the Committee on Ordinance (Item 2026-124)
- Councilor Richard Ash re-introduced an ordinance amending Chapter 12 of the municipal code to establish a formal Public Art and Placemaking Program and review body for art installed on public municipal properties.
- Motion to refer to the Ordinance Committee made by Councilor Ash and seconded by Councilor David Jacobs.
- Councilors discussed procedure regarding whether debate should occur in regular council sessions or in specialized committee meetings.
- Outcome: Referred 9-0.
Specialized Stretch Energy Code Review, referred to the Committee on Oversight (Item 2026-125)
- Councilor Richard Ash introduced a resolve requesting municipal departments—including Inspectional Services, Planning, and Public Buildings—to review and present on the impacts and potential adoption of the Massachusetts specialized stretch energy code.
- Motion to refer to the Oversight Committee made by Councilor Ash and seconded by Councilor Deborah Riley.
- Outcome: Referred 9-0.
Resolution for No Surprise Government, referred to the Committee on Oversight (Item 2026-126)
- Councilor Ziqiang Yuan read and presented a resolution seeking to mandate advance notice and transparency from the administration before implementing major municipal actions, public spending projects, land alterations, surveillance systems, or debt obligations.
- Direct quotation: The resolution called upon the administration to "end a no ask, no tell approach to government and adopt a no surprise approach in which the City Council and the residents are informed whenever reasonably possible, before not after significant governmental actions are taken."
- Key issues raised by councilors during the presentation included:
- Flock ALPR camera searches, citing public records revealing 600,000 to 700,000 monthly outside database queries without documented case numbers between January and July 2026.
- Allocation of approximately $850,000 for religious statues at the Public Safety Headquarters without advance notification.
- Project sequencing, contract awards, and funding allocations for parking lot expansion at Squaw Rock prior to a finalized master plan or formal agreement with the Massachusett Tribe.
- Conversion of student play space to school staff parking at the Atherton Hough School without prior neighborhood or parent consultation.
- Motion to refer to the Oversight Committee made by Councilor Yuan and seconded by Councilor Deborah Riley.
- Outcome: Referred 9-0.
Grant of Location: GoNetSpeed at 29 Sargent Street and Shedd Street (Item 2026-121)
- Following a public hearing held earlier in the evening before the Public Works Committee, Councilor Richard Ash moved for the approval of the utility grant of location for GoNetSpeed on Sargent Street and Shedd Street.
- Outcome: Passed 9-0.
Traffic and Parking Orders Taken from the Committee on Ordinance (Items 2026-114 through 2026-120)
- The Council voted on a series of traffic and parking measures taken out of the Ordinance Committee, moving each out of committee by voice vote ("the ayes have it") and voting to approve:
- Stop signs on Rock Island Road northbound and southbound intersecting with Bird Street (Council Order 2026-114). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Stop signs on State Street eastbound and westbound intersecting with Palmer Street (Council Order 2026-115). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Stop sign on Rock Island Road northbound intersecting with C Street (Council Order 2026-116). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Handicap parking space at 189 Taffrail Road #1 (Council Order 2026-117). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Handicap parking space at 99 Chubbuck Street (Council Order 2026-118). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Handicap parking space at 19 Connell Street (Council Order 2026-119). Outcome: "The ayes have it."
- Handicap parking space at 6 Pierce Street #2 (Council Order 2026-120). Outcome: "The ayes have it."