City Council

So welcome, everyone. And I'll call this meeting of the Somerville City Council to order. Pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, This meeting of the City Council may be conducted via remote participation. Please note that we will post an audio-video recording, transcript, and other comprehensive record of this proceeding as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels and will be available for future review. Will the clerk please call the roll?

This is roll call. Councilor Ewen-Campen?

Here.

Councilor Link?

Here.

Councilor Scott?

Present.

Councilor Clingan? Strezo, present, Councilor Sait, here, Councilor Wheeler, here, Councilor Hardt, here, Councilor McLaughlin, here, Councilor Mbah, present, Councilor Davis, with nine Councilors present we have quorum.

I think may the record reflect that Councilor Davis has some other commitment. So pursuant to our rule 32, let it be known that this city council salutes the flag of the United States of America. and let us recall our oaths to uphold the constitution and the laws of the common world to the best of our abilities and understanding. We'll begin with a moment of silence. Councilors who wish to speak about community members. I have one. Nobody has one. I think our colleague, Steven Nooter, I saw him recently. His mom passed away recently.

His mom's name is Deborah Nutter, 91-year-old of Uniontown, passed away on February 15, leaving a legacy of faith, family devotion, service to others. Born September 7, 1934 in Enterprise. She supported her family through years of travel during her husband's service in the United States Navy. and later built a respected career including becoming an award-winning realtor with Conway Banker, a devoted apostolic musician and creative artist. She shared her talents through church ministry, painting, cake decorating, gardening, and caring for her beloved family and pets. Services were entrusted to Hamma Funeral Home. We ask that this, you know, we remember her, you know, in our thoughts and prayer. So everyone in the chamber who is able, can we rise for a moment of silence?

Thank you. So colleagues, after we go through the citation, the administration has requested a few items that we need to take out of order. And these items are 7.3, 7.7, finance report. and then 7.1.

Mr. President, please repeat that.

Sorry, so we would be taking, the administration has requested we take a few items out of order. That's 7.3, 7.7, Then we're going to take finance report and then the last item we'll take out of order is 7.1. Next item, Madam Clerk.

The first item is Agenda Item 1.3, Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 22, 2026.

Seeing no objection, that item is approved.

Bring this to agenda item 2.1, a citation by Councilor Mbah, commanding director of libraries, Cathy Piantinigi, on her return to work following a medical procedure.

Yeah.

Oh, it's been a while since I've been up here. The power, the power, Councilor Barr.

Thank you, Mr. President. During my time serving on the Somerville Library Foundation, I had the privilege of working closely with Cathy Piantigini-Woods, Leadership as Director of the Somerville Public Library has strengthened the library's role as a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic civic institution. Through collaborative initiatives and my volunteer Work teaching citizenship classes at the library, I witnessed firsthand Cathy's deep commitment to expanding access to knowledge, fostering lifelong learning, and creating spaces where residents of all backgrounds can connect, grow, and thrive. Libraries serve not only as repositories of books but as essential community anchors that support education, digital access, and cultural exchange and democratic institutions.

Cathy's thoughtful stewardship has ensured that Somerville's library continues to embody these values and remain vital public resources for our community and society at large. I don't know if Cathy's here.

Wilson, are you here to speak on this item? Wilson, are you here too? All right. And no, Kathy, any further discussion on this item? Seeing none, the item is approved.

That brings us to our first item out of order, 7.3, a request of the mayor requesting approval of a transfer of $5,700 from the Law Department Professional and Technical Services account. to the executive department salaries and wages temporary account to establish the position of senior advisor to the mayor for labor.

Mayor Wilson.

Mr. President, thank you for the recognition here. I was so excited to come tell you all about this. I jumped the gun a little bit. I apologize for that. Yeah, this is something that I'm extremely enthusiastic about. Y'all know from my time serving on this body how much I love the idea of taking things currently done out of house and doing that in house. This is us doing that. This is us listening to the voices of labor leaders in our city who've asked us to not use outside counsel in those negotiations. There's a clear track record of this approach working extremely well. Mayor Wu in Boston, he gets called her labor whisperer, but Lou Mandarini in Boston has proven a really, really invaluable hire. and we're going in that same direction here. I can't tell you a name yet, but y'all approving this tonight will allow us to go bring in someone who I think you will all be very impressed by.

And basically money that would have been spent on much costlier outside counsel we're going to spend on bringing someone in. It's not a full-time position. We don't have that workload. But we anticipate it being, you know, we're shooting for in the neighborhood of an estimate of 40 hours a month. Could be as much as 19 hours a week. I think this is going to help us do amazing things and really pursue shared goals that we have as a government, as an administration, with our Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Thank you, Mr. President. Through you, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want to make sure that I kind of am understanding this. This is, we're bringing in someone to advise you on labor negotiations, your administration, but this is someone who is

In Boston, the mayor brought in someone who spent a career sitting on the other side of the table. That's what we're doing here. Again, I can't say a name, but it's a name you will know in Massachusetts labor circles. Someone who will have credibility, One of the main goals, if you come in and cause an affront to the other side, if you step in it, You're going to pay for that. You're going to pay for it either on the policy side, you're going to pay for it financially. Having everyone in alignment, working together on shared things, showing respect goes a long way in this game. And this is us doing that. There was a clear call. I heard it from one of our locals asking directly, please don't bring outside counsel to negotiations.

This is us listening to them. and this is us pursuing a strategy that I am convinced is going to bear fruit in ways that you all and I are really going to appreciate and in ways that are going to bring the city forward.

Well, Mr. President, I'm very supportive of this. I'm thankful. I think this is a real sign of goodwill and respect for our municipal unions. I hope this works as well as we all think it will.

Mr. President, can I add, this is a huge vote of confidence also, an expression of confidence in Matt Sirigu. Attorney Sirigu serves basically, we don't use the term Chief Labor Counsel anymore, but you know, Attorney Sirigu is out there doing all these negotiations, and this is an expression of how much we believe in Attorney Sirigu, that he's ready to take the lead on this without needing outside counsel. This position will be there at the bargaining table as well to make sure that we're going about things in a way that's mutually beneficial to management and to labor.

You're set, Councilor Ewen-Campen. Councilor McLaughlin.

Thank you, Mr. President. I'll throw you to the mayor. So to be clear, this is an internal position now. So for people who don't know, the reason why this might be a good idea is outside counsel gets paid by the hour. So that would not be the case in this situation, correct? Mr. President, this is an hourly.

It's a part-time position, so it is being paid hourly. We don't entirely gain that benefit of going full salary here, just because we don't believe that there's that demand at this point in a city our size. Boston, I think, I might get this wrong, I think has 35 units. We don't have nearly that number. Yeah, we believe this is the best approach here to really intelligently... Look to put things in the best possible position they can be on the labor front.

Well, I made a mistake there, but to be clear too, I have heard from organized labor as well that they'd prefer this approach because they feel outside counsel often intentionally drags things out.

Yeah, Mr. President, if anyone isn't convinced by me telling you how enthusiastic our labor unions are in the city about this, I'd encourage you to reach out to them and ask them and hear it directly from them. They're very excited about this.

If the labor union is excited, I think we should all be excited about it. Scott. Mr.

Chair, I am normally very dubious about mid-year positions. This is what we've been asking for for years, to bring more of these roles in house and to have a better relationship with our labor unions, so I appreciate it. Unless there's objection, I would move to approve tonight.

So is there much on the table?

Sorry, I don't know if I'm allowed to speak anymore now. There's a motion on the table. Probably not. I would just say I appreciate Councilor Scott's support with a long track record of being very dubious of mid-year position creations. Really appreciate this.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I mean, we appreciate you, you know, speaking on the motion, which you are not allowed, but it's... So, you know, see no objection. That item is approved. Next, are we supposed to, do we need a roll call?

Oh.

Let the record indicate that Councillor Clingan has joined the meeting. Welcome, Councillor.

Next agenda item is 7.7, a request of the mayor requesting approval of an extension to the temporary appointment of Kevin Klein as interim director of inspectional services.

Miss Mayer. I.G. Edgeett.

Thank you, Mr. President. For the record, Yasmin Radassi, Legislative Liaison with IGA. We didn't have any remarks prepared for this item. It's just an extension of the interim appointment of Kevin Kline as ISD Director. I'm hoping to have immediate consideration on this item.

Thank you. Scott. Thank you, Mr. President. As just mentioned, this is an extension of an interim posting that has been in place now Longer than I would have liked it to, but I can speak to Interim Director Klein's long history with the city, long been in ISD, started as a plumbing inspector there. He's been doing a great job along with Deputy Director Zaino keeping the lights on down there. So while I'm anxious for this hiring process to continue through and to have a permanent director appointed soon, I've moved to accept this this evening just so the wheels roll. Keep turning. There's a motion to end the table.

Seeing no objection, it's approved. Next item, Madam Clerk.

That brings us to agenda item 6A1, a report of the Committee on Finance, meeting on February 24, 2026. Councilor Wheeler.

Thank you, Chair. I move to sever item 6A-22, ID 26-0156 from the Finance Committee Report to be taken up separately.

So, Councilor Wheeler, I move to server 6.6.8.22.

6.8.22.

Seeing no objection, the item is severed.

Thank you. The Finance Committee met on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, via remote participation, with all five members present, and with the help of Clerk Madeleine Letellier and Legislative Liaison Yasmin Radassi. We took up a long 39-item agenda, which is too long to list in detail. I encourage everyone interested to consult the minutes and video transcript for each item. Very briefly, a few notes. We recommended approval for two distinct items for the Kennedy Schoolyard. A $1 million appropriation from the Community Preservation Committee, and a $2 million bond. The cost covers an expanded schoolyard that will have numerous elements of accessibility for the full student body of all the academic programs at the Kennedy, as well as extensive stormwater, parking lot, and surface permeability work that will count towards the City's overall burden of stormwater mitigation.

The intention is to solicit contractor bids for this project soon and to complete a first phase of this work during the summer recess this year. I'm excited. And regarding public safety, we considered a series of items that involve grants. After consultation with city staff and discussion on the committee, the committee was satisfied that these grants are in line with the city's values and the law. I realize there are serious concerns about some of these grants and their conditions, and several residents have reached out to me to learn more about that and share their views. I welcome anyone who wants to discuss this or who has any questions to reach out to me. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I am looking for the last thing that I'm supposed to say for this. I move for this committee report to be accepted in full.

Any question on the committee report? So that committee report is approved. And do we have any roll call votes? Oh, should we, you know, take on the several items or like, because these are two distinct Okay, so there are nine roll call votes, you know, for within the committee report. Okay. Do you want to go each one and then we can...

We can do that.

Yes. Yeah. Or should we just approve?

No, we have to take roll call votes on these items.

They say when in doubt, turn right. Okay, so we have to do a roll call vote for all the

Okay, so we have multiple items before the body for a roll call. First being 26-0084, requesting an appropriation authorization to borrow $2 million in a bond for financing a portion of of the Kennedy Schoolyard renovation project as recommended by the Community Preservation Committee. Councilor Ewen-Campen?

Yes.

Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott?

Yes.

Councilor Clingan?

Yes.

Councilor Strezo?

Yes.

Councilor Sait? Yes. Councilor Wheeler?

Yes.

Councilor Hardt? Yes. Councilor McLaughlin? Yes. Mbah?

Yes.

Councilor Davis with 11 councillors in favor that is approved. The next item in front of the body is 26-0160 requesting approval of a pedestrian access sidewalk easement and maintenance license at 16 to 20 Medford Street. Councilor Ewen-Campen? Yes. Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott?

Yes.

Councilor Clingan?

Yes.

Councilor Strezo? Yes. Councilor Sait?

Yes.

Councilor Wheeler?

Yes.

Councilor Hardt? Yes. Councilor McLaughlin? Yes. Mbah.

Yes.

Councilor Davis. With 10 councillors in favor, that is approved. The next item in front of us is 26-01. Oops, and now I just let me make sure I get my papers correct. Did that one. Yes, 26-0162 requesting authorization to borrow 1,530,000 in a bond. and to appropriate the same amount for the annual FY2026 sewer system evaluation and infiltration inflow assessment. Councilor Ewen-Campen? Yes. Councilor Link? Yes. Scott, Clingan, Strezo, Sait, Wheeler, Hardt, McLaughlin, Mbah, Davis, with 10 councillors in favour, that is approved.

And that brings us to agenda item 26-0172 requesting approval to appropriate $324,360 from the Ministerial Marijuana Stabilization Fund for the salary and fringe of four positions related to youth. in FY 2027. Councilor Ewen-Campen? Yes. Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott?

Yes.

Councilor Clingan?

Yes.

Strezo?

Yes.

Councilor Sait? Yes. Councilor Wheeler?

Yes.

Councilor Hardt? Yes. Councilor McLaughlin?

Yes.

Councilor Mbah?

Yes.

Davis, with 10 councillors in favor, that is approved. And then that puts in front of us five different items related to the energy stabilization fund for various amounts. We'll do them all at once unless there's any objection to me reading them all. Ewen-Campen?

Yes.

Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott? Yes. Councilor Clingan?

Yes.

Councilor Strezo? Yes. Councilor Sait? Yes. Councilor Wheeler?

Yes.

Councilor Hardt? Yes. McLaughlin? Yes. Councilor Mbah?

Yes.

Councilor Davis? With 10 councillors in favor, those items 6A30 through 6A34 on the agenda are approved. That is all of the roll call votes on the committee report.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. So on the server item.

Thank you, Chair. I wanted to bring this item back for consideration because Somerville Police Department and Somerville Fire Department staff have clarified the technical setup and access control for this data. The cameras in question here are not part of the FEMA, UASI, or PS networks. They use servers housed entirely within Somerville in the control of Somerville Police Department and Somerville Fire Department. with access provided only under a system of strict logging. Partners in other municipalities can request specific narrow data, and all such requests are recorded and considered through a deliberate process controlled entirely by the City of Somerville. All data is destroyed after 30 days unless there is a specific investigation that Somerville documents and assents to, while no system is perfectly immune to external threats. The staff has demonstrated that we have reasonable barriers in place to protect our data from unauthorized access.

For these reasons, I believe this grant is a reasonable way to maintain our fire facilities Safely, while fully protecting the privacy values of our residents.

Thank you, Mr. President. Through you, I want to thank Chair Wheeler for that. And I just, for folks who follow this conversation, every time the city wants to get any kind of surveillance, anything, even if it's just surveillance equipment, you know, cameras to look at fire trucks, make sure they don't get damaged. They have to come before this council and give us a report that explains exactly what the technology is, who has access to the data, et cetera, et cetera. all of those reports and including this there was a specific report for this technology and these are all publicly available our wonderful city council staff if you google Somerville surveillance technology reports you'll find a list of them and one of them is called Homeland Security cameras at the fire station and you will hear exactly what Chair Wheeler just said this is like a it was described to me as like a convenience store surveillance camera right it's not getting shared so I think there was confusion in the committee meeting but that's all been clarified and I just want to Link,

Yes, thank you Mr. President. So yeah, just to I guess reiterate, there was very clearly some I guess not just new information, but also some corrections of the information that we were given in the committee meeting that were, I think, very material.

Madam Clerk, can you just read the items so that members of the public can understand the details of what we are talking about?

The severed item in front of us, 26-0156, requesting approval to accept and expend a $48,000 grant with no new match required from UASI to the Fire Department for the replacement of security cameras at fire headquarters.

Scott.

Thank you very much. I really wanted to say thank you to the mayor staff and staff from the fire and police department that reached out. When I had a conversation with them, I am a trust but verify kind of person. Maybe that's, well. But I actually asked for a copy of the quote. I reviewed the quote in the RFP. This is a closed system, which means it is as secure from the feds as any camera footage can be. Obviously, it can be obtained through a subpoena. Yeah, I really appreciate clearing the record on that making it Something that I am comfortable accepting the money for. So I really appreciate this and I think this is a great opportunity. It's never too late to correct a mistake and I'm glad we're getting it right. So thank you sir.

Thank you, Councilor Scott. At this point, I would like to, you know, sponsor, you know, my friend, Crystal, who wants to speak on this item. Crystal, you have the floor. Oh, can I approve? Because if you approve...

My name is Crystal Huff. My pronouns are they, them, and I live in Ward 5. And I and several of our neighbors have been contacting you this week this month about our concerns about DHS about ice in our community and it sounds like you have already made your decision about accepting more integration of DHS and ICE in the city but I am asking you to reconsider I prepared things to say that aren't helpful now, but I'm a member of several mutual aid networks. I help

Almost every week, cleanup after ICE has kidnapped someone from Somerville or someone has self-deported. That happens more than once a week. And I am just asking you to decide that we don't want more integration with Department of Homeland Security, that we don't want more integration with ICE in Somerville. I'm asking you to decide that free money isn't free and we will take a stand to not. Move more along that path and we'll instead sever ourselves from that path, decide not to be co-opted by money, decide to refuse it. I don't know what else to say.

I'm so tired and our community is hurting and because We have made decisions that make our community less welcoming and less able to surface the voices who are the most vulnerable. you're not hearing from them as much anymore you're not hearing from us as much anymore it's called a nested barrier and I think that is what is happening here and I wish you would choose I really do. Thank you.

Thank you, Krista. So we're not... IGH?

Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to say I appreciate a lot of the anxiety that exists around this and just want to reassure everyone that the law department Fully vets and reviews terms and conditions for every grant that comes through the city and they ensure that we have there is alignment with the values of our city and with our local ordinances including the welcoming community ordinance so I just wanted to put that on the record Thank you.

Thank you. So with that, Councilor Ewen-Campen.

Thank you, Mr. President. I don't want to have a long conversation about this, and I regret that I wasn't able to connect in person with Crystal this week, and I very much look forward to doing that in the next couple days. I did, for folks who are paying attention to this, thank you. It makes perfect sense. There is a lot of detail in these documents that I think is easy to miss and I just want to point out in specific if folks look for example Item 6A2 on our agenda has to do with breathing apparatus, a $618,000 grant. Scroll to the very end of that grant. It's attached to the agenda. There's an Article 58, and it says, non-applicability of specific agreement articles. Notwithstanding their inclusion in this award package, the following agreement articles do not apply to this grant.

I just want folks to know that these have been very, very carefully vetted, and I don't want misinformation to spread. So these are... We know from that conversation that

Wiener.

Thank you, Chair. Very briefly, I just want to say how much I do truly appreciate the many members of our community who stand up for their values and who want to make sure that every decision we make is in line with the values of this city. Thank you. Thank you.

Move to approve, Mr. President.

Can you withdraw that motion? I wanted to speak on that item. Okay.

Ba.

Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to also just acknowledge all this conversation. It's very moving because I personally, I mean, know Christa and we worked together especially during the pandemic I got to know her up close we drove around the city stocking community fridges so when I see an email from someone I know up close you know it's it's very personal to me so this is something that you know it's nothing about I personally will not be voting for this just to honor my friend and the work she does in the community. Thank you. So that item is approved and we need a roll call vote.

President.

Councilor McLaughlin.

I will be voting for these items and I thank the city for upholding the welcoming city ordinance that many of us voted for. and was later approved by the cities of Cambridge and Medford. So I'm very happy that we're here upholding our values.

So I moved here three years ago.

We are deliberating on the item. I did not recognize.

That's because I'm a recent person here. I grew up in Kansas. I went through many meetings much like this one.

Excuse me, excuse me. We're about to vote on an item. You've not been recognized.

I hope you made the right decision.

Madam Clerk. Yeah, I mean, we need a roll call vote.

Just, Mr. President, I'm going to speak very quickly. Oh, Councilor. Yeah, really quick, really quick. Listen, I know this is scary where we are in this country right now and here in our city. Luckily, we are united to work together for a community and uphold our values. We take this job seriously, never for a second wouldn't consider it anything less. I know a lot of people are scared. I know. I know. We're going to get through this together as a community. and trust that process, okay? We are working together for the best of all of us and upholding our values with love and respect to all of us. Move to approve.

Thank you, Councilor Strezo. We need a roll call vote. Yes.

All right, and roll call for approval on the item in front of us, 26-0156. Councilor Ewen-Campen?

Yes.

Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott? Yes. Councilor Clingan.

Yes.

Councilor Strezo.

Yes.

Councilor Sait. Yes. Councilor Wheeler.

Yes.

Councilor Hardt. Yes. Councilor McLaughlin. Yes. Councilor Mbah.

No.

Councilor Davis. With nine councillors in favor, that is approved.

Thank you Madam Clerk. What's the next item?

that brings us to agenda item 7.1 a request of the mayor requesting ordainment of an amendment to section 8.1 of the zoning ordinance to provide for larger buildings additional dimensional flexibility and fewer use restrictions for affordable housing projects

Ewen Campen.

Thank you, Mr. President. You may be wondering why I'm asking to speak on an item from the Mayor's Office, so let me explain. I want to start by offering a huge thank you to the Planning Department, to the Mayor's Office, for the collaborative effort on this. In 2020, this council passed the affordable housing overlay. That is a zoning tool that makes it easier to build affordable housing. Something we're all very proud of, rightfully so. We're starting to see the fruits of that effort. There's a groundbreaking right now on Webster Street and there are a few other projects in the hopper that are taking advantage of that. The item tonight is the first significant set of amendments to improve and expand the overlay district, and so I just wanted to explain why. So last year, Councilor McLaughlin was chair of land use. He brought into the committee a resident named Gavin Robb. who gave us a presentation about a new building construction technology called mass timber and some building code

Elements that support it and he made a recommendation to the committee that one way that we can take advantage of this new cost-effective and kind of interesting construction technology is to amend the affordable housing overlay to allow up to eight stories. McLaughlin and I reached out to the planning department to prepare that really simple amendment. and what we learned was that the planning department had been working internally on a few other improvements based on feedback that they had heard from affordable housing developers and so what's before us is that combined amendment so I just wanted to take a moment tonight to invite Gavin Robb to introduce this concept to the council give us some very brief remarks and then I'd ask that it be referred to land use with a copy to the planning board and I believe he's joining us remotely

So it's, I don't, Madam Clerk, do you recognize? I don't see anybody online. I am here. I don't know if anyone can hear me. So Governor Ross, you have the floor.

Great. Thanks, Ben. Everyone, I'll be very brief. I just want to say thanks for the opportunity to say a few words on the most pressing intersectional and existential issues facing Somerville today. As we all know, we're deep in a housing crisis and we desperately need more affordable housing. At the same time, we should be building durable, high quality, beautiful, sustainable housing, not just for the next five years, but for the next 100 years. And this amendment gets us closer. Among other things, as Councilor Ewen-Campen mentioned, this amendment provides an additional density bonus for the housing overlay to go from seven stories to eight stories, and this specifically incentivizes Mass Timber, which I could go on and on and about, but just to keep it brief, is a durable, sustainable, and beautiful construction technology, which is new and old. and it represents how we should build our cities for the long term.

So this is one more step towards a future of sustainable, dense, transit-oriented, high-quality housing and to building the city that we deserve. And I'm very excited to have played a small part in it.

Ewen-Campen. Through you. Thank you again to Gavin Robb for spending your time to help us improve our affordable housing overlay. Thank you, Mr. President. I ask that this be referred to land use.

This item is referred to land use. with a copy to the planning board. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Okay, that brings us back to our regular meeting.

No, no, one second. Cat, I'm about to take your item. So, Madam Clerk, can you just take up 8.1 and 8.2? Sure.

that brings us to 8.1 an officer's communication from the director of infrastructure and asset management conveying the strategic asset management plan report and 8.2 an officer's communication from The Director of Public Safety and Urban Forestry conveying information regarding the Kennedy School inclusive schoolyard renovation.

So those items are approved with a place on file with a copy to the Somerville building. School Building Facilities and Maintenance. Thank you. So next item, Madam Clerk.

Okay, and that brings us to the regular agenda. Item 4.1, a resolution by Councilor Mbah, Councilor McLaughlin, Councilor Strezo, and Councilor Hardt in support of Senate Bill 237, an act regulating self-checkouts in grocery establishments.

Councilor McLaughlin.

Thank you Mr. President and thank you for including me on this. This is an issue close to my heart and my stomach. I go to the Stop and Shop all the time and For years I've been frustrated by this. You go there and there's a self-checkout. First of all, you go there and I have to ask for help every single time to get my fruits and vegetables to plug in the PLU code. Someone has to come and physically help me while he's helping three other people. I'd much rather wait in a line, but there's only two lines open and aisles, long aisles of just nobody there to help customers. Not only does it affect customers, but it affects workers who are being phased out and automated when it would just be much easier for both the customer and the employee for someone to physically be there to help us. This item was introduced by Senator Paul Feeney, a great union leader in the community.

It would limit grocery stores to be restricted to a maximum of eight self-service checkout stations. They would have staffing ratios for these stations. There would be monitoring requirements and there would be just accountability to make sure that not only are customers being satisfied but employees are not being overwhelmed. So I would like to approve this item and I thank you for including me.

Thank you. Any, uh, Councilor Clingan would like to sign on? Councilor Ewen-Campen would like to sign on as well? Sait. It seems like the whole council would like to sign on. Okay.

We're all tired of waiting in line.

Everybody's tired of waiting in line. That is for sure true.

Next item is agenda item 4.2, a communication by Councilor Inbaugh conveying a report of the Job Creation and Retention Trust Fund.

Barr. Thank you, Mr. President. So the committee met on February 19 and staff reported an uncommitted balance of approximately $202.5 million with an anticipated $500,000. Linkage Payment expected to bring in a total near $3 million while noting limited additional revenue projections in the near term. Updates also highlighted ongoing and forthcoming workforce initiatives delivered through partners including MassHire, MetroNot, WorkforceBot, Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences. Again, it's well detailed in the report online, so I ask that this committee report be accepted and submitted. The communication be accepted and submitted.

Any discussion on the item? Seeing none, the item is placed on file.

This brings us to agenda item 4.3, a resolution by Councillor Link that the Director of Public Works and the Director of Mobility update this council regarding plans to keep bike lanes, protected bike lanes, and other separated micro-mobility facilities clear and passable on major throughways. Lincke.

That was a mouthful, sorry, clerk. So, Mr. President, I'm a parent, as many of you are, and getting around to the Kennedy School during the vacation week this week was very challenging. I saw a lot of other parents. also struggling both on mostly in the bike lanes. The sidewalks have gotten reasonable at that point. but yeah I've also seen photos and discussion online and I've had some some other parents reach out to me so I just want to know I guess I think as a city we need to know like kind of what we're able to expect and then you know as a city we can decide if we want to be able to do do more that's of course also acknowledging the tremendous challenges that February has brought us and I'd like for this to be sent to traffic and parking.

So we approve this item with a copy to traffic and parking.

Next agenda item 4.4, resolution by Councilor Link that the administration report to this council regarding whether the city maintains or can establish a process to identify vendors that materially support United States immigration and customs enforcement as detailed within.

Link.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. So I would just like for us to kind of make sure we know who we're doing business with and evaluate what course we want to plot out when we have that information. To make sure that we're kind of answering the moment. I'm not sure what committee would be most appropriate for this one.

So do you wanna just approve it? And then the administration will know what to do next. IGH.

Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to recommend to connect offline about this, if possible, if that's agreeable to everyone. But just wanted to put that out there.

It is as a maker of this resolution, Councilor Link. I'm happy to do that, yes. Yes, thank you. Thank you. So approved. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Agenda item 4.5, a resolution by Councilor Link that this City Council reaffirms and recognizes the importance of the arts in Somerville and the role of the Arts Council in supporting artists, cultural organizations, and community arts programming.

Councilor Link? Thank you, almost done here. So a lot of residents reached out to me and I'm sure to all of my colleagues here about the recent changes in the Somerville Arts Council. Of course, our mayor has recently clarified what his vision is and that he plans to put new energy into the arts, which I'm very thankful for, and which is the opposite of what a lot of people were worried about. So I just wanted this resolution in here to kind of make it clear to the arts community that this council and this body is also going to continue supporting the arts.

Arruda. You have the chair. Thank you. I appreciate this item. I think this item and the recent communications from the mayor about the vision for the future of the arts in Somerville, a reminder that even when matters are tricky, we can always take the opportunity to articulate our intentions Our vision and our priorities, especially so people are not left in a state of uncertainty. It's a reminder for all of us, including me.

Thank you.

Agenda item 4.6, a resolution by Councillor Link in support of Senate Bill 1010 and House Bill 1576, an act relative to creating a permanent affordability home ownership program.

Councillor Link. Thank you, Mr. President. This is my last one here. So I just want to really quickly let everyone know what this bill does. So it establishes a statewide program and a new subsidy source that's dedicated to construction of permanently affordable housing It expands housing options for low and moderate income earners. It supports small and mid-sized projects, which would be 1 to 25 units. Aids in the development of mixed use projects and also adds some missing tools to the state's housing program by providing subsidies. So it's a really great bill and I'm really, really hopeful that it will pass so that we can continue to add affordable housing stock to our city.

I think I would like to sign on. Councilor Clingan too, Councilor Sait, Councilor Wheeler. Okay, doesn't the whole council like to sign on? Councilor Ewen-Campen, do you want to say something? Oh, okay. So the whole council likes to sign on. Thank you, Councilor Link. Next item, Alan Cook.

That brings us to agenda item 6B1, a report of the Committee on Legislative Matters meeting on February 17th, 2026.

Scott. Thank you, Mr. President. We met for a brisk 30 minutes and I will make sure that this report is exactly that long. We covered some of the surveillance technology impact reports that have been submitted previously. Councilor Davis and other councillors had concerns about the way they were drafted. and wanted more elaboration on what happens with this data. As was mentioned earlier, this is part of our surveillance oversight structure that this council has built and invested a lot of time in and I want to thank the Administration for investing that time because now anybody can look and see not only who can access the data from these various systems, but in our annual report that we receive can see how many times that data was requested and provided.

and to whom so it's actually a really really interesting read sometimes a depressing one at the end of the year but illuminating in any case so Having approved those, they were for a ball camera, a thermal imaging device, and an underdoor camera. and all of those are available to the public to review. We also handled a few charter alignment issues which were just straightforward changes to the code of ordinances and one to the city council's rules. simply to make our laws compatible with the charter that was adopted by the voters back in November. With that, I request the report be accepted and submitted.

Seeing no objection, that committee report is approved. I believe there are four roll call vote, Madam Clerk.

Yes, you are correct. The first item in front of us is agenda item 26-0042, City Clerk requesting acceptance of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 41, Section 91, relating to the appointment and removal of constables. Councilor Ewen-Campen.

Yes.

Councilor Link?

Yes.

Councilor Scott?

Yes.

Councilor Clingan?

Yes.

Councilor Strezo? Sait, yes, Councilor Wheeler, yes, Councilor Hardt, yes, Councilor McLaughlin, yes, Councilor Mbah, yes, Councilor Davis, with nine Councilors in favor, that is approved. and that brings us to the enrollment in ordainment of agenda item 26-0043 the city clerk submitting an amendment to section 1020 of the code of ordinances to align the constable appointment process for the provisions of the revised city charter and on enrollment Councillor Ewen-Campen Scott?

Yes.

Councilor Clingan? Yes.

Thank you, Miss Councilor.

Wait, did I not say your name out loud? Sorry.

I was ready for it.

Sorry. Councilor Ewen-Campen?

Yes.

Link, Councilor Scott, Councilor Clingan, Councilor Strezo, Councilor Sait, Councilor Wheeler, Councilor Hardt, Councilor McLaughlin, Councilor Mbah, Councilor Davis, with 10, Councilors Excuse me, nine counselors in favor that is enrolled and on ordainment, Councilor Ewen-Campen. Yes. Councilor Link.

Yes.

Councilor Scott.

Yes.

Councilor Clingan.

Yes.

Councilor Strezo. Councilor Sait. Yes. Councilor Wheeler.

Yes.

Councilor Hardt. Yes. Councilor McLaughlin. Yes. Councilor Mbah. Yes. Councilor Davis. With nine councillors in favor, that is ordained. And that brings us to the second... Enrollment and Ordainment, Agenda Item 26-0044, City Clerk submitting an amendment to Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 1 of the Code of Ordinances to add a review of multiple member bodies pursuant to the requirements of the City Charter. on enrollment. Councilor Ewen-Campen. Yes. Councilor Link.

Yes.

Councilor Scott.

Yes.

Councilor Clingan. Yes. Councilor Strezo. Sait, yes, Councilor Wheeler, yes, Councilor Hardt, yes, Councilor McLaughlin, yes, Councilor Mbah, yes, Councilor Davis, with nine Councilors in favor, that is enrolled and on ordainment. Councilor Ewen-Campen, yes. Link, Yes, Councilor Scott, Yes, Councilor Clingan, Yes, Councilor Strezo, Councilor Sait, Yes, Councilor Wheeler, Yes, Councilor Hardt, Yes, Councilor McLaughlin, Yes, Mbah. Yes. Councilor Davis. With nine councillors in favor, that is ordained, and that brings us to the last roll call. Hopefully of the Evening, Agenda Item 26-0127, City Clerk submitting an amendment to the rules of the City Council to align with the provisions of the City Charter. Councilor Ewen-Campen. Yes.

Link, yes, Councilor Scott, yes, Councilor Clingan, yes, Councilor Strezo, Councilor Sait, yes, Councilor Wheeler, yes, Councilor Hardt, yes, Councilor McLaughlin, yes, Councilor Mbah, yes. Davis. With nine councillors in favor, that is approved.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. What's the next item?

That brings us to the next agenda, item 6C1, a report of the Committee on Licensing Permits, meeting on February 25th, 2026. Thank you.

Yes, the licenses and permits committee met yesterday evening with all members present. We, as you can see, are recommended to be approved the new used car dealer class 2 license. and then we considered three grant of locations. Two were kept in committee and one we recommended to be discharged with no recommendation. And I move that the report be accepted as submitted.

So, Councilor Hurd, you know, moved to, you know, that this report be accepted as submitted. Councilor Scott?

Thank you. On the motion, Mr. President. I just wanted to extend my thanks to Councilor Hardt. The entire agenda of license and permits was Ward 2 stuff, so thanks. Happy to welcome a new business into the neighborhood. Different grants of location that went into this committee, one of which is coming back out. I believe the one that's coming back out was because the public hearing didn't properly happen before the city council, so it will be on our next agenda to have a regular city council public hearing. and unless I've got more information it will go right back to committee and sit there. These are requests in one case for a grant of location on Ivaloo Street where I'm waiting for Guidance from the administration on how to properly condition it to ensure that Eversource takes care of some of its maintenance obligations on the street before they are allowed to dig a new trench in it.

and then on the two properties one on Oak and one on Prospect Street as I mentioned last time these are applications for service to new parcels or to There are none. And there have been no building plans filed with the city to produce them. So any such project is many months away. I've never seen one of these requested for a project that is prospective in the future. And given what everybody down on Oak Street and Prospect Street have been going through over the last couple years, I think we can say hold your horses until we at least get a building permit filed. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Councilor Scott. There's no further discussion. The committee report is approved. And so there's one item that we're going to lay on the table. Can you just? Read that for the record?

Yep, that's agenda item 26-0185, Eversource applying for a grant of location to install a total of 75 feet of conduit in Prospect Street from utility pole 291 over 12 to a point of pickup at 91 Prospect Street.

So that will be laid on the table. Next item, Madam Clerk.

That brings us to agenda item 7.2, a request of the mayor requesting approval to appropriate $56,339.46 from the Bike Share Stabilization Fund for installation and startup costs of a blue bike station at the Boynton Union Connect. Transportation Management Association Development Site.

Finance.

I move that this be sent to committee.

So, Councilor Wheeler, do you move to also waive The ratings of 7.2 through 7.6 to finance.

Thank you. I move to waive the readings of 7.4, 7.5, And I think that is the only finance related ones. Wave those and have those sent to committee. There's a separate request I'd like to make for 7.6. Okay.

Did you get that? So those items will be sent to finance on 7.6. Thank you, Chair. On 7.6, I'm sorry, shall I wait for this to be read? Can you read 7.6, please? Thank you, Clerk.

And that brings us to agenda item 7.6, a request of the mayor requesting approval to pay prior year invoices totaling $565,000. $1.50 using available funds in the Police Department Professional and Technical Services account for case management services and biohazard cleaning.

Wheeler. Thank you, Chair. Due to the relatively small size of this item, I move for immediate consideration of this before this council now. Any? I move for approval of this item. Okay. Thank you, Councilor.

Any objection? That item is approved. Next item

That brings us to agenda item 9.1, a new secondhand dealer license, Nostalgia, 322 Somerville Avenue, selling used clothes, footwear, and accessories.

What about 7.7, I see?

We took that up earlier.

Okay, I see, yeah. Okay, so which one? 9.1?

We are at agenda item 9.1.

Oh, that's what I heard.

That's... I would like it sent to the Licenses and Permits Committee. Is that...

You can also approve it, but I think... Let me see. Okay, so the clerk, Madam Clerk, said that this one doesn't require public hearing, so it should be, you know, it's not like a new...

So we can approve it right now? Okay. I take back my...

Motion.

Motion and I move to approve.

Okay, so the item is approved. Next item.

I'm sorry, Chair, I have a small comment on that item before we move on. I just want to recognize that the property owners, in this case, invested a lot in renovating this building and did a great job. and I am really excited to see this investment in our community and the creation of the type of shops that invite shoppers to visit multiple spots as a destination. Union Square gets better and better every month. Thank you.

The item is approved. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Agenda item 9.2 a public event from Bill Rogers Jingle Bell 5k Run Walk applying for a public event license for the Race of Ireland 5k Run Walk 2026 on March 15th from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jingle Bell

Everybody loves Jingle Bell Run. The item is approved. Next item.

Agenda item 9.3, a public event from Union Square Main Streets applying for a public event license for Union Square Farmers Market 2026, Saturdays from May 9th to October 31st from 6.30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Farmers Market. Who doesn't like Farmers Market? The item is approved.

I'm sorry, Chair. I do have one brief comment. I promise I'll be brief on the subject of Union Square. I just want to speak to the power that our farmers markets provide for neighborhood connections. Former Mayor Curtatone said that there was a bump factor you can bump into a neighbor and create or renew a connection additionally I just want to highlight that our farmers markets all four of them across the city do fundraising so that there's a citywide snap match program and if people don't know you can get your SNAP benefits matched at our farmers markets it's really incredible a lot of work goes into that it's a tremendous thing for the city thank you very much

Thank you, Councillor Wheeler. That's useful information. Councillor McLaughlin.

I just wanted to add, Mr. President, you said farmer's market like a real Bostonian.

Thank you. Link. Sorry, thank you, Mr. President. Just to add on to what Councilor Wheeler said, so not only can people get Thank you for watching! increase it so you know if you're if you're feeling like you want to support your neighbors and give them healthy food you can you can give some more money and they can make that snap dollar go a little further nice

No, they say innovation depends on the quality of the conversation. The more we talk about this, it's like almost like we're peeling the onions and getting more substantive, you know, addition to the item. So that item is approved. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Agenda item 9.4, public communication from 26 registered voters requesting a zoning text amendment to amend the zoning ordinance sections 3A 318C, 319C, 310C, 3113K, 3113L, 3212L, and 3212M.

So that item should be sent to land use with a copy to planning board. Next item.

Next item is agenda item 9.5, a public communication from Elise Best, submitting comments regarding agenda item 26-0114, fiscal year 2027, budget priorities.

Seeing no comment, the item is placed on file. Next item.

Agenda item 9.6, a public communication from Ida Kao, submitting comments about the Arts Council.

Place on file. Next item.

And that brings us to agenda item 10.1, a public communication from Shannon Noel Curtis, submitting comments about snow.

Seeing no discussion, the item is placed on file. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Agenda item 10.2, a public communication from the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee, submitting comments about the 2025 annual report.

Scott. Thank you Mr. President. On the item, I just want to lift this one up. It can be easy to miss some of these, but this is The annual report is appended to it. It is 18 pages of really thoughtful discussion. This has been probably the best year ever for PTAC and that's saying something because this committee has been doing great work. So I just wanted to congratulate them on this and encourage folks who are concerned about street safety and concerned about pedestrians and transit to give it a look and see what hard work your neighbors are doing and encourage you to apply to serve on that commission as well because the more the merrier. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Councilor Scott. Any other comments? I also would like to say I used to have the privilege to be an The council liaison to PTAC and yeah, it's quite an impressive group of folks that really care about street safety. So that item is placed on file. Next item, Madam Clerk.

Brings us to the final agenda item, 10.3, Public Communication from Michael Steele. So many comments on the Arts Council.

Seeing no discussion, the item is placed on file. Any other items, Madam Clerk?

There are no other items before the body.

Wow. This is like, we hit the record. Councilor had most to adjoin. So, on adjoinment, Madam Clerk? Oh. So we are joined. Wow!