Watertown City Council (Tuesday January 13, 2026)

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

This is a meeting on the City Council of January 13th. This meeting is a hybrid meeting and remote access information as well as an email and telephone numbers are available on the city website. I want to welcome everybody to our new term. This is the beginning of a new term. Welcome Councilor Offei, our newest member, and the rest of the City Council. I'm looking forward to getting the business of the city done for the next two years. So here we go. Roll call, please.

Councilor Bays.

Present.

Councilor Feltner.

Present.

Councilor Gannon. Present. Councilor Gardner.

Present.

Izzo.

Present.

Councilor Offei.

Present.

Councilor Palomba. Present. Councilor Piccirilli. Present. President Sideris.

Thank you. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. The first item on the agenda is every two years we reorganize the City Council, so the first thing we do is select a City Council Vice President. So at this point, I will be opening up nominations for Council Vice President. Are there any nominations for Vice President?

I'd like to nominate Councilor Piccirilli for Vice President.

Any other nominations for vice president? Can I get a second to that nomination? Second. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The eyes have it. Congratulations, Vice President.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you to my colleagues for the honor of being voted again as Council Vice President.

Okay, the next item is we need to choose new seats. And in preparing for this meeting, I completely neglected to do this part of it. We will start with the most senior member of this council, and I believe that would be Councilor Feltner. No, Councilor Palomba. Councilor Palomba, I'm sorry, Councilor Palomba. You get first choice. You pick a number for your seat. and then take your name tag. Who's next? Lisa. And then Caroline and John. No, Emily. Now it's Feltner.

Actually, that's where Caroline is. Bayes. You don't get a choice.

That's great.

Bayes, and Emily.

Whatever.

Well, let's see.

I'm sitting.

Thank you.

What was that?

Well, great.

That worked out, yeah.

Oh, perfect.

Yeah, I'm here.

You've never sat on that side.

Okay, now it takes me three meetings to get used to where everybody's sitting again, so be patient. Public forum, any member of the public wishes to be heard, either here or at home, please raise your hand. Did you want to speak? Seeing none, I close the public forum and move on to the next item of business, which is the examination of minutes. Can I get a motion on the minutes of November 25th?

Mr. President, I'll make a motion we adopt the minutes of November 25th as written.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. Can I get a motion on the City Council meeting minutes of December 9th?

Mr. President, I'll make a motion. We adopt the meeting minutes of December 9th as written.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is President's Report. We have three items. The first is a request from Watertown Housing Authority to send a letter in support of the Willow Park project. As you're all well aware, we all got an email that they were invited to submit their full application to the executive office of Housing and Livable Communities. And we have supported funding for this project through the CPC recommendation. so we have a letter in front of us and I'm asking for authorization from the City Council to be allowed to send this letter on behalf of the City Council supporting Watertown Housing Authorities and POA's proposed Willow Park redevelopment.

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. I want to take up item 10b along with 6b because they both relate to the same thing. I need a motion to move up item 10b out of order.

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. So we're at a point where we need to decide if we're going to negotiate a successor agreement with the city manager. And successor agreement is basically the wording from the contract that the manager has because I've had questions about why is it called a successor agreement. So what we've done in the past is we do have to, there are some contractual obligations that we have to start this process and notify him of our intent to negotiate. So I'm asking for permission from the city council but I'll wait till the manager speaks to authorize me to begin the negotiations with the city manager on a new agreement to retain his services. Now I'll turn to the city manager as well.

Thank you, Mr. President. As item 10b notes, I submitted a letter to you that is in your packet requesting to start the process of negotiating a successor contract agreement. Well, it seems like I haven't been here that long. I feel like I should have very recently. I do truly appreciate that the Council signed a four-year contract with me, giving me The start date of that contract was August 15, 2022, which means the end date of that contract is August 14, 2026. and as the contract notes in Section 2A, six months prior to the end of the date of the agreement, which is February 14th of 2026, that by that date each party is supposed to notify the other if they have a desire to commence negotiations for a successor agreement. So my notification is the notification to the council that I'm seeking to do that.

the contract essentially states that we should endeavor to reach agreement on a successor contract by May 14th, 2026. So that's three months before it expires so that we don't have a a gap in service and the opportunity for a continuity. As I think I've said multiple times and I will just note again, I very much enjoy this job working here. This has been a great an interesting challenge for me. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to, should the council see fit, to have the president enter into conversations with me about doing an extension on this contract so that I can continue to be here, work with you and provide the services of city manager and do all the work we do to try to collaborate and make Watertown better. So thank you, Mr. President. I'm happy to have this letter in to you and look forward to the response from the council. Thank you.

Thank you and I'm very much in support of recommending that we enter into a successor agreement with the manager because I think it's a benefit to all of us. So I'll be looking for a motion to authorize me to begin negotiating with the city manager and bring something back to the city council for consideration.

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. The next item I have is committee assignments. I want to begin by saying last term we didn't change one committee. and it seems to have worked well, but I'm looking this time, I made some changes, some major, some minor, looking to bring different opinions, different voices, different perspectives on the work that we do as we move forward. I understand some of you may not be happy with what you ended up with, We will have opportunities for everybody. We're trying to do what's best for the community. We're trying to move the business of the community forward. I'm also looking to establish a few other potentially ad hoc committees that we will have other participation available in.

and I appreciate everybody's willingness to continue the work of the city council. I'm going to make one request that in order to continue moving the business of the city along, I'm requesting that committee chairs, when they go and schedule the meeting, if you can only get two people, please hold the meeting. because it's important. Some of this business needs to get done. And rather than languish and say it didn't get done, I would respectfully request that we try to do our best. But again, I'm author, I'm, I'm suggesting that we would go forward with just two members out of the three. I'm also, in conjunction to that, I will be bringing forward for the first time, council goals that we will be voting on. And one of the goals will be to schedule subcommittee hearings and take the matter up as soon as possible. So, Brendan, if you could give me the sheets

Please, and we can pass one out to everybody. I feel that these committees can work together. I feel that these committees can work well with the business that each committee will be taxed with. I've looked at some of what we'll be looking at in the next couple of years considering that as part of the Bays, as part of what I did here. So the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight will be Councilor Piccirilli, Councilor Izzo, and Councilor Bays. The Committee on Rules will be Councilor Gardner, Councilor Feltner, and Councilor Gannon. The Committee on Climate and Energy will be Councilor Palomba, Councilor Bayes, and Councilor Offei. Economic Development and Planning will be Councilor Gannon, Councilor Piccirilli, and Councilor Feltner. Education and School System Matters will be Councilor Izzo, Councilor Gannon, and Councilor Offei.

Human Services will be Councilor Palomba, Councilor Bayes, Councilor Izzo. Parks and Recreation will be Councilor Offei, Councilor Palomba, and Councilor Gardner. Personnel and city organization will be Councilor Bayes, Councilor Gardner, and Councilor Gannon. Public Safety will be Councilor Gardner, Councilor Piccirilli, and Councilor Izzo. Public Works will be Councilor Piccirilli, Councilor Palomba, and Councilor Feltner. And State and Federal Regional Government will be Councilor Feltner, Councilor Offei, and Councilor Gannon. Thank you very much for your consideration. The next item, I did have five items, not three. I changed my mind. I request to refer all outstanding items and you all got this as part of your packet. And going through these, there are several items that are already done and taken care of, so what my request

tonight is that each committee chair look at this, put that on your next agenda to see if you want to continue with that and bring back to the council your recommendation. So instead of voting on it this evening, I'm asking each chair to go through the list, check and make sure whether it's done or not. And if it's ongoing, that's fine. If you want to consider it done, please make that recommendation to the city council. and then the next item I have is adoption of the current rules of the city council, which is what we do every two years as the temporary rules of the city council and refer to the Committee on Rules and Ordinances a review of the Council rules to see if there are any changes that needed to be made. So I would like to get a motion to adopt the current Council rules and then refer Council rules to the Committee on Rules and Ordinances for discussion.

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is public hearings. And 7A is a public hearing and vote on a petition from Comcast for a grant of location in Arlington Street, to install fiber utility duct and manholes along the east side of the right-of-way consisting of two and or four inch diameter concrete-encased PVC conduits underground approximately 200 feet north from Clarendon Street to Berkeley Street. We're going to take these up one at a time. So this is a public hearing and I would like Comcast to come up and Give us a little information.

Hello, my name is Robert Allen Rugman. I'm from Hanover, Massachusetts. I'm a utility coordinator for Comcast. I'm here to help answer some of the questions that you might have. I believe you've all gotten a set of the plans with the specifications of the structures that will be utilized. We're setting up a head end over on 25 Clarendon Street. We need approximately eight conduits to come out and then go down Clarendon Street and riser up on Polls on Arlington, polls number 7, 8, 9, and 10. There will be one manhole on each run. There will be two runs coming out of the building of four conduits. And we'll have one manhole.

on the north side for our conduits for pulling relief locations, and another one at the intersection of Clarendon and Arlington Street. and that's the scope of the project.

And my apologies because this is one project so it should be Clarendon Street and Arlington Street. So this is a public hearing. If there's any member of the public here or at home that wishes to be heard, please raise your hand. Gail, you are allowed to speak. You please identify yourself for the record. Gail, please unmute yourself.

Hello? Can you hear me?

Yes, we can. Please identify yourself.

Okay, hi. Yes, I'm Gail Boyd. I'm here with my husband, Eric. We own 81 Arlington Street, which is the corner house on the corner of Arlington and Clarendon Street. and our questions pertain to the scope of this work. As we saw in the mailing that we received, this is quite a project. and our concern is this enclave of houses here. We don't have a lot of frontage on these houses. They're basically right on the street. and we're concerned about damage to our foundation and the reason for that is that we had some work done you know previously and there was a lot of jackhammering and even when they tried to secure the pole right outside our house, it actually cracked the foundation. So in the mailing, it doesn't say where this is going to begin. Flush to the sidewalk?

Does it begin right at the sidewalk and go out into the street four feet? what type of equipment is going to be used to dig this up. It's 200 feet down is what our understanding. and these houses, they're all over 100 years old and it's a real concern for us here. We're also concerned about the rodent problem. I know that there will be steps to mitigate that. you know, we actually paid Waltham Chemical to mitigate that here. So we're hoping that we can get a little more information on exactly how this is going to be done and when it's going to be done and how long it's expected to take. Will we have access to the street? Can we get out of our driveways? There's some businesses on Clarendon Street. how are we going to work around all of that?

None of that was really addressed specifically in the letter. So those are the questions that we have. So we're hoping we can get some answers on those.

Okay, thank you. If you don't mind, can you provide some information?

Yes, so it will depend exactly where the location of the conduits will be. It will depend on existing utilities. We have to avoid them. So we'll be going down on the left side with four conduits, a conduit bank, and on the right side there will be a traffic management plan that will be in place that will be decided as we pull the permits. that will give you a better idea of how we were going to take care of the traffic. We will make sure that everybody can get in and out of their driveways. they ordinarily will have steel plates there that they can utilize whenever there is a need for them. I believe ordinarily we would do the construction in a phase that everything is backfilled and completed day by day. And then we move on to the next section.

as far as what, it'd be probably about a two foot wide trench and it'll be, top of the conduits will be about two feet down, so we're not going that deep. I would say the maximum depth will be three feet. and doing the pavement is ordinarily they will saw cut it first and then pop it up with the backhoe as they go down the street. and the other question she had was how long it was going to take.

Please come to the microphone if he's not going to answer it.

Jim Page, I'm a network engineer at Comcast. So yeah, roughly 10 to 15 days, depending on the conditions of what's underground at that point. You know, oftentimes, when we're digging, we find an undocumented utility and then we have to work around it. So that has to be taken into account as well.

Okay. Are there any other questions from the public? Seeing none, I close the public hearing and ask for a motion from the City Council.

Mr. President, I make a motion that we adopt the petition from CONCACAF cast for the grant of location on Arlington Street and Clarendon Street for the underground conduits and new manholes.

Is there a second? Second. Discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. Next item is a public hearing and vote on a proposed loan order that the sum of $1,156,000 is appropriated to pay costs of envelope and mechanical energy system upgrades to the Parker building, including all costs incidental and related to do. And there is a list of items here. And I'm going to ask the city manager to

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. So as you know, we're doing a lot of renovation work at the Parker Building. Underway is the second floor space for the community development and planning team. number of upgrades to the building as a whole. We're putting the fire suppression sprinkler system in the building at the same time. If you go in there now or have been there recently, you'll see the lobbies have their ceilings opened up and there's a lot of work that we're trying to button up while we do that. Meanwhile, if you look at the capital improvement plan, there was a recommendation on retro commissioning and energy upgrades that were scheduled into fiscal year 26 and 27 through Capital Improvement Plan items 17 and 18, consistent with conceptual recommendation number 10. And what we realized is that and forwarding some of the 27 stuff, pulling this together and getting this done while the building is open up makes a lot of sense. And for $1,156,000, we can do a number of things here

and working within this list and items that can provide comfort, energy efficiency and sustainability while contractors are in the building and maximizing cost effectiveness. One of the things I noted in here, when I did the first reading was that the roof deck attic insulation in particular at $90,000 has become an imperative item because as we went to put the fire suppression system in the roof on the third floor, just above the top floor of the building, there is no insulation in that space and we need to do the energy upgrade anyway but before you charge a fire suppression system and have water sitting in pipes you can't have them sitting in pipes in a space where there's No insulation and it potentially can freeze because it's so close to the area of the outside air. So it just became more and more logical to just be up there and do these things as we're finishing up the other work.

and, of course, Denise Moroney and Mr. Chris Nixon from the Public Buildings team can answer any questions about this, but that's the essence of the report that's before you tonight. Denise, you may have more to add, but that's the basics of it.

Do you have anything to add? Sure, so Denise Moroney, Director of Public Buildings. Like George said, the City Manager said, we are looking for this additional funding so that we can take advantage of the fact that the building is open right now. we will save funds by doing it while the building is open and many of the RTUs we have experienced a lot of and some repairs that needed to be done. And we also want to do the air source heat pumps so that we're being more energy efficient and following our climate action goals. So we would fully really appreciate support for this additional funding.

Thank you. This is also a public hearing, so I ask if there's any member of the public here at home that wishes to be heard on this. proposed loan order. Please raise your hand. Seeing none, I close the public hearing and ask for a motion from the City Council.

Mr. President, I make a motion that we approve the loan order for the $1,156,000 for the Parker Building.

Is there a second? Second. Discussion? I just want to say that I'm appreciative that we're taking advantage of, while the building's already being worked on, that we just get it done. and we won't have to come back for a while. So thank you and Chris and your teams for considering this and the city manager for bringing it forward. Can I get a roll call please?

Gannon, Gardner, Izzo, Offei, Palomba, President Sideris.

Yes, thank you. Thank you. 7C is a public hearing and vote on our proposed loan order that the sum of $95,000 is appropriated to pay costs of the security system enhancement including the installation of a standby generator and associated equipment at the Phillips School. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. So item number 238 in the capital improvement plan and conceptual recommendation number 24 identify security system improvements, enhancements up to $95,000 as an annual borrowing item. In this particular case, that is specific to the Phillips building that has the school administration offices in it in order to ensure that the school department as a whole can have security systems that are working well. Here, we're asking to spend these funds this year on an emergency backup generator which will support the school's network server, safeguard critical systems, and ensure continuity of services during outages. I don't want a circumstance where an outage at the Phillips causes us to be unable to operate at any of our other school buildings so this addresses that particular issue and therefore that's why this item is in front of you this evening. Thank you Mr. President.

So the other additional thing to think of is the standby generator will also support not only the administration to be able to function, but the network server which runs all of the school's computers and phone system. So the phone system would also be backed up by this generator. So it's extremely important because we do get many storms in October, as Superintendent Dede Goldstone would tell you. And this has been something that we need to do at the Phillips to support the network.

Thank you. This is also a public hearing. If there's any member of the public here at home that wishes to be heard, please raise your hand. Seeing none, I close the public hearing and ask for a motion from the City Council.

Mr. President, I make a motion that we approve the loan order for $95,000 for the equipment at the Phillips School.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion?

Yes.

Feltner.

Thank you Mr. President. It's just a question, do we anticipate needing to make repairs to asphalt or concrete or I don't know what all is involved with the generators. I know the quote doesn't include that and if so is that Public Buildings that will do that work, or DPW.

Yep, so Tom Brady has been very gracious and provided assistance to the Department of Public Buildings with trenching in the area to run all the cabling that's required for the generator hookup. and so the only thing we're having to pay for is asphalting and crushed stone after the fact. So this has really been helpful to us to save some funds. Thank you, Tom.

Are there any other questions or comments? Thank you, by the way, for the intermunicipal, interdepartmental cooperation.

Roll call, please. Bayes, Feltner, Gannon, Gardner, Izzo, Offei, Palomba, Piccirilli, Sideris.

Next item on the agenda is a public hearing and vote on a proposed ordinance adjusting the city manager's salary. This is the third time we're discussing this in the last few meetings. We recently reported out on the evaluation that was done of the city manager with very high scores. we had a discussion, we discussed with the city council the salary adjustment and what's on the table this evening is a salary adjustment for the manager to be adjusted to 244,658, which is basically mirroring the recently negotiated contracts, which is a two and a quarter percent COLA, and in this case it's a one and a half, one and three quarter percent performance adjustment. union employees and others were getting what's called a step increase.

So this mirrors the step increase around the city and this is the last employee for fiscal year 26 except for the other union, which we'll be discussing soon, hopefully. So on the table this evening is the manager. The salary adjustment to go to 244,658. and this is a public hearing as well. And if there's any member of the public here at home wishes to be heard, please raise your hand. Seeing none, I close the public hearing and ask for a motion from the City Council.

Mr. President, I make a motion that we approve the salary ordinance.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion?

I just have a quick question. Sure. Is a salary tied to any sort of bonus incentives or is it a straight out?

We can talk about that in potentially another conference. but right now, no. Are there any other questions? Roll call, please.

Feltner, yes, Councilor Gannon, yes, Councilor Gardner, yes, Councilor Izzo, yes, Councilor Offei, yes, Councilor Palomba, yes, Councilor Piccirilli, yes, Councilor Bays, yes, President Sideris, yes, thank you.

Next item is motions, orders, and resolutions. And 8A is a request for authorization to sign a contract extension term with We Drive You. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. The item before you is a contract extension for Pleasant Street Shuttle Services allowing which I believe is an extension beyond a three-year term and is therefore in front of the council for that purpose. Zeke Rimmel, our transportation planner, is here to answer. any specific questions on this one but my understanding is this extension this would continue the existing arrangement beyond the original contract terms which therefore extends it beyond a three-year contract term and therefore requires a council vote to do so I do believe at this time we are in the midst of determining where we go from here. But in order to keep the operations running, we need that extension beyond the three years. Zeke can answer any additional questions you have if you have any on the specifics of it, but that's the item in front of you tonight. Thank you.

can I get a motion to authorize the manager to sign a contract extension with We Drive You? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. Good job. 8B is a first reading on a proposed loan order that the sum of $1,417,000 is appropriated to pay costs of purchasing the following items of departmental equipment for the Department of Public Works. And there's a list here. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. There is a quite long list here of vehicles and equipment that we are in the process of preparing to to purchase. This is a first reading. It will be scheduled for a public hearing. I will note that the items below are included in a variety of items on the capital plan, capital improvement CIP plan for fiscal year 25 and 26. And they're consistent with conceptual recommendation 37 and conceptual recommendation 23 as it relates to the fiscal year 26 and fiscal year 25 list in order. There's a couple of adjustments that are described in the memo. but we can go into detail on that in the public hearing at the next meeting. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. Next item is the first reading on a proposed loan order that the sum of $510,000 is appropriated to pay costs of purchasing the following items of departmental equipment for the Department of Public Works and there are three items listed here as well. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. These items are SOAR Division items that are therefore through the Enterprise Fund. Seeking purchase of this equipment consistent with conceptual recommendations 48 and 51. which reaffirms proceeding with these items from various points in the capital improvement plan. Again, these are consistent with capital improvement plan efforts and I look forward to discussing in more detail and having our public works team discuss in more detail with the public hearing at the next meeting. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. 8D is a first reading on a proposed loan order that the sum of $80,000 is appropriated to pay costs of purchasing a utility truck for the Department of Public Works. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. So as you note, the first item was General Fund, the second item was Sewer Enterprise Fund, this one is Water Division, so is Water Enterprise Fund. is consistent with conceptual recommendation number 49 related to the capital improvement plan and appreciate that we can cover the detail of that in a public hearing at the next meeting. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. On to committee reports. And 9A is a Committee on Climate and Energy report regarding its meeting on December 1st. Councilor Palomba.

Thank you. On December 1st, 2025, the Climate and Energy Committee met in the City Council Chambers at 5.30. The purpose of the meeting was to hear a presentation on an updated matrix regarding the Climate Action Plan. Wood, myself, Chair, Councilor Bayes, Vice Chair, Councilor Raisa, and Secretary, also attending in person was Silas Flyler, Assistant Director for Energy Management, Katie Swan, Environmental Planner, Mayakayan Sustainability Planner, Anesta Kreskiewicz, Carol Carol Jean Turbic, Deborah Peterson, Councilor Gardner, present on Zoom were Brian Harbison, Amand Doas, Pat Rayburn, and Susan Ledoux. and Nancy Hammett. I opened the meeting stating that Laura and her team have come up with new matrix for some of the action items. Some there have been several years since, since there have been several years since this was implemented.

Her team has looked. at the Matrix. And with this new data, some goals could be adjusted accordingly. These meetings have happened every six months to provide consistent updates to the committee and the presentation with all information is attached. However, some highlights are listed here. Watertown has secured a grant for 900,000 rooftop solar on DPW building. There are no more oil burners in the city buildings and electrification at the library is complete. 30 small businesses signed up for the energy assessment, as well as 191 households. Berto will be in front of the city council sometime in January. City Fleet is 12% electrified on street charging study expected to wrap up early 2026. There have been two community meetings regarding Walker Pond.

A third will be held in January for final conceptual review. I believe that meeting's actually gonna take place in February now. a meeting held on November 19th by DCR to get input on the current GSA site along Greenville Boulevard as a result of the trash strike. 100 additional residents signed up for the composting program. I brought up the health and climate report and was hopeful that the proper would implement some of the recommendations in that report. As the presentation continued, excuse me, Discussion turned to the matrix of the 2002 plan and if they are still relevant. The climate action plan is made up of five key matrix. Each matrix has overarching goals and actions to achieve that goal. Matrix are helpful to quantify how much progress has been made.

The question the team asked was, are the Matrix and 202 still appropriate? for where we are today. They found that several tracking sources or data has changed on the matrix that we were following. Because of this, a new matrix would need to be created. Some of the original data was missing certain aspects that they wanted to incorporate. The data they have now is more insightful, detailed, and focused than was the previous published. previously published. The question was raised, how are we going to integrate the information into the existing five years before we have new data? Gardner suggested to keep the data source consistent, especially if we change the source. If we do change the data source, we should go back five years to that specific source and plug in it into the matrix from the beginning and could in turn change the goal.

These comments were received favorably between the committee members to allow the CAP to adjust and form more realistic goals depending on the more detailed data that has been found. A higher level report was discussed since we get the five-year plan. The thought was to have each goal highlight, for example, using colors green, yellow, red, Grading System AB, and so forth to show where we are in relation to each goal. Green meaning we are on or ahead of the target. Yellow meaning we are close but need to continue. Red meaning we must do more. This will illustrate where our shortfalls are and where people can do more and where meeting resources can be allocated. The meeting adjourned at 6.58 p.m.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to accept the report? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you. Next item is the Committee on Public Works report regarding its meeting on December 15th. Piccirilli.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Public Works Committee met on December 15th, consisting of myself, Chair, Councilor Feltner, Vice Chair, and Councilor Palomba, Secretary. The purpose of the meeting was to review and make recommendations on the hazard mitigation action plan. Chief Nicholson, Fire Chief Nicholson, introduced Martin Pillsbury, Senior Environmental Planner, and Jennifer Malich, Emergency Preparedness Specialist, both with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. They did a slideshow presentation which is attached to the report. The highlights from the presentation included. Number one, the Federal Mitigation Act administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides guidelines for local plans that are to address resilience before disaster.

Watertown's plan is updated every five years with revised data and community priorities approved plans are required for city or town to be eligible for FEMA mitigation grants Number two, the focus of the plan is to reduce the impacts of natural hazards through strategies including policy, projects, and programs. The plan answers the questions. at the plan answers the questions. What preventative actions are being taken now to reduce risks and damages? and what additional actions can be taken in the future to increase resilience. A plan would address some or all of the following flooding, wind events, winter hazards, geological hazards, wildfires and extreme temperature and drought. Number three, one of the goals of the plan is to break the cycle of disaster rebuild, disaster rebuild.

In doing this, it is important to use well-established techniques for hazard mitigation including prevention, property protection, public education, protection of natural resources, structural projects, and emergency service protection. Number four, it's important to recognize that a form of hazard mitigation is, quote, adapting to the expected impacts of climate change, unquote. Number five, the MAPC has created a public survey to elicit information from Watertown residents, which will be publicized via the city's local media platforms in the city's weekly What's Up Watertown newsletter. The copy of the survey is attached. They've also created a hazard identification and mapping tool in conducting an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities. Six, the meeting in front of the Committee on Public Works is the first public meeting where initial information was presented. MAPC will prepare a draft plan and present for feedback

and meetings of the Board of Town's local team, which includes representatives from the following city departments, Planning, Health, Fire, Police and Public Works. Seven. The presentation included information that will be used in preparing the draft plan such as review of city facilities, the city's infrastructure and community facilities, examples of local hazard areas in the city, and examples of existing mitigation measures. Number eight, the presentation also listed next steps which include a final meeting with the local team in January, a second public meeting, which would be a city council meeting, most likely in March, at which time the members of the Council and the public can comment on the draft plan, a finalized plan that will be available online for additional public comments, submission of the finalized plan to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in FEMA in April, and eventual adoption of the final plan by the city.

Following the presentation, members of the committee had a few clarifying questions and residents spoke about the value of trees as a source of heat mitigation and the relationship between avian influenza and flooding. Councilor Feltner made the following motion. The Committee on Public Works requests the City Council President schedule an informational presentation allowing public comment of the draft MAPC plan at a future City Council meeting. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 6.57 p.m. and I'd like to thank Council Palomba for doing a very nice job with the minutes.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to accept the report?

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? The ayes have it. And the action item is that request that the Council President schedule an informational presentation and allow public comment on the draft MAPC plan at a future Council meeting.

So moved.

Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Aye. Oh, hold on, hold on. Councilor Gardner.

Actually, I was unable to attend that meeting. The only thing that I would love to hear about is how long the presentation took because it... If there's going to be robust discussion following, I just wonder if that might crowd one of the agendas and should it be a separate public meeting?

I'm going to be counting on staff to have the meeting that they're having. and we'll figure that out. Yes, it could potentially raise the, we would need enough time and probably could be into a special meeting, we'll see. Thank you. You're welcome. Any other comments? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. Communications from the city manager. Mr. Manager. I'm sorry, we missed a committee meeting. 9C is a Committee on Economic Development and Planning report regarding its meeting on December 16th. Councilor Feltner.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Committee on Economic Development and Planning convened on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 5.30 p.m. in the Richard E. Mastrangelo Council Chamber as a hybrid meeting with remote participation by Zoom. present were myself, Lisa Feltner as chair, John Gannon, vice chair, and Vincent Piccirilli serving as secretary. Staff present included deputy city manager Emily Monet, City Manager George Proakis by Zoom, and Council Analyst Doug Newton. Also present were President Mark Sideris, Councilors Anthony Palomba, and Residents Jamie Gordon, Sam Gilardi, Debra Peterson, Jackie Van Leeuwen, and by Zoom, Lise Paul, Adam Schultz, and Jeremy Mendelson. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss qualifications and qualities for the Assistant City Manager for Community Development Planning per Charter Article 3, Section 3A. Mr. Proakis began by stating the job was already posted and he has been getting resumes to begin interviews in January. He's not looking to change either the job description or the organizational structure.

There are four key elements that he is looking for. One, manager of a staff of 25. Two, making a compelling presentation of the city's vision. Three, understand the walkability, community design vision, and four, address public-private partnerships. He also noted that Mr. Steve Magoon agreed to participate in the first round of interviews and will have a role in the transition process. Gannon listed his priorities. One, experience in affordable housing and implementing the Watertown Square Plan. Two, familiarity with tools of the trade. Three, experience with public policy. Piccirilli listed his priorities in two parts of the job. As a planning director, someone with demonstrated ability to do the following. One, affordable housing with experience and incentives for more affordable housing.

to commercial development for big business skills in negotiating the post biotech boom for new growth and for small business skills in creating a vibrant street scene by attracting restaurants and other experienced businesses. or other experiences for the businesses that they offer. Three, historic preservation and open space, the ability to balance the demands of redevelopment with the need to preserve the desirable nature of Watertown by preserving historic buildings and open green space, and four, under transportation, those skills that meet our public transit goals and balancing the shared use of our public roads. as an assistant city manager, someone with a demonstrated ability to do the following included one, for the Watertown Square Plan being able to execute the vision approved by the city council, Two, a great communicator who makes sure all voices are heard when seeking public input.

And three, an effective manager, making sure projects are completed efficiently and timely. Feltner noted constituent requests for a focus on our climate action plan, and she listed more priorities, including one, strong management skills with coordination across departments and implementation of our approved plans. Two, commitment to ongoing training of our staff. Three, a demonstrated ability to build community from diverse input and a strong commitment to strong neighborhoods. and four, determine how the new structure of our events team fits into our overall strategic plan and support of the Commander's Mansion. Palomba spoke about two priorities such as one, experience of managing people to provide effective services to the community, seeking public ideas and feelings, and two, keeping an eye on what areas need more support and resources. President Sideris spoke about how this is a complicated position.

Teamwork is important, but it also requires a good working relationship with the public. They also need to understand the role of the City Council in setting policy and how that affects our visioning and implementation of plans. Gannon added, it is important to have a background in city, state or regional government, particularly in Massachusetts, and have experience in developing regional solutions for public transit and affordable housing. Next, the committee took public comments. We heard from Jackie Van Leeuwen. She read a Watertown Housing for All letter emphasizing housing affordability. She also believes the city needs more staff for housing. Sam Gilardi said the candidates should continue the city's commitment to new growth as aligned with our plans and should have creative thinking about our neighborhoods. Deborah Peterson read a letter from Watertown Faces Climate Change emphasizing a commitment to public input and process, leadership on transportation, and the walkability study for Watertown Square economic growth.

Lise Paul reiterated how important transit is for Watertown with last mile options, how to share the streets and implementing the mobility study recommendations. Jeremy Mendelson spoke about the need to focus on transportation and housing and Jamie Gordon spoke about how Steve Magoon worked with the public and was always available to talk to the public He was open to new ideas and the new candidates should have the same characteristics. Steve was also a county planner in his previous job in which he thinks was helpful. Manager Proakis noticed that he will take all comments into consideration when screening applications and conducting interviews for this position. He noted that it requires a strong role as an assistant city manager as discussed and posted in the job description. The letters that were read as well as all email correspondence received are attached to this report and are meeting adjourned at 624 p.m. I thank you, Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, for preparing the report in a timely manner.

Attachments are included here online with the report.

Thank you. Can I get a motion to accept the report? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? All those in favor? Opposed? The ayes have it. Now we'll go back to communications from the city manager. And 10A is a request for confirmation of appointments to the Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee. Mr. Manager.

Thank you, Mr. President. Sending before you for committee review a request to appoint Susan Ledoux and Laurel. Schneider for terms to expire November 15th, 2028 on the Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee. Both have been participating in meetings of WE3C in the past. and I think would be a great addition as official members of WE3C so those were as usual reviewed by the Residence Advisory Committee and therefore recommended and I appreciate the chance to recommend them and move them forward for review by the council. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. Those will be sent to the Committee on Climate and Energy. Mr. Manager, you can continue.

Sure. I'm also seeking a candidate to serve on the Residence Advisory Committee. interviews are underway although at the same time we're accepting resumes as we go so this committee plays a very important role in supporting the recruitment, evaluation, selection of applicants for all of the other volunteer boards, commissions, and committees in the city. Working closely with the city manager, the Residence Advisory Committee helps develop policies and practices that encourage a broad and diverse pool of applicants. created through the charter, trying to recognize the value of diversity in all forms, and seeking to focus on that as we build our committees. If you're interested, submit a letter of interest, resume, background information to Joanna Hand at jhand at watertown-ma.gov. or send it to the city manager's office here at 149 Main Street, Watertown, Mass, 02472.

We're reviewing options to fill that vacancy but it's very important to to fully staff that committee as it's what keeps all of the other committees running. And with thanks to Councilor Offei for his work on that committee all of the time that he was there while his, his election to Councilor opened up that opening. I do greatly appreciate all the work you did there and we're hoping to continue all the work with the Residence Advisory Committee. on that item. I appreciate the assistance. I'll also note that Watertown Civics Academy is returning for 2026 and applications will be open early in the year pretty soon with an official announcement. keep an eye out for that coming to the city's website and social media. This is a multi-week hands-on program led by city staff. offering residents an inside look at how municipal government works from the what to the how and the why. We got a great group of folks the first year who were really interested in city government but don't have a lot of background in how government works.

We've been able to actually appoint a few of them to committees since they've been through the Civics Academy with a broad background on the day-to-day of how local government works. We've had to make some choices here because we don't have enough slots for the number of people who typically apply. we're gonna keep on running this every year and hope that we can get interested folks to continue to participate. So keep an eye out for that process as we do that. I'll also note that Watertown City offices will be closed Monday, January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There'll be no trash or recycling pickup that day, collections delayed by one day for the rest of the week. We have a very busy list of items coming up this year. I just wanted to note that we are working busily in the city departments on addressing, bringing back to you items like the Berto and the administrative code.

Close but not quite there on each of these items and look forward to working with the committees as organized this year on the items that are already in committee as well as the updates that we have coming forward. And I just want to finish with a thank you to the council for both the vote on the salary adjustment and the opportunity to enter into the additional successor contract negotiations. As I noted, have enjoyed working with the council and look forward to continuing to in the new year and beyond. So thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. Requests for information? Any requests for information? announcements, any announcements? Councilor Gardner.

Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to extend a warm invitation to everybody in Watertown to join the 26th annual Unity Breakfast, which will be held on Monday, January 19th at the Hellenic Center on Bigelow Avenue in the East End. This long-standing event honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. It'll start at 8.30 in the morning with hot breakfast from Wicked Bagel. The program will begin at 9 and it will include music and song and roundtable conversation and a presentation of the annual Unity Award. So we're looking forward to that. ASL, CART, and babysitting will be available. And you can find it by Googling Watertown Unity Breakfast to learn more, to sign up, to reserve babysitting, and so on. So please consider coming and spending that morning in community with the rest of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other announcements? Public forum. Any member of the public here or at home wish to be heard, please raise your hand. Kelly. Please identify yourself for those who don't know who you are.

Most people know me at this point. Well, first of all, I want to say congratulations to all of you and President Sideris for this election and Good luck and best wishes for this term during which you're going to be representing us. So thank you. listening to the report on the climate and action plan and reading the report. There are some things I wanted to comment on. I'm actually kind of anxious, I don't know why, I do. The first, the metrics are important and what will improve our metrics are the following actions. One is the Birdo. You know it's coming. We do know it's coming. But what many of you may not know and may have been waiting for was the mandatory state reporting to see what happened.

My understanding is that of the mandated reportable buildings in Watertown, only 15% of them reported. And of the 15% that reported, about half of them are our municipal buildings, which Silas reported. So that means we had a 7% reporting, mandated reporting. The cities with Birdos, Newton, Boston, Cambridge, they had a 98% reporting. So if there's anything that says we need to pass this ordinance, this is certainly a metric that gives us very important information. because this is about meeting not only our goals but the state's goals for the climate. Second, we will not, I have fourth points I'm making. Second.

You only have two minutes, so either you move quickly or you hand them off to the clerk and he will give them to us.

Okay, we won't reach our natural resource goals unless we do something about our urban forest. and our green spaces, which about 90% of them are held privately. We need a tree ordinance. There's a beautiful example at 45 Maple of a magnificent oak that was taken down, no reason, etc. But that whole triangle, that angle, that group of...

Charlie, I gave you a little extra time because you congratulated everybody. Please submit your comments to the clerk.

Okay, anyway, that's a great example of a tree that was taken down making that area a heat island.

Thank you. Are there any other members that wish to be heard at home? Yes, Angie Kanellis, you are allowed to speak.

Oh, thank you so much. And congratulations to everybody's new term and best wishes. Going back to the Arlington Street and Clarendon and Berkeley utility work. I hope that information will be available to residents as to whom they should contact in the event of any questions. I haven't seen the letter that was sent out to the neighbors, but I think it's important that they have. contact information. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else wish to be heard in public forum? Seeing none, can I get a motion to adjourn? So moved. Is there a second? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? The ayes have it.

Thank you.