City Council 09/16/2025

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Worcester City Council meeting. If you can, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star-Spangled Banner. Aye.

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, and Councilor Coyne, Councilor Coyne, Councilor Coyne, Councilor Coyne, They proved through the night That our flag was still there Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free

and the home of the brave.

Do a roll call. Councilor Bergman. Here. Councilor Colorio. Here. Councilor Haxhiaj.

Here.

Councilor King. Councilor Mero-Carlson.

Here.

Councilor Nguyen. Councilor Ojeda. Here. Councilor Pacillo.

Here.

Councilor Russell. Here. Councilor Toomey.

Here.

Mayor Petty.

Here. We have a couple of proclamations. The first one, a week without driving proclamation. So let me just read the proclamation, and maybe we can get some city councils to participate. So it reads, access to mobility is a fundamental part of health, safety, and community connection, which enables Worcester residents to reach education and employment opportunities, medical services, shopping, recreation, friends, and family. And whereas many community members cannot afford or are too financially stretched to pay for a car ownership and maintenance. whereas nearly a third of people residing in the U.S. do not have a driver's license either because of their age or their condition that does not allow them to drive. And whereas public transportation and strong network of sidewalks and bike paths are available in every community make it much more difficult to visit family and friends and take care of everyday tasks for those who cannot and do not drive. Whereas, going a week without driving is a great way to gain an understanding of how we can improve our transportation connectivity, access to a better street, better meet the needs of our community members. Now therefore, I, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, do hereby proclaim September 29th through October 5th as Week Without Driving in the City of Worcester. Encourage all its residents to participate. Councilor Pacillo? Is this your name, Karen?

Yeah. So thank you for the proclamation. I'm Karen Valentine Goins of Walk, Bike, Worcester. And with me is Japhne Rude, a Worcester resident and public health student who just finished her practicum with us and has been a huge help with Week Without Driving. Engineering professionals often talk about the three Es. The three original ones were engineering, enforcement, and education, encouragement, and equity were added over the years. But tonight I want to suggest that empathy and experience are two E's that are sorely needed right now. Everyone, but especially people involved in making decisions about our streets, needs to experience the world in more ways than by private vehicle and empathize with those who don't have this option or don't want to exercise it all the time. Week Without Driving was started in 2021 by a mom who has low vision. It's now coordinated by America Walks with hundreds of organized efforts in all 50 states and District of Columbia. Last year was our first, and this will not be our last. This annual event invites people to experience, reflect, and share what life without driving is like. A significant percentage of the population does not drive, as the proclamation states. Some are by choice, but most are non-drivers due to age, young or old, disability, income, or other barriers. So the goals of the week are to build awareness of what it's like to be a non-driver, reduce car dependency, and improve transportation options. But the week without driving is not meant as a purity test. Sometimes I wish the slogan was during the week without driving as it asks drivers to take even one trip or part of one without their personal vehicle. I hear from people, including some people present here, that their jobs prevent them from participating. So my answer would be, so do it on a day that is not a work day. Visit a family friend or family member or friend, go to a restaurant or store, go to an appointment. And in Worcester, we have multiple alternatives to driving. Walking is always free. The RTA is currently fare free and apps can tell you exactly what routes to choose. And we have the new red bike share available. We're asking people to share about their experience. We want everyone here tonight and listening to pledge at our website walkbikeworcester.org to take that at least one trip and then post about it on social media with the hashtags week without driving and week without driving Worcester and we welcome guest posts on our Instagram. So in closing to those of you who would say I can't, I ask that you use We have another proclamation, Emergency Preparedness Proclamation.

With us we have Luca Calavini from the Red Cross and Emily Mew from the Salvation Army. Whereas the month of September is observed annually as a national preparing this month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to encourage Americans to prepare for emergencies. Whereas the theme for National Preparing Month 2025 is Preparedness Starts at Home. focusing on essentials of preparedness. Whereas residents are urged to take steps to know their risk, make emergency plan, build an emergency supply kit, and get involved in their community. Whereas the Worcester Department of Emergency Communications Division of Emergency Management partners with the Division of Public Health Fire Department, and Police Department has developed, coordinate, and lead municipalities emergency management program, enabling effective preparation for and for the efficient response to emergencies and disasters in order to save lives, reduce human suffering, and reduce property loss. Whereas, the DPH Office of Health and Medical Preparedness serves as the official agent for regional emergency preparedness grants awarded by the Commonwealth in a lead role in the development of regional policies and plans, including those related to medical condiment measures dispensing, medical surveillance, and emergency response coordination. Whereas partner organizations including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Worcester Emergency Medical Services, Worcester Community Emergency Response Team, Worcester Regional Medical Reserve Corps consistently unite with food pantries, churches, non-profit social service providers, and other community members to provide critical emergency support to the municipality and the Worcester residents as the most recently witnessed during the tornado and powerful storm on Saturday, September 6, 2025. Now, therefore, I, Joseph M. Petty, Mayor of the City of Worcester, to hear Barbara claim the month of September 2025 as emergency preparing this month in the City of Worcester and urge all to recognize and participate in this observance. So, I will give that to Councilor Toomey. Come on, Luca. Yeah, we have the Red Cross and Salvation Army if you wanna come up too and be recognized, but thank you for being here. You wanna say a few words, you're more than welcome.

Thank you all.

Thank you. Keep up the great work, thank you. Okay. Okay, the next item is approval of the minutes of August 19th, 2025. All those in favor, opposed, so ordered. Public participation, a person may speak for no more than two minutes on any item appearing on the agenda. Guess your name, city of residence, and item number.

Mr. Mayor, before we do, do you want me to read the rule?

Okay.

So rule 39, item of public interest. At every meeting of the city council under public participation portion of the agenda, the chair shall recognize any person seeking such recognition for the purpose of addressing the city council on any eligible item on the agenda for the meeting. Any person that wishes to speak more than one agenda item shall combine their testimony on all items to one appearance at the microphone. The time for speaking shall not exceed two minutes for any one speaker or 30 minutes for all speakers.

Yes, Fred Nathan Worcester. 8-13A, the report about the drones. It would be nice if either the city manager, the clerk, or whomever wants to generate it out here in the hallway. There should always be reports of anything that people might perceive as being important to read rather than having to go to the city manager or the clerk or whomever. to ask for it. That's just my thinking. 8-35A. UMass is giving a donation of Almost $4,000. I think they should be ashamed of themselves. They've got to ramp it up. And for all the property that they have under their control, I think it would be nice if they would drop like $100,000 to the city just to be a good neighbor. And just in closing, as a city, as a state, as a country, we cannot tolerate political violence of any kind. Period.

Thank you, anybody else? Is your name, city or residence? And item number?

Hello again, my name is Gary Hunter. First one, I'd like to just make a comment on 811A, because reading that report about the number of cities, streets, and sidewalks that need to be fixed, it seems almost daunting, and I'm sure it is for you too, that They got way behind on this. You just walk around City Hall and you see this even the sidewalks around City Hall with somebody, especially if they were handicapped, they're missing bricks and I'm hoping that this will be taken care of quickly. The second one is 813A on the drones. Looking at how the drones were used on the report, taking pictures for the softball games between the police and the fire department, and the cost of the drones was only used, I think, something like eight times. And I would like somebody, if they could, look at the cost study of that, whether drones are actually necessary or could you borrow drones from other people when you need them. Looking at this agenda, There was a criticism of when they had a protest here because we stopped the business of the city. Now we've been on vacation for a while and everyone deserves a vacation. but when you come back and I look at what's on the agenda, is this really taking care of the business that we need for the city? There's housing, there's a lot of problems in the city and I don't see it being addressed. If you'd like to make comment on that later, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Mr. Mayor, we have a calling user. The calling user is Natalie Gibson. Try to meet the resident now.

Please state your name. Natalie Gibson, Worcester, Mass. May I have a clarification of the rule, please, for when a participant would like to speak on any item that is on the agenda in addition to their own petition, how long is the person allowed to speak for?

On AM, the petition is three minutes.

So, in combination for both.

You can speak, yep, you can speak up to three minutes if you have a petition.

So I would ask that we please read that part of the rule so that the public is aware of that.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, that's it.

Mr. Mayor, that's it for public participation, thank you.

Okay, we have 7A, refer to the Planning Board. All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. 7B, refer to Public Works. All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. 7C to 7L, refer to Traffic and Parking. All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. Okay, let's get that. We are on Department of Transportation and Mobility, Transmitting Information and Communication of the Construction Staff for the Ongoing and Forthcoming Street and Sidewalk Projects as August 31st, 2025. Councilor Russell.

Mr. Chairman, first of all, thank you for this report to the administration, but I want to ask, because I'm having trouble keeping track of some of these things, this is, this is, takes back, this is just this current fiscal year, correct, through you, the administration?

No, Mr. Rawley, Ms. Commissioner?

I'd like to, by the way, I'd like to have this come to Public Works just so we could have a discussion on it. I know it's just informational, but, and the question is, why is it informational also? Is it something that should have came in as a formal presentation to the Council and then sent to Public Works and to be discussed, or is it just?

Commissioner? Through the Chair, so this is all active ongoing street projects that are currently under construction or design. And this is everything that's currently under construction. So from this point going back. and this is the second report that's been submitted and the idea is that these will continue to be submitted on a monthly basis and I believe the way that this was handled in the past is that they were typically referred to the Public Works Committee for more detailed discussion there.

Okay, well, when it comes in, maybe you could offer, because I just would like to see going forward, of course, I'll only be there for the next couple of months, but I think that it's helpful to those that are there to know what was in what year budget and what monies are still out there that are not allocated, that are not being used, and, you know, because just try and keep track of it. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Mero-Carlson.

Yes, Mr. Chairman, just a follow-up to what Councilor Russell just spoke about. Again, thank you for the report, but the one thing that would be helpful for us is What years are the streets? Because the issue at this point, and I know that we have a, if I'm not mistaken, and through the chair to the city manager, I know that we had agreed that we were doing two years worth of streets. And Honestly, looking at this, there's no way to identify which of those streets are in that two-year pick that we talked about. So if we could add in the year, it would be extremely helpful. And I understand this is going to public work, so I do get it that there'll be further discussion. that's the piece for for me that's extremely important because there's a for example there's a street on here in D2 that's been on the list for a very long time so that's not like a pick of 24 or 25 or even 26 it's really a pick of seven years ago so I'd like to see those marks

Commissioner? Through the Chair, yeah, that would be easy enough to do and we can denote both the years that they were selected as well as have a status for each of the prior year selections until they fall off of the list because they're completed.

Thank you, appreciate it.

Thank you, so send that to Public Works.

All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. Transferring information and communication relevant to the residential use of fire blankets. Send that to Public Safety. All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. Okay, transferring information and communication relevant to the quarter report regarding Worcester Police Department's small unmanned aircraft system. Send that to Public Safety. All those in favor, oppose, so ordered. Uh, Transforming Information and Communication Road to the Municipality's Tornado Response. That was an interesting night. Any questions? You can send that to Public Safety. They said good job, you know, for getting out there and appreciate TPW and Mercy Response Team getting out there right away. So, appreciate that. Public Safety, all those in favor? Opposed? So, ordered. 8.35 A through C, and 8.37 A and B. Those are the finance items. Any questions? Anyone on the roll call? Roll call.

Councilor Bergman? Yes. Councilor Colorio? Yes. Councilor Haxhiaj?

Yes.

Councilor King? Yes. Councilor Mero-Carlson?

Yes.

Councilor Nguyen? Yes. Councilor Ojeda? Yes. Councilor Pacillo? Yes. Councilor Russell? Yes. Councilor Toomey? Mayor Petty?

Yes. The motion is to adjourn. All those in favor? Opposed? So afforded.