Framingham City Council Meeting - November 11, 2025
Framingham City Council Meeting - November 11, 2025
The Framingham City Council met on November 11, 2025 (meeting began November 10) to address a wide range of items including public participation, proclamations, the mayor's report, public hearings for bond authorization and budgets, appointments, and discussion of sidewalk cleaning funds. Key actions included unanimous approval of a $2 million feasibility study bond for Hemingway School, the MRECC budget, the FY2026 tax classification with a 1.69 CIP shift, and a collective bargaining agreement with DPW supervisors, while a proposal to reallocate CDBG funds for downtown sidewalk pressure washing was referred back to subcommittee for further consideration.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Donna Kilcoyne addressed the council, noting that approximately 15% of voters left ballots blank in the recent election and urged reflection on engagement. She expressed strong support for requiring special permitting for projects over 100,000 square feet, arguing that these exceptions should be carefully reviewed by elected officials to protect quality of life.
Proclamations and Recognitions
- The council presented a joint proclamation declaring November 17, 2025 as Dorothy Toste McGuire Day in honor of her 100th birthday. Representatives from the state House and Senate also presented citations. Family members spoke briefly, thanking the council.
Mayor's Report and Council Q&A
- Mayor Sisitsky reported on upcoming Veterans Day events (ceremony at 11:11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, free skating at Loring Arena), the grand opening of L.L. Bean on Route 9, Framingham being named a climate leader by Mass Save, a photography show call for entries, and the impact of the federal government shutdown on SNAP benefits (8,800 residents affected) with food resources available at the Callahan Center and libraries.
- Councilor Steiner requested the police chief attend the next meeting to explain the 2023 ICE agreement with Framingham police. The mayor agreed to invite him.
- Councilor Wood asked about McGrath Square updates; the mayor confirmed a meeting with the mill owner scheduled and a path to design and bidding in FY27.
- Councilor Cannon congratulated the mayor on his re-election and urged a year-end review of policies and procedures to improve efficiency.
Public Hearings and Votes
- Hemingway School Feasibility Study Bond ($2 million): The council opened and closed the public hearing and voted unanimously to authorize the bond. This re-advertisement was required due to a bond council discrepancy. (9-0).
- Middlesex Regional Emergency Communication Center (MRECC) FY2026 Budget ($41,505): The council approved the appropriation unanimously after a public hearing. (9-0).
- FY2026 Tax Classification: After a detailed presentation by Assessor O'Neill, the council voted to adopt a residential factor of 0.8341, resulting in a commercial/industrial/personal property shift of 1.69, and rejected the open space discount and small commercial exemption options. The vote was unanimous. (9-0).
Appointments
- Worker Protection Advisory Committee: The council appointed Louis Ramos (Laborers Local 609, District 5) and Jorge Rivera (District Council 35, Central Mass AFL-CIO) after they introduced themselves. Both appointments were unanimous.
- Multiple other appointments and reappointments to various boards and commissions (Agriculture Advisory, Bicycle Pedestrian Trails, Board of Assessors, Cable Advisory, CDBG Committee, Elderly and Disabled Tax Fund, Human Relations Commission, Fair Housing, South Middlesex Regional Vocational, Register of Voters, Sustainability Committee, Women Children and Families Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals) were referred to the Appointment Subcommittee without objection.
Discussion Items
- CDBG Fund Reallocation for Sidewalk Pressure Washing: The council debated a request to reallocate $54,964.15 in unspent CDBG funds for pressure washing downtown sidewalks to remove gum and grime. Councilors expressed concerns about cost relative to area and whether purchasing a power washer might be more economical. Despite additional information from administration about test panels and quotes, the council voted to refer the item back to the Finance Subcommittee for further consideration (all present voted in favor, with no opposition recorded).
- Zoning Amendments for Eagle Rock and Clark's Hill: Councilor Long reported that two major zoning amendments could not be properly processed before the end of the session due to insufficient time for public input and required notices. The council agreed not to rush them and to take them up in the new session starting January 2026.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approval (9-0) of Hemingway School bond authorization ($2 million).
- Unanimous approval (9-0) of MRECC FY2026 budget ($41,505).
- Unanimous approval (9-0) of FY2026 tax classification with 1.69 CIP shift.
- Unanimous approval (9-0) of appointments of Louis Ramos and Jorge Rivera to the Worker Protection Advisory Committee.
- Unanimous approval (9-0) of the collective bargaining agreement with DPW Supervisors Union (1116).
- Approval of minutes from October 7 and October 20 meetings by votes of 8-1 (Councilor White Harvey opposed).
- CDBG reallocation referred back to Finance Subcommittee (all present voted in favor).
- Mayor's commitment to have police chief attend next meeting regarding ICE agreement.
- Zoning amendments for Eagle Rock and Clark's Hill deferred to next council session.
Meeting Transcript
The City Council is the sole legislative body of the city of Framingham and is therefore responsible for passing city ordinances. The City Council is made up of 11 members who exercise the legislative powers of Framingham. Two of these members are known as counselors at large, and nine members are known as district counselors. The city council serves as a link between the citizens of Framingham and their municipal government. Counselors help constituents by connecting them to resources, services, and city departments. And also serve as advocates for all Framingham residents. The following City Council coverage is brought to you by the government channel, a service of the City of Framingham Public Meeting Portal and published to legislate on Thursday, November 16th. Council Long will be remote this evening. The hearing is remained open and will be continued as stated on our agenda on November 18th, 2025. First order of business is public participation. First speaker is Donna Kilcoyne, author. Three minutes, Donna, and we'll start when you start. Hi, first off, I'd like to um say that I give you all credit for going through the process of putting yourself up for election. Having run the Yes for Fuller campaign uh several years ago, I know what hard work goes into it and dedication and time. So first off, I want to say thank you for all doing that. I think there was also a message that we shouldn't walk away from from this election, because I looked at some of the numbers. And the fact that um there were so many people who left ballots blank, who showed up to vote, and who did write-ins. And I looked at um one of the I looked at all of them, and on average it was 15% of the people left pallets blank for each candidate on average. And I think that people really need to understand that um their vote matters, and for them to show up and leave something blank when they're voting for others uh positions. That's something that I think each and every one of you should reflect on. I also found it really interesting that district three, one and two had the highest turnout percentage-wise, and district nine, seven and six had the lowest turnout. So I ask all of you to take a look at the numbers and then ask yourself, did I really make the case every day and every meeting that I'm doing the best for Framingham? And the one way that you can do that is to say yes to the special permitting of projects greater than 100,000 square feet. I think those projects have the most impact on Framingham in the long run and in the short run. We need to plan for those projects. And also we need to remember that those people, those developers are asking us to make exceptions to the zoning that you've already said yes to and that everyone has already agreed to. So they're asking you to make an exception. So it should really be up to the people who are elected to review it and decide whether or not those projects really can be done for Framingham without getting the quality of life diminished. So thank you. Thank you very much, Donna. Uh, next order of business of proclamations and citations. We have a joint proclamation uh for the hundredth birthday of Miss Is Maguire, Dorothy Tostey Maguire. Welcome, Ms. McGuire. I see you all in front with your family, and then we have a presentation from the state house from Rep Souza and the Senate from uh Mr. Giambetty. So do you want to start off, uh, Mr. Mayor? Sure. I figure it's our house. We'll start with the uh city council, then we'll go to the Senate and the reps. I have a proclamation to read for you. Uh regarding naming uh the 17th as Dorothy Tom Tostee McGuire Day, whereas Dorothy Tosti was born on November 17th, 1925 in Framingham to Tony and Fiorina Tosti, and whereas she was one of six children raised on Waverley Street across from her father's gas station, Toste Service Station, a Framingham landmark for many years, and whereas Dorothy and her late husband John McGuire Sr. built a life together in their hometown where they raised the three children, John Jr., Joanne, and Bobby. And whereas Dorothy remains a proud resident of Framingham to this day, surrounded by the love of her seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. And whereas, in addition to raising multiple generations, Dorothy contributed to the Metro S community through various roles, most notably during her 50 plus year career as an insurance broker at Dallas Insurance, where she only retired recently in her mid-90s. And whereas for decades, Dorothy hosted family gatherings and delighted everyone with her incredible cooking and award-worthy apple and pecan pies. Wow. And whereas Dorothy continues to live life to the fullest by playing bridge with friends, walking the mall, attending sons and daughters of Italy events, and cherishing dinners with her ever growing extended family and friends at La Cantina restaurant. Now, therefore, the mayor and city council wish Dorothy Tosti McGuire a very happy 100th birthday and do declare Monday, November 17th, 2025 as Dorothy Tosti McGuire Day in the City of Framingham.
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