I'm Ben Wheeler.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm Ben Wheeler.

I use he, him pronouns.

I am a counselor at large and the Finance Committee Chair.

It is 6.03 PM.

And I would like to call to order the Tuesday, January 20th, 2026 meeting of the Finance Committee of the Somerville City Council.

This meeting of a city council committee will be conducted via remote participation following chapter two of the Commonwealth Massachusetts' acts of 2025.

We will post an audio video recording and a comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels.

We are joined today by Clerk Delaney Fisher Cassial.

Clerk, could you please call the role to establish quorum?

Absolutely.

This is roll call.

Counselor Link.

Counselor Straso.

Present.

Counselor Hart.

Here.

Counselor Scott.

Present.

Chair Wheeler.

Present.

All right.

With that, we do have all members present.

So we have quorum.

All right, wonderful.

We will be taking up our seven item agenda in the order posted.

And also to everyone in the meeting, as a general note, if I pronounce your name wrong or get your title wrong or use the wrong pronouns for you, please do not hesitate to interrupt me.

I want to get it right.

Okay.

Point of order, uh, Clerk Fisher Cassial.

Um, do you read the item?

Do I sort of say next item?

Um honestly, it is kind of up to the chair's discretion.

I will say generally in committee meetings, the chair does read out the items.

Okay.

I'm happy to do that.

All right.

Item one, uh ID 251881, approval of minutes.

This is the approval of minutes of the finance committee meeting of December 9th, 2025.

Um is there any discussion of these minutes?

Okay.

That item is laid on the table to recommend approval with a single vote for multiple items at the end of tonight's meeting.

Grant and gift acceptances.

Uh, this will be item two, uh, ID 251801 municipal road safety grant.

This is the mayor requesting approval to accept and expend a $65,000 grant with no new match required from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to the Police Department for the Municipal Road Safety Program.

Um we have Director Emily Wisdom and Lieutenant Michael Holland from Somerville Police Department.

Uh Director Wisdom and Lieutenant Holland, could you please tell us about this request?

Good evening.

Um, thank you, Chair.

Uh so the this particular grant is the municipal uh road safety traffic grant.

Um we've applied for this grant uh in the amount of $65,000 to augment the city's traffic safety budget.

Uh records indicate um I've only been here about a year, so records indicate that the city has received this grant consistently for it looks like the past decade.

Um so this grant is nothing new to anyone.

Um maybe a few of you on the on this committee might be a little bit new to the finance, so um I will I will do a little bit of a breakdown.

Um, the documents uh with the application um and some of the the scope of work are attached um in Legistar.

Um so the grant is broken down into four components.

Uh the community awareness and education materials for $8,112.

Um safety items in the amount of $5,642.

Um overtime for traffic safety enforcement from about April to September, um $33,930.

And overtime for pedestrian and bicycle enforcement from January to May.

Um, and again, uh there's a small period in August and September as well.

Um the total of that overtime request was $17,316.

Um, over the years, the summer depart the summer the Somerville Police Department has received feedback regarding um the pedestrian and bicycle enforcement campaigns.

Um campaign is uh a term that the grants use.

Uh we don't typically call them campaigns, um, but that is how you will see the documentation from the state uh in the backup.

So uh the feedback that we've gotten has uh been carefully considered over the years and has helped to guide how the umicle enforcement uh how that grant is implemented and used uh as a result um of the feedback pedestrian and bicycle safety activities have shifted to emphasize and include safety education rather than solely focusing on enforcement.

Uh these education efforts take place often in non-enforcement settings, such as along the community path, allowing for uh distribution of safety materials and protective gear um that's purchased through the grant.

Um a large portion of the pedestrian and bicycle overtime is utilized for the distribution of these safety items and the educational materials.

Um and however, it does not mean that there is no bicycle bicycle enforcement activity taking place, but it um but the the SPD really prioritizes um the education piece so that we can um uh teach safety and have um as much materials and safety items out there as possible.

Um I also have uh Lieutenant Holland here from the traffic unit who um could help answer any more specific questions related to policy um if anybody has it.

I'm seeing a hand from Counselor Link.

Counselor Link.

Uh yeah, through the chair.

Uh I just want to confirm uh so I having heard um this explanation and also having read through the documents, it doesn't look like we're talking about having um any of the any um specific campaigns about like uh stopping cyclists going through pedestrian signals, uh crossing through intersections of pedestrian signals.

Uh is that correct?

I'm gonna refer to Lieutenant Holland um on specific uh specific to um traffic policy.

Uh, but there's nothing in specifically in the grant materials that um I don't think guide that.

Yeah, through the chair.

I I guess I uh what I I would love to know that we're not doing that.

I guess I'll just uh say more opaquely.

Um the uh yeah, in in the past I've seen uh you know enforcement uh in places where uh it seems unsafe um oftentimes to be in the flow of traffic and more safe to be uh to wait for pedestrians to go and then to proceed.

Um and I I would love to make sure that we're not going to be um trying to push people towards a less safe practice.

Okay.

So excuse me, I can answer.

Um the grant is focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety.

It's not um routine bicycle activities.

Uh so while they're out there doing uh the enforcement and education, um, you know, there may be a time where they do stop somebody who's going through a red light like that uh if they deem it unsafe because they're out there, they have to, you know, address it, but it's not specifically going to target that or look for for those activities.

Fantastic.

Thank you.

Oh, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh good evening, Lieutenant Holland.

It's been a minute.

It's good to see you again.

Good evening.

Uh so Mr.

Chair, uh, you know, I'm old enough to uh remember this grant coming up in previous years and uh having this routinely be a conversation.

Um that we unfortunately have to continue having uh because state money continues being used to um for lack of a better word, do stakeouts and intersections to give uh bicyclists warnings and tickets.

Thank you very much.

Um when I look at this uh the in the application, I see on uh page 10 uh 11 and 12, especially uh it talks about uh how there are four separate campaigns uh I believe listed here, uh all of which uh cite that they are non-enforcement uh campaigns.

Uh although it it does say um, for example, at the bottom of page 10, uh it talks about uh pedestrian bicyclist enforcement campaign.

Uh and then a little bit later uh on page 12 uh it talks about encounters in a non-enforcement capacity.

So I guess Lieutenant through you, Mr.

Chair, uh to Lieutenant Holland, uh, could you maybe uh help help folks understand uh how the department is differentiating between enforcement and non-enforcement activities on this grant.

So for the uh enforcement is for pedestrian and bicycle safety.

So they'll be doing uh it's mostly focused on the crosswalk issues with for pedestrians crossing the street and motor vehicle and for the bicycle portion, it's for motor vehicles that are violating those those rules like the hooking rules, uh dooring, blocking bike lanes.

Those are the things we're going to be focusing on for the enforcement.

For the non-enforcement, it's all about uh education.

We have safety ish things to give out, uh lighted uh straps for bicycles, helmets for um them to pass out in educational brochures and uh just educating them public as they uh we interact with them as to the rules of the road and and how to be safe.

All right.

Uh thank you for that.

Mr.

Chair, I'll be honest with you.

Uh I've heard from a lot of people in the cyclist community who um aren't thrilled with the language, uh not not just the language, but the pairing of the language that's been used by the department and justifications with this grant in the past, and then the behavior of the department once the uh once the funds are actually being put out there to have folks on overtime uh standing in intersections.

Um it is heartening uh to hear this focus, but I I am uh I'm anticipating some very difficult conversations with constituents uh if and when uh I get phone calls this year saying, hey, I got flagged down and given a ticket again uh at an intersection for doing an Idaho stop.

Um I guess what what kind of is are there any commitments being made by the SPD uh about the the use of this overtime?

So as far as far as citations go, the in I have the numbers given to me from our statistics uh guy at the station.

And in 2024, there were 7,924 citations issued.

243 of those were bicycle offenses.

In 2025, there were 6,101 citations issued with 147 being to bicycles.

That's if you do percentages, it's about two and a half percent and three percent.

So our enforcement on bicycles is not much at all.

Um as far as we go across the city and what we do enforcement on, it's it's over 95% for motor vehicles.

Um I understand the bike community feels targeted, but if you look at the numbers, it's weird not like 147 last year citations were issued to bicyclists.

That's not that many over the whole year.

All right, I well, I appreciate that clarification.

I guess I'm a little bit confused because when I look at the uh internal data on page five of this application, uh the number of citations only seems to add up to less than 4,000.

Uh I think I just heard a much higher number for 2024.

Uh can you help me understand that?

Uh 24.

Would it be appropriate for me to briefly interject?

I mean, Mr.

Chair, it's your meeting.

Sorry, I uh I just wanted to ask Lieutenant Holland to just repeat.

I wrote down the 2025 numbers you said, but the the numbers before that were those 2024 numbers.

Yeah, so if if if uh these are incorrect, I apologize.

I don't know what's on that form, but this is what I was given um in the last few meetings we've had and and specifically tonight.

Uh 2024, we issued 7,924 citations.

And there were 8,935 violations on those citations.

So some of them had multiple violations.

Um 25 was 6,101 with a total of 6,900 overall violations.

And for the bicycles, there was 243 in 2024 and 257 violations.

So a few of those had multiple violations.

And then in 2025, we had 147 citations issued with 156 violations.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Sorry, uh, back to you, Counselor Scott.

Yeah, no, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

It actually kind of uh uh prompts the next question there, which is you know, if we're if we're putting on our grant application that in 2024 we put out uh less than 4,000 citations, and here we're hearing a much higher number.

Uh so I I is that all traffic citations?

Is this are we uh or is this including tickets we wrote for people leaving their trash cans out?

I mean, I'm trying to understand.

I I I think the numbers on the form here are specifically to the grant data from these years, and I'm I'm just giving you overall numbers for the the whole year from the entire police department.

And I'm I'm just giving you overall numbers for the the whole year from the entire police department.

Okay, so that would also so when you say there were X many citations and only 2% went to bicyclists, that also includes citations that don't have anything to do with traffic.

No, no, no.

We I mean we only it we don't issue anything besides those.

This is not counting uh city ordinance violations or anything like that.

This is specifically motor vehicle citations.

Huh.

Wow, I I continue to be a little bit confused as a discrepancy.

Is there uh is there some more detail?

Can you send us that report of citations so that we can maybe uh take a look at that and understand better this discrepancy?

Because I I can only see the numbers that are in front of us right now, Lieutenant, of course.

Right.

And I I believe the numbers here are the citations that were issued during the grant enforcement only that you have on your screen.

Oh and the numbers that I gave you were overall for the entire department for the year for those years.

Uh okay.

So this is this will be the uptick in citations that were offered as a result of this grant funding.

Specifically, we could trace back to the overtime for enforcement activity.

Okay.

Correct.

So in that in that lens, we can say this basically this grant would increase by 50% the traffic enforcement activity that's happening in the city.

Yes.

All right.

Okay.

Thank you.

I um wanted to make sure I understood.

Um, uh, Mr.

Chair, I guess uh my only thought here is that um I've voted against this grant in the past when it was tied to quotas uh for stops uh because we know that protectional stops are uh uh a scourge uh and an unfortunate one that continues to be used.

I voted against it when it had quotas uh for the amount of stops that would need to be made in our streets, and I voted against it when it had specific bicycle enforcement provisions in there.

Uh I'm inclined to have hope that we are uh reaching a new day here uh with this grant and uh with our new administration.

Um so with the with the assurances that are in here for non-enforcement activities, uh I am tempted to give it a shot this year, uh, Mr.

Chair, but uh with the clear understanding that I know that our constituents are uh not confused uh about when their money uh when when public money goes to uh let's say uh activities that they don't feel makes them safer in uh in their cycling and pedestrian activity.

So um I I think I'm willing to give this one a shot this year, uh Ms.

Chair, uh, but uh I will be keeping my eye on it, and I'm sure my constituents and neighbors will not be quiet about it.

Uh thank you for your for your patience, and let me ask a few clarification clarifying questions here.

Thank you.

Absolutely happy to have your contribution, Counselor Scott.

Counselor Link.

Uh I just do want to call we we mentioned uh through through the chair um that we we've talked a bit about um enforcement through citation, but there's also enforcement through warnings.

Um and those I think even though they might not bring a financial penalty, um, they still have the same um action uh you know, of um discouraging people from doing things that um sometimes that I guess frequently are things we don't want them to do, but um, in the one situation that I talked about where um if there's a I think I think of for example, um the uh what is it?

So um uh prospect and uh uh Webster uh that intersection where it's uh a fully um signalized stop.

I wouldn't want to see um if people are letting pedestrians go first.

I would not want to see um you know cyclists given a warning not to do that.

Um so it doesn't sound like that's what we're gonna do.

Um, but I just want to say that part out loud as well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilor Lank.

Um any other contributions from other members of the committee.

Um I have uh a question or two I wanted to ask as well.

Um to uh to Director Wisdom and Lieutenant Holland.

Um I had a chance to uh to speak with uh director wisdom um earlier uh to ask some questions.

Um I've been learning a little bit more about this item and watching the the discussion from last year.

Uh one of the things I wanted to ask about that I didn't have a chance to um to look into before was the uh the safety supplies.

Um first of all, I'm I'm just curious, you know, the the bicycling safety supplies, uh, what kinds of supplies uh have those been?

Um and do you anticipate those being?

And um I'm just curious to ask more about uh the the supplies for last year's grant.

Um were those handed out and uh uh and when were those handed out.

So I I will say um, Mr.

Chair, that the person who handed out um the uh supplies last year, he's currently out on leave.

And so we can't I can't ask him exactly when that they were handed out, but they um they have to be purchased by March and handed out during the campaigns.

Um so I could eat probably um find some historical data and submit it to you in a memo um following this meeting for that information on exactly when those um those items were distributed, but we intend to distribute similar items this year.

Um I know that I I think it's mentioned in the grant application what the items are.

Um I have that there will be helmets, there will be some um bracelets that I'm told I think light up that we've purchased over the last two years.

Um give me just one second here.

I have that.

Uh so yes, the safety pamphlets.

See it's in the goals.

One second.

I'm so sorry.

No, no problem.

And um, I don't mean to make you peruse the the application.

Um I uh I'm I'm you know more curious about uh you know the the practicality of handing those out, um, if that's something that the department finds easy to staff um to find officers who who want to be doing that.

Um and then uh sorry it and if you want to speak to that, please.

Uh I'd love to hear.

Sure.

Um I'll tell you the guys would much rather uh hand the stuff out and be out there writing tickets um and and doing enforcement.

Um so those those assignments get get scooped up right away.

Um last year, I believe they were doing them on the community path where for the for the bikes, and they were out there with helmets and light up bracelets and some lights for bicycles.

And if they saw people who didn't have them, and they had uh all uh safety pamphlets as well, and they would interact with them, give them give them what they had, hand them out to people, and then also the some officers had them on in their cruisers during their regular shift.

So if they saw a child riding without a helmet or uh something some they needed some light, they would uh get them what they needed.

Um and through the chair, just to follow up on Lieutenant Holland.

Um just uh I just wanted to confirm that we are purchasing 750 uh safety pamphlets, uh 660 pieces of bike safety equipment that include 500 lighted safety bracelets, 60 bicycle helmets, and a hundred bicycle light sets.

Thank you.

Um and then I wanted to ask one more question with apologies to other people who are waiting.

Uh about enforcement of uh of dangerous driving.

One thing that has been brought up to me by multiple residents in different parts of the city is that there are intersections where drivers uh frequently run red lights.

Um for example, uh one intersection that's been cited to me specifically is McGrath and Pearl.

But you know, I'm sure people who do more studying our traffic patterns could name others.

Um I'm I'm curious the overall approach that the department is taking to the the driver safety uh enforcement component of this, because you know, I know there are there are many people in the city who feel like um you don't have to wait very long to see dangerous driving.

And sometimes uh it can be confusing to know why we see that happen so many times uh with you know and and less frequently see a driver pulled over.

So the location um will be selected through our uh past citation data where most citations were issued of violation scene through um complaints we received through the city and from the constituents.

Uh we have several different ways of of um getting notified of a problem areas, and then through crash data that we have, and then we also allow the officers to give their input of what they see when they're out there.

So if there's any specific areas you'd like to see enforced, uh feel free to let us know and we'll add them to our location.

Thanks.

I I'm, you know, I'm really happy to hear about that kind of multi-pronged uh you know, information-based approach, which I'm sure gives you better information about where to go than you know, a sort of idle anecdotal approach.

Um Counselor Strezzo.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Here I am.

Hello.

Um, yeah, here's my here's my menu, um, Mr.

Chair, through you to Lieutenant.

Um Helen, how about this?

I see um I see we're going to just go right at it because yes, uh I I have seen a lot of just uh blips of one week of traffic enforcement or just monitoring and then not um on Broadway, the bus lanes are never are are infrequently monitored and people speed uh consistently through them uh much because it's supposed to be uh a bus bike lane.

So that is incredibly dangerous.

And also when we talk about cyclists and pedestrians um hopefully never meeting.

Um yes, absolutely.

We don't want cyclists to be uh to go through citations.

However, there's also the actuality of numerous residents being very feeling very vulnerable in pedestrian um crosswalks, because they are sometimes cyclists do speed through and either dodge them in in pedestrian um crosswalks when the pedestrians have the right of way.

And um with that, I've heard consistently that sometimes um, like with older residents, they don't have the ability to just quickly dodge a cyclist that's um going around them in an intersection with traffic.

So that is very much a real concern.

Yeah, I don't want uh cyclists to be uh to to have citations, but there are some um it is not a broad stroke of 100% uh blanket statement that that doesn't happen.

And we have to bring that into acknowledgement.

Um and yeah, most cyclists are just fine, but that does happen.

Another issue um I am bringing forward that consistently has to be addressed, and I will be bringing it up this year, is the intersection on vinyl and Highland Avenue, because cars should not be driving into that pedestrian crosswalk.

And consistently the city has not addressed the fact, despite the fact there are too two no-turn left signs uh onto from the high school exit drop-off area to um the the crosswalk.

So putting that out there, you asked for my menu items, and there they are.

And yes.

Uh you just explained the vinyl and highland one again.

I'm just writing it down.

Vinyl and Highland, right in front of Somerville High School.

Right.

Two years to get a crossing guard, and blessedly, he's now there and there every day.

And I'm so happy to hear him.

I'm his biggest fan, he doesn't even know me.

And then also uh, but we still have uh cars that drive consistently into that crosswalk where we have teens and um pedestrians and parents walking their toddlers to the daycare and teachers walking into the high school.

Um cars directly turn into the path of the pedestrian crosswalk, and they're not supposed to be turning left there at any time.

But I see it consistently happening day after day after day.

Okay.

Thank you.

Counselor Hart.

Thank you.

I just wanted to, if I can add in one other situation here in Ward 7.

Um through you, Chair to Lieutenant Holland.

Um the the in front of the fire station in Teal Square is an area where people often do not stop at the red light and putting the crossing guards in danger.

And I've heard from families um walking their kids to school that it's a very dangerous intersection.

So be awesome to get more enforcement um of that intersection.

Thank you.

Okay.

So if um there's no other counselors with uh with comments or questions, um the the sense that I'm getting is that um though the committee has uh some concerns about um about the approach to enforcement, uh I'm I'm hearing um a sense of encouragement that the police department has been really hearing uh the community's concerns about um making sure that any bicycle-related um kind of handling from uh from the department is really focused on the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians uh and not on uh a sort of um arbitrary feeling uh enforcement of rules that bicyclists may be strictly speaking, sometimes violating, um, you know, such as the Idaho stop, which isn't officially legal in Massachusetts, but which often uh cyclists are doing for the purpose of safety.

The sense that I'm getting is that though the committee has uh some concerns about um about the approach to enforcement, uh I'm I'm hearing um a sense of encouragement that the police department has been really hearing uh the community's concerns about um making sure that any bicycle related um kind of handling from uh from the department is really focused on the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians uh and not on uh a sort of um arbitrary feeling uh enforcement of rules that bicyclists may be strictly speaking, sometimes violating, um, you know, such as the Idaho stop, which isn't officially legal in Massachusetts, but which often uh cyclists are doing for the purpose of safety.

Uh uh I do want to mention I have also seen a cyclist pulled over um for going through a red light at a T intersection where um there was there was no cars or or pedestrians in the way uh that cyclists would was then let go with a warning.

But um as Counselor Link pointed out, um, even being pulled over and detained and given a warning um can be uh deeply inconvenient and a frightening experience, and especially in the environment where there are people um fearful of what being in the system could mean uh for immigration status, for example.

I just want to emphasize the importance of being incredibly cautious with that um to um to our representatives from the police department.

Thank you.

We understand.

Thank you so much.

Um so with that said, the the sense that I'm getting is that the committee would like to also lay this item on the table uh to be approved in a vote at the end of the meeting.

Uh Mr.

Chair, move to approve.

Thank you.

Um point of order.

Uh I'm not sure if that's something that then gets a second and a roll call.

Uh Clerk Fisher.

Just in case.

Thank you.

Um, Councillor Scott.

Thank you, Ms.

Chair.

Uh, according to the rules of city council, uh, motions made in committee don't require a second.

However, once the motion is made, there's an item before us, so uh we can discuss the motion.

It could be withdrawn.

Uh it could be laid on the table still uh for a vote at the end of the meeting, or you can take a roll call right now if you'd like.

Um I appreciate the motion to approve.

Um, why don't we take a roll call on this item right now, if that's okay with the rest of the council.

Okay.

Uh Clerk Trishworth, thank you.

Yep.

Um on item number two, ID 25-1801 on recommending approval.

Counselor Link.

Yes.

Counselor Strezzo, yes.

Counselor Hart.

Yes.

Counselor Scott.

Yes.

Chair Wheeler.

Yes.

All right, with that, that is all those in the affirmative.

Thank you so much.

Um Clerk.

Um, so with the appreciation to our uh police guests.

Oh, yeah, okay, great.

I was going to uh make sure you know uh you should feel free to uh to leave the meeting, or if you're interested, please feel free to stay.

Thank you so much, Cher.

Have a good evening.

Okay, take care.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming.

Um Clerk.

Uh, in regard to items three and four, I note they're tightly related.

Uh would you please read them into the record together so they can be taken up in a single discussion?

Or um sorry, you said I read those into the record, so I'll deviate from my script.

Uh why don't I read those into the record?

Um they are item three, ID 26054, a housing bridge pilot for seniors.

Um item four, ID 260053, um, also the housing bridge pilot for seniors, um, a continuation uh with uh just a different distinct grant.

Um so uh for the first, the mayor's requesting approval to accept and expend a 20,000 grant with no new match required from the executive office of housing and livable communities to the Office of Housing Stability for the Housing Bridge Pilot Program for Seniors.

For the second item, the mayor's requesting approval to accept and expand a 200,000 dollar grant with no new match required from the executive office of housing and livable communities to the Office of Housing Stability for the continuation of the short-term housing bridge pilot program.

Um we have uh director of housing stability Ellen Schacter here.

Director Schechter, could you please tell us about these grants?

I absolutely can.

Thank you, Chair.

Um so this is a program which started in FY 20 uh 25.

It is a pilot program.

I think uh some of you have heard me talk about this, but for a statewide effort, we're trying to get past through the state house, um, which essentially funds housing for seniors for a very temporary period of time between the time in which they are no longer able to pay rent until they are able to access permanent affordable housing.

And our legislative effort is to get this to happen statewide.

I think some of you may know that older adults are the fastest growing group of the homeless.

Homelessness went up 13% for older adults between 2023 and 2024.

So, and I think a 39% of the lowest income renters in the Commonwealth are seniors.

So for all of these reasons, we really tried to focus on this group and have done this with this pilot program.

What we do essentially is that we get referrals from five different agencies that work with seniors, including my own organization.

We look at folks that have priority for housing, meaning they will be housed sometime within maybe six months to 18 months.

And then it's a program of rental assistance, and we also help uh to screen people for other kinds of benefits that they might be eligible for.

Last year, through funding from the state, we had 100,000 in funding.

And through the program at that time, we were able to assist eight uh eight older adult households, all of whom either remained in their home or have now transitioned into permanent affordable housing.

This year for this grant, which actually runs from July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026.

So we're halfway through the grant cycle.

We did get slightly more than doubling of the grant.

Um the two grants represent two parts of the program.

The first grant, which you can see for a $20,000 match, goes directly to the administrative uh administrative costs of the grant.

And the second grant, which you see is $200,000, goes essentially primarily to rental assistance for older adults.

Um last year we've already now started taking some new folks on in this year.

Um, and we will continue to do so provided that these grants are approved.

And one thing I will say, I know a number of you have heard about the problem of financing for um budget, sorry, of funding for permanent supportive housing.

We are now accepting five older adults on the permanent supportive housing who are losing that subsidy, and they're going to be transitioning into our program.

So it's really important to us.

The program is a great program, and it's really important that we have very good statistics because we are using them daily to try to have this program expanded statewide.

Um thank you to Senator Jalen, who we know will not be here in the next session, but for really providing a lot of leadership on this issue and helping us to get this funding for the pilot program.

Thank you so much, Director Shachtter.

Um I'm sorry, Counselor Strezzo, I see a hand from uh Yasmin Radasi, uh Intergovernmental Affairs, intergovernmental affairs.

Um Yasmin, would you uh please speak?

I'm just not sure if there's a point of order.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

I just wanted to add to uh Director Shachter's excellent description.

I just wanted to clarify that these uh both these grants are part of the FY26 state local earmarks.

So they were set aside for uh local earmarks by our state delegation as part of the FY26 state budget process.

That's all I wanted to add.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um Councilor Strezzo, I saw your hand first before.

Super.

First in line.

Thank you very much.

Pulposition.

Uh Mr.

Chair, through you too, uh, Director Shachter.

Welcome.

Hi, it's nice to see you in another committee.

Uh happy 2026.

Um, Director, just a few questions on this.

Um, are they single um household member households, or are um are they two members?

Uh, but what are you seeing?

What is the trend of this?

Or is there no um through the chair?

Yes, there's some some data around this.

So far, last year with the first eight participants we had in the program, six were single um single adults, one was an adult couple, and one was a single adult with a disabled adult child.

So we are able to go beyond just the single um adult families to those that have head of households that are seniors.

Obviously, the more people there are, the more expensive usually the housing is, so the more of the budget that gets taken up with larger households, but those are all things that we consider as we're making selections for who will participate in the program.

Um but we're really happy that we could go beyond, we could go, you know, we could assist in uh a variety of types of household configurations.

Uh thank you, Director Shachter.

Um Mr.

Chair, through you um.

Are these Somerville residents or are I saw that uh Cass is referring as well, or there's a uh uh a partnership with that?

Are these all Somerville residents or are they residents uh throughout the Commonwealth that are seeking um any place and land in Somerville?

So thank you through the chair.

That's a great question.

Um these are all Somerville residents primarily, and just so you know the sources, some of the other sources of referrals come from protective services offices at Somerville Cambridge Elder Services, through the Council on Aging in Somerville, through OHS, CAS, and the Somerville Homeless Coalition and Legal Services.

So those are the entities that we've been doing outreach to to get, you know, to have people placed within the program.

And I was especially pleased to be able to place some of the people in the protective services program.

Um, because for anybody who doesn't know, that's the protective services program is where people basically file concerns for seniors that they are at risk and in some kind of danger.

And so this is a way to stabilize some of those folks that are identified as having the highest risk in their current situation, typically the highest risk of being displaced or homelessness.

Uh Mr.

Chair, through you to Director Schecker, thank you for that.

Uh, and that's exciting to hear this progress that uh we're really creating that safety net.

Last question, and thanks for indulging me.

Um is there this is a pilot.

Is there any talk or commitment that this will be a permanent um just safety net, no longer a pilot evolving into the next phase.

Um, thank you for that really important question, too.

Um unfortunately the state money that we get uh is is earmarked on an annual basis.

It's currently in the form of a pilot.

And as you heard from um, you know, from uh legislative staff that it was done at the request of Senator Jalen.

Also, I should add that the 20,000 administrative grant here was at the request of Representative Uderhoven.

So that also that she still remains.

So I think it really is subject to annual appropriation.

But what we are trying to do, hopefully, is to, and I hope you know you guys will all be thinking about this as the budget proceeds.

But as part of our affordable housing, um, as part of our flexible rental assistance through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that we're hoping to get refunded beyond this year, we would attempt, if there isn't state funding, we would attempt to set aside a portion of those funds to continue this program, if at all possible.

The last thing we want to do is have this pilot looked up by the legislature to show us that this isn't working because we stopped funding people and they became homeless.

So we're really trying to identify ways to make sure that folks in this program remain housed.

When we got our first year of funding, we set aside six months prospectively of funding from this affordable housing specific uh affordable housing trust fund rental assistance program, so that we could guarantee seniors at least six months beyond the funds that we knew we had available, and we would try to do that again.

Our hope is that either there would be another earmark next year or eventually that the program would go statewide and there would be a permanent uh permanent access for these resources.

I couldn't promise if it would be our office then who was contracting, but the important thing would be that somebody was doing the work for older adults, regardless of whether that's through our office or through someone else.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

And uh fingers crossed.

Thank you.

Um I'm gonna move to Counselor Scott.

Uh thank you, Ms.

Chair.

Uh, you know, I don't have any questions about, you know, obviously, this is a great use of the money, and I'm glad we're doing it.

Uh hello, Director Shakter.

I guess my only question is I know that there's been a lot of chaos uh given the continuum of care grants.

Um and obviously our federal funding uh situation is horrific right now.

Is this one of the categories of service uh provision that normally might have been in that in some of those continuum of care grants is being impacted?

Is this us backfilling that or uh I just want to understand how this fits into the overall funding picture?

Thank you for that, counselor.

That's a really good question.

Um, so what our understanding was that the five people, Somerville Homeless Coalition is anticipating, even with the litigation that is pending to try to save uh some of the continuum of care funding that there is going to be a decrease of some kind in the amount of money that they have available for what they call for permanent supportive housing.

So these five residents are people that they have concluded they could no longer provide permanent supportive housing resources to.

So they would have been displaced.

I think they are getting no fault notices to quit.

And so we are trying to keep them in place so so that keep them in place through this program until they can get into permanent, hopefully public or subsidized housing in the city of Somerville.

So right now I would say we are taking we are taking those that they have identified, they will no longer be able to serve, keeping them in their house and making sure that they get permanent housing.

All right.

Well, I really appreciate that.

And I think it's an important one for people to be aware of that these are people who are currently housed who are being evicted from housing.

Uh because of the loss of this what's called the continuum of care grant.

Um we can probably go into that all night, Mr.

Chair.

Uh we'll put that on our later agenda.

Um so I just I I think it's important for folks to understand how absolutely this is a diving catch being done by your office in the city of Somerville.

And it's one that I know I wholeheartedly support, and I feel confident most of my colleagues do as well.

So uh thank you for coming with this.

Uh, and thank you for as always for trying to find innovative ways to make sure our neighbors stay housed.

Um, Ms.

Chair, I'm I'm ready to support this whenever whenever the rest of the committee is ready to move forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor Scott.

Uh Counselor Link, did you have uh questions or thoughts?

Uh Counselor Scott took my question.

Um but I guess I do I'll just uh since I'm speaking, I'll just say uh through the chair, um thank you so much, uh Director Scheidner for all this great work.

And from, you know, uh I'm I'm really excited to see uh this one get to support it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor Link.

Um just a brief comment echoing what I've heard from the other members of the committee.

Um I really appreciate, especially uh Director Schechter, you're talking about uh how your office works with so many community partners um to be making sure we are weaving a net that can support people who might otherwise be falling through the cracks and um and getting referrals, uh sourcing people, making sure that we're finding people who need this most.

Um I just I really appreciate that work.

Uh I'm I'm really happy to see uh, you know, it's not that 100,000 or 120,000 is not um a significant amount of money, or sorry, 220,000 is not a significant amount of money, but um, you know, in terms of the state budget, uh it's a relatively small amount of money.

And uh if it can make a difference in a number of people's lives and help them have more stable years in these these crucial years of their life, um, I think uh our whole community really benefits.

So thank you for that work.

Thank you.

Um sounds like people are ready to move on.

Um, this item is laid on the table to recommend approval at the end of the meeting.

Uh thank you so much, Director Schechter.

Thank you.

Appreciate your time.

Likewise.

Um, uh contracts and agreements.

Uh item five is ID 260011, Spring Hill Sewer Separation, an extension of that contract.

This is the mayor requesting approval of a time-only contract for three months with a new expiration date of March 31st, 2026 for Stantec Consulting Services Inc.

for design services for the Spring Hill Sewer Separation Project Project.

Um, we have Director uh Brian Postalweight from Engineering.

Uh Director Postal Wait, could you please walk us through this request?

Uh good evening, committee.

Uh thank you, Chair Wheeler, for letting us speak about this uh this request.

Um the the long and the short of this is the uh uh the contract, the construction project at Spring Hill uh completed last year.

Uh due to a few delays by the contractor in getting information to our consulting engineer.

Um, they were not able to provide us with the final documents for closeout, um, predominantly the Asville drawings for the project.

And uh we wanted to extend the contract for a few months so that they had the time to prepare the Asbill documents correctly and appropriately, uh, which then will be shared with the city um and we'll be able to update our records.

Um but due to the timing, uh their contract ended at the end of the calendar year, and we needed a few months to, or they needed a few months to complete that effort.

Uh, this is work that the Stantec was already contracted to do.

They have the budget to do it.

Uh, they just need the time to spend the money to finish their work.

Thank you, Director Postalwaite.

Um, any comments or questions from the committee?

Uh Counselor Streza.

Sure.

Thank you.

Uh first time finance committee member.

Um, long time fan.

Um, Ms.

Ms.

Chair through you to Director Postalwait.

So can is this common that this sort of snag of of three additional months would uh happen?

Uh through the chair, uh, counselor.

Typically, we keep enough time in the contract to complete this amount of work.

Um this is has been a very long project with uh a lot of uh uh detours along the way.

And uh we were hoping that we would be able to get it done.

We didn't want to uh extend the contract prematurely, but here we are.

We need to finish this component of it, have the money to do the work.

We just need the time because we're not allowed to spend money after the contract's officially over.

Um, even if we have it in the budget.

So it isn't typical, but it also isn't unusual um to request for a time extension, especially a time expansion, time extension with no change in budget.

Okay.

Uh director, uh Mr.

Chair through you to director.

Um, I'm gonna hop back, uh, let uh my colleagues hop ahead of me in line.

And if I have further questions on this, I'm going to uh I want to hear what they have to say in this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Counselor Streso.

Counselor Scott.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh and this is just uh actually uh I I think maybe I was remiss.

Welcome to everybody.

I think everybody is brand new onto the finance committee here, uh except for me.

So uh got a full house uh as the uh suppose grizzled veteran.

I will say that time-only extensions like this are not wildly uncommon.

If I had a dollar for every time we'd done a time-only contract extension, um well, I'd probably have a significant percentage increase in my salary, but that's just because we get paid so little.

Uh no, it but it's not entirely uncommon.

And uh and especially for these things where it's a time only extension, we're not putting any taxpayers on the hook.

Uh, and it does occasionally provide a nice uh opportunity for folks to ask questions about just what's been going on with the project and where it's going next.

So um I I like this particular wrinkle of municipal governance that says, hey, if we're if we need to extend the contract, we have to come to the city council to explain what's going on.

Uh but in this case, it doesn't actually uh generate any concern for me.

Um so uh thank you, Director Postweight for being here tonight.

You're very welcome, Counselor Scott.

Any questions or comments from anyone else?

Oh, uh Counselor Streso.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Chair.

On that, uh, through Counselor Scott, thank you for that.

Much appreciated.

Um always love a little refresh button.

And um and and yes, very much appreciated and looking forward the fun going forward.

Thank you, Counselor Strezzo.

Uh I just wanted to add, uh let's keep separating those sewers.

Uh thank you so much for your work on that, Director Postalwaite and your whole department.

You're very welcome.

Um that item is laid on the table to recommend approval.

Uh thank you for joining us.

All right.

Have a good evening.

You too.

Thank you.

Um, item six, ID 2608, the SMEU Unit B memorandum of agreement.

Uh, this is the mayor requesting approval of a transfer of 103,421 from the salary contingency account to various departmental personal services accounts to fund a memorandum of agreement with the Somerville Municipal Employees Union Unit B.

Uh we have Matt Sirigu, labor counselor from the law department.

Uh Mr.

Sirigu, first of all, please tell me, am I saying your name, how you prefer it to be said?

Yeah.

Uh Chair through you, yes.

Yes, this is a very great expert amongst the ones I've heard in my life.

So, yes, thank you for asking.

Mr.

Sirigo, could you please explain this transfer request?

Uh yes, thank you, uh, Mr.

Chair, through you.

So this is a follow-up to the unit B SMU unit B contract we settled last year as part of that collective bargaining agreement successor agreement.

There was a provision impacting employees' uh vacation time and the uh new rules around accrual and a cap on the amount of vacation time employees can carry over from one year to the next.

Uh there was uh multiple interpretations of that language, you might say.

And we so we got together with the union and hammered out this MOA so that no employees would lose vacation time and there would be no disagreement going forward about how vacation time would be carried over.

The goal being, however, that going forward employees will only carry over three weeks at most from one calendar year to the next.

Uh, but acknowledging that there are some employees based on a variety of circumstances, positions, COVID uh factors within and beyond their control that who don't know that that don't necessarily have not historically used all the vacation time that they were eligible for.

So through this MOA, we are paying out uh uh a lot of that vacation time for the employees with exceptional with large vacation balances.

Uh then there are some folks who you might say are in the middle who were giving a couple years to draw that time down, and then there's uh some folks who just generally based on tenure accrue a lot of time and were awarded two additional weeks of time this calendar year uh by the terms of that MOA.

And so they're allowed to use additional more time than the contract would otherwise permit in calendar year 2026.

Uh the overall goal here is that uh no employee lose vacation time, but but going forward, there aren't people with large accumulations of vacation time, uh, as that's an accounting nightmare, both for HR and the finance department.

Thank you so much.

Uh counselors uh on the committee.

Anyone have questions or comments for Mr.

Crigo.

Okay.

Um then uh with thanks for your coming.

This item is laid on the table uh to recommend approval at the end of the meeting.

And thank you for joining us and for your patience.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Uh last item of the evening is item seven, uh, community budget hearing logistics.

Um this is uh yeah, I forget how this is written in the agenda.

Um let me just make sure I'm reading it correctly.

I am not seeing a seventh item on the agenda.

Oh, um, that's interesting.

Um the clerk's office uh sent a an agenda with that seventh item on it, but maybe that was just sent via email and that was not officially updated.

Uh this item was going to be a discussion of the community budget hearing.

Um now for um open meeting law purposes.

I do not want us to be discussing something that uh was not publicized.

Um uh I'm not sure if this falls under um an area where there is an exception because this is purely a logistical matter and not an area of deliberation.

Um counselor Scott.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Chair.

If you have uh a scheduling announcement to make or a plan you would like to communicate to the public and to members of the committee, you can do that if you'd like to have a discussion about preferred methods for proceeding.

Uh that might be better to wait until you have a separate item.

But if you just have announcements to make generally it's been accepted.

Thank you.

Um Counselor Stretzel, I saw you unmute.

Yeah, I yes.

Uh thank you.

Uh, Mr.

Chair, can we move to approve the items before us and then go on to uh maybe announcements, a suggestion?

Thank you.

I love that suggestion.

Thank you.

Um I think that's a great idea.

Uh I'm not quite sure.

Uh Clerk, what what do I say in order to move that forward?

Um, shall we uh take a roll call on the items on the table?

Yep.

So that is the items I've been laid on the table to recommend approval.

That is items number one, three and four together, five and six.

Counselor Link.

Yes.

Counselor Strazzo, yes.

Counselor Hart.

Yes.

Counselor Scott.

Yes, please.

Chair Wheeler.

Yes.

All right, with that, that is all of us in the affirmative.

Thank you so much.

Um, so now uh we could move on to any announcements directed at the entire public.

Um does anyone have anything to announce before I discuss the community budget hearing or before I announce it.

Um thank you.

Uh okay, so uh our committee will be hosting a uh a community budget hearing on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026 at 6 p.m.

on that day.

And in addition to it being required, I am very excited that we will be hosting it.

The idea is to invite everyone from the Somerville community, any resident in Somerville, to come and to speak directly to the finance committee, as well as to everyone else watching and listening about priorities that they would like to see valued and included in the budget for this next fiscal year.

So we really encourage everyone to participate.

And anyone who is part of community groups, networks, religious organizations, social organizations, parent groups, school groups, please help get the word out.

We would really like to invite as many people from all over Somerville and all the different ways that the city is diverse to come and to participate.

And there is going to be live simultaneous translation in Spanish and Portuguese with additional languages available on request.

If there's anyone who would like to request interpretation in an additional language besides Spanish and Portuguese, there's an email address that you can reach out to, or you can call 311.

We do need at least seven days advanced notice before the event to arrange that interpretation.

The email address is LanguageAccess, all one word, at Summerville MA.gov.

Language Access at Summerville MA.gov.

Or you can call 311 to request an additional language.

So if those are languages that anyone uh wants to make sure will be included, they're already definitely going to be included with live simultaneous translation.

Um I just wanted to encourage all the members of the committee, uh, all uh the members of our community groups and our nonprofit partners uh and everyone in the city uh to help us um really invite in as many people as possible.

Uh someone does not need to be a registered voter to participate, just someone who calls Somerville home.

Um so whoever you are, whatever your community and your needs, we want to hear what's most important to you.

Uh thank you.

Um do any other members of the committee have anything to add on on that announcement or any other announcement?

Well, thank you so much, everyone.

Um I appreciate everyone's uh everyone's participation and support.

And uh I'm excited for this committee.

Um that brings us to the end of tonight's agenda.

Uh do I hear a motion to adjourn?

Um do we need that?

I guess we do not need seconds this for the something I learned today.

Now I know.

Um thank you again, Clerk, for your support and for previously reading the agenda uh item numbers that were up for approval.

Um I think that's everything.

That's everything, and have a great night, everyone.

So we do need to do a roll call for adjournment.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

We need to roll call for adjournment.

Love it.

All right, on adjournment.

Counselor Link.

Yes.

Counselor Strezzo, yes.

Counselor Hart.

Yes.

Counselor Scott.

Yes, please.

Chair Wheeler.

Yes.

All right, with that, it is 7 07 p.m.

and we are adjourned.

Thanks, everyone.

Have a great night.

Thank you, everyone.