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Record of Proceedings

Somerville City Council Meeting: September 10, 2026 – Approvals, Zoning Amendments, and Civilian Oversight Update

Meeting Portal — Thursday, September 10, 2026
BodySomerville, Massachusetts
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, September 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:38:05

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Recording in progress.

0:04

All right, good evening, everyone.

0:05

I'm gonna call this meeting to order.

0:07

This is a meeting of the city council.

0:08

It is Thursday, September 10th.

0:09

My name is Lance Davis.

0:10

I use he him pronouns presiding over the council this evening.

0:14

Um first off, welcome everyone who may have strolled up here from Civic Day.

0:19

We are thrilled to be the um headline event of Civic Day for the for the first year ever.

0:25

Sadly, all of our costumes and our and our uh our backup dancers got uh stuck in traffic, so we won't have a big song and dance opening number for you, but maybe we'll work on that for next year.

0:35

Um, but but welcome.

0:36

I'm glad that folks are here to uh to watch uh legislation happen uh in in live exciting, thrilling action.

0:42

Um please note that audio and video of this meeting is being recorded and may be shown on live local access government channels in the city of Summerville website and will be available for future review.

0:53

Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?

0:55

This is roll call.

0:56

Councilor Ewing Campen.

0:57

Here, Councilor Link.

0:58

Here, Councillor Scott.

1:00

Present.

1:00

Councillor Klingon.

1:01

Present.

1:02

Councilor Straszo, present.

1:03

Counselor Said.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Councillor Wheeler.

1:06

Here.

1:06

Councilor Hart.

1:07

Here.

1:08

Councilor McLaughlin.

1:09

Yeah.

1:09

Council Mba?

1:10

President.

1:11

And President Davis.

1:12

Here.

1:12

With 11 members present, we have quorum.

1:14

All right, thank you.

1:15

Uh pursuant to our Rule 32.

1:16

Let it be known that the City Council salutes the flag of the United States of America and let us recall our oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth to the best of our abilities and understanding.

1:26

We begin our meetings with a moment of silence.

1:28

Are there any members wishing to recognize members of the community this evening?

1:30

Councilor Ba, go ahead.

1:34

Thank you.

1:34

Thank you, Mr.

1:35

President.

1:35

I will like to ask us for a moment of silence in honor of the beloved community member.

1:42

You know who we lost last week.

1:44

V.

1:44

Gendra Kuma Prahan would lived on Bradley Street, was the pillar of New England's Nepali American community and an embodiment of the American dream.

1:58

A native of Trishuli, Nepal.

2:02

He moved here as a young man, working jobs such as taxi driver, cook, and most recently, mechanic for the Cambridge Housing Authority.

2:13

In his spare time, he walked to celebrate and bring together the Nepalese community.

2:19

He was the president of the Newah organization of New England, which works to preserve and celebrate Newar culture.

2:28

He was a proud husband and father, and also a dear friend, mentor, and uncle to so many people in our city and beyond.

2:39

Thank you.

2:40

Any others?

2:41

Councillor Strazzo.

2:42

Uh Councilor Kling would like to sign on to that one.

2:44

Councillor Shezo.

2:52

She passed away on Thursday, August 27th.

2:56

And uh she was the cherished daughter of the late Edwin and Marion Davidson.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Public Safety██████████████15%
Labor Relations███████8%
Zoning Regulations█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Works Budget███3%
Homelessness███3%
Public Health██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Somerville City Council Regular Meeting – September 10, 2026

The Somerville City Council met on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chamber and via remote participation. The meeting included approval of resolutions supporting striking workers and disease awareness, adoption of zoning amendments for homeless shelters and housing incentives, a detailed update on the civilian oversight initiative, and the acceptance of resignations from two councilors. The council also approved multiple grants, fund transfers, public event licenses, and referred a series of zoning amendments to committee. An executive session on collective bargaining was held from 8:05 PM to 9:22 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of July 9, 2026: Approved.
  • Committee Reports: Finance Committee report (September 3, 2026) approved, including 14 items: seven grant acceptances, two fund transfers, two fund appropriations, one prior-year invoice payment, and creation of one stabilization fund. Land Use Committee report (September 3, 2026) approved, recommending the Urban Center Housing Tax Increment Financing (UCH-TIF) Zone and a zoning amendment for homeless shelters. School Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee report (September 8, 2026) approved, with three items marked work completed.
  • Mayor’s Communications: Welcoming Week proclamation (September 10–19, 2026) placed on file; International Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day (September 15, 2026) proclamation placed on file; appointments to the Somerville Arts Council Board (Lena Warnke, Josh Breeden, Sharon Lacey, Bess Paupeck) and Ranked Choice Voting Committee (Christopher Oates) placed on file.
  • Public Event Licenses (9.1–9.10, 10.3, 10.4): Approved en bloc, including Theatre@First, Saint Benedict Parish, 21st Honk! Festival, Bow Market Renaissance Faire, Gobble Gobble Gobble Road Race, City Hall Truck O’ Treat, 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, and Junkyard Davis Square.
  • Licenses: New drainlayer’s licenses (Valor Excavation, Knight Excavation), new livery license (Lubana Coach), new secondhand dealer licenses (Somerville Communications, The Heartland Roadshow), and renewal of taxi medallion licenses (Country Club Transportation) all approved.
  • Prior-Year Invoices: Approved for Fire Department ($1,687.50) and Immigrant Advancement ($19.76).
  • Block Party Licenses: Placed on file.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jim Nolan (Ward 1 resident, 485 Foley Street): Spoke about his experience with myotonic dystrophy, misdiagnosed for almost 20 years, and thanked the council for raising awareness. (Item 4.1)
  • James Atkins (chief steward, Local 25; 10-year Somerville resident): Described difficulty making ends meet despite full-time work at Encore Boston Harbor, noting 1,300 workers on strike. Called on the city to pass the resolution. (Item 4.2)
  • Freddie Sanchez Vasquez (chef at Encore, Somerville resident): Stated striking workers are asking to be paid according to the value of their work. (Item 4.2)
  • Bruce Schulman (written comments): Submitted comments regarding snow emergencies. (Item 9.11)
  • Marianne Walles (written comments): Submitted comments regarding Zoning Ordinance Sections 3.1.7c, 3.1.8c, etc., referred to Land Use Committee. (Item 9.12)
  • Tufts University President (written comments): Submitted in support of a fair resolution for an international graduate student. (Item 10.7)

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 4.1 – Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day: Councilor McLaughlin sponsored the resolution. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne spoke about the disease affecting 1 in 2,100 people (approximately 40 Somerville residents). Jim Nolan shared his personal story. The resolution was approved unanimously with additional councilors signing on. (Discussed jointly with item 7.20)
  • Resolution 4.2 – Support for Striking Encore Boston Harbor Workers: Councilor Clingan noted 319 Local 25 members and 723 Local 26 members live in Somerville, with 58 working at Encore. James Atkins and Freddie Sanchez testified. Councilors Ewen-Campen, McLaughlin, Link, Scott, Mbah, Sait, and Wheeler spoke in support. The resolution was approved with all councilors signing on.
  • Resolutions 4.3 & 4.4 – Street Restoration and Preservation Offset Fee: Councilor Clingan proposed reviewing the city’s street-opening moratorium (currently five years) and establishing a pavement-degradation fee modeled on Cambridge’s program. Approved and sent to the Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Resolutions 4.5 & 4.6 – Construction Timelines and Best Practices: Councilor Clingan called for exploring tools like A+B bidding and liquidated damages to ensure timely completion of municipal projects. Approved and sent to the Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Civilian Oversight Update (Item 7.21): Jon Hillman, Public Safety for All Project Manager, presented history and timeline. Key documents include the 2021 Council resolution, 2023 community workshops, and the 2025 Task Force Report. Councilors emphasized the need for meaningful oversight, including investigatory and subpoena power, access to information, a strong disciplinary role, and adequate funding. The item was placed on file, with the administration to return with a more formal proposal. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for October.
  • Warming Center After Action Report (Item 8.1): Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Amanda Nagim-Williams explained the city intends to use Cummings School again this winter while seeking other locations. Councilors raised concerns about capacity, queuing on Prescott Street, and street harassment reported by abutters. The item was placed on file and sent to the Public Health and Public Safety Committee for discussion on September 30.
  • Zoning Amendments (Items 7.2–7.7, 10.1): A series of amendments were referred to the Land Use Committee for a public hearing on October 1. Topics include correcting parking maximums, removing ground story elevation requirements, streamlining review board jurisdiction, aligning with state law on accessory dwelling units, clarifying principal entrance requirements, and updating terminology for affordable units. Councilor Link’s supplemental amendment (10.1) on ground story elevation was referred together with 7.3.
  • Zoning Amendment – Homeless Shelters (Item 6.B.3): The ordinance was ordained as amended. It allows homeless shelters by right in most residential zones (requiring a neighborhood meeting) and by special permit in neighborhood residence zones. Councilor Davis explained the compromise after committee discussion.
  • Urban Center Housing TIF Zone (Item 6.B.2): Approved (10-0-1, Councilor Strezo absent). The zone covers parts of Assembly Square and East Somerville, allowing projects to negotiate partial tax relief in exchange for affordable housing.
  • Finance Committee Referrals (Items 7.8–7.15): Waived and referred to the Finance Committee, including appropriations for immigrant legal services ($350,000), Vision Zero ($255,045), and multiple grant acceptances for E911, health services, body armor, and prior-year DPW invoices ($80,852.95).
  • Armory Leases (Item 10.2): Referred to Finance Committee for commercial arts space at 191 Highland Avenue.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 4.1 (Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness) and 4.2 (Encore Strike Support): Both approved unanimously.
  • Resolutions 4.3–4.6 (Street restoration, preservation fee, construction timelines): Approved and sent to the Sustainability and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Committee Reports: Finance and Land Use reports accepted. Items 6.A.10 and 6.A.11 (Tufts Street soil remediation fund creation and appropriation) and 6.B.2 (UCH-TIF) passed by roll call: 10 ayes (Councilor Strezo absent).
  • Zoning Ordinance – Homeless Shelters (6.B.3): Ordained as amended by roll call: 10 ayes (Councilor Strezo absent).
  • Zoning Amendments (7.2, 7.4–7.7): Referred to Land Use Committee.
  • Ground Story Elevation Amendments (7.3 & 10.1): Referred to Land Use Committee.
  • Civilian Oversight Update (7.21): Placed on file; administration to present formal proposal at a future meeting, with a public hearing in October.
  • Warming Center Report (8.1): Placed on file and referred to Public Health and Public Safety Committee for September 30.
  • Executive Session (7.1): Approved to discuss collective bargaining; no votes taken.
  • Resignations: Councilors Ewen-Campen and Scott each submitted irrevocable resignations effective December 31, 2026. President Davis will place an order on the next agenda for a special election to fill the vacancies.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. All right, good evening, everyone. I'm gonna call this meeting to order. This is a meeting of the city council. It is Thursday, September 10th. My name is Lance Davis. I use he him pronouns presiding over the council this evening. Um first off, welcome everyone who may have strolled up here from Civic Day. We are thrilled to be the um headline event of Civic Day for the for the first year ever. Sadly, all of our costumes and our and our uh our backup dancers got uh stuck in traffic, so we won't have a big song and dance opening number for you, but maybe we'll work on that for next year. Um, but but welcome. I'm glad that folks are here to uh to watch uh legislation happen uh in in live exciting, thrilling action. Um please note that audio and video of this meeting is being recorded and may be shown on live local access government channels in the city of Summerville website and will be available for future review. Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll? This is roll call. Councilor Ewing Campen. Here, Councilor Link. Here, Councillor Scott. Present. Councillor Klingon. Present. Councilor Straszo, present. Counselor Said. Here. Councillor Wheeler. Here. Councilor Hart. Here. Councilor McLaughlin. Yeah. Council Mba? President. And President Davis. Here. With 11 members present, we have quorum. All right, thank you. Uh pursuant to our Rule 32. Let it be known that the City Council salutes the flag of the United States of America and let us recall our oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the Commonwealth to the best of our abilities and understanding. We begin our meetings with a moment of silence. Are there any members wishing to recognize members of the community this evening? Councilor Ba, go ahead. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I will like to ask us for a moment of silence in honor of the beloved community member. You know who we lost last week. V. Gendra Kuma Prahan would lived on Bradley Street, was the pillar of New England's Nepali American community and an embodiment of the American dream. A native of Trishuli, Nepal. He moved here as a young man, working jobs such as taxi driver, cook, and most recently, mechanic for the Cambridge Housing Authority.

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