Two Chelsea City Council committees that meet in the unstreamed Committee Room 305 finished work on four orders in the week of September 21, according to minutes the city posted September 29. All four go back to the full council with positive recommendations: a new economic development chief, $26,546.88 in bills from past years, $116,942.80 in Uber and Lyft money for roads, and a contract for the city’s E-911 supervisors.
Where the $26,546.88 came from
Under state law, a city cannot pay a bill from a past fiscal year out of this year’s budget without a council vote. Order 26F40 asked for $26,546.88. At the Ways and Means committee on September 22, City Manager Fidel Maltez and Deputy City Manager Paul Sagarino explained each item:
- Public Works, $17,666.01 to Tufts Construction for lead pipe replacement ($4,636.01 and $13,030). Three invoices were never received before 2026, and one was sent back for an error and not resubmitted until 2026. The contracts were originally funded through the MWRA, and the minutes say the reimbursement window “has already been closed.”
- Human Resources, $8,288.87 to the state Department of Unemployment Assistance. The purchase order did not have enough money in it, because unemployment costs are hard to predict month to month.
- City Council, $542 to Ricoh for a copier lease. The minutes call trouble receiving Ricoh’s invoices “recurring,” and say Procurement will take it up.
- City Clerk, $50 for a newspaper advertisement. The payment packet needed a correction and the email was missed.
Correction: our September 22 story on these bills suggested that the Tufts Construction invoices had been dropped when a smaller list of old bills, Order 26F50, appeared on September 21. That was wrong. The two are separate orders; 26F40 went forward in full, with the explanations above. We have corrected that story. The September 22 minutes do not mention 26F50, the $12,505.14 order.
Uber and Lyft money for sidewalks
Order 26F39 moves $116,942.80 into this year’s streets and sidewalks capital line. The money comes from a state surcharge of 20 cents on every ride by companies like Uber and Lyft. Half goes back to cities based on how many rides start there, and it must be spent on the effects of those services on roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.
E-911 supervisors
Order 26F41 approves the cost of a contract with Teamsters Local 25 for the city’s E-911 supervisors, running January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027: a 1 percent raise for fiscal 2026 and 1.5 percent for fiscal 2027, higher stipends and longevity pay, and, for fiscal 2028, a one-time retention payment and job provisions tied to the move to a regional 911 center. It moves $13,500 from the salary reserve to cover this year.
All three passed Ways and Means 3-0, with committee chair Norieliz DeJesus, Council President Roberto Jimenez-Rivera and Lisa Santagate voting. The meeting lasted ten minutes.
An economic development chief
On September 21 the Committee on Conference took up Order 2661, which would let the city manager create the job of Chief Economic Development Officer and an Office of Economic Development under the manager. The council sent it to committee on September 14 at the request of Councillor Deron Hines, who asked Maltez to explain why a separate position is needed.
Maltez said that during budget hearings the council made clear it wanted to know which city staff were doing economic development work and whether they were doing it. After a review over the summer, the manager said, personnel matters were addressed, and a new exempt position reporting directly to the manager was the better choice, given the confidential nature of the work and the need for independent decisions. Most councillors seemed to want the city to do more “hand-holding” with developers, Maltez said, which is hard for the manager alone to do on top of daily duties.
Some members hoped the position would bring jobs and workforce training to Chelsea; others said its first task is attracting businesses. Members noted that Boston recently filled a similar position. Councillor Calvin Brown moved the positive recommendation, seconded by Councillor Todd Taylor, and it passed 7-0. Councillors Giovanni Recupero, Tanairi Garcia, Manuel Teshe and Kelly Garcia were absent.
The minutes do not give a salary for the new position. All four orders now wait for a vote of the full council.