This is an automatic transcript of the Chelsea City Council meeting of Monday, October 5, 2026, made from the Chelsea Community Cable livestream with speech recognition software. It has not been checked word for word against the recording. Speakers are not labelled, and some words and names will be wrong; we corrected councillors’ names and a few obvious errors and removed a personal phone number. Timestamps are approximate. For anything you plan to quote or rely on, check the video.
Our reports on this meeting: the low-income solar deal and everything else.
[0:08:33] good evening, everyonetak c Republic for which it stands, 1 nation. under God In the visible will liberty and Councilor Taylor. Here. Councilor Recupero. Here. Councilor Jimenez-Rivera is absent. Councilor Hines is absent. Councilor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councilor Teshe. Here. Councilor Kelly Garcia is absent. Councilor Santagate. Here. Councilor DeJesus. Present. Councilor Brown. Present. And Councilor Robinson is absent. Six members are present, five absent. You have a quorum. Members like to present. Thank you, Clerk. Let’s start off with memoriums and celebratory resolutions. First resolution before you, introduced by Councilors Recupero and Santagate for Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month, whereas Italian-American Heritage Month, first recognized by Congress in 1989, is commemorated every October across the United States to honor the extraordinary contributions of Italian and Sicilian immigrants and celebrate their enduring influence on our nation’s history, culture, and civic life.
[0:09:52] And whereas according to the 2023 American Community Survey, over 16 million Americans and nearly 11% of residents in Massachusetts claim Italian ancestry. And whereas the great wave of Italian migration began in the 1860s with thousands of immigrants from regions throughout Italy, including Liguria, Campania, Abruzzo, Sicily, and Lazio, making their homes in neighborhoods throughout Boston, including the North and East Boston, and in communities throughout greater Boston. And whereas despite experiencing economic hardship, barriers to full participation in American society and discrimination, most notably the lynching of 11 Sicilian Americans falsely accused of murdering the police chief of New Orleans in 1891, generations of Italian and Sicilian immigrants and their descendants persevered and made lasting contributions to our nation’s art, business, public institutions, and civic life. And whereas more than 100 years after the great wave of Italian migration, the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of those immigrants continue to honor the heritage their forefathers brought to the new homes here in the United States.
[0:10:55] And whereas Italian American Heritage Month provides an opportunity not only to celebrate these traditions, but also to honor the courage and sacrifice of the immigrants who came before us and recognize the generations carrying their legacies forward. Now therefore be it resolved that the Chelsea City Council hereby declares October 2026 as Italian American Heritage and Culture Month in the city of Chelsea, honoring the profound and enduring contributions of Italian and Sicilian Americans to the history, character, and future of our city and nation. Thank you, clerk. Is there a motion? All right, Councillor. Turn on your mic, Councillor. I speak on it. You have the floor. I normally never stand up. I always sit down. But for such a thing, I am a proud Sicilian. I am a son of an immigrant of Sicilian. I am an immigrant. I was born there. My father took me here when I was a little boy. And I never say I’m Italian. I always say I’m Sicilian, because that’s what I am.
[0:11:57] My people endured, had a lot in this country. They were discriminated more than the rest of them. Italians didn’t want to associate with us, because they called us Africans. That’s a name they gave to us. And I’m very proud of my heritage and what we do. My people, all people, were discriminated many, many, many years ago, more than 100 years ago, when they first got here. They were put under Jim Crow. They couldn’t go with white women. They were put under there. They were also, not only were they put under Jim Crow, they also couldn’t get jobs. They were murdered. They were hanged, especially when they were building the Appalachian Railroad in Virginia. They worked in the coal mines. They couldn’t go to town. As soon as they went to towns, they killed them and buried them under the railroads. And a lot of people don’t know. Columbus Day wasn’t given because of Columbus. Columbus Day was given because of the injustice that was done to the Sicilians.
[0:12:58] And people don’t know because you were never told a story. Nobody ever tells you the injustice the Sicilians went through. Most of that, 90% of the Italians, they came to this country are Southern Italians. They’re not Northern Italians. Northern Italians didn’t want to associate with the Southern ones. And the Southern ones didn’t want to associate with Sicilians. Sicilians are a race of people that’s a mixed race of people. They are three people. They’re a mix of Europeans, Africans, and Asians. That’s what they are. They’re a mix of three people. There’s so many races of people went into the island of Sicily that that’s what makes us. That’s why we’re different. They have a great sense of value with their family. They’re very proud people. And they’re very intelligent. One of the smartest Sicilians was a mathematician that helped Enrico Fermi do the atomic bomb. And then he killed himself. He disappeared. But he was one of the smartest ones. Sicily has gotten three Nobel Prize winners more than Italy ever did.
[0:14:00] But they never say what we are. But that’s OK. No more about Sicilians. The thing that I want to say is thank you. And I did something else too that’s very interesting. Sicilians were Hispanics before Hispanics existed. Spain was part of Sicily, owned Sicily from the 1400s to the 1800s. So part of the Sicilian language is Spanish. My last name, the river’s from Spanish. Most Spanish people don’t know it. But Sicilians are the original Hispanics, or Latinos, as you call them. Because the Spanish, they come to this country until the 1500s, 1400s. They weren’t Sicilian at 1200. And they were still there until the 1800s. Thank you very much. Thank you. Hello. First, I want to thank you, Councillor Recupero. You saved me having to share a history lesson. So I appreciate that.
[0:15:02] And my comments are, again, appreciation for all of the Italians and Sicilians who came to Chelsea. There were many people in Chelsea. And many of the Sicilians were from the same village, Santo Stefano di Medio. And many of the families have moved on. But there are still some families here in Chelsea. And we were involved in all facets of business building the city from the early 1900s going forward. So I just always want to celebrate the history of Chelsea and its inclusion of Italians and Sicilians. And I’m extremely proud of my family heritage. And I think the Columbus situation was very complicated here. We did have a statue that many families contributed to buying. That statue is no longer up. But that does not change the fact that many of our Italian and Sicilian ancestors helped build the city.
[0:16:09] So thank you for the opportunity to recognize this month on behalf of our ancestors. Thank you, Councillor. All right. If there are no other comments, we can move on to the next resolution. The second and final resolution before you introduced by the council president and all members in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Whereas according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, the definition of domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, or other abusive behaviors as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetuated by one intimate partner against another. And whereas an average of 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking in the United States, totaling more than 12 million women and men over a single year. And whereas in Massachusetts, nearly one in two women and one in four men have experienced sexual violence, with nearly one in three women and one in five men having experienced rape, physical violence, and or stalking by an intimate partner.
[0:17:22] While roughly one in five women or one in seven men who were victims of sexual or physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced these or other forms of violence before age 18. And whereas African-American women experience intimate partner violence at a rate 9.9% higher than that of white women, while 42.1% of Hispanic women are victimized by intimate partner violence in their lifetime. And whereas between 10% and 20% of children are exposed to physical intimate partner violence each year, and 5.7% are exposed to psychological intimate partner violence, with such children becoming more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, and become victims of human trafficking, creating multi-generational cycles of abuse. And whereas a just society embraces the moral imperative to eliminate domestic violence, it must not allow itself to tolerate the anguish, distress, grief, pain, suffering, and trauma that domestic violence creates. Now therefore be it resolved that the Chelsea City Council hereby declares October 2026 Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the city of Chelsea and encourages businesses, community-based organizations, residents, and all within our community to honor survivors of domestic violence, remember lives lost, and recommit to ending abuse in all forms.
[0:18:42] Thank you, Clerk. Councilor Brown. Thank you, Madam Vice President. Make a motion to adopt under suspension if there’s no objections, please. Seeing none. I’d like to speak on it briefly. Thank you for the maker of this motion, this resolution. Every year we come and we get different resolutions. And this is a very important one that we go out and we talk about. October is the time we stand together. We speak out the injustice that’s been perpetrated on women and other folks in our community. It’s been victims of domestic violence. This month reminds us how important it is for us to if we see something, we say something, we stop it, we show compassion, we show love, we show unity, and we do not engage in the abuse. So I look forward to the day when we have perfect unity and compassion. But we know that for whatever reason, people fight amongst themselves or they get into arguments and they turn, and sometimes they turn deadly.
[0:19:50] We want folks to know this is a very important month that you have to be aware that if you notice someone is being abused or someone is in trouble, don’t be afraid to say something or help them. Even if it hurts your feeling, you’re saving their lives. You’re taking a proactive stand. So we want to recognize that this month, the whole month of October, is the month that we recognize is domestic violence against women comes to a complete end, no assault, and moving forward into the New Year’s and other months to follow. It’s very important for us to show the courage. We here in Chelsea, we have Kava, what is it? Big Kava, Harbor Cove. I’m so grateful for the work, and I’m so grateful to be able to stand with them because they have a 24-hour service. If you need contact to talk to someone, they have a 24-hour service.
[0:20:52] Not only that, there’s other resources that they help when folks find themselves in a place where they can go back to live in a house that they once lived in with their spouse. So I’m proud of what we do here in Chelsea for this month. But I ask those folks that’s listening, those folks that may know something, show respect. Have respect for women. Have respect for men, because men are abused also. Men are abused in situations that we sometimes take for granted that, hey, he’s a man. He’s not being abused. But try to help solve the problem this month. Thank you. OK. Councillor Santagate. Yes. Again, I have mixed feelings about some of the way that we mark things, like that it’s just a month, because domestic violence occurs every day of the year, unfortunately.
[0:21:55] And statistically, just based on even economic status, occurs more in places like Chelsea. And we do have really wonderful, rigorous resources to help. But we all have to help. We can’t stand by if we see something. And I do see things in our city and in the city of Boston. And even nationally, there’s a huge issue now in the news at Cornell University. And I am so surprised that, well, I wish I weren’t surprised by this continuing and these situations continuing year after year after year. I don’t know how to get a handle on it. There is so much violence. And we just have to keep at it.
[0:22:59] So if we see something, we have to help, man, woman, anyone in harm’s way. And as I said, the economic situation, it’s worse. And stress is on the rise. And money and the structure of work, et cetera, it’s when violence comes out. And so we just need to try to help each other. Thank you, counselor. Counselor Hines. I just want to add to the conversation that gender-based violence isn’t always physical, right? It can’t be financial. It can’t be an act of intimidation. And like my fellow counselor, Santagate, mentioned, this isn’t just confined to a month. The resolution says an average of 24 people per minute are victims. And we need to do more in providing support and being available to navigate conversations and leveraging ourselves in the communities that we are a part of to be a resource for one another so that somebody can actually be vulnerable and express themselves, but not just be an ear to listen.
[0:24:16] Also be able to provide resources, navigate conversations, and ultimately cultivate safer environments for people who are navigating these situations. Counselor Recupero. They forgot to mention one thing. The most domestic violence is men on men. They have more domestic violence than women and men. They need to be recognized, too, that the most domestic violence happens between men and men. All right. So I’d be remiss if I don’t share just briefly. As a mom of three children, to think of the world we’re living in, this is really a fight against silence and education. We have to make sure that our young boys and girls are getting this information and are able to understand and lead with love and communication in the future.
[0:25:21] And so just want to share that before we move on. And I have, for public speaking, I have two folks signed up. But if anybody else wants to sign up, I’ll make sure that the list goes back to the table. We don’t have public hearing this evening. So for public speaking, I have Ruth Santos. And then right after Ruth, I have James Atkins. You may come up to the podium, state your name. Good evening, counselors. My name is Ruth Santos. I am a Chelsea resident. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I work at the Encore casino as a cook. We are here today because me and many of my co-workers live in Chelsea, too. All we are asking of this five-star research is for what the hotel workers in Boston already have.
[0:26:27] We are on a strike for our future and the future of our families. One job should be enough for Chelsea families. Thank you again for your support. Thank you. Up next, we have Mr. Atkins. My name is James Atkins. I’m the lead gardener over at Encore Boston Harbor, as well as I’m the Teamsters Local 25 chief steward. As many of you might have seen for the past month, we’ve been on strike, all 1,300 of us covered by local 25 as well as local 26. And I think what we’re working towards at this point is to make sure that me and my co-workers don’t have to work second, some of us even third jobs just to make ends meet while these massive corporations rake in billions of dollars from our state. I think all of us would honestly be much happier bringing back those profits to our local communities, spending those with smaller family-owned businesses in our own towns.
[0:27:37] I know I like doing that in Somerville. And I imagine many of our co-workers here love spending what they earn in their local community here in Chelsea. I know that the past four weeks have been really, really empowering, all of us being out there. We’re a very diverse crowd, many races, languages, and age groups covered. And I know we’re going to continue our work until we get a fair contract that hopefully you guys can maybe pressure people like Jenny or Craig Billings by going beyond just a resolution and maybe calling them to get to the table and come meet us for a fair contract. Thank you. Any other speakers? No.
[0:28:38] OK. Public speaking is closed for the meeting this evening. Council President, I’d like to make a motion to move Item Number 26R28, the resolution introduced by Council President Jiménez Rivera, expressing support of striking workers at Encore Boston Harbor out of order. We have many people here now. Seeing no objections. All right. Let’s move this out of order. We have it moved out of order under new business. Agenda Item 26R28, resolution introduced by the Council President, expressing support for striking workers at Encore Boston Harbor, whereas over 1,000 workers at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett voted to authorize a strike if they failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement by August 31. And whereas the contracts for workers at the Encore Boston Harbor, represented by Unite Here Local 26 and Team SIRS Local 25, expired on August 31 without a collective bargaining agreement being reached.
[0:29:43] And whereas after months of negotiations, Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 announced an indefinite strike at the Encore Boston Harbor, which began on Friday, September 4. And whereas many Chelsea residents work at Encore Boston Harbor, and the working conditions of employees throughout greater Boston have a direct impact on the residents of Chelsea and our regional economy. And whereas members of Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 believe that one job should be enough to raise a family, keep a roof over their heads, and retire with dignity. And whereas access to a living wage, job security, and quality health care are essential to economic security and dignity, it will therefore be a result that the Chelsea City Council hereby expresses its support for the striking union workers of Unite Here Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 and encourages community members to stand in solidarity with workers on the picket line and be a further result that the city manager shall transmit a true and attested copy of this resolution to the general manager of Encore Boston Harbor.
[0:30:45] Thank you, Clerk. Opening it up for motions. Seeing no objections, we’ll move on to a roll call vote. Yes. And. Point of inquiry. Yes, Councilor Teshe. I think he meant to adopt and suspension. There’s no need for a roll call vote. Yeah, we can do that. Well, but you gotta say adopt and suspension under unanimous consent. There we go. Okay, so we can, can we proceed to a roll call vote and then open up for any comments, or should we do that first? Comments first. All right, Teshe, you have the floor. Thank you. I just wanna say, I wanna commend all the work that you guys have been doing on, it’s not easy to stand out there and it’s not easy to essentially risk the safety of having a job. You know, I see the collective unity in trying to fight an enormous corporation and how difficult that must be.
[0:31:52] You know, that being said, there’s not a lot that I myself can do, but if there’s any steps that I can take to help out anybody, please reach out to me. You know, today I’m expressing my support of it and make sure that you guys know that I’m with you and especially the people that live in the city of Chelsea. I’ve lived in the city for about 13 years and I appreciate every single one of my neighbors. And so when one of their livelihood is threatened because of the greed of enormous corporations, that makes me wanna do something. And I think that makes a lot of us wanna do something as well. And that’s when we can take advantage of that and join together for a greater cause. So again, congratulations for being able to amass a movement and I truly hope that we can get the results that you guys want. And again, if I can be of any help, reach out to me. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. I support this resolution 100%.
[0:32:54] Not only do I support this resolution, I have stood with the men and women of Local 26 and Local 25. My support is there for you. I know it’s taken a lot out of you, but every time I go by there, whether I’m blowing my horn or stopping my breath, I know it’s taken a lot out of you. Every time I go by there, whether I’m blowing my horn or stopping by to drop things off, if you guys give us the energy to say, hey, you guys deserve what you get as far as being out there, knowing that you’re out there 100% in the rain with the drums, you’re cheering on each other. They hear you. And I said this when I was over there. They hear you. We gotta get them back to the table. We have to let them know the five-star hotel that they have is because of you men and women. The service that you give when folks go over there, they have a good time. It’s because you’re bringing them the drinks.
[0:33:55] You’re bringing them the food. You’re washing the toilets. I know some of you folks. I’ve been over there. My mother, my aunt has been in your shoes years ago with the same Local 26, but Encore has all this money. Encore should give you a seat at the table, let your representation from Local 26 and Local 25 go in there and get you the deal, not that you need, but the deal that you deserve, that have dignity, respect. When people pat you on your back and they say thank you, not only they thank you, but you support them by bringing them their stuff. But Encore makes millions of millions of dollars off you. And I was talking to the boss here earlier today. I’m surprised on this 33rd day that they haven’t brought you back to the table. Please keep standing together, keep drumming the drum, keep beeping the horns, and keep your unity together, and we’ll get you back in there.
[0:35:00] Thank you for being here. Thank you. Councilor Recupero. Thank you for being here. You’re the most deserving of them all, because you’ve worked very hard. And everybody that makes all kinds of money off the back of people should give something back to them. And you deserve it. And my grandson used to work the security for the casino, and he couldn’t afford to live, so he had to get another job. So I can imagine how it is for you that they don’t wanna pay you. You deserve it, don’t quit. That’s one thing you should never do is quit. But sometimes it’s hard if they don’t wanna pay you because businesses are hard. They’ll replace you. But don’t let that happen. Even if they try to replace you, still stand out there and fight for your rights, for money. The money is one important thing. It’s actually the most important thing in your life, in all of our lives.
[0:36:01] So they make all kinds of money. We shouldn’t they give something back to you. Greed is the killer of us all. Go out there and fight and stay there. And thank you for doing what you do. Thank you. Yes, I just also wanted to offer my support. I see friends here who work at the casino, and other people that have become friends from my visits to the casino. So thank you so much for all that you do. And I really will put as much pressure as I can myself for Encore to keep going back to the table. The fact that there hasn’t been something worked out after 33 days is really a shame. I really hope that there’s some resolution soon for you. I’m sure this is extremely difficult for you.
[0:37:02] And so we’re thinking of you and supporting you. And I really hope that something is worked out very, very soon for you. Thank you. All right, briefly, I share and echo the sentiments of my colleagues here in the council as an organizer for over 20 years now. Don’t stand, you know, don’t stand down, stand your ground. What you guys are doing is powerful and it’s sending a message to many other corporations that continue to abuse their workers. And so I stand with you. And if there’s any way that I can support, please let me know. All right, moving on to communications from, oh, sorry, approval of the minutes. To clarify, the motion beforehand was to approve by unanimous consent. There are no objections. Yeah. Motion carries.
[0:38:03] Resolution approved, unanimously. Yeah, so there was no vote because the council already handled it by requesting unanimous consent. Thank you. Thank you all for joining us this evening. All right, approval of the minutes. Okay, approval of the minutes. You have approval of the minutes of the regular meeting dating September 21st, 2026.
[0:39:12] Madam President, I move to accept and file the minutes. There are no objections. Seeing no objections, Councillor, let’s move on. Moving on, communications received from the city manager. First communication received responding to council order 2647, market basket redevelopment. Dear councillors, I am writing a response to council order 2647 regarding the ongoing development plans for the market basket property. I’m excited to report that a meeting has now been scheduled between the city of Chelsea and the chief executive officer of market basket to discuss the company’s plans for the property. The anticipated development process and opportunities for continued collaboration with the city. I look forward to having a direct conversation with market basket’s leadership about the future of this important property and how the city can work collaboratively with the company as these plans move forward. Madam President. Councillor Teshe. I move to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communications if there are no objections.
[0:40:12] Seeing no objections, moving on to the next item. Thank you, Councillor. Next communication received from the city manager responding to council order 2648, commuter rail quiet zone. Dear councillors, I’m writing a response to council order 2648, requesting an update on our commuter rail quiet zone. Our department of public works has been working with the MBTA and the federal railway administration for several years on reestablishing the quiet zone, which will effectively stop the train horns in Chelsea. Last year, the MBTA required a second review and revision to the originally approved plans for the quiet zone. Chelsea DPW and our consultant, VHB, have pushed the MBTA and Keolis engineers to provide comments from their review so that we can address any concerns. After several rounds of back and forth over the summer, we have reached an agreement on the technical approach and VHB is now implementing those changes in the plans and specifications for official sign off. At this time, we expect the MBTA to approve the revisions no later than November. Once the MBTA approves these revisions, the department of public works.
[0:41:15] Madam President. Councilor Teshe. I move to waive the rest of the reading. There are no objections except for all the communications and if I can say a couple of words. Seeing no objections, the floor is yours, councilor. Thank you. Just wanna give a shout out to the city manager for working on this. It’s well known that constituents throughout the city have been trying to make this happen at some point. It’s sad to see that it’s still gonna take a while, but thankfully it’s moving forward. Thank you, councilor. We will… Pause, maybe we take a little recess. Let’s take a… Oh, we’re good, we’re good, we’re good, okay. All right, thank you, councilor. Let’s move on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager responding to council order 2652, senior repair program.
[0:42:19] Dear councilors, I am writing a response to council order 2652, requesting that the city manager look into a senior repair program. We have an incredible example of a successful program in Revere that is working extremely well. Revere offers grants to senior citizens who own and occupy their homes. The summary of the program is attached. I firmly believe that this would be a very valuable program for our residents. If the council agrees, we will start developing a similar program, and I will request that the city council fund $50,000 from free cash to start a pilot program. The program will be run by our director of constituent services in close partnership with the Chelsea Senior Center. Senior citizen home repair programs can help pay for grab bars, handrails, ramps or stair lifts, walk-in showers and other bathroom upgrades, critical roof repairs, heating, plumbing or air conditioning repair, electrical safety upgrades. Applicants must be at least 60 years old, own and occupy their Chelsea home year round, and meet income guidelines below. For one person, $96,000. Two people, $109,700.
[0:43:21] Three people, $123,400. And four people, $137,100. Thank you for your support. Thank you, clerk. Councilor Recupero. I accept and file on the unanimous decision. Unanimous, and I like to speak on it. There’s no objection. Seeing no objections, you have the floor, councilor. Thank you. This program is a good program. It helps out a lot of seniors. There ain’t too many seniors in the city of Chelsea that actually own homes over 65, 60 or over, because actually a senior was 65, but the city had an agreement with the state years ago that a senior was 60 years old. That’s why the work program is at 60 years, not 65. So I’m glad that the city incorporated 60 instead of 65. That will give more homeowners that need some of these repairs. And I think it’s a worthy cause. We help everybody. Why not help the ones that made it possible for the rest of us? Seniors were the ones that created what the younger generations have.
[0:44:26] So the younger generation should help the seniors, because one day they’re gonna get old. And why shouldn’t they get something in return? We give everybody, why not them? And this is not a lot of money. $50,000 is really not a lot of money. A lot, a lot of money. So what would happen, it would be maybe one or two, maybe three seniors in a year could get help, but anything is better than nothing at all. So I approve. I want this to happen, not because I’m a senior. I’m a senior myself. So they will say that it’s a conflict of interest because I’m a senior. But if I don’t speak up for the seniors, who’s gonna speak up for them? So I speak up for them. And I don’t care what they say that it’s a conflict of interest or no conflict of interest. It doesn’t matter to me, because I believe it’s the right thing to do, is to try to help the elderly. They can’t help themselves. One, because they’re on a fixed income. Two, a lot of them just barely surviving on what they get from social security. So why not? That’s my belief.
[0:45:26] I don’t care what anybody thinks that it’s wrong. I believe it’s the right thing to do, is to help the ones they need it the most. And I believe senior citizens need it. Even though they say, well, they own a home, they forgot a senior citizen bought his home 50 years. And through the years, that house cost them millions of dollars because he up the grade and he did whatever he did. So now why not help them? I think that’s a great thing. And I commend the city manager for wanting to do it. Revere already does it. There’s a lot of other cities that do it, but Revere does it. Why not Chelsea? It’s not a lot of money. Do it. Thank you. Councilor Santagate and then Councilor Taylor. Yeah, I too, I’m really, really happy to see this. I think it’s excellent. I think our seniors deserve to be able to keep their homes in excellent shape and not to push the envelope, but I wish there was a way we could somehow roll in some snow removal as well for seniors into any kind of program that exists, a formalized one.
[0:46:30] They, there’s something, but I think we can formalize it more in terms of having it part of an official program. So, Councilor through the chair. Can I? Let’s wait for her statement. Yeah, and also extreme weather cleanup, the weather’s become more extreme and there are more floods and bigger snow events, and so that’s really hard on a senior citizen to even clean up and take care of an event, and with the weather changing as it has, I think more of those things are happening, and I think that it’s particularly hard on seniors, so to just take those things into consideration as the program gets finalized. Thank you, Councilor. I have Taylor and then I have Brown, and then we’ll come right back to you. I just, for the record, I wanted to say, Councilor Recupero said, if I don’t speak up for seniors who will, I just wanted to raise my hand and say, I will.
[0:47:40] So, seniors, I think seniors get neglected something awful in this country. I think there’s a lot of groups that are, and we spend an awful lot of time on certain groups and no time at all on others, and I think this is a good start for the city trying to pitch in and do what it can for seniors, and especially to try to keep seniors who are on a fixed income in their homes. That’s, I think, the design of this, and I think that that’s important and that we ought to try to lend as much of a helping hand to seniors that qualify to keep them in their homes so they don’t have to move outside of Chelsea, a community that we all love. So, thank you for doing this, and I just wanted to say that I speak up for seniors. Thank you. Councillor Brown.
[0:48:42] Thank you, Madam Vice President. Thank you, Mr. City Manager, for bringing this back. Again, this is a template. This gives us a start of a discussion that we want to go out and what we’ve said in the past to help every person and organization that we can in our community, and now before us, we have the seniors. Again, this is Revere. There’s a lot of things that we already do to help seniors. We continue to give the residential exemption. We continue to help seniors. This will be another piece of the pie that we can slice to help seniors. But again, let’s be real here. We have to look at the numbers. We have to talk to how many seniors we can potentially have. If we have 200 seniors right now, no, if we have 100 seniors that benefit from this year, we’re looking at an annual $400,000 a year.
[0:49:43] So we also have to look at what the numbers are. I’m looking at seeing, my colleague was discussing here, the first number was nice. The first number said where one person makes $96,000 has to follow under that goal line. Then you get up to four. You only have 137,000. That’s something that we may want when we have this discussion. They’re kind of like, hey, is this fair? Again, that’s not moving in the right direction if you use the numbers. So I want to look out for seniors, but we actually got to make sure that it’s doable. It’s also helpful for the city and also make sure that it’s fair because we don’t want folks just coming in and staying with their grandpa because he gets a discount. We want them, we want to help the seniors. So we have to be fair and we have to take this to account. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor and then Councillor Recupero. Okay, thank you.
[0:50:47] My fellow Councillor, years ago, when the other city manager was here, Mr. Ambrosino, he used to do cleaning. They would call DPW if you were a certain age and you couldn’t go and he would come and DPW would come and help you clean the snow. This city manager is as good as the other city manager. So if they call DPW, he would probably do the same thing. And as far as seniors, the last count that I had, there was 37 seniors that own homes that are 65 and above in this city. There’s only 37 of them. Now, we always debate about money we want to help the seniors. Yes, don’t talk about it, do it. No matter how much it costs, the total was 37 homes, 37 seniors that actually own homes. That’s 65 years or older. I had that done before because I’ve been trying to give senior a program which is here in front of the city council. You know, but it hasn’t come up yet.
[0:51:50] But as my fellow Councillor Santagate said, maybe we should have something put on paper to make sure that it gets done. And I hope she puts in a paper, next meeting, she does an order, requested that that is done because the city does help you. This is the greatest city for all of us. It does more than any other city. There should never be any questions to say how much money we have. We never ask. If something is worth doing, we do it. We don’t ask questions when we give money, millions of dollars all over the place. Why not help the seniors? Whoever doesn’t want to help the seniors, I don’t know. What should we think about someone that doesn’t want to help the seniors? Councillor, I have one more person who hasn’t spoken that wants to share. Okay, this is my final thing. I believe that all of us here are pro-seniors. If they’re not pro-seniors, they forget they’re gonna get old one day themselves. And I hope if it’s done for them, what they want to do with seniors.
[0:52:52] Thank you. That is very true, Councillor. All right, Councillor Hines. Amen to that, Councillor Recupero. I just have some questions regarding the program. I don’t necessarily know who to direct them to, but. All right, so then is your request to have the city manager take the stand so that we can. Well, yeah, I guess. The program says that, or the request from, I believe Councillor Recupero is for $50,000 to be allocated to pilot this program. My understanding is that people will be eligible for up to $5,000 depending on where they fall in this income grid. So the revere is on the second round of this program. And what they did is they allocated $50,000, first come, first serve, right? So once the funds are spent, the funds are spent.
[0:53:53] Ideally, it’s something that the city does every year, right? So in theory, any people that didn’t make it the year before will be eligible the following year. It is a max of $5,000, right? So if you have $100,000 worth of repairs in your house, the city will contribute $5,000. And then, sorry, the last question was, Councillor? That was a just clarity on how the program works. Is there anything regarding how many times you could apply for the program? So revere has no restrictions. The revere made it so that it’s seniors that are income eligible, right? And there is an eligibility requirement, which is the last piece in my letter. Since revere is on the second round, they haven’t ran into that issue of a senior, constantly receiving.
[0:55:00] I think the idea is that it becomes a wait list, if you will, that gets filled the following year. And of course, it depends on appropriations. Thank you so much. I think this is beautiful. I think it’s necessary. Shout out to Councillor Recupero. All right, thank you, Councillors. Moving on to the next item. Next communication from the city manager regarding fiscal year 2027 tax rates. Dear councilors, I am writing the request that the city council schedule a meeting of the subcommittee on conference on Monday, November 2nd, 2026, or on a more convenient day soon thereafter for the purpose of discussing the fiscal year 2027 tax rates. Similar to past years, the goal at the meeting will be to provide a PowerPoint presentation and then answer questions about FY27 evaluations and the tax rate. I also ask that the city council schedule a public hearing. Madam President, I move to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communications if there are no objections and hoping to see if we can schedule a subcommittee at some point.
[0:56:12] Seeing no objections, would we send it to? On conference. Okay, thank you. Moving on. Next communication received from the city manager requesting city council approval of appointments and reappointments of boards and commissions. Dear councilors, pursuant to section 4-2 of the Charter of the City of Chelsea, I am writing to recommend the following individuals of boards and commissions in the city. Appointment of the Women’s Commission, Ms. Gabriela Rodriguez. Appointment to the Board of Registers of Voters, Ms. Sharon Maransky. For reappointment to the Historical Commission, Mr. Matt Frank. And reappointment to the Historical Commission, Ms. Michelle Murthes. I respectfully request your approval of these appointments. I’ve attached resumes for new appointees. Clerk, is there a motion? Move to the second reading. Thank you, councilor. Seeing no objections, moving on. Next communication received from the city manager regarding inclusion of rezoning centralized lottery and waitlist pilot.
[0:57:13] Dear councilors, I’m writing to share an important step the city is taking to simplify and improve the administration of Chelsea’s inclusionary rezoning program. We are partnering with Chelsea Housing Authority to manage the waitlist, certification, and advertising processes associated with projects that include inclusionary rezoning units. This spring, we heard feedback from developers about the administrative burden associated with the current inclusionary rezoning process. Today, each project is required to develop a marketing plan, accept and process applications, conducting equitable lottery, and establish and administer a waitlist for its affordable units. While these requirements are intended to ensure a fair and transparent process, it creates a complicated and costly administrative process, especially for smaller projects. This also requires significant city staff time to ensure that each individual process is completed thoroughly and consistently. Our proposal is to establish a centralized process in partnership with the Housing Authority. The Chelsea Housing Authority will conduct a citywide lottery and establish a centralized waitlist for inclusionary rezoning units.
[0:58:13] Rather than requiring every individual development to create and administer its own lottery and waitlist, eligible residents will participate in a centralized process. President. Councilor Teshe. I move to read the rest of the reading, accept and file the communications, if there are no objections, and if I can speak on it quickly. You have the floor, Councilor. Just thanks to the city manager for engaging in this initiative. I think it’s gonna be really helpful for making it easier, not only for the beneficiaries of this program, but also for the property owners that might go through some trouble in getting it done. Yeah, I just also wanted to say I think it’s a fantastic initiative. Councilor Hines. I’d like to ask the city manager a question. Being that it’s gonna be a centralized list and not specific by project or property, how do we anticipate to navigate that traffic and kind of direct people to what sort of properties are available?
[0:59:28] Yeah, yeah. This is why it’s so beautiful, right? Because this is what the Chelsea Housing Authority does every day, right? They not only have multiple sites that are some for seniors, some for families, some for different things, but they also manage project-based vouchers so that are kind of more scattered around the city. So they have those systems in place already. So essentially what we envision happening is that if you are a Chelsea resident who is looking for housing, then you would apply through the Chelsea Housing Authority. And essentially there would be multiple screening points, depending on your bedroom availability, your AMI also availability, right? It would create essentially a central wait list that once a new project is coming up or there is a vacancy in an existing project, can be filled with this one central wait list.
[1:00:41] This is beautiful right now because right now we require each developer to do their own marketing, to do their own ads, to do their own lotteries, right? And what we heard in the inclusionary zoning process is that for smaller developers, it could cost almost $30,000, right? So we have a very capable partner in the Chelsea Housing Authority. They are doing this already. And in fact, they support other housing authorities in the area as well in filling vacancies. Councillor Recupero. As I was looking at this, there’s an estimated cost of $46,222. Oh, your mic, Councillor. I’m looking at this, there’s an estimated cost of $46,222. Who, is that the city paying the Housing Authority? So how does that work? Yeah, I think in order to establish it, we would need to front the money, right?
[1:01:48] Because what the Housing Authority has to do is develop the intake process, if you will, right? Like they have to take in all the people, develop a website, do the ads, right? And do all these things that are happening. Once this thing is launched, I envision us creating a revolving fund, like we do for other things, like recreation, and essentially having developers pay into the fund in order to pay for this expense long-term. So, okay, so in other words, this is a one-time $46,000, the rest you wanna, so this is gonna go on every year, right, for the rest of eternity until we get rid of it. That’s right. It won’t be a permanent job. It won’t be permanent to the city, because each year it goes up from 46, it’ll be 56, then it could go up to 100,000. So the burden will be on the developers.
[1:02:50] Is that what you envision? The burden will be on the developer, it’s a more effective use of money, right? And there will be no jobs here in the city hall that are added because of this, right? And there’s also no jobs added at the housing authority, because they’re doing it anyways. So it’s a partnership, right, that we get to use their expertise. We also get some cover, right? If someone challenges a lottery, if someone says that a process is not just, right, they will not come to us. We will then refer them to the housing authority. I commend you for that, because I’ve known some lotteries that are not lotteries. So I’m glad that you have this program, and I’m glad that you explain to the people what it actually does and how it works, because it’s a great thing to the people outside to really understand. If nobody tells them what it is, you just have to say what it is. But now they exactly know how it’s gonna work and where the money’s coming from.
[1:03:51] Thank you. What I love the best, counselor, is that we know the housing authority, we trust the housing authority, right? And one consistent process is gonna be good for all of our residents. I have a question before you come down, because I know that constituents will call and ask me, will this impact at all the returning of any redevelopment projects? So let’s say that this system is up and running, and it’s sort of like a universal system that everyone use, and the projects are in the midst of relocating families back. Will this impact at all anyone returning back to a unit? So this process is for units that are created through inclusionary zoning only, only. Chelsea housing authority has a statewide list, which is CHAMPS, right?
[1:04:53] And they have a very complex process that has to be certified by the state and the federal government and all these things. That is, so it’s almost two separate things, right? So this is, say, our friend Juan Gallego is developing a small property on Chestnut Street, right? And inclusionary zoning requires him to create two units, right? So what happens now is we ask Juan Gallego to put an ad out in the paper, run a lottery for two units, and he gets over 100 applications. That he’s got to review and do a lottery on, and it’s very administrative burdensome. So what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna streamline it and make it citywide, and have it so that the burden is centralized as opposed to having one, every developer do a lottery every time there’s a project.
[1:05:59] And again, this is only for inclusionary zoning units. It doesn’t affect, say, T&D projects or projects that are using federal money or state money. Thank you for clarifying that. I know that would have caused a few questions. So developers come in, and the Housing Authority takes on the role of doing all of their advertisement and lottery procedures, and we do the upfront cost, but then developers will have to continue to move forward in paying for that service from the Housing Authority. That’s right. If there are vacancies in these units, would the city still sort of be the one responsible for going in and doing the work in terms of making sure that they’re continuing to be at the rate that they were posted to be, or does the Housing Authority have anything else to do with this process?
[1:07:01] That is a beautiful question, because right now we are responsible for it, and it’s really hard for us to keep up with it. So the Housing Authority would also do that. They would certify all of the units. They would work with developers. They would handle any appeals process to a lottery. This completely outsources that entire process. Okay, okay. Thank you, City Manager. Councilor Taylor. I just wanted to ask, what is the Chelsea Housing Authority getting out of this? So it took me about four meetings to convince Paul that this was a good idea, right? It is not something that they jumped on, right? It’s more work. It’s potentially getting in the middle of it. What I told Paul- Hence my question. Yeah, yeah. What I told Paul is that this creates a closer relationship, right?
[1:08:06] We are leveraging the expertise of the Chelsea Housing Authority to fix a problem on our end, right? So they are doing it to be a good partner, I guess is the answer, right? They have the know-how, the staff, the capabilities. They’re doing it already. We have a problem that they can solve. So I think what they are getting out of it is being a partner of the city. Wow. So I would just say this, that I’m glad that the Chelsea Housing Authority feels that way. I’ve always thought that they ought to be more involved in the whole affordable housing process in this city for the same reasons that you asked them to do this. I would think that, you know, it’s a two-way street, and so, you know, if there are things that we can do for the Chelsea Housing Authority, I would expect the city to, you know, reciprocate.
[1:09:19] 1000%. Thank you. Councillor Brown. Yeah, thank you. I just also want to congratulate the city manager, but I also want to congratulate the Housing Authority director, Paul Nowicki, resident of Chelsea. I had discussions because a lot of the stuff that’s going on up there. And, you know, Paul is dedicated and he has a great staff up there that’s really out in our community, getting to know folks and meet folks, and he’s willing, his dedication is to be a great supporter of what we’re trying to do, because it’s not easy up there, and I try to, you know, we have these conversations when we get together, but he’s doing it because it’s what’s good for Chelsea, and I know it’s been kind of tough. He’s been at these meetings that we’ve been having with the inclusion, every focus has been coming up here, and also the contractors at early stages, but in the long run, it’s what’s best for Chelsea, and I just want to blow his whistle for just, you know, really doing a good job and saying, hey, I have control of this, I don’t need to buy into this, but he’s buying into it, and I really appreciate his dedication, and also his leadership up there, thank you.
[1:10:34] Absolutely, Councilor. Thank you, Councilor, I’m sorry, but also just because it’s a little vague, I am hoping that we can get more detailed description of like the actual responsibilities, because there is also mention of the Housing Authority taking on directly any concerns with the residents’ housing needs. And so I know my dear friend Mike McAteer has a long, long list of needs. So I know that this is gonna be, and I think it’s important for us to know exactly then what is ISD doing, what is the Housing Authority doing, and where are there sort of overlaps? Absolutely. Thank you, all right, seeing no other comments, moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the City Manager regarding an order of taking for a reimagining Downtown Broadway reconstruction project. Dear Councilors, I write on behalf of the Department of Housing and Community Development to request that the City Council adopt the enclosed order of taking in connection with a reimagining Downtown Broadway reconstruction project.
[1:11:43] This action is a necessary and time-sensitive step to allow the city to secure the property interest required to move this important infrastructure investment forward. The project cost of these easements is $250,000, which the city has already allocated funding for, and will enable over $13 million in federal grant funds to flow through the infrastructure effort. This is a significant return on the investment to secure these easements and compensate property owners. The project will transform Broadway between William Street and City Hall Avenue into a safer, more accessible, and more- Madam Chair, I’d ask to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communication under unanimous consent. Seeing no objections, moving on to the next item. Next item before you, you have an order to do so. Madam Chair, I would ask that this next item be separated, one portion be separated out. The, the second to the last paragraph be a further order that the city council on behalf of the city and pursuant to the authority granted by MGL 82, sections 2124 be separated out.
[1:13:03] And the rest of the order be moved to a public hearing and the portion that’s separated out be moved to a second reading. Okay. Can we slow down? Yeah, Councilor Hines. Can it, can it be read, please? Seeing, yeah, let’s read it. Order introduced by the council president, whereas by section 30 of chapter 43, section 14 of chapter 40 and chapter 79 of Mass General Law, all as amended, it is provided that the Chelsea City Council may take by eminent domain, easements and fee interests in the name of the city for any municipal purpose, land within the limits of the city not already appropriated for public use. And whereas the easements and fee interests on certain parcels of land in Chelsea have been identified as necessary for acquisition in order to undertake with the assistance and coordination of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the downtown Broadway reconstruction project.
[1:14:10] And whereas the taking by eminent domain of easements and fee interests on the lands here and after described has been recommended by the city administration. And whereas there is funding available for the anticipated expense of acquisition as required by aforesaid sections of chapters 43, 40, 82 and 79. Now therefore by virtue of and in pursuance of the authority conferred by said chapters of general law and by every other power and authority that they’re due enabling, therefore be it ordered that the Chelsea City Council as follows. That the city does undertake for all purposes which here public uses are used in the city of Chelsea. Council President, we can read the last one. You sure? Yeah. Okay. Seeing no objection. So what is, now do we proceed with the original? We have to do it all over. So the explanation is the order as presented to you in its long form are technically two separate orders combined into one that require two different paths for the council to move forward on.
[1:15:11] The item that Councilor Taylor moved to separate out specifically relates to alterations of roadways, specifically Broadway, Bellingham Street, Marlborough Street, Sixth Street, Washington Avenue and Chestnut Street. Those alterations require approval in public hearing from the Traffic and Parking Commission before they come back to council. The remaining items on the order are specifically related to the eminent domain takings. Those require simply a public hearing on behalf of council. So we move the separated part out to Traffic and Parking? Correct. Okay. Seeing no objections. Next item. And the draft order that was included with your packets is the order as it pertains that will be referred to Traffic and Parking Commission for consideration for referral back to council. Thank you, Clerk. Your next communication is received from the city manager requesting city council approval of a preservation restriction agreement.
[1:16:13] Dear councilors, I am writing the request that the Chelsea City Council authorize the city manager to execute the attached historic preservation restriction agreement between the city of Chelsea and Temple Emmanuel. Temple Emmanuel is an important historic structure in the city of Chelsea. The property includes a chapel constructed circa 1859 to 1860 and a main sanctuary and connector constructed in 1872. The preservation restriction agreement recognizes the building as a rare and unusual survivor of late 19th century civic buildings in Chelsea and has its significance based upon its architectural, historical, and cultural characteristics. The proposed preservation restriction agreement is intended to protect the historical character of Temple Emmanuel for generations to come. The restriction applies to the exterior of the building and requires that its historic architectural features and characteristics be retained and maintained substantially in the current condition or better. The agreement also establishes limitations on demolition, removal, alteration, additions, and other exterior changes that could significantly impair the property’s preservation values.
[1:17:16] The agreement does not transfer ownership of the property to the city, nor does it impose an obligation upon the city to maintain the building. Temple Emmanuel remains responsible for maintaining the property and complying with all applicable law. The acceptance of the restriction does not impose any obligation or liability upon the city concerning the condition of the property or building. There is no cost to the city of Chelsea associated with the preservation of the property itself under this agreement. The agreement will allow Temple Emmanuel to pursue that front. Madam President, I’d ask to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communication under unanimous consent. Seeing no objections, thank you, Councilor. Moving on. Councilor Teshe. Yeah, I was just gonna say that thanks to the city manager for making sure that we engage in the caring of such an important building to the city of Chelsea and to the culture and to the identity that it represents.
[1:18:19] I think it was a long way for us to be able to preserve, again, where Chelsea was, where it is, and where it will be in this building, it’s a historical building, and we did good in making sure that it’s well taken care of. Thank you, Councilor. Madam President. Councilor Brown. Thank you. Just wanna thank the members for being here from the church. Emmanuel Temple has been doing a lot of great work. Every time I go over there, the reception, the halls, everything is getting better and better. The work, the dedication of the staff, the love that’s going back into that building, the leadership, we’ve had some really good times, some time here over there for barbecues in the summer, fundraisers for yard sales. We had an event over there a year and a half ago that just came in, people had a great time. Continue to look for great things out of the Emmanuel Temple over there.
[1:19:22] It’s really a nice place where you can meet a lot of nice people that have a really good time and wanna thank them for the historic value that it has in our community. A lot of folks are really getting to know more about it. Esther does a lot of work of getting her friends there for donations and supporting it. But places like this are very important in our community because everyone’s coming up and trying to buy every building, every block on our streets, so we have to keep these religious places and these places that have so much love and openness about why people came here to our city. So I’m grateful that the city manager looked at that and I’m grateful that you folks are still taking on that task over there and I just hope that you continue to just build it up and as I always tell you, anytime I can be there, let me know. Thank you. Councilor Taylor and then Councilor Santagate.
[1:20:25] Yeah, so I have long been an advocate for historical preservation in the city of Chelsea. I think, you know, last year we, or two years ago now. Year and a half. You know, we celebrated our 400th anniversary here in Chelsea. We have a long and very distinguished history in the city of Chelsea and we, who are the caretakers of the city today, have a responsibility to preserve that history for future generations so they know where they came from and who they are. So, you know, I commend this. This is obviously one of the, great historical buildings in our city and I commend the city for taking this action and I look forward to further acts of historical preservation in this city including hopefully someday a Chelsea museum.
[1:21:31] Thank you. Councilor Santagate. Yes, speaking of museums, one of the things that Temple Emmanuel actually houses is a Jewish museum. And so I really think this is an incredible initiative. I have been honored to be invited to many of your high holiday celebrations, et cetera, over the years and Temple Emmanuel actually was the site of the pilot program for the micro food pantries and they do so much for the community and the space is absolutely beautiful and has history prior to its use as a temple that is important to Chelsea’s history as well. So I endorse this designation 100% and thank you again for all your invitations for us to spend time in such a beautiful space with all of you. Thank you, Councilor.
[1:22:37] I’ll share briefly one of the things that I do not miss about being city council president is not being able to speak. I wanted to share that I have also done the tours at Temple Emmanuel. I have been able to be in your beautiful space and I am really excited that you guys will have this funding available to make sure that that space is here for many generations to come. So thank you. Moving on to the next order. We move on to the order itself, the order introduced by council president, order that pursuant to mass general law chapter 184, section 32. The Chelsea City Council hereby authorizes city manager Fidel Maltez to execute the historic preservation restriction agreement on behalf of the city of Chelsea together with any certificates, acknowledgments, affidavits, or other documents reasonably necessary to effectuate the city’s acceptance of the preservation restriction concerning 60 Cougar Street, Chelsea, Massachusetts. Madam President, quick question. This is not a monetary order. Can this be voted on today?
[1:23:40] Yeah. Thank you. I would move for roll call. All right, seeing no objections, we’ll move on to a roll call vote. Roll call vote requested because no funding is involved. Simple majority vote required for approval. Yes to adopt. Councilor Taylor. Yes. Councilor Recupero. Yes. Councilor Jimenez-Rivera is this? Councilor Hines. Yes. Councilor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councilor Teshe. Yes. Councilor Kelly Garcia is absent. Councilor Santagate. Yes. Councilor DeJesus. Yes. Councilor Brown. Yes. And Councilor Robinson is absent. We had seven members voting in favor, zero opposed, and four members absent. Voter approved. Thank you, Clerk. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager requesting City Council authorization to purchase property at 260 Marginal Street. Dear Councilors, I am writing to request that the City Council authorize the purchase of 260 Marginal Street from Hines.
[1:24:41] This property is next to our city-owned property, 324 Marginal Street, which is currently leased to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Hines currently leases 260 Marginal Street to Enterprise as well. The city sees this purchase as an opportunity to consolidate and expand our current relationship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. In 2025, the Council voted to extend the lease agreement with Enterprise Rent-A-Car until 2045. Enterprise continues to be an incredible partner to the city and contributes to our long-term fiscal health. The city has negotiated a purchase and sale agreement pending approval of the City Council. The property is being offered to the city for $3.2 million. This one-time cost will be covered with funds from our overlay account. Pursuant to Master and Rule Law Chapter 59, Section 25, I am writing to respectfully request that the City Council appropriate $3,200,000 from the Overlay Reserve Fund. In accordance with the statute, I requested the Board of Assessors to transfer $3.2 million from the Overlay Reserve Fund. This request was approved by the Board of Assessors at their meeting in September.
[1:25:44] We ask the City Council approve the use of overlay funds for this purchase. We also request the City Council approve the purchase of the property. A draft of the purchase and sale agreement are attached to the letter along with the financial orders for the purchase. Thank you for your support. Is there a motion? Move for Ways and Means. Seeing no objections. Councilor Teshe? Is this the communications or is this the actual order? I’m sorry? Communication and acceptance file. Oh, we’re not doing it in one? What was that? We’re not doing it in one. So the communication was read. The two orders are followed. One relates. Accept and file under unanimous consent and move the order to Ways and Means. Seeing no objections. Thank you, Councilor. The two orders referred to Ways and Means are the appropriation of the money of $3.2 million from the overlay surplus, the DPW, for land acquisition, and the other is to authorize the City to formally make the purchase.
[1:26:51] Thank you, Claire. Both referred to Ways and Means. Next communication received from the city manager extending an invitation to join Faith and Blue events in October. Dear Councilors, I am ready to extend a warm invitation for everyone in our community to join us in our upcoming Faith and Blue events during the month of October. These events will be a great opportunity for our city to stand together with our faith communities and with the men and women of the Chelsea Police Department in building stronger trust and connection with our residents. It is important, it is more important than ever, that our community feels confident and trusts our local government and local law enforcement. The path forward is not simply to demand trust, but to earn it through open, consistent, and transparent communication. That is precisely what Faith and Blue allows us to do, meet residents where they are, dismantle fear, and offer opportunities for real human connection, for conversation, listening, and mutual understanding. With Faith and Blue, we seek to strengthen unity, to be visible, accessible, and authentic. We have collaborated with many houses of worship, from Temple Emmanuel to Luz de Cristo, from Revival Church to St. Luke’s, from Revive Community Church to the People’s AME Church.
[1:27:55] These institutions have already committed to walking together in this movement. We need everyone in our community to participate and send a powerful message that Chelsea stands firmly alongside our faith groups and community organizations in promoting safety, belonging, and dignity for all. Faith and Blue also offers residents a living demonstration of our shared purpose, that we are here to protect, serve, and walk together with all who call Chelsea home. Thank you for your leadership during this trying time. Accept and follow the communication under unanimous consent. Seeing no objections, Councilor Santagate would like to speak on it. Yeah, I have been lucky enough to be free to attend the three events for Faith and Blue that have happened thus far, and they have all been incredible. And I think one of the most powerful meetings was yesterday at St. Luke’s Church, where there was a service and a luncheon planned, and during the service, there was the start of an electrical fire.
[1:29:01] And it was the new Reverend’s first day after Father Edgar’s retirement, and he did not miss a beat and basically moved the service to the lawn of the church while the officers took the dining area and moved it outside to the parking lot. And it was just like a perfect example of two things, baptism by fire, literally, for the Reverend Max, and also the whole notion that faith transcends a building and that basically you can worship anywhere. And that’s exactly what happened. And it was beautiful. That congregation is fantastic, and we really saw it in action yesterday. So I encourage, if anyone who has time to join the future events, they’re a highlight of the month of October for me.
[1:30:06] Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Taylor, your mic is on. I don’t know if you want it. Yeah, I’ll speak. I just wanted to say thank you to the city manager for doing this. I unfortunately have not been able to attend. I was out of town recently for my father’s 98th birthday in Arizona. But our faith communities are increasingly becoming more and more important to our community as we go through kind of troubled times. I think a lot of us are turning to our churches and synagogues and mosques. To kind of meet the challenges that we face.
[1:31:11] So I appreciate us acknowledging our faith-based communities because they really are a very important part of our community. And we wouldn’t be getting very far, I think, without them. So thank you, Mr. City Manager, for that. Thank you. Councilor Brown. Thank you, Madam Vice President. Great work. Last year, I was five out of six. This year, the time hasn’t worked. But the last few days here will work. It’s really a great experience. Most of you know I’m very religious anyway. But it’s not that you go to this place and you sit and you look at people, say things, and play music. When things happen at that place, you feel it. You get involved. You enjoy yourself. We’ve been to many of them. You can see folks from your neighborhood.
[1:32:12] You can see police officers. And nothing is staged. It’s unique. It’s really people enjoying one another. And the more that we go, the more that we build on that. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to raise all of us. And we’re embracing each other. We got the police. We got the religious actors. We got the family members. We got the elected officials from different faiths, different walks. It’s just a great time to just go out and show them that, hey, if you can’t make them all, you make one or two. But if you really wanna get involved, it’s a great opportunity just to express yourself and have a good time with some really good people. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Seeing no other comments, moving on. The final communication received from the city manager regarding the renewal of employment agreement for the Fire Chief. Dear Councilors, I am writing to share that we have renewed the employment agreement with Fire Chief John Quatieri for an additional three years.
[1:33:16] Chief Quatieri stepped into the role of Fire Chief in 2024 and his current employment agreement was scheduled to expire on June 30th, 2027. We chose to begin this process early because we believe strongly in his leadership and are excited about the opportunity to continue his service to the city of Chelsea. Over the past three years, the Chelsea Fire Department has continued to grow and improve under Chief Quatieri’s leadership. The department has significantly expanded its community outreach, strengthened emergency response capabilities, and enhanced emergency preparedness. Under Chief Quatieri’s leadership, the city has successfully re-implemented Engine 4, representing the biggest expansion of firefighter staffing since receivership. This investment in our fire department is an important accomplishment and demonstrates our commitment to public safety. Chelsea remains an incredibly busy urban community when it comes to fire and other emergency incidents. Our city requires a fire department that is prepared to respond quickly. And the president is asked to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communication under unanimous consent. Seeing no objections, moving on.
[1:34:19] We received no communications or petitions. Moving on to committee reports. The first committee report received is from the council president from the meeting of the Subcommittee on Conference held September 21st, 2026. Fair motion on my behalf. Move to accept and file. If there are no objections. Seeing no objections. Thank you, Councilor. The committee referred the following agenda item 2661, back to the full council, but the positive recommendation, the order introduced by the council president, the order that the Chelsea City Council hereby authorizes and approves the city manager to establish and fill the position of chief economic development officer for the city of Chelsea and to establish an office of economic development under the direction and supervision of the city manager. And be it further ordered that the chief economic development officer shall serve as an exempt salaried municipal employee and shall be responsible for leading and coordinating the city’s economic development efforts, including business attraction and retention, development opportunities, interdepartmental coordination, developer engagement, and the advancement of projects that expand the city’s commercial tax base and create new economic opportunities for Chelsea residents.
[1:35:36] And be it further ordered that because the position was not included in the FY27 adopted budget, any appropriation necessary to fund the position during FY27 shall be presented to the city council for approval following certification of available free cash. In the beginning with the FY28 budget, the administration shall seek reductions in the city’s budget to offset the additional costs related to this position. Councilor Brown. Can we talk to the order by roll call vote? We, because it’s not money, it’s just a position. Roll call vote is allowed, there’s no funds attached. Okay, and then Teshe? Yeah, just a comment. You know, initially I was, I’m not against the position, but I’m against coming up with a position in the middle of a fiscal year in which the budget did not originally include accounting for money for a new position.
[1:36:45] So, you know, at the very least I would hope that some kind of plan is introduced whenever this person is hired as to what potential initiatives this person will look out for and what type of projects they wanna bring into the city. Because within the responsibilities of the chief economic development officer will be the development of this city. And so I would very much like to see in advance what this person’s interest is and what their focus is gonna be in terms of bringing in development into the city. It’s not just about revenue, it’s about what type of identity they think Chelsea is. Because, you know, again, I don’t want somebody to come from the outside and think that Chelsea is one certain way and that they wanna just match that way. It’s not just about money, it’s about the city’s identity. Thank you.
[1:37:46] Thank you, Councilor. Any other comments? Councilor Taylor? Yeah, I think this job, and I argued for it, I argued for it in the subcommittee that this is very necessary. And, you know, I think that’s right. It’s not merely about revenue, although I think that is the main concern. You know, it’s also about jobs and bringing jobs to Chelsea for our residents. That really is, I don’t see the identity part. But, you know, I think if we bring good jobs to people, that’s what they really need. And I think that that will help the city. I just wanna say one thing. In the days to come, we will be talking more and more about the financial situation in the city, which makes this position all the more necessary because there are, you know, rougher times ahead of us.
[1:39:00] And so, we’ll be talking more about that as things unfold. But, I think it’s vital that we have somebody dedicated to this job of economic development in the city of Chelsea so that we can continue to ensure the financial stability of this city and its ability to render services to our residents. In a way that is helpful and not in a limited way that’s not gonna cut the mustard. So, I thank everybody who voted for this in the subcommittee and I look forward to passing it now. And I wanna thank the city manager for making the financial part of it doable. So, thank you. Thank you, Councillor. I’ll also share for the public to note that there was a subcommittee on this prior to today’s meeting and many of us were able to ask the city manager questions and really go through the detailed job description of this position as well as understand whether this is a brand new position or a position that’s absorbing some of the roles and responsibilities of the city.
[1:40:23] Or a position that’s absorbing some of the roles and responsibilities from other departments previously. And so, yeah, just wanted to make that clear for the record as we will be voting on this. All right, let’s move on. Councillor Brown requested roll call vote. Yes vote to approve. Councillor Taylor. Yes. Councillor Recupero. Yes. Councillor Jimenez-Rivera, is that so? Councillor Hines. Yes. Councillor Tanairi Garcia, is that so? Councillor Teshe. Yes. Councillor Kelly Garcia, is that so? Councillor Santagate. Yes. Councillor DeJesus. Yes. Councillor Brown. Yes. And Councillor Robinson, is that so? We’ll accept the members in favor, zero, opposed, and four, absent. Order approved. Thank you, clerk. Moving on to the next item. Next committee report received comes from Councillor DeJesus from the meeting of the subcommittee on Ways and Means held September 22nd, 2026. Is there a motion on my behalf? Thank you. Thank you, Councillor.
[1:41:33] Clerk. The committee report was accepted and filed. It has already been read. Okay. All right, moving on. Thank you. We have three financial orders that the Ways and Means Committee referred back to the council with a positive recommendation. 26F39, 26F40, 26F41. We do not have sufficient number of council to vote on this tonight. We need eight. So I would recommend postponing it to the 19th. All right, is there a motion? I’ll move to postpone. Thank you, Councillor. Postponing those items and moving on to the next. Move on to committee report received from the council president from the meeting of the subcommittee on conference held September 22nd, 2026. Is there a motion? I make a motion to accept our community report. Your mic, Councillor. Make a motion to accept the community report if there’s no objection.
[1:42:34] Seeing none. Moving on. The subcommittee on conference referred the following two full orders back to the city council with positive recommendation. First item before you, item 2656, introduced by the council president. Order that the city council hereby authorizes the city manager to enter into agreements with two solar companies, BWC Merriman Brook LLC and Blue Metal Brook LLC for funds to distribute to low-income participants in the Chelsea Electricity Choice Program for a period of 20 years relative to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Smart Solar Incentive Program and will be distributed to users through municipal electricity aggregation programs such as the city’s program, Chelsea Electricity Choice. And be it further ordered that the city council hereby authorizes the city manager to execute and deliver any and all documents with two solar companies, BWC Merriman Brook LLC and Blue Metal Brook LLC for funds to distribute to low-income residents in the Chelsea Electricity Choice Program for a period of 20 years.
[1:43:35] On such terms and conditions, the city manager deems to be in the best interest of the city of Chelsea. Thank you, clerk. Is there a motion? Move to accept, move to adopt the new suspension of their objections. I object. Okay, Councilor Taylor objects. Move for a roll call vote. I’d like to speak on it. Councilor Taylor, you have the floor. Okay, so just for the people at home, we had a subcommittee on this and this was presented to us as a way to help low-income people get lower rate electricity. What it doesn’t say and what I had to, you know, wiggle it out of my head, wiggle it out of them about who was paying for this.
[1:44:42] Now, I think people and everybody in Chelsea and not just in Chelsea, but all over the state of Massachusetts have wondered why their Eversource bills have gone through the roof. And I’ll tell you, one of the reasons why it has gone through the roof is because of this program. Now, let me explain something. If the people on Beacon Hill want to pass a law that gives low-income people cheap electricity, they should do it in legislature. Fully transparent to everybody about what’s going on, have a debate and pass it. But that’s not what happened here. The people on Beacon Hill didn’t want to do that because they wanted to be sneaky about it. They wanted to deceive and this is a, this is probably the most deceitful piece of legislation that I’ve ever seen.
[1:46:00] There’s no way to opt into this for anybody who is not on public assistance. So that means any of the working poor, people that don’t want to go on public assistance and maybe are working two jobs to make ends meet. There’s no way that they can access this. And the way this is paid for is that Eversource, this money is taken directly out of Eversource’s pocket and given to these solar companies. Now, the state can say, oh, we didn’t have anything to do with this. This is the solar companies making independent agreements with the municipalities for 20 years, for 20 years. I’ll tell you, I am extremely upset.
[1:47:04] And I think that everybody, everybody in Chelsea, whose Eversource bill has doubled at least, should be angry at the people on Beacon Hill for this. And I got to say, I’m all for helping people of low income. I’m all for helping people of low income. But I want to do it out in the open and I want to do it with full transparency. I don’t want to trick people into paying more money without knowing what it’s for or what’s going on. I think that this is actually despicable. And nobody else, I mean, if you’re not on public assistance, you’re paying and your representatives never told you that, I’ll bet. I know the governor never mentioned it. In fact, she wants to blame Washington, but this lies at the feet of the governor and the legislature.
[1:48:09] And I’m sorry, I would be the biggest hypocrite in the world if I didn’t vote against this. And I got to say, any counselor that’s been to Washington and any counselor that votes for this is voting for a tax, a tax that wasn’t passed by the legislature, a tax on you with your Eversource bills that are out of control. This is why people don’t like politicians. And if you have any questions about any of this, I encourage any of you to call me on my cell because this is a longer conversation. [phone number omitted]. You guys call me. And this is really, I’m astounded. I didn’t even think that people on Beacon Hill could do stuff like this, but they’ve done it. Thank you, counselor. I got counselor Recupero and then counselor Teshe.
[1:49:13] I’m a Democrat and he’s a Republican. And for once I agree with him. Here’s why I agree with him. Look at your utility bill, look at your electric bill. You’re paying for solar, look at the charges. I didn’t know that. That’s one reason, you were paying. The next one is why do they say it’s for low income people? Low income people already get a discount. If they look at the electric bill, it says they get an electric one. Then for 20 years, you’re going to have to pay. Not only that, I’ll be dead and gone. It wouldn’t matter to me. Their next generation is the one that’s going to have to pay for it. Not only that, something else too. What about that? Like the counselor says, the working poor. Don’t they deserve it? Why is everything given to low income, low income? I’m sick and tired of low income. There’s plenty working poor people in our state. They’re going to get nothing. Plenty Hispanics work, plenty Europeans, all people work, but yet they don’t qualify for nothing.
[1:50:15] They are the ones putting all the money into it and return getting nothing. I’ll make you an example. There’s a school. Some young Spanish people asked me, they wanted to get a high school education. The first thing they said to them, I’m not going to mention the school. The first thing they said, I made believe I was one of them, and I asked them. I said to them, I would like to get a high school education because I didn’t receive it. Can you help me? The first thing they say to me, are you a transitional assistance? And I said, no. Well, then you got to pay $4,500. So you’re discriminating against anybody that wants to get an education. I could tell you the name of the school because they do do it, but I’m not going to mention it because they’re not worth mentioning for doing something like that. In this state, they say everybody gets an education. Why can these people get an education? Why do they have to pay $4,500? Counselor, counselor, we are getting off topic now. No, it’s the same thing. I’ll make it off topic. What are you talking about? That poor people are paying for something.
[1:51:16] Counselor, can we just stick to the utility? All right, nevermind. We won’t say that anymore, but here’s my final say is this. I am for everybody that needs help. I’m not against giving anybody anything, but I’m also for fairness. You’re going to do it, do it for all. Don’t do it for this elect minority. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. I have Teshe. I’ll say that I partly agree with Counselor Taylor. I think a lot of people don’t know and it comes as a surprise to them to find out that part of the reason why the utility bill goes up is because taxpayers are funding or essentially subsidizing the solar companies in this state. Although I will say, and I don’t want to single somebody out, but one of the projects that is coming to Chelsea is Flatiron and they are a battery plant.
[1:52:17] They are one of the companies that are also being funded by the state and by the tax credits that they are getting that are being paid by taxpayers. It’s a great thing to do. And so we cannot be picking and choosing. At this point, we’re looking at a program that will benefit people in the city of Chelsea. And if you want to fight the state, don’t do it at the cost of the poor people that do need this program as of now. So for that very reason, even though I agree with some of the arguments that were made before me, we’re looking at a population in our city that needs our help and this is one way we can help them. And let’s also not forget what the big reason for the high-paying prices in gas and energy is, and that’s a national concern. That’s not Chelsea or Massachusetts. Councillor Hines. I just want to express my confliction openly because when this thing first came, it was a discussion of what it is that we’d be able to save and especially in prioritizing our low-income families and communities, but also in learning more about the program, there is a low-cost affordability program that residents are automatically enrolled in currently if they are eligible for public assistance.
[1:53:47] So I am very conflicted because on one end, we do save money for residents under a 20-year contract for a program that we, the general taxpayers, are already paying into. I feel like somebody’s cutting the corner here and a lot of us are being shortchanged. So I don’t know, for that reason, we’ll see how it goes. Councillor, you need to get out of my head. So I’ll just share briefly that that was my question. Regardless of flat-iron battery, regardless of the poor people or the working poor, the fact is that some of us here sat in a conversation in a subcommittee. We took the time to come in, listen to presentations, ask very specific questions, and now we’re finding news that wasn’t shared for us, even though the questions we were asking could have hinted to some of these responses we’re seeing now.
[1:54:47] So I’m also a bit conflicted on this and, again, has nothing to do whether this is for the working poor or the poor. Y’all know where I stand when it comes to that, but I also like transparency and I will not be voting for this this evening. So there is an order on the table. Councillor Brown, you wanna share some words? I’d like to see if I can make a motion. Do we have, what motion do we have? There is a motion from Councillor Teshe at the moment for a roll call. That was correct. The roll call for that one. Could I object and before we vote, ask the city manager a question? Probably yes. That’s a good idea. Madam President, prior to that, I had my hand up for. Yes, let’s go with Councillor Brown and then city manager, don’t go too far.
[1:55:49] So my, my motion was going to be, since there is some discord here, if we can make a motion to move it back to subcommittee because in light of what we’re hearing, in light of what people are agreeing on that maybe there is still more information we need, we’re still missing five city council members. So I take respect and consideration for, I’m sorry. And maybe we should give it another shot at this subcommittee prior to voting if we don’t have a limitation of what time we have to have this passed. All right, so now we have another motion on the floor. The first motion was Teshe for the roll call vote. And now do we need to address one or the other clerk? The motion to amend, the motion to refer takes precedence over the motion for roll call vote.
[1:56:53] If the motion to refer does not pass or is not agreed upon, then the motion to roll call stands. Okay, so you’re saying that Brown’s motion takes a lead. Good. Is anyone objecting to Brown’s motion? If I could speak on it, to your motion, I don’t think another subcommittee is necessary because one was already held. I think what we do need here is moving the vote for a different meeting. And I guess the point of inquiry would be, can that be possible to make sure that we do have all the councilors here present when we do take a vote? So Councilor Teshe is asking for another meeting, not a subcommittee, a meeting and conference is what I’m hearing. A regular meeting. Just moving it, yeah. To have this discussion on the floor. Okay.
[1:57:55] All right, clerk, point of clarification here, please. I’m not 100% sure what the motion is. Is the motion to postpone to the next meeting? Yeah, it’s a point of inquiry to ask if it’s possible that we postpone this decision or order for an upcoming regular meeting where we can have, hopefully we have a full body. I think that’s better than a subcommittee because the subcommittee was already held. Okay, so I have now, before I continue to pile up motions, guys, where are we going with Brown? Brown, your motion right now is on the floor. And then after we resolve your motion, then we have to still deal with Teshe’s initial roll call vote motion. So is there an objection or anything to Brown? I just want to speak on it.
[1:58:55] Okay, Councilor Taylor. We’re still pending your motion. Go ahead. I just have, once the motion went out, once the motion went out, you asked for people’s conversation. That way. You asked for people’s conversation, so I have to be in that, Mr. Brown. Yes, but it’s still on your motion. So it’s still on your motion. Yeah. So the reason why I’m asking for the subcommittee because in light of what we’re seeing here and what I’m hearing here is folks are saying that, hey, we don’t have this information. This is the first time I’m having this information. Let’s get the city council members back in the city in the subcommittee, talk, discuss, and get what you need to have, note. Ask the city manager not back and forth tonight as we’re trying to do and figure out what the other four city council members may not know what their thoughts are.
[1:59:55] So give it a fair opportunity. Go back to the subcommittee. I was at the subcommittee when we had it. Not every council member here was there. So we have to make some effort to get there and then we can get all the stuff hashed out. Thank you. Councilor Taylor, then Councilor Hines, and city manager, don’t go nowhere. Yeah, with all due respect, look, I’m usually the one who’s begging people to have subcommittees, right? But at this point, we had a subcommittee. We discussed it and now we’re gonna vote on it. We do have enough people to vote on it. Councilors have to take responsibility for showing up to the meeting and actually voting. And I gotta say, you know, having another subcommittee is not gonna change my mind at all.
[2:01:00] I know exactly what this is and I do not need another subcommittee to do this. Regardless of, you know, the difference between the solar programs, those are for everybody, okay? Those are for everybody. I’m all for that. I gave Flatiron a chance. I’m all for new technology if it’s gonna save people money or whatever. Fine, I think that’s reasonable. But to use political subterfuge and do things in the dark of night and specifically trying to hide from the people what’s going on or why their Eversource bills are out of control, the highest in the country, by the way, the highest in the country, way above the national average, this is outrageous.
[2:02:03] And I gotta say, you know, at this point, this is not even political. This is just, you know, whether we consent, you know, to being financially assaulted by our politicians and them trying to hide it so that they can shift the blame for something that they themselves are responsible for. Now, come on, people. This is simple. So I will be voting against another subcommittee because I don’t think it matters. And it does matter what city councilors show up to vote. Councillor Hines. I was also, I was also at that subcommittee. I don’t think us having another subcommittee would get us the information necessarily.
[2:03:07] I think it would allow us to ask more questions, but it doesn’t give us the ability to change the proposal as it came to us because it’s not ours. And I agree with Councillor Taylor on the burden being shifted to municipalities because we would be the ones that are in this contract. I also feel like there’s some sense of strong arming going on because whether or not you have solar power currently, you’re paying for it. Your energy bill’s going up. It’s kind of like a force or a push for you to get solar panels. Even though that is a good, it should be more of a choice than like a diversion. But the question that I wanted to ask the city manager, I’m sorry, because you’ve been waiting and I thank you for being so patient, there’s a separation of contracts for the city and for the residents, right? Is there any, does this also pertain to the contract as proposed for the city and the municipal?
[2:04:17] No, sorry, there are two separate orders in front of you. One is council order 2656, which is for the item that is before you, which is the city of Chelsea taking advantage of a program to lower electricity rates for people that are currently on the ever source low income rate. In order, as we shared in the subcommittee, in order to take advantage of that low income rate, how most programs these days work is that they, if you qualify for mass health, if you qualify for SNAP, if you qualify for EBT, then you are automatically enrolled. I will tell you that what I’ve heard is that mass health is widely used, right?
[2:05:18] Chelsea has 10,000 residents that are on SNAP, right? I mean, the 25% of our residents are on SNAP, right? So if you have SNAP, this will benefit you, right? Is that working for or is that extremely poor? I’m not sure what the threshold there is, but this is for a program that the city of Chelsea can take advantage of. If the council chooses not to vote for this, then everything that the council has shared continues, right? As every of you said, Councillor, this is not a city run program, this is a state program that the city can choose to go into. So if the council wants to know, that’s okay, but we will then pass on that opportunity to save residents’ money and that opportunity will be had by residents elsewhere.
[2:06:18] I don’t know. I have a follow-up question to that. So that means then that Chelsea will still see an impact because other communities are opting into it. We just will lose the opportunity to also have our low-income residents benefit from it. 1,000%, so the ever source rates will remain high, right? As Councillor Recupero has said, right? And we will pay for the benefit for residents in New Bedford, for instance, or residents in Salem as opposed to residents in Chelsea. Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Taylor. Sorry, so I just wanted to also just make one thing clear about this. Nobody, no other municipality has done this yet. They always come to Chelsea because they think Chelsea is easy pickings for them and that we’re gonna do whatever they say because we’re Chelsea.
[2:07:21] So I gotta say that yes, we wouldn’t be taking advantage of that, but taking advantage of something doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t make it a moral thing. It doesn’t make it the right thing. If we say no to this, other municipalities hopefully would say no to this. And if they still want to shift money from ever source to solar companies because it benefits them and that they don’t want their hand prints on it so that they’ll just allow the municipalities to do it. But it’ll be a contract for 20 years. This is not how business should be done. And just because it saves some people some money doesn’t make it right.
[2:08:25] And that we should say no and send a message back to Beacon Hill that this whole thing stinks. And that if they wanna pass a law that says they’re gonna transfer money from ever source to solar companies, then they do it in the open where everybody can see. And guess what? There’s an election coming up in November. But they wanna hide it. Ooh, I wonder why. I wonder why. So the city manager says, well, this is gonna happen. And our people won’t be able to take advantage of it, but other municipalities will. Okay, maybe. But we’re not consenting to something that wasn’t transparent. It was obviously a deal from a back room to fund solar companies and take it out of the pocket of ever source so that what does ever source do?
[2:09:29] They raise their rates for everybody else. Gee, guess why your ever source bill is so high? So councilors can do what they want, but you are responsible, maybe not just for Chelsea, but for the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts and what those other municipalities actually do. And I think we ought to do the right thing, which is saying no to dishonest politicians. Before I go to Councilor Recupero, just to clarify my questions, I’m a city manager because I remember in the conversation, are we bind to this contract or can we opt out at any moment? Nothing has been executed, nothing has been signed. Once it’s executed, are we locked in for those 20 years or is there a way for us to say, you know what, this is not what we thought it was gonna be?
[2:10:31] I believe that, I don’t know the answer to that question. I believe that we can terminate the agreement and essentially bypass that savings. My other question is in regards to the Councilor Taylor’s comment. So there are no other cities or towns. In the subcommittee, they explained that this is a new program. It is a program that is authorized by the state and it was created for this purpose only. This purpose, this purpose. It’s called the Smart Solar Initiative Program and essentially it is for this reason. There are three communities that I am aware of that are exactly at the exact same point that we are, which is Salem, Revere, and Cambridge. They are at the exact same point as we are. We are going through the approval process with our respective city councils. My last question, is there a time limitation?
[2:11:34] If we do not vote, if we decide to reconvene again next year and talk about what cities have opted in, what impacts we have seen, is that a possibility? It could be. I think that the suggestion of having another meeting is actually a really good suggestion. I think that there are clearly a lot of feelings around this program and I think getting the people back in the room to answer a lot of the hard questions I think would be beneficial for us. But I understand that the council has a logjam of subcommittee meetings. This certainly doesn’t have to be at the front. Thank you, city manager. Councilor Recupero, do you have questions for the city manager or is this a statement because I want to stay away from statements so we can move off of this order? Okay. So like you just stated, for 20 years, if we decide to hop out of it, you don’t know if we can or we can’t.
[2:12:41] So that’s, and another thing, you said we have 10,000 people that are on snack, right? What happens to the other 30,000? You know, they’re not on snack. I always, I’m not against anything. I’ve always been for everything, but I’m also for fairness and equality for all of us. So what is the benefit of a few, again, through the years that I’ve been here, it’s always been, oh, the few don’t matter, the mass counts. So the few here don’t matter, the mass counts. Everybody’s supposed to count. Councilor, is there a question that you want to ask the city manager? Yes, if we vote no on this, right, what happens? If we vote no on this contract, I will let the companies know that Chelsea is not going to participate. Can we go back to it next year? Councilor, I just asked that question. I don’t know the answer to that question, Councilor. I do not know. All right, we’re gonna move back.
[2:13:43] We’re good? Okay, we’re gonna move back to Councilor Brown. For clarification, two motions on the floor. I believe Councilor Brown moved to refer back to subcommittee on conference. I believe Councilor Teshe moved to postpone to the next meeting. Is that motion still on the floor? No, that was my inquiry. My original motion was for a roll call vote. You got it. If there was a motion to postpone, the motion to postpone would take precedence. If that motion’s not on the floor, the motion to refer is the only order pending before Council. Okay, assuming that was withdrawn then. Councilor? Okay. So then the motion we have before us, before we go on to this vote, can you just clarify for everyone? The motion pending before you, the motion introduced by Councilor Brown to refer agenda item 2656 back to subcommittee on conference.
[2:14:45] A yes vote would refer, a no vote would reject it, and we will return to the underlying order. Okay. Let’s move on to a roll call vote. Councilor Taylor? No. Councilor Recupero? No. Councilor Jimenez-Rivera, is that? Councilor Hines? Yes. Councilor Tanairi Garcia, is that? Councilor Teshe? Yes. Councilor Kelly Garcia, is that? Councilor Santagate? Yes. Councilor DeJesus? Yes. Councilor Brown? Yes. And Councilor Robinson is absent. On this motion, you have four members voting in favor, three members opposed, four members absent, majority member present. Motion to refer is approved. Thank you, Clerk. I have Councilors Taylor, Councilor Recupero and Teshe voting no.
[2:15:50] Yes. With that, five members in favor, majority vote so passes. Motion to refer is already adopted. Thank you, Clerk. Moving on to the next item. Next order before you from Ways and Means, which was referred back to Council with a positive recommendation, as was the last one. Order that the Chelsea City Council hereby authorizes the city manager to enter into an electricity bill credit purchase agreement with 978 Solar Development LLC for a period of up to 30 years relative to the purchase of an agreed upon percentage of the net metering credits generated by solar energy facilities and be it further ordered that the city council hereby authorizes the city manager to execute and deliver any and all documents related to the net metering credit purchase agreement to provide net metering services for up to 30 years on such terms and conditions the city manager deems in the best interest of the city of Chelsea. Can I have a motion? Councilor. I have a point of inquiry.
[2:16:51] Councilor Taylor. So this order is just pursuant to the contract being signed for the general solar program that we’ve instituted that all the residents can take advantage of unless they opted out. Is that correct? No, sir. This order is completely different from the Chelsea Electricity Choice Program. This is a contract between the city of Chelsea and a solar developer to reduce the city’s bills. So this is to reduce our electricity bills, it’s say in City Hall, in our police station, in our public buildings, in DPW. This will result in a savings of about $60,000 a year. The schools. And the schools as well.
[2:17:52] Is it the same company that has the other one? No, two separate companies, two separate initiatives. Okay. All right, Councilor Brown. As well, I actively have a motion for a quick roll call vote. Seeing no objections. I’m moving on to a roll call vote. Any speakers before we vote? No, all right. Roll call vote requested. Yes, vote to adopt. Councilor Taylor. Yes. Councilor Recupero. Yes. Councilor Jimenez-Rivera is absent. Councilor Hines. Yes. Councilor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councilor Teshe. Yes. Councilor Kelly Garcia is also absent. Councilor Santagate. Yes. Councilor DeJesus. Yes. Councilor Brown. Yes. And Councilor Robinson is absent. Seven members in favor, zero opposed, four absent. Order is adopted. Moving on to the next item, referred back from Ways and Means with a positive recommendation.
[2:18:55] You have an order introduced by the Council President. Whereas on June 25th, 2028, the Chelsea City Council amended the revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Chelsea to add a new section 2-200 to chapter two, article five, for departmental revolving funds. And whereas section 53E1-2 of chapter 44 of mass general law authorizes cities and towns to establish departmental revolving funds for specific departmental programs subject to certain budgetary restrictions. And whereas the city seeks to establish a new revolving fund to support a program to offer lower cost of electricity supply to the programs participating in low income customers. And whereas the establishment of a revolving fund will allow the program related revenues to be retained and expended for their intended purpose without further appropriation subject to annual spending limits improved by the City Council. Now therefore be it ordered that the revised Code of Ordinances of the City of Chelsea as amended be further remembered and adopted by amending chapter two, article five, section 2-200 to add a new entry to the table of revolving funds establishing the low income solar energy revolving fund.
[2:20:01] Madam President. Motion. I would ask that this also be sent back to the same subcommittee that we just voted on to send back the low income program too. I second that. Moving right along then. Final item referred back from Ways and Means with positive recommendation authorizing revolving fund establishment for low income solar energy fund. Whereas section 53E1-2 of chapter 44 of mass general law. Can we waive the rest of the reading? Seeing no objections. Can we waive the rest of the reading? What’s the motion? And motion to send back to the subcommittee on comments. Awesome. No objections. Final committee report received comes from Councilor Santagate from the meeting of the subcommittee of public safety held September 20th, 2026. Motion. A motion to accept and file under unanimous consent and I’d love to speak on it.
[2:21:08] Do you have the floor? We had I think a very fruitful meeting with the chief and his captains about trying to come up with a program to address the use of electric scooters and other electric two wheel vehicles on our streets because they’re increasingly a serious safety issue. And so we are going to initiate a program probably in the spring. This winter approaching, I don’t think that we could, it’ll be as much of an issue in terms of people breaking the law. So there’s a teen road course that’s available that the police department is going to purchase that we will be able to have all of the operators of these vehicles hopefully go through so they can learn the rules of the road because they’re not following the rules of the road and they’re also going to come up with some sort of hardcore operation similar to what the city of Boston did with Operation Kickstand where they are going to be maybe choosing a weekend or a period to enforce and confiscate, et cetera.
[2:22:39] And I was pleased with the results of the meeting and I look forward to whatever program they put together. Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Taylor. So I’m also a member of the Public Safety Committee. I agree with what Councilor Santagate said about it. I would only add a couple things and that is we’re also going to look at the city’s ordinance regarding these motorized vehicles and see what can be strengthened in order to better enforce this. I made it clear to the police department that we’re not gonna, there was a lot of things that like I said last time that we get the yeah, yeah, yeah treatment. I believe that they were honest and forthright and serious about trying to solve this problem.
[2:23:39] I gotta say, and I was grateful for Councilor Robinson who also attended. And by the way, Councilor Robinson was not here tonight because of the Chronicle program with the Lewis Latimer Society, on the Lewis Latimer Society. So he is not here tonight because of that. But I am grateful to him for pushing this subject. I see 10-year-olds, I saw one this morning. I saw a 10-year-old on a scooter. Thank God she had a helmet. She did have a helmet. But she’s on a motorized scooter going to school. And you have to be a licensed driver in order to operate one of these motorized vehicles unless it’s an e-bike. Those are the only ones that are exempted. So we have a lot of education to do. And Councilor Santagate mentioned an enforcement time.
[2:24:42] That will not happen until we have a full force public relations campaign, which will include some education in the schools and education for the parents so that if the police have to confiscate some of these scooters, which they are legally allowed to do in certain cases, they will do it. But we need to get people educated as to the consequences of their actions. And what we really wanna do in bringing all of this up is to prevent somebody from getting killed or hurt on these things. Because I guarantee you, if we do nothing, sooner or later it’s gonna happen. And we’re not doing our job if we’re not trying to keep our Chelsea residents safe, especially the kids.
[2:25:43] So thank you, Madam Chairperson, for having that. And thanks to Councilor Robinson for being at the forefront of this issue. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor. Moving on. There were no orders referred back from public safety. You have no unfinished business or second readings. Moving on to new business. First item under new business, introduced by Councilor Kelly Garcia, order that the city manager work with the Chelsea Public Library and other relevant departments. Item president. Councilor Teshe. Move to waive the rest of the reading and refer to a second meeting. Seeing no objections, Councilor. Moving on. Next item under new business, you have an order introduced by the council president. Order that the Chelsea City Council hereby approves the warrant for the state election to be held November 3rd, 2026, as attached. Thank you.
[2:26:51] Do we have a motion? Move for a roll call vote. Anyone like to speak on it? May I speak? You have the floor, Councilor. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’re about to adopt the warrant for the fall election. Everyone’s been asking about the election. So November 3rd, the election’s coming up. Cities and towns have to post a warrant to let folks know that the election’s coming up. Locations and places where the elections will take and wards and pleasing. Mail-in ballots, I’m told, have been mailed out. If you’d like to request a mail-in ballot, you can get a mail-in ballot by requesting one from your cities and town halls. Also on September, October 17th, we’ll be able to have early voting. Early voting will be available.
[2:27:52] If you’d like to vote early, look on our website here at chelsea.massgov and go under city clerk’s office and you’ll have all that posted there. So I’m gonna say I’ll be adopting it with the rest of my comments tonight. Councilor Hines? I just wanna say please, please, please, please, please, assert your right to participate in this election. We wait every four years to have the conversation about who’s running for president. Those are two people, right? Like it is important who runs your city. It is important who runs your local government. It is important who’s your state representative, your congressperson, your district attorney. All these people have a more direct impact on you in your day-to-day experience. Please, if you are able to verify that you are registered to vote and go out and place your vote this upcoming election.
[2:28:59] Anyone else? Okay. Roll call vote requested. He has a vote to adopt. Sorry. Councilor Santagate, sorry. Thank you. Gotta raise it higher. I just wanted to actually reiterate what Councilor Hines has just said. Like our voter statistics are just abysmal here. We have to get out there. The polls are open for many, many hours. Please get out and vote. Your vote matters. And so I’m kind of begging you. Anyone else? We voted? Okay. Are we 100% sure here? This is Clark. Roll call vote requested. He has a vote to adopt. Councilor Taylor. Yes. Councilor Recupero. Yes. Councilor Jimenez-Rivera is absent. Councilor Hines. Yes. Councilor Tanairi Garcia is absent.
[2:29:59] Councilor Teshe. Yes. Councilor Kelly Garcia is absent. Councilor Santagate. Yes. Councilor DeJesus. Yes. Councilor Brown. Yes. And Councilor Robinson is absent. Seven members in favor, zero opposed, four absent. Order approved, warrant approved. Moving on, we have an order introduced by Councilor DeJesus. Order that a meeting of the subcommittee on conference be held with the superintendent and school committee to discuss the next fiscal year’s budget and other related concerns. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I’d like to accept and follow up. There are no objections, I’d like the floor. Seeing none, you have the floor, Councilor. Thank you. So this is ahead of the very tough conversations that we know we are going to have next school year and the budget cuts that we will see due to the unenrollment rate in Chelsea. I’ve been keeping in conversation with our superintendent and the administration and making sure that I have a sense of what we will be confronting.
[2:31:02] And I want to make sure that this body starts this conversation, not individually, but in partnership with the school committee and the administration. This is simply for us to understand what has happened since our last conversation, what are we looking at projections, what are some of the root causes of some of these cuts, and also to understand. I do want to assume that less youth means less money needed, but if that is the case, then I want to be fully aware of where our money is going to be appropriated, how we are going to sustain the proper classroom education that we want for all of our children in Chelsea. And so I am looking forward to having this conversation with all of my colleagues and our fellow members of the school committee, as well as our superintendent. Thank you. Any other speakers?
[2:32:09] Moving on, next item under new business, order introduced by Councilor DeJesus, order that the Traffic and Parking Commission explore pedestrian safety and traffic calming measures at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Daryl Street. Mr. Chair, I’d like to accept and file there are no objections that I’d like to speak. You have the floor, Councilor. Thank you. So my neighbors in District Three have shared a number of times concerns with these intersections, whether it’s Carol, Hooper, Lewis. It’s really tough for folks to get through the pileup of traffic from Eastern Avenue. And so I’m looking forward, in particular to this intersection, I’m really grateful for the city manager and for Kate and our DPW crew, because I literally shared with this. And not even 24 hours later, I had neighbors calling in gratitude because we already had some of the requested fixtures already up and going.
[2:33:11] So there is brand new paint on all of our crosswalks in that intersection. And there, I believe, already is installed a mirror. So when you are coming down Carol and going towards SNL or turning towards that intersection leading to Revere, you now have an opportunity to look up and see the reflection of any vehicles that are coming down. Prior to this mirror, you kind of just play peek-a-boo and hope that the car is coming down or up, see the front bumper and slow down or make a stop completely. So I’m hoping that this addresses at least that for that intersection. I’ve had the conversation with speed bumps since my first year in office, and I know that that conversation is a tough one. There are a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration, the input from our fire department, the input from experts on the traffic and parking and so on.
[2:34:21] However, again, we must prioritize the people who are walking our streets. And not too long ago, there was a collision between a vehicle and a person on a motorcycle. And I received pictures of this horrible scene. Thankfully, the person was not injured badly. And it was just the motorcycle that was beat up pretty bad, but I don’t want to sit here and talk about someone passing due to the fact that there’s speeding and the infrastructures and some of our intersections are not safe enough for pedestrians or for all of us in general. And so I wanna thank, again, City Manager and DPW for a quick response. And we’re gonna monitor the situation and we’ll continue then to take action as we see things either improve or not. Thank you. Any other speakers?
[2:35:26] Next item under new business, order introduced by Councilor Kelly Garcia, order that the City Manager in coordination with the Housing Authority establish a 70% local preference for eligible Chelsea residents in proposed centralized lottery and waiting list for inclusionary zoning affordable housing units or the maximum percentage permitted by applicable state and federal law with appropriate fair housing standards and required approval. Councilor Teshe. Move for a second reading if there are no objections. Okay, move to a second reading. Second reading. Kelly’s not here. So can I ask a question on that before we send to the second reading to the City Manager? Regarding this, quickly.
[2:36:29] What’s that? No, no, we’re still in the previous order. He’s talking about the previous order, not his own. I was wondering if we can amend it from 70 to 100%, the Chelsea residents. If that’s allowed, that when exclusionary zoning comes in instead of 70%, we can make 100% of the housing available to Chelsea residents. I am not sure, Councilor. I’ll look into it though. Thank you. Any other speakers? Okay, send it to a second reading. Next item under new business, order introduced by Councilor Recupero, order that the City Manager provide an update on the status of the city’s program that provides funds to homeowners to repair and or renovate their home, specifically if funding has been reallocated or if there are any plans to do so. Councilor Recupero. Accept, on the unanimous, if there’s no objection, like to speak on it?
[2:37:31] You have the floor, Councilor. This was implemented before. It was a program that we had. We have people there waiting right now to fix their homes. It’s a program that’s separate from the HUD program. It’s a program that the City of Chelsea especially gives to people that are not under the HUD system because you can’t get any money to fix your house unless you’re on the HUD. This gives everybody an opportunity to fix their homes. And it was there before, but at our last meeting we had, Mr. Ben Carras said that there was no money and the program was not done. I want to make sure that the program is still there and that people of Chelsea can take advantage. From the last time I’ve checked and people have called me for this program, there was seven, 14 people still waiting on a list. So I want to make sure that these people, at least, at least, get an opportunity to fix their homes.
[2:38:35] And I know that through the years, this program has been inactive for, I don’t know, five, six years, whatever the amount has been there. I can’t give you the exact, it truly is, only two people have got money. Two people. That was kind of because the way it was done, the application process, but then the city manager thanked him, put someone down there to help these people fill the application. So now the money’s not there and I hope the money is back there so that people can take advantage of a program that’s worth it to help out anybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re low income, high income. I think there is a minimum. It’s a $100,000 minimum. If you make less than 100 grand, then you’re entitled to it. That’s good. At least you don’t have to be on our EBT. It’s a program normal that anybody can use. Thank you. Okay.
[2:39:36] Do we have any public announcements? If I may, I would just say, reiterate what Councilor Brown had said before about people registering to vote. Mr. City Councilor, the city just put out an ad about the last day to register to vote. Would you mind telling people when that is? Do you remember? It is coming up shortly. The last day before you left, you didn’t even sign the vote. So look, there’s still time to register to vote if you’re, so you can have your say in who’s doing what to you and choosing who you’re gonna vote for, who you’re gonna hold accountable and who you’re not, who you wanna choose to run the government.
[2:40:39] So please participate, because if you don’t, don’t complain, correct. Councilor Taylor? Councilor, you have the floor, Councilor. I just wanted to give the public that information. So the deadline to register to vote is Saturday, October 24th. You can register in person by 5 p.m. or online by 11.59 p.m. Don’t wait until the deadline. Check your registration or learn how to register at www.chelseama.gov slash elections. And if you moved, you gotta re-register. Okay. I got one more. Councilor Brown. So if you opt to wait to the last minute to register to vote, you have to have your registration stamped by 12 a.m. So you have to have it stamped.
[2:41:44] Any other public announcements? Quickly, Councilor. We’re running out of time. They’re supposed to laugh, it’s the end. We’ve been here all day, let’s laugh a little. Let’s go home happy. I would like to say one thing. The city is getting crowded, really crowded, so be careful where you park your car. Because a lot of times people don’t know when it’s street cleaning and they’re gonna get tagged. If you come from another part, you’re gonna get tagged if you don’t know that that particular day is street cleaning. So make sure you look at the signs for street cleaning. Thank you. Councilor DeJesus. I just wanna remind folks that we are currently reviewing our charter. I’m part of the charter committee along with my colleague, Hines.
[2:42:45] And this is a great opportunity for folks to give input as to what changes they would like to see and listen in to some of the conversations. The last conversation we had was broadcast, so you are able to now tune into our meetings and see the discussion and be able to share feedback based on the conversations we’re having. But also, again, it’s open to the public. So you are all welcome to join these meetings. The dates, I believe, correct me if I’m wrong, clerk are posted on the website. So yeah, reach out to your counselor or scope out our website and join the conversation regarding the charter review. Councilor Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Cooper Road reminded me of something. It is crowded out there, and I want folks to know that children are back at school. Please be careful, cautious.
[2:43:47] I see it every morning, I say, oh my God, that folks are, and these are drivers, they’re driving insanely quickly and out of control, and you gotta be careful that children are out there. Unfortunately, some of the places don’t have crossing guards. On scooters sometimes. Right, we have to be careful for our youth. Please watch out for our school children, thank you. Any other public announcements? Okay, meeting adjourned. Thank you.