Encore Boston Harbor funds designated for Chelsea could potentially support job training initiatives for local residents.
During Monday’s session, the City Council voted 8-3 to authorize City Manager Thomas Ambrosino to seek renegotiation of the Surrounding Community Agreement (SCA) with Encore. The goal is to redirect $100,000 from the $225,000 allocated for roadway repairs toward workforce development programs.
“I still believe that workforce development
is an important and unmet need in the City,” Ambrosino wrote in correspondence to the council. “This casino mitigation agreement provides an opportunity to set
aside a modest annual amount for that purpose. The source would be a portion of
the funds set aside in the existing Agreement for roadway improvements, a
program which the City already adequately supports through other available
revenues.”
While the council ultimately backed Ambrosino’s proposal to renegotiate with Encore, opposition emerged from several members regarding the reallocation of road repair funds to workforce development.
“Why take the money from where it was
intended to go and put it somewhere else?” asked District 6 Councillor Giovanni Recupero.
Councillor-At-Large Roy Avellaneda disagreed, noting that the budget contains multiple avenues for funding roadway work, whereas workforce development lacks comparable revenue sources.
“This is a good use, in my view, of that
$100,000,” he noted, emphasizing the potential benefits for Chelsea residents through such training.
District 1 Councillor Robert Bishop raised concerns that the workforce development funding would primarily support training for casino and hospitality sector employment.
“That is something the casino should be
spending money on, not us,” Bishop stated. “Why should we pay to train people at
the casino?”
Joining Bishop in opposition was District 3 Councillor Joe Perlatonda, who cast the third dissenting vote. He shared Bishop’s concern that the proposal’s language emphasized casino industry job training too prominently.
•The Council also approved the Community Preservation Act Budget for Fiscal Year 2020 and allocated Community Preservation Act funds for six initiatives: Civil War Monument renovation, the Marlborough Street Community Garden, Bellingham-Cary House building repairs, the Garden Cemetery project, Congregation Agudath Sholom repairs, and funding for an affordable housing trust fund specialist.
•District 4 Councillor Enio Lopez requested that Ambrosino explore installing temporary speed bumps at Marlborough and Shawmut streets during summer months.
Lopez additionally requested that the City Manager supply the Council with documentation of all city vehicles taken home by municipal employees and a record of overtime hours logged by the Inspectional Services Department.