This is a lightly edited transcript of the Chelsea City Council meeting of Monday, October 19, 2026, made from the Chelsea Community Cable livestream. Speech recognition software produced the text and separated the voices; we then labeled speakers from context and from the clerk’s roll calls, corrected names and misheard words using the council packet, removed filler and repeated words, and marked passages we could not make out as [unclear]. Otherwise the words are as spoken. Short remarks we could not attribute are marked “Unidentified speaker.” Council President Roberto Jimenez-Rivera chaired. The two residents who spoke during public comment are identified as they introduced themselves. Timestamps count from the start of the livestream; the meeting begins about 11 minutes in. For anything you plan to quote or rely on, check the video.
Our reports on this meeting: the $570,712 linkage fee, the 70 percent local preference and everything else.
Agenda: Opening and roll call · Moments of silence · Resolution: Shirley Ann Thompson's 90th birthday · Public speaking: the school budget · Minutes of October 5 · City manager: library needs assessment and accessibility · City manager: John Ruiz statue · Appointment to the Community Preservation Committee · City manager: police chief hiring process · City manager: FY2027 tax rates · 911 dispatchers contract (NEPBA Local 192) · Market Basket's master plan for the Mystic Mall · $570,712 linkage fee for ARPA-funded social services · FY2028 capital improvement plan · In-house street sweeping · Island End River: amended order of taking · Unfinished business: $116,942.80 for roads and sidewalks · Unfinished business: $26,546.88 in prior-year bills · Unfinished business: Teamsters Local 25 911 supervisors contract · Second reading: board appointments · Second reading: library accessibility order · Second reading: 70% local preference in the inclusionary zoning lottery · New business: construction vehicles and trailers left on streets · Public announcements and adjournment
Opening and roll call
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:11:35] All right, welcome Everybody to the October 19th meeting of the council. We will now have the clerk call the roll of the members. Mr. Clerk.
Clerk [0:11:46] Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [0:11:47] I’m here.
Clerk [0:11:48] Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [0:11:49] Here.
Clerk [0:11:50] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [0:11:52] Present.
Clerk [0:11:52] Councillor Hines. Councillor Tanairi Garcia. Councillor Teshe.
Councillor Teshe [0:11:59] Here.
Clerk [0:12:02] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [0:12:04] Present.
Clerk [0:12:05] Councillor Santagate.
Councillor Santagate [0:12:06] Present.
Clerk [0:12:07] Councillor DeJesus is present. Councillor Brown. And Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [0:12:15] Yeah.
Clerk [0:12:16] Nine members present. You have a quorum, Mr. President.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:12:19] Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And just to clarify, Councillor Tanairi Garcia is out because of family health issues and Councillor Hines is out of town for a wedding. So that’s why they’re not here.
Moments of silence
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:12:19] So we will now move on to memoriams and celebratory resolutions. So we will start with memoriams. We will start with moments of silence. I will start with Councillor Recupero and then go to Councillor Santagate and then to others,
Councillor Recupero [0:12:43] a moment of silence for Mr. George Chappell. A great person, a young man. He died at the age of 38. I seen him grow up in our city. He’s a great person and he will be missed. He grew up with my children and I respect that young man very much. He died very young. He was only 38 years old. And he will be sorely missed within this city.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:13:14] Councillor Santagate?
Councillor Santagate [0:13:17] I actually have two. I was hoping we could have a moment of silence for Aylin Vieira, who at only two years old sadly lost her life last Wednesday. And the family is beyond devastated, as we can all imagine. So we need to think of her and always so sad when it’s a child. So anyway, the second thing is actually something remarkable. One of our Chelsea friends, Chelsea residents, who owns a home on Parker street, sent a message to us about a week ago saying that she had stopped her cancer treatment after two years and had been accepted into assisted dying in Vermont and went to Vermont and took the medicine last Friday. And she was an amazing person, extremely well educated author, fluent Chinese, just an amazing woman. So a remarkable decision from a remarkable woman.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:14:33] Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [0:14:35] Mr. President, I also would just like to reiterate on both those. That we mentioned, particularly the two year old been in contact with the city manager. The family’s taking it really hard, especially the grandmother. We’ve been trying with friends of the folks up at the park, [unclear] park, where we play dominoes, trying to help out the family. And secondly, George Chappell, my family grew up with him, know his mother very well. It’s been a very tough time for that family. So I ask again that we continue to not only pray for those two and the other rather than. But the other families that’s really struggling throughout these difficult times, especially as we go into the holidays. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:15:37] Thank you.
Resolution: Shirley Ann Thompson's 90th birthday
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:15:37] All right, we will now move on to our celebratory resolution for Shirley Ann Thompson on the celebration of her 90th birthday. Mr. Clerk.
Clerk [0:15:48] Resolution introduced by Councillor Brown. Whereas Shirley Ann Thompson will celebrate her 90th birthday on October 23, 2026, an occasion which will take place at the Merritt Club here in Chelsea and commemorate a lifetime of love, a legacy of kindness and a heart that inspires us all. And whereas Shirley Thompson, a lifelong resident born and raised in Chelsea, is the proud mother of Cheryl, Charlene, Billy, John and Mark, a grandmother of nine and a great grandmother of nine, and as the matriarch of her family, has served as a steady beacon of warmth and wisdom while building a lasting legacy that serves as an inspiration to us all. And whereas she has lived through 16 presidents and through countless pivotal moments in the history of our city, nation and the world, and in her own quiet way has been a force for good and a stabilizing influence from those around her. Whereas Shirley is described as one always willing to help anyone in need and as a good listener who takes pride in her compassion for others. And during her long and productive life, she has demonstrated in countless ways for dedication to the welfare of others, earning the affection and respect of people of all ages and from all walks of life. Whereas Shirley has been a blessing to her family and to those whose lives in which she is touched and her family and friends are grateful to God for her love and for granting her a life well lived. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Councillor Calvin C. Brown, and all members of the Chelsea City Council congratulate Shirley Ann Thompson on the celebration of her 90th birthday, commend her profound commitment to her family and the city of Chelsea, and extend to her our best wishes for many more happy years in the future.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:17:17] Councillor Brown, seeing no objections.
Councillor Brown [0:17:17] just very briefly, don’t want to let the cat out the bag. Ms. Thompson is having a 90th birthday coming up in the next few days. The resolution speaks of her life. Lifelong resident here in Chelsea, a former employee of the city, working with the schools for numbers of years. Everyone she’s been associated with, organizations, programs, she’s always put everything that she had into it to give her best efforts. I just want to wish her a 90th birthday and her family as they get ready to celebrate this big moment. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:17:59] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [0:17:59] I’ll be brief. Actually, I grew up in the same neighborhood with Shirley. She was very close friends with my mother. Shirley was one of my original campaign people when I first ran for the council. I just want to wish her a very special birthday and I will see her on Friday.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:18:27] All right, wonderful. Well, So moved. And thank you and Happy birthday to Ms. Shirley. All right,
Public speaking: the school budget
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:18:27] now we will move on to public hearings. We don’t have any public hearings today, so we will move to our public speaking portion. I know we have two folks that have signed up. If you are looking to speak a public comment and you have not signed up, just let. I believe there’s another feed over there. I will call you now. Thank you. All right, so Nadia, please go up and you will have three, four minutes. One minute. Three minutes. Sorry, it’s been a minute, three minutes. that’s it. Because your name and address are here. So. Yeah.
Nadia, Chelsea parent [0:19:15] Thank you. I am a lifelong Chelsea resident and mother of two children, one of them specifically in Chelsea Public Schools. So today my public comment is regarding that and the budget for Chelsea Public Schools. As we know, the anticipated budget is bad for Chelsea Public Schools again this year. So my question and ask of you is what is going to be done? What can be done to help alleviate the shortfall of a budget that was expected last year? I know that the city pitched in and did their part, but I think the conversation should have started way before then. We knew that the shortfall was coming. We knew that with the activity in our city regarding ICE and the amount of detentions that happened in our city, that there was going to be a decline in enrollment. And we’ve seen it, and it’s going to continue to happen. So my ask is what actionable conversations and decisions can happen now to help resolve this and what can we do to help avoid this in the future? I don’t think that it’s fair that our children are up for grabs in every sense of the word or that they have to worry about budgets and if their teacher is going to be there next year. Our kids are very intelligent. Our kids are part of these conversations. And our kids spoke out last year, I mean, last conversation about budget, and a lot of them didn’t feel heard. So I want to make sure that not only the children feel heard, but us as parents and other residents, because the impact that the budget has on our schools, it’s not just a parent issue, it’s not just a child issue. It’s a Chelsea issue. Chelsea. I’m so proud to be from Chelsea. And I think that our kids deserve so much better. You know, Chelsea has come such a long way from when I was in school, but our kids deserve better. Our kids deserve that these conversations should be happening and things should be implemented. And this is way above my pay grade. I don’t know what you guys can do, but I also don’t know what you guys can do because the conversations aren’t being had. So I would like for the conversations to happen now and for things to be implemented so the conversation is continuous. I don’t think we need to wait for the budget to come out to have these conversations. I know that numbers matter, but we know the shortfall is coming and it’s going to continue. So I ask that the conversations are had between you guys and the school committee and whomever else, and especially parents care, but this is way above my knowledge and parents feel like the conversation is too difficult for them to have. So I ask for you guys to care about our children, put them at the forefront and have these tough conversations because I know they’re tough. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:22:03] Thank you. And just so folks know, we can’t have a discussion back and forth with this, but I just want to note for folks that we are in the processes of scheduling said meeting with the city, with the school committee in November, so more to come soon. And now we have Heather as well.
Heather Harker Ryan, District 3 resident [0:22:26] Good evening. My name is Heather Harker Ryan. I am a District 3 resident and Chelsea has been my adulthood home. I have lived here for going on 20 years now. I now have two children in the school district, both in the ELC and in the elementary school. And I would like to second the sentiments that Nadia just posed to you all. The. And the anticipated conservative budget deficit for the school district for next year is staggering. I am sure that you are all aware that we are looking at ostensibly a third of our workforce being laid off if it were exclusively teachers who will end up bearing the brunt of this budgetary shortfall that they are facing. And I don’t think anyone expects the city council to be able to completely remediate what that is looking at, what that’s looking like. But there are many decisions that this council could make that could both mitigate some of that fallout as well as better prepare us for mitigating it in the years to come, as this is clearly not going to be simply a 2026, 2027 problem, but probably another 5 or 10 year problem. If things continue in this direction and to Nadia’s point, of where this city has been particularly educationally over the last 20 years, having pulled itself out of receivership, having developed so many amazing young people and now young adults who are actively participating both in our civic life and in improving this city in a multitude of ways, it would be extremely devastating to see us have an entire generation of lost children because we didn’t start making the hard decisions that we need to make right now. I don’t think that there’s anything else that I can say that you didn’t already say, Nadia. So thank you so much for your time and your listening.
Minutes of October 5
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:24:46] Thank you. All right. And with that seeing no others, we will close the public comment period and we will move on to approval of the minutes with the minutes of the October 5th special meeting and then the regular meeting.
Councillor Brown [0:25:05] Mr. President, I make a motion accepting the minutes as written.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:25:10] All right, so motion has been made to accept and file the Minutes of the October 5, 2026 special and regular meetings. All those in favor say aye.
Councillors [0:25:21] Aye.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:25:22] Against, say nay. The ayes have it. Meeting minutes approved. We will now move on to communications from the city manager. Mr. Clerk.
City manager: library needs assessment and accessibility
Clerk [0:25:31] First communication received from the City Manager. Dear Councillors, I’m writing in response to Council Order 2664 requesting that the City Manager partner with the Chelsea Public Library and relevant departments to incorporate a thorough evaluation of accessibility, navigation, physical space and technology within its upcoming needs assessment. The core goal is to build an inclusive environment that eliminates barriers for residents with disabilities, parents, caregivers and families with young children. I am pleased to report that the library has engaged a dedicated consultant team to guide this evaluation. The assessment is explicitly structured around multi phase stakeholder engagement, physical reviews and program tracking designed to fulfill all parameters of the Council order. Phase one will be preparation and foundation from September to October, establishing an operational baseline by auditing existing city and library metrics, organizing internal staff workflow, and designing the specialized assessment tools. Phase two will involve community outreach and engagement between October and November, executing broad public outreach via digital channels, field surveys at municipal sites, focus groups, and bilingual community forums to capture the voices of caregivers and residents with disabilities. Phase three for an operational space assessment in November, synthesizing all gathered feedback while simultaneously carrying out physical site observation, programmatic technology audits and long term visioning exercises and Phase four strategy and reporting in December, compiling a final strategic roadmap and presenting the conclusive findings to the library trustees and city leadership. The structure of this project plan directly mirrors the request outlined in order 2664, including inclusivity for caregivers and families, with phase two targeting schools, community agencies, and youth centers to ensure parents.
Councillor Brown [0:27:15] Mr. President, I move to waive the rest of the reading and accept the communications.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:27:22] All right.
Councillor Brown [0:27:23] There are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:27:24] Seeing no objections. So moved. I know Councillor Garcia wanted to say something on this.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [0:27:29] Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I would love to share this picture I found online, which prompted me to place this order. Out of breath. Sorry. So in this picture here, I found this in the Virginia Public Library, but there is a desk attached to a small [unclear]. And when we think of our unemployment rates, when we think about our single moms and our single parents struggling to find a job, I thought something like this could support our families. And so I salute all of the moms here and the dads who work so hard to make ends meet. But imagine if. Imagine those who don’t have the village that it takes to raise a child. Imagine those who are alone raising their child. And with expensive child care, it’s hard. It’s hard to find a job. And so when I saw this, I’m like, we gotta do this in Chelsea. And so again, I think the team that is working on making accommodations in the public library and I hope to be a part of the conversation. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:28:45] Thank you, Councillor. Seeing none others. Also, Councillor Teshe, can you just turn off Councillor Brown’s mic just to make sure that we don’t get any sound over there? With that, we move on to the next item. Next.
City manager: John Ruiz statue
Clerk [0:28:57] Communication received. Dear Councillors, I’m excited to provide an update on our bronze statue honoring John Ruiz at John Ruiz Park. This will be the first bronze statue installed in Chelsea in a generation and is an opportunity to recognize John Ruiz’s remarkable contributions and lasting place in the history of our city. We are starting the process of selecting an artist to design and create the statue. A selection committee has been established with representatives from the city, the city council, our cultural community, the Department of Public Works, and members of the public. The committee will review artist applications, select finalists, and recommend a design for the statue. The process will also include an opportunity for the public to view finalists designs and provide comments. The call for artists was posted on October 9th.
Councillor Recupero [0:29:41] Accept and file the communication. If there are no objections, I would like to speak on it.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:29:45] Waive the rest of the reading as well. All right. Seeing no objections. So moved. And you have the floor.
Councillor Recupero [0:29:53] This is a great thing that the city is doing. It’s actually honoring one of its own that was always proud to be Part of Chelsea. This money comes from the CPA funds. It does not cost the taxpayers any money. It does cost the taxpayers money to the cpa, but we all pay for that. The city funds many programs. I know you say, why are you saying it doesn’t cost any money? But it costs money in a way it costs money because we put into it. In a way, it doesn’t cost us any extra money because we already put money into it. That’s what I meant. And it’s a good thing. And that money from the CPA should be used in all kinds of stuff like this. I said it should do more, these programs. And I think it does do more. And hopefully there’ll be many to the years good things like this. And I believe that John Ruiz deserves it because he was the first Latino boxer to win a world championship. And I still think he’s the only one that still won the world heavyweight championships. So I thank the city manager, I thank the councilors and I thank the committee who at least put in a nice statue to remember this gentleman. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:31:09] Thank you, councillor. Councillor Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [0:31:12] As a member of the John Ruiz committee, I’m super excited to take on this endeavor with community members and the team. When I was a little girl, I remember when he came home with the trophy and there was a crowd of people running and he was just in the middle signing autographs. I should have brought it, but I have a picture of him, and I’m just super excited to honor him. He came from this small little town. We always say we are small but mighty. And you know, if Philadelphia, Philly, has a statue of Rocky, so can Chelsea. So stay tuned for more updates.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:32:08] Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [0:32:10] Thank you, Mr. President. I’m excited. I offered my assistance any way I can. I’ve actually helped out with two really humongous statues. One being Rocky Marciano from Brockton, Massachusetts, one of the biggest statues of any athlete in the whole United States. And also Marvin Hagler, one of my dear friends. So everyone has said it is a well deserved honor, someone that’s coming from one of the smallest city in the Commonwealth. But bring the inspiration that no matter how big your city is, if you work hard, you dedicate yourself, good things will come out of it’s an inspiration and it’s an honor not only to the city of Chelsea, but also to the person who dedicated his life to become the first Latino heavyweight champion of the world. And the significance is that being a multi community But a heavily populated Latino community. We should all be proud that we’ll be in the same company of places like Brockton, Massachusetts, in Philadelphia, where they have the fictional Rocky Balboa. But it served as an inspiration. Folks, when they go to Philadelphia, they want to go up, they want to touch it, they want to take pictures with it. They want to say, hey, this guy did something unbelievable and something unmovable. And I believe also when we conclude this, finding this search committee, and eventually the statue itself, you’ll see how great it will not only honor the city of Chelsea, but also those that come up through Chelsea. Thank you, Mr. President.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:33:51] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [0:33:54] I’d like to say that Calvin Brown myself, along with 25 other people from Chelsea, attended the championship fight in Vegas for John. And actually the biggest crowd in the city of Chelsea was when we went to the airport with the police to take John off the plane and bring him to Chelsea. And the limousine, there was anywhere from 5 to 10,000 people in front of City hall here. So it was a very special night for John. And John’s a young man we used to take camping years ago. And he deserved to be recognized as somebody from Chelsea. That also helped put Chelsea on the map. And nothing but the best for John. And he came back two years ago to be the marshal during Chelsea Day.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:34:53] Thank you, Councillor. Anybody else? All right, seeing none. Thank you, everyone. Moving on to the next item.
Appointment to the Community Preservation Committee
Clerk [0:35:00] Next communication received, requesting approval of appointment to the Community Preservation Committee. Dear Councillors, pursuant to Section 4-2 of the Charter of the city of Chelsea. I’m writing to recommend the following individual to a board or commission in the city. Appointment to community preservation committee. Mr. Jay Adams of Chelsea for a new three year term expiring November 30, 2029. I respectfully request your approval of this appointment. I have attached the resume for the new appointee.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:35:24] This needs a motion for a second reading.
Councillor DeJesus [0:35:27] Mr. President, I’d like to motion for a second reading also if. I know a lot of folks have been joining us for these communications. I don’t know if the individual’s here.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:35:36] I think so. He might come for the approval in the second meeting.
Councillor DeJesus [0:35:40] Okay. If there are no objections, then yeah, move to a second reading.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:35:44] All right. Seeing no objections, so moved. So just.
City manager: police chief hiring process
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:35:44] So, councillors, next on the packet, we have a communication regarding the Chelsea police chief hiring process. We just realized that that did not actually make it onto the agenda. However, I. If there is unanimous consent, I will allow the communication to be read. There’s no order attached to it. So nothing has to be done other than to accept the communication. Is there any objection? Seeing none, we will read the communication.
Clerk [0:36:22] Communication received from the city manager regarding the police chief hiring process. Dear Councillors, we are incredibly fortunate to have Chief Keith Houghton serving as our police Chief Houghton has provided Chelsea with steady, thoughtful and community driven leadership, and his commitment to building trust, transparency and respect in our community has been an important part of his tenure. His leadership has served our police department and our entire community exceptionally well. Under Massachusetts law, Chief Houghton is subject to mandatory retirement at age 65, which he will reach in May of 2027. While May of 2027 is still several months away, the transition to a new police chief is significant for our community. As a first step, I will reach out to a broad range of community stakeholders to establish a community police chief selection committee. The committee will consist of respected community leaders who can bring diverse perspectives and a strong understanding of Chelsea and its residents to the selection process. The community selection committee will review all applications received for the position and will conduct interviews with candidates it determines are qualified to advance in the process. The community selection committee will forward the finalists to a second committee that will include our fire chief, department heads, the City Manager, and two members of the City Council. The committee will conduct additional interviews and review the finalists before making a recommendation to the City Manager regarding the appointment of the next police chief. Following that recommendation, I will negotiate an employment agreement with a selected candidate and complete the appointment process. Our goal is to identify a police chief who understands Chelsea, values community partnership, and is prepared to lead the department into its next chapter. We want to provide sufficient time for the incoming chief to work alongside Chief Houghton before his retirement. Creating an overlap between our current and future chiefs will allow for a smooth transfer of institutional knowledge, relationships, and responsibilities and will help ensure community continuity for our officers, residents, and our entire community. The selection of a police chief is one of the most important decisions the city can make. The chief of Police leads our police department and plays a critical role in building relationships throughout our community. Our next police chief must continue the strong tradition of community focused policing and leadership that Chelsea has come to expect. Thank you for your support.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:38:28] Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [0:38:32] Accept and file the communication. Just briefly, I think this is a very special move so that we can transition from one chief to another chief so that we don’t miss a step in the community.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:38:46] Thank you, Councillor. All right. Seeing no others, we move on to the next item.
City manager: FY2027 tax rates
Clerk [0:38:51] Next Communication received regarding fiscal year 2027 tax rates. Dear Councillors, in preparation for October 27, presentation on tax and valuations. And I’m writing to request the two votes required by the City Council prior to the setting of the tax rate. We request that the City Council hold the public hearing at your meeting of November 16, 2026, followed by a vote. This will allow our team to meet all procedural deadlines ahead of sending tax bills by December 31st of 2026. The first required vote is the setting of the residential exemption pursuant General Law Chapter 59, Section 5C. We are recommending that we maintain the 35% exemption, the maximum allowed by statute. This will provide the fullest possible tax relief benefit to owner occupied properties. The second required vote under Mass. General Law Chapter 40, Section 56 is for the City Council to determine the percentage of the total tax levy that should be borne by each class of real property and personal property. The city has historically always voted by virtue of adopting a minimal residential factor that results in a 175% shift to transfer to commercial and industrial properties the maximum amount of the tax levy allowed by law. We recommend the same this year that a 175% shift is adopted along with a 35% residential exemption. We have attached draft orders of the necessary council orders.
Councillor DeJesus [0:40:07] Mr. President, I move to accept communication and move all the items to Ways and Means.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:40:14] This needs to go to public hearing. We are having a subcommittee on this on next week, so. Yeah, okay, so [unclear]. Okay. Yes. Councillor, this is the same meeting where your home rule petition will be heard. Yeah. It’ll be one after the other. Yeah. And in the same year. Sorry. Any discussion on the item seeing Council.
Councillor Robinson [0:40:42] Can we take the two orders now? We’re moving to conference. If you can read those two orders.
Councillor DeJesus [0:40:51] Minimum residential tax factor and the residential exemption.
Councillor Robinson [0:40:54] Yes,
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:40:57] so. Sorry. So we’re moving. So we’re already having the subcommittee on those two items. So those two items have been moved to public hearing so that be able
Councillor Robinson [0:41:11] to say what is going to conference.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:41:16] Oh, I see. Can we read the orders? I see what you mean, sorry. Yeah, we’ll read the orders then.
Clerk [0:41:21] The first order regarding the minimum residential tax factor introduced by the council president and all members ordered that the Chelsea City Council adopt a minimum residential tax factor for fiscal year 2027 with a 1.75 commercial, industrial and personal property shift factor. The other, regarding the residential exemption introduced by the council president and all members ordered that the Chelsea city council adopt a 35% residential exemption for fiscal year 2027. Both are moved to Public hearing conference schedule for next week. Public hearing schedule for November 2nd. On November 19th.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:41:58] Anything else [unclear]? All right. Seeing none, we move on to the next item.
911 dispatchers contract (NEPBA Local 192)
Clerk [0:42:07] Next, communication received from the City Manager requesting approval of union contracts with NEPBA Local 192, 911 dispatchers. Dear Councillors, pursuant to Section 4.3L of the Chelsea City Charter, I am writing to request City Council approval for the cost items of the new collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the New England Police Benevolent Association, Local 192, covering 911 dispatchers for the period January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. A copy of the memorandum of understanding is attached. The memorandum of understanding outlines the changes to the contract terms. The major cost items of this particular agreement are the annual raises in the following amounts. FY26, an increase of 1%; FY27, an increase of 1.5%. In FY28, there will be a one time retention payment due to the transition of 911 regionalization. The total cost of the contract over the three years is approximately $166,000. I respectfully ask that the City Council approve the cost items of this contract and authorize a transfer from salary reserve to cover the approximately $8,800 year one salary cost. A copy of the proposed order to approve the contract cost items and transfer is attached.
Councillor DeJesus [0:43:17] Mr. President. Move to accept communication and refer these items to Ways and Means.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:43:24] Right. So we have a motion to accept the communication and move the order to Ways and Means. Seeing no objections to the motion. So moved.
Market Basket's master plan for the Mystic Mall
Clerk [0:43:39] Next, communication received from the City manager regarding a master plan for Mystic Mall development opportunities. Dear Councillors. I’m writing to share the master plan developed by Market Basket for the Mystic Mall property. Market Basket has worked collaboratively with the City of Chelsea to develop a vision that seeks to unlock the development potential of the site while protecting Market Basket’s continued presence in operation. As one of the city’s largest employers and an important part of our local economy, Market Basket plays a vital role in our community. The developments
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:44:10] [A motion is made to waive the rest of the reading.] Seeing no objections, so moved. Do we have a motion to accept and file the communication? All right. So moved. Seeing no objections on the motion. You want to speak? Yep, go ahead, Councillor. You have the floor.
Councillor Robinson [0:44:31] Just want to be able to let the people in the audience know that the. There’s been a couple articles in the Globe, a couple articles in Banker & Tradesman and some conversation on [unclear] about the development of the Mystic Mall. I think we need to keep paying attention to that site, to help develop that area, to bring more taxes to the area, to support our taxpayers, and also to be able to provide for social services that we provide in the community.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:45:10] Thank you, Councillor. We move on to the next item. Thanks.
$570,712 linkage fee for ARPA-funded social services
Clerk [0:45:14] Communication received. Dear Councillors, I am writing to request that the City Council authorize the City Manager to utilize the first installment of the City’s Community Impact Linkage Fee funds to support critical social services for Chelsea residents. The city council.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:45:28] Mr. Clerk, just. Real quick. I’m just going to stop you to just note that Councillor DeJesus is recusing herself from this vote due to her employment. Go ahead.
Clerk [0:45:36] To support critical social services for Chelsea residents, the City Council adopted the linkage fee in 2022. Under this policy, qualifying large developments contribute financially to support community priorities and help ensure that benefits of growth extend beyond individual projects. Today, the city has $570,712 available in community impact linkage fee funds generated by a linkage fee payment associated with the development at 295 Eastern Avenue. This is the first linkage fee payment received by the City since the policy was adopted. This fee shows the direct connection between economic development and the City’s ability to meet our community’s needs. I am requesting authorization to use these funds to support essential social services currently funded through the American Rescue Plan act or arpa. These ARPA funded programs have provided important assistance to Chelsea residents and their current funding is scheduled to sunset on December 31st of 2026. As the City navigates a challenging fiscal environment, identifying responsible and sustainable ways to maintain these services is a critical priority. The Community Impact Linkage Fee funds are an opportunity to bridge this funding gap and preserve services that residents rely on. At a time when the City must make difficult budget decisions. These funds can help us maintain our commitment to supporting vulnerable residents. This request is consistent with the broader purpose of the linkage fee. Ensuring the development contributes to the community and helps address the needs associated with growth. By directing these funds towards social service, we can put this first installment to work addressing immediate community priorities while continuing to pursue a balanced approach to development and affordability. I respectfully request that the City Council authorizes City Manager to expend up to $570,712 from the community Impact Linkage Fee Fund to support eligible social services and programs currently funded through ARPA subject to applicable legal requirements and the City’s appropriation of financial procedures. Thank you for your support.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:47:29] Is there a motion on the communication, sir?
Councillor Brown [0:47:32] President moved to accept the Communication from the city manager if there are no objection, and move the order to the Ways and Means Committee.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:47:39] Seeing no objections. Councillor Taylor, are you objecting? Right.
Councillor Taylor [0:47:49] Sorry. I just want a little clarification on this. I think that this is something that concerns more than just Ways and Means, so perhaps we can move it to a subcommittee on conference so everybody gets a chance to weigh in on this. I think this is. This needs a little bit more detail and structure, I would say, and not just a carte blanche permission. So I think that this needs to be discussed about how this would come about and actually how much and what the linkage fees in. You know, apparently we’re going to have more money coming into this fund and is this just going to be the slush fund for nonprofits? So we just need to figure out exactly what’s going on, how much and what the rules are to this. And I think that that’s a conversation that we all need to have, just not by some means.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:49:05] All right, so just. So that was the objection. Motion has been made. Would you like to amend your motion to something else or would you.
Councillor Brown [0:49:13] Yeah, conference is good as well.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:49:16] Right? So motion is now to send to conference. Now with that motion being made, Councillor, go further. Do have additional comments?
Councillor Recupero [0:49:27] When we go to the conference, will that be a public hearing on it too?
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:49:33] No, no, we do not have public comment at the conference Committee, if the public would like to speak on it, they can come to our next council meeting.
Councillor Recupero [0:49:41] Come to the meeting and speak on it.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:49:42] Correct.
Councillor Recupero [0:49:43] That’s what I meant to say that I. They would like to understand what this is or [unclear]. And something else too. [unclear] The linkage fee, for how many years do we get this linkage fee from?
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:50:05] Linkage fee. My understanding is it’s one time payment. So there is just. There is currently that much funding available in the fund and if there are additional contributions to it from additional developments, and there would be additional funding from those projects. But as of right now, it’s a one time. That’s the amount of money that we have. So. And just to clarify for the public, you can come to speak on this in any subsequent regular meeting of the council, depending on when the conference committee is held, there may be one or two or maybe even more regular meetings before this comes up again for a vote. But after we have that meeting, the conference committee meeting at the following Regular council meeting. It would be on the agenda, but we don’t know which one it will be yet. Any other comments on this?
Councillor Robinson [0:50:58] Just a quick comment. You know, bringing services in house gives us a great greater control, more flexibility that can bring significant savings at a time when we need it most. So that’s my comment.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:51:17] Great. All right, so seeing no objections to sending this to conference committee, we have a motion to accept and file the communication and submit the to the conference committee. Seeing no objections to that motion carries and we’re all done. Moving on to the next item. Oh, Mr. Clerk would like to clarify something.
Clerk [0:51:35] The order submitted before you, including on the agenda was introduced by Councillor DeJesus. That was before she knew that the order could potentially relate to her employer. So she stands recused from considering the order. She will not discuss the order. The order was introduced under her name prior to the ability for us to remove her name from it. But she stands recused so she won’t consider or vote upon it.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:51:57] Thank you. Yes. Given that Councillor DeJesus is on Ways and Means. Councillor, please, for transparency.
Councillor Brown [0:52:11] So just to find out: Is that order an order that we can move with her name because she was the maker of that.
Clerk [0:52:21] The order itself does not specify any particular agency that will receive money. Specify social services. Given that her employer is very likely going to be an agency that could receive funds. Out of an abundance of caution, it was recommended that she recused. But because it’s not specifically listed on the order as it stands right now, it was not required that she recused. But for the sake of avoiding any potential issues in the future, it was deemed appropriate. There is no issue with the order as it stands now, if any, if the employer, if the actual organizations were listed on the order, then it would be problematic. As it stands right now, out of an abundance of caution.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:53:02] And that was based on the communication received from the city solicitor?
Clerk [0:53:08] It is, and it is clearly based on hypotheticals of which organizations could potentially receive the funds as opposed to an actual concrete.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:53:18] All right, moving on to the next item.
FY2028 capital improvement plan
Clerk [0:53:22] The next communication before you received from the city manager regarding The Fiscal Year 2028 Capital Improvement Plan draft. Dear Councillors, I am writing to share with you a draft capital improvement plan for fiscal year 2028. Given the uncertainty around our future financial outlook, we have taken a very lean and conservative approach to this year’s capital plan. Our priority is to make responsible investments that protect essential city assets, improve public safety and maintain critical infrastructure while remaining mindful of the financial challenges facing our community. The proposed plan Continues our commitment to investing in parks, infrastructure improvement and roadway safety.
Councillor Brown [0:53:57] Mr. President, move to waive the rest of the reading and accept the communication if there are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:54:05] Seeing no objections, so moved and waived and accepted and filed.
In-house street sweeping
Clerk [0:54:11] Next communication received from the city manager regarding the recommendation for public works in house street sweeping. Dear Councillors, Our Department of Public Works continues to evaluate services currently outsourced to seek opportunities for efficiencies and cost savings. Over the past two years we have brought in vehicle maintenance which has been outsourced for several decades. Bringing services in house gives us greater control, more flexibility and can bring significant cost savings at a time when we need it most. Our Department of Public Works is currently evaluating if we can complete street sweeping in house. Today. We do street sweeping six days per week through a contracted third party. Our analysis shows this can be done more cost effectively as an in house operation. With initial investment through the capital improvement program, we can expect an average savings of $2.2 million over 15 years. Although the contractor sweep sweeping is competitively bid, uncertainty in diesel prices has driven up the minimum bid pricing. The contractor is paid at a flat weekly rate with any offseason sweeping requiring an additional weekly payment. Our current contract will end in December of 2027, at which point any new contract is expected to start at over $400,000 per year. Street sweeping can be integrated at a regular task for our public works employees with the sweeper driver assigned daily. No special licenses are needed to operate a street sweeper. The work can be accommodated by the addition of one full time licensed public work specialist position and 12 hours of overtime per week to the DPW budget. While official street sweeping dates are March through December of each year, it has been our practice to have the sweeping continue through the winter. If there is no snow on the ground.
Councillor Brown [0:55:44] Mr. President, move to waive the rest of the reading and accept and file the communications if there are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:55:51] Seeing objections or no? Okay. Seeing no objections, we will now open to [unclear]. Are you speaking on it, Councillor? Okay, then I’ll go Taylor and then. Okay.
Councillor Taylor [0:56:07] So as we all know, and we’re. We will be talking about these issues. And for the record, we already have been talking about these issues, financial issues which I am keenly interested in. And I think in general, one thing that this demonstrates is a serious look on how we can save money. And Councillor Robinson was right when he earlier said that we need to start looking at bringing a lot of the services that we provide in house so that we can have that additional savings I think that the city is in a much different position than we have been in the past when we needed, you know, outside help to come in and help us. I welcome this. The only problem is that, you know, there’s a lot of other people who are going to want to be scrambling for those extra dollars. So this is the time, I think, that everybody understands that we all have to tighten our belt. And because we’re going to have huge shortfalls. And it’s not just with the schools, by the way. You know, I have a sneaking suspicion that property values may not remain as high as they are now. And that would cause a shortfall in revenue, tax revenue, too. So, you know, looking ahead, I think there’s plenty of rough waters ahead that we all need to be prepared for. And that means the public, too, and those entities that usually come before us for money. There’s going to be a lot less money. And it’s not because we don’t want to spend the money. That’s the, you know, unfortunately, the economic realities of the world we live in. So I think everybody just needs to prepare themselves for less spending all the way around and whether this particular item is worthy. We’ll talk about it in the CIP hearings. But I think in general, it’s a good idea for cost savings to bring things in house and have us do things through the actual city rather than going outside and having other outside entities take on those responsibilities. It just costs a lot more money.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [0:59:13] Thank you very much. Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [0:59:16] I agree, and I commend the city manager for. And DPW for wanting to do this is a great thing. The city can save a lot more money through the years. I advocated to have a snow machine, too, the one that melts the snow. Like each year we pay big money for snow removal. The trucks come and they have to remove it. For years, I wanted a machine. Maybe one of these days we’ll buy one of those machines that does snow and we’ll be able to save money. Instead of paying people to truck it out, we can do it ourselves. And this is great to do this. The more we can save, the more the burden on the taxpayers and the renters, it lessens because the more that we can’t save, the less services they’re gonna get, and the more it’s gonna be put on the renters and homeowners of our city. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:00:06] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [1:00:09] Thank you, Mr. President. I’m just saying, you know, I think it’s a good idea. I’M all up for savings. But in the end of the day, when you start bringing things in house, you start putting more labor and acting more labor to do more work. And you stretching, you know, the organization, it’s going to require two things. You’re going to require more help or overtime. So we have to really look at the money that we will and wish to be saving. A prime example is in Encore casino, you got all this money being made and spent. Over in Encore casino, you got these folks on strike over there because they feel that there’s a lot of money being making. Encore is keeping that money. They’re not sharing the wealth. So when you start bringing stuff in house and, you know, we gotta be understandable about the labor and also the additional things that come along, it’s not just like, oh, we’re saving you 400,000, we’re saving you 2 million. It’s stuff. Why aren’t we getting a piece of the pie here? And then we still have to do other things. We have to work on other entities in our organization and our structure here. So let’s be careful. I look forward to the conversation.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:01:18] Thank you, Councillor. All right, seeing no others, we move on to the next item.
Island End River: amended order of taking
Clerk [1:01:23] Final communication received from the city manager requesting approval of a revised order of taking. Councillors, I am writing to respectfully request that the city council adopt the attached amended order of taking related to the Island End River project. Last year, the city council approved an order of taking supported by state funding to advance.
Councillor Recupero [1:01:42] Waive the rest of the reading and accept and file.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:01:45] We can waive the rest of the reading, but this. I guess we can do that with the communication. Yes. Any objections to. So you want to make sure the order is read?
Councillor Brown [1:02:04] Yeah.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:02:04] Yeah. So. All right. So any objections to waiving the reading of the communication, accepting and filing that seeing none, we will accept and file the communication. And now let’s read the order itself.
Clerk [1:02:17] The order before you were introduced by the council president. Whereas by order of taking dated May 19, 2025, adopted pursuant to Section 30 of Chapter 43, Section 14 of Chapter 40, and Chapter 79 of Mass General law, all as amended and recorded at the Suffolk county registry of deeds on or about July 2nd of 2025 in book 71594, page 30, the City of Chelsea, acting through its city council, took by eminent domain the property identified and described in said order of taking. And whereas the city of Chelsea did not intend by the order of taking to extinguish an easement on the property that had been created by that certain grant of easement. Truck turnaround recorded at book 26118, page 161 of the registry and shown on plan 2007714 recorded in the registry. And whereas the order of taking inadvertently omitted language expressly excluding the truck turn easement from the order of taking. And whereas, as recommended by the city’s administration, the city of Chelsea now desires to correct the omissions by expressly excluding the truck turn easement from the order of taking. Now, therefore, be it ordered that by virtue of, and pursuant to the authority conferred by section 30 of chapter 43, section 14 of chapter 40 and chapter 79 of Mass General law, all as amended, the City of Chelsea, by its city council does hereby clarify, correct and amend the order of taking by deleting from the order of taking the following, excepting from the rights taken are all easements for wires, pipes, conduits, poles and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, sewage, gas, oil, steam, electricity and telephone, communication and other utilities now lawfully in or upon the property and replacing it with the following paragraph.
Councillor Brown [1:03:59] Mr. President, Councillor, I move to where the rest of the reading. Since the rest of the reading is a specific easement, which [unclear] mentioned. We don’t need to go into the specifics. [unclear] mentioned that it was a truck easement.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:04:14] Yeah, and I feel like that what was being read was a little dense. I just want to clarify. This is amending a taking that we already approved because it took something that we did not mean to take. So we are not taking an existing truck turning easement. So there was an administrative error in the original taking. Therefore, we are looking to amend that taking to do it correctly. And I’ll just note, because it’s an amendment, there’s no public hearing needed and this can be done in a first reading with eight votes to pass. So it does not need to go to a public hearing or to a committee unless the council wishes to do so I’ll just. Yeah, that’s. That’s it. So is there a motion on the item
Councillor Robinson [1:05:10] for a roll call vote on the adoption? There are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:05:13] Seeing no objections. Moving to a roll call vote. Any discussion? Seeing no discussion. Moving to a vote.
Clerk [1:05:22] Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to adopt. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:05:26] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:27] Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [1:05:28] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:28] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:05:30] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:30] Councillor Hines is asked. Councillor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councillor Teshe?
Councillor Teshe [1:05:35] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:36] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:05:37] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:37] Councillor Santagate?
Councillor Santagate [1:05:38] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:39] Councillor DeJesus?
Councillor DeJesus [1:05:41] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:41] Councillor Brown?
Councillor Brown [1:05:42] Yes.
Clerk [1:05:43] And Councillor Robinson. Yes. With nine members in favor, zero opposed and two absent, the order is adopted.
Unfinished business: $116,942.80 for roads and sidewalks
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:05:52] Moving on to unfinished business.
Clerk [1:05:54] We have one item under unfinished business that was considered at the last meeting postponed to this evening. Order introduced by Councillor DeJesus. Ordered that the Chelsea City Council authorizes the appropriation of $116,942.80 as a transfer from Special Revenue TNC Surcharge Distribution Fund from funds distributed to Chelsea from the Commonwealth Transportation Infrastructure Fund in order to Supplement Fiscal Year 2027. DPW Streets and sidewalks Capital Road improvement line item to be used for the purposes of sidewalk and roadway repair and improve.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:06:28] Sir, a motion on the item.
Councillor Robinson [1:06:31] Roll call vote on the adoption. If there are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:06:34] Motion for a roll call vote on the adoption. Moving to a vote unless any seeing no comments.
Unidentified speaker [1:06:44] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:44] Vote to adopt. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:06:47] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:48] Councillor Recupero?
Councillor Recupero [1:06:49] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:49] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:06:51] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:51] Councillor Hines is absent. Councillor Tanairi Garcia is absent Councillor Teshe.
Councillor Teshe [1:06:55] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:56] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:06:57] Yes.
Clerk [1:06:58] Councillor Santagate? Yes. Councillor DeJesus.
Councillor DeJesus [1:07:02] Yes.
Clerk [1:07:02] Councillor Brown? Yes. And Councillor Robinson? Yes. With nine members in favor, zero opposed and two absent, order is adopted.
Unfinished business: $26,546.88 in prior-year bills
Clerk [1:07:02] Next item under unfinished business considered at the prior council meeting postponed to this evening. Introduced by Councillor DeJesus. Ordered that in accordance with Mass. General Law Chapter 44, Section 64, Budget Management Procedures whereby costs incurred in FY21, 23, 25 and 26 are not paid and are owed to vendors and to meet this obligation, funds are required from current year FY27 budgets. As noted, Chelsea City Council authorizes the following expenditures to satisfy unpaid balances totaling $26,546.88 from prior years as follows. DPW water in the amount of $4,636.01 to Tufts Construction for lead replacement. DPW water in the amount Of $13,030 for Tufts Construction for lead replacement. The city clerk in the amount of $50 to Independent Newspaper for an advertisement. Human resources in the amount of $8,288.87 to the Department of Unemployment for benefits and the legislative department. The amount $542 to Ricoh for a May-June copier lease.
Councillor DeJesus [1:08:13] Councillor Dazos President, I move to adopt by a roll call vote. If there are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:08:18] See no objections. We’re moving to a roll call vote.
Clerk [1:08:22] Roll call vote requested.
Unidentified speaker [1:08:23] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:24] Vote to adopt. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:08:26] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:26] Councillor Recupero?
Councillor Recupero [1:08:27] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:28] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:08:29] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:29] Councillor Hines Absent. Councillor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councillor Teshe?
Councillor Teshe [1:08:33] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:34] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:08:35] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:36] Councillor Santagate?
Councillor Santagate [1:08:37] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:38] Councillor DeJesus?
Councillor DeJesus [1:08:39] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:39] Councillor Brown?
Councillor Brown [1:08:40] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:41] And Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [1:08:42] Yes.
Clerk [1:08:43] With nine members in favor, zero opposed and two absent, order is adopted.
Unfinished business: Teamsters Local 25 911 supervisors contract
Clerk [1:08:43] Final item before you enter. Unfinished business considered at the prior council meeting. Postponed to tonight. Introduced by Councillor DeJesus. Order that pursuant to section 4.3L of the Chelsea City Charter, the Chelsea City Council approves the cost item set forth in the collective bargaining agreement and negotiated with Teamsters Local 25 representing E911 supervisors. Memorialized in the memorandum of agreement for period January 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027, dated July 2026. And be a further ordered that the Chelsea City Council hereby authorizes a transfer of $13,500 from FY27 salary reserve to FY27 Emergency Management Department regular salaries account.
Councillor DeJesus [1:09:27] Mr. President, I move to adopt by a roll call vote if there are no objections.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:09:32] Seeing no objections. Moving to a roll call vote of the adoption.
Clerk [1:09:36] Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to adopt. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:09:40] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:41] Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [1:09:42] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:42] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:09:44] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:44] Councillor Hines. As Councillor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councillor Teshe.
Councillor Teshe [1:09:47] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:48] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:09:49] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:50] Councillor Santagate.
Councillor Santagate [1:09:51] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:51] Councillor DeJesus.
Councillor DeJesus [1:09:52] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:53] Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [1:09:53] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:54] And Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [1:09:55] Yes.
Clerk [1:09:56] With nine members in favor, zero opposed and two absent, order is adopted. That concludes unfinished business.
Second reading: board appointments
Clerk [1:09:56] Moving on to second readings. First item communication received from the city manager being read for the second time. Requesting council approval of appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions.
Councillor Recupero [1:10:12] Can we waive the rest of the reading and take a roll call vote? We have to read it.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:10:17] We don’t have to read it. There is a motion.
Councillor Taylor [1:10:20] I’m going to object. The names and the boards should be read.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:10:28] So objected.
Clerk [1:10:29] Dear councilors, pursuant to section 4. 2 of the Charter of the city of Chelsea, I am writing to recommend the following individuals to a board and commission of the city. Appointment to the Women’s Commission, Ms. Gabriela Rodriguez. Appointment to the board of registrars of voters. Ms. Sharon Maronski. For reappointment to the Historical Commission. Mr. Matt Frank. And reappointment to the Historical Commission, Ms. Michelle Mirthes.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:10:52] Is there a motion, Councillor?
Councillor Brown [1:10:56] Make a motion to adopt under roll call vote. And I believe we may have one of the members just being sworn in today. Just like to recognize her and thank her for sitting through the poll and patiently waiting on this order. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:11:10] Thank you so much. All right. Please, Councillor, go. Absolutely. Could you please stand and tell us your name and which board. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. All right, now we move to a roll call vote on the adoption.
Clerk [1:11:34] Roll call vote requested. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:11:37] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:38] Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [1:11:39] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:40] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:11:41] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:42] Councillor Hines is absent. Councillor Tanairi Garcia. Absent. Councillor Teshe.
Councillor Teshe [1:11:46] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:46] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:11:47] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:48] Councillor Santagate.
Councillor Santagate [1:11:49] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:50] Councillor DeJesus.
Councillor DeJesus [1:11:51] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:52] Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [1:11:53] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:53] And Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [1:11:55] Yes.
Clerk [1:11:56] Nine members voting in favor, zero opposed, two absent. Appointments and reappointments approved.
Second reading: library accessibility order
Clerk [1:11:56] Next item. Under second readings, we have an order introduced by Councillor Kelly Garcia being read for the second time. Order that the city Manager work with the Chelsea Public Library and other relevant departments to ensure that its upcoming needs assessment includes an evaluation of accessibility and inclusive access for residents with disabilities, parents, caregivers and families with young children. And that the assessment examines physical accessibility, navigation, access to programs and technology and family friendly accommodations that may remove barriers to using library services.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:12:37] I’d like to make a motion for a roll call vote. Is that necessary?
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:12:42] Can move to adopt?
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:12:44] Okay, I’ll scratch that. Can I make a motion to adopt unanimously? Unanimously.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:12:55] Seeing no objections, so moved. [unclear] All right. Seeing no others, we move on to the next item.
Second reading: 70% local preference in the inclusionary zoning lottery
Clerk [1:13:06] The final item. Under second readings order introduced by Councillor Kelly Garcia, being read for the second time. Order that the City Manager, in coordination with the Chelsea Housing Authority, establish a 70% local preference for eligible Chelsea residents on the 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 safeguards and required approval.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:13:31] If I can, Mr. President, share a little more context as to why this is so important to me, and then I’d love to make a motion for a roll call vote. But before that, many of us in the community have shared how important it is to keep the fabric of our city. Right? And by doing so, it is prioritizing our Chelsea families to stay in the City of Chelsea. And so with that is the context for why I proposed this. Mr. Manager, could I call on you to share the legal guidance we received from Cheryl just so that we’re all on the same page. And then, yeah, we can move through a roll call.
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:14:20] Yes. Thank you. Councillor. A local newspaper ran a story last week on this new idea, right. Of making a centralized wait list for inclusionary zoning units that is citywide and that is managed by the Chelsea Housing Authority. The Feedback has been tremendous. It’s been positive both by the development community and by our residents. And I believe that the feedback has been great from the council as well. This is cherry on top. Right. So Councillor Garcia reached out to me and asked me if it was possible to have a 70% preference on Chelsea resident on this wait list. We reached out to our lawyers and also reach out to the state and this is going to be possible. So it is just. It’s going to be a game changer.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:15:24] Thank you so much.
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:15:32] We. So we think that 70% is more prudent because it’s in line with fair housing law. We believe that this is better. We believe that it’s more compliant.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:15:50] Councillor Santagate.
Councillor Santagate [1:15:50] I was just wondering, City Manager, if the individual organizations have, for their individual lists thus far, what percentage of preference for Chelsea residents?
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:16:04] It depends on the organization and more importantly depends on the funding mechanism. Right. So the state, if you are receiving state money for your projects, you can apply to be 70%. Right. And that sometimes is granted, but it really depends on the funding of the project.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:16:29] Councillor Recupero, please turn on your mic.
Councillor Recupero [1:16:34] I want the people to understand what do you mean by the funding? If it’s funded by the city, does the city get a special privilege or if it’s funded by the state, the state sets how it works. Can you explain that?
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:16:46] Sure. So I believe that Councillor Santagate was asking, say for example, if TND does a project, can they have this preference? And TND usually borrows through LIHTC, through low income tax credits and those have restrictions on them. So what we are talking about though is inclusionary zoning units. So they typically do not have any requirements or funding from the state. So this is why I think that it’s more easy to be in compliance if we follow what is the maximum that the state will usually Grant, which is 70%.
Councillor Recupero [1:17:31] Thank you, sir. I wanted the people to understand how it worked.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:17:34] Thank you. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:17:40] Mr. City Manager, can you just explain why you don’t want to go over 70%, the things that could happen if we did. And so, you know, people don’t start arguing about this, that there’s a, there’s a specific reason why. And go ahead and enlighten us.
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:17:59] Absolutely. So fair housing law essentially sets thresholds, Right. I mean, and usually it depends on the funding mechanism used. Right. So it’s really hard to apply a law to everyone. We feel comfortable with this one in particular because it is the maximum that is allowed by fair housing law, if the city was doing projects that were funded by the city, the city could do whatever you want. So on 55 Hurst street, for example, it was 100% preference because it was our money and we could do whatever we want. These units are going to be inclusionary zoning units that are typically funded with market rate housing. Right. So it is not usually things that receive subsidies. Usually.
Councillor Taylor [1:18:56] But what could happen if we didn’t do that?
City Manager Fidel Maltez [1:19:02] We would be out of compliance. Right. I mean, we could get sued. Bad things.
Councillor Taylor [1:19:10] That’s what I was getting at. There’s, there’s the probability of us being bogged down in all kinds of lawsuits and federal fines and so forth.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:19:23] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Brown and then Councillor Garcia.
Councillor Brown [1:19:27] Thank you, Mr. President. I like the idea, the concept. The only thing that I’m kind of wary about is we talk about 70% Chelsea and I’d love to have that and I hope we able to meet that number. But how do we define 70% Chelsea when we get on a waiting list? Because, I mean, let’s be real, people will find out, hey, Chelsea. If you’re a resident of Chelsea, you put your name on a list, you move in three months before the list come out, you knock off a lot of folks. We have people in Chelsea right now that’s been on some of these lists for over 10, 12 years and stuff. And I just don’t want it to be able to have such a way just to take anyone that’s just on, say I live in Chelsea, whether they don’t have two years of tax income paid in Chelsea or so on and so on. I hope that when that comes out that we have some kind of parameters to protect that. Thank you,
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:20:26] Councillor Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:20:31] Thank you, City Manager. That is actually precisely why I wanted you to share this context. Right. Because I know that there are a lot of legalities behind the percentage and ensuring. I want to both keep our city safe from a lawsuit, but also continue to keep our families safe as well. And so I think this is a really good happy medium. And so without further ado, can we have a roll call, please? Oh, never mind.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:21:00] Sorry. That’s all.
Councillor Robinson [1:21:02] Excuse me. Calvin Brown raises a very good point. There need to be some guidelines as to how long you’re a resident of the city of Chelsea. We seem to see we have these lotteries and people from outside are able to enter the lottery and don’t live in Chelsea. Or once they win the lottery and they move in, they’re considered Chelsea Residents. So we have to figure out a happy medium, how we take care of the Chelsea residents as opposed to everybody being able to get on the list and get their name drawn and don’t actually live in Chelsea.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:21:47] All right, seeing no further, we move to a roll call vote on the adoption.
Clerk [1:21:52] Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to adopt. Councillor Taylor.
Councillor Taylor [1:21:56] Yes.
Clerk [1:21:56] Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [1:21:57] Yes.
Clerk [1:21:58] Councillor Jimenez-Rivera.
President Jimenez-Rivera [1:21:59] Yes.
Clerk [1:21:59] Councillor Hines is absent. Councillor Tanairi Garcia is absent. Councillor Teshe.
Councillor Teshe [1:22:03] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:04] Councillor Kelly Garcia.
Councillor Kelly Garcia [1:22:05] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:05] Councillor Santagate.
Councillor Santagate [1:22:06] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:07] Councillor DeJesus?
Councillor DeJesus [1:22:08] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:08] Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [1:22:09] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:10] And Councillor Robinson.
Councillor Robinson [1:22:11] Yes.
Clerk [1:22:11] Nine members in favor, zero opposed to absent. Order is adopted. That concludes second readings.
New business: construction vehicles and trailers left on streets
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:22:17] Right.
Clerk [1:22:18] Sole item under new business: order introduced by Councillor Recupero. Order that the city manager work with relevant departments to address the issue of construction related equipment, vehicles and or trailers being left on city streets overnight.
Councillor Recupero [1:22:30] Unanimous adoption, if there are no objections. I would like to speak on it.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:22:36] Seeing no objections. So moved and you have the floor.
Councillor Recupero [1:22:38] Thank you. I put this order before, but people still complain about the same thing, that these vehicles are being left. I know that the city has something that says, we did a few years back, that if your vehicles can move, have wheels, they should be moved, trailers, small trailers, and pickup trucks and stuff like that should be moved. Because there was an issue like that on [unclear] Street. People keep calling me about that stuff because they left those vehicles on [unclear] Street for a very long time. What that does is it takes away parking spots from the people. I can understand, and we all understand that you need to fix the roads and you need to do what you have to do, but you also have to be considerate to the people that live in the neighborhoods. And there’s nothing wrong with being considerate. And if they could be moved, the small vehicles, they should be moved. The big ones that need to be trucked in, I can see them, but the small ones should be moved. So I hope the city keeps enforcing that. I don’t know if they enforcing it or whatever, but I hope they do and will be a better place for the people to live there because they’ll have at least a place to park. You shouldn’t take away parking in a city that’s very low in parking. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:23:50] Thank you, Councillor. Seeing no others, that concludes new business.
Public announcements and adjournment
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:23:50] And now we will move on to public announcements. I just want to get us started with just a reminder that early voting has started in the city of Chelsea and you can early vote at City hall at the city Clerk’s office Monday Through Friday this week and next week during regular City hall hours, as well as this coming Saturday, 9am to 5pm so please come vote early and then if something happens on election day, you’re good to go. Councillor DeJesus and then Councillor Taylor.
Councillor DeJesus [1:24:27] Yes, I just want to share with the public. For anyone who has not heard, La Colaborativa is hosting a job fair on Thursday. And so speaking of economic mobility, these job fairs are often attended by hundreds of community members who are able to land jobs on the spot. At times There are over 20 employers looking for candidates. The list has been growing and there is opportunity for community members to go in, get support on resumes, get introduced and connected matchmaking with potential jobs and leave with a job. And so for anyone interested on Thursday at 12pm at La Colaborativa Survival center, that’s 63 Sixth St. You’re welcome to swing by and find yourself a job.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:25:28] Councillor Taylor?
Councillor Taylor [1:25:32] Yeah, I just wanted to remind people that the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce’s 39th annual Pot of Gold and Halloween Contest will be held on Wednesday, October 28th at Anthony’s of Malden. That’s 105 Canal street in Malden from 6 to 10pm and it’s really a lot of fun. If you’re interested for tickets, please contact the Chamber of Commerce and they’ll set you up. But it’s really a good time. I hope our colleagues here all come next. You don’t have to dress up and if you do, it’s, it’s fine. So at any rate, you can win 10,000, $10,000, by the way, in the pot of Gold. So everyone join us at with the Chamber of Commerce on October 28th.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:26:33] Thank you, Councillor Recupero.
Councillor Recupero [1:26:37] I would like to say to the people of Congress Avenue that they’re doing. The pipes are being fixed. So if you got the smell that you think the gas, it’s not, there’s no danger to you. The city is taking care of that. And also the gas company is doing work on it right now. They’ve been working in that area for the last three weeks. So the smell is there. So people been complaining because the smell is really bad. But there’s no need to fear, there’s no need to call the fire department. The city is taking care of that and you’re safe. Don’t worry, you’re not gonna blow up. So don’t, you don’t have to call the fire department or any stuff like that. So I don’t know when the work will Be done, finished. It should be finished pretty soon, but I hope it’s soon. So thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:27:32] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Brown.
Councillor Brown [1:27:36] Just want a big shout out to all the residents that walked yesterday at the ALS [unclear] for Living in Chelsea. It was a great event. I attend the event every year. The city manager was there. Council Robinson is always there. But I know it was a little cold yesterday, but it was great to be out to support. I think it was the 18th anniversary. Todd’s always there. A lot of the colleagues are here. It was a great crowd of walkers, runners, dogs were out there. But what was really inspiring is a lot of the residents from the facilities, they were out, they had people pushing them. And as we walked up and down the Admiral’s Hill you would see some of the boards where they had photos of themselves just showing you the resilience and the love of life and the willingness to live despite the circumstances and the conditions they’re in. It was great to see that despite the cold weather. And I told the city manager, I said it was 36 by, you know, notification but it felt really warm out, it was very pleasant out and it was just really nice to see so many folks. I don’t know, maybe the city manager tell us it was about six or seven hundred people there. It was very well attended. They had the burgers, the popcorn, the kids, [unclear] were there showing off and it was really good. And I just want to thank everyone that again it’s a big fundraiser to support the efforts of the workers and also the up cleaning and the work that’s being done up there in Admiral. So it was really nice and just wanted a big shout out for a great job from everyone to participate. Thank you.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:29:23] Thank you, Councillor. Councillor.
Unidentified councillor [1:29:25] Just real quickly, on Saturday our Chelsea High football team won. They played against Medford and the score was 14 to 6. And I’m really excited to announce that and I want to say congratulations to our team.
President Jimenez-Rivera (chair) [1:29:39] Thank you, Councillor. All right, with that, no more announcements. Thank you, everybody. Meeting adjourned.