Finance Committee - Regular Meeting

Hello everyone and welcome. We're going to begin by getting Zoom interpretation started. So I'll begin by reading through these slides. For interpretation on a computer, you want to click on the globe symbol in the bottom right corner of your screen and select the option for the language you speak. This might be in a More menu. So you may have to click More, this is what I have to do, and then Interpretation, and then choose your language. Even if your language is English, please do choose it. It will help with our interpretation. If you are using a smartphone, click on the three dots that say More on the bottom right corner of your screen. Select the option with the globe symbol Select your language and press Done in the top right corner.

Hola, buenas noches. Para interpretación en una computadora, haga un clic en el globo terráqueo ubicado en la esquina derecha abajo de su pantalla. Seleccione la opción para el lenguaje que usted habla. Interpretation in a smart phone. Click on the three points located in the right corner below your screen. Select the option with the globe symbol and now select your language and press Done up in the right corner of your screen.

Muito boa noite a todos. Meu nome é Jeffrey e tenho a honra de integrar a equipe que vai providenciar a interpretação ao longo desta reunião, inclusive em português. Para acessar a interpretação em um computador, por favor clique no símbolo de um globo no canto inferior direito da sua tela. Selecione a opção para o idioma que você fala, neste caso, o português. Para acessar a interpretação em um celular, smartphone ou tablet, clique nos três pontinhos no canto inferior direito da sua tela. Logo em seguida, selecione a opção com o símbolo de um globo e selecione o seu idioma. Por último, aperte Done no canto superior direito. Muito obrigado e desejamos uma ótima reunião a todos.

Thank you all. Good evening, everyone. I'm Ben Wheeler. I use he, him pronouns. I'm a counselor at large and the Finance Committee Chair. It's 6.03 p.m. and I'd like to call to order the Wednesday, June 10th, 2026 meeting of the Finance Committee of the Somerville City Council. This meeting of a City Council Committee will be conducted via remote participation following Chapter 2 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Acts of 2025. We will post an audio video recording and a comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels. We are joined by Clerk Delaney Fisher-Casiel. Clerk, could you please call the roll to establish quorum?

Yes, I can. Councillor Link?

Here.

Councillor Strozzo? Did you catch me? Did you catch it? I did now. Thank you. Councilor Hart. Here. Councilor Scott.

Present.

Chair Wheeler.

Here.

All right. With that, we have all members present, so we do have quorum.

Thank you so much. We have just a short agenda in terms of number of items, but it's a long one, which we will now take up. So I'll read it, and then we will begin. Item 1.1. Mayor's request 26-0950, requesting the appropriation of $376,778,493 to fund the fiscal year 2027 general fund operating budget. Okay, everyone. Welcome to the annual public budget hearing. Thank you so much to everyone who is turning out virtually tonight. We really appreciate your being here. If you have not been taking a look so far at the budget, you can find it on the website at SomervilleMA.gov slash budget. And also, if you just Google Somerville budget, that'll be the first result. On that page, you'll see the FY27, that's fiscal year 27 budget, and there's a variety of different links where you can see a lot of detail about all the different departments and all the different areas of funding for the city. On that website, you'll also see a schedule explaining where we are in the budget process. There are additional chances and opportunities to tune in and watch presentations by city departments and counselor discussions about the budget before the council votes on whether to approve the budget on Thursday, June 25th. This public budget hearing is an opportunity for everyone who calls Somerville home to speak to your elected officials about how you see this proposal for spending the money that we've collected and will collect from the public. You'll see that there are members of the City Council's Finance Committee here, but the entire City Council is able to attend in the audience and to watch this afterwards. So please consider the entire City Council your audience tonight. To speak, use the raise hand feature of Zoom. You might wanna take a moment just to make sure you see where that is. On some interfaces, it's in reactions. We will recognize speakers in the order that you raise your hands, and I promise that everyone who wants to speak tonight will have the chance. Everyone who speaks will be given two minutes. There's no obligation to use that entire two minutes, but if you do use it at the conclusion of the two minutes, I will let you know politely that time is up and ask that you wrap your thoughts up in a sentence or two. I don't want to cut anyone off, so please do respect the time limit. Again, anyone who lives in Somerville is welcome to speak. When you begin to speak, please state your name for the record and share where in Somerville you live. You can give your full street address or just your street or just your neighborhood or ward. We just need to know something about where in Somerville you live. All comments tonight will be entered into the public record You can also always enter public comments by emailing them to the email address publiccomments, so that has an S at the end, it's plural, publiccomments at SomervilleMA.gov. A few requests. First of all, please keep your comments focused on the purpose of this meeting, how the city should spend the public's money. Second, please show respect and patience with everyone else who's speaking. To all English speakers, once again, please do choose the English language room. That's what will allow this whole system to work so that your comments can be interpreted into other languages. And with all of that said, I believe that we can begin. So I'm already seeing some hands. So I'm going to call first on Richard Maidman and then on Abby Hare next. Richard, please take it away.

Thank you. Richard Maidman. I live in Ward 7. I see on the agenda for this week's City Council meeting is an ordinance filed by the chair of the Finance Committee, Ben Wheeler, and Ben Ewen Campin called an ethical procurement ordinance. I'd like to know a few things. First, I'd like to know if you have accounted for the amount of money that it will take to defend this legally, should it pass, if that's in the budget and if you've accounted for it. I'd also like to know if the budget accounts for the number of FTEs it will take to implement this quote unquote ethical procurement ordinance. And I'd also like to know if the budget accounts for the city's bond rating falling below AAA, especially as a result of this ordinance. So I hope that the budget accounts for all of those issues. I know that we're $5 million in the hole this year. And yeah, it's a sad thing that we're probably gonna go even deeper in the hole. And I'd appreciate it if the chair could respond to those questions.

Thank you for your comments. Just to make clear, responses by the committee is not part of the format for the public hearing. If you email me or give me a call, I'd be happy to respond further. And thank you. We're going to hear next from Abby Hare and followed by Derek Rice. Abby?

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes.

Great. Apologies in advance. I am wearing a baby who might start crying at any minute. My name is Abby Hare and I live on Wesley Park. I have students at East and Capuano. I'm here to urge you to ensure that the fiscal year 27 school budget reflects both student need and the school committee's voted priorities. By the district's own MCAS data, only about 39% of students in grades three through eight are meeting or exceeding expectations in English language arts, and about 33% are doing so in math. That means two thirds of students are not at grade level. These are no small gaps. They reflect widespread unfinished learning across the district. I understand that this is a difficult budget year. Every department can point to legitimate needs, and I do not envy the choices that have to be made. But budgets are ultimately a statement of priorities. When two-thirds of our students are not meeting grade-level expectations, I think we need to ask ourselves whether we are comfortable treating additional academic support as optional. If not now, then when? This is why the school committee approved a budget that included six additional interventionists and special education co-teaching positions. Those positions are not extra. They are a response to documented needs. Interventionists in particular typically work with students who don't have IEPs but are struggling academically. Each one supports roughly 36 students, which makes them one of the most cost-effective ways to provide targeted support to a large number of children. These are students who often fall further behind without timely intervention. At the same time, this budget process has highlighted a serious structural issue. We are in the first year under a new city charter, and at the same time, Chapter 329 of the Acts of 1987 has not been enacted. As a result, there is real confusion in the community about how the school committee... budget votes relate to the mayor's proposed budget and what authority the city council actually has to reconcile the differences between them. Whatever your view is on the specific position, it is concerning when the school committee votes in public based on data and input from educators and families and those decisions can be excluded from the final budget without a transparent process for resolution. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Next, we have Derek Rice, and we'll follow Derek with Rachel Schwartz.

Thank you. My name is Derek Rice. I reside at 49 Craigie Street. The following is quoted from the Police Department staffing study completed in late 2023. It is important to consider public safety best practices when considering the appropriate staffing levels for a police department. Based on the project team's analysis, there is an opportunity for a limited reduction in patrol staffing. Minimum staffing could be reduced from seven officers per shift to six without impacting the officer's ability to respond to reactive calls for service. This would allow the city to decrease its patrol staffing by approximately three positions. Again, those words are from the city's own staffing study to reduce patrol shifts from seven to six and total patrol officer staff by three positions. That study was a direct response to community and city councilors demands to reduce police staffing in 2020 and 2021, but has accomplished nothing except to maintain the status quo. So here we are in a budget crunch. Municipal employees working on DEI efforts were laid off in the middle of unionizing. Our public educators and parents had to fight to get a level service budget for our school and are still being denied the six special education specialists that the school committee formally requested. According to experts whose advice we paid for, police patrol shifts are overstaffed by 16%. There are vacancies in the police department. The police department has unused money that could be used to help students or keep city hall employees working for the community. Instead, the city is in a hurry to spend over 450,000 a year for body-worn cameras, including giving the police a 2% raise for the inconvenience of wearing the devices. I urge you to cut the body-worn camera funding. I also urge you to cut three patrol officer positions from the SPD budget. This is consistent with the staffing study completed in 2023. It's consistent with the staffing analysis done by Counselor Niedergang in 2021. It is not radical or unreasonable. It is what the evidence supports. The time for deliberation has long passed. P.S., we still don't have civilian oversight of the police. It has been six years since it's been promised. Thank you for your time and attention.

Thank you for your comments. Next, we have Rachel Schwartz, followed by Christopher Beland. Rachel.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak. Rachel Schwartz. I live on Powder House Boulevard in Ward 7. I am also a member of the Mothers Out Front Somerville, and we have been quite involved with the OSCFO in promoting composting in East Somerville, the pilot in East Somerville. We are very pleased to know that Mayor Wilson is taking a strong position toward curbing the rodent population. Municipal composting is generally recommended as part of rodent control, especially when it pulls food scrap out of the regular trash and uses secure latching collection bins. Cities like Medford, Cambridge, Boston, and New York City guidance all frame composting as a way to reduce rat food access. We are hoping that one of the approaches included in the mayor's strong investment in rodent control is municipal composting. Rodent populations expand or shrink based on available resources. When an entire neighborhood composts securely, the rodent population begins to shrink. We strongly recommend pairing composting with other methods of rodent control for a comprehensive approach to this citywide problem. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Next, we have Christopher Beland, followed by John Froyo. Christopher.

Hi. First, I had two items just on information. We're supposed to be able to watch the mayor's presentation on the budget, but the- Mr.

Chair, address, or Mr. Chair, can we have our attendee give the address or location?

Oh, thank you, Counselor. Thank you. Appreciate, and thank you to the clerk for resetting the time. Take it away, Christopher. Sure.

I live on J Street in Davis Square in Ward 7. So as I was saying, we're supposed to be able to watch the mayor's budget presentation, but the video and the transcript from the June 4th City Council meeting haven't been posted online yet. Another issue from Davis Square Neighborhood Council activities, to be clear, I'm speaking for myself, The previous administration recruited a task force to update the 2015 ADA transition plan, which was obsoleted by the pandemic. Their deadline passed. I haven't seen the report and all mention of the task force has been removed from the web page for the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. I'm wondering what happened to the report. I heard that everyone was forced to sign non-disclosure agreements. And my question for the budget is, are we spending enough on sidewalk improvements to meet the 2035 target that was set by the plan? And I don't have enough information to answer that question because of the lack of this report. Three items on the problems with homelessness and public drug use in Davis Square Parks. First, please don't cut the police budget. We actually need to fill the vacancies so we can get community policing to keep things under control and form relationships. We have a lot of problems with all sorts of horrible trash. DPW Grounds is understaffed. I see only 23% of the FY2026 budget was actually spent, and there's a $740,000 line item for ordinary maintenance of parks and playgrounds. And so I'm wondering if what that is and if it can just be either the slight understand on DPW staff or that can be reallocated to independent contractors because right now volunteers in the neighborhood have to clean up the trash. And lastly, there's a massive need for social services to get people out of the parks and into permanent supportive housing. We found money for more trees, but it seems like we've ripped out the benches at the Thorndyke Street entrance and I'm worried we're giving up on those people. So I want to see new money for that. The only things I can think of short-term to do that are not easy. I would vote for a Proposition 2 1⁄2 override, especially if it accelerated the ADA transition.

And my other suggestion is... If you could wrap up in one more sentence.

Sure. My last suggestion is to spin off the Somerville Arts Council as an independent nonprofit, which would free up a million dollars for health and human services.

Thank you for your comments. Next, we have John Froyo, followed by Aaliyah Ewing. John? John, the clerk has enabled talking on your end, but we're not yet hearing from you. I think you might still be muted.

I'm mute. Here we go. How's that?

Yes, we can hear you.

Okay, my name is John Ferraro. I serve as the Deputy Director of De Novo.

I'm sorry, John, just if you could state where you live.

Okay, I live in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. But I run an organization that serves- Thank you.

I don't mean to interrupt. I do want to hear from you. I'm not sure your comments are in order if you're not someone who resides in Somerville for this hearing.

Okay.

But could I ask you to submit to public comments at somervillema.gov?

Yes, definitely. Okay.

Okay, I apologize. I didn't mean to cut you off. No problem.

I completely understand. And thank you for your time. I'll send them in.

Thank you, John. Take care. Next, we have Aaliyah Ewing, followed by Alex Puri. Aaliyah?

Hi, thank you. Can you hear me?

Yes.

Fantastic. My name is Aliyah Ewing, Program Director for the Center for Teen Empowerment, Somerville, located at 165 Broadway. I'm speaking today to voice my concern over the city's choice to change Teen Empowerment's funding and urge the City Council to continue to fund a full Teen Empowerment program in Somerville. As many of you know, since 2004, Teen Empowerment has worked in Somerville to employ youth ages 14 to 19 to work in year-round leadership jobs. The focus of their work is to involve a large number of their peers in positive community activities, speaking out against injustice and to bring youth voices into city and school policies, creating change on the individual, community, and systemic levels. Over the last 22 years, Teen Empowerment has worked with the City of Somerville to bring youth leadership into city departments, including involving teens in planning and implementing workshops, events, dialogue sessions, the annual Youth Peace Conference, and other projects. TE Somerville has held hundreds of safe and engaging events for thousands of Somerville youth and community adults. We were previously awarded a sole source contract that fully funded our efforts in the city. However, for reasons not fully known to us, this recently changed and we were asked to apply for funding through a public RFP process. While we anticipated this change and were warned that there would be some funding cuts due to overall budgetary reductions, we were caught off guard to find that the RFP would cover only about 20% of our funding needs, representing a 75% decrease from the current year, while also requiring us to do all of the same work. And that's only if we receive the funding at all. This choice, along with layoffs seen across HHS and other city departments, represents a major overall cut to youth programs at a time when support is needed the most. So as you'll hear from others tonight, this program is vital to youth leadership development, personal development, and the fabric of Somerville's community as a whole. So I strongly encourage you to support maintaining teen empowerment funding and ensure the bright future of Somerville's young people. Thank you.

Thank you for your comments, Alia. Next, we have Alex Peary. And I'll just note, I see next in our order, Richard Maidman. I do note that there was about a minute left in the time when you spoke earlier, Richard. So I'm going to go to other people and then come back to you if that's okay. Oh, maybe the hand is just still up from before. Okay. Please take it away, Alex. And then whoever is on the line from Teen Empowerment will be next. Alex. Sure.

A little over 20 years ago, I had a desk in the Health and Human Services office, which was at the TAB building at the time. I came in one morning and found our receptionist, Jeannie, in tears. I asked, what's the matter? She pointed to her computer screen and there was a webpage displayed in the arms of an angel. Paul, a Somerville High School student, had posted a picture of himself with his cousin, Matty O'Brien. Matty was among the first in a shocking wave of overdoses and youth suicides in Somerville in the early 2000s. Tearful mornings continued at HHS as Paul continued to post photos and biographies of newly dead young people. The City Task Force was formed. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was instituted as a yearly project. Teen Empowerment was commissioned to write a report on youth programming in the city and was eventually hired to open Summerville's own Teen Empowerment. Money was invested in additional youth programming, and we moved on. Only later did I learn about an earlier horrible period of angel dust addiction and suicide in the 1970s. At a recent meeting of the Summerville Youth Workers Network, it was noted that Summerville over the years has developed a cycle of harm, successful prevention and remediation, but the remediation is then allowed to end and we slid back to harm, a cycle and a habit that does none of us any good and sacrifices our children. The improvement of conditions for our youth through remediation, particularly through thoughtful and extensive programming and through ad hoc community effort works. This is particularly true if we listen to youth voices. Where we are now, we should be adding another youth social worker, not cutting the position. We should be continuing to fully fund teen empowerment. We should be making a greater effort to support the work of Parks and Rec through the better use of civil city buildings. The Cummings School is right there in the right place, mid-city and close to the high school, centrally located. a number of needs.

I'm sorry, Alex, if you could. Oh, thank you. Are you finished? Thank you so much for your comments. Thank you. Next, we have someone from Teen Empowerment, followed by Jonathan Feingold. Teen Empowerment, take it away. And if you could begin by stating your name and where you live in Somerville.

Absolutely. So my name is Faris. I'm the lead program coordinator and a former youth organizer at Teen Empowerment. I have some of our youth with us today, which is why the name is just Teen Empowerment. We'll be raising our hand throughout the meeting. But yeah, we appreciate the committee for having us today as our young folks share their thoughts on the current allocations for youth programming. 13 years ago, I was actually one of those young people myself writing letters to, I believe, the same committee under similar circumstances. At the time, I was facing chronic illness, family addiction, exposure to violence, food insecurity, and the pain of watching my closest friends get priced out of Somerville. The one place where I felt truly safe and understood and respected was at risk of closing its doors, but thankfully Teen Empowerment survived. It continued to uplift my generation and to help me build a meaningful life. I'm standing here today not only as a staff member, but also as proof of what sustained investment in young people really looks like. Some of the issues we faced back then have definitely changed. Some have taken new forms, but many of them still demand our attention, our resources, and our courage. Across my time at TE, I've worked with hundreds of young folks and often hear what many in positions of authority do not. I hear from students in my former high school who feel like they've been banished to a basement. I hear from graduating seniors who know they have very little chance of remaining in the only community they've ever known. I hear from young people who have lost loved ones to drugs and are still expected to carry the weight of school, work, family, and survival. I hear from immigrant youth who are afraid to leave the house because of that fear and because of that fear cannot access the very programs meant to support them. We understand that the city budget is tight. We understand that this is a national issue, but young people still need deep, consistent community investment. Programs like TE aren't supplemental. They aren't extras. They are truly lifelines for people like me and all the young folks we serve. At this time, I'm not really sure why or how our program is losing its funding the way that it is, but we would welcome any further conversation with city leadership. And really, we would just ask that the committee recognizes the real impact that this funding has on young people and the real harm that can come if it goes away. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your comments. And as you mentioned, if there are other people on that account who are with you who would like to speak as well, please feel free to raise your hand again. And I'll call on you down the list. Next, we're going to have Jonathan Feingold, followed by Ryan Gilmore. Jonathan.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Jonathan Feingold. I live on Franklin Street in East Somerville. I appreciate you all making the time for public comment and ensuring everyone gets a time in. And I understand that, you know, it's not the sort of budget season that anyone wants with deficits so deep. And I know that no one, you know, can't get everything perfect. What I will say, and I say this as a parent, as a kid in Somerville schools and as an educator myself, the best way that we can invest in Somerville is by investing in our schools, whether that's about whether it's the goal of safety, whether it's education, whether it's education. Just supporting the educators that take care of our kids. And so I would urge the Finance Committee and the City Council to do everything it can to ensure that our schools have the resources that they need, given that they really amplify every dollar to students, to parents, and to workers. Concretely, I urge the committee to support the school committee's budget and to take whatever step you can to prevent sort of autocratic sort of governance from the mayor's office. Whoever is in it and taking steps that overrides the far more democratic processes in the committee school committee and in this committee. And so whether that's advancing chapter 329 or otherwise, I just really urge this body to model what it means to govern democratically in this time. I'll just say thank you and mute myself.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have Ryan Gilmore, followed by someone at Teen Empowerment. Again, Ryan.

Hi. Thanks for having me. My name is Ryan Gilmore. I live on Sylvie Place. Oh, can you folks hear me?

Oh, sorry. Yes. Thank you.

Okay, great. Yeah, my name is Ryan Gilmore. I live on Sylvie Place, and I'm a homeowner in Ward 3. I'm here today because I'm a little confused and a bit frustrated with what I've seen in the budget. I remember a time when Somerville, during a nationwide reckoning with police violence, rightly decided that it needed fewer police officers and we need to focus more on civilian oversight and racial justice. But amid all of the, frankly, kind of confusing shuffle of new departments and disappearing current departments. It's really hard to keep track of folks, but it seems like there are dozens of cuts to city staff, but not to any police officers. Even though, as someone else said, we paid some consultant to find out that we actually didn't need so many. And at the time, there was the consensus that we needed fewer police. On top of not cutting any extra police officers, we're considering spending almost half a million dollars on body worn cameras that have no accountability and are widely unpopular. Body cams without oversight are just a tool for the police to pick and choose what they want to show the rest of us. Some of our villains are not just are not happy just saying the right thing. They want to do the right thing. As you'll recall, the divestment ballot question was more popular than the mayor himself. And I'm sure that voters will disapprove of cutting and jumbling our Office of Racial Justice while maintaining a bloated police budget. And finally, just more grounded, like as a homeowner, I am deeply concerned that these cuts will worsen the quality of city services. It's almost, it's infamously difficult to get approved for renovations. And I ask how will fewer people do even more work and what will be left undone? And I think these cuts will only make it worse. So thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have someone at Teen Empowerment followed by David Lichter. Hi, Teen Empowerment. Oh, hello. Yeah, please go ahead.

My name is Destiny Alphonse. I'm 16 years old and I've been raised in Somerville my whole life.

Thank you. And Destiny, I want to hear the rest of what you're going to say. Would you just say briefly what part of town you live in?

I live in East Somerville.

Thank you. Please continue.

The idea of cutting in organizations funding that not only impacts the life of youth, but also the community's morality makes me afraid of what the future holds for Somerville. Teen Empowerment provides youth with an experience that can change their life perspective of how an adolescent views their future. Teen Empowerment isn't just a workplace, it's a community where youth engage with different backgrounds and explore different personalities by learning about different aspects of life experiences. Teen empowerment has impacted me into fully stepping into my role as a leader. Before teen empowerment, I would be seen as a leader by my peers and myself, but I wasn't able to advocate for myself. After teen empowerment, I was in a place where I was asked how I viewed situations with no wrong answer. I had emotional support that I hadn't gotten before. TE didn't only impact me, but I saw firsthand how it impacted my peers and my community. Hearing stories about how TE practically saved others' lives and how it changed the community made me really appreciate the relationship I had with TE. Now knowing there may not be TE in September or the summer to come breaks my heart. The community and youth really need the resources that TE provides. If TE goes away, the only thing we can do is pray for the city of Somerville. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have David Lichter, followed by and I'm guessing there may be somebody else who is going to speak on this same account with Alia Ewing. David, please go ahead. David, we're not hearing from you yet. I think it should be activated. Do you want to try saying something? Oh, lost David. Okay, he may come back. Oh, I see. Yeah. David, you're back. Can you try saying something now? I'm still not hearing from you. There may be a technical issue. Sorry that you're running into that. Still not hearing anything. David, we might come back to you. If you wouldn't mind sticking around and I'll come back to you after a few speakers and maybe we'll try to take another crack at the technical problems. Want to hear from you. Okay, thanks. So clerk, thank you. Let's move on to Alia Ewing and we will come back to David.

Thank you. I'm passing the mic over to Jacqueline.

Hi, my name is Jacqueline. I am a former youth organizer from TE's 2025 summer cohort and hoping to be 2026 summer cohort if everything goes as planned.

Welcome. And if you would just state where in summer you live.

I live in the Mystic Project.

Thank you so much. Please continue.

So I'd like to start giving a brief and honest request. I kindly ask you to please maintain funding for TE because it has become such a huge part of my life. And I can guarantee it is important to hundreds of youth organizers that have been part of TE in the past or will be in the future. With all the time I've spent in TE, I've made so many more friends than I would have on my own. TE opened so many doors for me that I didn't know were available in the area I lived in. I feel like as I grew up, I was reflecting through everything I saw around me and it was just drug abuse and seeing a lot of incidents that I thought nothing was being done about. Comes summer of 2025, I heard about Teen Empowerment from some of my friends who really enjoyed being part of it. I realized they actually did something about situations that I thought no one talked about or wanted to do anything about. So I decided to join. And that might've been the best choice I've made in so much time because I met Not only the people I was going to work with, but also the people who were, I guess we could call them my bosses, but at the same time, they felt like my friends. They felt like family. They felt like a place that I could just go to and talk about absolutely anything. TE, I think, is not only an organization for youth. I think it can be a sanctuary place for those who are struggling with mental health or substance abuse. I think it's a necessary place for those kids who haven't learned how to speak up or don't have the courage or access to speak up. That's what I want to summarize and just tell you my experience of TE and why it shouldn't go away.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have Crystal Huff, and then we'll take another try with David Lichter. Crystal.

Okay. My name is Crystal Huff. My pronouns are they, them, and I live in Ward 5. In Somerville, we're trying to make an ever better, more accessible community. I hope. We care about the impact of our decisions on our neighbors, not just in the year of the neighbor, but every year. I'm honestly pained by where we are at now. Maybe someone can generate metrics of how we continue to decrease crime in the city, but we somehow need more police. That certainly seems the direction this budget goes. The metrics I care about at this point are how many people I know who are sleeping in cars or on couches because they can't afford a $600 a month increase in rent annually, or how many of my friends and neighbors are being deported or quote self-deporting every month. Until those metrics go down to zero, I am going to continue to ask that we give less money to the police union and more money to housing assistance, food security, education for the next generation, sustainability efforts, and inspectional services, ISD, even if it doesn't exist as a department apparently anymore in the future, because I think this is a necessary step prior to being able to implement rent control. I cannot effectively argue for these goals in the space of two minutes. It would become even less coherent. So instead, I'm asking in the rest of my time that city council help meet the minimum requirement of explaining this budget to the public. I can't believe this is where we are at, but I think residents deserve to be able to compare last year's budget to this year's budget without becoming full-time students of the process. It sure looks like there's even more money budgeted for policing next year between moving CORE out of the Somerville police budget, not accounting for proposed changes to the police budget that would go into effect if the city council accepts The grant, the contract that Jake has been negotiating with the police union, the body-worn cameras, crap, all of that stuff. I'm shocked we're proposing that while laying off non-police staff and housing and youth support. And I don't think that explaining all of that can be a three-meeting process. Last night, four departments were covered in 20 minutes, and that was not accessible. Councillor Wheeler, I'm begging you, please give more time to explaining the budget and city department functions and goals to us residents. If a budget is documentation of our moral compass, as has so often been said in City Hall, I have no idea where this year's budget is leading us, and I have really tried. I'm out of time. I will email the rest, but I do note since 2022, at least city council paid has not changed and just do ask you to thank you.

Thank you for your comments. We have David Lichter next. Shall we take another try technically? Yeah. Hi, can you hear me okay? Yes, absolutely. Sorry about that.

All right. Hi, everyone. My name is David Lichter and I live in Ward 3. I'd like to see some funds go towards comprehensive anti-Semitism training for all city officials because based on the proposed ordinance on tomorrow's city council agenda, it is clear to me that there's complete lack of understanding on this topic. Rather than listening to the majority of Jews in Somerville, counselors are signaling that they don't care and are furthering the narratives of an anti-Zionist hate movement. And I don't believe this city has any clue how to protect one of the most vulnerable minorities in our city. There were some speakers tonight who wanted to remove or reduce police. Well, Jews in Somerville need protection from these wonderful officers. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have someone from teen empowerment. I think you're still up. Go ahead. Now I see you unmuted.

Hello, my name is Taizhan and I'm from Somerville High and I live in Wind Hill. And I'm asking to continue funding teen empowerment because when people talk about budget cuts to youth jobs, I think sometimes they forget that young people also have responsibilities too. A lot of youth help support the families, pay for food, transportation, or other basic needs. Some of us are trying to save for college, help with bills, or simply gain the experience we need to build for our future for ourselves. Youth jobs are not just fun opportunities. For many of us, they are important. Youth jobs are often told that we are the future, but it's hard to believe that when programs and opportunities for youth are the first thing that's being reduced. If we want youth people to grow into responsible, successful adults, we need to invest in them down. I ask that you see youth employment in programs, not as an excuse, but as an investment in the future of the city. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Is there anyone else at Teen Empowerment who would like to speak? I'm seeing the hands still up, so clerk, maybe we could... allow them talking again? Thank you. Now I'm seeing the handout. Oh, sorry.

Go ahead, folks. That's our mistake. The hand was still up. That's all we have for tonight.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your comments. That was the last hand that I saw raised. Is there anybody else? Oh, great. I'm seeing another person. Lenard Diggins. Please go ahead, Lenard.

And Leonard, I believe you're muted currently. Hi.

This is Leonard Tiggins. And I live in Warport, Winter Hill. And I'm a new resident, although I've been in the area for a long time. And I hesitate to talk about this because I know that usually there's a very good explanation for it. why programs no longer exist. But I am interested in the participatory budget program. And I don't know if that was ever a line item in the budget or if it was just something that a department did. But I saw that it had two cycles and it doesn't seem to exist anymore. And so, like I said, I hesitate to talk about this because I'm sure there are reasons for why it doesn't. But to the extent it could be revived, I think it would be good because it doesn't seem like it requires any additional budget. Although I know that for someone to run a program, that is a a part of someone's job, unless it's a part of a volunteer job. And I would be volunteering to do it if that would help to get the program going again. But I think it's a good way to foster community engagement. And my understanding, too, is that a lot of times youths tend to participate in these programs or they can be encouraged to participate in them. And it's a meaningful way for people to understand just really what goes into making a budget. And also, it gives people a chance to participate in decision-making, which is very empowering in and of itself. And I'll just conclude by saying that I really hear the Teen Empowerment Group being in. I do support being there, requesting hope that something can be done to continue funding them as much as possible. That's it. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Leonard. Next, I see Michaela Tynas. Michaela? I'm not yet hearing your voice, but Kayla, looks like you're unmuted.

Can you hear me now?

Yes.

Amazing. Great. I live on Bradley Street, so I think word for. I am pretty disappointed and frustrated to hear about the recent layoffs for Somerville City employees and the increased allocation for the police budget. And that's why I wanted to come here and state that. It's also pretty confusing with the reorganization of city employees. So as a constituent, a lot of us are pretty frustrated at how unclear it is of how many future positions will also be cut to city employees. And it's clear that laying off city employees will not lead to little service. So I think that's really clear and it's important that the mayor know that. I'm also seeing a lack of accountability for police violence. That was mentioned previously, but I'd like to echo that. And I really would like to urge the community to follow advisement to decrease the number of officers. I'm also a child of educators and a partner of an educator. I'd like to urge the community to fully support and fund our schools, um, as well as programs that continue, um, to help support youth and the wonderful youth of, um, Somerville. I live right next to the high school and see, um, a lot of our community members there. And I think it's really important. You've heard a lot from them. So I'd like to, um, echo what a lot of other folks are saying to focus on the things that make Somerville great, which is our community, um, and our unity in that rather, um, than the police force that has not made our community as great. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments. I see Arthur Gonsalves.

Hi, my name is Arthur Goncalves and I live in Winterhill. I would like to speak as someone that has grown up in Somerville and now works for the city of Somerville. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the importance of heeding to teen empowerment's testimonies. It is because of teen empowerment in our community that I've seen the power of learning and collaboration with one another. This is why I find it so despairing to see a budget and mayoral administration that has not incorporated the knowledge of our community and city professionals. Please help the public understand the restructure, especially as it comes to racial and the social justice department and the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs being restructured and some of our youth services being laid off. This mayor has not been clear, even though he has said so to staff, that he will be announcing that services will not be level. And so that has to be made public because we can't be expected as city staff to keep purporting to the public to a kind of level of service we can't physically work to give. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments. I'm not seeing any hands currently, and I'm curious if any of the attendees. Wonderful, I see Abregal Forrester.

Yes, good afternoon. Abregal Forrester here. I am the CEO for the Center for Teen Empowerment, and just wanted to follow up on what others have spoke about in our presence in the community there. We've been in the community for years on end, and it's interesting now to find out that where our budget has been cut almost 75%, you know, without any sort of support, any sort of transition plan for how we can continue to engage the community and primarily young people at a high level. So I just want to, you know, follow up on what everyone else is saying. And one, thank the city for the years in which they've supported us at a very high level. And also thank others who have spoken about our efficacy and our support for Somerville as a program working with young people. Most recently, there was a report that came out from the city under the previous mayor where young people said outwardly that teen empowerment has added value to the things that they're thinking about in communities, specifically around mental health and getting support. And to see now that we're going back on what the community there asked for and survey that was put out is very, very, it's a drastic sort of like dichotomy of like thinking about like where are we at when it comes to young people in the city of Somerville. So I just want to, one, thank the city council for supporting us for the years that they've had and to think about how the funding and support can help us as we transition and continue to think about how we can support young people in the community there. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I'm wondering if there's anyone else in the attendees who would like to speak. I'm seeing Maria Laura. Go ahead, Maria. You may need to unmute. I think you're still muted. And we want to hear from you. Maria, I think the mute button, where is that in the interface? You may need to activate the microphone. Still not hearing. I think you're still muted. That's too bad. I would really like to hear from you. Well, Maria is working out the technical difficulties. Is there anyone else who is curious to speak? I do want to make one note. Someone reached out to me during this session to give me a heads up that in the past, it sounds like maybe we have accepted comments from non-residents. I don't actually know about the... the strictness of the rule. And I just wanted to mention clerks. That's something I could use a little clarity around because I wouldn't want to keep someone from participating if it is in order for us to have their voices. And with all that said, Maria, any progress on unmuting? Okay. It seems like it's still not working technically. We'd love to hear from you, either your voice during this meeting or in public comments that you can email to public comments at SomervilleMA.gov. Meanwhile, is there anybody else who would like to speak? And we can always come back to you, Maria. I'm seeing Seth Stromwasser. Seth?

That mute button is hard to find. My name is Stromwasser. I live on Preston Road in Ward 2. I just wanted to reiterate what a number of other people have said about the police budget. I was very disappointed to read that the mayor claimed to do everything in his power to avoid layoffs, making cuts where he could, and it seems he managed to avoid layoffs. The worst of the layoffs, however, I was disappointed to see that the police budget was not cut in any way. And those staff were in fact laid off. I was also disappointed at his presentation last week when asked about the seeming increase in the police budget, how that is accounted for. I think a few people have noted that this has been a confusing budget process with all of the reorganization. My excellent counselor from Ward 2 asked how the police budget is has remained level even though COHR Center for Outreach and something or other was removed to its own ballot line. And I was disappointed to see that the mayor did not have a good answer for that. And I think the people of the city deserve a good answer for where our tax dollars are going. So I encourage the council to push back on this budget and find ways to fund public services instead of the police force. Thank you.

I was muted. Thank you so much, Seth. Is there anyone else who would like to share comments? I see Nate Clauser, and then we'll follow Nate with Jonathan Dovev. Nate.

Hi, my name is Nate Clouser. I reside at 12 C Warwick Street in Ward 5. I'm here tonight to say that the mayor is making a political choice to cut services and lay people off while giving retroactive raises to the cops. And among other alternatives, the mayor and the council have so far avoided having a serious discussion about raising revenue via a Prop 2.5 override. It's an option for Somerville to do what other cities like Medford have done and let voters decide whether they want to fund these services via a Prop 2.5 override. The city could put an override on the ballot for the fall and use free cash or stabilization fund monies to temporarily pay for the positions until voters could weigh in in November. This mayor is making a political choice and you as councilors are making a political choice to accept it. that the mayor isn't seeking a Prop 2.5 override suggests that he's using our current funding woes as an opportunity to impose austerity on the city and to shrink the role of city government. Making matters worse, these cuts are targeted at the newly formed Somerville Workers United membership. In fact, around 90% of the positions eliminated are targeted at members of the new bargaining unit. These cuts would reduce the size of that unit by about 15%. What's before you with this budget is not only a service cut, but it's also a proposal to eliminate union positions in the middle of an organizing campaign. Right now, this is a choice of the mayor. If you counselors approve it, it will be your choice as well to participate in these cuts that are targeting the new union. Thanks.

Thank you so much for your comments. Next, we have Jonathan Dovev, and then we'll try again with Maria Lora. Jonathan?

Okay. My name is Jonathan Dovev. I live at 12 Harvard Street in Somerville. I'm a resident. Well, I do think some of the points people have made about putting forward a proposition two and a half override is a good one. Let the citizens of this community decide. But from my perspective, I am concerned about public safety. And I feel particularly vulnerable with some of the items being put forward to city council. I am Jewish. And so I look at public safety as being my friend, not my enemy in terms of helping provide some security for people in this Jewish people in this community. So I don't want to cut the police budget. At all. I think we need actually to have policing to help us on the roads where there's a kind of a lot of motorized bikes, which just ignore the red lights, just go through. But I do respect what people are saying about the unions and that this is the wrong time to cut back on them. So I think a proposition two and a half would be really excellent idea to let the people have an opinion and vote. And since I'm a newbie relatively to Somerville and paid quite a lot for my property, I would be hit quite hard. But that's the price of living in Somerville, which is a delightful town. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for your comments, Jonathan. Maria Laura, shall we try again?

Yeah, actually, I think there is a confusion. This is Pilar Galvez. I am a co-worker with Maria Laura. We both are organizers in CAST, Community Action of Somerville. We shared the link, so that is why I was not sure it was me. So as a tenant organizer, I would like to speak about rental assistance and the important housing support for our community in Somerville. And I understand that we should not... feel pressure to compete among us about the budget but we should go to the root of the situation the situation why budget might be short is because the displacement of many members of the community uh displacement produce that the cities uh get less budget for the for their service And as tenant organizers, we work hard to prevent displacement of young, of families, of kids, and everybody in the city. It's very important to fight for power for youth, but if our youth get displaced from other communities, those programs get in standby. That is, I want to ask for the support of rental assistance and tenant rights in Somerville. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments, Pilar. Is there anyone else in the audience who would like to speak? I'm not seeing any hands. I do see some names who have not had the chance to speak. And we'd be happy to hear any thoughts at all. Even just saying a single word would be useful. Saying, you know, talking about services that the city provides that are useful to you.

Mr. Chair, if no one else is interested in speaking tonight, then we can... give a going once, going twice, and to maybe call a motion to end the meeting. Certainly don't want to force anyone to speak.

Absolutely agree, Councilor Strezzo. I'm seeing a hand from that account that may have multiple people, Maria Lora or Pilar or whoever that is. Please tell us who you are. I see you unmuted there. Is there someone there who wishes to speak at CAS? I was seeing some muting and unmuting, but I'm not hearing anybody. But I also saw the hand go down. Why don't you raise your hand again if there's someone there who wishes to speak. But I see somebody. Oh, I'm seeing the hand again. I know the audio is working a moment ago, is there anyone there, it can you try saying something. Okay, that doesn't seem to be working, why don't we move to samantha wolf and then come back samantha.

Can you hear me.

Yes.

Okay, thanks so much. Hi, everybody. My name is Samantha Wolf. I work as a community and tenant organizer, also at the Community Action Agency of Somerville. And just first of all, I wanted to say thank you to Mayor Wilson for the $1 million request for the new Housing Stabilization Fund. and i really just urge the city council to approve that request that would fill in some important gaps for rental assistance and legal services as well i believe and i just wanted to also emphasize You know, it's it's super important that we're investing in these, you know, short term Band-Aid solutions so that people are not getting displaced from Somerville. But equally, you know, we need to continue investing in long term solutions to the affordable housing crisis. In previous years, millions of dollars from the free cash that was available was allocated towards the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Early Acquisition Fund. So that is both for... helping subsidize building new affordable apartments, but also preserving the units we have by enabling nonprofits and the land trust to help them finance acquiring those buildings, taking them off the market and making them permanently affordable. So just wanted to lift that up as well. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your comments. Shall we try with Maria Laura's account again? So it looks like talking is permitted on our end, and I'm seeing the microphone look unmuted, which makes me think we should be able to hear you, but I'm not hearing anything. And we know the audio was working a moment ago. Try saying something now. I'm so sorry, we're still not hearing. So again, if there are technical problems and we're not able to hear your voice, please do email us your comments to publiccomments at SomervilleMBA.gov. And I see that it's still permitted. It looks unmuted, still not hearing. So I think we may have to move on with apologies. Is there anyone else in the attendees who wishes to speak? And I'm not seeing anyone. So I'm gonna take Councilor Strezza's suggestion and say, going once. Going twice, going three times, sold. Okay, so with appreciation to everyone who participated, that concludes the public testimony. And with the public testimony finished, we're almost at the end of tonight's agenda. So first, this item we've been discussing is laid on the table. And we have one more item. That's item 2.1. That's a resolution. That item was laid on the table in the previous meeting. So we're going to lay that on the table again with the intention of taking it up at the June 23rd Finance Committee meeting. And with that, I think we're at the end of our night. Thank you so much to everyone. I really appreciate everyone's comments. Everyone should please feel free to also email public comments. at summervalma.gov. You can have spoken tonight and do that. And you can send a public comment there anytime. So thanks to everyone for the committee. Do I hear a motion to adjourn?

Motion to adjourn.

All right, Councilor Streza moves to adjourn. And with that, we are adjourned. Thanks, everyone, and have a great night.

Councillor Wheeler will just do roll call for that.

Oh, thank you. Right. We can't just adjourn.

You're ready to go.

What am I doing? I was doing so good. We are not adjourned. We are not adjourned. We are going to do a roll call to adjourn. Please, clerk.

All right. Almost adjourned. Councillor Link.

Yes, please.

Councillor Strezzo. Yes. Councillor Hart. Yes. Councillor Scott.

Yes. Yes.

Chair Wheeler.

Yes.

All right. With that, it is 7.09 or sorry, 7.11 p.m. And we are adjourned.

Thanks all.