City Council — Special Meeting, July 27, 2020

City Manager's Agenda (31)

• CMA 2020 #148A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointments of the following persons as member of the Human Rights Commissioner for a term of three years, effective July 27, 2020: Bonita Cox, Mercedes Evans, Joshua Stadlan, Sabrina Selk and Kathryn Stack
• CMA 2020 #149A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a new member of the Board of Trustees of the Cambridge Health Alliance to fill a vacated seat representing Somerville from July 21, 2020 through June 30, 2022: Bryan Simmons
• CMA 2020 #150A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Surveillance Technology Impact Report for electronic poll pads, requested by the Election Commissionlaborpolice-safety📖 read
• CMA 2020 #151Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $50,000 from the General Fund Electrical Department Salary and Wages Account to the General Fund Electrical Travel and Training Account (Judgments and Damages) to cover medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for personnel injured in performance of their duties
• CMA 2020 #152Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of an FY21 State 911 Department Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Grant in the amount of $23,743 to the Grant Fund Emergency Communications Other Ordinary Maintenance Account which supports administering quality assurance for the emergency medical protocol used by Emergency Communications staff to provide pre and post-dispatch instructions for medical emergencies
• CMA 2020 #153Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $10,489,930 received through the Coronavirus Relief Fund as part of the Federal Cares Act, to the Grant Fund Finance Department Other Ordinary Maintenance Account which will support expenditures related to core municipal services; public health; and services and supports to residents
• CMA 2020 #154A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-16, regarding feasibility of eliminating Library late fines
• CMA 2020 #155A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number Awaiting Report 20-1, regarding report on the work that has been done to coordinate efforts to strengthen the local small business community and the arts through tourismarts
• CMA 2020 #156Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $2,064,930 received from HUD as part of the Housing Opportunities for People with Aids (HOPWA) Grant ($1,802,640), which the City of Cambridge manages; as well as from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which provides HOPWA funds ($262,330) through the CARES Act to address the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States; to the Grant Fund Community Development Department Other Ordinary Maintenance Account which will be used for assisted living programs and supportive services; shelter services, rental assistance and housing search serviceshomelessnesshousing-general
• CMA 2020 #157A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-08, regarding working with neighbors in the vicinity of Eustis Street to implement traffic calming measures on this streettransit-traffic📖 read
• CMA 2020 #158A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-127, regarding public utilities' load forecasting and infrastructure planningbroadband📖 read
• CMA 2020 #159A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-28, regarding parking restrictions associated with the Port Infrastructure Improvement Projectclimatetransit-traffictrees📖 read
• CMA 2020 #160A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-132, regarding a report on tree planting at Magazine Beach Parktrees
• CMA 2020 #161A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-11, regarding renaming the fleet maintenance area of the Ryan Garage in honor of Sydney Cox📖 read
• CMA 2020 #162Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Agenda for Children’s Talk and Read grant in the amount of $500.00 received from the Cambridge Public Health Department to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($500.00) which will be used to cover refreshment and food costs for Community Engagement Team (CET) networking events
• CMA 2020 #163Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Summer Food Program grant funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Massachusetts Department of Education in the amount of $380,250 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wage account ($10,000) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($370,250) which will be used to provide nutritious meals to Cambridge youth at the same 8 sites utilized by Cambridge Public Schools when the COVID-19 crisis began through September 4, 2020 as well as to fund dinner sites in conjunction with the Book Bike and Food for Freeschools
• CMA 2020 #164Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Adult and Community Learning Services, in the amount of $842,930.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($790,872.00), Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($51,233.00), and to the Travel and Training account ($825.00) which will fund: the Community Learning Center’s primary ESOL and ABE teaching, educational and career advising, and assessment; the coordination of services to students with documented disabilities, curriculum development and coordination for math and English Language Arts, technology coordination, volunteer coordination, outreach activities and child care services to the ESOL family literacy class at the Peabody School; administrative costs for data entry, reception, clerical work, and fiscal tracking; and the second CNA training program for FY21artsschools
• CMA 2020 #165Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) grant in the amount of $58,995 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($33,441) and to Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($25,554) which will fund the Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education Program, and will provide an integrated education and training program for immigrant adults in the Metro North area who are interested in becoming certified nursing assistants and home health aides (CNA/HHA)
• CMA 2020 #166Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) grant in the amount of $79,992 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($47,084), and to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($32,908) which will be used to provide an integrated education and training program to adults in the Metro North area who want to start a career in the Information Technology field and work as Computer User Support Specialists, Help Desk Technicians, etc. Upon graduation, they will be able to take the COMP TIA+ exam and earn an industry recognized credential
• CMA 2020 #167Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Adult and Community Learning Services grant received from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in the amount of $222,472 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($198,729), and to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($23,743) which will fund ESOL teaching, advising, and assessment, the grant provides for technology integration activities and coordination, and tech support for students to be able to access remote classes and revision of tech policies. It also includes administrative costs for data entry, reception, clerical work, and fiscal trackingschools
• CMA 2020 #168Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Low Income Heating Assistance Program grant in the amount of $292,308, funded by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services and administered in Massachusetts by the Commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($32,875), and to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($259,433) which will be used to operate the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) serving Cambridge and Somervillehousing-general
• CMA 2020 #169Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of additional funds for the Community Learning Center’s Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)/Community Learning Services state grant in the amount of $1,250 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to pay for office supplies
• CMA 2020 #170Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a donation to the Multi-Service Center in the amount of $1,200 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to support rental assistance for low income residents at risk of losing housinghousing-general
• CMA 2020 #171Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Project Bread Summer Eats grant in the amount of $4,000 to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will fund the Summer Food Program by Project Bread and will be used to enhance promotion and outreach, support activities, and for program related supplies
• CMA 2020 #172Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of new Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the amount of $236,500 to the Grant Fund Human Services Salary and Wages account ($21,500) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($215,000) which will be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic among individuals and families who are homeless and will support shelter operating costs and provision of essential services to homeless persons outside of a shelter settinghomelessnesshousing-general
• CMA 2020 #173Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the ESOL Grant for $88,766 funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education, Adult and Community Learning Services to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($81,972), to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($6,394), and to the Travel and Training account ($400) which will support core ESOL services provided by the Community Learning Center and will also support ESOL curriculum development and coordination, civics education activities and coordination as well as administrative costs for data entry, reception, clerical work and fiscal tracking
• CMA 2020 #174A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-33, regarding implementing a Tenants’ Rights and Resources Notification Act that would require owners and management companies to include tenants’ rights and resources information when issuing eviction notifications including at the initial Notice to Quit stagehousing-generaltenants-rent📖 read 📄 PDF
• CMA 2020 #178That the Cambridge City Council amend the Municipal Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to insert a new Chapter 8.71, entitled Tenants’ Rights and Resources Notification. PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL JULY 27, 2020. TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 14, 2020housing-generaltenants-rent📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2020 #175A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an updated response to Calendar Item #9, regarding Gas Infrastructure Ban📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2020 #176A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a proposed restatement of and amendment to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Account, entitled “The City of Cambridge Restated and Amended Mayor’s Disaster Relief Account” (“Account”). CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL JULY 27, 2020arts📖 read 📄 PDF
• CMA 2020 #177A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-34, regarding a report on an itemized statement of all materials, tools, and property owned by the Cambridge Police Departmentpolice-safety📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF

Communications (50)

50 resident communications received for this meeting — housing general (17) · police safety (15) · transit traffic (10) · affordable housing (10) · schools (7). Individual letters are summarized in the city's agenda and are not republished here, by policy.

Policy Orders (18)

• POR 2020 #165That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Personnel Department and provide an update on the Cambridge Police Patrol Officers’ Association union contract negotiation at the City Council’s regular meeting on September 14th, 2020laborpolice-safety
• POR 2020 #166The Mayor be and hereby is requested to schedule a Roundtable/Working Meeting for members of the City Council and School Committee for Tuesday, August 11 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, in the Sullivan Chambers, 795 Massachusetts Ave, to discuss CPSD reopening school plansschools
• POR 2020 #167That the City Council go on record in support of S. 2785, an “Act Promoting Housing Stability and Homelessness Prevention through a Right to Counsel Pilot Program in Massachusetts in Response to the COVID Emergency,”homelessnesshousing-general
• POR 2020 #168The City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with Claude Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer of the Cambridge Public Health Department, to expand testing dates and locations for the months of August and September. The City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Cambridge Public Health Department to create an overall testing plan for the upcoming late fall and winter months ahead
• POR 2020 #169The City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Personnel Department and City Solicitor to generate a report detailing the Sole Assessment Process, the Civil Service HRD process, the reason for choosing the Sole Assessment Process over the Civil Service HRD process, and the projected costs associated with both processes. The City Manager be and hereby is requested to present this report at the September 14th regular City Council meeting
• POR 2020 #170The City Manager be and hereby is requested to consult with the Director of the Cambridge Public Library, the Library Board of Trustees, and any other appropriate City personnel to consider formally renaming the Central Square Library in honor of Maria Baldwin and Rep. John Lewis, with the building being known as “The Maria Baldwin and Rep. John Lewis Library and Center for African American/Black History and Culture” going forward, or to otherwise find another suitable location for this dedication
• POR 2020 #171The City Manager is requested to consult with the Water Department and report back on lessons learned from 2016 and on plans in place to institute water savings measures, and to inform the Water Board of this request. The City Manager is requested to inform the public as soon as practicable about the possibility of dry and drought conditions, so as to encourage the community to save water whenever possible
• POR 2020 #172The Mayor be and hereby is requested to call a Special Meeting of the City Council and invite a representative from the Collins Center to present on the process and benefits of Charter Review and Reformcharter
• POR 2020 #173That the City Council goes on record standing in solidarity with our international students and their right to study, contribute and succeed in the City of Cambridge, regardless of any future proposed policy submitted to the contrary by DHS or ICEschools
• POR 2020 #174That the Cambridge City Council pass the attached Real Estate Transfer Fee Home Rule Petitionaffordable-housinghousing-generaltenants-rent📖 read 📄 PDF
• POR 2020 #175That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to Contact IQHQ and engage the relevant city departments regarding next steps for restoration, health and environmental protection, improvement, beautification, and making the surrounding areas of Jerry’s Pond publicly accessible and incorporating Jerry's Pond into the adjacent public parklands, with pedestrian and bicycle connections to the MBTA Station, the Alewife Reservation, Minuteman Bikeway, and the Linear Parkbike-lanestransit-traffic
• POR 2020 #176The City Manager be and hereby is requested to take steps to improve the surrounding landscape for residents who live in the neighboring community and the many individuals who commute through the area via the Alewife Red Line, the Minuteman Bikeway, Rindge Avenue and Alewife Brook Parkway
• POR 2020 #177The City Council go on record in enthusiastic support of H.2836, H.826, and H.761, and in urging the Massachusetts Legislature and Governor Baker to enact all three bills into law before the end of the session
• POR 2020 #178The City Manager look into transferring primary traffic enforcement responsibilities from the Cambridge Police Department to unarmed, trained enforcement personnel in the Traffic & Parking Department, Department of Public Works, Health & Human Services, or another suitable departmentpolice-safetytransit-traffic
• POR 2020 #179The City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the appropriate departments to conduct street cleaning without towing for the remainder of the 2020 season, and to employ other methods including (but not limited to) an escalating ticketing schedule that would continue to incentive compliance
• POR 2020 #180The City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the City of Cambridge Law Department to review the above changes to the language of the Domestic Partnerships Ordinance and report back to the Council. PASSED TO A SECOND READING IN COUNCIL JULY 27, 2020. TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 14, 2020📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• POR 2020 #181The City Manager be and is hereby requested to make a formal request to Harvard University for the partnership described above to fund the Y2Y Network
• POR 2020 #182That the City Manager is requested to direct the law department provide additional amendments related to tenants rights and responsibilities at the commencement of the lease under the proposed Tenants’ Rights and Resources Notification Ordinancetenants-rent

Resolutions (23)

• RES 2020 #177Wishing Murrell A Weekes a Happy 100th Birthday
• RES 2020 #178Congratulations to Harvard Professor Danielle Allen
• RES 2020 #179Resolution on the death of Barbara Ackermann
• RES 2020 #180Welcoming Lila Mukherji Fillmore
• RES 2020 #181Resolution on the death of Maurice Page
• RES 2020 #182Resolution on the death of Leticia Barbosa DoCanto
• RES 2020 #183The 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act
• RES 2020 #184Resolution on the death of Maria Brown Tanous
• RES 2020 #185Wishing Eva Philpot a Happy Birthday
• RES 2020 #186Resolution on the death of Christopher Saheed
• RES 2020 #187Resolution on the death of Maurice Page
• RES 2020 #188Resolution on the death of Herbert E. Lee III
• RES 2020 #189Resolution on the death of Josephine Vendetti
• RES 2020 #190The Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
• RES 2020 #191Congratulations to Jordana Arias
• RES 2020 #192Resolution on the death of Alice T. Velosa
• RES 2020 #193Resolution on the death of Walter Smith Montgomery
• RES 2020 #194Resolution on the Death of Florence Shoy
• RES 2020 #195Resolution on the death of Elisabeth A. McCauley
• RES 2020 #196Resolution on the death of Frederick M. Renna
• RES 2020 #197Resolution on the death of Leo Donnelly Sr
• RES 2020 #198Resolution on the death of Dennis D. DiPietro
• RES 2020 #199Resolution on the death of Victor DiFada

Applications & Petitions (6)

• APP 2020 #26A Re-Submission of a Rezoning Petition has been received from Salvatori Zimno, Vice President, Development, BMR-THIRD LLC., regarding rezoning petition for a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance and the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge which upon adoption, would result in a new Planned Unit Development ("PUD") District CDKartszoning📖 read 📄 PDF
• APP 2020 #27An application was received from Jeff Perenti, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 11 Education Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood associationtransit-traffic📖 read 📄 PDF
• APP 2020 #28An application was received from David Biancaville, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 10 Acorn Park Drive; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood associationtransit-traffic📖 read 📄 PDF
• APP 2020 #29An application was received from Patrick Conte, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 40 Thorndike Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood associationtransit-traffic📖 read 📄 PDF
• APP 2020 #30A Zoning Petition Has been received from Arvind Srinivasau regarding zoning language for the Alewife Quadrangle Northwest Overlay districtzoning📖 read
• APP 2020 #31A Zoning Petition Has been received from Francis E. Donovan regarding new zoning amendments to increase Affordable Housingaffordable-housinghousing-generalzoning📖 read

Other Business (9)

• AR-20-29Report on developing new and expanded ways to distribute physical library materials to Cambridge youth over the summer, including possible mobile checkout sites
• AR-20-30Report on establishing a plan designed to provide a thorough, system-wide review of the entire municipal government to identify and remove any vestiges of systemic racism and/or racial bias in any and all City departments, to establish clear, transparent metrics that will help further this critical endeavor
• AR-20-31Report on determining how to best protect and preserve our commercial spaces that support our small business operators and maintain continuity in our commercial districts
• AR-20-32Report on the feasibility of identifying one evening or day per week that the Fresh Pond Golf Course can be open to the public for general use
• AR-20-33Report on implementing a Tenants Rights and Resource Notification Act that would require owners and management companies to include tenant rights and resource information when issuing eviction notifications including at the initial Notice to Quit stage and report back to the City Council on July 27, 2020tenants-rent
• AR-20-34Report on an itemized statement of all materials, tools, and property owned by the Cambridge Police Departmentpolice-safety

• information from the School Committee’s summer meetings 📖 read
• a memorandum regarding some semblance of understanding as to how and why municipal police departments, like here in Cambridge, came to require the type of weaponry listed in the inventory contained in response to Council Order O-9 📖 read
• POR 2020 #183 : That the City Council authorize the chair of the Government Operation Rules and Claims

Committee to meet with the City Manager to discuss his contract extension

Committee Reports (2)

• Government Operations Rules & Claims Committee hearing of 2020-02-19 — Accepted [Unanimous]
• Government Operations Rules & Claims Committee hearing of 2020-03-12 — Accepted [Unanimous]