City Council — Regular Meeting, June 2, 2025

City Manager's Agenda (8)

• CMA 2025 #132A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Federal update
• CMA 2025 #133A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a proposed increase in the FY26 budget of $1 million that would create new municipal vouchers and supportive services for people who are unhoused and a $5 million free cash appropriation for a Federal Grant Stabilization Fundbudgethomelessness
• CMA 2025 #134A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to following amendments to the FY26 Submitted General Fund Budget. These amendments to the Budget reflect changes requested by the City Council based on feedback and discussions during public hearings on the FY26 Operating and Capital Budgets that took place beginning on May 8, 2025, through May 15, 2025artsbudgetpolice-safety📖 read 📄 PDF
• CMA 2025 #135A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the establishment of a Federal Grant Stabilization Fund📖 read
• CMA 2025 #136Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $5,000,000, from Free Cash to the Federal Grant Stabilization Fund. Funds appropriated to and held by the Federal Grant Stabilization Fund will be expended to help address the funding gaps resulting from the actual or anticipated loss of federal funding for programs and services that benefit the most vulnerable Cambridge residents
• CMA 2025 #137Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $7,500 to the Grant Fund Fire Extraordinary Expenditures account. Funds will be used to replace older and outdated equipment including portable scene lighting for use at all fire scenes and incidents; positive pressure fans to be used for smoke evacuation after fires; and rescue saws
• CMA 2025 #138Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $25,000 to the Grant Fund Public Celebrations Other Ordinary Maintenance Account. This grant will support activities focused on the themes of revolution and independence, celebrating the significant historical milestones that have taken place in Cambridge
• CMA 2025 #139A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 25-18 regarding vacant store frontstenants-rentzoning📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF

Communications (225)

225 resident communications received for this meeting — bike lanes (182) · transit traffic (153) · schools (28) · climate (17) · zoning (9). Individual letters are summarized in the city's agenda and are not republished here, by policy.

Policy Orders (5)

• POR 2025 #79City Council opposition to the expansion of Offshore Oil and Gas Drillingclimate📖 read
• POR 2025 #80That the exception language in Chapter 2.129.040 Section J of the Cambridge Municipal Code be revised with language clarifying that Cambridge city employees shall not participate in federal immigration enforcement operations and that the sole role of Cambridge city employees during any action by ICE is only to protect public safety and not to assist or facilitate the work of ICE. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR TONERpolice-safety
• POR 2025 #81That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments to provide a legal opinion outlining, in light of current zoning including the most recent Multifamily Zoning Amendments, the ability of Cambridge to regulate institutional and religious uses in C-1 residential districts and what state and federal law allows in terms of local restrictions, if any, for institutional and religious useszoning
• POR 2025 #82That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments to ensure that there is full open access for all users to Linear Park from Westley Avenue as an additional community access pointtrees📖 read 📄 PDF
• POR 2025 #83That the City Council go on record reaffirming the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Relationship

Resolutions (8)

• RES 2025 #136Happy 80th Birthday wishes to Henrietta Davis
• RES 2025 #137Congratulations to Anne Marie Picanco on her retirement from the Cambridge Public Schools Departmentschools
• RES 2025 #138Congratulations to Michael Rizzo on his retirement from the Cambridge Health Alliance
• RES 2025 #139Condolences to the family of Anthony "Tony" Durant
• RES 2025 #140Congratulations to Jacob Werner on his recent marriage to Hayley Min Chu Forbes
• RES 2025 #141Congratulations to Tareque Ahmed on his retirement from the Cambridge Public School Departmentschools
• RES 2025 #142Condolences to the family of Nancy Williams Galluccio
• RES 2025 #143Congratulations to Marieke Van Damme on her 10th Anniversary with History Cambridge

Other Business (3)

• ARS-25-16Awaiting Report Status Update 06.02.25bike-lanesclimateschoolstransit-trafficzoning📖 read
• AR-25-32That the City Manager is requested to meet with the leadership of the Harvard Square Business Association to discuss the proposal and to take the necessary steps to facilitate the release of $72,000 to fund the RFP development for the tunnel engineering study

• an update regarding legislative activity 📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF

Committee Reports (4)

• Finance Committee hearing of 2025-05-08 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]
• Finance Committee hearing of 2025-05-13 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]
• Finance Committee hearing of 2025-05-14 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]
• Committee hearing of 2025-05-15 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]