City Council — Regular Meeting, June 23, 2025

City Manager's Agenda (17)

• CMA 2025 #160Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $540,000 from Free Cash to the General Fund Law Travel and Training (Judgment and Damages) account for the settlement payment relating to Lubavitch of Cambridge, Inc. v. Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal and City of Cambridge (United States District Court District of Massachusetts, Docket No. 1:24-cv-12403)zoning
• CMA 2025 #161Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $31,377.13 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account. These donations will be used to support services for Cambridge older adult residents, including contracted specialists and trips
• CMA 2025 #162Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of 2,000.00, to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account. The Cambridge Youth Council will use the money for supplies, food, and contracts for upcoming projects
• CMA 2025 #163Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $101,463.00, received from the Cambridge Housing Authority for the Cambridge Employment Program, to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages accounthousing-general
• CMA 2025 #164Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $2,000.00 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account. These funds will support a future teen-led event in Cambridge focused on raising awareness about teen substance abuse
• CMA 2025 #165Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $569,252.50 to the Grant Fund Human Services Other Ordinary Maintenance account. This award will be used to provide nutritious meals to Cambridge youth at over 45 meal sites throughout the City during the summer months when schools are closedschools
• CMA 2025 #166Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $22,427.50, received in partnership with the City of Somerville Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE), to the Grant Fund Office of Sustainability Other Ordinary Maintenance account
• CMA 2025 #167Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $100,000, to the Grant Fund Office of Sustainability Other Ordinary Maintenance Account. Funds will support community engagement focused on extreme heat resulting in a small community-led seed project
• CMA 2025 #168Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $2,800,000, received from the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Grant Program ($2,400,000) and from the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Transportation Improvement Program ($400,000), to the Grant Fund Transportation Department Extraordinary Expenditures account, for the design of the Fitchburg Crossing bicycle/pedestrian bridge project. Funds will be used to support the design costs of a new off-road bridge over the Fitchburg Rail Line that will connect Danehy Park to the Rindge Avenue neighborhood and create greater access to recreations facilities, retail and jobs for people walking and bikingbike-lanestransit-traffic
• CMA 2025 #169Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $18,767.24 to the Public Investment Fund Housing Department Extraordinary Expenditures account. This appropriation will increase funds available to continue the development of affordable housingaffordable-housinghousing-general
• CMA 2025 #170Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $4,800 to the Public Investment Fund Housing Department Extraordinary Expenditures account. This appropriation will increase funds available to continue the development of affordable housingaffordable-housinghousing-general
• CMA 2025 #171Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of of $4,941,224.00, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($337,704.00), to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($4,588,520.00), and to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Travel and Training account ($15,000.00). This grant was awarded under the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Continuum of Care Program competitionhousing-general
• CMA 2025 #172A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appointments of Kwame Dance and Yemi Kibret and the reppointments of M. Amaris Kinne, Duane Brown, Frederick Cabral, Collin Fedor, Christopher Fischer, and Bran Shim to the Human Services Commission for a term of three years📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2025 #173A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appointment of members to the of the the American Freedmen Commission (“AFC”)📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2025 #174Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $250,000 from the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Extraordinary Expenditures account
• CMA 2025 #175A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Policy Order 2024-33, regarding a request to amend Cambridge Code of Ordinances 6.08.010 ("Regulation of vicious dogs") to bring into compliance with State law; and to create a "Kennel License" the complies with Massachusetts General Laws Section 137A📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• CMA 2025 #176A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Short-Term Rental Ordinance Amendments📖 read 📄 PDF

Communications (291)

291 resident communications received for this meeting — transit traffic (245) · bike lanes (218) · housing general (161) · schools (29) · zoning (19). Individual letters are summarized in the city's agenda and are not republished here, by policy.

Policy Orders (5)

• POR 2025 #95That the City Council shall convene for its special summer meeting on August 4, 2025
• POR 2025 #96That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the City Solicitor, in consultation with relevant City departments and the Community Benefits Advisory Committee, to draft amendments to the Community Benefits Ordinance that allow for the use of funds for capital expenses, provided that such expenses clearly advance the goals of the Community Benefits programartshousing-general📖 read
• POR 2025 #97That the Cambridge City Council urges Mass General Brigham to recognize the MGB Primary Care Physician union and immediately begin good faith negotiationslabor
• POR 2025 #98That the City Council go on record in support of H2343/S3653 “An Act Expanding Truck Safety Requirements”
• POR 2025 #99On Tuesday June 24, 2025 the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government is discussing H.4156, which reforms the Cambridge City Chartercharter📖 read

Resolutions (3)

• RES 2025 #149Condolences on the death of James H. Keegan Jr
• RES 2025 #150Congratulations to the Kulture Lounge
• RES 2025 #151Congratulations 2025 Preservation Award Recipients

Other Business (5)

• ARS-25-19Awaiting Report Status Update 06.23.25climateschoolstransit-trafficzoning📖 read
• AR-25-38The City Manager is requested to work with the Department of Transportation to evaluate adjustments to meter enforcement hours on Broadway Segment A, designating 25 spaces as residential permit parking overnight to increase overnight parking access for residentstransit-traffic
• AR-25-39The City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Cambridge Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of modifying non-resident parking permit fees for households in within the Broadway Segment A project area, including offering a discounted rate structure for permits that are requested by residents with low- income residentstransit-traffic

• an update regarding legislative activity 📖 read 📄 PDF 📄 PDF 📄 PDF
• POR 2025 #94 : That the City Council go on record expressing its profound disappointment

over Apex Clean Energy’s decision to forgo the use of local union labor on the Bowman Wind Project [climate, labor, transit-traffic] 📖 read

Committee Reports (2)

• Economic Development & University Relations Committee hearing of 2025-05-06 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]
• Government Operations Rules & Claims Committee hearing of 2025-05-21 — Report Accepted [Unanimous]