a memorandum regarding concerns about Recording and Transcription Services

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL Quinton Zondervan City Councillor To: Paula Crane, Interim City Clerk From: Quinton Y. Zondervan, City Councillor Date: June 20, 2019 Subject: Memorandum Submission Please place the attached memorandum, "Concerns about Recording & Transcription Services" on the City Council agenda as "Communications and reports from Other City Officials" for the June 24, 2019 meeting. Thank you. .. MEMORANDUM

CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL Quinton Zondervan City Councillor To: Cambridge City Council From: Quinton Y. Zondervan, City Councillor Date: June 20, 2019 Subject: Concerns about Recording & Transcription Services June 20, 2019 Dear Colleagues: Attached you will find page 7 of the Inspection Services Department's Bid for Recording & Transcription Services. The scope of services outlines that the vendor will be charged per page of hearing transcript (60 characters per line, and 22 lines per page). I have attached a sample of the January 10, 2019 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting (pages 140-142) which demonstrates that these specifications are not being met. This excerpt is representative of the service that has been provided to the city for the past 6 years. The transcriptions are consistently below 22 lines per page and fewer than 60 characters per line. I have also attached a sample of the word index from the January 10, 2019 Board of Zoning Appeals meeting (pages 184-185). This excerpt is representative of the word index found at the end of each transcription. Transcriptions typically should have 4 or 5 columns per page of word index. The only reason to have a single column is to overcharge the city. As we are paying per page, there is an obvious incentive on the part of the vendor to increase the number of pages. Failure to meet the specifications in the scope of services, and inflating the number of pages in the word index for these reports over a six year period may have cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in excess charges. This is a waste of taxpayer funds. The city should recover these fraudulent charges fron the vendor, and ensure that future transcriptions meet the scope of services and do not lead to exces charges to the city. Best, Councillor Zondervan 2

File No. 8357- Recording & Transcription Services - Submit invitation for Bid prior to 11:00AM Thursday, January 10, 2019. Inspectional Services Scope of Service 1. The successful bidder must furnish a stenographer familiar with all procedures of the meeting, a voice recorder, or a recorder using audio tape to record verbatim what is said at Committee hearings and to identify each speaker. 2. The successful bidder must record and transcribe hearings and shall provide verbatim transcripts of the proceedings at the Board of Zoning Appeal Hearings. 3. In order to verify the successful bidder's ability to handle volatile, high pressure hearings successfully, the Inspection Services Department requires that the successful bidder have one year's experience in recording regulatory hearings at which neighborhood residents regularly speak. 4. The successful bidder must transcribe record and deliver it to the Inspectional Services Department within FIVE WORKING DAYS of each such hearing. The recorder must be able to handle evening hearings which may end as late as midnight. 5. All transcripts must be bound. Item No. 2- Inspection Services Department, 831 Massachusetts Ave. Approx. Description Total Quantity. Unit Proposal Price 250 Hours $. Recordings Services at hearing /per hour x 250 $ 6000 Pages Charge per page for hearing transcript $ /per page × 6,000 $ (based on double spaced typed format containing 22 lines of text of 60 characters/ spaces per line) 40 Tapes $. $. Charge to retain original tapes /tape x 40 (Tapes to be retained for seven years) $_ Minimum Charge (If any) Total for Inspectional Services $. 7 Name of Bidder:

140 (Sitting Members Case No. BZA-017050-2018: Constantine Alexander, Brendan Sullivan, Janet Green, Andrea A. Hickey, Jim Monteverde.) CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: The Chair will call case No. 017050, 154 Cherry Street. Is there anyone here wishing to be heard on this matter? STEEN UPRITCHARD: My name is Steven Upritchard from 154 Cherry Street. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: Anyway, the floor is yours. You've heard before, tell us briefly what it is you want to do and why you're entitled to do it. Or why we should grant you the relief you're seeking. STEVEN UPRITCHARD: So we're removing a window and two skylights. And to replace that light we're putting in a new window which is the very edge of the window within the setback about five or six inches I believe. And so we're just trying to replace the light we're taking from removing one window and -- CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: Have you talked to your neighbors who would be most impacted --

141 STEVEN UPRITCHARD: Yes, on both sides. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: - by your windows? STEVEN UPRITCHARD: Yes. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: And you represent that they have no objection? STEVEN UPRITCHARD: No. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: I don't think we have any letters from them, so that's the reason I ask. Okay. As you can see, windows and setbacks are a case that we often hear about on this Board. : Anyone here wishing to be heard on this matter? (No Response.) CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: None. Ready for a vote? JIM MONTEVERDE: Yep. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: I would hope so. The Chair moves that we make the following findings with regard to the Special Permit being sought:

142 That requirements of the Ordinance cannot be met unless we grant you the Special Permit. Why there is this in the Ordinance I have no idea. Why else would you be here? Just because you've nothing else better to do on a Thursday night? JIM MONTEVERDE: It's been a long night. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: I know. JIM MONTEVERDE: It's almost over. We're almost there. Stay calm. ANDREA HICKEY: Keep going. Keep going. CONSTANTINE ALEXANDER: That traffic generated or patterns of access or egress resulting from what you're proposing will not cause congestion, hazard, or substantial change in established neighborhood character. That the continued operation or development of adjacent uses will not be adversely affected by what is being proposed. That no nuisance or hazard will be created to the detriment of the health, safety, and/or welfare of the occupant or the citizens of the city. And that generally what is being proposed will not impair the

184 181:4. 201:12 corrected (1) - 18:7 correction (1) - 207:7 corrections 11) - 207:16 correctly 12) - 9:1, 80:8 correspondence 111 - 24:6 cost (1] - 172:14 COSTA (181 - 81:4, 82:4, 82:9, 86:2, 86:4, 86:8, 86:12, 86:15, 89:8, 89:14, 91:1, 94:15, 97:4, 99:4, 102:9, 103:15, 104:15, 105:1 costa [1] - 111:14 Costa (2) - 81:6, 81:7 costly [1] - 16:12 costs [1) - 171:3 counsel 171-84:7, 84:15, 90:9, 129:15, 159:13, 164:9, 164:11 counted (1) - 34:5 countervailing 12) - 102:6, 102:12 counting [11 - 88:3 couple 1) - 22:16, 82:10, 104:13, 125:6, 132:10, 135:14, 140:9 course (9) - 10:10, 46:5, 58:15, 61:7, 61:15, 107:3, 112:5, 131:18, 138:17 courts (1) - 93:10 covering 11) - 186:3 covers (1) - 64:3 Craigee (1) - 200:11 Craigie 121 - 2:17, 200:6 crave [11 - 121:3 create 121 - 19:11, 139:10 created 181-30:14, 68:15, 77:5, 93:10, 154:11, 188:6, 198:13, 204:12 creates 121 - 36:15, 46:9 creating 121 - 11:9, 139:12

185 Creation (1) - 189:8 criticizes (1) - 23:16 crux (11 - 59:4 cumbersome 111 - 14:16 curiosity [1) - 202:3 current 171-26:16, 26:18,52:4, 98:12, 132:5, 148:16, 175:9 custom (1) - 7:12 D Daglian (1) - 1:11 DAGLIAN (11 - 184:7 damage (2) - 168:8, 168:9 Dana [1) - 180:10 database (21 - 88:13, 88:14 Date [6] - 2:4, 2:5, 2:7, 2:8, 2:10, 2:11 date 171 - 7:14, 29:6, 157:7, 159:15, 160:14, 161:15, 207:7 dated (4) - 24:7, 24:15, 40:12, 151:7 dates [3) - 49:7, 102:8, 102:11 David (5) - 48:7, 81:10, 81:11, 111:9 166:16 DAVID [81 - 111:9, 111:17, 166:9, 166:16, 167:12, 168:1, 174:5, 176:18 days (9) - 55:12, 97:8, 100:17,114:10, 125:7, 161:17, 192:5, 192:18, 193:5 deal (1] - 34:11 dealing 11) - 167:11 deals (2) - 10:3, 92:9 dealt [3) - 9:17, 12:7, 149:16 dear [1] - 171:6 debate [1) - 96:13 decades [1] - 120:5 December (5) - 24:11, 24:15, 41:6, 115:17,