That the City Manager instruct the City Solicitor to provide and update on the previous two orders requesting draft legislation for a Real Estate Transfer Fee Home Rule petition

City of Cambridge O-6 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL December 16, 2019 COUNCILLOR CARLONE COUNCILLOR ZONDERVAN COUNCILLOR SIDDIQUI WHEREAS: The Cambridge City Council adopted policy orders on Sept. 18, 2017 and January 10, 2019 requesting the City Manager instruct the City Solicitor to prepare a draft Home Rule petition for a Real Estate Transfer Fee; and WHEREAS: The City Council has yet to receive any update on said Home Rule petition; and WHEREAS: The local governments of Nantucket, Concord and Somerville have already approved Home Rule petitions for a Real Estate Transfer Fee; and WHEREAS: The Boston City Council approved on December 11, 2019 a Real Estate Transfer Fee that Mayor Marty Walsh has indicated support for; and WHEREAS: The City of Brookline approved a Real Estate Transfer Fee Home Rule petition on December 5, 2019 at a Town Hall meeting by a margin of 139-44; and WHEREAS: The cities of Watertown and Arlington introduced Transfer Fee legislation for deliberation in their respective city governments; and WHEREAS: State Rep. Mike Connolly’s revised Transfer Fee enabling legislation, H. 4196 received a favorable recommendation from the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government and is now moving forward to the House Committee on Steering, Policy, and Scheduling with a recommendation that it "ought to pass”; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager instruct the City Solicitor to provide and update on the previous two orders requesting draft legislation for a Real Estate Transfer Fee Home Rule petition; and be it further ORDERED: That the City Manager instruct the City Solicitor to appear before the Ordinance Committee with said draft legislation in January 2020.