1. Summative Evaluation of CM 2. Office of the City Solicitor legal opinion about what is and is not public document in …

To the Honorable, the City Council:

Cambridge is an incredible city, and through this year of challenges and uncertainty, I have felt even more proud of all the ways that we are community together. As I write this, we are nearing the end of a government shutdown where the federal administration appealed all the way to the Supreme Court to withhold food benefits to our lowest income households, just months after pushing through trillions of dollars of tax cuts to our wealthiest individuals and corporations.

Yet, we continue to do the work of local government. We are picking up trash, planting trees, building affordable housing, reforming zoning, making our streets safer, housing the homeless, and so much more. I am so grateful to the Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councillors for their public service and their trust in me and so many City leaders who are working hard every day to build a better community for everyone who lives, works, studies, and plays in Cambridge.

We have done all this work in the public eye, and by the end of 2025, we will have held 36 City Council meetings with community input on every facet of local government. We have released data, posted analysis, discussed and debated, and made decisions through difficult disagreements. Our local democracy is vibrant and healthy.

This is also the third year we have conducted a City Manager Performance Review, which is an important commitment to transparency and accountability. This next step, submitting an annual report by November 15 will be followed by the City Council’s formal evaluation delivered at a Special City Council Meeting in December.

There are always things to improve, lessons to be learned, and more work to be done. I’m looking forward to the conversation and feedback.

Thank you to the City Council for this privilege and to our community for your trust.

Very truly yours,

Yi-An Huang

City Manager

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Summary of Goal Performance

The following goals were approved at the June 30, 2025 City Council meeting.

Area Leadership Coordinate with the City Council on response to federal actions and funding challenges, including addressing direct impacts to the City, community, and affected organizations in the City Engage on regional priorities and advocate on behalf of the City to the state administration and legislature

City Council

Relationship Collaborate with City Council to prioritize initiatives and programs aligned to

Council goals

Continue to maintain an efficient process for awaiting reports and provide summary report in early 2026 Contract with benefits broker to assess current City benefits and develop initial recommendations on potential changes

Conduct Class and Compensation study to address non-union compensation in relation to the market as well as internal equity across departments Community Engagement Pilot new methods of improving communications and engagement with the community Review boards and commissions and produce recommendations on strengthening engagement with members who are serving Resident survey performance of >60% Excellent/Good on 2025 survey for overall performance of City government Culture Develop action plan based on the 2025 employee engagement survey and begin implementation ADEI Establish the American Freedman Commission as a new city department in line with the 2023 ordinance Develop a citywide plan to enhance communication and foster engagement with the community around the City’s core values of Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and

Inclusion (ADEI)

City Operations Achieve compliance with established service level agreements (SLAs) for operating department requests in SeeClickFix at an 80% level or above in the top 30 request categories Provide preliminary framework for a comprehensive 10-Year Public Investment Plan Fiscal Implement greater City Council engagement in the budget development process, including Finance Committee meetings prior to formal submission of the budget regarding: 1) operating budget, 2) capital budget, 3) police budget, and 4) ARPA program Maintain strong fiscal position and AAA bond rating Finalize ARPA contracts and amendments with all funding obligated

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Leadership Effectively carry out the vision and direction set by the City Council including through development of goals and strategies as well as work closely with the Council to lead the City through significant events and crises.

Coordinate with the City Council on response to federal actions and funding challenges, including addressing direct impacts to the City, community, and affected organizations in the City Engage on regional priorities and advocate on behalf of the City to the state administration and legislature

2025 has been an unprecedented year as we have sought to vigorously respond to challenges from the federal administration. We have conducted 15 federal updates at City Council through an ever-changing landscape of funding cuts, unconstitutional actions, and court cases.

Our Law department has performed above and beyond. Cambridge has joined as a plaintiff in two cases, one over grant conditions and a second over federal attacks on sanctuary jurisdictions. Cambridge has filed amicus briefs in seven additional cases, including over international students at Harvard, indirect funding for research grants, national guard deployment, and sanctuary cities.

We regularly update a litigation tracker for City Council that covers cases that we are involved in or that are directly affecting our community. Given the severity of federal overreach, our active engagement in the courts has been a critical way for us to stand up for our values and defend the programs that matter to us.

We also recognized early that we were likely to see federal funding cuts, both directly to the City and across our community. The City Council approved the allocation of $5 million of free cash to be used to mitigate the impact of federal cuts. We recognize that the City does not have the resources to replace federal funding, but this provides us with a structure in the budget to act and make a difference.

This reserve is what has allowed us to respond rapidly during the current SNAP crisis. Within a week of the federal government announcing its intention to cut off food benefits, the City Council appropriated $250,000. Together with the Cambridge Community Foundation which provided an additional $250,000 from its Urgent Needs Fund, we are distributing grocery gift cards to seniors, disabled residents, and students in our schools, as well as strengthening our food pantries through the Cambridge Food Pantry Network. Our forward planning and financial flexibility allow us to act quickly, and we expect more challenges in the year ahead.