Committee Report - Finance - 1-25-22 — File 212989

Finance Committee Page 1 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 January 25, 2022 REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Jake Wilson Chair Present Jefferson Thomas ("J.T.") Scott Vice Chair Present Beatriz GomezMouakad Ward Five City Councilor Present Judy PinedaNeufeld Ward Seven City Councilor Present Charlotte Kelly City Councilor At Large Present This meeting was held via GoToWebinar and was called to order by Chair Wilson at 7:01 pm and adjourned at 10:19 pm. An executive session was held at 8:40 pm and returned to open session at 9:02 pm. Others present: Aneesh Sahni - Mayor’s Office, Julie McKenzie - Law Office, Barry Miller - Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Edward Bean - Auditing, Alan Inacio - OSPCD, Frank Wright - Law Office, Michael Mastrobuoni - Auditing, Jason Piques - Law Office, Richard Raiche - Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, Gregory Jenkins - Arts Council, Charles Breen - Fire Department, Rose Durham - Clerk of Committees, Peter Forcellese - Legislative Clerk, Stephanie Widzowski -Assistant Clerk of Committees. Approval of the December 1, 2021 Minutes The Minutes were approved on a roll call vote of 5 in favor, (Councilors Kelly, Pineda Neufeld, Scott and Wilson), 0 against and 1 absent (Councilor Gomez Mouakad). RESULT: ACCEPTED Approval of the December 7, 2021 Minutes The Minutes were approved on a roll call vote of 5 in favor, (Councilors Kelly, Pineda Neufeld, Gomez Mouakad, Scott and Wilson), 0 against and 0 absent. RESULT: ACCEPTED 212846: Proposing an ordinance relative to a mid-fiscal year report of municipal finances, with next-fiscal year budget projections.

Finance Committee Page 2 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Councilor Scott explained that the item was originally proposed in 2016 by Councilor White. In early 2020, he and Mr. Mastrobuoni had planned a budget. He cited that the original ordinance still refers to “Aldermen” and said he wanted to use the 2016 document as a launch point, hoping for a casual conversation for how to work together. Mr. Bean noted that Mayor Ballantyne is interested in Council input for the upcoming budget. Mr. Mastrobuoni confirmed that the Mayor plans on sending a communication to that effect for this week’s Council meeting. The Mayor’s Office is happy to work with the Finance committee to update Councilors on the budget process. A lot of work happens later on in the process. Priorities should be decided in the next two months so they can be incorporated in the next budget. The Council provides big-picture priorities and values to match with projects and ideas from the Administration. Councilor Kelly acknowledged the time constraint, calling to make sure residents know this is the time to express their priorities. She implored the Administration to find opportunities for residents to get involved these two months, adding that if the item does not pass tonight, the Council and Administration should still try to create opportunities for dialogue. Councilor Kelly has received a lot of input from constituents already. Chair Wilson agreed that a participatory budget is a priority. He said that cities like Chicago, and Los Angeles have enacted similar budgets recently. It is ambitious, but the Council can also bring in voices from traditional avenues. He stated that budgets are a reflection of values of a community, and the Council should measure what those values are. Mr. Bean echoed excitement for participatory budgeting. However, he called attention to the problem of staffing. He said the committee should talk more about this and how to engage the public. Councilor Gomez Mouakad reminded the Council that traditional methods of participation are not always inclusive and have bias. She called for their outreach method to change. Chair Wilson agreed. Councilor Kelly seconded Councilor Gomez Mouakad’s comment. She said it is good to give people plenty of notice time, and also that unorthodox times can often be more accessible. She suggested, for example, hosting sessions on weekend days as well as evenings for multiple opportunities for input. Mr. Bean expressed his approval. Councilor Pineda Neufeld echoed her colleagues’ comments about striving for inclusion as much as possible. If it is not safe to be indoors, Somerville should find ways to host outdoor meetings in the spring or summer to encourage participation. Councilor Scott called attention back to the tight timeline of the next 8 weeks. He suggested hybrid meetings and translation services for neighborhood/city meetings. He noted that the Administration has not offered translation for city meetings yet, asking how the Council is supposed to gather broader input without the means to do so. City Council is no stranger to having to pay out of pocket for accessibility. He asked if there is funding set aside for these kinds of efforts.

Finance Committee Page 3 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Mr. Bean said that the Administration would be open to any of these ideas at the moment, especially translation services. He needs to take these ideas back to the Administration and discuss them. Councilor Scott said that even though Omicron is subsiding - with numbers still higher than last winter’s peak - the committee should look at hosting them in hybrid meetings with language accessibility. He stated he is prepared to schedule two meetings a week if need be to accomplish the deadline. Chair Wilson said that he wants to see participatory budgeting any way it can happen right now, and then work to see a better system put in place. Councilor Kelly called for the first priority is for the Administration to consider ways to fund this. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212849: That the administration assign staff to support the Wage Theft Advisory Committee. Councilor Scott insisted that there be a dedicated team for the Wage Theft Advisory Committee (WTAC). Currently, all the work is done by volunteers, and language translation is provided out- of-pocket by City Council. Councilor Gomez Mouakad noted that the WTAC has been around close to a year and needs the support of the city to accomplish their goals. If wage theft is not addressed, inequity will persist. She suggested putting a position within the Office of Racial and Social Justice. She added that the city needs legal council to frame communications. This should be a true priority if Somerville is committed to social justice. Councilor Scott agreed with Councilor Gomez Mouakad, asking what the recommendation is for accommodating this request. Mr. Sahni said would welcome further discussion, adding that the intention was for the WTAC to report directly to and be staffed by the Council. There is a designee from the Mayor’s Office for this role and they can discuss how to provide more support. Councilor Scott said that he does not care strongly which department the staff comes from, but what he does care about is that there is no budget at this point. In his view, the WTAC has been defunded and he would like to see that resolved. Councilor Gomez Mouakad described how she has been working with someone struggling finding an equitable wage and finding affordable housing. The problems of wages and housing are linked. She called for wage theft to be treated with the same importance as housing. She noted that wage theft is a complicated ordinance, and asked if the committee should have a conversation on what the city’s needs are and how to help someone with a wage theft case. Councilor Kelly, referring to Mr. Sahni’s comment about the Council staffing the WTAC, asked if Council members specifically work on the WTAC, or if the Council denotes people to join the commission. Mr. Sahni replied that the Administration staff have been fulfilling their role, and that they are happy to have another conversation about how to work together. Councilor Pineda Neufeld thanked Councilor Gomez Mouakad for linking this discussion with housing. On rereading Mayor Ballentyne’s plan for her first 100 days in office, it is clear that this

Finance Committee Page 4 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 is a priority for the Mayor. She called for the Council to follow suit. Mr. Sahni agreed that the Mayor’s Office wants to support residents on that issue and that they should have further conversations with the committee to make that happen. Chair Wilson commented on how common wage theft is, and it is important to educate people on how to get help if it happens to them. Councilor Scott described how thorough the erasure is for the wage theft ordinance. There is no way to view the WTAC online; there are no contacts or any way to ask for help. He said it is distressing to hear that the Mayor’s staff feel that they are living up to expectations, and that they may need to have conversations on what it means to be successful in this issue. He suggested keeping this item in committee because there is more work to be done. Councilor Kelly noted that the committee is tasked with the fiduciary responsibility of the city, and stated that if they do not fight for wage equity, they are not devoted to social justice. She also called attention to the hypocrisy that some of their staff are uncompensated. Councilor Scott talked about the success of other Council-affiliated committees and commented that the WTAC is just starved of resources. Councilor Gomez Mouakad said that there is a lot of wage theft in housing and construction, and those workers’ health is being put at risk as well. She called to the Council to put wage theft in the past. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212850: That the Administration update this Council on the status of the Police Staffing Study which was included in the FY2022 budget and estimated to take 2-4 months. Mr. Sahni said that they recently selected a contractor for analysis and are in negotiations. Councilor Kelly noted that the website has not yet updated the information around new RFP proposals. She asked if the projected end date of May 2, 2022 is still realistic, and when the selectee will be made public. Mr. Sahni said he is unable to provide updates until negotiations are finalized. With respect to the end date, they are looking at staffing and operations, and assessing what similarly situated cities have done. He said he will need to follow up on whether that will affect the end date, but reiterated that it is a priority to get work done in timely fashion. Councilor Kelly referred to how the task force on 21st century policing talks about expanding both the role of policing and the size of the force. She described how many constituents have brought up a 2001 management study that calls for civilianizing and reimagining some police roles. However, this RFP does not seem to align with the earlier study. She asked Mr. Sahni to talk about the decisions going into that source material, and how that affects the staffing study. Mr. Sahni said he could not speak to all the details of the RFP and will follow up later on this topic. Councilor Kelly thanked Mr. Sahni and asked when the public would be updated on the final choice of contractor. Mr. Sahni answered that the first step is finalizing the contractor, and the priority is to finish that fast. Until that is finished, he cannot give an update. Councilor Scott thanked Councilor Kelly for pointing out items in the RFP looking for the need to expand the police department. Among these is a requirement that does not exist yet: the

Finance Committee Page 5 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 implementation of body cameras. The funding for this technology has not been approved by City Council yet, which is a concern for Councilor Scott. He acknowledged it is the Mayor’s discretion to publish the RFP, but he said it will affect the course of the staffing study. The RFP is available on the city’s website: (<https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/RFP%2022- 22%20Consultant%20for%20Somerville%20PD%20Staffing%20&%20Operations%20Analysis _0.pdf>) Chair Wilson cited concerns about some leading questions that may influence the study and potentially important decisions, calling to keep this item in committee. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212847: That the Administration comply with Order #206164, relative to the employment of other counsel. Councilor Scott explained that Councilors have either received legal guidance that could use a second opinion, or in other cases, particularly in confirmation of appointment matters, the Law Department has stated that the Council is separate from the administration, and therefore does not have legal authority. As such, it seems that the Council is sometimes in need of legal representation. Councilor Scott also pointed out that the School Committee has its own legal council and budget despite being another elected body. Even in situations where a Council would be required, the prior Administration has not always agreed to fund it. He expressed hope that the new Administration will be different. He said that the only time the Council did receive outside legal advice in the last four years, it was a direct order to avoid a conflict of interest. Mr. Sahni said he would be happy to talk more about this issue, but that they might need to contact the Solicitor’s office and get their opinion. Councilor Scott said that he will request legal presence for the next meeting. Chair Wilson stated that the Council wants to avoid conflicts of interest wherever possible. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212883: Requesting the appropriation of $808,639 from the Salary and Wage Stabilization Fund to the Police Department Personal Services, Other Lump Sum Benefits Account to fund retroactive payments for a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Somerville and the Somerville Police Superior Officers Association. Ms. McKenzie explained that the city achieved this settlement as a 3-year deal, entirely retroactive. It tracks the settlement with the SPSOA in spring 2021. Reviewing the Memorandum of Agreement between SPSOA and CoS, the Union had conducted internal affair investigations, but in this agreement the City can ask for external reviewers. This also includes an item about body cameras. Councilor Kelly expressed frustration that she received this item 3.5 hours before the meeting, and very rarely can review documents with less than a day’s notice. She did not feel comfortable making a decision tonight. She asked the size of the bargaining unit, to which Ms. McKenzie replied around 30 officers.

Finance Committee Page 6 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Councilor Kelly noted that on p. 4, the document does not list the actual salary scale. That is important for the Council. She asked if the full CBA could be submitted and what the base pay for the officers is. Ms. McKenzie replied that there are three ranks within SO unit, and base pay is determined by rank. There is a 17.5% difference in pay between ranks, but she can confirm that in more detail at a later meeting. Councilor Kelly said that these contracts can affect future contracts, and it is important to consider the implications across the unit. She called attention to the perfect attendance pay increase on p. 3, asking if that is a common practice for the school. Ms. McKenzie could not speak to the school, but several of the city’s departments have perfect attendance bonuses. Councilor Kelly asked about the 2% pay increase for sergeants who use body cameras, and if it is common to do this for essential equipment. Ms. McKenzie answered that the implementation of body cameras is an introduction of a new term of employment subject to negotiation. This is a result of the negotiation process. Councilor Kelly asked if this was common in other situations where important technology is introduced. Ms. McKenzie replied that these are holistic settlements rather than looking at cost for specific items. In this case, it comes from the SPEA agreement. Councilor Kelly expressed a desire to implement the 2% pay increase for critical technology citywide: for example, for workers who go remote and need to use new technology. She also asked about Hazardous Duty Pay, to which Ms. McKenzie responded there is a new stipend in the Superior Officers’ contract and there is one in the firefighters’ contract. The city tries to achieve equity in public safety contracts. This replaced a stipend that the city did not understand the need for well: the Weapons of Mass Destruction stipend. Employees receive special training for and are exposed to special hazards, and this pay attempts to acknowledge that. Councilor Kelly said she looks forward to receiving the additional documents requested. Councilor Scott said that given the lateness of the document, he is in favor of leaving the item in committee. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212884: Requesting the appropriation of $174,882 from the Salary Contingency Account to the Police Department Personal Services Accounts to fund a collective bargaining agreement between the City of Somerville and the Somerville Police Superior Officers Association. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212885: Requesting the appropriation of $150,000 from the Salary & Wage Stabilization Fund to the Police Department - Personal Services - Other Lump Sum Benefits Account in order to settle pending litigation. Mr. Sahni referred to Ms. McKenzie, who explained that they have been working on this case since 2017. As a wage and hour case, it is a highly technical legal area. They retained Barry Miller to defend the case and were able to achieve a settlement. This request is part of that settlement.

Finance Committee Page 7 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Mr. Miller added that this is a wage and hour class action. Police officers said they were paid the wrong rate of overtime, and there were also complaints about timeliness of payment and other work details, for about 16 issues overall. The city prevailed on most claims, but some would have required a jury to resolve, which neither party wanted. They split payments over a 3-year term to lessen pressure on the city, including amendments to the collective bargaining agreement. This provision added certainty to how and what the officers are to be paid. The final step is to achieve judicial approval. Councilor Kelly asked if this request is one part of the 3-year split or the entirety of the cost. She also asked if they would be providing the Council with any of the materials made in the settlement. Mr. Miller noted that this item and item 10 (212886) are related to the settlement. This item will be distributed to the officers, and item 10 will go to attorney’s fees over the same period. This is one-third of the payments, but the remaining amount will be budgeted in in the future where these payments could not. Councilor Kelly asked what the total was, to which Mr. Miller responded that $450,000 would go to the police officers, and $200,000 would pay for attorney fees, for a total of $650,000. The only other materials in the case are confidential and will be filed on a court docket if this item is approved, eventually becoming public. To discuss those confidential details would require an executive session. These two items were discussed in executive session. A single roll call vote for 9 and 10 was held later in open session and both were unanimously approved. However, Councilor Kelly proposed a motion that this Council request an update from the Chief Labor Council upon completion of the settlement, specifically including any updates from the MOU or CBA. That motion was unanimously approved by roll call vote. (5 Yes: Councilors Kelly, Pineda Neufeld, Gomez Mouakad, Scott, and Wilson) RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212886: Requesting the appropriation of $66,666.67 from the Unreserved Fund Balance Account ("Free Cash") to the Law Department's Judgments & Settlements Account in order to fund attorneys fees in pending litigation. This item was discussed with item 212885. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212887: Requesting the appropriation of $4,331 from the Salary Contingency to Police Department, Personal Services, Crossing Guards Account to fund a Memorandum of Agreement Between the City and SEIU/Local 888, Crossing Guard Unit Ms. McKenzie said there were significant challenges on getting the ratification meeting group together. They work about 3 hours a day with no benefits. Because of COVID, they did not want in-person unit member meetings, and did not feel comfortable having meetings virtually. This

Finance Committee Page 8 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 MoA is a 3-year deal with a provision for delayed openings to get crossing guards. This is the final year of this settlement agreement. Councilor Kelly asked the starting wage for crossing guards, to which Ms. McKenzie answered the high 30s. Councilor Kelly also asked if there was language around longevity pay. Ms. McKenzie said she will check, and that they are hoping to encourage retention because of high turnover. Perfect attendance bonuses are aimed at encouraging retention for quarters 2 and 3 (during the winter months). They recently invested in outdoor weather clothing/PPE. Councilor Kelly asked if there was a pay differential for sporadic duties, to which Ms. McKenzie answered it was the same basis as regular duties. Councilor Kelly noted that these crossing guards are making less than $100 a day and these roads are dangerous. She thanked crossing guards for their work, acknowledging the city is a long way from paying them equitably. Councilor Pineda Neufeld asked about pay and benefits. Crossing guard positions are hard to fill, especially during the pandemic. Therefore, police step in to fill those positions. She asked about the cost analysis for this alternative versus increasing pay to attract more applicants. Ms. McKenzie had no numbers for that, but said she would be happy to look into it. Councilor Pineda Neufeld also recommended overlaying higher crash site areas with that information. Councilor Kelly expressed her interest in completing this item tonight, and interest in Councilor Pineda Neufeld’s question of cost-analysis. She stated that the city should pay potential crossing guards the same as what a stand-in guard that happens to be an officer would earn. Chair Wilson noted talk of labor shortages and how many guard positions are vacant. What if instead, it was framed as compensation shortages? He went on to share concerns that people did not have time to read the document before the meeting, and asked if the committee was comfortable recommending it to the Council. Councilor Gomez Mouakad said that crossing guards are vital staff, citing the recent accident at Union square as evidence that the job is also dangerous. Chair Wilson explained that a guard was hit on duty while escorting children at Somerville Community School. Councilor Gomez Mouakad thanked councilors Kelly and Pineda Neufeld for bringing these items to attention and expressed her support in moving this item to the Council. Councilor Scott moves to approve but, given the lateness of this info, to also make a separate motion with its own number to keep in committee. Motion: To keep updated the number of hours filled by SPD for crossing guard, while getting the full language of the contract for crossing guards. The motion was unanimously approved. (5 Yes: Councilors Kelly, Pineda Neufeld, Gomez Mouakad, Scott, and Wilson) RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212905: City Solicitor seeking approval to settle a claim regarding damages to 1112-1114 Broadway. Mr. Wright deferred to Mr. Piques, who explained that there is damaged property near Teele Square. A temporary water line developed a leak on Oct. 16, leading to damages to property.

Finance Committee Page 9 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Chair Wilson asked if the police station was damaged, to which Mr. Piques answered that the station is part of the building. It was largely the commercial part of the property that was damaged. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212874: Requesting rescission of $355,000 portion of appropriation authorized as part of MWRA Lead Replacement Program, and making an appropriation and authorization of $355,000 bond issuance for Lead Replacement Program. Mr. Raiche said his team wanted to start in 2020, but they waited because it involves going into homes. In 2021, they removed over 60 lead pipes. This year, they are hoping to remove around 100 lead services. They appropriated funds for this project in September. They try to use a 0% interest loan for as much of the budget as possible, but need to go through this order to “write the books”. Mr. Bean called it a “cleanup item” that had been incorrectly appropriated the first time. They are separating out the prior appropriation and reallocating it into the Lead Replacement Program. Mr. Raiche said previously, it was item 212361. Chair Wilson asked how much more it would cost now that it is going to be in bonds, not 0% loans. Mr. Bean said that he has not calculated the difference. He also said the $355,000 requested here was part of a 30-year plan. Mr. Raiche said they incorporated this into the rate study. He explained that bonds are actually favorable here because there is more time to pay them back. Councilor Scott asked if they were not participating in NWRA, to which Mr. Raiche responded that they are participating in NWRA as much as they can, and the rest of the funds will come from bonds. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212875: Requesting the appropriation of $1,491,908.58 from the CPA Fund Community Housing Reserve to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Mr. Inacio explained that items 14-21 are projects for which funding was voted on in November. He said that funding cannot be approved until it goes to City Council. Councilor Kelly asked how much of the unspent CPA funds was left from last year, and what the general uptake is. Mr. Inacio answered that there are two components: a property tax surcharge - which Mr. Bean said was 1.5% - and a State match - increasing last few years as the commonwealth increased the registry fees. The funding comes to about $2-3 million, and they can get the unspent funds very soon. Councilor Gomez Mouakad asked about the breakdown of CPA funds for various categories, such as historic preservation, housing, and open space. Mr. Inacio replied that every year the community has to adopt a community preservation plan and set allocations for each category. In

Finance Committee Page 10 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 the last few years, 50% has gone to affordable housing, and 15-20% to open space/recreation. He said he could get those allocations soon. Chair Wilson said he was glad to see that these causes are getting funding. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212876: Requesting the appropriation of $494,110.50 from the CPA Fund to the Somerville Hispanic Association for Community Development for improvements to the Grace Baptist Church building. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212877: Requesting to appropriate CPA funds totaling $416,694.15 from the CPA Undesignated Fund Balance to designated CPA Reserve Accounts. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212878: Requesting the appropriation of $250,000 from the CPA Fund Open Space/Recreation Reserve to the CPA Open Space Land Acquisition Project Fund. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212879: Requesting the appropriation of $210,200 from the CPA Fund Open Space/Recreation Reserve to the City of Somerville Public Space and Urban Forestry Division for expansion of Glen Park Community Garden. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212880: Requesting the appropriation of $157352 from the CPA Fund Historic Preservation Reserve to the Somerville Museum for collections preservation. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212881: Requesting the appropriation of $100,000 from the CPA Fund Open Space/Recreation Reserve to the City of Somerville Public Space and Urban Forestry Division for design of Junction Park.

Finance Committee Page 11 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212882: Requesting the appropriation of $30,000 from the CPA Fund Historic Preservation reserve to the Elizabeth Peabody House for architectural and design services. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212893: Requesting approval of a transfer of $24,000 in the OSPCD Mobility Division, from the OSPCD Mobility Personal Services Account to the OSPCD Mobility Ordinary Maintenance Account, to pay for unbudgeted outstanding police details for the Farmers Market and traffic details. Mr. Inacio explained that this is the first fiscal year where they budgeted for police details at the farmer’s market, but they had underbudgeted for the details. There should be a net zero after these funds are approved. Councilor Kelly asked how long there have been police details at the farmer’s market, to which Mr. Inacio did not have an answer. He said that this was the first year the budget was placed in the Mobility Department. Councilor Kelly asked that, given markets are usually on weekends, are officers paid overtime or some other differential? Mr. Inacio said it was the detail rate. Councilor Kelly asked what other provisions are at farmer’s markets, to which Mr. Inacio answered that Lisa Robinson in the Health Department could elaborate on the details, but there is a SNAP match program. There is $15,000 allocated for SNAP Match, and a $10-15 match for each person with SNAP benefits. It comes from the Community Development Plot grant. Councilor Kelly said she wants to follow up with Lisa Robinson about other operational costs, and that she would love to see the SNAP Match program expanded. They previously discussed low wages and limited hours of crossing guards. She invited colleagues to consider civilianized roles for this position, especially given that this item asks for $24,000, while only $15,000 is going towards SNAP Match. Chair Wilson echoed Councilor Kelly’s comments about SNAP Match. Councilor Scott said it was a question of priorities, and thanked Councilor Kelly for bringing this up. Farmer’s markets are vital and some are subsidized by the city. In that the city is devoting funds to police details and not to SNAP Match, he called for further exploration of spending priorities going forward. Councilor Pineda Neufeld added a note about farmer’s markets: that there is a mobile market to reach the lowest-income members of Somerville. She suggested the committee could talk about that program more in another meeting. It gives a 50% discount, better than the current SNAP Match. She wanted to highlight more of what Somerville has to offer around food. Councilor Kelly asked if this was an expense that the city will continue to budget for in coming years. Mr. Inacio replied that if they continue to use the SPD for this purpose, then yes.

Finance Committee Page 12 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212892: Requesting the appropriation of $100,000 from the Encore Artist and Cultural Support Stabilization Fund to support local cultural council grants. Mr. Jenkins said that they created the authorization for this account in December. It offers $175,000 that will go directly to local schools, artists and organizations. Councilor Pineda Neufeld asked if the $100,000 from Encore is an annual gift to the City of Somerville. Mr. Bean said that was correct. Mr. Jenkins said they are having discussions with City Council and the Administration about finding ways to enhance the funding. Mr. Bean said OSPCD is managing comments, and that they can speak better to details. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212936: Requesting acceptance of, and approval to expend, a $14,000 grant with no new match required, from the Mass Cultural Council to the Arts Council for general operational support. Mr. Jenkins explained that they receive this annually from the state. It helps with operational expenses such as extra hires for events. No specific match is required, only that it needs to be tied to the Arts community. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212895: Requesting acceptance, and approval to expend, a $49,980 grant with no new match required, from MA Office of Public Safety and Security to the Police Department for traffic enforcement programs. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212896: Requesting acceptance of, and approval to expend, a $25,600 grant with no new match required, from MEMA/FEMA's Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) for the purchase of 911 Center planning consultant services. Councilor Scott described the old fire boxes around the city that ring directly in Morse code, calling it a resilient, important system in the event of, for example, flooding knocking out substation. He asked if the integration of fire and police is indicative of a change coming in city emergency management. Mr. Breen answered that any plans for a combined building will include a fire box. There will be a relay station so that the signal from the boxes will be transmitted to the new 9-1-1 facility. Councilor Scott asked if there would be a consultant providing technical support, to which Mr. Breen answered yes - that it is a complicated process to bring two divisions into one room. Councilor Scott had no objection to grant money with no required match.

Finance Committee Page 13 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 Councilor Kelly noted that the item does not explicitly name staffing solutions or how they receive calls. She asked for clarification on if this grant overlaps with the staffing study soon to be undertaken by the SPD. Mr. Breen said he would refer to Mr. Kates on that matter. Mr. Sahni said they needed further clarification on the “human capital” listed in the application. Councilor Kelly said it was important for to understand if this is duplicative with the staffing study, and said that she wants to use limited resources efficiently. Councilor Gomez Mouakad said it was good practice to look at the life safety / emergency response systems. Fast response to fires is critical. With growth and development of high-rise buildings, she has worries about the fire response. Mr. Breen said there are two separate dispatch centers in the city, and it makes sense to centralize. Right now, calls need to be transferred depending on the purpose. A new center will remove delay and be safer for the city. Councilor Kelly said she wants to be aware of potentially time-sensitive needs, asking Mr. Breen how much a delay would affect city safety. Mr. Breen did not have enough information to answer. Councilor Kelly expressed her desire to wait until the committee could speak to Mr. Kates. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212897: Requesting acceptance of, and approval to expend, a $15,000 grant with no new match required, from MA Department of Energy Resources to the Office of Sustainability and Environment for conducting a feasibility study regarding adding battery backup systems to municipal owned buildings. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 212894: Requesting acceptance of, and approval to expend, a $83,616 grant with no new match required, from MA Office of Public Safety & Security to the Fire department for fire staffing costs. Mr. Breen explained that this grant was used to cover overtime costs in the budget. Councilor Kelly asked where these overtime costs are coming from, and why a grant is necessary for covering these. Mr. Breen replied that if there are injuries, vacations, or sicknesses, staff need to be replaced. There are 29 minimum staff per shift. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212872: Requesting acceptance of a Preservation Restriction for 1 Westwood Road. Mr. Inacio said that for items 29 and 30, a restriction had been placed on the properties. Taken property interest requires City Council action.

Finance Committee Page 14 of 14 Printed 1/27/2022 RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly 212873: Requesting the acceptance of a Preservation Restriction at 404 Broadway. Discussed with item 212872. RESULT: APPROVED. [UNANIMOUS] AYES: Wilson, Scott, GomezMouakad, PinedaNeufeld, Kelly Reference Material: • RFP 22-22 Consultant for Somerville PD Staffing & Operations Analysis (with 212850)