[Caraviello]: Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12, 2020 order suspending certain provisions of the open meeting law, 38 section 18 of the Governor's March 15, 2020 order imposing strict limitations on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the Medford City Council will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and or parties with the right or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the City of Medford website at www.medford.org. To attend this meeting, excuse me. For this meeting, members of the public who wish to listen or watch the meeting may do so by accessing the meeting link contained herein. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceeding in real time via technological means. In the event that we're able to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the City of Medford or Medford community website in audio or video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. Okay. Motions, orders, and resolutions. 19660, an ordinance amending Chapter 20 of the Ordinance of the City of Medford. Promote, prevent, support behavioral health commissions. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Medford that Chapter 20 of the Ordinance of the City of Medford, as most recently amended, is hereby further amended by inserting after the present article, and following article, Promote, Prevent, Support, Behavioral Health Commission.
[Marks]: Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Mr. President, in the interest of time, I would ask that we waive the remainder of the reading for this ordinance. I believe we have three ordinances on tonight. And if we can give just a brief synopsis on what each ordinance is about, Mr. President. All right. The purpose section is pretty good.
[Caraviello]: Yeah. So which one was the purpose section? We're waving in the ring, okay, I'll vote you by council mark second by vice-president night to waive the readings.
[Hurtubise]: Mr.. Clerk, please call the roll Councilor Bears yes council Falco Yes, vice president night. Yes, council mark. Yes Yes Yes Yes
[Caraviello]: 7 in the affirmative, motion passes. The purpose of this particular resolution is to monitor, track and inform and make recommendations to city officials and policy makers in the city of Medford about behavioral health data issues, needs and efforts within the city of Medford. Build community partnerships and collaborations amongst providers, social service organizations, and city government to identify and address the social determinants of health, social, environmental, and economic challenges that contribute to poor behavioral, mental health, and substance use outcomes. Serve as an advisory body to the city on all matters dealing with behavioral health and make recommendations to address the needs such as evidence-based practices, programs, and systems. Environmental or policy changes to prevent behavioral health disorders and promote behavioral health and wellness. Set overall community-wide goals and create a strategic plan for achieving mental and emotional well-being for all residents of Medford. be the clearinghouse and repository for behavioral health program and plans within the city to ensure efforts are purposeful and aligned with the overall strategic plans and goals. Behavioral health is a state of mental, emotional, being, and or choices and actions that affect wellness, substance abuse, in misuse of one set of behavioral health problems. Others include, but not limited to, serious psychological distress, suicide, and mental illness. Specific goals may be approved by the commission as it seeks to fulfill its promise. This paper here is going on its first reading this evening. Do we have any questions? Okay.
[Knight]: Mr. President, I just want to take an opportunity to recognize the work that this council has done on this ordinance. This came to us some time ago when there were some concerns over the composition thereof. document that was creating a commission that was comprised of mainly individuals that didn't have a reflection or an involvement with our public schools, with our local experts in public health coming out of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Hallmark Health Area or Tufts University. And through a number of meetings, a number of hours of deliberation, discussion, and debate, we were able to come up with this document that I think is reflective of the needs of the behavioral health concerns in our community. I think it's going to put us in a better place than we are today with this passage, and I support it wholeheartedly. I'd just like to take this opportunity to recognize the work of the council. I think we had over 10 meetings on this one document that's before us here this evening. I don't want individuals to think that it's being rushed through. This is something that we took a long and hard look at and took a long time vetting, and it's something that I support wholeheartedly. I'm very grateful that we were able to get it completed, and I ask my council colleagues to support it this evening. Thank you.
[Marks]: Mr. President. Also, if I could, in line with Vice President Knight, I want to thank my council colleagues for their due diligence on this. I also want to thank the acting city solicitor and the Board of Health Director for their input regarding this. You know, Mr. President, in this day and age, in particular with a pandemic for the past year, health and behavioral health and wellness is now more vital than ever with mental illness and other issues of behavioral health, Mr. President, during this pandemic. And I think it's very important to have a board of such that is comprised of police, fire, health officials, the Director of Veteran Services, It runs the gambit, Mr. President, local institutions such as Tufts University, LMH, that can get together and we can get the input from many different organizations that see mental health and the wellness and health in many different lights. in this community, and I think it's important to bring all that knowledge together. And that's what this is going to accomplish, so we can have one, as it states, depository of information that gathers information from every aspect, whether it's a veteran in the community, someone that may be homeless, someone that's experiencing housing instability, whatever the case may be, mental illness. have a central depository where we can work on issues vital to residents of this community. And I want to thank my colleagues for their due diligence on this.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Marks. Diane Sullivan, name and address of the record, please.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you, President Caraviello, Diane Sullivan, West Medford. I too want to thank everybody who's been involved with forming this commission. I had a question through you, President Caraviello, because I was looking back at an iteration, an earlier iteration, where there would be two people with lived expertise who would be engaged. And I see now that it is now down to one person with lived expertise. The work that I do, the consulting that I do around how we engage people with lived experience, in whatever that might be, whether it's poverty, homelessness, hunger, the importance of the value that they bring to the table. So I'm excited, you know, that this commission is forming and I just hope, I see that in the plan on the first meeting, the goals for the year will be set. So I just hope that there can be some, you know, behind the scenes work that can really look to engage the community. And if there can be consideration to re-add that second person with lived expertise, I think it would really add value to the work that will be done. And then to further think about how those people with lived experience are supported in that role. Oftentimes, people with lived expertise can step into the space. There's so much knowledge to share, but there are power structures that can sometimes that play a role and the person may need some additional supports to really meaningfully and equitably engage. So again, thank you. I really appreciate that these efforts are being put forth and I hope that, and I'm happy to support these efforts on engaging folks with lived expertise to make sure that they are a real and equitable part of the solutions. You know, everybody plays their role, but nobody knows the struggles of dealing with behavioral health than those who go through that struggle. So thank you so much.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Diane.
[Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Marks. Just to address Diane's point, we worked long and hard to try to keep the number to a manageable number. And I agree that lived experience is truly important. And under the representation, the mayor also has three appointments, which could be someone with lived experience. And also don't discount the fact that people that may be sitting on the board currently other capacities may also have lived experience as well. So I think we can't judge based on someone's position or their status, they too may have lived experience as well.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Monk. Any further questions? Okay. Mr. President. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I also just wanted to thank my colleagues for all their hard work on this. I know we worked on this for a long time, put in a lot of effort, and far too often behavioral health issues are overlooked just in general. And I think that this is going to hopefully go a long way in looking at a lot of these issues. And I want to thank my colleagues for all their hard work. I know this, this began a while back and we had a number of long, long meetings, but they were very, very good discussions about how to do this and how to do this right. So I just want to thank everyone for their involvement. Thank you.
[Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. Councilor Best. Thank you, Mr. President. I again want to echo my colleagues and thank all of the councilors and city staff who spent many meetings putting this together. I think it's important that we have a commission like this that can integrate behavioral health into all the different city services that we're providing, and hopefully reduce the stigma around talking about behavioral health issues. We've experienced behavioral health issues in my family, and I think it's important that we're able to talk about it and have resources to address it as a community. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. Any further questions? All in the motion by Vice President Knight, seconded by Councilor Falco. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll for this paper to take its first reading.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Kiaravallo?
[Caraviello]: Yes, seven in the affirmative, motion passes. 20295, another paper taking its first reading this evening. This was for the unattended donation collection bin ordinance. The purpose of this was to regulate the placement of unattended donation bins within the city.
[Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Marks. Thank you, Mr. President. I move to, strike out the rest of the reading of this ordinance, and for you to give just a brief synopsis in the interest of time, Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Marks, seconded by Vice President Knight, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco?
[Caraviello]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Yes. Yes. Councilor Morell?
[Caraviello]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Scarpelli?
[Caraviello]: Yes. President Caraviello? Yes. 7 in the affirmative, motion passes. And the purpose of this is to regulate the placements of unattended donation bins within the city as to promote the community's health, safety and welfare by regulating unattended donation collection bins for clothing and other salvageable personal property in the city. Ensure that unattended donation collections bins do not pose a hazard to a pedestrian and vehicular traffic. to ensure that the material is not allowed to accumulate outside the unattended donation collection bins, where it may be scattered by weather, animals, and humans, and establish a criteria to ensure that the unattended donation collection bins are suitably located and maintained in a clean and safe condition.
[Knight]: Vice President Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. This is an item that had come up for a number of years. This is something that this council has been working on for more than one term. I know in the past I have sponsored resolutions to address it. You've sponsored resolutions to address it. Councilor Marks has as well, if my memory serves me correctly. I do believe Councilor Falco and Scarpelli have also sponsored amendments or resolutions going forward to address the unattended donation collection bins in our community. All of us have been contacted by residents that live over by Felsway Plaza, live over by the mall, and other areas where these donation bins are located. And in some circumstances, they can become rather unsightly, Mr. President. The ordinance was a well thought out ordinance. It allows us to continue our textile recycling programs that our school PTOs be using for fundraising efforts. It allows us to properly address quality of life issues in the neighborhood with proper call numbers and information provided to residents when they have a complaint or a concern who's occupying or operating the donation collection bin and the like, Mr. President. So this is a great ordinance that provides safeguards to our community. And it's something I'm very proud of. I thank my council colleagues for the hard work that they've put on it, and I'm glad to see this finally come to fruition.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. On the motion by Vice President Knight. Second. Seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Mr. President. Any council remarks?
[Marks]: I'll just be brief because I think Councilor Knight hit the nail on the head regarding this. For many years, these collection bins have existed in the community without any proper permitting. And I think this will go a long way to ensure residents of this community that may live next to an area that has a bin or may come in contact with a bin, that these bins are regulated by the community, by the city, and indeed adhere to all the rules and regulations which currently now we do have as a community. And I just want to thank my colleagues for their attention to this important matter.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. And if I could put my two cents in on this. You know, the reason I sponsored this a couple years ago was because there was a bin, stuff, you know, screwing all over the place, and I ended up calling the company who had it, and the gentleman who I spoke to, which was very nice, He said he came right down and cleaned it, but he asked me if we had any ordinances in our city about this. I said no, we hadn't, and he was surprised that we hadn't. And he explained to me that many of the cities have the ordinances, and they also pay permit fees. And that's what spurred me to do this again, and I'm glad we finally passed this after many years. I'm glad we're moving forward. So on the motion by Vice President Knight, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in the affirmative, motion passes. And this was also for the take its first reading. And the last ordinance, 20519, City of Medford Ordinance, Health and Sanitation of the Code of the City of Medford. Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Mr. President, I move to cancel the rest of the reading and give a brief synopsis. Second.
[Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Marks, seconded by Vice President Knight. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Vice President Knight. Yes. Councilor Marks. Yes. Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli.
[Caraviello]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: President Caraviello.
[Caraviello]: Yes, I'm in the affirmative motion passes. For this particular one, we've had many construction sites going on throughout the city and been a rat problem in many parts. And all this was is to tighten up and strengthen our sanitation codes so the city has more enforcement and road control. Move approval. Councilor Scott Belli.
[Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. As we review these three ordinances, I think it's just a piece of what this council has been able to do. You're talking about a few of these Ordinances were visions that were started years ago, even before the beginning of this term. And the hard work from this council in the midst of a pandemic and making sure that we listen to our constituents. because I think when you talk about the donation bins, when you talk about the rodent issues, when you talk about the mental health issues and It really came to us from our constituents. These issues are brought to our attention from the people that are directly involved. And for this council to take its initiatives and hard work and make sure that we have Ordinance now in place to make sure that we're protecting and moving forward with some great initiatives. I think it's a job well done. So I wanted to wait till all three. I know my fellow Councilors mentioned how much work that we put into these, but I wanted all three to be read before I mentioned and gave my two cents just in appreciation for everybody's hard work. I think that this is what happens when people work together to make sure that we're putting our constituents first and their safety and well-being. So thank you, Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Scarpelli. On the motion. Seconded by Councilor Falco, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Councilor Nait, Vice President Nait.
[Knight]: Mr. President, I think it's very important to point out that what this road and control ordinance does is it requires that there's an individual pest management program for permittees that are receiving permits for dumpsters, permits for food establishments. Permits for transfer and recycling facilities, keeping animals. Also permits for public property, individuals that are coming in our community to open our streets and provide construction services. Also, individuals that are composting in their backyards, and that's something that we've heard a lot about, Mr. President. Individuals that have seen rodent problems due to composting and the way that composting has been handled. And this puts some regulations in here that allow us to continue composting in the community, but put some safeguards in. And that's something that I'm very glad that the council supported. So with that being said, I do thank them for supporting that amendment that I added, and I move approval as well. Thank you.
[Marks]: The motion by- President.
[Caraviello]: Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. And I'll be brief on this one, but this is a long time coming. Pest control in the city, pest control management has been an issue for, I'd like to say, 10, 15, 20 years, Mr. President. It really has been a concern over the years. It comes and goes, depends on the time of season, depends on what's happening in the community. But it exists and it's there, and it's a quality of life issue. And I think this ordinance goes a long way to rectify some of the concerns that residents have regarding pest control in the community. I want to thank my colleagues because it wasn't part of this ordinance, but we did vote on a B paper. which is an administrative policy, this council requested as an administrative policy that the city administration set up a policy that would allow us to sign a waiver to deal with private homeowners. For instance, Mr. President, you may have an area of your yard that has a rat nest unbeknownst to yourself. However, the city has located this because it's on private property. It is the owner's responsibility. I think the city council saw fit to say, you know what, we have an obligation as a community to try to address needs that we have. And whether it's financial or not, if we can assist in a common goal the eradication of these pests, I think that's something we should move forward with. And having a waiver that would hold the city free from liability and also accomplishing the same goals of pest control, I think help create a better policy and a better ordinance, Mr. President. And I want to thank my colleagues for passing that. I also want to thank the Director of Border Health and the Assistant City Solicitor for their input on this ordinance as well. Thank you, Councilor Locks.
[Caraviello]: Okay, on the motion by Councilor Falco, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli, that this paper takes its first reading. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Bears?
[Hurtubise]: Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Yes. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Councilor Schell? Yes. President Caraviello? Yes. 7 in the affirmative. Motion passes. 2-1-048 offered by Vice President Knight being so resolved that the Medford City Council requests an opinion from City Solicitor Scanlon on the following question. Does the city of Medford current zoning comply with the recently adopted law HB 5250 and its requirements mandated under chapter 40A, section 3A of the general laws pertaining to the MBTA communities in multi-unit residential developments.
[Knight]: Vice President Knight. Mr. President, thank you very much. This paper was passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor into law. And it has a requirement that says that MBTA communities must have a high density zoning district within close proximity to their MBTA station, one MBTA station in their community. I believe that it's 15 units per one acre is the defined basis. So I'd just like to ask this question to the city solicitor as to whether or not we're in compliance. The reason I ask the question is because this council is going through a rigorous process of recodifying our zoning right now. Earlier this evening, we talked about housing production plan that the administration is working on with private consultants. And I think it's important, Mr. President, that we take into consideration perspective all of the new changes that have happened at the state level to ensure that we're in compliance and that we're not spending money on consultants and studies and doing so not complying with the law. So with that being said, it's just a request for information to ensure that as we move forward as a council in addressing our zoning here in the community, that we're doing so with the proper legal guidance and information necessary to make informed and wise decisions.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Vice President Knight. Any further questions? On the motion by Vice President Knight, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Yes. Councilor Marks. Yes. Councilor Morell.
[Caraviello]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Falco.
[Caraviello]: Yes. President Caraviello. Yes, and the affirmative motion passes. 2-1-049 offered by Vice President Knight. being so resolved that the Medford City Council extended steep and sincere condolences to the family of Rose Mosher on her recent passing. Vice President Knight.
[Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. Councilor Scarpelli is also a co-sponsor of this resolution. Many of us know the Mosher family from the fine meals that we've all received when we cross the border over into Bar Square and go to Victor's Deli. And I'm sure many of us have had the world famous chicken a la Rosa, or famous beef stew, or famous escarole soup, world famous calzones, steak and cheese, chicken pie, and the list goes on, Mr. President. Rosa Mosher opened a restaurant with her husband Victor called Victor's Deli over in Somerville some years ago. And these longtime residents treated everybody like family. That restaurant was their kitchen, and that restaurant was their home, and everyone was allowed to eat around their dinner table. And Rosa recently passed due to some complications with her health. And having recently retired from Victor's and passing the business on to her son Michael, who has expanded it to the Ball Square Cafe. He's been taking up some of Rosa's recipes and delivering them to the public over there. But Rosa recently passed, and she's someone that's touched so many people's lives, Mr. President. I've been going to Victor's Deli for as long as I can remember. Every Saturday morning in high school, we'd go down there and get chicken parm subs. Rosa would greet us with a big smile, and she'd put the order in before we even walked through the door. When you're short a couple of bucks, she was the first person to look the other way and tell you to get out the door before her husband caught you. She was a very, very kind person, a very warm soul, and she was someone that I was very lucky to have been able to forge a friendship with through patronizing her business, Mr. President. Long time Medford resident, I've had the opportunity of becoming great friends with her son, Michael, and her daughter, Nancy, over the years, all through the restaurant, Mr. President. So it's just amazing what a small business in the community can do to bring so many people together. And Victor's Deli was really one of those types of places where, whether you're from Medford or Somerville, the door was always open and people were always there gathering, meeting, having a laugh, sharing a sandwich, and, you know, just really getting to know each other. It's a place that we had a great sense of community, and that was because of the way that Rosa ran her business and the type of person that she was. Her business was no different than her home. The door was always open. And she's someone, Mr. President, that's touched me over the years greatly with her humor and her kindness. And she's going to be sadly missed, Mr. President. At the risk of babbling on any further, I will rest my case. But it's something that I certainly believe deserves some recognition this evening, is the service that Rose has done to the community in Victor's Deli. all that they've done for people here in the city of Medford, so I'd ask that the council support this resolution. Thank you.
[Scarpelli]: Mr. Scarpelli. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilman, for bringing this forward. I've known the Mosher family for a long time. I started first with interactions on Princeton Street, growing up next to my best friend as a child, and we spent a lot of time together. Then meeting, getting involved and sitting at Victor's and knowing the family. And one thing that's amazing is the type of person she was. She was a great mother to her great children and a great wife to her husband, hardworking husband. But what you realize with Mrs. Mosher, when you walked in that door, she treated everybody like family. I often brought, whenever I had issues with any of my students, The place that I would want to go and they wanted to talk, I would take them to Victor's Deli because there was a nice quaint area. And one thing that Mrs. Mosher always did, and Nancy and Jason after Mr. Mosher's, really made people feel comfortable. And when you bring a young man from El Salvador who's got a lot to worry about and And Mrs. Mosher walks over and they're looking at this elaborate menu of food that's prepared in front of them. Their eyes are stunned. And Mrs. Mosher is the type of person that made kids feel so welcome. And they gave them that opportunity to have a place. that they would feel that they were in their kitchen with their parents. And she was that type of person. I think that she leaves a huge void in our community. I know it's in Somerville, but it's in our hearts. It was a Method restaurant. It was a Method business. And it's someone that we will definitely miss. I know Mike has mentioned A few times already that how proud he is and the honor that he'll give his mother to pass on her traditions. And if you know Mike Mosha, he's got the same heart and she'll be missed. So our condolences to the Mosha family and we wish her the rest of peace. So thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Escamilla.
[Marks]: Councilor Box. Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank my colleagues for putting this on this evening. You know, Victor's Deli, although it was in Somerville, I considered it a Medford restaurant. Many Medford people attended Victor's Deli. You know, the home-cooked meals made you feel like you were at home, as my colleagues mentioned. And when you went in there and got a sandwich, it tasted like you were at home. It tasted like you were eating with your family. And the atmosphere was the same way. And that's how they always ran the business. And Mrs. Mosher was truly, as my colleagues mentioned, a family person. Family meant everything to her. And you can see that in her kids. You can see it in the way they carried themselves. And she will be solely missed, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilor Miles. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Thank you, President Caraviello. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Moshe family. I grew up with Mike and I've been to Victor's many times throughout the years. And actually I was talking to my mom just the other day and she was telling me how Mrs. Moshe passed away. just a remarkable woman and I know you always hear about the food and it's just a great place to eat and great family atmosphere and a big part of our community, although it was right over the line at some level. So my thoughts and prayers go to the Mosher family. Thank you. And thank you Councilor Knight for bringing this forward.
[Bears]: Councilor Biss? Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilors Knight and Scarpelli for putting this on. I'm thinking of the Moshe family and the environment that they built to bring people of all ages and all backgrounds together around delicious food. And I'm just reminded of one story of a Medford friend who was studying abroad and figured out a way to get two frozen Victor's calzones in their check bag and get it over to Denmark, because that's how much they loved it. Victor's deli and Rose's food. So thank you for putting this on and I'm thinking of the Moshe family.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. And if I could put my own in. I know the Moshe's many years. I don't think there's been a Caraviello birthday party or a function that hasn't had Victor's calzones or barbecue from I don't know, for as many years as I can remember. Always went in there, Rose and her husband and Mike are always good people. Again, good quality family and another loss to our community. And let's see, they were always considered a Medford business, even though they were in Somerville, because probably most of the customers were from Medford. But again, my condolences on the passing on Rose, thank you. If we could please rise for a moment of silence. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. The motion was by Vice President Knight and Councilor Scott Feldman.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco.
[Marks]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Vice President Knight.
[Marks]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Kiriboy? Yes.
[Caraviello]: 7 in favor of the motion passes. 21050 offered by Vice President Knight and Councilor Falco. Be it so resolved that the Director of Community Media provide the City Council with a cost estimate for closed captioning service. Vice President Knight.
[Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. In recent weeks we've seen our Colleagues in government on the school committee's broadcasts providing closed captioning services. Our human rights commission has discussed the city council's potential to expand the way that we communicate with people, whether it be through translation services, closed captioning services, and the like. I think, Mr. President, this is a rather self-explanatory resolution. It's to ask that our director of community media provide us with a cost estimate for closed captioning services. So that once we get that back, we can take the appropriate and necessary steps to ensure that it is provided during our broadcast. I yield the floor to Councilor Falco.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Vice President. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Thank you, President Caraviello. Thank you, Vice President Knight. I also want to go on the record of supporting this. I think this is something that's important and it's about providing access to everyone in our community. I think it will benefit anyone that is hearing impaired, but I think it would also benefit the many people at home that are watching, especially in this day of COVID where we're required to wear masks. it's going to hopefully help with that as well. So, you know, I think closed captioning will definitely benefit many people throughout our community and I move approval.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. On the motion by Vice President Knight, seconded by Councilor Falco. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Yes. Councilor Marks? Councilor Morell? Councilor Scarpelli. Yes.
[Caraviello]: President Caraviello. Yes. Seven affirmative motion passes. 21051 offered by Councilor Marks. Be it resolved that the COVID-19 vaccination rollout be discussed. Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Thank you, Mr. President. And um, I stated this a couple of weeks ago and it is still true that Massachusetts is considered a national healthcare leader with many of the top healthcare providers residing in Massachusetts. Eight weeks after the first COVID vaccines were authorized, in Massachusetts, we rank in the bottom half of U.S. states in getting the injection to our residents and to our most vulnerable. Massachusetts trails every other New England state, including as well as New York, in the number of vaccine doses administered per capita, and that's according to federal figures. This has been a concern, Mr. President, not of mine, but of many residents in this community, as well as my colleagues. for some time. There's been some confusion recently with reverse 911 calls alerting residents to contact City Hall, the Council on Aging, the West Medford Community Center regarding the vaccination and I guess how to get assistance on where to go for a vaccination if you're 75 or older. I'm not concerned about pointing blame or looking back at why Massachusetts is in the predicament it's in right now, but I would like to look forward, Mr. President, and get some answers from our Board of Health regarding what is the next phase in rollout in this community. And I think it's important to find out what the plan is, because there's so much misinformation going around. And we heard last week from the Board of Health Director that maybe the call that was made wasn't intended to create a list of potential residents that are 75 and older. to wait for a vaccination or for a call back. However, that was the case for many residents that called me. They thought they were on a list waiting for someone to get back to them to state when they'll get this shot locally. Now, I realize the state set up a 2-1-1 system, which I guess has been somewhat effective in Massachusetts in getting the message out. and also simplifying the process of applying for this vaccination. There are many residents right now that don't have access to a computer. And under the old system with the state, you had to go online. to fill out an application, a multi-page application, in which some residents weren't able to access, Mr. President. So I'm eager to hear from the Board of Health Director regarding what the plans are for the rollout in Method for our seniors 75 and older. I got a call this afternoon from a senior that said she received a call from the Method Council on aging. and they asked if she was still interested in getting the vaccination and that it would be available at some point. at the Andrews Middle School. That was the vaccination site for our first responders. And apparently that will be the vaccination site for seniors that are 75 and older. Again, in this community, there may be a number of sites that are available to residents. There was also talk, Mr. President, and I forget where I saw it or read it, that the governor is putting the phase two on hold now for residents 65 to 74. And that is quite alarming as well, because this is not something that you say, well, I may or may not get it. I may decide to get it when I have some time. This is life or death that we're talking about. This is people that may have co-morbidities that, you know, need to get the shot. This is people that are seniors that, you know, can't leave their home because they're infirm, Mr. President. And a mask only goes so far in hand-washing and social distancing. And the thought of having a vaccination that could at least assist residents, I think goes a long way to assure people that they'll be safe during these tough and difficult times. So I would ask Mr. President, I don't know if the Board of Health Director is on the call, but if she's not-. If she's not, Mr. President, I would ask that we receive an immediate update to the Medford City Council regarding what the plans are for the rollout, where the sites will be in Medford, how will residents be notified, how will we assist residents, Mr. President? There are many vulnerable residents out there that don't have the access, they don't have the whereabouts to do this on their own, and they need assistance. And they need someone to step in, and in this case, city government, to step in and assist these residents that are in need, Mr. President. And that should be our number one concern right now. When you bump into a senior and you think they're of age or 75 or above, the first question should be, have you received your shot? The second question should be, if not, how can I assist you? And that should be everyone asking, your neighbor, your cousin, your family member, someone you may bump into in the street. And that really should be. the outcry to get this process underway and moving forward, Mr. President. Many of these state centers, from my own experience in trying to help my own family member, to go maybe to Fenway Park or Gillette Stadium, may be out of reach for a lot of people. I've called the Melrose Wakefield Hospital. It's very difficult to get through. The appointments are not there, and I realize this is still in the early stages. But I think more has to come from this community, because we'd like to service our seniors, Mr. President, in Medford. We'd like to service them in Medford. I had the opportunity to go to Fenway Park just yesterday. And I saw and witnessed firsthand many seniors, Mr. President, waiting long, winding roads in gate B and gate A that circled and circled. And these are people that, honestly, Mr. President, I don't think should be waiting in a line for 45 minutes to an hour waiting to get their vaccination. And I think how a society treats their seniors says a lot about society. And in my opinion, if the vaccination's not available, and I hear what the mayor's saying that it's not available, we have to do our very best to make sure that we're assisting our seniors get this vaccination, Mr. President. It's the utmost of importance for us as a community. And I look eager and forward to when we get a response back from the Board of Health Director. We probably should be hearing from the Board of Health Director every Tuesday, Mr. President. I'm not sure why we don't have just a regular every Tuesday that we get a five-minute conversation. What's going on? How's the rollout? What are the next steps? I don't think we need to ask this, Mr. President. This should be a given. A lot of seniors tune in on this meeting, and they get their information from this meeting. They're not getting it from local papers. They're certainly not getting it from the Internet. So they're getting it, Mr. President, from maybe watching this meeting. And they're certainly not getting it from gatherings because we can't gather anymore. So I think it's very important that that take place as well, Mr. President. And I would ask that moving forward, if our health director, I know she's busy. I'm not downplaying her role, very busy. But if she can give us five minutes on a Tuesday night to give us an update, I think it would go a long way to alerting this council that feels a lot of phone calls. But as well as the many, many seniors and other residents that can alert their loved ones on what's happening and information that will be vital to their health, Mr. President. Thank you.
[Scarpelli]: Thank you, Councilor Marks. Councilor Scarpelli. Thank you, Mr. President. And again, Councilor Marks, thank you so much because after your issues and questions that you brought to the forefront last week, I too received many phone calls. And if my council colleague would allow me, I would really, I'd like to amend this paper to ask the city administration. a very talented Director of Communications, and Jackie Peeks. I've been fortunate enough to work with Jackie as a partner when she was in a neighboring community, and she is a wealth of knowledge. And I think that what Councilman Mox is saying, our seniors need to be informed of what's going on. Because I know that our Director of Health last week was adamant that that X, Y, and Z was happening, but we were getting, and I'll be honest with you, my own mother got the phone call saying that she was set up to take the vaccine in Medford, and then to hear that that wasn't true. Those are the issues that are true, so we have to find a way through public health announcements and addressing it and head on. So we have a lot of very talented people. I'll point my finger across the hall right now to Pat Gordon, and there's got to be a way that we can send out public health addresses to our constituents on the loop, especially our seniors. with some sort of a message. I know the mayor's done some great announcements in her office with some great initiatives in using the public, the community cable. That's an easy way to reach a whole needy community, which is our seniors. And just to inform them of what's happening, the process of what's going to happen. Like Councilman Mach said, a lot of seniors don't know what's happening. I know we heard in the past was that the city worked, did their due diligence by setting aside a location and getting ready to rent a location to administer the vaccine. And then that fell through because the governor didn't come through with the vaccinations. And we can understand that, but There's got to be a plan in place as we move forward. It could be something that's happening in two weeks. But we should be pairing our seniors right now and what they should be doing. And how this should be informed, because this is, It is serious. I know that before we came to this meeting, I lost a very good friend because of the COVID and a lot had to do with his and his residence. He had a son who's a teacher that came home and didn't know he had it. These are the issues that we're going to hear as we go to opening the schools and making sure our teachers are vaccinated. But right now, the biggest issue I see are our seniors. So we need to be more transparent, to use that word, that it's so easily thrown around this community. We need to be more transparent when it comes to informing our seniors especially, and what needs to be done. with achieving this life-saving vaccine. So please, I implore the mayor and the administration to please find a way, working with our communications director, reaching out to our different avenues, whether it's letter form and tax bills, whether it's Using COVID relief money if it's still there to send information out via letters. Whether it's setting up a loop on channel 15 and 22 and channel 3 to make sure that residents, you could point to a senior to say, hey, turn on channel so and so. Watch that, watch the loop, it'll tell you what's happening. And even if it's the vaccine's not ready to come out yet, we don't have the vaccines, but When it does, this is what's going to happen, A, B, and C. That's what they need. The governor right away, when he's first rolled out this wonderful plan of senior citizens going on to a website and then maneuvering through 66 different sites to then sign up for some place and not be available. And then realize, there's something really simple. You could just dial 211. And you know what, that doesn't make that, hey, we have C-Clicks Fix. Imagine if we could find a way with C-Clicks Fix that seniors can call that number, dial 311, and have a person designated, maybe through the health department, that says, I'm a Method resident, I'm a senior citizen, please guide me. So we have initiatives, we have these tools in place in this community. But we have to be transparent in the sense that forward thinking to move this forward and try to find a way to get the word out that's so desperately needed. So again, I know that we've There's no blame to go around, I don't think, I think this is a crazy time. But even if we don't have the vaccines right now, we should have a plan in place to inform our seniors that this is what's happening, this is when it's going to happen. So thank you, I'm sorry for rambling, but to hear the desperation and some of the seniors that I talked to over the last week. It's frightening and some of the simplest things that they just want to go for a walk. They just want to go to their salon and get their hair done and not think that they're going to come back and die. And one resident I talked to said, George, I just want to hug my grandkids. And that speaks volumes. So if we please, we need to move forward with this in a more sensitive and proactive manner. So thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Scarpelli. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I also want to thank Councilor Marks for bringing this forward. Of course, a very, very important issue. Our community has suffered tremendously. I think we all know someone who's probably had COVID or unfortunately has passed away from COVID. We have a high level of COVID-19 in our community, and we have a lot of senior citizens in our community. And of course, we're getting calls. People want to know what's the plan. And I agree with Councilor Marks. We should be getting weekly updates from the administration. You know, Mary Ann O'Connor has done, she's been working, I know, night and day, probably 24-7. And I know she's come before us before and given us updates. But we really need to make sure we're getting updates. Councilman Marks is correct. People do watch this meeting. A lot of senior citizens watch this meeting. So a lot of times they get their news through this meeting. And we need to know what the message is. We need to know the plan. So therefore, when we talk to people, we can distribute that plan as well, make sure that our community knows what's going on, what's the plan, how are we going to move forward as a community. I have a number of questions, I guess. So if the council wouldn't mind me amending the resolution as well, I greatly appreciate it. And I think Councilor Marks already mentioned, you know, do we have plans to host a vaccination site similar to the one of the first responders that was held at the Andrews Middle School? So I think Councilor Marks already mentioned that. But my next question would be, I guess, You know, has the Method Board of Health or the Health Director been in contact with our local pharmacies or healthcare providers to partner with them to vaccinate residents in phase one, part one of phase two and beyond? Has there been any contact with the Board of Health or the Health Director with these pharmacies or healthcare providers? Have they contacted Lawrence Memorial Hospital and worked through them, Hallmark Health? However, Vanguard, has there been any contact there? And one of the other things that, you know, one of the other questions I guess would be, you know, how many vaccine doses are allocated to Medford each week by the state? But one of the other questions I guess I have is also, If somebody is a city employee, let's take a look at our city employees. If a city employee gets sick, do they have a special sick bank for COVID related illness? I think that's something that needs to be looked at. And then maybe that's something we could get back from our human resource director. You know, when people get the vaccine, a lot of people that next day, especially after the second shot from what I'm hearing, there's sometimes not healthcare effects. people covered under special sick bank time so they can be out. We want to make sure we're encouraging people to get the vaccine. Let's make sure that if they get the vaccine and they get, there's an adverse effect or allergic reaction that they cover. So I'd like to get answers to those questions as well. So I respectfully like to amend the resolution if my council colleague wouldn't mind. Thank you.
[Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Councilor Marks and my fellow councilors for their comments. You know, I've seen not just the bottom half, but that we're 44th or 48th in the country for vaccinations as a state, which is very disappointing and disappointing management by state government to say the least. And I am aware that the legislature is looking at taking additional action on this. So hopefully there will be more updates on that. just wanted to really support what Councilor Mark said. I think it would be great to have the Board of Health giving a weekly update. I know we requested monthly updates in the fall, but I think at this point it does make sense to we're going to continue to do that. We're going to increase that to weekly and also really want to support the councilor start Kelly said. I think we need a coordinated effort and clear messaging around the vaccination plan for the city that brings together We did, I think, a pretty good job in the springtime of getting housing resources and food resources out with easily shareable graphics online. We had a mailer that went out around some of those resources as well. So I think it's really important that we have that coordinated effort. that we have to let people know exactly what the plan is. I feel that a lot of calls this week as well from people who are confused about how they could get a vaccine appointment. And, you know, I agree we need a plan for Medford. But as of now, I have just continued to point people to ma immunizations.org, which is the state website that subpar but it is the website that the state has created and now to the 2-1-1 hotline that was created late last week. So that that is where I am pointing people now and hopefully we can have an answer on the city's plan and you know a clear coordinated messaging strategy as soon as possible. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you Councilor Berry. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to echo what a lot of my colleagues have already said to Councilor Behr's point. You know, we did ask in the fall, we passed a resolution to get monthly updates on COVID from our Department of Public Health. We've gotten those sporadically. I absolutely agree with Councilor Marks that this is something that should be happening weekly at this point. to minimize misinformation. You know, a lack of information spurs a lot of misinformation or people just trying to piece together. I know we had some, I had some people reach out today. Some information on our website was not correct. We were able to address that. But having, as the other councilors have iterated, having these real-time updates at the council meetings will help to address a lot of the issues we're facing. I understand that we're talking about right now is a communications problem and that we can absolutely do something about. We do have a communications director now, as has been pointed out. So I think it's something as everyone else has pointed out that we need to come together as a city to make sure the right information, the most up-to-date information is there to keep our residents informed in light of kind of the scramble that's gone on the state level, because maybe they don't have as together as they should, but we can make up for that at least with real-time information. So again, I thank Councilor Marks for bringing this forward.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Morell. On the motion. Mr. President, if I may. Vice President Knight.
[Knight]: This council has We've been requesting the city's vaccination plan since December 15th. Since before Christmas, we've been asking what the vaccination plan is and what direction we're going to go in. It's unfortunate that at our state level of government, we have been unable to get this together. I think it's sad, Mr. President, I really do. We look at a congressperson being elevated to one of the more powerful positions in the US House. I call on the mayor to reach out to our colleagues in government that represent us here in Medford. Because if we're 44th in the country in the distribution of vaccinations, but we are, as Councilor Mark said, the premier provider of health institutions in the world, there's something wrong. There's something wrong, Mr. President. And every day that goes by, someone else dies. Every day that goes by, someone else dies. I really don't want weekly updates about what we're going to be doing. I want a vaccination plan in place where we're actually have boots on the ground, needles going in arms and people getting vaccinated, Mr. President. Did we not know that there was going to be a vaccination at some point in time? I think we all knew there was going to be a vaccination. I think we maybe focused a little bit too much on testing and a little bit less on a solution to the problem, Mr. President. And here we are now, almost two months later from our initial request for a vaccination plan, and we still don't have one. And that's problematic, Mr. President, because if the council is asking for the vaccination plan, it's because we know it's a pressing need in this community because we've all heard it. So I support my council colleagues in figuring out what's going on, because we need to get the appropriate and sufficient amount of doses to address our high need community. And as Councilor Marks has stated a number of times in the past, Medford has a high number of senior citizens that reside in this community, higher than the state average. So with that being said, we should be a priority community, Mr. President. looking at the number of individuals that we have that would fall into the high risk categories. So with that being said, I support, I support my colleagues and moving forward. I don't want updates. I want action. I want a vaccination plan. But you know, I think that the public needs to be informed in a better fashion. And I do have all the faith in the world and Jackie Peaks and her ability in the communication office to put together a comprehensive communication strategy that will meet that goal.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. Councilor Scarpelli.
[Marks]: Okay, so on the motion, Mr. President, just if I could, Mr. President, and when this pandemic first started, the city administration implemented the R U OK program. And in my opinion, that was a tremendous success, reaching out to thousands of seniors in this community by phone, Mr. President, or by email, and asking if they are OK and if they had any particular needs. And I just think this would be a great program to extend regarding the vaccinations. And I know you were involved, Mr. President, in making the phone calls when this first started. And you made hundreds of phone calls out to seniors. And you would know firsthand that the many thousands of seniors in this community whether they're in the process of getting an injection on their own or so forth, it would be so nice to get a call from city government to say, are you okay now? Do you need assistance with the vaccine? And if the answer is no, then you go on to the next person. And I think that would go a long way. So I would respectfully ask as part of an amendment that the mayor use the our UOK program, which was very successful, and extend that to, do you need a vaccination program? And reach out to all the seniors in the community. Right now, we're looking at phase one. But if you're 65 and older, in my opinion, you should be on the list. They're saying 75 and older now for phase one, and that's fine, and other people with medical conditions and comorbidities and so forth. But I think they should be looking at, the city should be reaching out to people 65 and older, Mr. President, and making those thousands of calls, and let residents know we're there. Let them know we're there. We get the reverse 911 call, that's great. We can see it on local access, that's great. But the personal phone call really goes a long way to let people know, hey, I matter, I care, and someone's looking out for my best interest. And I think we're obligated to do that, Mr. President. So I'd ask that as an amendment as well.
[Caraviello]: All in the motion by Councilor Marks. Seconded by? Second. Seconded by Councilor Falco. As amended by Councilor Marks and Councilor Scarpelli and Councilor Falco. And Councilor Marks for a second time. Did I get them all? Did I miss anything? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in the affirmative motion passes. 21052 offered by Councilor Falco and Vice President Knight. Be resolved that the mayor include in the fiscal year 2022 municipal budget in appropriation to hire an attorney to represent the city council respectfully. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to begin by just saying this is no reflection on our acting city solicitor, Kim Scanlon. Kim does a remarkable job. She's always there to answer questions. I have called her numerous times. So I don't want this to reflect fully on her. It has nothing to do with her. But what I want to do is I believe that we need We need a line item in the budget, the city council does, to hire an attorney. And this is basically to help us with our weekly work. I mean, if you take a look each week, I think more and more when we talk about these issues, we're talking about issues that have legal implications. There's all kinds of legal type questions. And we really need an attorney that's going to be able to help us out with these things. I think anybody that's watched the beginning of the meeting until now, we passed three ordinances earlier tonight. They passed their first reading. Three ordinances, and all of them took a tremendous amount of work and time from Kim Scanlon and our legal department. And they also took the help of KP Law. I mean, KP Law has helped us with a number of different ordinances that we passed last year. With KP Law, you get a different attorney for, you know. all the different issues that you're working on. So we need consistency. We need someone that actually can come in, help us with our work. We do a lot of work. And we need to make sure that it's someone that can work with us week in and week out to help us push our ordinances forward, answer any type of legal questions that come up during our meetings. And I think it's important. We need consistency and guidance. You know, and the city council will benefit from its own attorney. I firmly believe in this, I believe this may have been on last year, I'm not sure if I offered it, but it might have been offered by one of my colleagues as well. But I really believe that this needs to be part of our upcoming budget. So I'd ask respectfully that my council and our colleagues support this, and I move approval.
[Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. I also echo Councilor Falco's sentiments concerning City Solicitor Scanlon. I've known City Solicitor Scanlon now going back what feels like 100 years. We went to high school together. She's a very capable person. I know her very well personally and professionally, and I think she's doing an excellent job. This item came up. last year is one of our council priorities. And in the committee of the whole that we have, the administration talked about this great new contract that they were going to be executing with a firm called KP Law, who based upon the bills I've received from the administration, we still haven't paid, or been billed for. But one of the biggest things, I think, Mr. President, to promote a successful relationship between an attorney and a client is trust. And KP Law came before us and we asked them the question. Who's your boss? Are you working for the city council right now, or are you working for the administration? They said, we're working for the administration. We're just giving the city council advice. I don't think that trust is there with KP Law, with this group, with this council in KP Law. I just don't think we have that trust. And quite frankly, we're a very productive council, Mr. President. As Councilor Falco pointed out, we pumped out three ordinances tonight for first reading, but we didn't just pump them out. Those took years, I mean literal years, for us to finally get to this point. And I think we'd be able to enhance our levels of productivity if we had the necessary technical expertise and support on issues like zoning, the open meeting law. The drafting of ordinances, the compliance with Chapter 40A, the crafting of requests for information from the administration. Because sometimes I feel like we spend more time asking for information that we're entitled to than we do about actually working on the work. And more importantly, Mr. President, we'll have somebody here that will help us ensure compliance with the law. Everybody on this board took an oath. that to the best of their abilities they were going to uphold the laws of the Constitution of the United States, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the ordinances in this community. By having legal counsel available handily to provide us with that technical expertise and support will be beneficial and will only make us a more productive body, number one. Number two, it will make us a more productive body, Mr. President. This is something that I feel is a necessary priority for inclusion in the next fiscal year's budget. As we see an increasing number of matters coming before us, I think it's necessary for us to ensure that we have the tools to do the job appropriately and properly. And that's why I'm going to support this resolution this evening, Mr. President. And that's why I'm going to be very concerned if when we start our pre-budget meetings, which are coming up relatively shortly, which were also a council priority from last year, if this isn't included in some of those discussions, I'm going to have a very difficult time moving forward and supporting a budget that doesn't adequately support the city council in the work and time and efforts that it puts in to meet our obligations. So with that being said, I second the motion of Councilor Falco. Thank you, Vice President Knight.
[Caraviello]: Any further questions?
[Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Marks. I want to thank Councilor Falco for putting this on the agenda. This has been a priority of this council for a number of years to get its own representation. It's no different than the Medford School Committee that has their own legal council of which this council on a number of issues I think would benefit from having legal advice that's towards the city council. And with that statement being made, Mr. President, I do want to say the current acting city solicitor has been acting city solicitor for over a year now. One year, Mr. President. And it's about time the city administration makes a move. And in my opinion, they should make the current acting city solicitor the city solicitor and move forward. There's no reason why that position should be held over anyone's head for any length of time, Mr. President. As was stated by my colleagues, the person in that role was the assistant city solicitor under former solicitor Mark Rumley, where I'm sure she learned a lot from solicitor Rumley that was there for over three decades. And I am very confident in her capabilities, Mr. President, as the lead legal counsel in this community, and would respectfully ask that this city administration, they tend to slow down when it comes to appointments and a number of other items, Mr. President, that they appoint this city, acting city solicitor, as city solicitor. Thank you.
[Bears]: Thank you, Councilor Marks. Councilor Bears. Thank you, Mr. President. I think Councilor Marks brings up a great point. You know, Kim has been acting city solicitor for over a year and we don't have an assistant city solicitor. So, you know, we've been sending a lot of work to that office when they are, you know, down one person at the very least. So I support this as well. I think with the volume of requests for draft ordinances and review of ordinances that we are taking on, which is our job, we need someone dedicated to to working with us on that. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Bears. And if I could voice my opinion, you know, from day one, when I was on this council, we had a city solicitor in the building. And I don't think Assistant Kim Scanlon was there when I first got elected, but somewhere along the line, we had an assistant. So now we have an acting city solicitor and we have this major law firm with piles of attorneys, and we're getting less representation than we've ever gotten. So again, my fellow councilors are right. I think we need to get this legal situation in hand. I think we've asked many times, where are we in our legal budget going forward? And I don't think we've gotten an answer to that question yet. If Councilor, I mean, Councilor Falco wouldn't mind if I could amend it to ask again, where are we in our legal cost between our acting solicitor and the money we spent at KP, not only on the reasonable, on the monthly fee, but on the other projects that we're paying them to do? And make that a form of amendment. I would second that amendment. Vice President Knight.
[Knight]: I second the amendment, Mr. President. Any further questions? Mr. President. I also, Mr. President, would like to add a B paper or a further amendment. Must be 60 days ago, 75 days ago now, we requested from the administration a breakdown of the claims over accounts 5761 and 5762 outlined in our Warren articles. We had a discussion relative to the fact that claims over a certain dollar figure, I believe it was $2,500, were required to come by this council if there were settlements and not legal judgments. So with that being said, Mr. President, we still have not received that report as to what the breakdown of these claims over consists of and whether or not any of these payments were judgments or settlements that were voluntarily entered into. If we want to talk about transparency, then let's talk about where the money's at. Let's follow the buck and let's see what's going on. I'm not sure what the secret is, but I'm interested in getting to the bottom of an itemized breakdown of those two accounts so that I can better understand the inordinate number of expenditures that have gone out of that account. Now, I'm not saying there's any wrongdoing going on, but what I am saying is that based upon the dollar figures that have been expended from those accounts, that's a lot of $2,400 settlements. that don't have to come before this council. So that's information, I think, that's very necessary for us, Mr. President, moving forward. So with that being said, I would also like to add that as an amendment for- Well, a B paper is an amendment. A B paper is fine. It would be a further request. Actually, I'll offer it as an amendment. I don't think it's an issue that we've ever voted against in the past, and I don't anticipate we'll vote against it again. We're looking for financial accountability and transparency. So I don't think any member of this board is going to vote against that, because every member of this board speaks on that. They're for that. We represent that, Mr. President. So with that being said, I'll offer it as an amendment, and I will ask for, again, a second time, an itemized breakdown of accounts numbers 5761 and 5762 claims over. Thank you. Councilor Belko.
[Falco]: Thank you, President Caraviello, and I want to thank Councilor Knight for bringing that forward. I think it's important that we get more detail. I did notice that same thing, that the items in those accounts are rather large, and we haven't seen any particular breakdown with regard to those items. So I thank him for bringing that forward. President Caraviello, I just wanted to ask you really quick. So with your amendment, is that specifically an update for current spend for this fiscal year, meaning since July.
[Caraviello]: Let's say we're on our second year, but an update of our legal costs, including what we're paying for the acting Solicitor Scanlon, and we're paying, if I'm not mistaken, I think during the budget hearings, I think we were paying KP a $5,000 a month.
[Unidentified]: You are correct.
[Caraviello]: Stipend, and then anything over and above would be an a la carte item. So where are we with our legal costs? Point of clarification?
[Knight]: At the date. We also, I believe, funded a solicitor's position and an assistant city solicitor's position. So we funded two positions, one of which has gone vacant for a year. That's correct.
[Caraviello]: Yes, correct. Thank you. Council marks Okay, um on the motion by Council Falco seconded by vice president night as amended by president caraviello and amended again by vice president night My quick take it on so mr.. Clark, please call the roll Council beers yes council Falco yes vice president night I
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. 7 in the affirmative. Motion passes. 2 1 0 5 3 offered by Councilor Falco. Be it resolved that the City Council enact a housing stability notification ordinance The purpose of the ordinance of this nature is to require property owners who serve residential tenants with an eviction notice, commonly called a notice to quit or a non-renewal of lease, also serve upon the tenant a document called Notice of Tenants' Rights and Resources. Councilor Falco.
[Falco]: of so many, the pandemic has caused significant financial hardship to so many. One of the basic needs of all people is for housing. And for so many, this basic need has been undetermined by the possibility of eviction. Among the attempts to address this need have included the state's pause on evictions that expired on October 7, 2020. Also, the CDC, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, established a federal moratorium on residential evictions that I believe will expire on March 31, 2021. The purpose of my resolution is to prompt a City Council discussion with an eye on passing an ordinance requiring property owners who are serving tenants an eviction notice to include with it a notice of tenants' rights and resources. This type of notice would include a description of the various rights of tenants and a list of resources that they may be able to utilize. All too often, tenants are unaware of their rights and do not know that there are resources available to them. Stability requires many things, but first among them is knowledge. I ask the council to support this resolution and to focus on a discussion of this subject at a committee of the whole meeting or a subcommittee meeting. I move approval. Thank you.
[Bears]: Councilor Best. Thank you, Mr. President. And I'd just like to thank Councilor Falco for bringing this forward. I think it's a fantastic idea, something that we really should be doing, making sure that people know their rights. I'm happy to, as the Chair of Elderly Affairs and Housing Subcommittee, to have it there or in Committee of the Whole, whatever Councilor Falco's preference is. Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Best. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to thank Councilor Falco for bringing this forward. I agree this is very important, and I have seen in surrounding communities that they always ensure that these notices are translated in a number of applicable languages. I know that's to be discussed as this goes to subcommittee or committee of the whole, but I just want to note that. So thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Falco, where would you prefer this go to? I second Councilor Labear's motion to send it to Elderly and Housing Affairs. You want to go to the subcommittee? Subcommittee in housing. Subcommittee in... housing, okay, which Councilor Bears is the chairman of. Okay, any further discussion on this?
[Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Locks. Thank you, Mr. President. I want to thank Councilor Falco for offering this. Last week, the Office of Community Development held a housing planning meeting, of which yourself and I attended, as well as many stakeholders in the community. And we got together for an hour and a half and put together a list of priorities for housing stability and other housing needs in the community, and of which notification ordinance was one of them. So I want to thank my council colleague for taking one of the items potentially off the laundry list of housing needs in our community. And I think that'll go a long way to notifying tenants of their rights in this community, Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. Thank you, Council Members. Any further questions? On the motion by Councilor Falco, seconded by? Second. And it was Councilor Behr's motion to send this to the subcommittee on housing. And Councilor Knight seconded. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Yes. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven affirmative, motion passes. 21054 offered by Councilor Falco being resolved that the City Council be provided an update from the administration as to the home rule petition approved by the City Council September regarding a Charter Commission. Councilor Falco?
[Falco]: Thank you, Mr. President. This is a simple request. We passed the home rule petition on September 22nd, 2020. And I'd just like to get an update as to if the administration could basically provide an update as to the progress of the home rule petition. And if they could provide the following, the date that it was signed by the mayor. the data was sent to the State House, and who the home rule petition was sent to. If the administration could please update us on those matters, I'd greatly appreciate it.
[Caraviello]: On the motion by Councilor Falco, seconded by Councilor Knight. Any further discussion? Mr. Clerk.
[Hurtubise]: Can I ask Councilor Falco a question? Councilor Falco. Councilor Falco, are you amending that to ask those specific questions? Yes. Okay, thank you. Did you get that, Mr. Clerk? Got it, yep.
[Caraviello]: Okay, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Marks]: Mr. President. Councilor Marks. If we can also get an update from our state delegation, where this particular request, home rule petition stands as well, so we can hear directly from our state delegation as well. Thank you. Interesting. So moved.
[Caraviello]: Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: I'm treating Councilor Marks as the second amendment. Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Yes. Councilor Marks. Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. Yes, President Caraviello.
[Caraviello]: Yes, I'm going to defer a minute as amended. 21055 offered by President Caraviello, whereas the Medford City Council has an appointment to the Hall-Mell Commission that has since expired. Be it resolved that the Medford City Council will no longer be accepting applications for the Hall-Mell Commission after 2-12-21. Vice President Knight.
[Knight]: Mr. President, thank you very much. I didn't know if you wanted to speak on this. I'll let you speak and then I'll come back. I was just going to say that the Hormel Commission's appointment has, the council's appointment to the Hormel Commission has expired for quite some time. And the council, when the administration changed Mayor Lungo-Koehn, has been soliciting applications. for the past year for individuals seeking to serve on a board or commission. So I just ask that we would make the request from the city administration to provide us with a copy of any of the letters of intent or interest that her office has received during this year-long process of collecting and soliciting applications for our boards and commissions and provide them with the council so that we can take those applications and give them the proper review in executive session or committee of the whole or whatever process that we decide to undertake to vet them and appoint.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. And again, thank you, Councilor Knight. Again, I think this is the first time we've actually asked for applications. I think in the past where the City Council have brought applicants to us, we've now been asking for them. And I say we do have some. And again, the cutoff date will be 2-12-21. Would someone like to make that motion? I can't make a motion.
[Marks]: Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: Councilor Marks.
[Marks]: Just if I can ask, because when was the original date, if any, that the council asked for applications for this position?
[Caraviello]: Do we have a formal- I think the mayor has had it out there for a while, saying that many, I think it was on her original sheet of council boards and commissions that have since expired. And I think this one has been expired a couple of years.
[Marks]: But the mayor hasn't passed anything on to us saying- I haven't got anything that I haven't seen.
[Caraviello]: These are the applicants that are interested in the council appointment. We are on receipt of an application. This council doesn't receive an application for this position. But not from the administration? I will check with the administration and see if they have anybody else.
[Marks]: Okay, so I think it's fair to say that the administration didn't receive any applications based on the one appointment we have to the Hormel Commission. I would just respectfully ask that we extend this date. publicly state tonight as a council that we will extend it to X date, whatever we agree upon, for applications. That way there's no ambiguity, there's no concern.
[Caraviello]: What date would you like to extend it to? I'm open to any date, I just think this- Okay, the 228, end of the month, last day of the month? That's following residents a few weeks. Limited date to 228.
[Marks]: And the application should be submitted to the council president or vice president. Right? Yes. So that's what we've done in the past. Yes. Um, and, uh, expressing interest in the Hormel, uh, position.
[Knight]: Okay. To that point, Mr. President, if I may, vice president, I can appreciate what Councilor Marks coming from. Um, and I think it's important to point out that because the Hormel commission was, um, something that was established by way of a statute through a home rule petition when we did the land transfer to get the land over there. The way that the commission is structured is statutory through the home rule petition. And the mayor has two appointments and the council has one. So while the mayor may not have received any applicants for individuals that wanted to serve as the council appointee, she may have received applicants for individuals that wanted to serve in the mayoral appointee positions that remain filled still within the term limit. So that's why I thought it might make sense for us to get those applications as well.
[Marks]: Just if we could, I just want to make sure maybe if we could put this on community access to get the message out. We don't have many, other than this meeting, we don't have a lot of ways of getting our message out. Or maybe the city administration on behalf of the council can send it out through their channels that we're interested in someone to serve on this board and commission in the capacity of a commissioner of Hormel. Just trying to think of a couple of ways to get it out there.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. The motion by Councilor Knight, seconded by Councilor Falco, as amended by Councilor Marks that we extend the application date to 2-28-21 of this year.
[Knight]: And amended by me to get the mayor's... And as amended by Councilor Knight to get any applications from the mayor.
[Hurtubise]: And as amended by Councilor Marks to have community access from... And as amended by Councilor Marks for community access advertisements. Okay, Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Yes. Councilor Marks. Yes. Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. President Caraviello.
[Caraviello]: Yes, seven in the affirmative, motion passes. 2-1-0-5-6, offered by Councilor Bears, be it resolved that the Medford City Council and the administration provide an update on actions taken in response to paper 20581 offered by President Caraviello regarding hazardous waste disposal in our community. Councilor Bears.
[Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for offering paper 20-581 last October. As many people know, we currently do not have an option for residents to dispose of hazardous waste. We are not members of the Lexington Consortium, which means that due to COVID-19, residents cannot go to that facility because we are not members. Paper 20-581 asked for an update and asked for us to join the Lexington Consortium. That was passed unanimously on October 9th, 2020. Many residents who were asking about it then are still asking about it now. And I'd just like to get an update from the city administration on what options we are providing to residents for hazardous waste disposal. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. Thank you, Councilor Bates for bringing this back. Any further discussion on this? Okay, on the motion by Councilor Bears, seconded by? Seconded by Councilor Falco. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in the affirmative, motion passes. 21-057 offered by Councilor Morell and Councilor Bears, whereas commercial grade gas leaf blowers directly emit air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, which contributes to ground level ozone, nitrous oxides, which contribute to smog formation, hydrocarbons, which can be carcinogenic in nitrous oxides, and whereas commercial grade gas leaf blowers can operate at high decibels, levels harmful to hearing and health of users and nearby residents, and whereas commercial-grade gas leaf blowers launch particulates and potentially hazardous materials into the air at a rate of over 150 miles per hour. Now, therefore, be it so resolved that the city council request that the city solicitor draft language to establish an ordinance around commercial-grade leaf blower use within the city in the interest of public safety for Medford residents. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to read off a few stats in addition to what was worded in the resolution itself. So the amount of carbon monoxide emitted from a typical backpack leaf blower for just one hour is equal to the amount of carbon monoxide coming from the tailpipe of a car operating for over eight hours. that's going to be a lot of dust and particles in the air. The floors push 300 to 700 cubic feet of air per minute at speeds of 150 to 280 miles per hour with the resulting dust containing particles that can include pollen, mold, animal feces, heavy metals, break lining powder and chemicals from herbicides and pesticides. And for the user of a leaf blower, the noise a lover that has been demonstrated to trigger increases in blood pressure and heart rates. So these stats stand on their own, but the main reason I introduced this resolution is that I've heard from countless residents over the constant onslaught of leaf blowers year round with really, the only time these machines aren't being used is when there's snow on the ground. So we have a little bit of respite right now. And these residents aren't reaching out because they're disturbed by a leaf blower for an hour when the neighbor's yard crew comes because they spend hours a day listening to yard crews that sometimes have three leaf blowers going at a time. We know how big our lots are in Medford. They're not that big, but I think they require three people simultaneously using a leaf blower. And this, of course, is all happening while people are working remotely, while students are trying to learn remotely, while people are trying to sleep after working the night shift. And also we spend a lot of our meetings talking about a respiratory disease that has gripped the world. And a lot of these issues contribute to respiratory issues are exasperated by this gas-powered liquor use. I'm not naive to the fact that I understand that sometimes this can be a controversial thing to raise. But what I'm asking for here is to send this to the Environmental Affairs Subcommittee so that it can be studied. you can hear from residents, people that would be affected by this, and look at, you know, regulations that are working in places like Arlington, Cambridge, Newton, and Brookline, and also look at other things that may exist, whether there's grant opportunities for incentivization for transitioning to electric leaf blowers, which are much less, obviously, you don't have the emissions, they're much quieter, and they operate in a slightly lower speed. So I'm asking to move this to subcommittee to really work on this and see what's something that can work for as many people as possible. But I cede to Councilor Bears.
[Knight]: Second the Councilor's motion to refer to the subcommittee, Mr. President.
[Bears]: Councilor Bears. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you, Councilor Morell for taking the lead on this. I think you really captured it. But, you know, I think it's on us as the city government to figure out reasonable you know, regulations around this issue. I've been hearing about it a lot as well from residents before the pandemic and especially now during the pandemic with people at home trying to do their job or trying to learn at school. So, you know, I think we can find a reasonable approach that really provides relief to residents who are, you know, dealing with leaf blowers and can address this so that we can have a safer and healthier community going forward. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilor Scarpelli.
[Scarpelli]: Thank you, Mr. President. So when I saw this resolution, I, I have the privilege and ability to work with facilities management and I did some homework and I reached out to the neighboring communities and talked to DPW commissioners and assistant commissioners and facilities managers. Unfortunately, if it was that simple, this could be an easy resolution or to find a solution for this issue. Unfortunately, it isn't. Let's talk about the noise first. So what I got back from the information, in using the DPW, our DPW as an example, the leaf blowers they use emit a decimals for noise at 100, 110. The leaf blowers that are electric by this study has shown that it reaches between 90 and 92. What that is equivalent to, as they told me, is the difference of a whisper. The biggest issue is something that concerns me, is when we're trying to talk about the environment and look at the carbon footprint. What we don't have in place yet in this country, we haven't put anything in place about what happens to battery powered blowers for the batteries that are going to be needed. And for what the study that's already done in neighboring communities to show that the amount of battery life would be eight batteries per day per employee. And those batteries then would need to- Point of information, Mr. President.
[Morell]: Point of information, Councilor Morell. Thank you, Mr. President. I just, I wasn't clear in this. This is something I'm looking, I think looking at private lots, I understand the need of DPW and larger scale. So I just want to clarify that looking at, you know, private use for this kind of stuff, private lots.
[Scarpelli]: Thank you. So in private use, you're asking private landscapers and private businesses now to look and retrofit their vehicles to a charging system that is very expensive, that would then take eight batteries per employee to be used, that would only last for two years. So what I've been told is that the carbon footprint could increase Because the system has not set up a place or a system to eliminate these batteries. It's not like when we talk about car batteries and we talk about electric cars, there are systems in place to eliminate and discard those batteries. They haven't yet figured out what to do with the batteries when it comes to lawn blowers, believe it or not. There are so many variables, and I appreciate and I think that once it goes to subcommittee, these are issues that have to be brought up. And when you talk about just having the private sector being focused on, the word that's come back is that if we allow the public sector to use these leaf blowers, but not the private sector, it leaves us out there for a huge issue of bias. So if that's the case, I know that a neighboring community is looking at $500,000 to retrofit their DPW trucks and purchasing of equipment that's needed to run their communities. So I just want to be cautious that both the noise and the noise level, could be argued, but I think what's most important when you talk about the carbon footprint, and neighboring communities that have been focused on this issue wholeheartedly, and they've been researching this, it's a slippery slope because of the lack of... planning when it comes to disposal of the batteries that will only last for two years. So I just caution everybody, I support sending this to subcommittee, but I also would recommend that We make a few phone calls to neighbor communities that have already put this in place and are trying to put this in place that are sitting. One community has pushed something through, another community is now with their city solicitor trying to understand what's happening. When I spoke to those people in neighboring communities, it seemed like our resolution is very similar to theirs, which is pretty impressive that we're looking at the same issue. So I would second the motion to send this to subcommittee, but I also urge us to be very careful in understanding the impact this is going to make negatively not only through our carbon initiative, but also our financial responsibilities and our legal responsibilities. So thank you, Mr. President.
[Knight]: Thank you, Constable. Vice President Knight. Mr. President, yes, as I read through this, you know, it sounds like the intent of the ordinance is to replace gas powered leaf blowers. or eliminate the use of leaf blowers entirely in our community. When you look at the resolution, commercial grade gas leaf blowers can operate at high decibel levels, harmful to the hearing. Well, Councilor Scott probably has presented us with some data to that effect. But also, wouldn't an electric blower perform the same exact impact if, you know, we have data that says that it's only a WISPA. Number two, commercial grade glass leaf blowers launch particulates and hazardous materials into the air at a rate of over 150 miles an hour. And the councilor went through a list of those things. I think- What information- Sorry to interrupt you.
[Scarpelli]: I did forget that because gas It's such a difference between gas and electric, you would have to double your time used with electric blowers in comparison to gas blowers. So I just want the residents to realize, you might not like the landscaper to be out there for a half hour, but if we do make this happen, that's going to be buzzing for an hour. And that's how they explained it to me. So I apologize, Mr. Chairman.
[Knight]: Vice President, that's what I was getting at, was that I think gas and electric blowers are going to have the same effect and the same impact when it comes to the blowing of particulates and the decibel levels of noise. But the question I ask, I guess, is that the intent to eliminate just gas-powered leaf blowers or all leaf blowers in our community? Number one. Number two, I think it's important to point out the people that are using these gas blowers are working too. So while someone might be trying to work from home because they're fortunate enough to have a desk job, there's an individual that's out there, a blue collar worker that's using a leaf blower, and I don't think they're using it for their health. They're using it as a means to provide for their family. So I guess the question is, is the intent to eliminate leaf blowers entirely? Is the intent to eliminate just gas leaf blowers? Or is the intent to study the issue?
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Knight. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: I mean, the intent is to study the issue to come out with, you know, common sense regulations that I think work for everyone. One thing that I fail to be specific about is something that's working in other communities is looking at the number of leaf blowers allowed per lot size. Again, we have, you know, a 6,000 square foot lot and we have three people running gas powered leaf blowers, I think. there's somewhere we could meet in the middle there, but I mean, the idea is to study it, to find and hear from the people, hear from the stakeholders in the community, find a way to meet all of, you know, meet as many goals as we can, as far as people having better quality of life, you know, not harming businesses, seeing what we can do here.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Moreau. Councilor Bez.
[Knight]: I'm not finished, Mr. President. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: The question I asked- Councilor Mayne, can we come back to you?
[Knight]: I was just asking a question while I had the floor, right?
[Caraviello]: I thought you yielded the floor to Councilor Moreau.
[Knight]: No, I was just asking what the intent was from the sponsor.
[Caraviello]: Councilor Moreau, do you want to answer him?
[Knight]: She did. I have further questions. I would, Mr. President, I think maybe if the intent is to study the issue, then that's what the paper should say. Because by voting for this, it looks like the council is saying, we're going to eliminate the use of all leaf blowers in the city, and let's send it to the city solicitor to draft an ordinance.
[Morell]: The resolution doesn't say that?
[Knight]: Be it so resolved, the city council requests that the city solicitor draft language to establish an ordinance around commercial grade leaf blowers. Kind of sounds like it to me. Yes. Yes. But anyway. Same thing about private law team. Right. Right. So I think it's important, Mr. President, that maybe we strike the language and replace it with, be it so resolved, that the subcommittee on energy study the issue of the use of leaf blowers in the community and report back to the council its findings at a committee of the whole. Councilor Morell. I'd offer that in the form of an amendment to the paper. As amended. Councilor Morell. As a strike and replace.
[Morell]: I'd like to keep it. I don't want that amendment. I'd like to keep the paper as is.
[Caraviello]: Mr. President. Councilor Bears is next in line.
[Bears]: Thank you, Mr. President. Yeah, I mean, I was just going to, when I raised my hand to speak to this exact question, I don't think the intent is here to say we must go all electric and we must ban all gas leaf blowers. I think it's specifically that we have commercial grade leaf blower use in the community, as it says in the ordinance, sorry, in the resolution, and then we should establish an ordinance around that. And that, you know, I think to Councilor Scarpelli's point could be about the manner in which gas leak floors are allowed to be used or not, right? Like we do need to have a study on the issue. And I think we do understand, you know, that there are a variety of stakeholders with a variety of concerns, but the intent, at least when I signed on to this, and I believe Councilor Morell just said it too, to say we are going all electric and we're banning gas leaf blowers, but to say, are there time and manner restrictions that we might want to have in place to reduce the burden on our community? No intent here, I believe, from either of us around banning all uses. Although if we were to study it and come up with that conclusion, maybe that would be interesting. But that's just where I'm coming from on this.
[Knight]: So in response, Mr. President, I think it's important. We should be asking for what we want, right? We want the issue to be studied. We're saying the issue needs to be studied. We don't know whether or not creating a draft ordinance or draft language around commercial grade leaf blower use is in the best interest of this community because it hasn't been studied. And we talk about due diligence and we talk about vetting quite a bit when we are being critical of the person that sits in the corner office across the hall. And I think that if we're going to be that critical of others, we should be holding ourselves to the same standard, Mr. President. You know, so with that being said, I mean, I don't think it makes sense for us to draft an ordinance that we haven't studied yet.
[Caraviello]: Point of information? Point of information, Councilor Scott Belli.
[Scarpelli]: Councilor Knight, is that a motion or an amendment?
[Knight]: strike and replace with be it so resolved by the Subcommittee of Energy.
[Scarpelli]: I would second that motion Mr. President.
[Caraviello]: We have a vote on the previous motion.
[Marks]: Councilor Marks. Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to understand what I'm voting on because I think it was mentioned that this would not apply to city-owned property. And if that's the case, Mr. President, how do we tell the hundreds of residents in the community that may live next to city-owned property that gets mowed very frequently that their leaf blowers that are being used by the city are not causing pollutants, including carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide, or their leaf blowers don't operate at high decibel levels next to their homes, or their leaf blowers don't launch particulates, potentially hazardous to materials. So are we going to discount hundreds of residents and say this only applies on private lots. I don't know what we're going after, Mr. President, on this. Because if we're going to look into something, I think we should look into it as a whole, Mr. President. And if we're going to look into issues of particulates and air pollutants, I can tell you that my lawnmower probably sends out as much particulates and pollution as a gas blower does. And I can tell you that my snow blower does the same thing, Mr. President. So I just don't know where we're going with the issue. Is this just because other communities have implemented it? We also have noise ordinances within this community that regulate noise levels and decimal levels. We just had an issue with Spring Staff about playing loud music at 11, 12 o'clock at night. that we're trying to resolve, Mr. President. So there are means in this community to address these issues. If the issue is that we want to address these during certain hours of the day or the frequency, then fine. And I think we should be more specific on what the intent is, Mr. President. I really do. And if we're really interested in these issues, how do you discount people that live next door to a park? I'd like someone to address that.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Watson. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: Thank you, Mr. President. To Council Mark's points, I'm happy to have that folded in. I think that is reason, I guess I would agree now with the amendment to make this study and report back out to the council because it seems that we shouldn't limit it. And I'm happy to have all of these things on the table to study.
[Marks]: But you just also alluded to the fact that you meant to put in there, this was only private lots. Right? Did you just say that to me?
[Morell]: I believe we're having a discussion right now and I'm happy to adjust based on the very valid points that councilors have raised.
[Marks]: You just flip-flopped on the issue twice already on this. You said it was private lots and now you're saying you're happy to have the conversation. That's all we're saying as a council. Let's look at this and try to address the needs. Now we can't go back and forth flip-flopping.
[Morell]: Yeah, I believe that's why I introduced the resolution so that we could look at this and discuss this.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Marks. Any further discussion on this? So can we have clarity, Mr. President? Okay. Well, the, um, the original motion is by Councilor Morell and Councilor Bears to send this to the subcommittee on environmental affairs, which is amended, which was amended by Councilor Knight. And it was denied by the, uh, by Councilor Morell, who was the author of this.
[Morell]: I'll withdraw that denial if I can.
[Caraviello]: Hold on, hold on. I can only do one at a time. So, Council Member, do you want to change this paper or what do you want to do here?
[Morell]: Can I withdraw my denial to Councilor Knight's amendment and change it so I accept it?
[Knight]: Point of amendment. I made an amendment. She can't say, no, you can't make an amendment. I made an amendment to get seconded.
[Morell]: The amendment's seconded. No, it has to be... All right.
[Caraviello]: Okay. Other motion?
[Falco]: Can you just read back the amendment?
[Caraviello]: I just want to make sure that I'm... The motion was to send this to the subcommittee on environmental affairs to look into and come back to the council with a purpose of a study. With a study of recommendations. We're going to keep it like that. Am I correct?
[Morell]: Yes, and also I do know there are people here who want to speak on this as well. Mr. President, just so you know, that's not what the
[Caraviello]: That's not what the resolution says. That's not what the resolution says, yeah.
[Morell]: I thought we were discussing an amendment. I'm happy to amend the paper. I'm not, I don't understand where Councilor Knight's amendment, I'm being told it's accepted, it's not accepted.
[Marks]: Councilor Mark says the floor. We'll talk one at a time so we can make an educated and informed decision, Mr. President. So I just want to make sure, because the resolution's asking for one thing. If there's an amendment, I want to make sure that amendment is acceptable to all my colleagues, Mr. President. And I want to make sure that we're talking about apples and not comparing apples to oranges. Because we've heard a lot of things go back and forth regarding lots, private lots, city-owned lots being exempt. And I want to make sure we're on the same page.
[Caraviello]: So Councilor Morell, do you want to go back and self-explain what your motion is here?
[Morell]: Sure. I just don't know if the amendment from Councilor Knight still stands or not.
[Caraviello]: Councilor Knight has withdrawn his amendment. Mr. President, at this point, I withdraw any and all amendments I've made on this paper. Councilor Knight has withdrawn his amendment. So again, the motion was to send it to the Subcommittee on Environmental Affairs, and again, as it reads here.
[Morell]: And it says- Yes, I'm happy to amend the paper to say for study to report back out to the council.
[Caraviello]: Okay. So it's going to go to the subcommittee for study for recommendation back to the council. Am I correct?
[Unidentified]: Yes.
[Caraviello]: All right. Do we have further discussion on that? Needs a second. Anybody from the public out there want to speak?
[Castagnetti]: Needs a second.
[Caraviello]: Do we have a second on Councilor Morell's paper? Second. Seconded by Councilor Bears. Do we have anybody from the public that would like to speak?
[Morell]: I see Norman Kaplan has his hand up.
[Caraviello]: Let me see. Mr. Clerk, where is he? I see that I've been unmuted. Okay. Excuse me.
[SPEAKER_03]: Name and address of the record, please. Sure. Good evening, Councilors. I'm Norman Kaplan, 23 Heathland Way, and for the past seven years with my wife and nine-year-old daughter. I have voted in every election since moving to Medford seven years ago. So I have either met all of you Councilors, or I have at least read your campaign materials. Nine months ago, in May of 2020, the Medford Energy and Environment Committee sent a letter signed by all of its members. It was unanimous. They sent it to the mayor, and they urged her to impose an emergency moratorium on gasoline-powered leaf blowers. She read it, and her reply was that the city council should pass an ordinance. I came here tonight, and this is the first time I've addressed the council. I come here tonight to urge you to do so. So I have a question. Do any members of this council drive a motor vehicle that does not have a muffler or a catalytic converter? Now, there's no roll call needed. I'm sure the answer is no. If that's the case, I have to ask why we have not yet banned the use of these devices. They don't have either. They don't have a muffler to suppress the ear-splitting noise.
[Scarpelli]: They have no catalytic converter. Point of information, Councilor Scapelli. Mr. Caplan, I can understand your desire to move this forward, but I think that all we're looking at is this might be the solution. We might look to eliminate the gas blows. We also did our due diligence and realized that this could negatively affect our carbon footprint in other ways. So that's all we're saying. We're not saying that this might not be an option. What we're saying is we just want to look into the process and how it affects in totality. So I know that you seem a little intense that this body is trying to move something that you want to see go forward, that we're not doing that. We just want to do our due diligence to make sure that there are processes in place so we're not hurting our environment at the same time and changing inordinance. So thank you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you, Congressman. If I'm not mistaken, sir, it was you who said earlier in the first 15 or 20 minutes of this meeting that you placed great faith in listening to your constituents. And now I hear you cutting me off after two minutes or less. So I would hope that you would give me the courtesy of hearing me out on this important issue.
[Caraviello]: What information has Councilor Scarpelli?
[Scarpelli]: I just want to apologize to Mr. Kaplan because being in the committee meeting, we can't see who's in the meeting or not. So I didn't know if maybe you missed that part because as you're talking about the issues about the environment, that I already said something. So that's the only reason why. It's not intended to be disrespectful in any way, sir. We just, in this forum, I can't see that you're on the call. So I apologize. That's okay.
[SPEAKER_03]: There was no need to apologize. If there was, it's accepted. But I also heard while we were talking about COVID-19, I could hear and see all the frustration in the voices and in the faces of all the councils, which is understandable because at the local level, there's very little that you can do to make a real impact. This is a different situation. On the local level, you can really make an impact and improve the quality of life of the vast majority of residents of Medford who don't use the devil's hair dryer, as it's known, and don't contract with landscapers who use them. I think we need to talk a little bit because I think there's been some misinformation conveyed here in this meeting. There's a lot of science involved. If you don't really get down and drill down and study it, it's easy to be misinformed. As I said, these devices do not have mufflers or catalytic converters. It's not just the absence of the mufflers and catalytic converters that distinguishes this equipment from automobiles or trucks or motorcycles, buses, trains, or even the lawnmower or the snowblower. These machines, these backpack-style tanks, have crude two-stroke engines. And they're used by nearly all commercial backpack-style blowers. They are pollution bombs. They lack a separate lubrication system. And what that means is the fuel tank contains a mixture of gasoline and engine oil, a third of which is spewed out in the exhaust, unburned and suspended in the air. As Councilor Morell said, there's been studies as to just to compare. a single two-stroke commercial leaf blower to a vehicle. Edmunds Automotive did a study, and they found that one two-stroke commercial leaf blower will emit the same pollution in a half an hour as a Ford 150 pickup truck driving 3,900 miles from Texas to Alaska. And when was the last time you ever saw a landscape crew using one leaf blower per property? When that landscaper's horse trailer or extended pickup truck arrives on any given beautiful spring morning or warm summer afternoon, it's usually two to three commercial grade leaf blowers that are immediately unloaded onto the sidewalk. So it's usually two or three machines roaring at once. And I have to say, most properties in Medford, on our residential landscape, are what, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 square feet. You take the building off of that, and you're only talking about a couple of thousand square feet of property. And another thing, someone mentioned the workers. Obviously, we don't want to increase the unemployment among our residents and workers. If you had taken a look at who the workers are, they're almost always, in fact, I would say a hundred percent, all male, mostly immigrants from Central and South America, who I doubt have the slightest idea of the health risks that they're exposed to while operating these gas and oil-burning two-stroke engines, eight hours a day, six days a week.
[Knight]: I do believe that the gentleman is reinforcing our argument that this issue needs to be further studied and examined. He did state that this is something that needs to be looked at because there's a lot of science involved. It needs to be studied to understand the science. That's all this council is asking for. I don't think we need to go into the demographic makeup of the landscapers and the landscaping crews at this point in time, Mr. President. What this is was a call for the council to study the issue that's before it. We didn't vote it down. We didn't say, no, get rid of this. We said, if you want to draft an ordinance, it needs to be studied first. And the study report needs to be submitted to the council for further review and discussion. Bottom line, that was all it was. This isn't like the thing is dead on the vine and it's over. What it's saying is it's not ripe for the drafting of an ordinance. And we need further information in order for this council to build consensus. And the way that we can do that is by having a study.
[SPEAKER_03]: I would like just to make one further point. And that is, and I think it's the biggest point that was lost in all of this discussion about the leaf blowers, whether they're electric or gasoline. The seven months between March, mid-March, or the end of March when the landscapers arrive, and mid-October, what are they doing with the leaf blowers? All they're blowing are glass clippings. There are no leaves. The leaves are gone already. And they don't come back until mid-October. So what's the point of them anyway? People are using them to blow dirt or mulch or grass clippings. And I would ask, If you want to take a look at what the experts say, that would be Scott's lawn care. You can go right onto their website. I'm going to just quote this. I'll let it go after this. It's a question we all face when mowing the grass. Should I bag my clippings or leave them on the lawn? In most cases, the answer is easy. Recycle the grass clippings by leaving them on the lawn. Doing so will not only save you time and energy, but also return valuable nutrients to the lawn. So I would say, There should be no problem, no issue with banning all leaf blowers from mid-March to mid-October because it's just a frivolous use of this annoying technology that should never have been introduced into civil society. Get a rake. If you don't already, I would recommend you go to Mahoney's, and for $20, you can get a beautiful rake. It's good exercise. I do it. I'm 71 years old. Every autumn, I do it myself, my front lawn, my backyard. And it's quiet and calm. And I'm not bringing in any exhaust fumes. And I'm not torturing my neighbors either. Well, thank you for the opportunity to speak my case.
[Caraviello]: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Kaplan. Councilor Scarpelli.
[Scarpelli]: Again, Mr. President, I, again, I appreciate Mr. Kaplan's involvement, but again, this isn't anything but to look at this so we have all the information to either move forward or not move forward with an issue. But this is, I know that it's going to go out on social media, we all know this, that here we go again, the councils are against the environment. So I just warn the community and just again, enlighten them that this isn't anything against anything that's being said. This is something just to look at it and study it a little bit further because it isn't just, it's not cut and dry, first of all. Second of all, I'm offended in any way that an employee's race has to come up to this. I think that's appalling.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Councilor Scott Falco. Any... Mr. President. Councilor Morell.
[Morell]: I think I see Mr. Castagnetti waving his hand as fire towel.
[Caraviello]: Okay. Paul C has his hands raised. Paul C. Hello. Yes. Hello. Name and address of the record please.
[Camuso]: Hi, my name is Paul Canuso, 114 Lincoln Road, Medford, Mass. First of all, good evening to the Honorable City Council. I'd just like to go on record, you know.
[Caraviello]: And welcome back, former presidents.
[Camuso]: Thank you. We hear a lot lately of looking for additional ways to raise revenues and whether it's going to be a proposition two and a half or a debt exclusion by certain members of the council. And I'm all for things to make our city better. But what I'm not for is You know, there's, this is a, this is, this as a proposed, as far as I'm concerned, Mr. President, it's going to be an additional tax. You know, I talked to my landscaper who does about 25 houses on our street, and they're talking about an extra a hundred dollars, a hundred dollars per household, because if they have to use rakes and not the proper equipment to do the job, then they're not going to be able to do it for the same price. You know, I'd rather see our money go towards the schools, go towards the fire department, the police department, and things of that nature. With all due respect, I think that this is an overshot of government. I think that this is going to put a burden on people that take their homes and their beautiful homes and try to make them better. You know, if the landscape prices keep going up, you're going to see people not getting it done because it's unaffordable. And I don't want to see that happen in my community that I love. I think this is an overstep of government. And I really believe that we should take a step back and really look at this. You know, you drive by homes in this community, people can't maintain the properties as they are in some occasions, and it's not fair to the neighbors. But with that being said, I just wanted to go on record in absolutely opposing this. I think you're gonna hear from a lot of the landscapers in the community, the DPW, and Michael Marks, you're right on target, Councilor. How can you say that the city can do them next to Morrison Park, Placestead Park, and other parks, but you can't have your home cleaned? It doesn't make sense, Mr. President, but I just wanted to go on record and be against this. And thank you for taking the time to listen to me.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. Camuso. Mr. Castagnetti, did I see your hand up? Yes, sir. Name and address of the record, please. Name and address of the record, please, Mr. Castagnetti.
[Morell]: Andrew? He just has to unmute. I think it keeps going on and off.
[Castagnetti]: Thank you, Councilor Morell. Can you hear me now?
[Caraviello]: Okay.
[Castagnetti]: Yes, we can, Mr. Castagnetti.
[Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Castagnetti]: Thank you, Mr. President. Andrew Castagnetti, East Medford. If I may play devil's advocate, I'm neither here nor there on this issue. However, I must recollect when I was on my honeymoon in California many decades ago, I was rudely awakened one morning by the sound of the leaf blower for the first time in my lifetime. It was not a pleasant sound. And when I was out there in the field, even near Big Sur, mind you, I didn't appreciate all that debris going in my face. So I do own a rake. And I own snow shovels, plural. And I'm not sure if Man, the new generation knows what slow shovels are. So I wish you well in your deliberations. I don't like hearing it. I don't like the debris. I understand time is money, et cetera, et cetera. And the cat is out of the bag. As long as you preserve our second amendment and leave that cat out of the bag, I'm all set. Thank you, sir.
[Caraviello]: Thank you, Mr. Castagnetti. We'll be seeing you back at the chambers here. Mr. President.
[Bears]: Come to me, sir. Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to assure Mr. Castagnetti that I know what a snow shovel is. I was out before our Committee of the Whole with one and I'll be out after this meeting as well with a snow shovel. And we rake as well. But I just want to say, you know, there's been a lot of putting words in people's mouths tonight. I don't think that's a productive way to have a discussion. So I hope we study the issue, and I'm just glad that somebody used a cut and dry metaphor to discuss this issue. Thank you.
[Caraviello]: Thank you.
[Bears]: Any further discussions on this?
[Caraviello]: Hearing and seeing none, on the motion by Councilor Morell, seconded by Councilor Bears, that this be sent to the Subcommittee on Environmental Affairs for a study and report back to the Council. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Councilor Marks. Yes. Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli. Yes. President Caraviello.
[Caraviello]: Yes, 70 affirmative motion passes. Reports of committees. 200600 February 2, 2021. Committee of the whole. This particular committee of the whole was in regards to National Grid and the MWRA at Riverside Avenue. Some progress was made, but this is still in the committee of the whole for further discussion with the two entities. Motion to accept the report. Motion by Councilor Falco to accept the report, seconded by? Seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears. Yes. Councilor Falco. Yes. Vice President Knight. Councilor Marks. Yes. Councilor Morell. Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Quiravilla?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in the affirmative, motion passes. Reports of committees, 20295, 19660, and 20519. These were the ordinances that we voted on this evening for them to take its first reading, which were the collection bins, the rodent control, and the behavioral health. Motion to receive and place on file, Mr. President. We've had all the ordinances. Second. I'm sorry? The motion by Councilor Knight is received as a place of file, seconded by Councilor Falco. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Yes. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in favor of the motion passes. Public participation. Is there anybody out there that has any public participation? Mr. Clerk, do you see any hands up?
[Hurtubise]: I do not see any hands up.
[Caraviello]: Okay. The records of the meeting of February 2nd, 2021 were passed to Vice President Knight. Vice President Knight, how did you find those records? I found the records to be in order, although a little long, and move approval. On the motion by Vice President Knight, seconded by Councilor Scarpelli. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.
[Hurtubise]: Councilor Bears? Yes. Councilor Falco? Yes. Vice President Knight? Yes. Councilor Marks? Yes. Councilor Morell? Yes. Councilor Scarpelli? Yes. President Caraviello?
[Caraviello]: Yes. Seven in the affirmative, motion passes. On the motion to adjourn by? Mr. President.
[Bears]: Councilor Bears? I just wanted to make a quick announcement, remind people we do have committee of the whole tomorrow on council priorities. And we have a elderly and housing affairs subcommittee meeting on Thursday regarding an update from the administration on the eviction moratorium and working with the solicitor on the housing stability task force.
[Caraviello]: Council priorities will be starting at 530 here with council chambers. Thank you, Councilor Bears. On the motion to adjourn by Councilor Falco, seconded by? Second. By Councilor Bears. Mr. Clerk, please call the roll. Yes.
[Hurtubise]: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
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