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Happy holiday weekend, Ward 5! This week’s newsletter covers the passage of the FY22 budget and Capital Improvement Plan last night, along with a description of the 13 non-binding budget resolutions considered by the City Council and explanations of how we voted and why.
Today is the first day in history where we observe Juneteenth (celebrated on June 19) as a federally-recognized holiday, though the City of Newton already had it on our calendar and it was designated a state holiday last year.
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the date when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed enslaved people in Galveston, Texas that they were free. He delivered the announcement on June 19, 1865, two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed, after arriving with federal troops to enforce the Proclamation in former secessionist territory a few weeks after the Civil War ended.
Celebrate the day in Newton this weekend at Hyde Playground with music, performances, ice cream, and food!
As we approach the end of another school year in Newton, residents should know that Newton’s Grab & Go meal program for students and adults will continue with free meals through the summer.
According to the latest data from Mayor Fuller’s newsletter, the program, begun in the early days of the pandemic last March, has provided 458,180 meals through the end of May.
Newton residents can pick up 3 days’ worth of bagged breakfasts and lunches from two locations on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 AM to noon. The pickup locations are Newton North High School, 457 Walnut Street at the Theater Entrance, and Newton South High School, 140 Brandeis Road at the Wheeler Entrance.
FY22 Budget Recap
On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the Newton City Council convened in the Committee of the Whole to continue reviewing and debating the proposed FY22 budget and capital improvement plan, which we had been doing for several weeks in smaller committee meetings with the Department heads.
We came very close to having to go into next week on deliberation of the FY22 budget/CIP, but we went out of Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation on the full budget/CIP around 11:45 PM last night. The full Council approved them unanimously a few minutes before midnight. Mayor Fuller addressed us briefly over Zoom at that point.
It should also be noted that additional off-budget funding will be allocated soon from emergency federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The rest of this week’s newsletter is my analysis of the non-binding budget resolutions considered this year in the City Council’s Committee of the Whole.
I worked on drafting budgets resolutions #2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 and circulated them to other Councilors to take the lead. (Thank you Councilors Ryan, Bowman, Noel, and Leary.) These are marked with an asterisk. Budget resolution #4 was requested by a Ward 5 resident from the “Safe Routes to School” group (SRTS), and resolutions #2, 3, and 10 were requested by the police reform-and-reallocation group “Defund NPD” (DNPD)
Budget Resolution #1
Inspectional Services Department
Resolution regarding additional staff for ISD
Submitted by Councilors Krintzman, Laredo, Downs, Baker, Albright, Bowman, Greenberg, Noel, Leary, Malakie, Oliver, Grossman, Lipof, Wright, Danberg, Crossley
Requesting that additional resources be made available to the Inspectional Services Department for an additional full-time position for enforcement of zoning code, special permit requirements, and other violations under the purview of ISD, and other related matters.
The resolution passed on a voice vote. This is a fairly routine request each year that would not have added any new responsibilities, just another inspector. The Administration typically rejects this resolution, as they ended up doing this year.
*Budget Resolution #2 (DNPD)
Health & Human Services Department
Resolution regarding non-police first responder pilot program
Submitted by Councilors Ryan, Humphrey, Bowman, Wright, Danberg, Krintzman, Greenberg, Leary
Requesting that Newton should pilot a non-police community first responder program to deal with calls for help that involve social and wellness issues. (This was amended slightly as noted below.)
The resolution passed on a vote of 22-0-2.
During the debate, we added some friendly amendments including consultation with the Chief of Police as part of developing this non-police pilot program and a request for an interim report on the status of such a program by no later than Jan 1 2022 (end of term).
The Administration reiterated instead its intention to run mental health emergency response teams through the Police Department, rather than piloting a non-police program.
I re-emphasized that the request in this budget resolution was for a non-police first responder program to be piloted, not for a request for police crisis teams or mental health court diversion programs or additional support services (although pre-emptive programs are always helpful).
*Budget Resolution #3 (DNPD)
Inspectional Services Department
Resolution regarding additional ISD staff for quality-of-life ordinances
Submitted by Councilors Ryan, Humphrey, Downs, Bowman, Greenberg, Noel, Wright, Danberg, Markiewicz, Leary
Inspectional Services should be provided with full-time field staff for new roles in providing enforcement of quality of life ordinances such as noise violations, construction work site regulation, and sidewalk snow clearance in commercial areas; this change would reduce the burden on Newton Police to perform such roles.
The resolution passed 18-1-5. Amended twice before being passed (because some Councilors did not agree with our initial suggestion that Inspectional Services could have some ombudsman type role in neighborly resolution of certain disputes), the resolution sought to recommend shifting certain police functions to Inspectional Services (and expanding the balance of their role on shared functions) to avoid an armed response to minor quality-of-life complaints.
The Administration responded that they continue to believe that police have a role in these functions and that they do not want to expand the typical hours of ISD jurisdiction, a major source of deferring these issues onto police.
*Budget Resolution #4 (SRTS)
Planning Department
Resolution regarding additional staff to promote walkability/bikeability
Submitted by Councilors Bowman, Humphrey, Downs, Greenberg, Ryan, Danberg, Leary
Requesting that Newton increase full-time staff specializing in transportation to facilitate walking and biking to schools, to promote walkability, bikeability, accessibility, safety, and climate action goals equitably.
The resolution passed 10-6-7.
This resolution is about having a dedicated staff member (perhaps part-time) coordinating walking/biking safely specifically to schools (as opposed to broader walking/biking safety around the City addressed in resolution #7).
The Administration declined to revise the FY22 budget to fund this coordinator staff position.
*Budget Resolution #5
School Department
Resolution regarding bus fee reduction/elimination
Submitted by Councilors Noel, Bowman, Krintzman, Kalis, Humphrey, Laredo, Greenberg, Leary, Grossman, Ryan, Lipof, Markiewicz, Wright, Danberg, Crossley
Resolved: That the sense of the Council is that Newton’s school bus pass fees should be eliminated or significantly reduced to promote equity, advance our climate action goals, and reduce congestion in Newton.
School bus fees were implemented when I was in middle school and I've been fighting against them ever since. The resolution passed 23-0-1.
The Administration rejected the request to eliminate or significantly reduce the school bus pass fees, citing the need for the nearly $500k in revenue and they left it at that. They also argued that any decision on bus pass fees lies with the School Committee.
There was some pretty vehement frustration expressed by Councilors on the final night of deliberation in reply to the Administration’s written response on the school bus pass fees. An eleventh hour non-binding resolution (#14) seeking school bus pass fee revenue replacement was offered. The vote was a deadlock at 12-12, and so we moved on.
I voted no because we already had sent a non-binding resolution on this issue, and so the second resolution on the matter would have pointlessly delayed us into next week with no change in outcome. (I am also skeptical of using one-time federal emergency dollars or free cash to replace ongoing operating expenses.)
Until such time as the school bus program is moved out of the Schools budget and into some other department, it is under the jurisdiction of the School Committee, not the City Council, and we can only make our position known, not take action to change the policy.
I know that can be a little bit “inside baseball” in terms of the details of the budget process under the City Charter, but I don’t think we should be misleading the public on what our actual authority is. We made our position clear in Budget Resolution 5, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and the School Committee to see if we can gradually reduce and ultimately eliminate school bus pass fees. But we did not have the authority to change it ourselves.
Budget Resolution #6
Planning Department
Resolution regarding increase in funds for conservation projects and maintenance
Submitted by Councilors Albright, Laredo, Greenberg, Downs, Baker, Leary, Bowman, Kelley, Humphrey, Grossman, Lipof, Wright, Danberg, Krintzman, Crossley
Change the line for Capital projects under Conservation (Account No. 0111471-5841000 – Grounds Improvement) to allow funds to be used for capital and/or maintenance projects. Currently the fund is only $25,000 which is insufficient. The City Council resolves to add $30,000 to these funds to total $55,000 - which would include physical projects as well as maintenance. Among the projects this increase would support are increasing accessibility, creating new trails, creating trail markings in existing trails, ridding grounds of invasive plant material and adding native and pollinator species. This should be an annual appropriation which would reflect our residents' priority on maintaining and enhancing our open space.
The resolution passed unanimously.
The Administration offered up an even better counter-offer, increasing the FY2022 Conservation Grounds Improvement funding from $25,000 to a total of $50,000! We confirmed this revision to the budget. This was the only revision made in response to a resolution this year.
Budget Resolution #7
Planning Department
Resolution regarding a Bike, Pedestrian and Accessibility Plan
Submitted by Councilors Bowman, Downs, Noel, Leary, Albright, Humphrey, Grossman, Ryan, Lipof, Wright, Danberg, Krintzman, Greenberg, Crossley
Fund the development of a comprehensive bike, pedestrian, and accessibility plan in support of the Climate Action Plan’s goal to shift vehicle trips to biking and walking trips which also supports Safe Routes to School, economic development, accessibility, and the Open Space Plan.
The resolution passed on a voice vote with only one abstention.
The Administration responded: "We are currently evaluating strategies on how best to move forward in developing the Plan and look forward to discussing the approach and the funding with the City Council this fall."
Budget Resolution #8
Parks & Recreation and Culture
Resolution regarding improvement of the city’s athletic fields
Proposed by Councilors Oliver, Laredo, Norton, Lipof, Wright, Grossman, Markiewicz, Greenberg
Requesting increased funding for large-scale projects to improve Newton’s multi-purpose athletic fields. Further requesting that the city provide a plan to the Council no later than 8/31/2021 inclusive of, but not limited to, permit fee increases, timelines and budgets for the replacement of end-of-life properties as well as rapid upgrades to the properties listed on the CIP for both the short- and long-term.
The resolution passed 13-0-10.
The resolution had been completely re-written shortly before the meeting; so, I abstained since I did not have sufficient time to compare the new text to work already in progress by Parks, Rec, & Culture for their upcoming master plan for site renovations – and the sponsor confirmed that this resolution was only for the full-sized “multi-purpose” rectangular fields, which leaves out other sports. I have consistently supported additional funding for these fields during this term, but I support a comprehensive and proportional approach. I’m looking forward to the PRC Department Master Plan next month.
Budget Resolution #9
Parks & Recreation and Culture
Resolution to move up Gath Pool renovation
Proposed by Councilors Lucas, Oliver, Gentile, Greenberg, Wright
Asking that the Administration move up the complete renovation of the Gath Pool to FY22.
The resolution failed to pass on a 10-12-2 vote. I voted no. I'm a huge fan of the Gath Pool and the work is urgent, but we just approved funding for a feasibility study. Planning work will need to happen before a renovation or reconstruction, and I simply don't think construction could realistically start by the end of FY22.
*Budget Resolution #10 (DNPD)
Public Works
Resolution to create civilian flagger program under Public Works
Proposed by Councilors Leary, Humphrey, Greenberg, Wright, Downs, Bowman
Resolved that the City of Newton would be better served with the flexibility to engage a civilian construction detail flagger program under the Department of Public Works and that the necessary negotiations should be made to enable this change. Further resolved: that the crossing guard program could be strengthened by integrating it into a civilian detail flagger program.
The resolution passed 23-0-1. This was a non-binding resolution giving the sense of the Council being in favor of a civilian (i.e. non-police) work-detail flagger program (and integration of crossing guards to try to round out their job portfolio and thus attract more candidates).
This change would require collective bargaining with the police union, which we understand.
The Administration replied that, in addition to the bargaining hurdle, “It is not the expectation of the Administration that this work will be transferred to the Department of Public Works; if the City moves forward with supplemental non-sworn personnel, we expect to do so through the supervision of the Newton Police Department.”
Budget Resolution #11
Public Works
Resolution to fund Sustainable Materials Management position
Proposed by Councilors Leary, Greenberg, Downs, Bowman, Crossley
During the Covid crisis a part time position was cut in the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) budget, and it has not been restored in the current budget. The City has seen a 17% increase in the recently negotiated hauling contract. The increase in costs is certain to continue with both hauling and disposal contracts. Funding this position will better enable the Director of SMM and the Waste Diversion Coordinator to focus on policies and programs to increase waste diversion and reduce costs to the City. In addition, the SMM program has an important role in helping to expand and develop Statewide EPR programs, which can help shift costs from municipalities resulting in significant savings.
The resolution passed 21-0-3. It aimed to restore a part-time position cut during the pandemic austerity budget. We hope it will help reduce fines/fees in our hauling & disposal contracts.
The Administration declined to restore this position.
Budget Resolution #12
Parks, Recreation and Culture
Resolution for addition investment in tree maintenance
Proposed by Councilor Norton, Malakie, Greenberg, Wright
Requesting additional $250,000 to Parks, Recreation and Culture for investment in tree planting and maintenance to avoid loss of tree canopy while City Shade Tree Master Plan is drafted.
The resolution passed 15-0-9. I abstained. The view of the Administration is that we aren't done preparing an upcoming master plan to determine new staffing levels and needs for tree canopy maintenance – and without adding more staff, they can't use extra funding, beyond what they had already added, even on an interim basis.
Budget Resolution #13
Planning Department
Resolution regarding discrimination in rental housing
Proposed by Councilors Malakie, Norton, Greenberg, Wright
Requesting that Newton establish a "matched pair" testing program to determine the extent of, and discourage, discrimination in rental housing in Newton, as was found in the 2020 study "Qualified Renters Need Not Apply: Race and Voucher Discrimination in the Metro Boston Rental Housing Market" that included but did not break out data for Newton.
The resolution passed 15-4-5. I voted no, although I obviously want Newton to combat rental discrimination. The resolution was at best redundant to existing department work and at worst a trojan horse against its purported objectives that I could not support. (The lead sponsor has previously stated in Council that she does not agree with the federal Fair Housing Discrimination definitions.)
The response from the Administration confirms this work was already getting under way before this resolution was offered: “The Administration is committed to understanding the extent of and discouraging discrimination in rental housing in Newton. The City’s recently completed FY2021-2025 WestMetro HOME Consortium Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice includes a specific recommendation to identify and address discriminatory actions in the private real estate market by hiring a qualified consultant ‘to conduct fair housing testing in each Consortium community to allow for statistically significant data.’ The Consortium is in the process of developing a Request for Proposals to hire a consultant to implement a Consortium-wide fair housing testing strategy over a two-year period and has allocated $100,000 of WestMetro HOME Consortium dollars to pay for this program.”