2026-08-04 - City Council

Summary

Built from the official minutes. No video is posted, so there is no transcript or timing.

Fourteenth Regular Meeting; all seven members present, President Bears presiding. Acting City Clerk Eliseo sat inside the rail.
Vacant Building Ordinance ordained 7-0 after two 4-3 votes on amendments.
Two Tufts labor resolutions approved 7-0.
Police Chief search appropriation (26-133) tabled 5-2 after a first table motion failed 3-4.
Supplemental FY2027 appropriation cut by $382,586.70, with $42,507.63 of one-month funding approved, 7-0.
Records of June 23 and July 14 found in order; Committee of the Whole (July 14) and Public Health and Community Safety (July 15) reports received and joined with the records, 7-0.
Adjourned on a 6-0 roll call with Leming absent.

Paper 25-054, removing section 94-7.5 and adding Chapter 10, Article VIII on vacant and foreclosing properties, taken off the table on Leming's motion (7-0).
Lazzaro moved to sever amendments 4, 6 and 7 (seconded by Tseng); passed 4-3 (Mullane, Scarpelli and Bears opposed).
Tseng moved to adopt amendments 4, 6 and 7 (seconded by Lazzaro); passed 4-3 (Callahan, Leming and Lazzaro opposed).
Leming moved to ordain the ordinance as amended (seconded by Tseng); 7-0.

Resolution 26-136 demanding Tufts reinstate a graduate worker who faced retaliation: Simon Alcindor, Micah Kesselman and one other resident spoke. Bears moved, Tseng seconded; 7-0.
Resolution 26-137 supporting Tufts facilities workers (SEIU 32BJ) bargaining a fair contract: Simon Alcindor, Micah Kesselman and three others spoke. Bears moved, Mullane seconded; 7-0.

Paper 26-133: Chief Buckley and Director of Human Resources Lisa Crowley spoke.
Scarpelli moved to table; failed 3-4 (against: Callahan, Leming, Tseng, Lazzaro).
Bears then moved to table (seconded by Callahan); passed 5-2, Leming and Lazzaro opposed.

Paper 26-142: Tseng moved (seconded by Scarpelli) to cut $382,586.70 and approve $42,507.63 of one-month funding; 7-0.
Paper 26-142B, the Council's response, offered by Bears and approved unanimously on Tseng's motion, lists seven requests to the Administration on litigation costs, including a categorized list of KP Law spending (about $2.4 million since January 2020) and an update on hiring a City Solicitor. Chief of Staff Nazarian did not attend. Nick Giurleo, Simon Alcindor, Micah Kesselman and one other resident spoke.

Resolution 26-138 to update the 1974 noise ordinance approved and referred to the Resident Services and Public Engagement Committee on Mullane's motion (seconded by Tseng); 7-0.

Resolution 26-024 (scheduling Council-hosted neighborhood ward meetings) referred back to committee on Mullane's motion (seconded by Scarpelli); 7-0.

The Committee of the Whole report of July 14 on paper 19-070 was received and approved together with the records, 7-0.

Resolution 26-135 in remembrance of John Westwater, who died after being struck by a train at the West Medford station on July 20, resolved to work with the MBTA and Amtrak on safety improvements. Lazzaro moved, Tseng seconded; 7-0.

Election items approved 7-0: relocation of the Ward 4, Precinct 2 polling place, and the call and warrant for the September 1, 2026 election.
Board and commission appointments (Zoning Board of Appeals, Water and Sewer Commission, Medford Arts Council) approved 7-0.
Community Preservation Committee request (Playstead Park scoreboard contingency, Osgood House gutter and storm window restoration) approved 7-0; unpaid bill from a previous fiscal year approved 7-0 after Finance Director Bob Dickinson spoke.
Personnel ordinance amendments for the Director and Assistant Director of Health and Human Services (26-124) approved 7-0; ordinance updating the Commission for Persons with Disabilities (26-063) approved 7-0, see Disabilities Commission Ordinance.