Regular City Council Meeting

Agenda — 48 items

1. 1 Minutes of the Regular City Council meeting held on January 12, 2026
2. 1 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to an update on the city's digital equity work.
3. 2 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $312,000.00 to support the City’s digital equity efforts through a Digital Navigator position at the Cambridge Public Library for up to 3 years.
4. 3 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $65,000.00 to support World Cup watch parties across Cambridge.
5. 4 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to an update on the successful completion of the 221 Mount Auburn Street demolition.
6. 1 That the City Manager is requested to confer with the relevant departments to immediately request Empower to resign from the Massachusetts High Technology Council and consider options for transitioning the City of Cambridge out of Empower and transferring its retirement accounts into one of the City’s other retirement programs should Empower continue to be a member of the MHTC.
7. 2 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments including the Law Department to ensure that there is no new data collected by ShotSpotter devices and all existing data shall be kept, used, or deleted only as required by law under our Welcoming Community Ordinance and Surveillance Technology Ordinance.
8. 3 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Mayor’s Office, Law Department, Election Commission, and other relevant City Departments to engage the Collins Center in assisting the City in reviewing policy options for allowing Cambridge voters to directly elect the City’s Mayor.
9. 4 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments to do extensive outreach to residents, businesses, and property owners to communicate the current water level status and take all measures to reduce nonessential water use citywide, and provide a report on citywide water usage and water supply.
10. 5 Foreign Policy Issues in the City Council
11. 6 That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the projected fiscal impact of maintaining the current exemption for seniors, along with any administrative steps necessary to do so.
12. 1 That the City Council go on record calling upon President Trump to immediately rescind Executive Order 14380, immediately enter meaningful negotiations with the Cuban government with the goal of ending the United States oil embargo, and carry out his foreign policy agenda with respect to the wishes of the people of the United States and in accordance with international law.
13. 2 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $10,000,000.00 to provide funds for the design and construction of improvements along Massachusetts Avenue and vicinity between Bigelow Street and Sindey Street.
14. 3 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $13,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets and sidewalks.
15. 4 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $12,000,000 to provide funds to replace and modernize the City’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
16. 5 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $14,000,000 to provide funds for remediation and improvements at Gold Star Mothers Park.
17. 6 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $28,500,000 to provide funds for the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan.
18. 7 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $12,795,000 to provide funds for financing school building upgrades.
19. 8 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $8,375,000 to provide funds for the design and construction of surface enhancements and sewer and drainage infrastructure improvements in the Baldwin neighborhood.
20. 9 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $500,000 to provide funds for the City’s Climate Change Program to improve protection against flooding and extreme heat.
21. 10 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $7,500,000 to provide funds for the sewer Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program.
22. 11 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,000,000 to provide funds for design and construction of the Harvard Square sewer separation and stormwater management program.
23. 12 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $310,000 to provide funds for the replacement of Ozone generators at the Water Department.
24. 13 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $2,000,000 to provide funds for water works construction projects for repairs and replacement of water distribution infrastructure.
25. 14 Chapter 2.127 Community Benefits Advisory Committee Ordinance.
26. 1 A communication was received from Interim City Clerk Paula Crane, regarding an update regarding legislative activity.
27. 2 A communication from Mayor Siddiqui transmitting a memorandum regarding information from the School Committee
28. 3 Draft 2026-2027 Rules of the City Council
29. 1 Condolences to the family of Charles Linehan III.
30. 2 Resolution Recognizing National Nurses Week
31. 1 Awaiting Report Status Update 5.11.26
32. 1 That the City Manager is requested to work with the School Department, the Department of Public Works, and other relevant departments to ensure that all city owned parking lots, with a focus on school complexes, including the still under construction parking at Tobin/Darby Vassal school complex, could be made available for after-hours use by residents. Original Awaiting Report Item AR-25-29
33. 2 The City Manager is requested to work with all relevant departments to seek input from the community as well as direct outreach to condo owners and short-term rental operators and develop additional recommendations based on the discussion in the Ordinance Committee. Original Awaiting Report Item AR-25-51
34. 3 Review the previous home rule petition and prepare a new petition that would allow Cambridge to enact a Real Estate Transfer Fee to be sent to the state legislature. Original Awaiting Report AR-25-69
35. 4 Restricting Eligibility for On-Street Resident Parking Permits in New Transit-Oriented Developments.Original Awaiting Report 31839
36. 5 That the City Manager conduct a comprehensive review of existing safety and security measures at Cambridge City Hall, including an assessment of physical access controls, visitor screening practices, on-site security staffing and training, emergency response and evacuation protocols, and the use of security technologies such as surveillance systems and alarm monitoring.
37. 6 The City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department (CDD) to examine the feasibility, legal considerations, and administrative requirements of permitting qualified third-party guarantors or co-signers for applicants to Inclusionary Housing units and provide recommendations as to whether such a policy could responsibly expand access to these units.
38. 7 The City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate departments to review the city’s digital equity work to date, including the study’s recommendations and all steps taken since the study conclusion in order to update the evaluation of existing internet access programs, assessing whether residents’ digital needs are or could be better provided for and to propose how we can better meet their needs and to report back to the Council by June 2026 on internet access programs.
39. 8 That the City Manager is requested to assess opportunities to improve the consistency of how meeting information is posted and accessed on the City’s website.
40. 9 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments as well as the Election Commissioners to review guidance from the IRS and consult with other municipalities in order to simplify our processes for paying election workers.
41. 10 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to instruct all City departments, boards, commissions, and offices to discontinue all official posting and engagement on X within 60 days; and to include an explanation of why the City will no longer use X.
42. 11 That the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department and the Transportation Department to meet with Harvard's Office of Community Relations and the Longwood Collective (MASCO) to harmonize institutional bus protocols with public-facing commitments.
43. 12 That the City Manager is requested to direct relevant City departments and staff to examine and report back on whether the city can require single-stall public bathrooms to be gender-neutral.
44. 13 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant departments to review the current legal landscape and provide recommendations for how to regulate construction of large data centers in Cambridge.
45. 14 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments to raise the fee of the parking permit program for all residents to $75, consider how to include a self-identified check off option so as not to increase administrative costs for a subsidized fee of $25 for residents who live in affordable housing, are enrolled in a program such as SNAP or are low income, remove the senior exemption for the residential parking permit program and lower the number of cars that individual residents are allowed to get a residential parking permit for from four to two.
46. 15 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested work with relevant City departments to provide a report on how the decision to install artificial turf was made, the rationale for artificial turf, and what process was taken to ensure community concerns and public health considerations were fully addressed, and to ensure that construction will not move forward until a report is delivered.
47. 16 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with relevant City staff to review City ordinances regulating the operation of food vendors in City parks.
48. 17 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant staff to explore options for commissioning a comparable housing needs study through a qualified research institution.