Continued City Council Meeting

Agenda — 55 items

1. 1 Minutes of the Special City Council meeting on the City Manager’s 2026 Performance Review process held on June 23, 2026.
2. 1 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Federal update including an update on relevant court cases.
3. 2 Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a recommendation that in accordance with the requirements of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), the Cambridge City Council amend and clarify the FY27 Public Investment Bond Authorization of $12,795,000 and the FY26 Public Investment Bond Authorization of $19,986,000 for building repairs across Cambridge Public Schools.
4. 3 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $269,361.95 from the State 911 Department Training Grant.
5. 4 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Police Review and Advisory Board Quarterly Report for the third quarter of 2026.
6. 5 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Green Jobs report.
7. 6 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $335,600.00 from Free Cash to the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund.
8. 7 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $125,300.00 from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health’s (DMH) Jail Diversion Program.
9. 8 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $10,000.00 from the Post Overdose Support Team (POST) Grant.
10. 9 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $500,000.00 from Free Cash to the General Fund Law Department Other Ordinary Maintenance account.
11. 10 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report 26-50 regarding requiring weekly payroll documentation from Eversource.
12. 11 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a response to Awaiting Report 26-14 regarding a comprehensive review of existing safety and security measures at Cambridge City Hall.
13. 12 A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Policy Order 26-81 and Awaiting Report 26-55 (Policy Order 26-148) regarding Multifamily Housing communications.
14. 1 That the City Manager is requested to direct the Department of Transportation to evaluate traffic and safety conditions at the intersection of Western Avenue and Kinnaird Street and explore the feasibility of installing a traffic signal or implementing other appropriate traffic-calming or safety measures.
15. 2 That the City Manager is requested to review and reconsider the Harvard Square Kiosk Operating and Stewardship Model
16. 3 That the City Council go on record opposing Massachusetts’ 2026 ballot question 5 on limiting state revenue due to the consequences this would have for the City of Cambridge and other municipalities across the Commonwealth.
17. 4 That the City Manager is requested to work with the Election Commission, Communications staff, and other relevant departments to encourage residents to utilize the early voting sites or vote by mail and to prioritize communication of the need for voters to plan for enough time to vote, given the complexity of the ballots.
18. 5 That the regular City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, December 14, 2026, is canceled.
19. 6 Fare-free MBTA Route 1, developed jointly with the City of Boston.
20. 7 City Council Divestment from companies complicit in the Genocide, Apartheid, and Occupation of Palestinians.
21. 8 That the City Manager is requested to direct the City Solicitor to provide the Ordinance Committee, before its hearing, with an opinion on the proposed ordinance under M.G.L. c. 30B and applicable federal law to boycott companies complicit in Israel's Apartheid, Genocide, and Illegal Occupation of Palestine.
22. 9 City Council support of the Artificial Intelligence Civil Rights Act of 2025 (S.3308 / H.R.6356) and urge Congress to enact strong, enforceable civil rights protections for automated systems used in consequential decisions.
23. 10 That the City Council hold a Roundtable/Working Meeting on Monday, December 14, 2026, from 4:00–6:00 PM, to discuss the importance of the innovation ecosystem to city economies, with a focus on its impact in Cambridge.
24. 11 That the MWRA reconsider plans to construct a 10 million gallon CSO storage tank beneath Magazine Beach.
25. 12 Reaffirming the City Council's commitment to high quality health care for all residents and its strong support of H.1405/S.860, An Act establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts.
26. 1 An application was received from Marisa Cataldo, requesting permission for a curb cut at the premises numbered 29 Sargent Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood association.
27. 1 That the City Council congratulate Reverend Irene Monroe for being honored by the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition at its 29th Annual Lesbians & Friends LGBTQIA+ Dance.
28. 2 Congratulations to Food For Free on its 45th anniversary and recognizes its longstanding commitment to reducing food insecurity, preventing food waste, and improving access to healthy food throughout Cambridge and Eastern Massachusetts.
29. 1 The Housing Committee held a public hearing on October 1, 2026 to have a roundtable discussion with several arts and cultural institutions in Central Square on planning and cultural preservation in Central Square.
30. 1 A communication was received from Interim City Clerk Paula Crane, regarding an update regarding legislative activity.
31. 2 A communication from Mayor Siddiqui transmitting a memorandum regarding information from the School Committee.
32. 1 Awaiting Report Status Update 10.19.26
33. 1 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.
34. 2 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.
35. 3 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.
36. 4 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.
37. 5 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.
38. 6 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Cambridge Department of Transportation (CDOT) and any other relevant departments to halt any further design, engineering, procurement, or construction activities related to implementing a reconfiguration of Garden Street to restore two-way motor-vehicle traffic or relocate the existing Bluebikes station and provide the City Council with a written update within six months of passage of this Order describing an alternative set of safety improvements that do not restore two-way motor vehicle traffic on Garden Street.
39. 7 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant departments and community organizations to provide the City Council with a comprehensive Food Access Report that includes, but is not limited to, an accounting of existing programs, expenditures, outcomes, and unmet needs to inform a public hearing on food insecurity and related City policies, programs, and expenditures
40. 8 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Cambridge Historical Commission, the Law Department, the Department of Public Works, Inspectional Services, the Cambridge Public Health Department, Community Preservation Act staff, the Harvard Square Business Association, and the owners of properties abutting the Old Stone Wall, for the purpose of developing a practical plan to stabilize, preserve, and restore this historic resource.
41. 9 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the relevant departments to explore the ability of the City to prohibit, restrict, or otherwise regulate the use of algorithmic price fixing in its rental housing market, including the potential drafting of ordinance language that would regulate algorithmic price fixing.
42. 10 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council with an initial feasibility update no later than December 31, 2026, including possible event models, governance structure, estimated costs, potential funding sources, recommended City and community partners, community engagement opportunities, programming concepts, permitting needs, public safety coordination, logistical considerations, and an implementation timeline for launching the revived Central Square World’s Fair in September 2027.
43. 11 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Law Department, the Department of Public Works, the Transportation Department, and any other appropriate departments to determine whether the City may require Eversource, and any contractors or subcontractors working on Eversource’s behalf in Cambridge, to submit weekly certified payroll reports or similar payroll documentation for work performed in Cambridge’s public ways and report back to the City Council within 60 days.
44. 12 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant City departments to explore options for reforming and modernizing the License Commission, including through the home rule petition process and report back to the Economic Development and University Relations Committee of the City Council in a timely manner.
45. 13 That the City Manager, working in collaboration with the Urban Forestry Department, Inspectional Services and IT, be and hereby is requested to devise a fuller, easier to navigate public accounting system that is searchable by neighborhood and report back to the City Council regarding improved tree loss accounting and reporting systems by October 1, 2026.
46. 14 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant City departments to take steps to implement as soon as possible a program for automated parking enforcement which could be piloted in targeted areas of the city to evaluate different technologies, different functionalities for various locations, and publicize regulations, ensuring that all programs are done in the most cost-effective way for the City and report back to the City Council in a timely manner.
47. 15 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with relevant City departments to provide a recommendation and outline procedures for implementing Ch. 40U for Short-Term Rental violations, and provide recommendations for any other ordinance violations to enforce with Chapter 40U and report back to the City Council in a timely manner.
48. 16 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to convene all departments involved in permitting, reviewing, advising on, or overseeing building related activities to develop a coordinated, transparent, and consistently communicated process and report back on progress and preliminary recommendations to the appropriate Council committee at the September 14th Council meeting.
49. 17 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to explore the feasibility of establishing a citywide digital wayfinding and information kiosk program on publicproperty throughout Cambridge and report back to the City Council with findings and recommendations, including whether the City should proceed with the development and issuance of a competitive Request for Proposals for a citywide digital wayfinding and information kiosk network.
50. 18 That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to report on progress on the February 2026 report's recommendations, and plans for ensuring appropriate levels of support and staffing for the Community Safety Department, including continued expansion of CSD’s violence prevention program, the number and types of calls handled by the CARE team, and the timeline for more comprehensive staffing for the CARE team emergency response program
51. 19 That the City Manager be and is hereby requested to provide a comprehensive evaluation of violence response and prevention strategies, along with survivor support services, across City departments including CPD, CSD, CHA, and DHSP and come with recommendations before the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.
52. 20 That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant departments to develop a coordinated initiative to improve and streamline the permitting and licensing process for small businesses.
53. 21 That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Cambridge Police Department to consider a sustained visible presence in the area during the evening and late-night hours of the July 4th holiday period, rather than relying solely on repeated calls for service.
54. 22 That the City Manager is requested to work with CDD and relevant City departments to prepare zoning language based on the recommendations discussed in the September 16, 2026 Joint Housing and Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committees for consideration by the full City Council.
55. 23 That the City Manager is requested to confer with the relevant staff and departments to implement the recommendations following the May 2025 Human Services & Veterans Committee meeting, such as strengthening anti-poverty measures, establishing a dedicated CARE Team call and referral line, prioritizing commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking prevention efforts for LGBTQIA+ youth, and report back to the City Council on progress.

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