Civilian police oversight process launched, Homeless shelter zoning eased citywide, Councilors Ewen-Campen and Scott resigning

Votes & Decisions

Homeless Shelter Zoning Amendment – Ordained as amended (10 in favor by roll call)

The Council enrolled and ordained an amendment to Section 2.1.1 of the Zoning Ordinance, originally proposed by Council President Davis, that reduces the red tape for opening homeless shelters and similar facilities. Land Use Chair Ewen-Campen summarized the effect: in "basically any residential zone," shelters become an allowable use by right requiring a neighborhood meeting, while in Neighborhood Residence districts (the one-to-three-family neighborhoods) they still require a special permit. Davis said his original submission had allowed shelters by right even in Neighborhood Residence "so that we could have the conversation," and the committee settled on the special permit compromise. He noted the issue arose from the debate over a shelter in Ward 6, and that a public hearing commenter had argued that if the city thinks shelters are acceptable it should "just change the zoning." Councilor Scott, who said he lives one door from a temporary shelter and across from a housing authority building, called it "the moral call for us to enable more services." Councilor Link tied it to the city's welcoming community ordinance and the chilling effect of "lawsuit after lawsuit." Davis also flagged that planning analyst Carr's memo raised nuances about use types that may warrant a future amendment. Councilor Strezo did not respond when the roll was called on the enrollment and ordainment votes.

Urban Center Housing TIF Zone for Assembly Square and East Somerville – Approved (10 in favor by roll call)

The Council approved the UCH-TIF (urban center housing tax increment financing) zone, plan, and form of agreement covering parts of Assembly Square and East Somerville. Ewen-Campen explained this state-authorized tool lets individual housing projects negotiate partial relief on a portion of their future property taxes with the city; each deal would still be negotiated by the administration and reviewed by the Finance Committee, so the vote "does not lock us into any decision making." He framed the choice as three options when "no housing is getting built": lower the 20% inclusionary requirement, do nothing, or use a TIF to keep the 20% affordable housing while forgoing some future taxes. Councilor McLaughlin said the zone is entirely in Ward 1 and that he pushed to have East Broadway included, citing vacant lots, a roughly 70% immigrant-owned business corridor, and at least four projects that have "languished for years." Scott said it is "better than doing nothing." Strezo did not respond to the roll call.

Support for Striking Encore Boston Harbor Workers – Approved (all councilors signed on)

Councilor Clingan's resolution puts the city on record supporting the indefinite strike by UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 workers at Encore Boston Harbor, urges residents not to patronize the casino during the dispute, and calls on Encore and Wynn Resorts to bargain in good faith. Clingan said 319 Local 25 members and 723 Local 26 members live in Somerville, 58 of whom work at Encore: "There is no Encore without these workers." Somerville resident and Local 25 chief steward James Atkins told the Council he has three roommates and walks from Belknap Street to the resort to save money, and that Encore brought in "847,000,000 from this single resort" last year. Chef Freddie Sanchez Vasquez also spoke. McLaughlin, who said he can see the casino from his house, recalled that labor backed the casino on the promise of good jobs and "if we're not getting good jobs out of this, I don't know what we're what we're doing here." Scott cited reported operating profit of $230 million a year. The clerk read the sign-on list as Clingan, Ewen-Campen, Link, Hardt, Davis, Strezo, Sait, Mbah, and Wheeler; Scott and McLaughlin also asked to be added.

Finance Committee Items – Approved

The Council accepted the Finance Committee report (meeting of Sept. 3) and approved the following, with the two Tufts Street items passing by roll call with 10 in favor:

• $332,497 payment from UniFirst Corporation into a new Tufts Street Soil Project Stabilization Fund, and appropriation of the same amount for cleanup and soil disposal at 50 Tufts Street. Chair Wheeler said the committee asked about the contamination history, neighbor notification, exposure during cleanup, and whether the agreement limits the owner's future liability; he said the follow-up information was "satisfactory and reassuring."
• $284,700 Massachusetts Gaming Commission grant for the Eastern Washington Street Transit Priority Project (pedestrian and traffic safety improvements).
• $366,729.25 MAPC grant for new Bluebikes e-bikes, replacement batteries, and two new docking stations (at Blessing of the Bay and Junction Park near Central Street), plus $85,933.60 from the Boston Region MPO for replacement Bluebikes equipment. Wheeler noted the local contribution comes from Bluebikes revenue, not the general fund.
• $315,000 transfer from the Sewer Enterprise Debt Service Account to the Morrison Avenue & Greater Davis Square sewer separation design fund, allowing the city to pay short-term borrowing costs rather than roll them into long-term debt.
• $187,200 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant for the "Green and Cool Somerville" sidewalk and tree project, targeting tree canopy where narrow streets make planting difficult.
• Police grants: $65,000 (Metro Boston Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Center), $12,000 (jail/arrest diversion program), and $20,239 (World Cup overtime reimbursement). The committee asked how diversion program client data is stored and shared.
• $60,000 DPW transfer for temporary clerical staffing while several clerical positions remain vacant.
• $8,800 for FY27 cost-of-living increases for two Deputy Police Chief positions.
• $3,572 prior-year invoice for the ArcGIS Urban module.

Street Restoration and Utility "Pavement Degradation" Fee – Sent for discussion

Two Clingan orders were approved and sent to the Sustainability and Infrastructure committee. The first asks Engineering and DPW whether the city can require full-lane or curb-to-curb restoration on streets that have passed the five-year street opening moratorium but are still in good condition. The second asks about a Street Preservation Offset Fee modeled on Cambridge's program. Clingan described streets like Heath Street being freshly paved and then trenched for gas work a year later, and Thurston Street as "like driving on the moon," noting the city repaves only about 1% of streets per year.

Construction Timeline Enforcement – Sent for discussion

Two more Clingan orders, also sent to Sustainability and Infrastructure, ask Engineering, DPW, and Procurement to review how the city sets and enforces construction timelines (milestones, staffing levels, liquidated damages) and to explore tools used elsewhere such as performance incentives and "A+B" cost-plus-time bidding. Clingan said contractors often work aggressively for a few days and then leave "one person in a backhoe," and that liquidated damages of about $500 a day are too small to matter, citing the Tufts Street and Pearl Street projects.

Other Items

• Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day (Sept. 15) resolution – Approved, with the whole Council signing on. Mayor Wilson's matching proclamation was placed on file. Ward 1 resident Jim Dolan, who has the disease and said he was misdiagnosed for nearly twenty years, spoke.
• Welcoming Week proclamation (Sept. 10–19) – Placed on file. Mayor Wilson and Office of Immigrant Advancement Director Maria Theresa Nagel spoke.
• School Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee report – Approved (see Key Discussions on the teen center).
• Small prior-year invoices ($1,687.50 Fire Department medical screening; $19.76 phone interpretation) – Approved.
• Arts Council Board appointments (Lena Warnke, Josh Breeden, Sharon Lacey, Bess Paupeck) and Ranked Choice Voting Committee appointment (Christopher Oates) – Placed on file.
• Licenses and public event permits (Honk! Festival, Gobble Gobble Gobble Road Race, Bow Market Renaissance Faire, Theatre@First's Iphigenia in Nathan Tufts Park, Junkyard Davis Square, 9/11 Remembrance, Truck O' Treat, and others) – Approved.

Key Discussions

Civilian Oversight of Police – Placed on file; formal proposal expected at an upcoming meeting

Public Safety for All Manager Hellman gave a brief history: the Human Rights Commission raised the idea in the early 2000s; a 2020 survey found 81% of residents supported an oversight entity; the Council produced a 2021 analysis report; and a task force created in 2023 released an extensive report in February 2025 covering mission, structure, staffing, budget, and timeline. Hellman flagged two constraints: the state POST Commission, which already receives all complaints and can decertify officers, and collective bargaining with police unions, since changes to working conditions must be negotiated. The Council went into executive session with labor counsel for about 75 minutes, then returned to discuss in public. No votes were taken in executive session.

Davis noted for the record that the Council's June 2020 resolution (with Scott and Mbah) predated the mayor's call and led to the 2021 analysis. In open session, councilors laid out priorities:

• Ewen-Campen: the body must have "a significant role in in investigations and disciplines," access to information, and subpoena power; "there's no meaningful oversight unless they have the ability to conduct those informations and make decisions."
• Scott urged not repeating other cities' failures: "We're not that special." He described filing complaints himself, including about an officer who he said "lied directly to this council," and pointed to Cambridge, where body camera footage "isn't helping a soul right now."
• Davis said past bodies failed because "they weren't empowered, and in some cases, they weren't properly funded," and that "a body made up of civilians that has oversight of policing" should be the baseline. He cited subpoena power, information access, a process for public release of information, a meaningful disciplinary role within civil service law, and a role in policy.
• Wheeler: "Accountability is not anti police. Accountability is pro police." He asked that the body review patterns and policies, have access to funds for investigations, and have regularly scheduled communication with the department.
• Link wants the body to function "regardless of who sits in the office over there." Sait wants members with expertise, a strong disciplinary role, parallel investigations, and access to footage. Mbah said civilians "should actually have upper hand" on final discipline decisions. Hardt asked that the key reference documents be posted in one public place; Hellman committed to report back on posting them to the Public Safety for All webpage.

Next steps per Hellman: an administration update item with a committee presentation later this month, a public hearing hoped for in October, then ordinance drafting in Legislative Matters.

Cummings School Winter Warming Center After-Action Report – Referred to Public Health and Public Safety

Intergovernmental Affairs Director Amanda Najeeb Williams said the city plans to use the Cummings School again this winter but is "actively working to identify other locations for future winter seasons," will hold both pre- and post-season listening sessions with abutters, and has submitted an updated MOU to the School Committee. Strezo asked whether the concerns she raised at the last meeting, including reports of street harassment of high school girls and younger children by people near the site, were incorporated, saying she did not feel they were "taken seriously." Link said overcapacity and the resulting lines are "probably one of the big causes" of neighbor complaints and urged consulting the Somerville Homeless Coalition rather than reinventing the wheel. Ewen-Campen said he reads the report as taking neighbors seriously and highlighted the uncovered queuing area on Prescott Street, suggesting a seasonal structure in the unused parking lot on the other side of the school. McLaughlin referred the item to his committee's Sept. 30, 6:30 PM meeting and asked the administration to prepare responses.

Cummings School Teen Center Not Feasible

Reporting from the School Building Facilities and Maintenance Committee, Link said the committee received "disappointing news that renovating the Cummings school for just about any use would be prohibitively expensive," so it will not become a teen center. He said both the Council and School Committee recognize the need to find a space given the Edgerly (the former teen center) will be unavailable for years, and urged finding "the best bad answer" so current kindergartners might see a teen center before college. The committee also reviewed Winter Hill School site questions (ledge depth, geothermal, parking) and MSBA follow-ups, and closed custodial and rodent items with thanks to DPW.

Zoning Cleanup Package – Referred to Land Use

Six administration zoning amendments (correcting parking maximums, removing ground story elevation requirements, streamlining review board jurisdiction, aligning with state law on protected accessory dwelling units, clarifying principal entrance requirements, and updating affordable dwelling unit and commercial space terminology) were referred to Land Use with a copy to the Planning Board. Najeeb Williams described most as "tidying up" rather than overhauls. Link's own amendment to Section 3.1.7.c, which overlaps with the ground story elevation item, was referred alongside it; Davis said the committee may merge or amend the two after the hearing. Ewen-Campen said a public hearing is set for October 1.

Notable Moments

• Two councilors announce resignations. As late items, Ewen-Campen (Ward 3) and Scott (Ward 2) each submitted irrevocable resignations effective December 31, 2026, and asked Davis to place an order for a special election on the next agenda. Mbah then said he would like to know the election date "so I can know when to submit my resignation so that my successor can start immediately with the other newly elected"; Davis said he would discuss succession under the charter with him. No deliberation occurred because the items were not noticed.
• Strezo–Ewen-Campen exchange. During the warming center discussion, Strezo said she hoped "anybody who is the father of daughters" would consider young constituents' safety. Ewen-Campen responded that he had "no idea" why his colleague was implying he did not care about residents' safety: "I find it, frankly, insane." Strezo called the remark "disrespectful," and Davis cut off the exchange and referred the item.
• Missing committee report. Scott noted no committee report from Tuesday's Legislative Matters meeting appeared on the agenda despite three public hearings; Davis said one would be added to the next meeting.
• Civic Day. Davis welcomed attendees from Civic Day, saying the Council was "the headline event of Civic Day for the first year ever."
• Block parties. Davis and Link encouraged residents to attend or organize block parties, with Link promoting the "Play Streets" concept in his neighborhood.

What's Next

• Administration to submit a formal civilian oversight update with a committee presentation later this month; public hearing hoped for in October.
• Special election orders for Wards 2 and 3 expected on the next Council agenda.
• Land Use public hearing on the zoning amendment package (and Link's 3.1.7.c amendment) on October 1.
• Warming center after-action report to Public Health and Public Safety on September 30, 6:30 PM; Strezo said she will file a related order at the next meeting.
• Referred to Finance for recommendation: $350,000 from the Immigrant Legal Services Stabilization Fund for legal services for immigrants seeking permanent residency; $255,045 for FY27 Vision Zero; $215,919.15 MAPC grant for HHS staff; three State 911 grants totaling roughly $480,000; $80,852.95 in prior-year DPW invoices; a $9,809.81 body armor grant; and Armory (191 Highland Ave.) commercial arts space leases, which Davis said were not finalized in time for regular notice.
• Clingan's street restoration, pavement fee, and construction timeline orders go to Sustainability and Infrastructure.
• Legislative Matters committee report to be added to the next agenda.
• Marianne Walles' comments on zoning sections were placed on file with a copy to Land Use.