City Council Newsletter for April 2018

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I am writing this from the warm city of San Antonio. My wife, Kerry, is presenting at a conference here and I am tagging along for a few days. Our kids are sharing time with my parents and Kerry’s parents. It is definitely helpful to have two sets of grandparents right in Framingham!

It is hard to believe that it has only been a month since my last newsletter – so much has been going on in Framingham, much of it so positive. It is exciting to see downtown construction underway. The next few years are definitely going to represent a change in the personality of our downtown.

Here are a few Framingham highlights from this past month for me and my family:

On March 24, the Framingham Elks hosted a celebration with BBQ and live music for a local Special Olympics team, of which my daughter Nora is a member. Thank you to the Elks for their hospitality!

On March 25, me, my daughter Maggie, and her friend played in the mini golf fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund at Framingham High School – and hosted by the FHS Honor Society. A very fun event that I hope will become an annual tradition.

Saturday, March 31, the whole family including my sister-in-law, her husband, and their twins, attended the Easter Egg Hunt at Cushing. Afterward, I participated in a delegate workshop for the Democratic State Convention this June.

Finally, Saturday, April 7 was the Saxonville Open Studios. So many great artisans and shops to explore. The Saxonville Mills are an excellent example of repurposing of old industrial buildings. As a certified coffee addict, I am especially excited about the new coffee shop opening soon at the corner of Concord and Elm. They had samples at the open studios and it is definitely good stuff!

The last couple Council meetings have been absolutely packed as well.

Items of note from April 3 include:

• An update from the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection on the status of three major areas of environmental concern in South Framingham: General Chemical, Mary Dennison Park and 350 Irving Street. The history of environmental abuse in this section of Framingham is shameful and it is good to hear that we are making headway in addressing these issues. Mary Dennison Park in particular has the potential to be an amazing community resource for the neighborhood once it is safe and has appropriate amenities. Councilor Judy Grove has been instrumental in pushing these important issues forward.
• A presentation from Annabel Dodd of the town cable advisory board on the status of negotiations for new cable contracts with the three companies in town: Verizon, RCN, and Comcast.
• We had our first reading of a budget request from the Mayor and DPW for funds for a supplemental brush clean up. This has since been approved and will be implemented beginning May 7. Given the extent of damage throughout Framingham, I think this is a worthy effort though I also appreciate the Finance Committee’s effort to maintain oversight of the spending involved by approving $200,000 with additional funds available upon request.
• This was also a first reading of a request for an appropriation to fund a settlement with one of the police department’s bargaining unit. Major kudos to Councilor King, who as chair of the City Council Finance Committee encouraged the police department to identify available funds within the existing budget rather than a supplemental request. These funds were ultimately found so that a supplemental request was not needed.
• Councilor Tully-Stoll pointed out to the Council that Clear Channel had recently declared bankruptcy and this might prove to be an opportunity for the city to regain control and ultimately remove some of the Comcast-owned billboards in Framingham. I would be particularly happy to see the removal of the billboard that blocks the view of our downtown mural near the train station. Councilor Tully-Stoll received the City Council’s support for a request of the City Solicitor to inquire with the bankruptcy court the potential for the city to acquire these billboards.

Items of note from April 17 include:

• We had a presentation from Wendy O’Malley of the state Dept. of Energy Resources on PACE, a loan program that would allow small businesses to purchase more efficient infrastructure including heating and cooling equipment. I had learned about the PACE program last December and had mentally filed it away for a future Council meeting.
• The Fuller Building project team came by with an updated presentation on the status of the project. The building designs represent a needed improvement to the existing building, which is deteriorating quickly. However, the Council expressed concerns about the rising price tag of the project and requested more detail on the source of the price increase.
• The Council approved 8-3 the recommendation of the Marijuana Task Force to refer a temporary moratorium to the Planning Board for public hearings. More thoughts on the work of the MJ task force are below.
• The Mayor and Director of Human Resources Director, Dolores Hamilton, shared information on the employee classification plan and its relation to the two new positions created by the Mayor without Council approval, the senior adviser for external affairs and the senior policy adviser. The Council remains uniformly convinced that these positions should have received our approval prior to being filled. The focus for these positions now turns to the FY2019 budget. As a member of the finance committee, I hope and expect that the Mayor will make a clear case for why the two positions are necessary, valuable, and appropriately salaried.
• We approved the four citizen members of the traffic commission, a group that will broad responsibility over traffic issues in Framingham, roadway rules, signage etc.

Committee Updates

Finance Committee:

The Finance Committee has begun the monumental task of reviewing the FY19 operating and capital budgets. The school department prepared their budget early so we were able to meet with Dr. Tremblay and review his budget request. His presentation gave a good overview of the needs of the school system and an explanation of the school department’s budget process. I was especially impressed with the use of zero-based budgeting and the effort to align the budget with the strategic plan of the school system.

We have also starting examining the capital budget requests of various departments. Part of this effort is unraveling the history of town meeting authorized capital projects and the status of these projects, some of which are still being funded years after authorization.

Rules Committee:

At our next Rules Committee meeting on May 1, we will be looking at a Council code of conduct, which will help to guide the behaviors of councilors and members and applicants to the various committees and task forces under the guidance of the City Council. A particular emphasis will be on appropriate online interactions and the need for decorum in our e-mails and social media posts.

Education Committee:

The Education Committee will meet on May 1. Our focus will be on the need to move toward universal broadband and wireless access in Framingham. Every year, Internet access becomes more and more essential to being an active and engaged citizen. While we focus on an improved city website, access to materials, and online posting of videos and documents, we need to be mindful that

Marijuana Task Force:

The marijuana task force is a group made up two councilors – Mr. Rossi, serving as chair, myself, the police and fire chiefs, the health director, planning board administrator, a designee from the Mayor’s office, and an advocate. It is our job to develop a set of recommendations for the marijuana industry, which can then be presented to the full Council for approval.

The fundamental question we are tasked with answering is the number and location of marijuana establishments including retailers, cultivation and manufacturing facilities, and testing laboratories. I encourage anyone with feelings on the issue to contact me directly by e-mail, phone, or during office hours – or to come to a task force or city council meeting and speak during public participation. The marijuana industry represents a unique economic opportunity for Framingham and it must reflect the needs and interests of Framingham residents.

Upcoming events I will attend:

April 22 Democratic Town Committee

April 23 Metrowest Chamber of Commerce Meet and Greet at Volturno

April 23 Education Committee

April 25 Finance Committee

April 26 3-5 pm office hours with Cheryl Tully Stoll at Sofa Cafe

April 28 Framingham Gun Buyback

April 28 Earth Day Celebration

May 1 Rules Committee

May 1 City Council

May 2 and 3 Finance Committee

I hope that this newsletter was helpful. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.

Thank you for subscribing!

–Adam

asteiner@framinghamma.gov