Everett

Everett City Council

Monday February 12, 2024

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The order of items in transcripts is the chronological order in which they were taken up. Some Agenda items may have been skipped.

Section 1

The Everett City Council holds a meeting with several speakers and councilors present. The meeting discusses various matters, including a proposed amendment to the city's zoning regulations, a request from National Grid for permission to install underground conduits, and concerns about National Grid's lack of accountability and failure to fulfill promises. Councilors Rogers, Martins, and Petrantonio all vote no on the National Grid request in solidarity with the ongoing issue.

Section 2

The Everett City Council is discussing a petition from National Grid regarding the Mystic Avenue area. Councilors are concerned about the lack of information and the potential for multiunit buildings or businesses in the area. They also bring up previous problems with National Grid, such as the lack of response to issues at Glendale Towers. The council ultimately decides to postpone the decision to their next meeting and send an invitation to National Grid to attend and answer questions. During the public participation portion of the meeting, several individuals, including representatives from the Friends of the Malden River, speak in support of the council's resolution to enforce National Grid's obligations to provide public access to the river. They express concerns about National Grid's lack of compliance with Chapter 91 regulations and the impact this has on the community's right to access the waterfront. The councilors commend the speakers for bringing attention to this issue and express their hope for the restoration of public access to the river.

Section 3

A resident of Everett, Massachusetts discusses several agenda items at a city council meeting. The resident expresses concerns about the city's plans for the old high school, which is in need of renovations, and the lack of progress on addressing overcrowding in schools. They also bring up a recent controversial vote by a school committee member and their potential appointment to the Board of Assessors. The resident calls for fiscal responsibility and action from the city council.

Section 4

Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to provide an update on the process of selecting a new permanent fire chief. We have invited the director of HR and the president of the firefighters union to speak tonight.

Section 5

Council members from the City of Everett discuss the process of hiring a new fire chief. The councilors mention that the city has not had a permanent chief since 2016 due to a civil service requirement. They explain that provisional chiefs have been appointed in the interim, but the permanent hiring process has been delayed. The HR director for the city explains that they have secured an assessment center in partnership with civil service and have a timeline in place to hire a new chief by May. The union representatives for the firefighter's union also confirm that an agreement was made in 2022 to use an assessment center for the hiring process. The assessment center will work with civil service to create a list of eligible candidates, and the final decision will be made by civil service based on a combination of the assessment center results and education/experience qualifications. There is also discussion about a federal grant that would have allowed the city to hire eight new members at no cost, but it is unclear why the city did not accept the grant.

Section 6

The discussion is about the process for selecting the next permanent chief for the Everett Fire Department. The previous chief, Anthony Carli, was appointed through an assessment center process that was subject to litigation. The current process for selecting the next chief involves an assessment center and is agreed upon by all parties. The assessment center will rank candidates and the top candidate is expected to be appointed by the mayor. If the mayor does not choose the top candidate, there is a process through civil service. Chief Carli did not take a civil service test, but did go through the assessment center process.

Section 7

The cities of Everett, Medford, and Malden have been trying to get National Grid to fulfill their commitment to build a public access walkway along the Malden River as part of their license agreement under Chapter 91. National Grid has appealed this requirement and attempted to withdraw their application, but the cities have successfully intervened and are now in a seven year administrative trial process to get the path constructed.

Section 8

The city council discussed the need for National Grid to fulfill their obligation to provide public waterway access in Everett. They also discussed the benefits of Chapter 91, which requires construction projects to provide public access to waterfront areas. The council is planning to draft a letter to National Grid and the Department of Environmental Protection urging them to fulfill their commitments. The council also discussed other developments in Everett that have complied with Chapter 91, such as the Encore casino and Village Landing Park. In other business, the council confirmed the appointments of Millie Cardillo and DeAnne Mullett to the Board of Assessors and Board of Health, respectively. The council also accepted donations to the Fire Victims Fund from the De Maria family and city employees.

Section 9

26 comes up in the future. It seems like things are subsiding, but you never know. JABOUIN - So we're just paying for two attorneys. MEJIA - Yes. And there was a lot of work. They also had to also review the agreement between the school department and the city and the parties and navigate that for us. JABOUIN - Through you, to the council, these attorneys have been hired, they're getting paid. I would advise, I would advise that these attorneys, that we hired to do this particular job, understand that we have a very diverse population in the city, and that we're not going to take this kind of behavior lightly. And I would hate to keep pulling out money to have attorneys come to defend bad behavior and that we're not, the city is not prepared to address. So I just want to make that very clear, that it's not like we have, that we have money trees growing in the city of Everett. So that 150,000 that we're paying for attorney fees could be used for other things, and it's unfortunate that we're paying this again. And I hope that this is the last time that we get to pay attorney fees like this. We have a diverse population. If anyone thinks that they can't deal with the diversity, then they probably should move on to another job. Because this is not going to stop. The city is not going to stop being diverse. And that's the way it is. That's the way it's going to be. And I hope that these attorneys are listening, because this could be the last time that this council approves 150,000 for attorney fees. Thank you. SPEAKER4 - Favorable action. SPEAKER28 - 2nd. VAN CAMPEN - Motion has been made and seconded for favorable action. No further discussion. Clerk will call the roll, please. SPEAKER2 - Councilor Elsie Jeanine? SPEAKER3 - Yes. SPEAKER2 - Councilor DePiro? Yes. Councilor Garcia. SPEAKER5 - Yes. SPEAKER2 - Councilor Marchese. Yes. Councilor Martins. Yes. Councilor Pietrantonio. Yes. Councilor Rogers. SPEAKER6 - Yes. SPEAKER2 - Councilor Smith? Yes. President VanCampen? Yes. 9 ayes

Section 10

0.2 The city is still in the process of renegotiating the Encore host agreement and have not reached an agreement yet. Negotiations are ongoing and updates will be provided as they become available.

Section 11

Councilors are discussing the renegotiation of the host community agreement with Encore Casino. Councilor Martins makes a motion to postpone the item to the first meeting of April for an update on any new developments. Councilor Matewsky expresses concerns about the high volume of emergency calls to the casino and suggests that they should contribute to building a public safety building in the area. Councilor Mejia mentions that the community has expressed interest in having Wynn be a more visible partner and contribute to public safety. It is clarified that the east of Broadway proposal will have a gaming component and is owned by Wynn. Councilor Marchese asks about the ownership of the casino building and the new development, and if the city has the ability to hold up permits in order to negotiate a new agreement. There is no committee or community members involved in the negotiations. Councilor Garcia brings up the state's approval process for the new development. Councilor Marchese expresses concern about having a starting point and regular updates on the negotiations. The administration agrees to provide updates as requested by the council.

Section 12

Councilors DiPierro and Matewski are requesting that the administration consider repaving a street that the Sikh temple community has been requesting repairs for quite some time. They ask that the repaving take place when the weather permits.

Section 13

Councilor DiPierro is proposing to revive the school finance review commission in accordance with the administrative code. He believes this will help with collaboration between city government, the school department, and the school committee. He is not seeking to create a new commission, but rather revive an existing one that has been on the books since 2012. He is asking for favorable action and has provided the composition of the commission for reference.

Section 14

This content is about a city council meeting where various resolutions and orders were introduced. Some topics discussed include the need for more regular communication between the council and the school department, the possibility of implementing a tiered fine structure for street sweeping violations, and the request for more information on the performance and revenue of the city-owned ambulance. Other topics include expected decreases in property values due to upcoming developments, the possibility of developing 55+ housing communities in the city, and amending the public participation rules to comply with a recent court ruling.

Section 15

Councilor Pietrantonio has requested an update from the transportation director on the number of trucks that have been stuck in the roundabout at Ferry Street and Chelsea Street since its installation. He received an email from Jay Monty stating that the city is working with the state to redesign the roundabout due to multiple incidents. Councilor Pietrantonio would like to transfer this item to the traffic commission for further discussion. The motion to refer this item to the traffic commission was seconded and passed.

Section 16

The Everett City Council met to discuss a variety of resolutions and items, including a request for information on designated positions with special municipal employee status, an update on the reconstruction of a local park, concerns about infrastructure improvements and the addition of thousands of apartments in the city, and the costs associated with the old Everett High School. The council also addressed several maintenance requests, such as adding a trash barrel near a bus stop and installing a speed bump near a local school. Before adjourning, a council member reminded the community of the upcoming celebration of Lunar New Year and wished everyone a happy Valentine's Day.