City Manager Louis A. DePasquale Submits Proposed FY23 Budget to Cambridge City Council

On May 2, 2022 the City Manager submitted the proposed Operating and Capital Budgets for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), as well as the proposed FY24-FY27 Operating and Capital Plans.

The Operating Budget of $801,451,870 represents an increase of $48,754,799 or 6.5% over the FY22 Adjusted Budget. The proposed Capital Budget is $164,063,235.

The public is encouraged to review the budget document, which contains a special joint City Manager and Mayor COVID-19 message; Consolidated Spending information across departments on key priority areas; City Council Goals; Key Initiatives for FY23 (Section I); narratives for each Department (Section V); and FY23 Capital projects (Section VI).

There will be public hearings on the FY23 Budget at the City Council Finance Committee on Tuesday, May 10 at 9:00am; Wednesday, May 11 at 6:00pm (School Department); and Tuesday, May 17 at 10:00am.

Link to Open Meeting Portal

The projected budget adoption date is Monday, June 6, 2022.

Link to FY23 Submitted Budget (PDF)     Significant Budget Modifications (2-page PDF)

Links to Specific Sections of FY23 Submitted Budget (PDF)

On Boiling Frogs and Showdowns Pending - May 2, 2022 at the Cambridge City Council

As expected, the FY2023 City of Cambridge Budget has arrived just in time for the Budget Hearings to get underway. As the potholes grow larger and cash falls like manna from heaven, I’m buckling my seat belt for several weeks of emphasis on diversity, equity, inclusion, climate change, municipal broadband, alternatives to policing, de-funding the police and, of course, bikes lanes. Public Comment will likely bring cries that the City Budget has no HEART (but plenty of CARP), plus outrage from the Left (and especially Councillor Zondervan) about the ~$5 million increase in the Police Dept. budget.

Though not on this agenda, I can’t help but speculate how things will play out politically ~18 months from now when the funds for the promised $22 million in ARPA funds to be paid in monthly $500 installments directly to eligible residents runs out (just in time for the next municipal election). I’m very curious about who will be making the eligibility decisions. I also fully expect there will be a lot of pressure to extend or even expand the program permanently out of local taxes - though that would require state legislative action.

Here are the items that boiled up from the firmament this week:

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the FY2023 submitted budget and appropriation orders.
pulled by Nolan; Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Here’s a spreadsheet showing how things have changed from last year, from 2 years ago, and from 18 years ago.

Here’s an alternate version that shows proposed vs. actual and projected budgets.

And the annual raft of Loan Orders:

Manager’s Agenda #2. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,800,000 to provide funds for the replacement of existing gas boilers at the Morse and Cambridgeport schools.
pulled by Nolan; Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $13,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets, sidewalks and bike facilities.
pulled by Carlone; Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $78,500,000 to provide funds for the construction of sewer separation, storm water management and combined sewer overflow reduction elimination improvements within the Port, Alewife and Central Square areas as well as the Sewer Capital Repairs Program and climate change preparedness efforts.
pulled by Carlone; Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Manager’s Agenda #5. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $15,000,000 to provide funds for the design and construction of a multi-use paths Danehy/New Street Path, Linear Park and Grand Junction Path, which runs from Henry Street to Gore Street on both City, MIT and MassDOT property.
pulled by Nolan; Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Manager’s Agenda #6. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $14,600,000 to provide funds for the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan.
pulled by Nolan; Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $37,000,000 to provide additional funds for the construction of improvements at the Fire Station Headquarters Building located at 491 Broadway.
Passed to 2nd Reading 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

That’s $159.9 million in loan authorizations on top of $41.2 million in the Public Investment category.

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Manager’s Agenda #11. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $1,500,000 from the Mitigation Revenue Stabilization Fund to the Public Investment Fund Community Development Extraordinary Expenditures account from MIT Development for Volpe Project ($500,000) and Alexandria RE Equities/Design & Construction ($1,000,000) and will be used to support the design and construction of the Grand Junction Multi-use Path.
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Together with Manager’s Agenda #5 (above), it looks like we'll be seeing some movement on the Grand Junction Path real soon - perhaps in time for it to link up with the Somerville Community Path. Ultimately, it would be great if the path can also cross the Charles River on the other half of the RR bridge that runs under the BU Bridge and ultimately will connect with future (pretty damn exciting) amenities in Allston that will come with the realignment of the Mass. Pike.

Manager’s Agenda #13. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $23,100,176 received from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the new Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFRF) established by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to the Grant Fund Finance Department Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used for a number of projects related to City Council priority areas particularly: homelessness and housing support, COVID testing, mental health services, job training, food insecurity, small business support, and infrastructure including items related to water, and broadband.
pulled by Zondervan; Charter Right - Zondervan

I’m looking forward to a more complete accounting of all of the ARPA appropriations, including the initiative announced at the recent “State of the City” event. I hear echoes of former City Manager Bob Healy saying “one-time non-recurring expenditure” and wonder how much tax-supported permanence may end up being baked into these ARPA allocations.

Charter Right #1. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back on the feasibility of providing all Cambridge high school students with free Charlie Cards throughout the school year. [Charter Right – Simmons, Apr 11, 2022]
Simmons motion to refer to Transportation Committee Fails 3-4-1-1 (DS,PT,QZ - YES; DC,MM,PN,AM - NO; SS - ABSENT; BA - PRESENT)
Tabled 7-1-1 (Nolan - NO; Siddiqui - ABSENT)

On the Table #2. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Emergency Management Performance Grant from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in the amount of $39,600 to the Grant Fund Fire Extraordinary Expenditures account which will be used to support the purchase of a new vehicle for the Emergency Preparedness and Coordination office. [Charter Right - Nolan, Mar 7, 2022; Tabled - Mar 21, 2022]
Order Adopted as Amended 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT); Note: Revised to be a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle

Councillor Nolan continues her audition for Purchasing Agent.

Resolution #4. Congratulations to the Outstanding Employee Award Winners.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Azeem, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Toner, Councillor Zondervan
pulled by Mallon; Resolution Adopted as Amended 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

I have often attended this award ceremony (May 13, 10am, Sullivan Chamber) which will presumably also include the presentation of the (not yet announced) Brian Murphy Award. Past recipients include Owen O’Riordan (2015), Ellen Semonoff (2016), Jeana Franconi (2017), Richard Rossi (2018), Lisa Peterson (2019), Branville Bard (2020), and Claude Jacob (2021).

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department to look into the feasibility of mailing “Watch for Bikes” stickers to residents who have applied for a residential parking permit for the next application cycle in 2023.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Azeem, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted 7-0-2 (Siddiqui, Zondervan - ABSENT)

Needless to say, if you’re already checking your side rear-view mirror you are likely already watching for bikes. The issue is whether you are so callous that you don’t care. Perhaps we need a sticker that says something like “Be Thoughtful”.

Order #2. That the City Manager is requested to work with the Community Development Department, the Traffic, Parking & Transportation Department and the Department of Public Works to look into the feasibility of placing a covered bike rack at City Hall using FY23 Capital Budget Funding.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Azeem
Order Adopted 7-0-2 (Siddiqui, Zondervan - ABSENT)

I will simply note that half of the parking spaces along Dorothy “Dottie” Doyle Way behind City Hall are now reserved for city councillors regardless whether or not they are in the building or if they drive a car. Perhaps those spaces should again be made available to all City Hall employees in conjunction with the installation of a covered bike rack.

Order #3. City Council support of H.938 and H.998/S.569, Extended Producer Responsibility for Paint and Mattresses.   Councillor Azeem
Order Adopted 7-0-2 (Siddiqui, Zondervan - ABSENT)

Order #4. City Council support of H.R.2644, the Green New Deals for Cities Act of 2021.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui
Order Adopted 7-0-2 (Siddiqui, Zondervan - ABSENT)

Although there are some worthy priorities floated in this bill, it is for the most part a boondoggle authored by the extreme Left - including the whole “Squad”. A trillion here, a trillion there and at some point you’re talking real money. This being Cambridge, of course, the only question is whether or not this resolution passes unanimously.

Order #5. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate staff to light up City Hall and painting crosswalks for Pride Month 2022.   Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Nolan
Order Adopted 7-0-2 (Siddiqui, Zondervan - ABSENT)

I have a related question: For how long does a flag or other decoration marking a particular holiday (or sentiment) remain on City Hall after the holiday has passed? Mr. Frederick Hastings Rindge (1857-1905) would like to have a word with you.

Committee Report #1. The Ordinance Committee met on Mar 9, 2022 to conduct a public hearing on a petition to amend Article 20.90 - Alewife Overlay Districts 1-6 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance by inserting a new section entitled Section 20.94.3 - Temporarily prohibited uses (ORDINANCE #2022-1). [Text of Committee Report #1]
Report Accepted, Placed on File; 5 Orders Adopted 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Committee Report #2. The Ordinance Committee met on Apr 7, 2022 to continue a public hearing on a petition to amend Article 20.90 - Alewife Overlay Districts 1-6 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance by inserting a new section entitled Section 20.94.3 - Temporarily prohibited uses (ORDINANCE #2022-1). [Text of Committee Report #2]
Report Accepted, Placed on File; Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT), Petition Passed to 2nd Reading as Amended 8-0-1 (Siddiqui - ABSENT)

Though this should have been addressed several years ago when concepts for the Alewife Quadrangle were discussed in some detail, it sure looks like the City Council is on the verge of passing their proposed development moratorium. Needless to say, a moratorium is not an actual plan. – Robert Winters

Comments?

Just Another Manic Monday - April 25, 2022 Cambridge City Council Meeting

Here are the items of significance that jumped out at me this week:

Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on COVID-19.
Placed on File 9-0

Every day is another day of wishin’ and hopin’ that this pandemic will wind the hell down. The case numbers are up substantially, but at least yesterday’s wastewater figures suggested a possible leveling - and that’s usually a good leading indicator of what’s to come. In the meantime, avoid all people between the ages of 20 and 40 (except via Zoom).

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Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Victoria Harris as an Election Commissioner for a term of four years, effective April 1, 2022.
Placed on File 9-0

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Kathleen Born as a member of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for a term of five years, effective June 26, 2022.
Referred to NLTP Committee 9-0

Excellent reappointments. As the communications makes clear, appointments to the Election Commission are not subject to Council review, and appointments to the Redevelopment Authority have always been subject to Council review.

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Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 21-8, regarding eliminating hostile architecture.
pulled by Zondervan; Placed on File 9-0

The report on “defensive design” or “hostile architecture” from CDD and DPW is refreshingly thoughtful and balanced on a subject that all too often descends into mindless ideology. Thank you.

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update from the Planning Board on discussions of allowing Multifamily Housing citywide.
pulled by Azeem; Referred to Housing Committee 9-0

This report shows wisdom and flexibility, but my concern is that the request for further policy guidance from the City Council will result more in ideology than in the kind of wisdom that anticipates both intended and unintended consequences. Most of us will agree that allowing more flexibility across all residential districts is generally a good thing, but doubling or tripling allowable densities based purely on ideological grounds would be a mistake.

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Charter Right #2. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to an update on MassAve4 and request for approval for the approach and timeline for implementing separated bike lanes on these critical segments of Massachusetts Avenue. [Charter Right - Carlone; Apr 11, 2022]
Order Adopted 8-1 (Simmons - NO)

Order #3. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Traffic and Parking Department to work diligently with the MBTA to remove the catenary wires as soon as possible, and/or investigate the possibility of the City removing the catenary wires itself and commit to moving forward with the design and installation of the proposed “partial construction” bike lanes only when the wires have been removed.   Councillor Toner, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Simmons
pulled early by Toner; Fails 3-6 (Carlone, Simmons, Toner - YES)

Order #6. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Traffic and Parking Department to forego its original plan for “quick build” implementation and ensure that the implementation of bike lane infrastructure in Porter Square is accomplished as part of the whole of the Massachusetts Avenue 4 section, when the catenary wires and median strip are removed so that Porter Square may be included in the plans for ‘partial construction” infrastructure as part of one, cohesive plan stretching from Dudley Street to Waterhouse Street to be completed no later than Apr 30, 2026.   Councillor Toner, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Simmons
pulled early by Toner; Fails 2-7 (Simmons, Toner - YES)

Lotsa communications about bike lanes.

Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting a letter sent to the MBTA.
Placed on File 9-0

The Cambridge Bike Safety group has now declared war against Councillor Carlone for daring to break The Pledge by being a cosponsor of these Orders. It’s nice to see that three councillors have spines and are willing to let Reason prevail over Religion. That said, I’m sure both Orders will be amended into irrelevance or simply defeated by Those Who Dare Not Bite The Political Hand That Feeds Them. None of this is about safety – it’s all about turf. There are many ways to deliver safety for road users that deviate from the script of the Bicycle Safety Ordinance.

I used to naively believe that the primary purpose of elected office was to be a custodian of the public interest. I now see it as being primarily about power - gaining it and using it - and this disappoints me to say the least.

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Charter Right #3. That the City Manager is requested to confer with City departments, including the Community Development Department and the Department of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation to consider the feasibility of implementing a similar program and any other ways to enforce the anti-idling law. [Charter Right - Azeem; Apr 11, 2022] [Order #2 of Apr 11, 2022]
Order Adopted as Amended 9-0; Referred to Traffic & Transportation Committee

Just because you don’t like idling vehicles doesn’t mean you want to empower bounty hunters.

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On The Table #5-11. Appointments and Reappointments to City Boards & Commissions on hold while City Council pipes in Muzak to appointees.
Approved 8-0-1 (Carlone - ABSENT)

Order #2. City Manager Report on Boards and Commissions.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Carlone
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Carlone - ABSENT)

It’s hard to say whether the pending appointments/reappointments will now be allowed to go forward or if the councillors will continue to fiddle and diddle. I just wish they would be more honest about the real purpose of all this, i.e. filtering candidates for any Board that might possibly stand in the way of building anything less than the maximum housing density imaginable. Even worse, I expect many of those decisions will be made in the homes of political activists.

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On The Table #12. Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Emergency Management Performance Grant from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in the amount of $39,600.00 to the Grant Fund Fire Extraordinary Expenditures account which will be used to support the purchase of a new vehicle for the Emergency Preparedness and Coordination office. [Charter Right – Nolan, Mar 7, 2022; Tabled – Mar 21, 2022]

Councillor Nolan continues her audition for Purchasing Agent.

On the Table #13. The Ordinance Committee met on Feb 9, 2022 to conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (2021-26). [Charter Right – Zondervan, Mar 28, 2022; Tabled Apr 4, 2022 - Zondervan] [Committee Report]
Adopted Amendments (as circulated to councillors but not to public) 9-0; Placed on File 9-0

When we actually get a Committee Report (now rarer than hen’s teeth), it ends being Tabled. Some of us actually like to know what City Council committees are doing without having to run through long and boring videos that often do not provide any accompanying documentation.

Applications & Petitions #1. A Zoning Petition has been received from Craig A. Kelley regarding The Cambridge Transportation De-Carbonization and Congestion-Mitigation Bill. (Ordinance #2022-13)
Referred to Ordinance Committee and Planning Board 9-0 (re-filed due to lack of cover letter)

I’m not quite sure why this is being re-introduced at this time. There’s already an Ordinance Committee meeting scheduled for May 4 on this petition. Has the petition been amended?

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Resolutions #2-9. Congratulations on the promotions within the Cambridge Police Department.
Adopted 8-1 (Zondervan - NO)

It is noteworthy that the only city councillor voting against these congratulatory resolutions was Councillor Zondervan who (unbelievably) was appointed as Chair of the Public Safety Committee by Mayor Siddiqui.

Resolution #11. Resolution on the death of Mary M. (Sullivan) Carven.   Councillor Toner, Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Azeem
Adopted as Amended 9-0

Resolution #13. Wishing Artis Spears a Happy 90th Birthday.   Councillor Simmons
Adopted 9-0

If there was ever a family that should be considered the Cambridge Royal Family it would be the Sullivan family. I will also join in with Happy Birthday wishes for Artis Spears, one of the great First Ladies of Cambridge.

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Order #1. That the City Manager confer with the Cambridge Heath Alliance, the Department of Public Works, the Inspectional Services Department and other relevant departments regarding the building condition and what repairs are needed at 205 Western Avenue to allow the Cambridge Community Center to house their program.   Vice Mayor Mallon, Councillor McGovern, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Azeem, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Nolan, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toner, Councillor Zondervan
pulled by Mallon; Adopted as Amended 8-0-1 (Toner - ABSENT)

This seems like an excellent proposed use for this building, and any costs necessary to bring this building into compliance seem to align well with the criteria for the current ARPA funding - much moreso than many of the other ARPA funding requests that are now under consideration. This is not the only City or City-related building that has been allowed to deteriorate which could and should be put to better use.

Speaking of ARPA funding, apparently the Cambridge Housing Authority is the overwhelmingly loudest bird chirping for funds. They are requesting $82.3 million out of an available $55 million that has not yet been allocated. Other Big Requests were $15 million from the “Project Right to Housing” group, a $13 million request for Starlight Square, and $5.5 million for that political patronage program that markets itself as the “HEART proposal.” Many who are requesting ARPA funds like to point to the fact that the money is not subject to the “Anti-Aid Amendment”, but this only makes me wish that they were so that the budgeting process would not be twisted by politically connected interests.

By the way, whatever happened to that idea of building a bridge over the tracks connecting the Alewife Triangle and Quadrangle or the modest pedestrian bridge over the Little River in that area?

Order #4. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the Department of Public Works to devise ways to encourage residents to request the smallest size they need and to keep waste output low with the rollout of the new bins in June.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui
pulled by Azeem; Order Adopted 8-0-1 (Toner - ABSENT)

This is a welcome Order. According to the citywide mailing that arrived this week, my triple-decker would get two gigantic 65 gallon toters that not only are too big to manage but far in excess of the rubbish generated by my building even when operating at full capacity. We'll probably be OK with just a single 45 gallon toter (or less). We ran through the same song and dance when single-stream recycling was introduced. Are Cambridge residents really as wasteful as the proposed allocation suggests. Good grief!

Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Mayor Siddiqui, transmitting information about the Universal PreK ad-hoc for Universal Pre-K.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (Toner - ABSENT)

Another year, another advisory committee. - Robert Winters

Comments?

Nobody Gets Out Alive - but let's talk about Cause of Death

Apr 30, 2022 – At the April 25 City Council meeting, Councillor Azeem made a statement (see video from 4:33:43-4:34:20) that suggested that the most likely cause of death for a person in his age range was getting killed by a motor vehicle while riding a bike. He even challenged anyone to look it up on the CDC website, so I did. Some statistics from 2020 (the most recent year when full statistics are available) are given below. Nobody, least of all me, is suggesting that riding a bicycle in an urban environment, or in any other environment, is completely safe. However, let’s be clear what the most likely causes of death are for young people like our rookie councillor. Let’s also be clear that people in these youthful age ranges are far less likely to die than much older people, i.e. the greatest advantage of youth.

Cause	Ages 15-24	Pct	Ages 25-34	Pct	Ages 15-34	Pct
Unintentional Injury	15117	42.2%	31315	42.6%	46432	42.5%
Homicide	6466	18.1%	7125	9.7%	13591	12.4%
Suicide	6062	16.9%	8454	11.5%	14516	13.3%
Heart Disease	870	2.4%	3984	5.4%	4854	4.4%
COVID-19	501	1.4%	2254	3.1%	2755	2.5%
Other	6800	19.0%	20354	27.7%	27154	24.8%
Total deaths	35816	100.0%	73486	100.0%	109302	100.0%

The category of “Unintentional Injury” includes many subcategories. (Presumably, “Poisoning” includes deaths by drug overdose.)

Unintentional Injury	Ages 15-24	Pct	Ages 25-34	Pct	Ages 15-34	Pct
MV Traffic	6741	44.6%	7929	25.3%	14670	31.6%
Poisoning	6664	44.1%	20938	66.9%	27602	59.4%
Drowning	593	3.9%	611	2.0%	1204	2.6%
“Pedal Cyclist”	25	0.2%	30	0.1%	55	0.1%
Other	1094	7.2%	1807	5.8%	2901	6.2%
Total deaths	15117	100.0%	31315	100.0%	46432	100.0%

The subcategory of MV (Motor Vehicle) Traffic includes many particular accident types and victims:

MV Traffic	Ages 15-24	Pct	Ages 25-34	Pct	Ages 15-34	Pct
Pedestrian	600	8.9%	1172	14.8%	1772	12.1%
Pedal cyclist	73	1.1%	85	1.1%	158	1.1%
Other	6068	90.0%	6672	84.1%	12740	86.8%
Total deaths	6741	100.0%	7929	100.0%	14670	100.0%

If we group things according to these more specific causes of death for people in these age ranges, here’s what the data says:

Cause	Ages 15-24	Pct	Ages 25-34	Pct	Ages 15-34	Pct
Homicide	6466	18.1%	7125	9.7%	13591	12.4%
Suicide	6062	16.9%	8454	11.5%	14516	13.3%
Poisoning	6664	18.6%	20938	28.5%	27602	25.3%
other motor vehicle death	6068	16.9%	6672	9.1%	12740	11.7%
Pedestrian death	600	1.7%	1172	1.6%	1772	1.6%
Pedal cyclist death	98	0.3%	115	0.2%	213	0.2%
all other causes	9858	27.5%	29010	39.5%	38868	35.6%
Total deaths	35816	100.0%	73486	100.0%	109302	100.0%

Looking at the cumulative totals for these various causes of death for people in the 15-34 age range, one might think that the rhetoric among city councillors might be more focused on the relative dangers of homicide, suicide, and drug overdose than about whether or not bicycle lanes are or are not separated from other traffic. Indeed, being killed as a pedestrian appears to be far more likely than when riding a bicycle. No doubt this is in part attributable to there being more people traveling on foot than on bicycle, but it does seem worth noting. – RW

FY2023 Budget Summaries/Appropriation Orders now available

City Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the FY2023 submitted budget and appropriation orders.

Here's a spreadsheet showing how things have changed from last year, from 2 years ago, and from 18 years ago.

Here's an alternate version that shows proposed vs. actual and projected budgets.

The biggest changes:
Mayor's Office budget increased 29.7% - reasons unknown
Election Commission budget increased 23.7% - likely related to costs of Early/Mail-In Voting
Human Rights Commission budget increased 32.1% - reasons unknown
Peace Commission budget increased 20.2% - reasons unknown
New budget category for “Community Safety” with a proposed budget of $2,874,570 - Details
Overall City Budget increase of 7.2% over FY2022 Adopted Budget
Loan Authorizations increased from $83,910,865 to $159,900,000 [Note: it was $275,300,000 in FY2021]

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FY2023 Budget Book Coming Soon

Apr 28, 2022 – I am expecting the City of Cambridge FY2023 Budget Summary to be included in the City Council’s May 2 meeting materials available later today. I am especially interested in what the document says about the proposed new “Community Safety” budget category and whether this includes patronage funding for the “HEART proposal” that has been advocated by several political entities. My main question is whether any allocation for a purpose such as this is subject to M.G.L. Chapter 30 (Uniform Procurement Act) which would require competitive bidding from qualified vendors for services such as this. I am hopeful that the City administration will propose a better model that works in conjunction with the Cambridge Police Department.

The full FY2023 Budget Book should be available on Monday, though it might be available online before that. Budget Hearings start May 10.

Tues, May 10

9:00am   The City Council's Finance Committee will meet to conduct hearing on FY2023 City Budget.  (Sullivan Chamber and Zoom)

Budget Overview Mayor’s Office Executive - Leadership Executive - Diversity Executive - DGVPI Executive - Equity and Inclusion     Public Information Office Tourism Housing Liasson	City Council City Clerk Law Finance Admin.     Budget Personnel Purchasing Auditing Assessing	Treasury/Revenue Information Technology     General Services Employee Benefits Election Commission Public Celebrations Reserve Animal Commission	Community Safety (new) Fire Department Police Department Traffic, Parking & Transportation Inspectional Services License Commission Electrical Emergency Communications
Those marked in bold are the ones pulled for discussion.

Wed, May 11

8:00-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee meeting  (Zoom)

11:00am   The City Council's Health and Environment Committee will meet to discuss the report from the Climate Crisis Working Group received by the City Council on April 4, 2022.  (Sullivan Chamber and Zoom)

6:00pm   The City Council's Finance Committee will meet to conduct hearing on FY2023 School Budget.  (Sullivan Chamber and Zoom)

Tues, May 17

10:00am   The City Council's Finance Committee will meet to conduct hearing on FY2023 City Budget.  (Sullivan Chamber and Zoom)

Cambridge Health Alliance     Public Works Water Community Development Historical Commission	Peace Commission / PRAB     Cable TV Debt Service Library Human Services	Women’s Commission Human Rights Commission     Veterans’ Services MWRA Cherry Sheet	City Overview Section Financial Summaries Section Revenue Section Public Investment Section
Those marked in bold are the ones pulled for discussion.

Thurs, May 19

9:00am   The City Council's Finance Committee will meet to conduct hearing on FY2023 City Budget (if needed).  (Sullivan Chamber and Zoom)

Plague Report (May 3) - The rising tide of Covid cases and wastewater counts continues

There were 175 new COVID positive tests reported today, and the 7-day daily average decreased monentarily to 125.7. The all-time high in the 7-day average was 382.4 on Jan 9 and the daily high water mark was 629 cases with an onset date of Jan 4. The total number of residents who have tested positive is now 25,059. The main Omicron wave crested over three months ago, and the Omicron BA.2 subvariant is now the predominant threat - now up to 92.2% with the remaining 7.8% a combination of the BA.1 and BA.1.1 variants as detected in wastewater samples in Middlesex County. The Cambridge total increased by 175 today in addition to 95 yesterday and 21, 154, 130, 213, 155, 152, 53, 78, 35, 145, 126, and 213 in recent days. Time will tell how long this rocky road continues. The percentage of positive tests (measured over the last two weeks) stands at 4.2% (previous rates 3.85%, 3%, 2.3%, 1.94%, 1.63%, 1.71%, 1.56%, 1.09%, 0.87%). Most importantly, the effects of the virus appear to be much milder than previous variants.

New omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1 on the rise in New England, COVID strain appears to be ‘even more transmissible’

The subvariant accounts for 20% of new cases (Boston Herald, Apr 20, 2022)
“The subvariant BA.2.12.1 — an offshoot of the BA.2 omicron “stealth” variant — now accounts for 20% of new COVID cases in New England, according to the CDC tracker. That’s almost double from 11.5% during the previous week.”

Boston-area COVID wastewater data starts dropping: ‘I’m cautiously optimistic’

‘We may be starting to turn the corner’ (Boston Herald, Apr 24, 2022)
“The closely monitored Boston-area COVID-19 wastewater data has started falling in the past few days, sending an encouraging signal to local infectious disease experts who are “cautiously optimistic” about this virus drop.”

Most Americans have been infected with the coronavirus at least once, the C.D.C. says (New York Times, Apr 24, 2022)
“By February 2022, roughly 64 percent of adults 18 to 49, about half those 50 to 64, and about one-third of older adults had been exposed to the virus, according to the study.”

Click on graph above for latest Cambridge data.

May 3, 2022 Breakdown of Cases:
25059 tested positive (total) - an increase of 175 from the previous day
163 confirmed deaths - 84 in long-term care facilities, 79 in general community

Thanks to vaccinations, even though the 7-day averages were dreadful
the impacts were not as bad as they could have been.

City of Cambridge Covid Information     Harvard University COVID-19 data     MIT COVID-19 data

Driven by Spike Among Grad Students, Harvard On-Campus Covid Cases Rise (Harvard Crimson, Apr 14)

The surge in new positive tests was due to a combination of the Delta variant and the Omicron variant.
High vaccination rates have helped to blunt what might have been a larger surge and far more deaths.

Covid Cases by Age Group - through May 3, 2022

(click on above graph for the latest)
MWRA Biobot wastewater data - May 2, 2022

MWRA Biobot recent wastewater data - North System - May 2, 2022
Note the recent rise due to the BA.2 variants - still increasing. Further note that the 7-day average once
reached as high as 8644 and had risen to 675, now stands at 592 and is again rising after a week-long drop.

Sample Date	4/9	4/10	4/11	4/12	4/13	4/14	4/15	4/16	4/17	4/18	4/19	4/20	4/21	4/22	4/23	4/24	4/25	4/26	4/27	4/28	4/29	4/30	5/1	5/2
North System (copies/ml)	483	397	565	630	647	851	752	640	654	572	641	456	571	624	524	471	471	426	623	505	833	697	493	662
Northern 7-day Avg.	412	418	460	486	492	551	601	625	672	673	675	642	606	590	574	547	532	502	525	516	537	560	564	592

Initial Screening Committee for the City Manager Search Finalized (Apr 14, 2022)

Brian Burke - Resident Advocate Kathleen Moore - Resident Advocate Susan Fleischmann - Resident Advocate Banti Gheneti - Resident Advocate Mo Barbosa - Health & Human Services Representative Rachel Weinstein - Cambridge School Committee Representative     Christine Elow - Public Safety Advocate Michael Monestime - City Planner

Vernon Walker - Non Profit Representative Thomas Lucey - Higher Education Representative B. Kimmerman - Large Business Representative Jason Alves - Small Business Representative Elaine DeRosa - Affordable Housing Advocate Chris Cassa - Arts/Recreation Advocate James Kaufman - Municipal Finance Representative

Cambridge City Manager Search

2022 Cambridge City Manager Leadership Profile (final revision of job posting)

There was an Ordinance Committee meeting on April 13 “to conduct a public hearing on Ordinance #2022-2 charter change municipal code amendments.” At this meeting the following language was proposed by the City Solicitor and amended by the City Council:

Be it ordained by the City Council as follows:
That Cambridge Municipal Code Chapter 2.02 entitled “City Council” shall be amended by the addition of the following two sections:

Section 2.02.090 Annual Review of City Manager’s Performance

A. As provided in G.L. c. 43, § 116(a) the City Council shall prepare and deliver to the City Manager an annual written performance review of the City Manager’s performance.

B. The annual written performance review shall address the City Manager’s performance during the prior year and the issues work that the City Council would like to be addressed performed by the City Manager in the following year.

C. The written report of the annual performance review of the City Manager conducted by the City Council should be based upon written information submitted to the City Council by the City Manager in the regular course of the business of the City, and upon an oral performance review meeting conducted individually or severally by and between the City Councillors and the City Manager.

D C. The annual written performance review shall be completed and delivered to the City Manager by no later than March 30 of each year and shall encompass the City Manager’s performance during the preceding calendar year.

Section 2.02.100 Special Committee to Review the City Charter Every Ten Years

A. As provided in G.L. c. 43, §116(b), no later than July 1 in each year ending in 2, beginning in 2022 and every 10 years thereafter, the City Council shall establish a special committee tasked with reviewing the City Charter and recommending any proposed changes the special committee deems necessary or desirable.

B. The special committee shall:

(i) be made up of [NUMBER] 12-18 of registered voters of the City, not currently holding any elective office in the City;

(ii) include [NUMBER] [be made up of members selected by an ad hoc committee of four councillors appointed by the Mayor] of special committee members appointed by the Mayor, [NUMBER] of special committee members appointed by the City Manager, and [NUMBER] of special committee members appointed by the Superintendent of Schools;

(iii) hold all of its meetings in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law and keep written minutes of all meetings which shall be submitted to and approved by the special committee at its next meeting;

(iv) hold not less than [NUMBER] of duly posted and advertised public meetings to seek input from members of the community on whether any changes to the City Charter should be made and the reasons why any proposed changes would be desirable, the beneficial effects that any such changes would have upon the electorate and the community in general, and the beneficial effects that any such changes would have upon the reasonable operation and effectiveness of City government;

(v) submit a written report to the City Council within one (1) year of its appointment, unless the special committee seeks an extension of the one-year period for enumerated reasons stated by the special committee and the City Council approves the requested extension of the one-year period by majority vote. The written report shall include any charter changes the special committee recommends as necessary or desirable by a two-thirds vote of the special committee, and shall include the reasons for the recommended changes to be made and the anticipated effects of the changes as set forth in subsection (iv) above; and

(vi) dissolve once it files its written report with the City Council.

C. Action on any proposed Charter changes shall be as authorized by law.

Both sections (as amended) were forwarded unanimously to the full City Council with positive recommendations.

Featured recent stories in the Cambridge Chronicle (the paper of record) - with some comments:

If you would like to subscribe or pick up a free paper copy at various sites, I encourage you to do so. It really is The Paper of Record.

The Chronicle Companion: Week of May 2 - 8, 2022 (posted May 2, 2022)

Cambridge Community Foundation awards $516K in grants to 73 nonprofits (Apr 28, 2022)

Cambridge earmarks $22M in APRA funds for basic income program (Apr 28, 2022)

Full text of City Manager Louis DePasquale's 2022 State of the City Address (Apr 28, 2022)

Full text of Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui's 2022 State of the City Address (Apr 28, 2022)

PHOTOS: Scenes from Cambridge's 'state of the city' addresses (Apr 28, 2022)

In Cambridge, Hubba Hubba gets a makeover (Apr 28, 2022)

Cambridge children's librarian retires after 40 years (Apr 21, 2022, updated Apr 27)

Cambridge relief grants help keep restaurants afloat (Apr 27, 2022)

Advocates call for Baker to extend pandemic rental assistance (Apr 25, 2022, updated Apr 26)

The Chronicle Companion: Week of April 25 - May 1, 2022 (posted Apr 25, 2022)

Will the image on the MA state seal change? Here's why the commission may need more time (Apr 25, 2022)

Cambridge councillors endorse proposed 4% tax on wealthy (Apr 20, 2022)

The Chronicle Companion: Week of April 18-24, 2022 (posted Apr 17, 2022)

Cambridge salutes Rumba as Police Dept. retires K9 officer (Apr 15, 2022)

Boston Marathon's 'Original 8' women ran on 'momentous day' in 1972 (Apr 13, 2022, subscribers only)
Very nice to see my friend and neighbor Sara Mae Berman quoted and in several of the photos!

Kathrine Switzer still rewriting Boston Marathon history 50 years later (Apr 12, 2022)

Time to expand bottle bill has come, Cambridge lawmaker (Marjorie Decker) argues (Apr 13, 2022)

Campaign to change the perception of survivors of sexual assault, abuse (Apr 12, 2022)

Cambridge not doing enough to reduce carbon footprint, report argues (Apr 12, 2022)

Grant ensures continuation of trauma-informed law enforcement training in City of Cambridge (Apr 12, 2022)

The Chronicle Companion: Week of April 11-17, 2022 (posted Apr 11, 2022)

New book celebrates, documents Cambridge community gardens (Apr 6, 2022, updated Apr 7)
I highly recommend this article and the referenced online publication (and not just because I'm pictured in it back when I had long hair!)

Mystic River trails project to focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety (Apr 6, 2022, Arlington Advocate)

The Chronicle Companion: Week of April 4 -10, 2022 (posted Apr 3, 2022)

City leaders: Bishop Allen Drive project exemplifies Cambridge values (Apr 3, 2022, updated Apr 4)

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