##VIDEO ID:bxnEIIaNXdg## good evening welcome to the January 13th city council meeting please rise to salute the flag I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all all right roll call of the members councelor agenzio here here councelor ginino here here councelor greo SAA here here councelor H here here councelor hero here here councelor Kelly here here councelor McKenna here here Council noeli here councelor sylvestri here here Council zambuto here here and council president cogliandro here here qum is present approval of the Journal of the regular meeting of December 9th so move so Ed point of personal privilege Mr President State your point counselor thank you Mr President on December 21st Rivier lost Peter de Julio um I just take a minute to to remember him he was a longtime educator more than 40 years um I grew up I went to the Lincoln school and I had Mr D as he was known back then as a health teacher and you know it's funny growing up you know we talked about health we talked about everything in the schools sports and then later on in life we ended up talking about our children and our families but he was a he was a great man um became great friends later in life and we always had a connection we shared a few laughs at the thanks Thanksgiving Day football game and just want to say we're thinking of thinking of his family thank you C item number three approval of the Journal of the regular meeting of December 16th so move so ordered calendar item number four election of the 2025 city council president table I will motion to move to the election first ballot for the 2025 city council president councelor agenzio councilor Mar sylvestri Areno voting for sylvestri councelor Cogan I'm sorry councelor janino councelor ma sylvestri voting for sylvestri councelor greo SAA councelor ma sylvestri voting for councelor sylvestri councelor H councelor ma sylvestri councelor H voting for councelor sylvestri councelor Haro councelor mark sylvestri councel Haro voting for councelor sylvestri councelor Kelly councel Ma sylvestri councelor Kelly voting for councelor sylvestri councel McKenna counil sylvest councelor McKenna voting for councelor sylvestri Council noeli councelor Mark sylvestri councelor novasel no noveli is voting for councelor sylvestri councelor sylvestri councilor sylvestri councilor sylvestri voting for councelor sylvestri Council zambuto councilor Mark sylvestri Council zambuto voting for councel sylvestri and city council president councel C Leandro councelor Mark Christopher sylvestri voting for councelor sylvestri councelor Mark sylvestri is the 2025 city council president the city clerk will now proceed to administer the oath of office to council president syve councelor President elect sylvestri council president Alex sylvestri please raise your right hand and repeat after me using your own name after I say I I Mark sylvestri do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impartially that I will Faithfully impartially discharge and perform discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me all the duties incumbent upon me as city council president and city council president according to the best of my abilities and understanding according to the best of my abilities and understanding agreeably to the rules and regulations agreeably to the rules and regulations of the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth of the Constitution and the laws of the Comm so help me God so help me God congratulations thank [Applause] you I'm going to be real brief um I want to thank everyone who's here tonight I want to thank my colleagues for your support um as I said before we're never always going to agree but I think we all can agree that moving the city forward is the most important thing and we have to do that together so I hope 2025 we can move on and make it the best city for Rivier moving forward and um we have this here Council called Leandro um actually gave me the um I'd say guts in in the the understanding that I was able to to handle the role he he showed me that even being young onto the counil that there was ability of leadership and guidance and I look forward to to taking a little bit of your Page Buddy and um congratulations man thanks [Music] [Applause] if I may I just again I I think I've thanked the council a hundred times this year for their their trust in me um I the one person I haven't thanked and the most important person is our city clerk Ashley Melnick [Applause] um anyone who is lucky enough to sit back here understands how important she is to the city but let me tell you I have never never had somebody have my back like she did as president if I was successful this year it was only because of her guidance and knowledge and I just want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart thank [Applause] you e [Music] Madame clerk can we have a motion to elect the vice president sure so we're on calendar item number five election of the 25 city council vice president councelor aeno councelor Joanne McKenna councelor agenzio voting for councelor McKenna councel cogliandro councelor Joanne McKenna councelor cogliandro voting for councelor McKenna councel janino councelor McKenna councel janino voting for councelor McKenna councelor Gino SAA councel Joan McKenna councel Gino SAA voting for councel McKenna councel H councel Jo McKenna councelor h v voting for councel McKenna councel Haro councelor Joan McKenna councelor Haro voting for councelor McKenna councelor Kelly councelor Kelly voting for councelor McKenna councelor McKenna councelor Joan McKenna councelor McKenna voting for councelor McKenna councel noeli councelor Joan McKenna councel noveli voting for councel McKenna councel sylvestri I mean sorry councelor zambuto Council Joanne McKenna Council zambuto voting for Council McKenna and city council president sylvestri Council Joanne McKenna city council president sylvestri voting for councelor McKenna Council McKenna is the 2025 city council vice president e oh yeah [Music] oh Council vice president elect McKenna please raise your right hand and repeat after me using your own name after I say i i i j McKenna do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and impartially that I will Faithfully impart and impartially discharge and perform discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me all the duties incumbent upon me as vice president of the Rivier city council as vice president of the Rivier city council according to the best of my abilities and understanding say it again according to the best of my abilities and understanding according to the best of my abilities and understanding agreeably to the rules and regulations to the rules and reg regulations of the Constitution of the Constitution and laws of the Commonwealth and laws of the Commonwealth so help me God so help me God congratulations I'm nervous are you nous am nervous 10 years and I'm nervous do you believe that thank you very much for the support of my colleagues thank you very much and thank you for to to Ashley melanic who has had my back also for the last 10 years thank you next up is Rule 34 public comment pursuant to chapter 402 of the acts of 1965 okay anyone that is a r resident or business owner that would like to speak on anything on the agenda is this is your opportunity to do so after this 30 minutes that will be closed and we'll move on from public speaking do we have anyone that wants to speak on any topic tonight please state your name and address and agenda motion on okay again Wayne Rose 360 R Street I just have a couple questions going to stay on now which item will be speaking on Mr Rose keeps going off I turned it back on but it keeps strug going off it's working now yeah just stand here and'll be fine so I'm just wondering does the state need permission to put migrants in that whole in any hotel in Riv um jeopardizing the safety of our citizens my second question is is there any way to change how our our state is a sanctuary state so that that makes us all a sanctuary City even though we say we're not a sanctuary City we fall into a sanctuary state is there any way that R can change that um and I those are my only two questions uh thank you thank you for your comments Mr Rose is do I do I get an answer my questions so well it's it's legislation that comes to the state we can we can request and and ask for support in those areas but these are out of our purview as a city council to for us to address so the city city council has no right to say that migrants can't be in hotels and re is that what I'm getting I believe so wow okay thank you any other comments name and address in the agenda item my name is Anthony Canino and I'd like to ask the chair a question what is on the agenda I don't know what what's on the agenda CU I like to I like to talk about the uh school if I can is that on theend agenda no the school is not on the agenda tonight well if it isn't they should repeal it anyway because it's going to send the city bankrupt and you're all going to be a receivership thank you Mr K A half a million a half a billion dollars that is nothing I don't even think har than Yale is worth that much thank you any other comments for anything going on tonight's agenda thank you very much next calendar item man pursuant to rule 23 of the city council Rules of Order the following motions or Communications are being reported out of committee with a recommendation to be placed on file calendar item number six motion presented by Council councelor cogliandro that the city council hold a meeting in executive session with the mayor and city solicitor pursuant to Mass General laws chapter 30A section section 21 A3 for the purpose of discussing the ongoing imminent domain litigation relative to the Wonderland site Council C Leandro thank you Mr President um place on file we just had an executive session on this okay thank you place on file calendar item number seven motion presented by councilors McKenna and renzio that the mayor request the traffic commission to assess the activation of the 15minute grace period button on parking meters in the Broadway Central business district the activation of this feature will provide customers with free parking for 15 minutes to run quick errands without being penalized Council McKenna thank you Mr President um I'd like to keep this keep it in committee counsel jio all yes I I believe we did this um a couple of meetings ago I believe it's going to coun or the um Economic Development uh subcommittee and I'd like it to uh stay there so we can further discuss it thank you councelor councilor Haro uh uh Mr President of course uh it's on uh at your at your discretion who will continue to chair certain committees but uh it's something that we weren't aable to finish up in the economic development uh subcommittee and with um I'd love to Contin to I'd love to take it up earlier this year if I'm still the chair and if not encourage the new chair to um to take it up so if we could send it right back to that subcommittee I'd much appreciate it thank you councelor keep it in committee all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number eight motion presented by councelor Haro that the city council refer the following proposed ordinance to The Climate sustainability and Workforce subcommittee for further discussion an ordinance creating stronger jobs for rier residents and improving the well-being of R's Working Families Council har uh thank you Mr President and uh of course I know that the council is very committed to ensuring that we have strong jobs in the Commonwealth and in the city um we filed this initially um prior to some uh State legislation that has been passed to ensure that any public money warrants um you know the ability for project labor agreements and for good strong paying jobs in our city since filing this motion um the legislature has taken up language to enshrine project labor agreements in the Massachusetts general laws and um and therefore this motion is actually not really needed anymore so I'm happy with they discharging it or placing it on file placing on file all in favor all opposed so AED calendar item number nine motion presented by councilors noveli and Gino SAA that the mayor reinstate the outside water meter program to allow seniors to monitor water usage outside without adding the sewage charge the water department should provide seniors with an acceptable outside adapter for under $40 to enable them to take the meter to the water department for proper credit Council novaski thank you Mr President Mr President um this hasn't been solved yet and it's still being investigated so I'd like to uh put it back in committee or whatever committee the other Affairs is going to begin committee Council ginosa I agree with Council noas salski okay this will be going to Human Services subcommittee all in favor all opposed so on calendar item number 10 a presentation by the chief of planning and Community Development and Jason shriber of stantech on the Broadway Corridor parking study Mr President councelor jio I believe that went hand inand uh with the 15minute grace period so maybe this presentation can happen at the subcommittee meeting sounds good all right thank you place it in subcommittee all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 11 an ordinance further amending the zoning ordinances of the city of Riva repelling the definition and use of mechanical parking systems this was originally proposed by councelor Kelly councelor Kelly thank you thank you Mr President um I'd like to request that this be sent to a public hearing unfortunately um it was not able to be heard on the uh zoning subcommittee's agenda in the past zoning subcommittee meeting so I'm I'm requesting that it be sent to a public hearing thank you sending it to public hearing all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 12 motion presented by councilors cogliandro Gino SAA H Kelly McKenna sylvest and zimuto that the mayor chief of police and superintendent of schools begin exploring the feasibility of hiring a security company and or adding more student resource officers to Rivier High School to help combat the ongoing and worsening issue in and around Rivier High further that the mayor chief of police and superintendent report their findings to the city council within 30 to 60 days Council kandre thank you Mr President uh since this was filed they they have added uh campus supervisors that are also security at the high school there's been a fourth SRO and they also have the behavioral health unit from the Riva Police Department in the high school um I'm happy to place this on file it it's been very quiet looks like whatever is going on is working so happy with that uh I don't know how the the co-sponsors of the motion feel thank you councelor Council H thank you Mr President I'd like to Echo councilor Cog leandro's statements um seems like it's been pretty quiet over there so everyone's seems like they're doing a great job and um I I I agree with placing this one on file thank you thank you counselor Council H mu uh Mr President thank you and um I I agree with whatever the sponsors of the odor do but I want to take ad advantage of this quick moment uh around Public Safety to thank uh the Rivier Police Department uh who responded to various uh violent incidents that happened in the Rivier Street neighborhood last week uh thank them for their bravery um and for uh you know it sounds like uh hopefully there's progress or there may be progress in that investigation so really appreciate that also for some of the community members who are here present who um actually kept us informed at their own risk so much appreciate it looking at you uh trouble and so uh uh but but really uh I know we have some of the finest uh men and women uh of any Force so much appreciated as we talk about Public Safety so thank you councelor placing on file all in favor all opposed so order calendar item number 13 motion presented by counselors C Leandro Gino SAA H Kelly McKenna sylvestri and zamoto that the mayor and superintendent of public schools be requested to begin exploring the cost to install metal detectors at Rivier high school and that the findings be reported to the city council within 30 to 60 days Council C thank you Mr President um I had every intention of placing this on file today uh and then last night there was a a threat on the Garfield and the high school which was investigated it turned out it was nothing to worry about so I I'm second guessing wanting to do that um I just don't see why we couldn't have portable ones that we could put places in the schools this is about safety um we had talked about Panic buttons prior um so I'm not sure how everyone else on the motion feels about it I'm kind of torn whether to place it on file or keep it in committee thank you Council green o thank you Mr President um I was torn as well but there's nothing more important and precious than our our children and um medical the metal detectors in the school could help keep them safe now I I know there's a lot of a lot of questions about it people that want it people that don't want it but I I feel that in order to keep security and safety of our children at our Forefront it would be a good idea to keep it in committee um metal detective they prevent the weapons to be coming into the school such as guns the knives and stuff like that and it'll make just having the awareness that there's a metal detector there will probably not have them bring it into school and it will protect our children you know I I understand that many people don't like them but I think we should keep it in committee not to let this die down because it is a very important topic and just the safety of our kids is number one period thank you thank you councelor Council Kelly thank you councelor councelor zambuto uh thank you Mr President uh I too want to keep this in committee I think we need to talk about this and uh this probably a way to get it done thank you thank you counselor Council Ken McKenna thank you Mr President um uh this year alone there was 600 I think 600 or 6, uh 300 uh guns knives all kinds of paraphernalia that went through the TSA in the airport it was stopped um I think that we should protect our children I've always believed in metal detectives I'm I want them here in City Hall I know it's people don't agree with me but if we're going to keep our children safe then this is the way to do it so I'd like to keep this in committee thanks permission to speak from the chair thank you um I I see it's the will of the council to keep it in committee and I I agree um because I I think that a a subject like this is important enough to keep a conversation around maybe metal detectives is not the answer but uh a conversation at keeping the school safe on how we get there and and invite parents students and and get everyone involved in the decision I think it's it's important so um if the will of the council I say we put it into Public Safety Committee all in favor all opposed so what Communications and it just has it's been requested by the election commissioner that Council order the calendar item number 15 be taken up before 14 it's like putting the cart before the horse on that one okay so calendar item number 15 communication from the election commissioner relative to the 2025 municipal election calendar commissioner name and address please Mr President congratulations on your election um this item has been before you in the past as you know we have a municipal election cycle coming up uh it is the responsibility of the council to set the preliminary election if it is required and then the dates that revolve around that date as well as uh the dates that revolve around the general election so you have the calendar if there is a need for PR preliminary election it would be held on the 3D Tuesday in September uh that is in in accordance with uh state law it is not uh conflicting at all with the Jewish holidays at the latter part of September so um I would ask for Council approval of the calendar as submitted on the motion to approve the 2025 municip IAL election calendar all in favor all opposed so ordered uh Mr President the other item on the agenda uh is 253 relative to early voting as you probably know from previous discussions early voting is required in any state election under the votes act in the case of local elections there is an optin provision in the law uh the city has opted in in the past the board and myself as a member of the board are recommending that we continue continue to do that uh since early voting is is a common thing now as well as vote by mail which we will also be doing for the election um our recommendation is that we do one week of early voting for the preliminary election if if there is one and one week for the municipal the thinking being that it's not a mayoral race where there's a lot of you know a lot more interest and that under state law when it's a state general election we are required to have two weeks um we have the we have the voting as you know in this room and it's a bit of a logistical I think it works well overall people seem to like it the voters but it's a bit of a logistical challenge especially when there's Council and other board meeting so this way it would hopefully at the most conflict with maybe one of your meetings in both of those cases so that's the recommendation uh and I do need a council vote of support uh in order for us to opt into that process thank you commissioner fahe councelor um do you know what other municipalities like ours are doing and they do only one week also I'm not certain councelor I think in general when it's a non-moral election that that is the case but every every Community is sort of does its own its own thing um I'm not sure what other communities do to be honest okay and uh what do the state law mandate so the state law only relates to State elections and that mandates that any state election similar to the one that we just had does have a two-e requirement um and for the for the primary for a state primary uh it's a onee requirement um would you would you accept a friendly amendment to include this to be a 10 days that way we can include the preceding weekend to ensure that folks that can't make it during the week can also participate during the Saturday and Sunday before the election what I would ask if that's the council's will is is that maybe we could hold this this does not have to be approved tonight the reason being that it has to come based on a recommendation from my board from the board of election Commissioners I'm not sure that they would be opposed to it but I think by doing it here without a recommend Commendation we could we could be in an issue with the with the law so if it's a council's will we'll I'll bring it back to the board and and see what their recommendation is and then we the council can take a future action on doing the two weeks or not as the election commissioner is that something that you'd be open to I guess I don't want to I don't want as the department administrator yeah we'll we'll make it work I mean there's there's a cost associated with that obviously and we'll we'll reflect that in the FY 26 budget submission um but procedurally the election commission I mean I honestly if the if if that's the will of the council I don't think the election commission as a board is going to say no but procedurally we need to that's how the process works they have two at least two of them have to recommend to the council that you opt in to the process so if I'm I'm not sure what the procedure would be the clerk could probably advise us just hold it or whatever but um we can certainly bring that back that's the will of the council do still allow for participation for working families that uh if we could hold this until we hear back from the commission is that okay with if it's the yeah I think we should take a roll call Mr President Council zambo I don't think it's necessary I don't even think one week is necessary for the primary uh I think you know if it was mandated I'd be fine but I'm certainly not in favor of any more than one week if the the will of the council is a week I'll have to go along with that but my opinion is we don't need it at all c i I do think I don't want to speak to councelor Haro but I do think his were you going to say two weeks for both elections councilor or just for the general 10 10 days not even two weeks just so that we can allow so a week out before the election is it a week out before the election or a week or seven days up until the Friday we model on the state so for the state election for the primary we do one week so we do the Saturday to the following Friday of the Friday before the election so there is a there is a weekend that's what I'm recommending that's oh so then actually then so there is weekend okay yes it was unclear to me whether be the weekend actually we don't if we could Mo vote on this down so the week is inclusive of a weekend yeah yeah love it when a plan comes together on the motion to approve early voting for The 2025 municipal election all in favor all opposed is is this for seven or 10 days as is I please the dates for the opt-in early voting would be as follows as presented by the election commissioner for the preliminary election if it's required which would be held on September 16th the early voting dates for that would be September 6th Saturday September 6th Sunday September 7th Monday September 8th Tuesday September 9th Wednesday September 10th Thursday September 11th and Friday September 12th November 4th is going to be the regular municipal election early voting will be held on Saturday October 25th Sunday October 26th Monday October 27th Tuesday October 28th Wednesday October 29th Thursday October 30th and Friday October 31st thank you madam Clerk [Music] yes there he is can you just say hello testing done here we go calendar item number 16 communication from the policy writer and analyst relative to amendments to fire safety ordinances name and address Claren Zillo City solicitor's office 281 Broadway uh congrats to our newly elected Council officers um I just want to say this is uh really small changes we have some older things getting tossed out like the suff Downs race track as well as some important changes that add language about firew watches which we currently do not have at all they are mandated and authorized by our fire code and by our general laws but we have no specific language for rever and the fire department has been asking for a little while that we get up to date on that and if there is a public hearing granted by the city council we will have representatives from the the fire department there to answer specific questions and uh speak in support of the changes we've proposed any questions order to a public hearing all in favor all opposed so ordered next up is calendar item number 17 motion presented by Council uh councelor cogliandro that the city council ordered to a public hearing the following proposed amendment to the revised ordinances an ordinance further amending rules relative to open meetings be it ordained by the city of Riviera's follows section one section 2.3.0 5e open meetings of the revised ordinances of the city of R is hereby amended by inserting the word city council Ways and Means subcommittee budget hearings before the word subcommittees councilor cogliandro thank you Mr President um so this uh this will make the ways and means subcommittee budget meetings only exempt from the uh public meeting time ordinance right now that's supposed to meet uh no earlier than 5:00 pm the reason I wanted to do this and make this change is so is mainly for the department heads that have to report to the budget they're all showing up here after work hours they're not getting overtime to be here uh and I feel that we would get more and better representation about the budget if we did it during their work hours and the building that they work in so I just feel uh this is a a good idea it's more efficient um and yeah uh that's pretty much it thank you councelor councilor zambuto uh thank you Mr President um I'm I'm not sure I totally agree with my colleague which I do agree with him on most things but uh I think that um if if if if his uh motive was to protect the citizens and make it easier for them to come to these meetings I'd feel better about it but I think department heads have an obligation uh to be at these Ways and Means meetings whenever they are and and uh I I may sound mean or whatever but uh I think that uh it's part of the job and uh so I'm I'm a little hesitant to go uh and uh uh change the ordinance sorry thank thank you councelor councilor H thank you Mr President like my uh fellow counselor to councelor Zan buo I feel the same way um I feel like it would affect I think four of us that have nine to five jobs maybe five but I know of four that would have a tough time with this and I know and I've spoken to councilor Cog Leandro about this that we could touch base maybe the next meeting dedicate a half hour however long to going over what was covered in that the ways and means subcommittee meeting and we'd be able to ask questions but I just feel like us not being there it's it it wouldn't be right if half the council couldn't attend thank you thank you councelor councilor C Leandro thank you Mr President so half the council can't attend because it's a subcommittee um with that said I just you know I want I know I'm just I'm just I'm just busting your chops counselor um uh so this is the way that we do the budget now is we have four days from 5: to 7 P.M whatever it is and what ends up happening is the CFO stands in for a bunch of the Departments sometimes or their commissions or all that stuff and I'm trying to eliminate that I would like to have more communic ation publicly and to your point councelor zambo this is going to help the public because we'll get to hear and see the faces of the people that are working for them so I completely understand the the the opposition to it it's nothing personal whatsoever um I I appreciate all your comments so just trying to make things more efficient this is something we could do the budget in a day or two instead of four uh and then my idea was to put a motion into the committee of the whole for an hour to have a discussion with the entire Council because you know some of you know subcommittees you can't sit back here you can ask questions but um again we're just trying to make things more time and efficient for everybody that's all thank you Mr President thank you councilor Mr President Council zambo uh on reconsideration of this may perhaps we should keep this in committee and discuss it a little further and maybe tweak it so we can all come to a a a reasonable agreement and uh I I'm always happy to charge time out of work and it's it's not and my motive has nothing to do with me working 9 to 5 uh must have a lot of vacation time I can be convinced that this works better for the citizens or the city council or the Ways and Means Committee for that matter I will support it so I think we need to discuss this a little further in committee and I appreciate it thank you thank you councelor councelor Hess thank you for the Le leeway Mr President I will say um you know that touches on the committee so we'll we'll talk about this maybe at in subcommittee meetings but um it also has to deal with who's on the ways and means subcommittee and um if they can attend but that's it thank you thank you councelor councelor Gino thank you Mr President I agree with councelor Cog Leandro um this takes such a long process for for every Department had to come up to speak to the city council um or to the to the committee that's up here so for us to actually get correct answers and put a face to who we're talking about they it's best that we do it during the day while they are at work that we're not taking them on their their um personal time and because they they don't get paid for this so I would rather speak to the person who we're hiring the person who we're giving money to so we know exactly what they need the money for instead of having a representative come in and speak for them so if we do have it in one major day or two major days then it will just get done instead of waiting an entire week some that's what it takes as an entire week and mostly the public does not go to these Ways and Means uh budget hearings so thank you thank you councelor councelor janino I'm an agreement with councelor also this here I'd like to see the face of the person the department head at at the meeting rather than a representative or have the CFO come in and talk about it and be able to question them directly as to far as what they intend to do that's it thank you Council J Council her May um Mr President I don't know if there's room here for a friendly Amendment but I I hear folks about the need to have um representatives from the administration to come and speak to us about the ways and means and the budget and that stuff and I would like to kindly remind all of the folks at the dis that we work for and on behalf of the residents of the city of river and what that means is that they deserve full and open participation to all of our meetings which also means that for the most important piece of legislation that this Council does which is our budget people who work Beyond regular hours should have access to that conversation in person live that means that for folks who work irregular hours meaning not hours between the hours of 99 to 5: they would not be able to attend for the conversations around the single most important piece of legislation that the city council of the city of river does in all of its year so the friendly Amendment would be that we actually ask the department has to be on hand and maybe um for each of those subcommittee meetings um so that we uh may have them here after our hours and I understand that this requires them to work past the hours but the taxpayers work past hours uh and salaried employees as I am one on my 9-to-5 job you know sometimes we have extracurricular activities and if we have flexible managers within our city and our municipality that would allow maybe some Flex time so that they have some time off because they worked extra hours on one day or something like that then uh we may better serve the taxpayer thank you thank you councelor Council cogliandro thank you Mr President I just kind of starting to feel like uh this motion's turning into uh this is against the people um I Ag and uh I just want to put that straight to bed that's not the case um this is about efficiency and I think I just heard someone say it there's not a lot of public participation in that it doesn't matter what time we have those meetings also we're going to be having a meeting with the committee of the whole this is the idea at 5:00 p.m and on now we start meetings at 5:00 P PM most people work until 5:00 P p.m I understand that they can't even get to those subcommittee meetings on time I know some counselors struggle to do that too no disrespect to anybody but this is in no way against the people of this city this is for them this is also recorded it will be live on television it's on YouTube and they'll have opportunity to speak at the subcommittee of the the committee of the whole and at the meeting where we vote in the budget so there will be opportunities for people to come up and it'll be good to put it out in advance so that they know the dates um that's I again I'm sorry but I'm not going to sit here and and make it seem like I'm doing something to take away from the public thank you thank you counselor as your wish for the motion I think subcommittee is good absolutely okay so if it's the will of the council um legislate Affairs subcommittee all in favor all opposed so ordered calendar item number 18 motion presented by councelor Cog Leandro that the mayor and chief of police be requested to develop a plan to combat traffic on major holidays where high levels of travel and shopping are anticipated Council C thank you Mr President this motion was filed for anyone who did grocery shopping at marcket basket on Christmas Eve thank you thank you okay so anyone else no okay all in favor all opposed Okay calendar item number 19 motion presented by Council McKenna that the May request DCR to provide the report relative to the structural conditions of the seaw wall along winter Parkway in Beachmont further that that the DCR be requested to make the necessary improvements contained within the report by the spring or summer of 25 councelor McKenna thank you Mr President so if you've ever gone by Winford Parkway in Beachmont and looked at the seaw wall and looked at the uh also and looked at the sidewalk it's in deplorable shape um in 2023 rep turo myself and Aid and the aid from Katherine clock's office reviewed the seaw wall on winra Parkway in Beachmont it was determined by all parties that the wall was concerning supposingly there was an assessment done by the DCR stating that the interior of the seaw wall facing the water was sound but the exterior needed major cosmetic work in 2024 rep turko requested to see the assessment on numerous occasions but it wasn't presented to him so I am asking that the this report on the seaw wall by DCR be given to the May Keefe so the people of Beachmont can have some peace of mind if and when there is a severe Coastal storm and it's not a major threat to the community also that this report is valid which I don't know if it is or not because no can seem to get it um and then I'm asking that the seaw wall exterior which is facing the street be fixed by the spring or early summer thank you thank you counselor all in favor all opposed soed calendar item number 20 motion presented by councilor cogliandro that the mayor direct the chief of police to work together with hotel management from each Hotel within the city of Rivera to investigate each occupied room for suspicious Andor illegal activity Council C Leandro thank you Mr President this is 100% in response to the weapons and drugs that were found inside of a hotel um I just want to be clear about something I've gotten a ton of calls about this nowhere in this motion does it say anything about migrants this is a public safety issue migrant issue is a whole different issue that we're not talking about well at least I'm not talking about it tonight but the the the amount of fentol that was found if you distributed that evenly amongst the children in the city they'd all be gone that's scary to me so I also want to say that I've spoken to the mayor the police uh and we got a letter from the hotel management today everyone is working together uh and I have full faith in the riv police department and the administration to handle this properly uh in you know within our power that we can we can handle it um and that's that's pretty much thank you actually I'm sorry I I would move to place this on file unless anyone else has comments I'm sorry thank you councelor councelor Kelly thank you Mr President um I just want I just guess I just have a question is this motion intended it says here um from each Hotel within the city of revier I'm not sure if that would be um problematic with the Fourth Amendment and illegal illegal search and seizures under the Fourth Amendment um or do you mean for this to be just intended for the quality in as the um EA shelter uh it's it would apply to all hotels um but I am going to place it on file so thank you thank you councelor Council green OA I agree with this motion um in uring Public Safety requires diligence and screening individuals who obtain Emergency Shelters to prevent similar incidents from recurring hotels have the responsibility to take measures into their hands and do background checks when accepting guests under such circumstances the collaborative effort would enhance Public Safety uphold Community Trust and ensure that rever remains a safe envir enironment for all our residents and visitors the Rivier police department has done a tremendous job during this incident and I want to commend the Rivier Police Department thank you thank you counselor and it's the will of the maker to put on file all in favor all opposed so ordered for the record councelor hero is recorded as recused from calendar item number 20 and 22 coun Council order um sorry calendar item number 21 there was a request by councelor Kelly to order that um mechanical parking ordinance to a public hearing which has already been uh done by the city council calend item number 22 motion presented by councelor Kelly that the mayor and state delegation request that representatives from the executive office of Housing and livable communities appear before a committee of the whole of the riv city council to discuss the procedures for vetting people who obtain EA shelter further that the appropriate personnel from the governor's Administration explained to the city council and the people of R what steps are being implemented to ensure that individuals who may be engaging in elicit activity are not currently and actively in the EA shelter system in re and how to ensure situations such as the recent incident occurring on December 27th taking place at the Quality in will not happen again Council Kelly thank you Mr President um this motion also addresses the incident at the emergency assistant shelter at the Quality Inn on December 27th The public's anger is Justified and I stand with them in demanding answers it is appalling that a state-run resource funded by taxpayer dollars operating under a unique right to shelter law was so fundamentally flawed we all saw reports indicating that nearly 10 pound of fentanyl an amount that is capable of killing over 2 million people with was seized along with an AR-15 assault weapon and ammunition illustrating an overwhelming failure in procedural saf guards by the Commonwealth but sadly it doesn't end there in December 2024 after months of delays the haly administration finally released public records revealing that over a thousand serious incidents were reported at State shelters between January 2023 in August 2024 this staggering number should have raised immediate red flags and prompted action long before this most recent incident and it underscores the critical need for stronger oversight and better safeguards keep in mind that while this is happening we have long waiting lists of law-abiding residents including pregnant women and families who are in desperate need of shelter and yet this system costing taxpayers over $1.1 billion in the past two fiscal years is failing to protect our most vulnerable citizens most shockingly we learned that Corey checks background checks of um to ensure safety were not conducted on individuals placed in these shelters for context I was required to undergo a Corey check just to volunteer at our senior center so it's outrageous for me to learn that the Commonwealth did not see the need for such basic safeguards and shelters where children in families reside this is a laps in judgment a clear failure of due diligence and a prime example of common sense being thrown out the window I've said it before and I'll keep saying it the safety well-being and quality of life of our residents must be our top priorities in all decision-making processes and in this instance the Commonwealth's decision-making process failed us miserably looking ahead we know that the emergency assistant shelters are set to be phased out and through the Commonwealth's homebased program residents may be transitioned into more permanent housing therefore it is crucial that we as a municipality are fully informed about the processes and procedures that will be implemented not only at the Quality in but also for any future housing initiatives that the Commonwealth might establish here in our city our community deserves transparency we have the absolute right to be involved in all decision-making processes by the Commonwealth and it's time that we demand accountability from the Commonwealth to ensure that decisions made by the Commonwealth do not put our community at risk this is why I'm presenting this motion this evening my motion specifically ask that this Council support a request for the mayor and state delegation to formally ask representatives from the executive office of hous and liable communities to appear before the committee of a whole and vote favorably on it this evening it is imperative that we have a full and transparent discussion about this recent incident the failures of the current shelter system and the procedures that will be implemented going forward to ensure that this never happens again in the Commonwealth and especially in our city um I'd like a roll call vote Mr President if we may thank you thank you councelor councilor zambuto uh thank you Mr President uh I don't have any prepared notes for this one but uh I do have to say that uh without getting political I'll be happy a month a week from today because hopefully people are going to wake up that woke is what goes wrong it's good intentions and they fall apart and and and the perfect example is the right to shelter law was never meant for migrants it was meant for Citizens but when these good intentions go arai because we all want to be woke and all want to feel good and feel like we're doing the right thing that's where we go wrong so my My ultimate hope is that there's going to be a change in this state about this right to shelter law because it was never set up the way it is now and uh I I've been on record here in this city council as uh when people wanted to put a sanctuary city law in and and I made some comments and some of them got me in trouble because I said that it protects criminals Sanctuary cities protect criminals and there's a perfect example we saw here in our own City uh and and that's got to end and uh we've got to wake up and U I'm I'm I'm grateful that there may be a change in the way people are thinking across this country it sure looks like it and uh that starts a week from today but uh we got a look at some of these things and we just can't have uh right to shelter becomes right to shelter all immigrants when when it was supposed to be the rights of the citizens it was a it was a noble idea but uh this is what happens and uh so uh I I I can't tell you how many people have come up to me and ask me about this incident with the fentol and and the AR-15 and I don't have any answer I just I say it's a horrible thing and luckily they caught the guy but that's going on in more than more than just a shelter and rever trust me thank you thank you councelor councilor Gino thank you Mr President I would like to commend councelor Kelly for this motion um the recent arrests at the Quality and highlights the urgent need to prioritize the safety of Rivier residents with over a thousand serious in idents including rapes and domestic violence reported at emergency family shelters in just a year and a half it is clear that through background checks that thorough background checks for shelter residents should have been implemented from the beginning Governor Healey's recent order mandating that these checks be made is a step in the right direction but comes too late to prevent significant harm you us residents are required to undergo Corey checks as counselor Kelly said we had to do it for the senior center we have to do it for reading a book to the students for any type of employment yet individuals entering the country this country are not subjected to similar vetting a glaring oversight that undermines Public Safety the recurence of drug trafficking and other criminal activities at the Quality and underscore the need for stricter enforcement in accountability to ensure that such incidents do not persist in R residents deserve a community where Safety and Security are held at all levels we need to hold this at our higher standards it is urgent for the city of Rivier and our residents thank you thank you counselor permission to speak from the chair this is a touchy subject um I I agree that it's it's an emotional topic um I I agree that there were protections and guidelines in place that were drastically missed those were the Governor's own words she openly admitted that the the policies in place were not followed and but I do I do want to stay that yes it is a problem in our community yes it's it's dangerous the amount of drugs the weapon it's it's um unre hens but the person staying in that was was a mum and and um no one knows her issue or what she was in from but we do know that she appreciated what she had so much so that she called 911 herself and she had the man that she was living or who was living in that room with her arrested now I'm not saying it makes it right I'm not saying it makes it correct but I'm I am saying that it's it's a a situation that is very it's it's it's a lot of mov pieces to it the governor has spoken on it the mayor is uh confirmed to me that he's in touch with the governor and I think it's now the time to not point fingers and take blame or it's time to Rally together and make sure that what happens is legally and lawfully done so I believe that our Council needs to support the mayor and in what he does moving forward thank you if I may Council Kelly um I just want to um touch on the fact that yes I I did also hear that um that was a guest in that room however I believe the letter that we received from the licensing commission today um I I'm sorry the letter in response to the licensing commission's letter from the hotel stated that guests were not allowed that signin sheets were required so this brings me back to this motion because something is is dangerously a Miss um because these things weren't supposed to be taking place but yet they were and so that's all the more need for bringing these represent representatives in before us so that we can have the Peace of Mind of exactly what's taking place and what's going to take place there in the future and what policies procedures um are going to be in place and again like I said not only for the quality in because we know that these EA shelters are going to be phased out but for any more permanent housing that will be implemented in the future in our city thank you thank you counselor Madam clerk can we call a roll roll call on the motion councelor agenzio yes yes councelor cogliandro yes yes councelor janino yes yes councel Gino SAA yes yes councelor Hass yes yes councelor Haro is recused councelor Kelly yes yes councelor McKenna yes yes noeli yes yes councelor zambuto yes yes and council president sylvestri yes yes the motion is approved calendar item number 23 motion presented by councelor Gino SAA that the mayor requests the police department Traffic Division to initiate a public safety campaign relative to dangerous driving texting and speeding with the hope of curbing dangerous driving accidents Council Gino motion speaks for itself all in favor all oppose so order calendar item number 24 motion presented by Council greo Saia that the May request the DPW to install a new no left turn sign on poll number 10001 for vehicles exiting Blanchard's parking lot onto Rivier Street further that the police department Traffic Division be requested to enforce traffic laws at this location relative to the no left turn restriction Lane blocking and crossing the double yellow line councilor Gino after numerous complaints from constituents um there are many vehicles that actually just go down American Legion Highway and decide to take the turn on um into the blanchet's parking lot and then they try to take a left turn to try to beat the the traffic light to get on to Rivier Street and turn around or go straight down Rivia Street and it is a major accident waiting to happen and what it does is creates a lot of traffic that only two cars at a time can move therefore um if they put the sign in the proper signage place they have one on Rivier street but on the opposite side and people really don't see it so they it has to be on at on pole 1,1 because that's the only way they're going to see it coming out of the parking lot that they can't take that left turn hopefully it will deter it but I also need the police to be present there and start giving out tickets so they realize that this is actually they are going to get a ticket so thank you so much thank you counselor councelor janino it's an excellent motion here for my sister counselor I'd like to um suggest we put the flexible ballad out on rever Street in front of blanches I spent a lot of time down there over the years made a lot of Mone of the city on tickets over the years and it's not working so I think we should look into more ideas and ways to stop this thank you counselor councel cogliandro thank you Mr President uh councel thank you for filing this as we share that road that part of the road and I get the calls too and I thank you for putting this in it's unfortunate the double yellow lines aren't enough and I think there used to be a no left turn sign there I think keeps keeps getting taken down so I agree you know signage and uh whatever other traffic measures we can put thank you very thank you on the motion all in favor all opposed soord okay meeting adjourned till January 27th have a great [Applause] week for