Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Calling this meeting to
order, I will ask our clerk to now do a roll call. Councelor Tenari Garcia, present. Councelor Jimenez Rivera, present. Councelor Rupo, here. Council Taylor, here. Council Robinson. Council Tesh, present. Councelor Kelly Garcia,
present. Council Santigette, present. Council Vega, present. Council Brown, here. And councelor Deus, present. All 11 members present. You have a quorum, Madam President. Thank you, clerk. All right. Uh, let's move right along to the memorials and
celebratory resolutions. First resolution before you comes from Councelor Rupuro for Italian-American Heritage Month. Whereas Italian-American Heritage Month, first observed in 1989, is commemorated every October across the United States, acknowledging the many
contributions made to our nation by Italian and Sicilian immigrants and their descendants. And whereas according to the 2022 American Community Survey, over 16 million Americans and nearly 11% of residents in Massachusetts claim Italian ancestry. And whereas during the
great wave of migration from 1880 to 1914, nearly 13 million people immigrated to the United States from Italy with the overwhelming majority coming from southern Italy and Sicily. And whereas the legacy of those intrepid immigrants is found in the millions of men, women, and children of Italian and
Sicilian descent who enrich our nation through contributions in government, science, medicine, music, food, sports, literature, cinema, fashion, and design, as well as in the millions of Italian-Americans who have served in the armed forces. And whereas despite their faith in the American dream and
contributions to our nation, Italian and Sicilian Americans have faced racial, religious, and social discrimination. And whereas in 1891, 19 Sicilian Americans were put on trial after the police chief in New Orleans was found dead. And despite being found not guilty, 11 of those men were dragged
from their cells and lynched by a mob of over 10,000 people. And whereas more than 100 years after the great era of Italian immigration began, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those imigal immigrants continue to celebrate the heritage that their forebears brought to their new homes here in the US. Now therefore be a
result that the Chelsea City Council declares October 2025 Italian-American Heritage Month in the city of Chelsea, honoring countless contributions of Italian and Sicilian Americans to the fabric of our city and nation. Thank you, Clar. Is there a motion? A motion to adopt under suspension is an
object like to speak on. You have the floor, counselor. I never get up, so I won't get up. Um this is not just for Italians. A majority of the population they came to this country they're not they are
southern Italians. Southern Italians includes people from the south and Sicilians. They were discriminated against because they were darker skinned for one. For another they were treated they were the only people besides African-Americans to ever be put under
Jim Crow. What that means is that they couldn't marry white people. They couldn't go where white people were. It's something that should be said. It should be known because it it's an actual fact that they were the only ones. They were one step below white
people. They were considered inhumane. They were considered animals back in my when my grandfather told me all these things. So I brought that up to make sure not just to say Italians include the ones that come from the south which is a different race of
people. Sicilians and southern Italians is a completely different thing than Italians. They are their own people and they were discriminated for many many years and even today within Italy they are still discriminated because of the
Sicilian heritage. So I wanted to make sure to people understand that Sicilians is their own race of people. We are our own people. We are part of Italy, but we have our own history and they suffered a lot in this country because they were the mo the majority. They came to this
country. So that is the that's why I put them in and it's a good thing that we acknowledge their contribution to this country because they gave a lot. Thank you. I'm also uh three part Sicilian and one
part Neapolitan. So, uh, I have a mix, but my family did come, uh, from Sicily and from Naples in the early 1900s. And, uh, Chelsea was very good to my family. And I'm the last person in the
family to still live here. And, um, my heritage is very important to me, and I am happy that we do celebrate. Um we had many Italians and Sicilians who came and for one of the village that my Sicilian
family members are from actually uh many people are from the same village here in Chelsea because as is the custom with people immigrating. one family came and then another family came and then people helped and um so there are a large
number of people from Santos Stephano Medio which was where my family was from who came to Chelsea. So you you um we're all connected and it's a really great thing. And there are not as nowhere near as many Sicilians or Italians in Chelsea
as there were, but there are some of us who are still trying to keep uh our heritage alive. And one of my dreams at some point when I'm not so busy is to try to um similar to the film that was made about the Jewish culture in
Chelsea, I would love to recognize the Italian culture in Chelsea as well because it was very vibrant and they built a lot of the the masonry and a lot of the um trades and a lot of the work
in the city was done by people who were here who uh rebuilt after the fire etc. So um we have left our mark on the city and I'm proud of that. Thank you counselor. Um if I may speak
from the chair I just want to briefly share at home I get a little piece of Sicily too because of my beautiful uh stepdaughter Nali Lada who is Dominican black and Sicilian and so with my blended family I also get to enjoy the beautiful culture. So, thank you for
uplifting um this resolution. All right, moving on to the next item. Next resolution on the agenda comes from Councelor Brown. Whereas during Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from September 15th to October 15th each year, we celebrate the many contributions made to
our community by Hispanic Americans. And whereas there are approximately five million Hispanicowned businesses in the United States, supporting millions of employees nationwide and contributing more than 800 billion dollars in revenue to the economy of the United States. And whereas Ada Cruz has owned and operated
Blessed Shears Beauty Salon located at 156 Washington Avenue for the past 33 years. And whereas Ada's passion for her work is on clear display through the positive comments and reviews made by countless new and returning patrons who frequent her salon. And whereas the city council welcomes the opportunity to
recognize small business owners who through their hard work, dedication, and passion form the backbone of our community. Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Councelor Kelvin T. Brown and the members of the Chelsea City Council congratulate Ada Cruz for her 33 years of business. Celebrate the positive
economic and social impact small businesses like Blessed Shears Beauty Salon. And in keeping with the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanic her Hispanic entrepreneurs like Ada have on our community. Thank you, clerk. Make a motion to adopt under suspension
if there's no objection. Madam President, you have the floor. Counselor. Thank you. I don't believe it is here tonight, but I'd still like to say a few words on it. As you know, we continue to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month. We recognize those that have been, you
know, real pillars in our communities doing great work. Um, in this case, we have a businesswoman that's been here for 33 years. Um, I'm sure a lot of folks in the audience um, and maybe on the roster that have gotten their hair, their nails done at her shop on
Washington A. So, we um, honor her for her work and also her heritages and also keeping our spirit alive um, the Hispanic spirit alive, the pride. We thank her for her dedication in standing Chelsea um helping our economy here and
also giving other people opportunities. So want to therefore thank her on her hard work, her dedication and also to keep um inspiring other folks to want to get into here and nails. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, counselor counselor Denidi.
Um I've known Ida for since I could remember. We were kids going to a beauty salon. So, um, seeing her and and being a neighbor for years, um, brings me hope because, you know, small business
owners, we suffer a lot. And, um, she she survived three 33 years. And and to me, that is a huge huge accomplishment. and she will always be a role model to us
females and us immigrants who who have migrated to the United States for a better better life here. So, thank you, Ida, and to many more years of business. Thank you. Thank you, counselor.
All right, moving on now to our public hearing. Is anyone public speaking? Sorry, public speaking. Is anyone here for public speaking? presentative for public speaking. Please join us in the podium. Hi, good evening. My name is Stacy Smith
and I'm a fifth generation Chelsea resident and I come before you tonight to talk a little bit about the proposed resolution that was submitted by council member Teshi um the other day. Um, I'm not really sure about Tinary's um,
request because there's not enough transparency there. Um, but I want to start first by saying that I do not support what's going on with the federal administration at this moment. But council member Teshi woke up one day
last week to post a video to his social media with his sunglasses on cruising the road and casually began to express to the public how he's going to propose a million-doll request from taxpayers dollars to provide legal assistance for
undocumented immigrants. Our city is in need of so many other resources for community. This just seems very unfair and the presentation of the video seemed very entitled. Um, we have many other marginalized groups in who
are in Chelsea who are also overlooked. Um, we have housing insecurities, we have infrastructure problems, high crime, drugs, prostitution, all going on right around city hall every single day. We have a sub police station that is rarely open for public assistance. And
if you do the math and you would find out that council member Teshi's request would serve at most a couple hundred people. Um, and if you listen to the other meeting, as the superintendent said, you could pay for 10 educator
salary for a year for a million dollars. So, the numbers kind of aren't adding up when you're requesting a million dollars for this purpose. Um it also seems like the money would fund through LA C collaborativa which is a
little confusing and lacks some transparency also. Um in respect to the time um I want to also say that why do our residents have to do research in order to find out that million-doll proposals are being presented by the
city council? What can we do to make this information available and more public? possibly posting on the Chelsea Mask Gov pages and other social media pages. When I come before you to speak, I speak behalf on our underserved black population. A population who have been
here dedicated to the community for centuries since the early days, meaning 1638 when Samuel Maverick brought the first slaves to Chelsea. We have thrived through every single ordeal with the bare minimum, including poverty, slavery, and indentured labor. We have
been criminalized, neglected, and some of our ancestors were even forced here. We've never been given any legal assistance, protection, and grew up with many different types of systemic oppression. To this day, our black
community has no church since 1908 fire. Most of the city was rebuilt except for that one church. We were also promised housing in the area after the great fire which we all know does not exist because it's industrial.
Um I will end by saying that we never asked for any form of represent reparations or compensation for our legal matters nor was it offered. We have never been given assistance to start businesses and most of us have waiting in the housing lines for decades
maybe years. It's a it become a generational thing for some families. Ask yourself why are all these things overlooked? Why is an organization like CBC amongst many others scouring for funds to pay their rent but we are requesting a million dollars to serve
legal matters for those who are here undocumented which is unfortunate and I have to emphasize that because I don't come from a harsh place. I come from a factual place and these are just some of the facts I wanted to share. Thank you,
Madam President. Um, just really quick, I think the interpretation equipment is here. If we could just make a quick announcement in case anybody needs interpretation in Spanish. Thank you, counselor. interpret. Okay, you have the floor left. Hi, counselor.
My name is Moren Lee. I am a resident of Chelsea Mass. I am a veteran. I have fought a war for this country. I'm back here and I see everything that's going on and it makes me sick to my stomach. Okay. You're riding around, Council
Teshi, and you're stating that you want to get a million dollars. I understand everybody, they need help. I understand that. And I fought for freedom. So, I didn't fight to have people taken out of their homes, kids taken out of their schools, and all of that. that I didn't
fight for that. But I also didn't fight for innocent people. You said my people. What about all the people? There's just there's more people. There's Haitians. There's Honduras. There's all these people that have been taken and sending back to their countries. We need to
support all of them. Now you're taking this million dollars. Where is it coming from? Now do homeowners have to suffer with higher taxes as already taxes have gone up from President Trump. Then you talk about President Trump and you're on
Facebook and and and look what he's doing. He's the one that's causing all this trouble. You understand what I'm saying? I know I'm not up here to disrespect anybody, but I'm up here to talk. I fought for this country. When I pledge allegiance to the flag, it's my country and I'm proud of it
and I'm proud. And it's for freedom. We were for freedom. If you look at the Statue of Liberty, all the little things around her head go for all the nations and the chain below her is for broken for freedom. So when you turn around and you say on your you're cruising in your
car and you're saying, "Well, you know, we're going to get a million dollars and we're going to do this." Well, where are you getting it from? Do you have a fund you're taking it from? Or do homeowners have to suffer? Now, do you understand what I'm saying? I'm not trying to be mean. I'm not going to be long, but I'm
s short and sweet. That's just what I have to say. Thank you for listening to me. You have the floor. Good evening all. My name is Kathleen Clark and I've been a resident of Chelsea since 1994 by choice.
I speak tonight in opposition to a proposal to allocate $1 million for legal services for people picked up by ICE for looking like a Latino. Remember saying that disgraceful?
If that isn't a small, separate, and distinct population of this community, how is it you can remain impartial in the oath that you take as a counselor? Publicly
earing such a statement. This statement demonstrates a segregation of the community rather than standing as one community. This proposal is brought forth by a counselor who was also employed by the immigration department which is a
conflict of interest. His request is justified stating Donald Trump is using taxpayers dollars to pick up and I quote his community members. Well, I take offense to this because I
am your community member. I am a taxpayer and I'm far from looking like a Latino. So, I'm not included in your community viral video. You state you don't hesitate
to use Chelsea taxpayers dollars. Well, that's the homeowners. But, ironically, you're not a homeowner. You rent. So, it's nice of you to allocate our funds
and how we should spend that money. Any proposal that's put forth by a counselor should be sure to include all in the community. All should benefit and not a small separate segregate portion
of the community. This proposal also comes from a councelor who back in January of 2025 asked city manager to allocate $500,000 to have youth employment.
Where is that money coming from? These two proposals demonstrate a reckless and dis detrimental financial spending. Chelsea is already facing a financial crisis as you well know with the Trump
administration reducing federal funding. The decline in the students that have fled for freedom to other communities, which the school department will also be receiving less money. A clearcut financial deficit is before
Chelsea. It's coming. It's real. It's here. But yet we have businesses that are proposing, wanting and desiring to come to Chelsea that are adamantly being declined. This is revenue being brought
to the community, not revenue that's going to be spent. And while I'm on that note, I was watching a few weeks ago a zoning board meeting from home and I was appalled and
disgusted to see for the first time ever a city councelor get up after agreeing and voting in favor for this business, wishing and desiring to recuse her vote.
and now stand for the people of Admiral's Hill to oppose the fish company again that's going to bring revenue to the city by far this was not her district but she chose to stand beside them well I want
to let you all in on a little secret in my neighborhood suffered two detrimental issues since 2020 in this neighborhood Our counselor, after years of fighting here
at city hall, many meetings, never once stood here and asked for our vote, never gave us representation, never presented a letter of support of
any kind. Well, my message is this. When is it about time that you're going to start doing the job that you're getting paid for and represent people in your own district?
Again, people all in your district, not just ones of a certain race, kind, creed, or maybe putting money in your pockets other than your $28,000 salary. Sorry to interrupt, but your time is up.
Okay, I'll close by asking the members of the council to please monitor the finances, scrutinize the spending, reject the reckless, absurd
financial spending to please protect the future financial stability of Chelsea. [Applause] Hi everyone. Good evening everyone. My name is Jennifer Hassel. I'm the executive director at the Chelsea Chamber of
Commerce and I stand here in front of you as the director of the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce on behalf of some of the businesses on in the Broadway corridor. actually some of the businesses in the community overall. Um, currently here today we have seven
businesses that represent um, Broadway and Chelsea overall. Um, and there's a lot of concern about the ordinance that was presented. Um, and the concern not being that there's not a need. We completely understand. We sympathize. That's not the issue. The issue is that
we've had businesses in this community that have been hurting for over two years. They've been asking for help. Um, you know, we've had several meetings hosted at the chamber. We've tried to come up with solutions that we've never really come up with. Um, we've had a few things that we've been able to do, but
not much in comparison. So, um, the business owners would really like to know, especially in your district, councelor Teshi, what it is that you're prepared to do for them. They respect what you're trying to do for those community members that don't feel safe, but they also would like some respect themselves in recognizing what their
situation is and what exactly it is that you hope to be able to do. The council as a whole, um, these businesses are the backbone of our community, some of which that have been here for decades. We've already lost one of business owner that was in the community for under six years but was a huge part of the community
donated generously to the community and had to relocate because his rent was increased ridiculously and he could not keep the business open. Those are things that we need to focus on so that we actually have tax dollars to put towards programming or to put towards a reserve
that we need to address other issues in the community. We have business owners that are here. They're welcome to come up and speak. Some of them are not happy. They're more than welcome to come up to say their peace. But I'm trying to just be respectful of the process, respectful of your jobs because I
understand that it's not easy and it's difficult. But we need to remember the business owners in the community. That's what my job is. That's what I'm advocating for right now and I'd really like to have additional conversation on that. So I'd like to thank you for your time and I'd like to thank in advance
for anyone that's willing to come up and speak on this topic. Thank you. [Applause] Bueno toss. Good night. Uh, good night everybody. My name is Juan Camila. I am the director of small business for for Lacula. Uh, I've been serving at Color
for the last four years. Um right now we're providing services, support services for uh entrepreneurs, startup businesses, and established businesses in Chelsea who are looking to stay looking to start a business in our community and provide goods and services for the residents of Chelsea. I want to
echo the sentiment that um Jennifer Hassel just uh shared with you all. Uh this week and last week, we've been walking the streets uh from Broadway, from corner to corner. We walked around Hawthorne Street, Central Avenue, Washington Street, um every avenue as
well uh just to uh understand what are the issues and the and the problems the small businesses are facing. Uh I would say that all of them or most of them are basically all of them have been experiencing experiencing extreme loss
of revenue. They're not being able to uh retain employees that are qualified. Uh they're relocating or moving uh to other cities. Uh, businesses are also at risk of closing. Foot traffic has declined tremendously. Uh, businesses are scared.
They're asking questions. They want to know if Chelsea is the future for them. As Jennifer mentioned, uh, we're talking about businesses who've been here for over decades. Entrepreneurs who want to stay and serve their community but can't find a place in Chelsea to be able to
thrive and generate wealth. Uh this is a real issue that requires serious attention because we are talking about uh jobs, tax revenue, uh the future of Chelsea. Uh this is where um the community, this is where the heart of the community is. So I want to ask uh
members of the council to think about what is happening, find solutions to help some of these very important individuals creating uh wealth and opportunities in our community. And just think about the next couple of years. know, how is this going to look like? Is
Chelsea a place to come and do business, especially for those who um uh hope to be able to stay and provide for their communities? And so, uh we also have a couple of members from our our clients that are here that could speak on behalf of this issue. Um and thank you all for for listening tonight.
[Applause] Hi. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Dr. to Deborah Wayne. I've been in Chelsea my whole life. My practice is 90 years old. I think that makes me the longest small business in
the city. [Applause] I was born and raised here. Do I live here now? No. But I pay my taxes. Councilman, you have never been in the businesses in
downtown that I know of. You represent us. Yet you have the audacity to take a million dollars out of an account. And we're suffering. We're suffering. You've been meeting with us. You've
never come in to any of us. In fact, I've only seen a couple of you in the businesses. It hurts. I see my friends suffering. And yet, nothing has been done for the business community. We pay three times
the tax rate in this city. That money should not go to pay for legal services for undocumented immigrants. No, I am against ICE. I am against what's happening. That being
said, it is fiscally irresponsible to take taxpayer dollars and put it into account and not pay for services that are provided to the city. We need services. We do not need money to be
spent elsewhere. It's irresponsible. And I I I I just can't believe that you're even thinking it. That's all I have to say. [Applause]
Good evening. Good evening. I'm Beverly Martin Ross. You all know me. I'm lif lifelong resident. I don't want to say how long, but I would like to say good evening to the council. I come I would like to respectfully
request that the city council begin publishing its meetings agendas in the Chelsea record. Additional to this request, online posting and notices at city hall. While Massachusetts law
requires agendas to be filed with the city clerk and posted publicly, adding publication in the local paper would bring important benefits to our Chelsea community. I agree.
Accessibility is one. Chelsea residents, particularly seniors and those that would be me without reliable internet, but I have internet, praise God, accessible, rely on the
Chelsea record in their main source of local news, publishing agendas that assure that more residents are informed about upcoming counselor
matters and that's what we need. This place should be packed. Transparency and trust. Transparency and trust. Seeing the city Chelsea city council agenda is printed reinforced
that our city government is open and accessible in helping reduce the perception that is important decision are made without public notice. That's what people say, "Oh, important decisions are made. We didn't know about this." Right? So, we're going to have
what? Transparency and trust. Civil engagement. Residents are more likely to participate when they know what will be discussed in advance. Whether it is housing, zoning, school, or neighborhood
projects, the agenda gives them a chance to prepare and attend the city council meetings. equality. Expanding notices beyond digital platforms helps reduce populations who
otherwise be excluded, ensuring a more inclusive democracy process, democratic process, historical records.
Newspapers serve as a community archive. Printed agendas provide a valuable record of city business for further references. For these reasons, I strongly believe that the publishing city council agendas
in the Chelsea record would increase community engagement and transparency. Doing so would increase awareness of upcoming um discussions and decisions that direct
effectively our lives. It would encourage greater public attention and input and help residents stay informed if community members are more aware of how local government
works. This may spark a greater interest in serving on local boards, community, and even on this very city council. Thank you. Just wanted to share that you have 30 seconds.
Uhhuh. Thank you for considering this request to make city council business more visible and accessible to all Chelsea residents. Thank you. [Applause]
Good evening. Um, I've been up here before. My name is Keny Reyes. Um, I've lived in Chelsea ever since I was about 10 years old. Um, I'm here tonight because I believe our
city's strength comes from supporting everyone who calls Chelsea home. Especially our small businesses and neighbors who need a helping hand. Small businesses are the backbone of
this city. They create jobs, keep our streets vibrant, and give Chelsea its unique character. But too many are struggling. They are scavenging to survive. Rent is going up. They don't They don't
They can't afford rent. Sorry, I'm going off script. I need to read it. Um, you're good. You're good. When we invest in small businesses, we invest in Chelsea's future. More opportunities, stronger neighborhoods, and a thriving local
economy. We also can't ignore the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants, who I call my brothers and sisters, lowincome families, and other vulnerable groups.
Programs like free legal aid or affordable housing don't just help individuals, they strengthen our entire community. When people feel secure and supported, they can fully p participate in
Chelsea's growth. I do I do not agree with how people are being treated in our community, how they're being ripped apart from their families and the lives they built here in Chelsea. But requesting a million dollars
is unnecessary. Who knows where to assist undocumented immigrants? Well, I know that assisting undocumented immigrants will not solve the problem. It'll put an
even target. It'll put an even bigger target on Chelsea's back. Requesting a million dollars will raise attention from the federal government. Donald Trump or ICE or whoever runs this whole circus will say, "You know what?
Let's go get them before they raise the funding or they um our immigrants get get legal help or before they can, you know, get actual documents for this u to stay here. I urge the council to expand resources
for small businesses like grants, mentorship programs, and rent stabiliz stabilization. protect and assist vulnerable residents through policies to ensure fairness and opportunity for all.
And let's not even get started on the public school system if it's not clear. What I'm trying to say is Chelsea succeeds when we lift everybody up, when we lift each other up. So, let's build a city where
everyone has the chance to thrive. Thank you for your time and your leadership. [Applause] Hello. Good night, everybody. I know how to speak English, but a little nervous right now. Um, my name is
Emory. I'm from [Music] Broadway. My name is Emory and I am a business owner. I have a I own a salon on Broadway. I just have one question. Who likes to
work for free? Every single morning we wake up, we go to work and we expect um economic return. businesses and entrepreneurs. It is very hard um staying all day working and and
and getting uh that economic return. of two children and I wake up every single morning hoping to give them a better future. But when I go to work and to my business every single morning lately and I see Broadway like a ghost town where there's
no foot traffic and nobody shopping, It makes me think and doubt uh it makes me even consider to give up on my dream of being a business owner here in Chelsea. [Music] I am perspectively a new uh new business
owner here in Chelsea. Um and I would like to ask the city for for some help or whoever is in charge to make important decisions. [Music] Right. I just simply wanted to express this real concern that I'm feeling. Um, thank
you all for listening and for those who um are able to uh get a economic return or a paycheck every single day. Um, that's great. Please enjoy it. Good evening. Council. Good evening. My name is Nicole McCoy.
If councelor Teshi's proposal for $1 million from the taxpayers money is truly meant to allocate funds to combat rights right violations portrayed by ICE and Chelsea. There must be systemic transparent guidelines in place for how
immigrant immigration legal services funded is distributed. Without oversight, such funding risk being misused or benefiting those who with conflicts of interest rather than the community it claims to serve. First and
foremost, the the proposed amount of $1 million is excessive and would place an unfair tax burden on an already sustained community. A more measured distribution focused on accountability and equity is essential to ensure that
these funds generally reach those most impacted. Oversightes must include one conflict of interest safeguards. Any city councelor, staff member, or public official who works for or owns or has
financial interest in an immigration immigration law firm must recuse themselves from discussions, votes, decisions and related in relations to this funding. An independent oversight committee not tied to elected officials
with potential conflicts should manage the allocation process. Two, oversight and administration. Establish an independent review board made up of community leaders, nonprofit representation, and impartial legal
experts to oversee applications and distributions. Require annual audits by an outside firm to ensure compliance with funding rules. Three, eligibility requirements for law firms and providers. must be a registered
nonprofit legal service provider or a licensed private firm in good standing with the state bar. Demonstrate experience in immigration laws and history of servant immigration communities. Disclose in any relationships with city officers, direct
or indirect. Four, funding allocation structure. Cap the amount that any single firm or nonprofit can receive, such as no more than 15 to 20% total funds. Use a competitive application
process based on a clear scoring criteria. Experience and capacity 30%. Demonstration needed and client base 30%. Cost effectiveness of services 20%. Community partnerships and outreach 20%.
Five, transparency and reporting. All distributions and receipts must be publicly reported, posted on the city's website. Funded organizations must submit quarterly reports showing number of clients served, types of cases
handle, outcomes asylum approvals, work permits, and family reunification. Financial accounting of funds spent. And last not least, six, equitability, access for residents. Priority should be given to lowincome residents and those
who have been exploited. Providers must commit to nondiscrimacy services delivery, ensuring access regardless of race, religion, gender, or nationality. Thank you for listening.
[Applause] Good evening, council. Good evening. Oh, we're getting used to this. Yeah, it's fun. Lots of fun. All right, so I am here and I just first
want to say um my name is Joan Cromwell and I'm a lifelong resident of Chelsea. I'm also president of Chelsea Black Community and um just basically a community advocate. And I wanted to
start with um just acknowledging that immigrant families both documented and undocumented in Chelsea deserve protection and support. Hands down. Council Teshi, we had a nice
conversation over the weekend. Um, and I appreciate you for that. But I just want to say that diverting $1 million of taxpayers funds to support immigration legal services in response to heartfelt concerns about ICE
profiling, harassment, and even the arrest of documented residents and citizens of Chelsea is an admirable goal. However, the proposed amount is excessive
and would place a heavy financial burden on our community that is already facing deep, deep financial challenges. Let me tell you a few of them. Chelsea is a village, a community that thrives
only when all parts work together. Our challenges are deeply connected on immigration, struggling small businesses fighting to stay afloat, persistent substance abuse crisis, rundown
substandard housing, as well as displacement pressures, underfunded schools, inadequate job opportunities, a lack of youth programming, and far too few safe spaces for our young people. to name a few.
Each of these areas need attention and investment. Every dollar should be allocated with equity and fairness to strengthen the whole village, not just a part of it. Every dollar spent must be considered carefully because resources are very
very scarce. We also need to ask ask a hard question. How much of an impact can this money truly make against a federal legal system? ICE operates at a national from a
national level and legal victories on individual cases may although be rewarding are limited. While these services help some families, they cannot change federal immigration policy. Equally concerning are the conflicts of
interest embedded in this proposal. There are organizations already funded to provide immigrant legal services and some have connections to council members. One counselor introduced in this order is tied to an immigration law firm as we
discussed which raises serious ethical questions about special interests. This is not about ignoring immigration rights, our and immigrants rights. It's about ensuring Chelsea invest in strategies that truly strengthen our
community with long-term solutions rather than temporary legal maneuvers. We owe it to every resident, documented or undocumented, to prioritize programs that improve our community while advocating systemically for meaningful
immigration reform at a more impactful federal level. Before approving this, even a portion amount of this appropriation, we need to be clear. We need to answer why this amount. What measurable impact can we
realistically achieve in the federal legal system? What safeguards exist to prevent conflict of interest? What essential local service will suffer if $1 million is redirected?
I'm sorry to Okay. Yes. Lastly, I'm not even certain of this that this order is within the legal authority of a city council member outside of his formal formal budget approval process. As I
understand it, the appropriation and allocation of additional funds typically originates from the city manager's office. In this case, once again, it appears that council Teshi has overstepped his boundaries as a district counselor with this order and acted
beyond the scope of a district counselor's responsibilities. I would just like to end with um additionally, I believe that any such funding should not be directed to a local nonprofit organization. It's imperative to have a fair and
transparent process and I think it should be put forth through our RFP which is managed by our legal office team and allowed for qualified law firms to submit applications. Thank you.
[Applause] Good evening everybody. I live here in Chelsea. I'm here to share a story. mortgage. I'm a house owner and I was affected for the ICE proceedings by people living
there. They have been affected too. I'm sorry to interrupt. Could you please speak into the mic as well so that we can hear you? Thank you. On Friday, September 26, eyes hit me and they broke the glass of the vehicle.
They hid me in front of my kid. My kid is a autistic. They didn't ask for documents. They don't care about anything. They don't care. They don't care about the documents. collabor [Music] Yeah, I was feeling really bad. Um,
uh, I was asking for help. The color collaborative came and they called the police. The police arrived. They asked me, I asked for any documentation. They didn't. Uh, I have my residency and I'm really affected for what happened. I
feel my numb my hand is numb right now. And yeah, I feel some numbness in my hand right now. I'm feeling better. [Music] [Music] Yeah, I'm really affected for what happened. Um have like a trauma. Um I'm
scared when if I hear the the police around. Um my son, he's autistic. He wakes up saying, "Don't kill my mother. This is affecting us. I pay taxes. I have my residency." So I we need help. We really need help.
We ask for help of people that deal with human rights. We're treating they are treating us like criminals and that's not right. Thank you. [Applause] Valentino [Music] So, I just wanted to share real briefly
um thank the speaker for sharing her story and for being vulnerable with us in such a horrific time. I see in the audience lots of you are tearing up some of my colleagues here. As a mom, I can't even begin to process
how traumatizing that all is. And um and that she has a community that loves her. Regardless of what matters are being discussed today, we are a community that loves each other and stands united through it all.
All right. Are there any other speakers in the room? Um, wow, that was really powerful. Thank you for sharing that. Um, Michelle Nato, 41, uh, Breakwater Drive. Nice to see everybody here tonight. Um, appreciate
the opportunity to speak. Um, I think we can empathize with the situation that's going on right now and we can disagree with the order and both things can be true. Um, so I think for some of you who who know me and I've lived in Chelsea for
over 20 years, um, I work at a nonprofit in Boston that provides health care to people regardless of ability to pay. Um, we have partnered with a law firm for over 15 years that provides proono legal services to people. Um, again,
regardless of ability to pay. Um and that's been a very important service for our patients for a variety of reasons, right? Um shortcutting access to legal aid is incredibly important, especially today when so many of our legal aid
organizations are limited in terms of the immigration support they can provide to people because of the federal funding they get. So really our law firms in the in the Commonwealth are carrying a tremendous burden and load um regarding representation for immigration for those
reasons, right? And while I fully support legal representation for all and empathize with the current situation that's going on, it seems that this order and the allocation of funding is not really clear or well thought out.
Um, I would defer to the city manager on this, but I don't know if we have a sense of when we're going to know what free cash is available to us. And with that, then we would need to prioritize how that free cash is going to be used. Um, we all know the situation of the
short funding or shortfall at the schools right now. Um, that's top of mind, I think, for for everybody. And as a proud parent of two Chelsea public school graduates, I know that all of you agree we owe this to our teachers and
our staff and our students to make sure they have the resources they need to be successful. You know, before I came here tonight and even standing up now, I really struggled with whether I was going to say something. And the reason why is because lately, more than lately,
this room and what happens outside this room has become so tense and so disagreeable that we can't have disagreements and then come back together and work on other things together. Feels like lines get drawn and sides get taken. And I don't know who
the winner is when we do that. So, I would hope going forward that we can return to a time where we're going to listen and talk with one another and collaborate across all issues in the best interests of
transparency and engagement. Thank you. [Applause] Hello. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Hamza Abdul and I've lived in Chelsea for over 20 years.
First, I need to be honest. I can't stand the smell of fish and I'm not a fan of seafood. Growing up, I dreaded the inevitable questions whenever I mentioned this. People would ask, "Why don't you like seafood?" And when I would say, "I just don't." They'd respond with the classic, "You just haven't had the right kind." So,
eventually, I started lying and just telling people I'm allergic to seafood. So, for me to be standing here today and advocating on behalf of a seafood processing plant, it's frankly crazy and out of my comfort zone. I've been trying my best to pay
attention to what's been happening these past few weeks, and I wanted to make sure I approached this from an unbiased position. Something I learned in my last role was no before no. So, that's K N O W, no before N O. Just meaning get to know something
before you instantly say no. The easy thing for me would have been to say no because I don't like the smell of fish and I wouldn't want to live next to a fish processing plant. But I didn't know anything about a fish processing plant. So I started asking questions both to friends who were against wolves moving
here and friends who were for it. I realized that ultimately I would have to visit their seapport location and find out for myself. I know there's a seafood processing plant in East, but that's not the one Wolf runs. So comparing the two wouldn't have wouldn't have been fair. I decided to go the to the Seapport
location today unannounced and I'm actually still wearing the same exact outfit and I can confidently tell you I do not smell like fish. So, what surprised me the most was when I walked into the Seapport office today was um I introduced myself to their vice president and explained I was there as a
resident from Chelsea who was curious about learning about their company. She told me I was the first resident to come by who wasn't holding some kind of office position. That surprised me. I got to tour their office and factory today and what really um and really got to see firsthand what they do, but it
made me think of like um it made me think of how incredible of an opportunity this would be for a family that actually needs it. I didn't land my first $60,000 position until 5 years ago, right? That's when I turned 30. Don't do the math. So for Wolf um Fish
to leave Seapport and come to Chelsea and offer entrylevel roles for our 18 plus young adults, that could change a lot, right? That could change a lot. Give them the benefits and actually start setting themselves up for a great opportunity in life. As for the traffic
in Chelsea, let's be mindful that we have elementary schools, middle schools, and high school where parents try to drop their kids off before going to work. And don't even get me started on that white bridge that connects us to East Boston that takes three business days to come up and go back down. Traffic will always be around, but at
least Wolf would be doing the right thing for our community and our future um when they join our traffic. With all that said, I don't live in Admiral's Hill and I find it very inappropriate for me to speak on their behalf when it comes to allowing Wolf Fish to move to Chelsea, but I would love to encourage
the Admiral's Hill residents to know before a note by going out to Seapport with an open heart and touring their facilities while keeping in mind that you could potentially change famil family's lives in the future by getting to know what you're saying no to. Thank you.
Jose Sanchez International. Jose Sanchez. Hello everybody. My name is Jose Sanchez. I am a pastor in from the city of Everett and uh recently I'm thinking of moving to Chelsea. I speak a little English too, but I want
to speak interpret everybody know what I have. Okay. Cambridge. I lived for 24 years in Cambridge. Then I moved to Everett and I want to come to to Chelsea. Um and uh it is unfortunate
that uh businesses that want to move into the city don't receive the support that they need to establish themselves in Chelsea. Um and if there were some supports and and and if it was easy for a business to move to Chelsea, um it would be good because it would generate
employment and opportunities for for others. Well, is that a specific one? I will be specific. I've been trying to I spent millions of dollars
to be here in the city of Chelsea and I really want to work hard for Chelsea. Let's let's protect our people, our immigrant people. This is a country of immigrants.
I came here when I was 14 years old. It's a country of opportunities. Let's open our hearts for the future generations. It's a million dollars. That's not a lot of money
for the peace that we can bring to the city of Chelsea. Chelsea will be a better place. I've been faithful that this city will be better. Believe it.
If you are working here is because you have a purpose and that purpose can only be achieved in unity. I saw that Chelsea, I did an event here. And I I I I really like that we had
protection from the police. That's what we want. I've been living here now for years. 40 years living in the US. I'm from Central America. I'm from El Salvador.
Today my country is uh peaceful and I would like to return to the country but my compromise is with the youth that I serve at my church from every type of city
and we feel great to work for the future generations. Let's work for this city. And I think we can all do a better job for Chelsea. Thank you. [Applause]
Good evening counselors. My name is Anna Sophia Mayo Wong. I live at 126 Washington AB number one. I also serve as senior program director at La Collaborativa. Um, I would just like to say that immigrants are not a small and separate portion of the community, but make up
over 45% of Chelsea's population and statewide make up 20% of the workforce. I would also like to say that as marginalized communities, we do not have the privilege to let ourselves be pitted against each other when all of our rights are under siege and that any
attempt to turn us on our brothers and sisters and demean each other's fight for dignity and safety is harmful. We are in a moment of heightened mass displacement in the community. Displacement pressures which for years we have tried to combat are being exa exacerbated by the realities we are
living through today. To see the issue of small business displacement as separate from the daily siege of immigration immigration enforcement on the community is misguided and I believe we can address both. We can uplift the vital role of small businesses in the community
without dehumanizing the people who patronize and labor in them. People in this community are being forcibly disappeared, abducted on their way to work, on their way to build our houses, our roads, and put food on the table for their children.
Can we try for one moment to picture the level of intense fear that a family who has lived their whole life in Chelsea, who has built a life in Chelsea, has to be facing to make the decision to flee their home out of fear of persecution. the fear dissuading families from
walking downtown, from buying groceries, from sending their kids to school. Can we hold close for a moment the intergenerational impacts of the fear that children are being exposed to, hearing their parents plan for the possibility of separation or detention.
Every day at La Collaborativa, we have residents come in seeking assistance locating their loved ones. A father of four with another child on the way who is on his way to work. An uncle who suffers from diabetes and whose loved ones worry whether he will have access
to insulin. A 22year-old son walking home after being discharged from the hospital after a workplace injury. The siege has edged its way into our fight to ensure tenants are able to stay in their homes. Last council meeting, you heard from a group of longtime
residents fighting rent increases in their units of over $1,200. They came to our offices seeking support a few months ago to fight their displacement, knowing full well that the stakes were high, that the alternative is moving out of the city they call
home. Now they are questioning their decision to fight their own displacement given the risks they have they face in defending themselves in court. You have heard from small businesses, from small landlords. You have heard the stories of tenants. Now and over the next few
years, we have a choice about how we respond to what is occurring in the community, about who we humanize in this fight, about the city that we are fighting for. I urge us all to see what is occurring around us not as separate single issues, but as part of a larger fight for a city that remains a place
where families feel safe and valued and have opportunities to thrive regardless of the color of their skin, their language, and where they come from. Thank you. [Applause] I'm Kenned. I'm here again to try my three minutes if it's going to work.
I really like to tell you my specific story when you're making decisions. I don't think that $1 million you're trying to allocate here is wise.
It's what I term the safety practice. You have ethics rules. They already said it. It's a conflict. When you swore to be there, the legal department gave you everything that you
should know. And as a law student, you must have taken ethics and norms from the previous case. This is akin to it. when you said somebody told you that
everything is okay and you don't get mad. Well, you have to be bold and independent. It's in the Chelsea record. You should be able to be independent and make legislations that affect everybody.
In 2021, my junior brother and my junior sister, we are approved to come to United States. You're very young. I've been here for more than 38 years.
I met my wife in a school, international students office. I've advised a lot of international students on the legalities from their F1 visa to the rest.
Please, what you are doing is totally wrong. You don't understand it. And every time we back here again to tell you there are conflicts to sitting down there and advocating and representing
your community. That's not right. Please, my brother and my sister approved in 2021, which is what the United States called legal immigration.
Up until today at the states, the visa is not yet available for them in Nigeria. They're still waiting. And guess what? In that process, my brother-in-law died. I am the
petitioner. I have five brothers and five sisters. They're still waiting today. So, what you advocating is not going to help them. It's not when people come in and cross
over here and you're trying to allocate $1 million. I pay a lot of tax in this city. That is not helping them. And guess what? My brother was waiting and died two years ago and went. They're still
waiting. I understand what it takes to tell them to stay over there and don't cross. I was just watching you guys and I saw we can do it with empathy. But that's not what it's all about. They have told you
so many places to spend the $1 million, but what you are doing is not going to raise my brother from the dead to come over here. Two of his kids were in Ukraine and run.
They're now in Germany waiting. So if you really need an anecdote, we can give you that because I saw a lady come over here with an interpreter and I had to come in. If that is the way you're going to make your decision, listen, it doesn't help everybody. Stop
doing that because you are a city counselor that should be advocating for everybody and not for a unique set of people. I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause]
Anyone else? Hello everybody, city council residents of Chelsea. My name is Jeffrey Bowen. I was a resident. I grew up in East Boston and went to St. Rose. I'm a real estate broker. I've helped serve this community for many years and I don't play in the
political role at all. I stay out of, you know, business and politics for me doesn't mix. What I want to say is immigration, the policies are not the council's responsibility. They're here to serve and all they do is
hear about what you're not happy about. They don't get much money. They stay late. But All they hear is complaints. They don't hear solutions. The population of Chelsea is 40,000 people. So this $1 million is to help people who
can't defend themselves. It's $25 a person. Okay. So a million dollars to help people that are undocumented for legal services for $25 or what is it? $22
or $210 a month. So I have no role in any of this at all. But what I can say is I feel really bad. This nation is of immigrants, right? We all came from somewhere else. Some
people chose to come illegally and some people went through the path. But this city council, Chelsea's two square miles in diameter. You talk about business suffering. Well, the average income in Chelsea is under the poverty level. So, how can those people that work here pay
taxes and support those businesses that open? Is the government responsible for businesses to thrive or not? Are we in a capitalist society? What? The government has to solve every problem for everybody. 39% of the population United States gets some form of check or
disability from the government that's shut off. And so, you trickle that down to Chelsea, population of 40,000. Chelsea has a population ownership occupied ownership ratio of about 30%
are owner occupied. 70% are rented. And out of that 70% 75% is section 8 housing, free food, free stamps, health care, Obamacare. How much can the federal government, the state, the local city pay for people to survive and
thrive? How much are they responsible? these that serve the community, the city manager, city council, how and all they do is get complaints about how unhappy everyone is, what they didn't get, what isn't fair. Well, life isn't fair to
anybody. So, no one gave me anything. I grew up very poor, right? I have to earn my own, too. I don't have family that gave me money or anything. So, I had unemployment, thank God, when I got fired from a job so I could get another
job. I used it for the right way. But Mitt Romney created free health care in Massachusetts and Obamacare took it over federally. So let's see, the federal government is responsible for health care, housing, food, services, and then the cities have to
provide that. You have two square miles. Everybody's complaining about business. Well, how can businesses support if no one's spending money that lives here in the businesses? So that fish company that's opening brings in jobs, tax revenue, hotels,
meals tax. They complain it's going to smell. It's going to smell. Please, whatever. Bring jobs, right? You have all this land. You got all this money. They can figure out how to make money with it. But let's face it, the government is not responsible for any of us. They help us,
but we're their not job is not to provide food and housing and life and health and and equality and everything. You know, guess what? We all come from immigrants. Nothing is fair. Some had it worse, some had it others. But all I have to say is um
stop complaining that these wonderful people that sit up here that you elected and you didn't get what you want and you're sad and all this stuff, you know, come up with solutions. $25 a person for a million dollars. That's all it is. Come on.
Thank you. [Applause] Anyone else here for public speaking? Oh. Oh. Good evening, counselors. My name is Regina Taylor and I'd like to speak against this um proposal by councelor
Tash in regards to spending one million of the forgive me I'm nervous speaking um of the city's money towards uh services to provide for illegals uh illegal deportation issues.
The taxpayers's money is to serve the city and pay for essential services and keep the city running. And this proposal I open the city up to illegal sorry to um lawsuits in regards to appropriate use of funds. I myself am a legal
immigrant who started with nothing from scratch and so I have deep empathy for the people who are facing immigration problems and issues. However, I believe that we should not use city money for these issues. We have multiple We have multiple avenues to help raise
the money. And as Jeff uh suggested, we could start a GoFundMe page or other things that people can willingly contribute to to help these people raise money to help with their services. That would be a great way to engage the city and be charitable.
In addition to that, um, councelor Tesh currently works for a law firm that that serves immigration services. So maybe my proposal to him is to consider gathering all the law firms and having them work
on a pro bono proposal instead of asking our city to pay for this and work with them to help people who need these services. Thank you all. Good evening. [Applause]
Hi everybody. My name is Beth Novak. I live at 126 Bloomingdale Street and I am extremely nervous to stand up and talk, much to everybody's surprise, I'm sure. But um a couple of things. One, I wanted to say I'm not in support, although I am
very much in support of the immigrants in our community. I'm not in support of your proposal. Um, I think that as other people were saying, there's other avenues to find this the funding for this. Um, in fact, I will stand here and say that I don't know if you guys
remember the CO relief checks that we all got. Um, I think they came in two or three $600 amounts. Every single dollar that I got in COVID relief checks went to L Collaboriva to help support everything that they do. And I think that's an appropriate place, appropriate
way to have the money come in for these kinds of services. Um, I think it's important, I absolutely think it's important and justified to support people. Um, but that needs to come out of the goodness of our hearts and not out of the city coffers. Um, that's one
thing. Another thing is I was very disappointed by what every everything that went down with Wolf. Um, unfortunately I think that um I I have to agree with the people that were speaking um in favor of Wolf. I think it
was um very unfortunate that there was some waffling from the city councilors. Um and I agree with the no before you know um sentiment that was presented. I he's back there. Um I think that's
really important. Um, in addition to what I'm talking about when that comes, I think we all need to be respectful to each other. I thought it was very disrespectful the several times that that city councilors just this evening got up and walked away while people were speaking. I also think it was I think
it's extremely disrespectful that the city council many city council members every time I watch a city council meeting and I watch almost every single one of them. Every single time I see at least one city council member disrespecting one of your boards and and
and um boards and commissions in this city, you guys elected appointed these people to boards and commissions. They deserve your respect just as much as we as you deserve our respect and I'm giving that to you. But you you need to respect all those people as well. you
appointed them and you need to have I if you have a if you have you don't have to agree with everything but if you have a disagreement you need to be respectful and you not do not need to si stand up here and disparage those board members. Um I think it was absolutely uncalled for especially when it came to the wolf.
Um but that's not just wolf it was I mean you're doing it with the zoning planning licensing traffic and parking commission. Oh my gosh, the heat that they get from you guys and they have so little control over anything. So, I really think that you need to be more respectful to everyone. I think that's
all I have to say tonight. [Applause] Anyone else? Going once.
Okay, our public speaking portion for tonight is closed and we will uh Madame President, if I may move um the order um for the contracting legal services
out of order. Um if the council has no objections, I object. We we've we have not even had the approval of the minutes or anything. We shouldn't be taking business until uh we get through any of the communications.
Okay, moving on. Next item on the agenda, we have approval of the minutes of the regular meeting of the city council dated September 22nd, 2025. Move to accept the minutes from the meeting of September 22nd. If there are no objections under suspension, seeing none, thank you councelor. Moving
on to the next item. We move on to communications from the city manager. First communication received responding to council order 2596, don't block the box line painting request. Dear councilors, I am writing in response to council order 2596 requesting a don't block the box to be
painted at the intersection of Everett Avenue and Fourth Street. I have shared this request with our commissioner of public works. The commissioner scheduled the work and has since been completed. Thank you for your support. Thank you, clerk. Is there a motion on the floor? Move to accept and file communication.
There are no objections. Okay, seeing none, moving on to Madam President, point of order. Um, I just have a question around moving something out of order. Um, is that anyone can object and then we cannot do it. Is that correct?
Uh, moving any item outside your regular agenda requires unanimous consent. One objection renders a moot. And um is is there any debate possible around that? Um, any motion to amend council rules or to deviate from them requires unanimous consent. Period.
Okay, got it. No worries. Thank you. Okay, thank you uh clerk. Moving on now to the next item. Our next communication received from the city manager responding to council order 2598, routine inspection for street lights. Dear counselors, I'm writing in response to council order 2598
requesting that the department of public works develop a routine inspection for street lights. We agree that at times there is confusion with certain street lights being out for an extended period of time. This is due to interaction between our maintenance contractor Electrical and our electrical company
Eversource. We work closely with and Eversource to resolve these issues as they arise. Just this week, our deputy commissioner of public works was able to resolve an issue with street lights in Bellingham Square that have been outstanding for several months. We also agreed that a routine inspector for street lights would be valuable. A
trained employee would be able to obtain street pole information and pictures that might be harder to request from a constituent. Our Department of Public Works will conduct an inspection of the city at nighttime and will document lights that are out of service. We will work with Electrical to fix any street lights found during this
inspection. Thank you for your support. Is there a motion? Accept the file of communication like to speak on it. You have the floor, counselor. Thank you to the city manager and thank you to DPW for doing this order which is very
important that for the safety of all the people that the lights have made sure that they're all on. So I'd like again to say thank you. Thank you councelor. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager responding to council order
2599 implementing fee for replacement trash barrels. Dear councilors, I am writing in response to council order 2599 requesting that our department of public works implement a fee for replacement trash barrels. Public works has been evaluating this option for some time. We are concerned that implementing
a fee for trash barrels might lead to increased illegal dumping and worsening housing conditions, particularly for rental properties. Many of our neighboring cities have implemented controls on trash barrels. Some cities limit the amount of trash barrels issued to properties to one barrel per housing
unit, while several other cities charge between $50 to $100 for replacement barrels. Our DPW might be forced to implement similar practices, especially with the growing cost of trash disposal and trash barrels. In 2018, when the city rolled out trash barrels, the cost
of each barrel was $35. Today, each barrel costs nearly 70. Trash hauling and disposal have gone up at a similar rate. Our DPW team will continue evaluating this policy over the next several months to determine the best course of action. Thank you for your support except further communication like to
speak on it. You have the floor, counselor. Uh what I proposed was one thing, but the answer we got here where it says that that we might be forced to implement. So what is that trying to say? That you're going to start charging
us for barrels for all the barrels? That's kind of not what I I intended. But from what I get this proposal here, it seems like that uh you are going to start charging us for barrels. The only proposal I said is if somebody cannot
account for its barrels, but from this order it seems like now you want to start charging us for the barrels. We already paid trash fee which is going up and up. And you want to charge us for the normal barrels that we have. I don't
think I will go for that. Thank you. Thank you, councelor. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received from the city manager responding to council order 251000. Negotiations to purchase or lease St. Rose school. Dear counselors, I'm writing in response to council order
25100 requesting that the city manager begin negotiations to lease or purchase the St. Rose school property. The St. Rose school offers an unparalleled location. It is within walking distance from city hall, the senior center, Chelsea public library, and both of Chelsea's middle schools. St. Rose
School is centrally located and accessible to all of our public transit lines. The city council has called for the city to pursue a community center. A community center would provide a home to our teenagers, seniors, and our working families. In this center, the city can provide educational, recreational, and
athletic resources. And a community center would transform our community. It would be a dream to build a community center at the St. Rose School site. The city of Chelsea has the financial capacity to purchase the school and complete the necessary renovations for a community center. The city will respect the and honor the historic legacy of the
school and ensure positive stewardship for generations to come. The city can work with the parish to ensure that the church community maintains access and availability for parking spaces for their current programs. In summary, the city will begin negotiations as requested by the city council. Thank you for your support.
Acceptable communication like be honest. You'll have the floor, counselor. Thank you. So, that means that one of these days before I die, we're going to see a community center. I've been advocating for it for well, I don't know
if you could say advocating. I've been asking for it for many, many, many years. They had studies which said this place has it. When as a young kid, when I grew up, community center was the greatest thing to me. It made me a better person because I knew the
surrounding people around me and I had support when I was young for me to achieve certain things that I couldn't achieve without helping. So I believe that a community center will do all these things not only for young men, it will also do for older people. It will
unite the community more or less. That is the purpose of a community center. So I'm glad that it's finally one day it's going to happen. I hope it's sooner than later. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. Councelor Kelly Garcia,
I am sorry. Uh 10 years ago, I uh first ran for a school committee and the very first meeting I held uh with youth. This was their first ask, a youth center. And so I'm really excited to see this on the agenda. I'm wondering if the city
manager can explain what next steps would look like, whether it's um yeah, just if you can share in in the spirit of transparency, if you can share what next steps would be taking and what community conversations will be had regarding this.
Yeah, absolutely. Oh, thank you. Suspend the rules. Suspend the rules. Thank you. And I do want to say that uh um this is something that we have been talking about as a community for a long time and an administration. We received an earmark
uh in in the state budget and the city council uh uh match that earmark. If you recall, we have a a consultant that is right now doing uh uh a survey uh a and potential designs on on a few a few
different options. Uh and those options will come before the city council. Uh um I I do believe that that the best option is St. Rose, right? Uh uh it it has parking. It has uh uh a lot of classroom space. It has a gym. Uh it's perfect.
It's perfect. So what what um the steps would be is to appraise the property because we we we have to offer the appraised value. Uh and once we have a sense of the appraised value, we can then uh uh um either put out an an RFP
or or simply say that that uh it is a very unique property uh and make an offer to uh to St. Rose Church. Um I hope they are willing to listen uh and I hope that uh they see the benefit to the greater community. But as you can
imagine uh as a private property owner right uh uh they do have the right to say no right and say that that they are not interested in selling at this time. Thank you.
Thank you city manager. Moving on to the next communication. Next communication receive response to council order 25102 expiring use properties. Dear counselors, I'm writing in response to council order 25102 requesting an update on all expiring use properties. Attached to this letter, you
will find the list of properties with affordability restrictions along with their expiring date. Ben Cares, our director of housing and community development, is working to verify the recorded regulatory agreements and subsidy HAP contracts to confirm expiration type and date for each
property. HCD has reviewed four properties with affordability restrictions set to expire in the near term and updated our records accordingly. At 95 Pearl Street, North Suffach will negotiate an extension through a new HUD project redundial assistance contract. At 150 Captain Row,
a new affordable housing restriction was recorded in 2022, which we have reported to EOHLC for correction of SHI data. At Broadway Glenn, the section 8 HUD contract is in place. HUD almost always offers renewals at expiration in high-cost markets. So affordability is
expected to continue beyond 2033 unless the owner opts out. And finally, 466 Broadway, the owner is in active discussions with HCD in the city to extend affordability. Mr. Cares and I will be reaching out to ownership of each property to understand their intent to renew, sell, or convert. We will
advocate heavily to preserve affordability for each one of these properties. Mr. Cares will also work with our partners in the state, including DHCD and CEDAC, Mass Housing and Mass Housing Partnership, on refinancing options to extend affordability. In every case, we will
assess potential city contributions, including CPA funding and affordable housing trust fund and home CDBG to help preserve affordability. We will continue to keep the council in the loop on these critical properties. Thank you for your support. Thank you, Clark. Accept and follow the communication on
the suspension. There are no objections. Seeing no objections, thank you, councelor. Um, if I may get permission to speak briefly from the chair. Thank you. I just want to thank our city manager for the prompt response and for sharing this information with us and
give credit to my constituents who brought this to my attention and wanted to make sure that as we are dealing with all of the needs that come before us that we don't forget that there are expiring deadlines for many of the homes that um serve as you know um homes
sanctuaries for our families currently and that we need to make sure that we are not um forgetting about what we currently have in the community and ensure that we are sustaining those opportunities as well. So, thank you and um that's it. Moving
on to the next item. Next communication received response to council order 25103 supporting homeowners with overgrown trees. Dear counselors, I'm writing a response to council order 25103 requesting that the city explore ways to support homeowners who face issues with overgrown trees.
Dr. Commissioner of Public Works confirmed that Eversource conducts annual audits to identify and trim trees that pose a risk to high voltage electrical wires. Our streets and sidewalks team is additionally equipped to trim street trees that encroach on private residences. Our parks and open
space manager, Vladimir Hernandez, is also a dedicated and trained tree warden. Mr. Hernandez receives and responds to all reported tree issues. He assesses the situation and either coordinates with our in-house DPW staff or contacts a professional tree trimming company to do the work. In Chelsea, we
have a growing tree canopy, but the majority of trees are still fairly young and unlikely to cause a safety hazard. Most trimming we do is to prevent growth in a direction that might cause problems in the future. There are times when property owners contact us about tree issues that sit on private property like
backyards or sidewalks. While we may not be able to take direct action due to insurance liability and private property rights, our tree warden can provide information to owners about the different levels of tree risk and suggest ways for them to work with neighbors to resolve the issue. The tree warden and commissioner of public works
are empowered to take decisive action if a tree is a threat to the public, whether it sits on private or public property. If anyone in our community has a fear of a tree collapsing on an electrical wire, we encourage them to call Chelsea 311 or open a ticket on our app or website. Thank you for your
support. Thank you, clerk. Have the follow communication on the suspension. There are no objections. Thank you, councelor. I see none. Real briefly, once again, if I may get permission to just um thank our city manager for walking us through this. I
think it's important for the public um to also be able to see um that this communication is happening ongoing. I um I have spoken to many of my colleagues who received phone calls from constituents with similar concerns. Um
you know the the important thing that um that I wanted to sort of lift with this order is that um communication um resolves a lot of the procedures and process that we have on paper. um in terms of like having something on
a protocol on paper and seeing how it actually plays out in the community. Those can be two different completely things, right? And so um I encourage the public to continue to reach out to their city counselors. Our city manager has an open door policy. Um, I think it's
important that we uh support each other and um, you know, if I continue to get any phone calls or um, notifications, I will continue to have my conversations with the city manager as well. Thank you. Moving on to the next item.
Next communication received response to council order 25106 providing an update to parking situation at Duo. Dear counselors, I'm writing in response to council order 25106 requesting an update to the parking situation at Duo. In 2019, city manager Tomino, our city
clerk, and the developer signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines the parking agreement for the property. Theou confirms that the project replaced one for one the existing 96 public housing units that were in long dire need of replacement. Theou also confirms that an additional
40 units of middle-income housing units were built with the project and support our affordable housing goals. Theou acknowledges that the residents of the INZ apartments had access to off- streetet parking spaces and access to parking stickers before the project was completed. Therefore, theou outlines
that the residents of the public housing units and the residents of the middle income units will have access to parking permits. Finally, theou states that up to 30 market rate units will apply for parking permits. Our city clerk has issued 17 parking stickers for 170 Central Avenue and 31 parking stickers
for 180 Central Avenue. Our city clerk and director of constituent services will closely monitor the applications received and work collaboratively with the developer to meet the agreements outlined in theou. Thank you for your support. Thank you, clerk. Is there a motion? Yeah, a motion to accept and f communication like you speak on it.
You'll have the floor council. Well, this is all fine and dandy. They can tell you all they want. I was here in the beginning when they all proposed this and it wasn't what it says here. Slowly but slowly they kept adding and
adding and adding. So now all those places you're going to have all these parking stickers already and a place that's congested where you can't move at all. Wait, and there's no limit. So if you live in one of those apartments and you have three cars, this doesn't tell
you you can't register all three. And this it tells you they had an agreement. an agreement. The first agreement when I was there, when we first started, it was not even for the 696 units. Then they went to the 96 units. Then slowly they
creeped up and said 40 and 30. And then all of a sudden, I thought it was kind of funny that uh the order went in effect where they couldn't get residential stickers. They couldn't get residential stickers in 2020. Now, 10 days before the order went in effect in
2019, they approved them. So, how is it that you do it 10 days before the order goes in effect? That's strange. And then the other strange part about it is where are you going to stick all these cars? Where are you going to put them? I
understand the need to build the housing. It was my desire to build them. I wanted them to build them. I wanted those people to live in beautiful homes because for so a long time they lived in rundown places but it wasn't my desire
to keep 320 units whatever they have and put right here there's 160 cars. It's 160 cars in an area where it's already congested. Where are you going to stick ALL THESE CARS? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM? That is the point now. Now,
where I live, I live around the corner from there. For years and years, there was parking. There's no parking. PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING TO WITH EACH OTHER WHERE TO PARK. SO, it's good for the people that don't have a car. WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT have a car? WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO
DO? SO, the developments as this city does from now on, THEY SHOULD FORCE THEM. I KNOW BUSINESS SAY, "WELL, we need more revenue." Yes, but you need quality of life. IF YOU DON'T HAVE QUALITY OF LIFE, WHAT GOOD IS YOUR REVENUE? You have to have quality of
life before anything else. AND BY YOU CONGESTING IT more and more and more, you're creating a chaos within this little 1.8 square mile city. So from now on, all of us should scrutinize EVEN
FURTHER HOW THIS PARKING situation goes on. Whoever is here, whatever it is, we should scrutinize it more. There was a lady here that said earlier, oh, the parking commission doesn't HAVE ANY POWER. THAT'S NOT TRUE. THE PARKING
COMMISSION HAS ALL THE POWER. THE ONLY THING THIS COUNCIL HAS, it can SAY NO TO THEM. BUT THEY FORGET TO TELL YOU, THEY CAN SAY NO TO US. SO IF WE PUT SOMETHING TO THEM, THEY COULD REJECT IT. IT NEVER EVEN COMES UP TO US. SO I WANT THE
public to understand that this is how it works. SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS, YOU SHOULDN'T SAY THAT THEY HAVE NO POWER. THEY HAVE ALL THE POWER. THEY HAVE THE POWER TO DENY US, which we work for you, the people, and we CAN'T
DO OUR JOB if we not even going to be listened to. And I think parking is a great great problem in our city. How you going to fix it? I don't know. I'm not a magician. Maybe it's up to the people that know how to fix it, but it should be fixed. Thank you.
Okay. Next item. Next communication received requesting conflict of interest law exemption. Dear counselors, the Division of Recreation and Cultural Affairs wishes to hire a part-time youth sports instructor, Mr. Jud Don Felix, to a part-time position as a youth sports instructor. Mr. Jud
Dona Felix will also hold a part-time position for Chelsea Public Schools as an assistant high school football coach. Because Mr. Mr. Don Felix is an existing municipal employee with a financial interest in this separate matter. He needs an exemption vote by the city council from the statutory conflict of interest law. All work performed by Mr.
Don Felix for the Chelsea schools will be outside of his normal hours as a part-time youth sports instructor for the city's recreation and cultural affairs department. I respectfully request the city council approve this exemption. He meets all statutory requirements for the granting of an exemption under Mass General Law Chapter
268A section 20. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Accept a follow communication on the suspension. I believe something will be coming up on the new business. Seeing no objections. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to the next communication. Next communication received requesting approval for department to pay prior
year expense. Dear counselors, I'm writing to request approval for the human resources department to make payments on prior year expenses using their FY26 budget. The invoices are for temporary employment services provided to the city to assist our recreation and cultural affairs department which was dealing with an unexpected staffing
crunch during a critical period. The temporary employee performed approximately 5 to six weeks of administrative support to the department in the form of registration program management among other tasks. Madam President, move to wave the rest of the reading and accept and file under communication if there are no objections. There's something coming up
under new business. Seeing no objections, moving on to the next communication. Next communication received requesting approval of donations for Chelsea road race. Dear councilors, pursuant to section master law chapter 44 section 53A1-2, I am writing to request that the city
council formally approve the donation of two Patriot clocks which were presented as prizes for the winners of the annual Chelsea 5K road race. Madam President, move to wave the rest of the reading and accept and file under communication if there are no objections. Seeing none, thank you councelor. Moving on. Next communication received regarding
fiscal year 2026 tax rates. Dear councilors, I am writing to request that the Chelsea City Council schedule a meeting of the subcommittee on conference on Monday, October 20th, 2025, or on a more convenient date soon thereafter for the purpose of discussing the fiscal year 2026 tax rates. Similar
to past years, the goal at that meeting is to provide a PowerPoint presentation and then answer questions about FY26 valuations and the tax rate. I also ask that the city council schedule a public hearing with the board of assessors on Monday, November 10th, 2025 for the purpose of voting on the minimum
residential factor, residential exemption and setting of tax rates for FY26. Move to accept and file under communication if there are no objections. Seeing none and schedule the public hearings. The conference has already been scheduled for Monday, October 20th at 6 p.m. prior to the regular meeting. It
will be held in the chambers and televised. Thank you, Clark. Moving on. Next communication received from the city manager regarding affordable housing opportunity at 55 Herd Street. Dear counselors, I'm pleased to announce that the city of Chelsea is exploring a
new affordable housing pilot program at 55 Herd Street, a six-unit residential property that presents an opportunity to expand deeply affordable familysiz housing in our community. This initiative represents a collaborative effort among the law department, department of housing and community development, assessor's office, and the
city manager's office to create a sustainable model for city- owned affordable housing. The city council and our community were loud and clear that the city must do whatever it can to preserve and protect affordable housing for Chelsea residents. This opportunity reflects the city's commitment to leveraging public resources creatively
and responsibly to address the pressing need for affordable family housing. This is a particularly unique opportunity as the house is in receiverhip and has not yet gone to market. We anticipate that the lessons learned from this pilot will inform future housing strategies and help the city establish a replicable
model for maintaining long-term affordability in Chelsea. The pilot is designed to prioritize Chelsea residents by providing six three-bedroom units at rents that are affordable at area median incomes that reflect the needs of our community and prioritize low and very
lowincome families. We endeavor to see if this can serve as a model for future city-led initiatives aimed at expanding deeply affordable housing options for Chelsea families. The city proposes that the purchase of this property made with funds from our overlay account. Use of the overlay account requires a vote from
the board of assessors before action can be taken by the city council. We will present this purchase option to the board of assessors promptly. We will also request the city council approve the creation of a revolving fund that will allow the property to be self-sustaining once the initial acquisition is complete. We will submit these financial orders for the council
meeting on October 20th, 2025. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to strengthen housing stability and opportunities for all Chelsea residents. Move to accept and file under communication. If there are no objections, and I'd like to speak on it real quick, you have the floor. Councelor, uh I just want to um this is this is a
really exciting um thing to learn about. Uh I think one of the big challenges that we have often when it comes to developing affordable housing is that you know because money is coming from the state or from the federal government uh we can't limit it to Chelsea residents by virtue of this being a
city-led uh uh proposal. We can make it clear that this is for people who are currently in Chelsea. That is exciting. It is um you know it it's unfortunate that we won't be able to get kind of funding from other sources because that would kind of defeat the purpose of doing that. Uh but but it is it is an
exciting opportunity and I am curious to see you know how it goes through and I just want to thank the the city manager and everybody who's been working on this uh for for this opportunity uh to provide um what six families I want to say six three-bedroom units which is very exciting. Thank you.
Thank you councelor Councelor Robinson. Yeah, this is this is a great opportunity for for the city and actually we would be able to control that to make sure that Chelsea residents actually get into these units as they're
not supposedly going into a lottery and competing with outside entities from all around the state that seem to end up in the majority of our units here. So, this is a great opportunity. The only thing I would add uh to this to make sure that
we have a veterans preference um on the list to make sure that our veterans are taken care of also. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. If I may speak from the chair real briefly. Thank you.
Um, I'll just briefly share uh echo what my fellow counselors have shared and um, you know, thinking about how, you know, how we've gotten to this point where we can actually own um, you know, a safe haven, a home for families that are
being displaced instead of having to use um, or pour our resources and funding into um, hotels. Um I think that it's important for us to um similar to the request of my fellow
colleague think about what is um what is the exit strategy and how do we support our families in being able to continue to thrive so that then that home becomes available for the next family in need. Um but I am very excited and um thank
you. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received regarding vision zero action plan prepared for council review. De councilors in 2023 our city applied for and won a grant from the US department of transportation to develop a zero a vision zero action
plan. Vision zero is an international street safety initiative aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by accepting that human error is inevitable and designing the transportation system to be resilient to those errors. Over the course of 2025, city staff, city councilors, and
transportation planners have worked diligently to develop Chelsea's vision zero action plan. Our goal is simple but ambitious. Eliminate traffic related deaths and serious injuries in Chelsea. The draft plan lays out the framework for how we will get there, aligning with our broader municipal priorities and
reinforcing our commitment to equity, public health, and climate resilience. We are in the process of preparing our final draft and we request a meeting with the public safety committee to review the recommendations and get the council's feedback. The plan includes a detailed analysis of crash data, identifies high injury corridors, and
proposes a set of near-term and long-term actions to improve safety. It also outlines how we will respond more quickly and transparently to serious crashes, and how we will measure progress over time. Later in the year, after incorporating your feedback, we will return to the full city council to formally adopt the plan. We will need to
work together across departments at city hall and in our outreach to community groups, the business community, and neighborhood leaders to achieve vision zero. This all of city effort is key to reaching our goals. Attached you will find an overview of our work. We look forward to presenting to the public safety committee.
Thank you, cler communication suspension. Um, sorry. I was going to um accept and actually refer the communication to the public safety subcommittee um so that we can be presented with the
plan um I know that parking and traffic there will be a public hearing in November um and they will vote on the plan and then the council will need to accept it as well. And um you have the
slides already in this packet, but um the plan is ready. I don't think it was ready for this package, which is why you don't have the plan in its entirety, but it is ready now. So hopefully we can have a look at it. Um I have a
particular interest in this because I worked with transportation for mass and uh smart growth America um to look at such issues and I also live across the street where I have witnessed um over 30 pedestrian
injuries. Um so this is really really important. It's not going to require any funding. basically voting on it will mean we can get reimbursed by DOT. So, um
that's what I'd like to do is refer to the subcommittee. Thank you, councelor. I see no objections. Moving on to the next item. Next communication received. Extending an invitation to join Faith and Blue events in October. Dear counselors, I'm writing to extend a warm invitation for
everyone in our community to join us in our upcoming Faith and Blue events during the month of October. These events will be a great opportunity for our city to stand together with our faith communities and with the men and women of the Chelsea Police Department and building stronger trust and connection with our residents. It is more important than ever that our
community feels confident and trusts our local government and local law enforcement. The path forward is not simply to demand trust, but to earn it through open, consistent, and transparent communication. That is precisely what faith and blue allows us to do. meet residents where they are, dismantle fear and offer opportunities
for real human connection, for conversation, listening and mutual understanding. With faith in blue, we seek to strengthen unity to be our visible, accessible and authentic. We have collaborated with many houses of worship from Temple Emanuel to Lu de Christo, from Revival Church to St.
Luke's, from Revive Community Church to the people's amme church. These institutions have already committed to working together in this movement. We need everyone in our community to participate and send a powerful message. Chelsea stands firmly alongside our faith groups and community organizations in promoting safety, belonging, and
dignity for all. Faith in Blue also offers residents a living demonstration of our shared purpose that we are here to protect, serve, and to walk together with all who call Chelsea home. Thank you for your leadership during this trying time. Move to accept and file under communication if there are no objections.
I'd like to speak on it. Uh, sure. Uh are there any oppositions to councelor Himenez? Seeing none. Okay. Uh councelor recuper you may speak. Okay. I see this event here. How come there is no St. Rose? There's Temple
Emanuel Listo Episcopal Church Revival Church, People AM Church, Review Community Church. Where is the St. Rose church? Did anybody approach them? So why are we working on this? I thought it was for all the churches. So, what are we working on? One particular kind of
church. Oh, nothing to say with churches, but if you're going to do it, do it with all the churches. How about the people that don't go to these churches? So, what is this? They talking about fairness and transparency. Does this seem fair to you? It doesn't seem fair
to me. It seems if you're going to invite all the churches, you might as well invite all the churches. And that's what you should do. So before I know it's already approved because once it's approved, it's approved. But next time you do anything like this, you include
all the churches because it's kind of not fair not to put all the churches in there. Thank you, Councelor Sneig. Um, before I respond to councelor Cupo's comments, I just wanted to say that I was fortunate last year to
be able to attend all of the Faith and Blue events and they were really incredible. It was wonderful to come together. I learned so much. Um, I was happy that this year there's actually even I think two additional churches. Um
and we already went to Temple Emanuel for Yam Kapor last Thursday evening and again it was a wonderful celebration together. Councelor Rupro with regard to you not seeing a comprehensive list in your
opinion of the churches etc. It was my comment as well because I didn't see the mosque here. And when I asked about that, I learned that all of the faith organizations were reached out to. And I
believe the ones on your on this list are the ones that accepted the invitation for whatever reason to offer. So, I do not believe that there was not an overarching invitation to all the faith-based agencies just based on what
I know from inquiring about the mosque. Thank you. Thank you, councelor. Hold on. Councelor Rubro, just give me one second. So, because councelor Sanate um directly mentioned councelor Rupo, council recuper, you may respond, but can we please proceed afterwards? This
can be a conversation that we can continue outside. I didn't know because they didn't put it there on the paper that they gave us. They didn't say that they reached out to all the fates. So if I known that they reached out to all the fates, I wouldn't have said that. The only reason why I
said that because all fates matter and all fates should be asked. So I didn't know that. So I apologize for saying what I didn't know. But it's not really my fault. It's the paperwork that they give us. didn't say that. If the paper
had said that that it had reached out to all the churches, I would have never said that. Thank you very much. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to the next communication. Next communication received from the city manager requesting requesting council approved transfer from CIP 2024
project to CIP 2026 project. Dear counselors, we are excited to begin the final stage of renovations at the DPW city. From this property, we operate seven days a week to run our water and sewer, streets and sidewalks, solid waste, buildings and grounds, fleet maintenance, and snow operation. The
facility is a critical location for executing the DPW mission and has not seen significant renovation since its construction in 1976. Four years ago, we replaced the tar and gravel roof with a weathertight white vinyl roof for half a million. Two years ago, we completed
replacement of the siding and overhead bay doors for $1.1 million. We are now undertaking renovation of the interior office, locker, and storage areas to allow our staff to more efficiently use the space as they serve our residents. The projected cost for this project is
3.25 million for a total renovation investment of $4.85 million, far less than new construction would cost. With the completed renovations, the building will be weathertight with a full fire protection system for staff and equipment, as well as adequate staff space and locker spaces and
significantly improved air quality from an upgraded energy efficient HVAC system. Madam President, move to wait the rest of the reading and accept and file under communication. If there are no objections, it's coming up underneath business. Thank you, councelor. Seeing no objections, moving on to the next communication. Our final communication received from
the city manager request approval of appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions. Dear councilors, pursuant to section 4-2 of the charter of the city of Chelsea, I am writing to recommend the following individuals to boards and commissions in the city for appointment to the board of library trustees. Miss Ashley Quakowski of
Chelsea for appointment to the affordable housing trust fund board. Mr. Art Gordon of Chelsea for appointment to the Chelsea Youth Commission, Allison Assorio, Allison Rivera, Ashley Ymana, Katherine Hernandez, Hazel Hettleberg, Jennifer Mendoza, Kendra Morales,
Madison Jay, Emily Garinia Morales. And for reappointment to the Youth Commission, Yuri Lee, Nina Young Lee, Daniel Predencio, and Daryl Medina. For reappointment to the Chelsea Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Miss Sharon Carfield of Chelsea. I
respectfully request your approval of these appointments. I have attached resumes for new appointees. Madam President, uh move to accept and fin communications and uh send for a second reading. Thank you, councelor. Um may I ask if we have any of the members here present? Just want to acknowledge thank you for
joining us this evening and for staying this long. Thank you. All right, moving on to new business. Our first item under new business, we have an order introduced by Council Taylor. ordered that in accordance with Mass General Law chapter 44 section 64 budget management procedures whereby
cost incurred in FY 24 and 25 were not paid and are owed to vendors and to meet this obligation funds are required from the current year FY26 budget as noted the Chelsea City Council authorizes the following expenditures to satisfy unpaid balances that total $1,324.79
from prior years as follows for FY24 and 25 both to the HR requirement for provided government services for temporary employees. One in the amount of $1,1353, the other in the amount of $18926. Move to Ways and Means.
Seeing no objections, moving on to Ways and Means. Uh on to the next item. Next order introduced by Council Taylor. Order that pursuant to Mass General Law Chapter 44, section 53A1-2, the Chelsea City Council accepts the donation of two Patriot Clocks by
Jackson Hullman, product manager at Chelsea clock and valued at $570, which were presented as prizes for the winners of the annual Chelsea 5K road race by the Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Move to Ways and Means.
Seeing no objections, moving to Ways and Means on to the next item. Next order introduced by councelor Taylor ordered that in accordance with chapter 44 section 20 of the general laws the sum of1,750,000
appropriated under fiscal year 2024 capital improvement plan for city hall attic expansion project which has not been undertaken is hereby deferred and funds transferred in the amount of $1,750,000 to fiscal year 2026 capital improvement plan for public buildings renovations
project. Move to ways and means. Seeing no objections, moving on to the next item. Next item under new business, we have an order introduced by Council Attesh. Ordered that the city manager refer to the city council an appropriation request to provide an organization $1
million to contract legal services in order to combat rights violations perpetrated by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Chelsea. Madame President, I move to make an amendment um after listening to the public u to reduce the amount of 1
million to $250,000 um and to also strike out the language uh provide an organization and just leave provide to contract legal legal services. Um if uh the council has no objection to
those amendments, I would like to speak on it. I also object. Now I move this to a conference subcommittee. Um and um if that has no objections, then I would like to speak
on it. Madam President, I I I I'd ask you to uh rule this uh out of order as this order uh says that the city manager or uh the
city manager referred to the city council and appropriation. this is interfering in the day-to-day uh business of uh operation of the city
which is forbidden by the Chelsea charter. Um so uh I I would just ask you to rule this out of order. This is this is not an appropriate order. Point of order, Madame President, if the
clerk could clarify um if the if this order um allows to make the request to the city manager or um if eliminating the number of money spent would allow this to proceed.
Clerk, section 2-11 of the charter prohibits council from directly involving themselves in the quote conduct of the administrative business of the city. financial appropriations fall under the context of day-to-day operations or administrative operations. So, as
stated, it would violate the charter based on the fact that the order expressly says that the city manager refer as opposed to that the city manager consider referring to the council. If that language were included, it would not be. But the language as stated, regardless of the monetary
amount and removal of the provide an organization clause, without that addition, it would be in my view a violation of 211 of a charter and ruled out of order. Madame President, having that information, um again, I would like to amend this order to eliminate the
language of uh asking the city manager to refer money and instead just asking him to look into providing legal services um for people who are suffering from ICE detentions. I I would ask that we lay lay this on the table.
Okay, counselors. Um can we please speak through the chair? Um, I saw councelor Jimenez and then councelor Taylor, I will give you the floor. I just have a question on this. I I think I understand and I I agree with
the clerk's um assessment that this including an amount is something that should be ruled out of order. My concern here is that the order could just be resubmitted with the changes and then we would just have to have this conversation later on anyway. So, is
there any point to pushing this conversation further instead of just having it right now? If that's the will of the council, that's fine. But I I I just think we're people are here waiting for us to have a conversation about this and we should just discuss this now. I don't see a reason for pushing it off,
but if that's the will of the council, then so be it. Thank you, counselor. Counselor Taylor. So, this council has rules. This city has rules. And I think especially lately, we have
been either bending the rules, trying to get around the rules. And you know, I'm sorry, but there are rules for a reason. So, I don't disagree with the counselor
when he says we're just going to have to do this anyway. But I think it's incumbent upon us, all of us, to actually learn the rules and try to abide by them
and take this job seriously instead of, you know, coming up and trying to just, you know, I I I just I just think that
this body deserves respect. respect. We need to respect our process. We need to respect our rules. And all of us need to take those things seriously. And I just don't think that's been happening lately. And that's why I'm making an issue of it right now. The counselor's
right. Uh we we probably are going to have to deal with this again. But if we have to deal with it again, you know, so be it. But at least counselors will know going forward not to do this.
Thank you. Counselor uh repeat your motion counselor on the floor. Repeat your mot. Your motion on the floor. There was a motion to amend, but I thought I heard another motion on the floor before him to lay it on the table. A motion to lay on the table requires a second.
I'll second. Requires a second. A motion to lay on the table takes precedence over rule. Motion to amend. Can uh point of inquiry, can we do a roll call vote on the motion to lay on the table? Motion to lay on the table requires a majority roll call vote as is. It's not debatable or amendable. The vote just
happens. I would like to request a roll call so that we may proceed um with the amended version that would make this order. So the current the the motion on the floor was to amend. A subsidiary motion was made to
lay on the table. In order of precedence under council rules and Robert's rules, motions to lay on the table take precedence over motions to amend. So the motion to lay on the table comes first. If that motion is either if the motion is defeated, the motion to amend comes back. If the motion to lay on the table
passes, it supersedes all other motions pending on the floor. Yeah. So the mo so the motion on the floor is to lay on the table. It was seconded by councelor Robinson. Roll call vote required. Point of order. Councelor Hummen. Just curious what is the mechanism for bringing that back from laying on the table? Does it
automatically go to our next meeting or no? Um when when a matter is laid on the table, it requires a motion to take it off the table, a second to take it off the table, and a vote by majority to remove it from the table. Thank you. Okay, let's proceed.
So for clarification, the motion before you is a motion by councelor Taylor to lay this matter on the table. Majority vote required. Council Tener Garcia. Yes. Yes. Councelor Jimenez River. No.
Council Rupo. I don't know about that. It's coming back. What's the point? Yes. That was a yes. Council Taylor. Yes. Council Robinson. Yes. Council Tesh. No. Council Kelly Garcia.
Yes. Yes. Council Santigette. Yes. Council Vega, no. No. Council Brown is absent. And councelor Desos, yes. Seven members voting in favor, three opposed, one member absent. A motion to
lay on the table passed by majority vote. The matters laid on the table. Moving on to the next item. Next item. Under new business, we have an order introduced by council Tanar Garcia. ordered that a meeting of the subcommittee on conference be held with the city manager to discuss what city resources can be used to support
families left behind by recent federal immigration enforcement actions in the city of Chelsea. Uh I'm sorry. Um accept and file. No adopt. Yeah. Can I have a minute to speak on it, please? Absolutely. You have a floor.
All right. I wrote it because um these things get me emotional. But um when we talk about community, we're talking about people, about families, children, parents, and neighbors who make up the heart and soul of our city.
But what happens when members of those families are taken from us? When ICE comes into our neighborhoods? When deportations tear families apart? What happens to the people left behind? This is where our responsibility as a city begins. Our duty does not end at
providing services or passing policies. Our duty extends to compassion, to care, and to protection. We must stand up for the families who are living in fear, the children who go to bed at night unsure if their parents will be there in the morning, and the mothers and fathers who
are doing everything they can to hold their families together despite the pain of separation. These are our residents. They work in our restaurants, care for our children, clean our schools, and keep our city running. When de deportation tears the family apart, the
pain doesn't stop at their front door. It ripples through our classrooms, our churches, our businesses, and our hearts. But the impact goes even deeper. It touches the mental health of our entire community. We've seen the quiet
trauma in our children, the anxiety that builds when they hear sirens or see a uniform. We've seen parents struggle with depression and fear, unsure how to explain to their kids why someone they love may never come home. And we've seen
the heavy toll toll that constant uncertainty takes on a community already working so hard to survive. And this isn't just happening to undocumented families. This is also happening to our blended families. Families where some members are US
citizens and others are not. Families where children who are born here are growing up without a parent because of deportation. Families who thought their citizenship would protect them from this kind of pain only to learn that love and
legality are not treated the same. And it doesn't stop there. Our homeowners and business owners have also been deeply affected. When families are forced to leave, apartments are left empty. Small businesses lose their workers and customers and the heartbeat
of our local economy slows down. This has created a terrible domino effect, one that touches every corner of our community. Over 300 students have left our school system, and they didn't leave alone. They left with families with dreams, with memories of a city that
once felt safe. Each empty desk represents a child who's gone, a teacher who feels that loss, and classmates who wonder what happened to their friends. We are living in harsh times, times that demand both courage and compassion from all of us. This is not just an
immigration issue. It's a public health issue, a mental health issue, a moral issue. And as a city, we must respond with both empathy and action. That means expanding access to mental health and trauma-informed services, especially for children and parents impacted by
deportation. Creating safe spaces where families, no matter their status, can access emotional and legal support without fear. Partnering with schools, local organizations, and faith groups to identify and assist those in crisis. and above all listening truly listening to
the stories of those living this pain every single day. I would love to see all local organizations open their doors to these families to create a true open door policy for those suffering the most. Let's make sure that no one feels
shut out or forgotten in in the very city they help build. But I also want to recognize something important. Many of our organizations have hours of operations that are not accessible to our community. Our families work long
hours, often two or three jobs, and by the time they're done, many places are already closed. I encourage our local organizations to consider opening one of or two days a week later into the evening to give our hardworking families a place to go, a safe haven when they
can vent, seek help, or simply feel seen, heard, and safe. Because healing doesn't happen only during office hours. Healing happens when someone feels they belong. But let me be clear. This is a time for unity and love, not segregation. This
isn't a time to compare races or to argue over who has suffered more. This is about our children. Children who live in fear. Children who deserve peace, safety, and stability. This is about sympathy and caring about seeing one another as human beings. We are one
Chelsea. And when one of us is hurting, all of us feel it. Politics may be debated at the national level. But humanity be begins right here in our streets, our schools, and our hearts. We can't change every federal policy, but we can decide what kind of city we are.
We can choose to be the city that protects the vulnerable. We can choose to be a city that refuses to look away. And we can choose to be the city that heals together, that understands that when one family is hurting, the entire community feels that pain. To those
families behind, left behind, including our blended families. You are not forgotten. You're not invisible. You are part of Chelsea's story. And we will continue to fight for you, stand with you, and care for you, body, mind, and soul, because that's what community truly means. this subcommittee is so we
can come together and see what resources we already can offer and how else we can help our residents. Thank you. Thank you, Councelor Councelor Himenez and then councelor Tashi. So I want I want to thank councelor Garcia for for this order. I I also want
to thank all of my colleagues for thinking about ways that we want to support our families that are going through frankly things that are just heartbreaking. Um, we've seen it in public comment today. We've seen it on the news. Um, you know, based on the situations that we're seeing here and beyond, some of these actions have been
already decided that they're illegal. Um, you know, so so I I understand that most of us want to do something about that and I I'm looking forward to this conversation. I think something that I want to make sure that we are holding as we have these conversations is what is
our role as a city and what can we do given the fact that we don't have unlimited money. I think that um you know there are different parts of our society that are that should be you know taking more or less of of the of the
brunt of of some of the different aspects of this right and I and I think that you know especially looking at philanthropy and nonprofit organizations to make sure that you know they are doing their part we are doing our part right as counselors it is important for us to think about the best way for us in
the city to have an impact on what is happening without necessarily opening us up for legal action against the city, without you know uh ensuring that ensuring that we are supporting all of our residents. So I just want to make sure that you know we we keep in mind that to me this
conversation is about not do we support people or do we not. It's what is our role and what is the best place for us to allocate our funding. Uh we are a resource scarce city. I believe that the state and the federal government should be doing more to protect people. They
have resources in a way that Chelsea does not. And so I I don't want to pit our immigrant families against small businesses, against other populations. That's not right. What we need to do is we need to think about what has the best return for the dollars that we have to make sure that we are helping every
person in Chelsea go through these challenging times. That impact is going to be disproportionate for some people and not others. But we also need to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to support every family and every business and and every member of our community um which includes um both
documented and undocumented folks in our city. Uh thank you. Thank you councelor Counselor Teshi. I just want to say I support uh councelors Garcia's um order. Um I think these are closely
related with what my intention is. Um my intention is to provide a protection to all those who feel feel lonely um and feel without any help. Um [Music] um what I just said was the order that I
proposed was denied. Uh but I'm hope I'm really hopeful that this conversation is going to bring a lot of good answers for this city. Um, and I want to give a thanks to all the people that showed up today and and engaged um, in this issue. And I'm happy that all of you
acknowledged that this is a big problem. Um, and my reasoning is to protect the people here because ultimately it's the people who are the backbone of the community. Um, who buys from business owners? The people of Chelsea. So,
I want to let you know that this council has been working tirelessly to find answers. I requested money for businesses. I requested 500,000. I was shut down. I requested money for youth jobs. I was shut down. I requested money
for new entrepreneurs. I got that one. Now there's $75,000 for new jobs in the city. I requested to wave taxes for the businesses in my district who were suffering from all the construction and I was shut down. Those are all orders
orders that I submitted to the council. And so, you know, I bring this information to you so that you all may be informed as to what's going on. And again, this order uh that councelor Garcia is bringing forth. I I you know, I really think that this is going to encompass all those issues that were
talked about today. Uh, but you know, we must remember that, you know, the alternative to fighting is just putting down your head and taking it. Um, and that's the one thing that I'm not willing to do. Thank you.
Thank you, counselor. Counselor Taylor. So, I actually agree with the counselor again about uh trying to figure out what the role of the city of Chelsea is. There's a lot of people at a lot of
different levels dealing with this issue, but I want to make one point and I said it before and it is coming true. We just had a subcommittee with the superintendent of schools about the 300
uh uh uh less students this year and that means uh about a $6 million shortfall for the Chelsea public schools. Now, I warned
leaders in this city that if we sued the federal government, it was going to put a target on our backs. Now, I asked the superintendent of schools, how many how many people uh did the surrounding communities lose? Ravier
lost River lost less than us even though their school district is twice as big. this. We lost 300. The city of Boston lost between 500 and 600. They are almost infinitely bigger
than we are. They have a huge school system. What is going on here? What is going on here is that Chelsea has been targeted. And I knew this was going to happen. I warned leaders that
this was going to happen. and they were going to put in jeopardy the very people that they claim to want to protect. Now, we have to be smart about how we deal with this issue. It can't all be emotion. It can't just be the middle
finger all the time. That doesn't work. It's not smart. I want to solve this issue as much as anyone else. And I think that those people who are being displaced are
victims. Yes, indeed they are. And I feel horrible about the trauma and the displacement that's going on. But we as leaders have a responsibility
to look ahead to actually wargame our decisions. What's going to happen if we do this? What's going to happen if we do that? And I'm telling you, it was as clear as a nose on your face what exactly was going to happen. And sure as
the world it's happened. So I would please ask for everybody's cooperation. I do want to solve this issue. I want to solve it together. I have I have long talked about having subcommittees about having conversations
and time after time I've been shut down. We're not going to be shut down on this. But I tell you one thing, we ought to try to come up with policies that are arrived at by consensus,
not by we know best and and we're just going to do what we want because, you know, this is the way we feel about it. There's people that feel different ways in this city, but that doesn't mean that we can't work
together to solve these issues. And I think we can. We can. We can solve some of them. Some of them are beyond our control. We are a small city. You can't spend money for legal services
for pe for people that I mean it's it's a drop in the bucket anyway. There are people already doing this work. We have more important things that we are charged with doing. $6 million shortfall for the schools.
So please, I I you know, I beg you, let's work together to build a consensus here that helps everybody.
Thank you, Councelor Vega. Um, I also support councelor Garcia's order. And I want to echo what my fellow counselors in support of this order have mentioned.
Um, and I hope that we really model solution based conversations united the way we did during the pandemic because this is truly a human crisis that is impacting everyone in Chelsea, whether you whatever side of the politics you're
on. And so I I echo what what everyone has mentioned in terms of working as a united front with organizations that have been at this table the same way we did during the pandemic because we did
have so much good solutions that came out of that. And so, you know, I urge that whe whether whatever side you're on that we have those type of conversations, solution solution based conversations and I agree with Tata that
we do have consensus um working as a united front. Thank you, counselor. Uh may I briefly speak from the chair briefly? I promise. I just want to echo um my fellow counselor's sentiments. The night uh you
spoke beautifully. Thank you so much for um sharing your um your words this evening. Um and I will share that you know with regards to Chelsea and um I think some of our uh fellow community members that stood up shared earlier
this country was built on immigrants. Chelsea takes it one step further, right? Um, I think we've been a target way before our Central American brothers and sisters got here. We've we've been a target, you know, um, forever. We are a rich community of immigrants, culture,
languages, and um, we didn't turn our backs on our Jewish brothers and sisters. We didn't turn our backs on our Caribbean brothers and sisters that came from LA. We didn't turn our backs on our Haitian brothers that came from Haiti.
And now more than ever, this fight, this fight is for all of us. And I stay committed to representing my community, my beautiful, diverse community, ensuring that the voices of those who
are hurting are are at the table, but most importantly, acknowledging that all of our households are blended with these beautiful cultures. This is not an issue that is in silos working individually. We are
all impacted. As we met with the superintendent earlier, we heard the stories of what's going on in our schools. All of our children are impacted. This is our future. This is when we stand strong. And so, let's continue then. Thank you.
Let's move on to the following communication uh item. Next, we have an order introduced by council oresh. Whereas the city of Chelsea was the recipient of $40 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funds. And whereas informed by an extensive
community engagement process, the objective of utilizing ARPA funds was to mitigate the negative impacts of the CO 19 pandemic and support an equitable recovery. And whereas all ARPA funding must be fully expended by December 31st, 2026. And whereas in many instances the
city directly contracted with or provided grants to external organizations to implement many ARPA funded programs with the city through various departments tasked to exercise oversight of all ARPA funded contractors and grantees to asssure compliance with federal grant requirements. And whereas
the Chelsea City Council seeks to ensure that all ARPA contractors and grantees have appropriate fiscal controls in place to responsibly manage taxpayer dollars. Now therefore, be it ordered that the Chelsea City Council requests the city manager collect and inspect the most recent third-party audits for all
ARPA funded contractors and grantees to determine whether any lapses to internal financial controls pose a risk to the city and taxpayers and present to the city council a report detailing each ARPA funded contractor's name, total opera award, year of most recent
thirdparty audit by certified public accountant, summary of any findings from the most recent audit and any notes from the auditing department's risk assessment on potential compliance issues with said contractor. Madam President, I move um to accept under suspension of the rules if there
are no objections. Um I I'm sorry. I move to I I didn't understand his you are you saying that you want us to pass this under suspension?
Yeah, I object. Excuse me. Can I speak? I can solve the situation. We need a motion on the floor. Councelor, we have I have a motion to talk. Can I talk? That's not a motion. I I'll fix it right away. Counselor through the chair, please.
Can I speak to the chair? We have a motion on We have a motion on the floor. Um I can fix it in two seconds. The motion was to adopt unanimously and suspension. It was objected to. We need a pending motion on the floor. So point of information
u I I I generally do not understand this order. It is written very convoluted and and so I I I would I would vote against this just because I don't
understand what it is. It's it's just can can we get an explanation as to what this actually means? Thank you, councelor. Um, and yes, councelor Tashi, could you please elaborate a little?
So, the order is written in English. Um, and it was just read um and it states that this would request the city manager to provide auditing reports of the spend expenditures of the ARPA funds. This council has already held a meeting where
we requested how were the ARPA funds being spent. We were never given exactly any, you know, uh, down to detail, uh, of what's going on with these dollars. And honestly, I think, uh, doing proper,
you know, due diligence for us to manage these funds. I think we should know where all of this is going. And I think Chelsea has done a tremendous job, but nonetheless, we we got to know. Councelor, um, do you have a motion, counselor?
Yes, I have a motion to fix the situation if I can speak on it. You have the floor. Okay. The motion is to speak. Okay. So, I can fix this so we can go to all so people can understand what it is. Counselor, wait. Hold on. Counselor,
let's get through this and then we can open it up for conversation. Councelor Himemenz, can I make a motion to just send us a second reading after discussion? I I just have and we we can we can have a discussion before deciding on what we're voting on
discussing if you tell them what it is. Counselor through the chair point of information councelor Taylor. Okay. So this also says about uh providing uh year of most recent
third party audit by a certified public account. Is that is that requesting new expenditures to go out and hire a public accountant to do all this? Why isn't our our our auditor not, you know, good
enough to do this? I I I don't. And why and and and do we think that the city's just going to, you know, be dishonest about it? So, we need a third party, you know, hire a third party thing to do this. This just makes this just makes no
sense. Is is that what also what this entails? So, counselor, that does not qualify as a point of information. It is. I'm asking. May I May I ask that we please proceed with a motion that will get us through?
And then may I please encourage all of my colleagues, our clerk shares this agenda way before our meeting day and so we have ample time to speak with either our city manager or fellow counselors. If we can have those conversations beforehand and then that way we can drive these
conversations further. I will also request that if you are putting out a motion, make sure you're reaching out to your counselors and giving them a heads up so that we can have these conversations beforehand. Moving on with a motion answer to my point of information.
Your your words did not No, I'm asking if this requires a thirdpart e extra expenditure to to So you're asking for an interpretation of what
of the order what it Mr. Can you please help us? The question would be directed to council and it would be roughly a yes or no. You are asking councelor Teshi to continue to interpret a order that is
not going to move forward. So I would request that please counselors speak before these meetings so that you have entire clarity on what you are going to support or not support and we can then move the conversations along.
Is there a motion? Believe I have already made a motion to send this to a second reading. Okay. Do we need a second? Second. And as long as there's no objection. Seeing no objections. Moving on. Thank you. Next item under new business, we have a
resolution introduced by Councelor Kelly Garcia affirming Chelsea as a welcoming and inclusive community. Whereas the city of Chelsea is a welcoming and inclusive community that values the contributions, dignity, and rights of all residents regardless of their immigration status. And whereas United
States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE agents routinely detain members of our community under circumstances that raise concerns about due process and transparency while causing negative impacts on safety and the public trust of our own local law enforcement. And whereas such actions
create anxiety and fear among immigrant residents, disrupting families and undermining the overall sense of peace and security that all people deserve in their homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. Whereas and whereas the Chelsea City Council wishes to have reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the civil rights and liberties of all
residents regardless of national origin or immigration status. Now therefore be a result that the Chelsea City Council formally expresses its belief in the city of Chelsea status as a welcoming community and reaffirms its commitment to serve all members of the community with equal dedication and respect. And
be it further resolved that the Chelsea City Council encourages local law enforcement to continue prioritizing public safety while continuing to build strong relationships between all community members and our local law enforcement officers. and be a further resolved that the Chelsea City Council
reaffirms its commitment to protect our most vulnerable residents and ensure equity and justice for all. Thank you, clerk. Is there a motion? I'd like to make a motion to adopt unanimously under suspension and therefore I object. Okay,
clerk, is there a second that's needed for that objection? Uh, no objection needed. Subsidiary replacement motion. Move this to a roll call vote and that would do it. Councelor would like to speak on it. Okay, moving on to a roll call vote. And if you would like to speak on it, counselor, you have the floor.
Thank you. Um team, despite where everyone lies on this issue, it is one thing is made clear that we are committed to figuring out how to support our families.
And this resolution reaffirms that. And so if you vote yes, you're with me. If you vote no, that's fine, too. Roll call, please. Excuse me. I'd like to speak on it. Uh,
Councelor Taylor, you have the floor. So, I'd just like to make clear that I have a policy that I vote no on all political resolutions whether I agree with them or not. I don't think that that's really um uh the appropriate
thing for this council. So, um I will be voting no. Thank you, counselor. Moving on to a roll call vote. Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to adopt. Councelor Tenner Garcia. Yes.
Council Herman Rivera. Yes. Councelor Rupo. Yes. Council Taylor. No. Council Robinson. Yes. Council Tesh is absent. Council Kelly Garcia. Yes. Council Santigette. Yes. Council Vega. Yes.
Council Brown is also absent. and councelor Dus. Yes. With eight members voting in favor, one no, two absent. Resolution adopted. Thank you, clerk. Next item. Under new business, we have an order introduced by the council
president order that pursuant to mass general law, chapter 268A, section 20B. The Chelsea City Council hereby approves a conflict of interest law exemption for the part-time position of youth sports instructor for Chelsea Community Schools to be held by Mr. Jud Dhoni Felix effective immediately.
Um, fellow counselors, may I ask that somebody please support me in proceeding to a roll call vote as this doesn't have to go to a second reading? I support you. I'll ask for a roll call vote on the adoption. Thank you, councelor. Moving on to a roll call vote. Roll call vote requested. Yes. Vote to
adopt. Council Tenner Garcia. Yes. Councelor Jimenez Rivera. Yes. Council Rupo. Yes. Council Taylor. Yes. Councelor Robinson. Yes. Council is still council Kelly Garcia. Yes. Council Santigette, yes. Council Lee, yes.
Council Brown is absent. And council Odysus, yes. Nine in favor, zero opposed, two absent. Conflict of interest law exemption granted. Thank you, Claire. Moving on. Next item. Under new business, we have an order introduced by councelor Ruparo. Whereas, it is the expressed purpose of
municipal zoning to promote health, safety, and general welfare of inhabitants of the city of Chelsea. And whereas many parts of the city of Chelsea are congested, lacking requisite amount of open space necessary to continue developing additional housing opportunities. And whereas the Chelsea City Council believes changes to
existing zoning regulations will allow for the potential construction of additional housing opportunities in different neighborhoods throughout the city. Now therefore be it ordered that the following petition for the adoption of amendments to chapter 34 article 11 section 34-262
table of dimensional regulations and chapter 34 article 13 section 34-300 table of principal use regulations of the zoning ordinances of the city of Chelsea be reviewed and that a public hearing be scheduled to discuss the proposed zoning amendments pursuant to
mass general law chapter 4A. Amendment one would amend article 11 section 34-262 table of dimensional regulations changing reg uh residential R1 and road title per dwelling unit from 3500 to
3,000 and the figure in the same column but not less than from 7500 to 5,000. The second amendment would amend article 13 section 34-300 table of principal use regulation by changing the designation in the column
titled R1 and the row titled three family dwelling from N to SP. Be it further ordered that petition be forwarded to the Chelsea planning board for a recommendation pursuing to master general law chapter 48. Thank you. Adopt under suspension. There's no objection and send to the planning
board. I see no objections. Councelor H. Councelor Himemenz, sorry. Can we just get a clarification of the process if we move this forward to the planning board just to make sure like we we will we
have an opportunity to just have a conference on it later? I just want to make sure that we will have that. CL, could you clarify first? If council adopts the proposed order this evening, it would refer it to the planning board who would hold their own public hearing, provide a recommendation to the city
council for exception or rejection, which council can ignore if they choose, but it will come back before council at which point council can schedule its own public hearing, send it to conference, or vote to reject at that point. Thank you. Thank you, Cler.
Moving on to the last item. I'm sorry. That adoption was under suspension. Correct? Yes. Yes. Our final item under new business, we have an order introduced by councelor recuper that the city manager request
the Chelsea housing authority provide a report of how many Chelsea residents were placed in housing authority units during calendar years 2024 and 2025 to date. Suspension like to speak on it. You have the floor, counselor. Uh I have all the all the information
they gave me here before anything. I want to say to the people of Chelsea, plain and simple, so there's no confusion, the Chelsea Housing Authority is not part of Chelsea. The Chelsea Housing Authority is run by the state.
So it does not matter. We cannot say who moves into these units or who doesn't move into these units. and another one and I got the answers that Mr. Wiki from the housing authority said in the past two years there's been
53 Chelsea resident and 37 Chelsea resident that's totally combined all of them that have been going to these housing authority units and something else uh the housing authority priority list doesn't mean that because you live
in Chelsea you get housing that doesn't mean anything like that the Chelsea housing authority from what I understand here the application is submitted and the state reviews them and it goes procedure that says who is eligible first. And in here, from what I see,
veterans and local residents are not the priorities. So, just to remind the the people outside, the Chelsea Housing Authority has nothing to do with Chelsea. It's just called Chelsea Housing Authority because it administers subsidized
housing to the city of Chelsea. That is it. Thank you, Councelor Jimenez. As always, I just want to remind folks the what councelor Rupuro uh is pointing at is that the state runs the CHA. I just want to remind folks that the residents of the Chelsea Housing
Authority continue to be full members of our community and that um we we cannot prioritize them because this there is state funding. So, we are legally not allowed to prioritize Chelsea residents for these positions and that is why this is happening. And I just want to make that clear to the people watching
because I know many CHA residents watch this and we want them to be included as part of our community members. Thank you. Thank you, councelor. All right. Uh are there any uh public announcements councelor Vega and then
councelor Vubro. Sorry. Um, I would like to make an announcement recognizing October as pregnancy and infant loss awareness month here in Chelsea. Please be aware that I will be
submitting an order for resolution at our next city council meeting to formally honor this month. This is something that is deeply personal for me. I have experienced this loss myself and it has
impacted me tremendously and I'm still grieving and I know many women and families in our community that carry this pain quietly. Some here in this very room have experienced this loss as well. And if you feel comfortable, I
invite you to please stand in recognition. That this that is also why I want to invite all women and families in Chelsea who have who have experienced this loss to join me on Wednesday, October 15th, 6:00 p. p.m. on the city hall lawn for a
day of remembrance and a vigil. Together, we stand in solidarity, breaking the silence and the stigma that too often surrounds pregnancy and infant loss. I also want to take this moment to personally thank my colleagues for their support during one of the most difficult
times in my life. I truly truly appreciate it. Thank you so much every one of you guys. The personal text messages and phone calls really meant the world to me. So, thank you. Thank you, counselor.
Councelor uh recuper and then councelor Himenez. I only have one public announcement. I only have one. Happy birthday to my son. The best son I ever have. Thank you for being my son and I'm very proud of you. So happy birthday son.
Okay. Counselor Jimenez. I just have a a couple of announcements uh events that are coming up. Uh tomorrow at 6 at the senior center will be the meeting on the uh the stadium uh uh development uh which I know our state senator has been working on for for a
while and we had requested this meeting. So 6:00 to 7:30 at the senior center uh tomorrow and then uh I just want to make sure that folks know about the two candidate forums that are happening uh in the city um being put together by uh various nonprofit organizations uh on
Thursday uh evening at the senior center will be uh one of them uh 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Uh and then the second one will be on the 15th at La Collaborativa. Um, I unfortunately will not be able to make it to the first one because of a prior commitment, but I hope that people will
be able to join us to learn more about all the people running for office. Thank you. Thank you, counselor. Any other councelor Taylor? I just wanted to u uh note that my my father had a birthday this last week and he is 97 years old.
God bless. And uh he's still with it. He's not very mobile, but uh he's he's still with it and has a sharp sense of humor. So, uh happy birthday, Dad. Uh any other public announcements?
I'll share that. Um the city manager and I have been going back and forth about several events and celebrations in the community. It is Hispanic Heritage Month. Unfortunately, a lot of the um crisis has impacted um some of our
events. And so um we will continue, however, to celebrate our um Hispanic leaders here in the chamber. And so I'll be sharing uh through our clerk um the nominations so that we can all choose um
some of our, you know, unsung heroes in Chelsea and be able to celebrate them at our next meeting. And so more details to come on that. Um and there will be a vigil uh on Friday the 10th. I believe this Friday the 10th um at Laabativa
with over 80 families that have been impacted with um the current deportation situations that we're facing. Okay. Any moments of silence? Okay. Meeting adjourned.