--------- City Council Committee on Public Safety, April 21st, 2026 at 5:03 p.m. Clerk, call the role. >> Council Kane >> here. >> Council Reposo >> here. >> Chair Pekham >> here. Pursuant to the open meeting law,
any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised of such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by the those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Uh first
item on the agenda is citizens input and we do have two people that signed up for citizens input. Uh do you have their names? First on the list is Colin Dus, 560 Ray Street, subject to public safety concern.
>> Thank you. Um Colin Das, 560 Ray Street. I'm also um a member of the Farber School Committee and here in an individual capacity. Um the reason I wanted to come down and briefly come down and just to give um an overview for
the public, the school committee pays for in the district partially overseas 7 to eight SRO's and um a sergeant, a police SRO sergeant. Um, the
reason I'm here is just to get some clarity and I I did expect members of the police department to be here for this meeting. Obviously, they're not here, but I still want to put my comments on the record. Um, the other day, the U members of the committee, I believe members of the council did as
well, receive some inquiries related to a traffic matter at the Green School. um the police department wasn't included in that those discussions. So I um CC the
police chief on those emails and um the deputy chief responded and it seemed like he was looking into the matter. I I don't have um an issue with that per se, but I just had to note it wasn't the chief that responded and it got me thinking just a as a member of the
public I haven't seen the police chief. Um, we had a recent facilities meeting of the school committee. The deputy chief was there as he and glad he was, but wasn't the police chief. I haven't seen the um police chief at city council
meetings or these public safety meetings and other meetings, public meetings in the last month, at least that I've seen. And um when I CC the police chief, I mean the deputy chief, I'm sorry. When I
CC the police chief, it says that she's out of the office without a return date, without a date of return. So that just begs the question as to why um is the police chief, where is she? Is she on leave? Um the deputy chief actually just
emailed me um just three minutes before this meeting started and um he said that Mr. dies, I will be in contact for anything related to concerns with public safety. As far as the chief status, that is something to discuss with human
resources department. >> 20 seconds. >> 20 seconds. Thank you. Um, so this begs the question, knowing that the mayor just recently signed, I believe, a two-year extension, where is the police chief and who is in charge of um running the department? And
I believe if there is an interimm appointment, that's something that would need to be um publicly disclosed. So I would just ask the administration for transparency purposes just um let the public knows what's going on. >> Thank you, Mr. D. I appreciate you. Next for citizens input, Jennifer Dutra,
91 Green Leaf Street. Safety concern. Um impassible lane >> potentially. Okay. >> Can you just state your name and your address for the >> record and 91 Green Leaf Street? >> Thank you. >> Okay. Um Okay. Well, thank you first of
all for the time. I appreciate it, gentlemen. And I wanted to just come I wrote a an email and addressed it to you all as well as the mayor. Um I live at the end of a a long lane. Um and so I think really the blizzard and
everything made conditions a lot worse. So, there are over documented over a hundred um potholes on the road. Um the end of the road has gotten so bad with the heaves. Honestly, it's I have to just roll over it. There's bottoming out of the vehicles. There's 20 residents
that live at the end of this lane. Um concern really the condition of course, you know, kind of stinks, but really there is definitely concern. if there was a safety issue in my neighborhood, it would definitely be impacted by the condition of this road for any vehicles
that were coming down. We also have um a student down there. So, there's a bus that comes down. It's a it's a car that comes down to pick up a student. Um and also, I'm really concerned about um delivery of um resources that we need with um a lot of the homes use natural
gas and oil and that kind of thing. I I suspect there could be potential uh for them to not come down or say they can't make it down or affect you know those kind of things that you know just so that we can live. So um I just wanted to bring it up because it's the road
condition has been this way for some time. It's just definitely gotten really severe just be I think because of the blizzard. Um, and what I really like to see happen is um just a t a plan, you know, um the potholes um can be fixed,
but it's kind of like um we're putting band-aid on a kind of bigger problem. So, I think if there was some kind of long-term plan to get that road repaved, I would love to see, you know, how we could get something like that, at least some kind of timeline on it or some kind of plan for it. So, that's what I wanted
to um bring forth this this afternoon. Okay. Um I'll touch upon that. So after we had spoke today um briefly through text because I had read your email that you had sent to the mayor's office um I reached out to the interim director of DC and Mr. Sutton and he was already
aware. So he reached out to the city engineer um planning Mr. Aguar. He's waiting for a response back. I believe they're supposed to speak tomorrow and then they're going to get back to me. I think the issue is here and I used, you know, I'm very familiar with Saudi Pond Road and one side of the street is Fall
River. I think Fall River owns the water rights and then the street rights belong to the state of Rhode Island. Um, but I have to confirm that. I think the issue is is half the street is in Rhode Island and a section of the street is in Massachusetts. Um I don't know if an
avenue that we could take is and I I'd recommend this today even if we have to call a selectman in Tivan and try to come up with a plan. Um I have a question who plows that your road >> this the city uh Fall River plows um the
road and we we have all services down there as far as trash pick up all that kind of stuff. And so >> so when they plow so a section of your street is Rhode Island and a section of your street is >> Yeah. as you drive, if you have a GPS on, it'll say welcome to Massachusetts. Welcome to Rhode Island as you leave at
certain point on the road. So, part of it is Tiveran. Yeah. >> Okay. I know there are quite a few areas of the city that are like this. Um, one of them, I believe it's still this way, is that little waterway behind that Chinese restaurant across Molink Park. Fall River still, I believe, owns the
water rights to that water right behind. >> So, I think it's Judge Street and Green Leaf Street. And there's a little section at the end of the road that is actually Fall River. >> Okay. >> So, um, yeah, and there is a precedence from what I understand from the other neighbors of Fall River originally paved that road and has been, you know,
servicing it as far as taking care of care of potholes and that kind of thing for some time. >> Okay. Yeah. We're uh I'd like to clean this all up um and talk to Mr. Yeah, too and see what other sections of the city are like this, such as 177 um and see what the plans are for street repair,
plowing, what we do with Rhode Island, if there is a plan at all. Um because I'm not a big fan of sending our workers into Rhode Island to patch a hole and then one of them gets hurt and now we have a workers's comp case and we're trying to explain to an attorney
somewhere why our worker was in Rhode Island, you know. So, I I would like to see it on on paper as well. So, I appreciate you coming down. I do. Councelor, >> is there no other access road from Green? >> It's just one way in, one way out. Yeah. >> Okay, that makes sense. >> Y >> All right. Thank you.
>> Okay. Do you have anything, Council? >> All right. We appreciate you. Thank you. And it is it is being looked into. So, I will reach out to you as soon as I get an answer back. >> All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. Appreciate your time. Thank you. >> With nobody else for citizens input, item number two, minutes from April 7th
of 2026. Motion to approve has been made and seconded. All those in favor? >> I no nays. Third item on the agenda is a resolution. The committee on public safety convened with the director of traffic and parking and a representative from the for police department to
discuss measures that may be implemented to improve safety at the four-way stop intersection of Bay Street and Mount Hope A. Adopted 114th of 25. >> From traffic and parking >> council proposal. Um, so I filed this
resolution back in January of 25 um due to some increased accidents um that were happening in that particular area as well as um I had a resident reach out to me concerning um an accident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian particularly and and some speed issues going on down
there. Um but we do not have a representative from the police department here to answer some of my questions. So I'll make a motion to table. >> Motion to table has been made. Second >> and seconded. All those in favor? I I no nays.
>> Uh with the police department not being here and them being needed on the last two, number four and five on the agenda for tonight. Um would it be though
will a council to table these until a further date? And >> I think they're already tabled. So we need to lift them. Yeah, just the lift and then retable until a further date. >> Just hear them. >> We just we can leave them leave them tabled um and then at a future meeting
schedule them on an agenda would be the the will of the committee at this point. >> All right. Well, those items number four and five on the agenda will remain tabled. >> There's no further business. Motion to adjurnn. >> Is there a motion to adjurnn this meeting? >> Motion so made and seconded. All those
in favor? I I no nays. Good night. Part: 2
Good afternoon. The city council committee on ordinances legislation will be called to order April 21st, 2026. The time is now 5:31. Cler, call the role, please. >> Councelor Kadim >> here. >> Councelor Daniel >> here. >> Councelor Dion >> here.
>> Um, councelor Pereira Chair Reposa >> here. And just before the meeting, council did notify us she would not be in attendance this afternoon. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such
recordings or transmissions are being made with perceived or unpersceived by those present and deemed acknowledged and permissible. First item on our agenda this afternoon is citizens input. Thank you, sir. We do have one resident, Christopher Gordon, 150 Archer Street,
Fall River. Subject is zoning and noise. Come on down, sir. >> Good afternoon. >> Good afternoon, sir. if you could state your name and address for the record and you have three minutes. >> My name is Christopher Gordon. I live at
150 Archer Street. Uh I'm here today because our neighboring communities are currently facing the arrival of resource inensive hyperscale data centers. I would ask this committee to proactively review our zoning and noise ordinances to ensure Fall River is protected from such
energyintensive projects at the expense of our residents. I'd like to urge this committee to follow the lead of cities like LOL and establish a clear definition for hypers scale data centers in our city code. One that requires a special permit and mandatory independent
studies on noise and water impact. Currently, companies that construct the facilities attempt to bypass review by claiming they fall under the category of light industrial use when in fact they're high impact. They're a high impact utility that consumes millions of
gallons of water, requires electrical loads that will strain our local grid, and creates persistent noise through their use of industrial cooling fans. The community faces a financial risk through the infrastructure upgrades required for these facilities being passed along to Fall River families
through higher utility costs. I ask that this council strengthen ordinances to specifically address the noise from industrial cooling fans and to signal support for bill HD5404, the rateayer protection act. We must ensure that billiond dollar tech
companies pay all their own infrastructure costs and are not subsidized by local rateayers. Innovation in Fall River is necessary and welcome, but not at the cost of our quiet neighborhoods or the stability of our utility bills. Councelor Ruposo, I hope the committee will lead the way to
putting Fall River residents first by studying a proactive zoning amendment. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, sir. >> Um, >> Council Dion, >> so what what types of companies exactly are are pursuing this?
>> So, I don't have the name of the company. I know that there's one pursuing it in Somerset um because of the access to the water. >> And it's strictly for cooling fans. >> Uh yes,
>> okay. Thank you. >> Council, >> anything else? Council, >> are you aware of any project potentially coming to Full River or anytime? >> Not at this point. No. >> Okay. >> It's just proactive. >> You council? >> I Okay. Thank you, sir. If you could
possibly provide uh your information to the clerk and copy of your letter, that would be great. We'll share that with the committee. >> Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Have a great day, sir. >> Item number two on our agenda this afternoon is the minutes for the April 6, 2026 meeting. >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Motion to approve made by Vice President
Dion, second by Councelor Canuel. Any discussion? All those in favor? I. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. Item number three is proposed ordinance traffic handicap parking referred 414206 Hope Street South 39 ft east of Grant
Street and Park Street South 113 ft west of Ridge Street. Is there a motion? >> Motion be accompanied by an emergency preamble. >> Motion for emergency preamble made by Vice President Dion. >> Second. Second by councelor Canuel. Roll call.
>> Roll call on the emergency preamble. Councelor Kadim. >> Yes. >> Councel Daniel. >> Yes. >> Councelor Dion. >> Yes. >> Councelor Per. >> Chair Reposa. >> Yes. >> Further motion. >> Recommend an ordinance be passed through first reading, second reading,
enrollment and ordination. >> Second. >> Motion to pass through all readings made by Vice President Dion. Second by councelor Kadim. Any discussion? All those in favor? Any opposed? The eyes have it. Item number four this afternoon is proposed ordinance traffic miscellaneous referred to the committee on 414206.
Section one is parking prohibited during all times. These are inserts to Breman Street north 30 ft of Lindsay Street and Pine Street south 244 ft west of Robes Street. Section two is parking prohibited during all time strikeouts.
Breman Street north 100 ft of Lindsay Street. And section three is handicapped parking removals is Eddie Street West 152 feet south of Locust Street. >> Recommend ordinance be passed through first reading. >> Second.
>> Motion made by Coun Vice President Dion for pass through first reading is made. Second by councel. Any discussion? All those in favor? >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. Item number five this evening is the proposed ordinance for salary amendments for the director of health and human
services referred to to the committee on 310 2026. We'll invite director of human resources Mr. Molini down and the interim city administrator Miss O'Neal Souza.
>> Good afternoon folks. You can introduce yourself for the committee please. Nick Molini, director of human resources >> and O'Neal Souza, interim city administrator. >> Thank you both. Mr. Malini, would you like to speak to the committee regarding this proposed amendment? >> Sure. So, this should have come down earlier. Um, this should have come down
at the same time as the building commissioner. It was an oversight and then it was supposed to sync up so that it would be on the same agenda, but the blizzard threw all of that off. So, that's why you're getting this in two pieces. Um so we have made some changes to the health department in the last couple of years through um changing the
inspectors, the food and milk inspectors as well as the minimum housing inspectors. Those all fall under health and human resources now. So um in addition to adding several grant funded positions that now fall under health and human services. Um, so this is really
just a material change to the health director's job functions by taking on additional uh full-time employees in her department as well as um additional responsibilities through the the different grants that have been added. Um, in total it's about 10 employees
that have been added since FY 22 >> and that includes a regional inspector, an epidemiologist, public health specialist, um, shared services coordinator, the two food and milk inspectors, director of minimum housing,
uh, two minimum housing inspectors, a minimum housing clerk, and an additional uh, sorry, the re regional inspector which is under the shared services. >> I'll go to the committee council first. >> Sure. Thank you. Um so the first
question I have is relative to the title when we were discussing the building inspector. His title was updated from director to commissioner I believe. Um but we're not looking to make a separate title change here. So what's the driving
factor behind this? So the building commissioner, my understanding is there's a a certain weight that goes behind the term building commissioner. So that's why that had to stay as building commissioner. Um director of health and human services. There was just no need to change it. I mean that was one of the things that Mr. Hathaway had pointed out that there's certain
authority that's given to him as a building commissioner. So I think he was the director of municipal buildings prior and then designated as the city's building inspector. A building commissioner. >> Point of information. Um, I believe that being uh it's a certain certification to
be a commissioner and as a commissioner he's the only person who can authorize a an occupancy permit. Without that, we'd have nobody who could do that. >> Thank you. Council council can you have the floor? >> Um, so if I'm understanding this correctly, there's been 10 additional
FTEEs over the last four fiscal years. Yes, that's >> correct. Okay, >> with that yield. Vice President DM >> originally, uh, Minimum Housing and the two inspectors and the clerk, weren't they under um,
>> code enforcement? >> Code enforcement. Yes. Why would they be moved out of that? I can understand the milk. I can understand a couple of them, but I don't understand that being moved out of that division. >> Um, when we looked at it, it just made sense for it to go under health because of some of the regulations that they
were dealing with. So that's why we looked at it that really didn't belong in code enforcement to begin with as far as sanitation um and and their minimum housing uh issues. It didn't make sense to go into code enforcement. But don't
they also um let's say somebody I mean and I get it to a certain extent it falls under um health but you know if people if they get if you get complaints of the grass is overrown uh somebody's not mowing their lawn the building's
vacant um I'm trying to think of other situations that would be more code enforcement wouldn't it than um >> it falls under health code though >> okay that are you >> council? >> I do.
>> Council Padim, >> uh so just in terms of the I guess the workload and the grants that are uh being managed, is there any additional salary that's being provided to the position of director of health and human services? Any stipens or anything like that? >> No. No.
>> No. >> Okay. uh comp in terms of comp salaries. I know it's I know it's difficult especially when you get >> they're a little all over the place I think especially because of how the board of health varies from community to community. Um so I mean I can run down a list here. Attleboroough is 50,000
Brockton 110 Dartmouth 128 New Bedford 123 Plymouth 121 Rainham 93 Secon 93 Swansea 51 Taton 99 and change Westport is 123. So, the lodge communities you're seeing roughly 120.
>> Yes. >> Like 118 120. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> All right. I yield. >> Thank you. Um, just out of curiosity, the ordinance is currently not to exceed 101,086. What is the director currently budgeted making currently?
>> 10352588. >> Yeah. 10. Yes. >> I'm sorry. >> You have that right there. 1035258. 103 >> 5525 >> 525 >> 88 >> 88 >> Okay. And the proposed ordinance here is
not to exceed 120,000. Does the mayor have an idea of what we're looking at going forward moving ahead? >> I don't believe he's discussed that with her yet. >> Okay. Vice President Dion >> in the um comparable in the comps. Do
you know how many um staff members that they oversee as compared to ours? >> I do not have that here. I could definitely get that for you. >> So could be more, could be less. Yes, could be the same. Um,
yeah, I don't personally I I don't know if I'm comfortable with going up to the 120. Um, I might be more inclined to go a little bit less than that. Um, but I'll leave that up to everybody else. With that, I yield.
>> We had kept that at the 120 just because it was going to come down at the same time as the building commissioner, but that's I understand. Council annual >> just a quick question. You noted that the current salary of the person the
incumbent is 1035 and change is about 2500 more than the current ordinance. Is that due to stipens or other incentives >> brought to the cap and then it was the uh annual 2 and a.5% that um her class would follow as far as it being rising with the ASME contract.
>> Okay. Thank you. I >> the will of the committee for a motion. >> I would make the motion for it to not to exceed 115. >> Do you'd like to amend it to read not to exceed 115,000? >> I would.
>> Is that your motion, council? >> Yes, it is. >> Is there a second for the for the motion? >> I'll second it. >> Okay. First, the motion is to amend it to not to exceed 115,000 made by Vice President Dion, second by councelor Canuel. Discussion on the motion. Roll
call. Oh, >> quick discussion. Uh, Kadim. >> Yeah. So, it's not lost on me. back in January of 20 January 27th of uh 2026 I think council Canuel's first ordinance meeting that the administration was down
before us uh discussing a potential ordinance with regards to leases versus license um and the fact that uh apparently a license was issued after the city council voted not to approve a lease uh and we were having discussion about you know the council getting
circumvented and if you go back to that meeting one hour and six minutes and the administration was down before us. Uh, Attorney Thomas stated that, and I'll quote, "The power of the purse is with the city council. Uh, you deny the money. That is the ultimate control of the city council." So, uh, I've stated
this before, I'm going to continue to state it. Until we get a proper investigation, an independent investigation from the police department, I will be voting no. Um, I am taking my lead again for number one doing the right thing, but number two it coming straight down from the administration that the power of the
purse is ultimately the ultimate power of the city council and I'm going to use that power currently until we get a independent investigation in the police department. >> I Okay, so we have a motion and a second to amend it to $115,000.
Roll call, please. We'll call to amend the proposed ordinance. Councelor Kadim, >> no. >> Councelor Canuel, >> yes. >> Councelor Dion, >> yes. >> Councelor Pereira. >> Chair Reposo, >> yes. >> Motion passes.
>> Okay. >> Make make a motion to following motion. >> A motion to adjourn. >> Nope. >> Motion. >> Oh no. >> Motion to pass through first reading. I'm sorry. Appropriate motion will be passed through first reading as amended. Motion to pass through first reading as
amended. >> Second. >> Okay. >> Motion a pass through first reading as amended. Made by councelor Canuel. Second by vice president Dion. Discussion. Roll call. >> Roll call to pass through first reading. Councelor Kadim.
>> No. >> Councelor Daniel. >> Yes. >> Vice President Dion. >> Yes. >> Councelor Pereira. >> Chair Repzosa. >> No. >> Motion fails. Is there a further motion of the committee? >> Motion to adjurnn.
>> It would be appropriate to table the item. >> Motion to table. >> Motion at tables made by councelor Canuel, second by vice president Dion. All those in favor. >> Any opposed? The eyes have it. >> There's no other meeting. There's no other business of this committee. Motion
by made by councelor Kadim. >> Second. >> Second by vice president Dion. All those in favor? The eyes have it. Committee on the legislation now adjourned.