That should not have happened. I'm sorry. Oh, see everything that happened. Mr. You have to be first because this is the new you see
but nobody. >> Are you surprised? No, I'm not. >> I think they have comfortable chairs. >> But reclining chairs would have been nice. Come on. How are you? Good. Nice to see you. How's everything?
>> No. >> So, the only one I Oh my god. competition represent stay Although >> you think how's it going? >> Pretty good.
>> How much damage was done to 125 here? >> Not much. on the other side of the >> sh. You're so high now. >> Yes. Yes. Take the tag off. >> Ask for the remote.
>> The remote was on the on that when you first came in. >> Hello. >> Give us the remote. It's in the back. >> Oh, give it to us so we can watch TV. >> Still catch the last uh match.
>> I know. What am I going to talk about? >> My normal drag time. >> I was going to make a couple comments about this few other things. You work Thank you Are you sitting here?
>> Hello. these two pieces to start doing something. >> You know it. the L2 and they said we had an agreement back in
>> 2017 >> seven >> say Oh no. >> Say sick. So I coordinate this. >> Mhm. I'm looking He's natural. I'm sorry. Sorry.
A table. I got to go. Yes. Yes. I'm going to speak up. >> Are we good? >> We're good. So uh uh good evening and welcome
to the regular meeting of the Lawren City Council. Today's day is uh Tuesday, December 16, 2025. The location for this meeting is finally at the city council chambers, 200 Common
Street. So, I going to say the a few things before we begin. I going to say thank you to the counselors that were so patient uh and were able to meet at the South Lawrence East and we're going to uh send
a sincere thank you to the Lawrence public school due to the fact that they actually house us for about four or five meetings. Uh so we definitely appreciate the fact
that they were able to open their house uh and uh and allow us to meet there. Pursuant to chapter 20 of the act of 2022, this meeting will be hybrid allowing participation both in person at the city
council chambers and remotely. The soon link for this meeting was provided to anybody that requested. Can you guys hear me? All right. to anybody that requested through the through the city clerk's office. The Facebook
uh this this meeting is being also uh transmitted live through the Lawrence City Council Facebook page as well as the Lawrence City Council YouTube page. Madame Clerk, please call the role. >> Councelor Levy, >> present. >> Council La Plant,
>> present. >> Council Luzon, >> present. >> Council Del Rosario, >> present. Councel Miguel, >> present. >> Councelor Marmal, >> present. >> Councelor Reyes, >> present. >> Vice President Infante, >> present. >> Council President Rodriguez,
>> present. Uh, please join me for a moment of silence and honoring all of the troops that they are not going to be able to be with their families during the holiday season. Now join me for the pledge of >> allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Councilors, can I get a motion to approve minutes from uh November 18, 2025?
>> So move second. >> There's a motion on the table properly second. Discussion. >> I hear none. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> The eyes have it. Public participation. We got a few names. Uh I'm going to call. Please say your name and address
for the record. You're going to have two and a half minute to speak. And at the 30 at the two minute mark, you're going to hear a beep indicating that you still have 30 seconds to go. Uh the first name that we have is uh Richard Russell. Councelor Russell.
Good evening, councilors. My name is Rich Russell, 34 Cross Street. Your agenda didn't lie. It is 700 p.m. in Chicago. I appreciate being part of the uh grand reopening of your uh new and improved council chamber. And at the risk of
hurting some feelings, I take pride in the fact that a I am probably the last Anglo, the next to the last Anglo to have served on it. and B, I am probably the last US military veteran to have served
on it. Also, previous to me, I can think of Roger Tumi, Korean War, and Dave Abdu and Dan Rivera in the in the Gulf uh sandbox wars. Now that my night sky routine is over, now I can get into asking some
embarrassing questions uh the taxpayers would like answers to. Uh, I also I like Dave Mian am also a preservationist. Basically, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Uh, how much did this cost?
Excluding city labor. I know that's a that's an intangible item. Where did the money come from? Are we still going to have money for giant wooden chairs? And we love Lawrence signs.
I suppose some of us Lorenians should be happy that the signs only say Lawrence. In closing, I want to quote the closing words of Clement Clark's Moore's Clement Clark
Moore's famous Christmas poem. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Thank you for the time. >> Right. The next person uh is uh H Mali. for the record please. >> Mali 53 Chester Street. Good evening
honorable members. In this great season of the joy and celebration, we the citizen are united to support Lawrence police officers union. Lawrence police with the impeccable leadership by honorable honorable chief Morris Agler
doing excellent job to protect our citizen. Lawrence police this union of pride and honor one of the best police department in the nation. Thank you for making Lawrence a safe city. Million thanks to our hardworking DPW an
excellent leadership. Thank you for making Lawrence a beautiful city. Lawrence inspection department. Thank you for excellent job. We must hire more inspectors. Lawrence public school with the impeccable leadership by honorable
superintendent Ralph Guerrero. Moving forward, we are proud the best teachers in the nation are teaching in our public school. Lawrence teachers, we are proud of you. Because of you, Lawrence, we rise again. We are proud to support our
honorable veteran. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. We must hire two employees for our veterans department. We must create the best commission for elders. Lawrence always is strong. Lawrence always unite.
We pray for the safety of all police officers and the first responder. Lawrence fire department with the impeccable leadership by honorable chief Delenny doing excellent job to protect our citizen in this citizen of joy. We
wish the best Christmas for all Lawrence police officers and the first responder. Lawrence police indeed the shining superstar in the sky of Lawrence. >> Thank you. Uh all these names are going to be submitted for the record. At this
time, counelors, I would like to ask for a point of personal privilege uh to be able to go to the podium um if I'm allowed. counselors. Uh thank you for the opportunity. I
think that I have speak a lot today but this is very important to me. Uh and the reason why I said this is very important to me because this is about service. I would like at this point to call uh counselor Luzon to come right next to
me. Uh stop making faces, please. >> Don't Don't cry, counselor. I don't want to cry tonight. Um, councelor Luzon, I want to
uh express my uh deep appreciation of the service that you have provided to the city of Lawrence through your uh seed and your position as a counselor. Uh you serve you serve uh with dignity,
respect and more importantly with an open mouth and sometime uh that is difficult to to say it because you have u the option of
either do it one way or do it the way that nobody notice it. And as and the two years of service that you have done in this council. I think that uh everybody in the city of Lam's notice that there was a counselor in this
should be that have a voice and that's what people needs. Uh sometime people uh don't realize and don't recognize and don't even notice that they have a counselors a counselor that that represent
uh the people the community with dignity respect and more importantly with that uh with the courage and you have done a tremendous job in the last two years representing district B. So the city
council would would like to recognize your passion, dedication during the years that you serve and uh all of the counselors I'm pretty sure uh are sharing the sun talk and the deep
appreciation of your service for the last two years that we have done for district B. With that said, I going to present this plaque to you in recognition of all the effort that you have made to keep on saving the community.
>> Thank you. >> Wow. Um Oh, okay. Wow. I um I'm not going to cry. Counselor Infante, >> thank you. And yes, you're going to miss my face. Um, but uh I just want to say
thank you to the people that elected me. I I'm proud of serving District B with dignity and with an independent voice, but I'm also proud of of serving with all of you. Each of you have a different
leadership. I learn from each of you certain things, good things. Others I will not um I will learn from that. But each of you has a responsibility with the city. You
have the responsibility to keep moving the city forward and also a responsibility to be the voice for the people that voted for you. This is not about any specific administration, any specific mayor. This is about the
residents of Lawrence. So, I'm honored I'm honored to be a city counselor or to have served as a city counselor for district B and I'm honored to have served along each of you. So, thank you so much.
Counselors, before we move on, I know I'm assuming for a group photo, I do want to take this opportunity uh to allow Any council that would like to say anything to councelor Luzon? Um, this is a time to make your statement.
>> Oh, okay. Councelor Marl, >> I'm gonna be last. >> Um, councelor Lone, I just wanted to thank you so much for paving the way for us women. Um, I've had many personal conversations with you. Um, being a
counselor and just taking that decision, um, to run for public service is not easy. um as Latinas, as women, um this is an industry where we're under a lot of scrutiny and I appreciate the
conversations of uh based on the experience that you've had working for the city, um being an advocate, um just knowing so much of your um your track record of what you've done for the community. I just wanted to thank you
and hopefully I could have a piece of just a little bit of that um that passion that you have and not being scared to speak up and being that fierce voice in the city council. Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. Um yeah, anyone else? >> Councelor Llat, >> thank you very much through you. Um, I was thinking about this earlier last week or last week. I've served with 41 city councilors through the course of my
time here and um, Council Luzon is someone who I think stands on the shoulders of someone like Julio Sario, for example, who oddly I think represented district B as well u, coincidentally actually. And there was
something about councelor Luzon. We talked I think the council president said it very appropriately. He captured the entire spirit of of how I felt about the counselor and not only the difference between I think just some
differences but between any other counselors and the someone with your passion with the passion voice of Miss Luzon is that she was actually speaking out at a time when it's no secret that there was some definite conflicts between the bodies of government and um
and whether whether you agree or not agree, it took us a lot of courage to take some of those stands. And uh from sitting where I'm sitting, I can appreciate and respect when when you
take a courageous stand and and you stick to your guns and regardless of how the election or whatever is going to go, you stick to your guns. And I think that we see so few of that now across politics around our country. Unfortunately,
um we just see people who tend to go with whatever the popular wound is. And and and I saw something that was unique about council Luzon's approach. And I just want to say how much I respected and I will miss Council Luzon serving
with her. And um I really enjoyed the short time that we have. But it's but like we saw tonight there are other times when there will be reintegrated other there'll be time when counselors come back and there's times when counselors speak out and serve
another committee. So it's not a goodbye but rather until we meet again. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um I have a few words to say. Do I give this back to the council president? Is that how it works? Thank you.
Um, Council President, through you. I've been thinking back and forth on how direct and honest I should be. I'm just going to say that, Councelor Luzon, thank you so much for for being brave. Um oftent times people that come
before the city council whether at the full body um environment or or the the committee level um they get intimidated by the questions that we that we ask that some of us let me emphasize some of us ask and one of those few people's
people people are counselor is councelor Wendy Luzon and I think we're politically we're in an environment that we as a community have forgotten that this is the legislative body different from the administrative body or the executive um body and I think you
have never forgotten that you've always asked the tough questions whether people liked it or not if you go through hours and countless of hours of live stream just within the last two years this current term
of our meetings you will see that some people don't even open their binders sometimes times because they already know how they're going to vote due to backdoor conversations or etc. Um, and even if you already have an idea,
we learn as counselors that through active discussion and questioning, things come up, new questions arise, and you've always spoken up. You've never left a question unasked, even if you didn't get the answer. And I
I don't I don't think that I don't believe the community knows what loss this actually is for us. Um but the good thing is though, sometimes you do a lot more
as a non-elected official. So if you saw fire and council Luzon, get ready to see the real fire because I know that's coming. It's been an honor to serve with you. I'm actually I'm
getting um and I I've had the privilege to sit next to you throughout these two years and even when you and I have had heated debates during meetings. We've always reflected afterwards and just like councelor Marmal mentioned, I've
learned a lot from you as well. Um and I look forward to continuing to work with you, counselor Thank you, Council President. >> Thank you, Wendy Luzon, for your all your service. We proceed with the meeting. Um,
now we are going to there is no public hearings and we going to commit. There is no communication from the mayor, city officials, city of china. We going straight to budget and finance committee reports and we with if there
is no objection I would like to ask the counselors to consider item 47125 which is the authorization to span 268, 180 grant award for the from the executive office of housing and livable
condition uh communities to secure 204 beds for winter overnight shelters and warm centers. Uh item 471, budget and finance. Madame chair of the budget and finance committee and the vice president of this
council, Stephanie F. >> Thank you through you, council president. Item 471-25, authorization to expand 268,180 of the grant of the grant award from the executive office of housing and and livable communities to secure 200 204
beds for winter overnight shelter and warming centers was sent up to the full council as a favorable recommendation and I make that as a formal motion. >> There is a motion on the table properly second discussion. Council Lan, >> thank you. Um, is there anybody here,
council president, to speak on this? >> The uh the U homeless coordinator. >> Great. Thank you. So, um, I I read and went through the entire packet and specifically this item as well. Uh the
letter that was sent to the council or to the city was to secure and fund 204 beds for winter overnight shelter and warming centers. That's what it was said in the recital
in the in the the authorization document. It talks about that, but then it goes beyond. It says the department has accepted the grant um sorry the department intends to use the grant funds to house homeless individuals
living in encampments, bridges, and other unsuitable places. Now, what I don't have in our packet is that I could see was the actual request made from the city for this money. I did see the awarding letter
from Secretary Augustus to the mayor and again the $268,18 was to cover the cost of 204 beds of inter intermittent emergency winter shelter in Lawrence during weather emergencies and the manner you described
in your proposal. So my question after all that is is it despite the language that I'm seeing in the recital for the authorization are we going to be using this beyond the scope of winter in housing individuals even in the summer
and the spring regardless of of winter emergencies. >> Of course you have >> he's asking you the question. Thank you. You have the floor. >> Thank you. So, these funds are going to be used and they all have a um deadline.
So, these particular funds will be used until April 30th. Our >> Yes. Uh one second. Can you say your name and >> Sorry, I forgive me. I apologize. My name is Milagra Griong. I am the homelessness initiatives coordinator for
the city of Lawrence and um I could go on and then answer so that what you there is a there is a limit time it is April 30th 2026 that's how that's when we need to
use exhaust expend all this money that we are getting >> so through you Mr. president. So, the the question and I appreciate that >> it gets warmer starting hopefully in late March, hopefully in early April,
but the language specifically says winter emergencies. It doesn't talk about we can use whatever we want at whatever time for homeless population. So, I just want to make sure that we're using it when the temperatures get to 20 or 10 or whatever. It gets cold, correct?
>> And people are out in the streets and under the bridges and need someplace to go and we're being humane. We now we have some money. I don't know what where that money is going to be spent. I don't know where the 204 beds are. I'm going to be asking that question, but I want to make sure that this is going for
those emergencies for because of weather, not just because of someone because I think that's the language here. I don't want us to any other counselors living
president through you. So um so far how many shelter or location do we have in the city of Lawrence? >> Until we get the RFPs back we will find out because everybody >> No, it's a generic question. How many it's not it's not a specific
>> how many shelters we have in Lawrence. Oh, shelter. I thought I I heard you churches. That's what I >> No. How many shelter or locations for the homeless? Don't we have it here in Lawrence right now? >> Well, there is one shelter in Daybreak shelter that does take care of the homeless. The other we have Lazarus
House that does take care is a family shelter um also for and also for individuals. Um so those are the only two that I could say to you um that are shelters here in the city. Okay. So, and how many beds right now?
>> Right now, >> between those location, >> well, this is added beds to the ones that Lazarus House has. So, Lazarus House will add 24 beds just for the winter season. And remember, this has to be during the days of the inclimate
weather. So, it's not like they're going to go there every single day. And then, um, for Daybreak shelter, we have absolutely no room there because all the beds are filled. So practically right now as far as you know is just only 20 full beds.
I want to say that the numbers that we have because we have asked um it's 24 bed and then whoever applies we're asking them to open more beds to come up with the number that we have submitted to the uh to the
funer. Well, but this is part of that council Rosario saying right now, you know, that is going to open a door if like right now people knows that we only have like a 24 beds. It's going to open a door knowing that we can open 100 uh
beds for those people >> and also we're looking at what we've done in the past year. So most of the information that I'm sharing, this information was also gathered from the previous years um that the shelters were open. So we're going on that. We cannot
come to this state and say that we're only doing 50 beds when the problem is much larger than 50 beds. So we had to come out with a number after walking the streets that made sense to the state and to the city's needs. >> How many open did you have last year?
I don't have those numbers but most of the folks we had about 135 um in different nights. So this is accumulative not um basically unduplicated uh numbers meaning they accumulated
through time. So, so and the outreach is going to be so far do you do you say through the church to the Lasso house? So >> whoever has outreach workers in the city, we also belong to what is called
the hub that discusses a lot of the cases that are out there and we have looked for their assistance also to help us bring the folks that are in the city of Lawrence to the shelter so that we don't have anybody um losing their lives
due through the cold. So right now through you council president are you send the communication to all these people that are dealing with that uh with these people uh and that they can
open the door or they can send and find out the way how are you going to deal with all of this? As I said, on the 22nd, we're sending an RFP out, meaning for the organizations that want to participate in providing
overnight shelters or warming centers, they have to apply. Once they apply, then we will have a number uh that we can work with getting uh outreach workers to bring the people to the
different shelters that apply. But this is my question because right now you are telling me that you only practically has two organization and you said that you're going to send and you're going to communicate with some other organization. That's is what I asked. How many more organization do we know
that are dealings you know with those? Uh so the responseful proposal is what the city sends out so that organizations will um apply for the