Worcester City Council Agenda Preview: May 13, 2025
Held via Zoom due to safety concerns...
The City Council meeting is Tuesday at 6:30pm. The agenda is here.
Zoom link: https://worcesterma.zoomgov.com/j/1613631913
The main thing that politicians and residents want to talk about, fallout from an ICE raid last week on Eureka Street, is not on the Council’s agenda this week, but presumably that will end up being the focus of the meeting. Due to “safety concerns,” City Hall will be closed tomorrow evening, and the meeting will happen via Zoom.
Boards and Commissions: The Manager is appointing Kerry Whiterell and Father Jonathan Slavinskas to the Human Rights Commission, Stephen Toomey (if I am not mistaken the husband of the Councilor) and Mary Anne Dube to the Planning Board, and Matthew Sacco to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Manager will ask the Council to appoint Kevin Gould to the Civic Center Commission and Joseph Johnson to the Urban Forestry Tree Commission. (Regarding Fr. Slavinskas, canon 285.3 of the Code of Canon law is clear that “Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power,” but presumably participating on an
advisoryexecutive board does not involve the exercise of civil power?1)Civil Service Exemptions: The city’s HR department would like the Council to ask the state to allow the city to turn any provisional employee who’s been working for 6 months into a permanent employee. They’d also like “all civilian employee positions,” except Police and Fire, to be made exempt from Chapter 31 of state laws (“Civil Service”). According to the Human Resources Officer, “over the last few years [Worcester] has faced significant challenges recruiting and hiring for labor service positions.”
Tax Breaks for 17 Pearl Street: The Chief Development Officer would like the Council to approve a 12 year, $1.9 million tax break for a proposed 139-unit apartment building, with ground-floor commercial storefront, built where there’s now a parking lot at 17 Pearl Street, just off Main Street downtown. The plan would exceed the “Inclusionary Zoning” standard by having 17 affordable units. Current real estate taxes are $7k annually on this parcel; the apartment building is expected “to generate over $400,000 in taxes annually.”
ADU Zoning Tweaks: January 2024, the Council adopted a new zoning ordinance designed to make it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units. Two ADUs have been completed since then, with a couple dozen more underway. In August, the state adopted a law prohibiting many restrictions on ADUs, so this week the Council is asked to update the local ADU ordinance to remove various restrictions, including those that would require the property to already have a dwelling before an ADU could be started, require that the owner live on the property, restrictions on the number of bedrooms, and some restrictions on setback and height.
Water and Sewer Rates: DPW recommends that the water rate be increased 3 cents to $3.85 per hundred cubic feet, and the sewer rate be increased 37 cents to $9.49. They estimate the average single family home will pay $20.21 more per year.
Driveways: The City Solicitor has a draft ordinance that would give the city more permitting control over some kinds of driveways, paving, and parking.
Rental Registry: Almost 9,500 properties have been registered with the city under the new Rental Registry program. The city will soon start a wave of inspections under the new Rental Dwelling Unit Periodic Inspection Program, and slowly start cracking down on landlords who’ve been putting off registering their properties. Among other things, the new inspections will combine two already-required inspections to improve efficiency.
25 Madison Street: The Manager would like the Council to approve the city buying the parking lot at 25 Madison (near Madison & Southbridge, across from the Shell) from the state for $150k, so a new fire station can be built there.
“Executive boards and commissions establish policy for City departments, and supervise departmental operations through an executive officer who is the administrative head of a City agency. The City Manager appoints all members without need for City Council confirmation.”
Just because we don't have an item specifically about the Eureka street kidnapping by ICE, we can still speak about the police involvement
Item 8.1A - We can still speak about the Oversight of the police because an appointment to the Human Right's Council is happening, a police chaplain is one of the two. Demand the HRC or a separate body be formed for a citizen review board.
Item 9a - we can still speak to police abuses due to the item on the DOJ report currently held for 2 meetings, there is so much possible content from this to speak to.
Item 10g - we can speak to the WPD's systemic racism and demand this item be pulled from the list of tabled items and demand public hearings