May 2, 2007 GAC Update

The Council Finance Committee met on Saturday and held the first hearing on the FY08 Budget.  The Council met on Monday and referred a proposed Hotel Worker retention Ordinance to the Ordinance Committee, received reports regarding building permits and abandoned or neglected properties and passed orders asking for changes in the building code, a ban on plastic bags, and declaring April 25 “DNA Day” in Cambridge.

Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at the Chamber attended a conference on Nanotechnology Regulation at Northeastern University this Tuesday. Sam Lipson from the Cambridge Public Health Department was on the agenda regarding the possibility of regulating this industry in Cambridge. 

If your company or organization manufactures, does research and development work on, or uses nanomaterials please contact Terry at (617) 876-4213 or by e-mail at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org as he is working to ensure that the industry is informed and involved in any process to regulate nanomaterials in Cambridge.

Upcoming GAC Events

The 2007 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.

Vice Mayor and State Representative Toomey to Address May GAC
Cambridge Vice Mayor and State Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr. was scheduled to be our guest in January and had to cancel due to legislative responsibilities at the State House.  He will now be our guest on Tuesday, May 22 at noon at the Chamber Board Room. Please e-mail tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone 617-876-4213 if you plan to attend.

June GAC Events
Two events are being scheduled for June.

An update on the State’s health care reform law is being planned for June 12, 2007.  More information come

The Chamber will offer GAC members the opportunity to participate in Massachusetts Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE) State House Day scheduled for Wednesday June 13, 2007. More information to come

April 28 Budget Hearing

The Council’s Finance Committee held its first hearing on the FY 2008 budget on Saturday. The Manager reported that The City Manager the $412,274,625 budget is an increase of 3.75% over the current year budget.  Increases, according to the City Manager, result from a 3% increase in employee salaries, a 12.7% increase in employee health insurance, a combined 4.5% increase in assessments from the State and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, a 15.1% increase in debt service and a 14.7% increase in energy costs. The FY08 budget anticipates a 5.75% increase in the tax levy.  Property tax rates based on the levy increase will be set in the fall.  He also reported that budget items are aligned with the goals and objectives established by the City Council for FY 08 and FY 09.

The Manager was asked how Cambridge compares to other communities in the state in regard to its financial health.  The Manager reported that the City is in much better shape than other Massachusetts communities. Cambridge is $72 million below the levy limits established under Proposition 2˝. Other communities regularly go to the voters for Proposition 2˝ over-rides to fund local services.  He was asked how the City compares in regard to receiving aid from the state and federal governments and he reported that the City is very successful in competitive grant processes but that the City does not do as well in formula funding due to the relative wealth of the community.

The Manager was asked about the provision in last year’s State Economic Stimulus bill that allows cities and towns to opt out of collecting Personal Property Taxes on certain research and development equipment. The Manager reported that this issue has died down and suggested that the depreciation schedules used by the Assessors office may have addressed concerns of technology and life science companies who have raised this as a concern. The City projects $12.8 million in revenue, about 5% of tax revenues, from this source in FY 08. The top ten payers, a list that includes NSTAR, the power plant at Kendall Square, three telecommunication companies and five pharmaceutical companies, pay almost 70% of these taxes.

The Manager was asked about a projected increase in revenues from the Hotel/Motel tax for FY 08. He responded that revenues are higher this year than in past years and attributed that to the improvement in tourism following the downturn resulting after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

The Council was interested in funding that has been designated over the past several years under the title “Destination Cambridge.” The Manager reported that these funds were used this year for the First Annual Science Festival and for the Bio07 Conference that will be held in Boston next week. He anticipates that funds will be used for similar purposes next year.

There were a number of questions regarding enforcement of traffic, noise, idling, and other City regulations with Councillors expressing concern that the revenues collected from fines suggest a lack of enforcement. The Manager reported that the Police, Inspectional Services, the Licensing Commission, Traffic and Parking, and other enforcements bodies in the City work diligently to enforce regulations and are working to improve coordination of efforts with the goal of addressing problems that occur.

Environmental and energy issues were also discussed. The Manager reported that in future budgets the impact of energy saving programs will be discussed in the budget. The Council also asked about the City taking actions to create a hybrid fleet of taxies. This discussion led to a broader discussion about the high cost to own and operate a taxi in Cambridge, including a statement that taxi medallions are traded for as much as $300,000.  The Council passed an order several weeks ago asking the City Manager to look into the hybrid taxi program being developed in Boston. The Council’s Transportation, Traffic and Parking Committee will hold a hearing on this issue on May 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber.

In the review of the budgets of the Arts Council and the Historic Commission there was discussion about attracting visitors from Greater Boston to Cambridge to events sponsored by these departments. It is expected that this topic will again arise during the hearing on the Tourism Council budget on May 14. 

The entire proposed budget is available in PDF format on the City’s Web site from the homepage www.cambridgema.gov. The Finance Committee will meet on May 9 to discuss the capital budget and the School budget and will meet on May 14, changed from May 12, on the balance of budget items.

April 30, 2007 City Council Meeting

The Council met on Monday and received a report on a proposed Hotel Worker Retention Ordinance, a report on requiring a building permit renewal fee or other mechanisms to extract funds from development projects that miss deadlines for completion, and received a report on what the City can do when a property becomes abandoned or neglected. The Council passed orders referring discussion on increasing energy efficiency of buildings through the building code to the Committee on Cable TV, Telecommunications and Public Utilities, asked for a ban on plastic bag, and ordered that April 25 be designated as DNA Day in Cambridge.

Hotel Worker Retention Ordinance
The Council had asked the City Manager to report on Hotel Worker retention Ordinance sin other cities and report back with a recommendation for such an ordinance in Cambridge. Three Cities have enacted Hotel Worker retention ordinances and the Manager’s report includes a proposed ordinance that identifies different options based on the ordinances in the three cities: Hartford, CT, Los Angeles, CA, and Washington, DC. This issue arose last December following the sale and closing of the Radisson Hotel property on Memorial Drive.  A copy of the report is City Manager Agenda Item 6 on the agenda for Monday’s meeting and is available at City Manager Agenda Item 6.  To review the proposed ordinance click on View attached letter here or at the bottom of the Manager’s transmittal. 

Fee for Late Projects
The Council asked the Manager to report whether the City can impose additional fees or fines for development projects that continue in construction beyond initial schedules. The Manager reported that the City is limited by State law which does not allow for such fees or fines. A copy of the report is at City Manager Agenda Item 5 and the letter from the City Solicitor is available by clicking on View attached letter here or at the bottom of the Manager’s transmittal.

Vacant Properties
In response to a Council request for information on City action regarding vacant properties the manager reported that building inspector, the City Manager and the Board of Health of statutory responsibility to deal with abandoned or neglected properties. The actions relate to nuisances, such as filth and debris, burnt, dilapidated, or dangerous properties, health issues related to a building unfit for human habitation or a nuisance that may impact health or safety, or a structure that is dangerous. A copy of the report is available at City Manager Agenda Item 7 and the letter from the City Solicitor is available by clicking on View attached letter here or at the bottom of the Manager’s transmittal.

Policy Orders
The Policy Order on energy efficiency and building codes is at Policy Order 1. The Cable TV, Telecommunications and Public Utilities Committee will schedule a meeting on this issue soon.

The Policy Order on banning plastic bags is at Policy Order 7. This is in response to an order filed in the Boston City Council and a recent ban in San Francisco.

The Policy Order naming April 25 DNA Day in Cambridge is Policy Order 6 and would name every April 25 as DNA Day in and asks the City Manager for a committee to establish a permanent DNA trail in Cambridge.

Nano Notes

Cambridge Considering Regulation of Nanomaterials
The Cambridge Public Health Department has been asked by the City Council to review whether the City should regulate nanomaterials and Sam Lipson, Director Environmental Health, City of Cambridge, is in the process of assembling a review committee on this subject. This is an important issue for Cambridge companies that do research and development, manufacture, or use materials that are or could be defined as nano. It is very important that industry be represented in this review.

If you would like more information about the City’s nanotechnology review and possible regulatory intervention please contact Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, at (617) 876-4213 or by e-mail at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org. The Chamber is looking for companies and organizations active in the manufacture, research, or use of nanomaterials to ensure full industry participation in the City’s review of the need for regulation and the possible development of regulations. The City of Berkeley, California recently enacted a nanotechnology ordinance reportedly with limited industry input.

The Cambridge Public Health Department is sponsoring a workshop titled Risk Assessment for Nanomaterials: Current Developments and Trends on May 29, 2007 at MIT. Information on the workshop is available at http://www.cambridgepublichealth.org/events/nano_workshop.php

Report from Northeastern University Conference on Nanotechnology Regulation
Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs, attended a conference this past Tuesday on Nanotechnology regulation.  Almost all of the presenters mentioned that the first step in determining any regulatory requirements, and a difficulty local, state, federal, and international governments and bodies are grappling with, is defining what is different about nanomaterials that requires regulation and practices beyond those established for the same materials in a macro state.  It is generally understood that materials in a “nano-state” have different characteristics the issue is the health and safety issues that may or may not arise from those characteristics.

The conference started with sessions on the basic science of nanotechnology and how nano is used and can be used.  Examples of uses included cancer treatments, improving energy efficiency of products, new sources of clean energy such as fuel cells, and stronger and lighter materials. The conference included a lunchtime presentation by Peter Larkin of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative on the promise of nanotechonology for the State. He encouraged companies that manufacture, do research and development, and/or use nanomaterials to find a common forum to bring there interests and concerns before government agencies.

The afternoon included presentations on current activities to understand potential health and safety issues and standards and regulations.  Much work is being done by federal agencies on this issue and agencies, such as the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which is responsible for research into occupational health and safety issues at the federal level, is actively working with industry to better understand nanomanufacturing and nanomaterials. The US Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Drug Administration, and other agencies are doing similar work within there areas of responsibility.  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has an Emerging Containment Working Group looking at this issue and the City of Cambridge is beginning a process to look at the need for local regulations.

The last presentation of the day was by Sam Lipson from the Cambridge Public Health Department on the City’s planned process.  Most of the presentation was related to the development of the rDNA Ordinance past in 1977.  Sam noted that the development of National Institute of health guidelines in 1976 provided the basis for the ordinance and noted that no such guidelines currently exist for nanomaterials.

Materials from the conference will soon be available at the conference website nsrg.neu.edu.

For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.