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October 19, 2005 GAC Update
The Council met not once, not twice, but three times on Monday. At 9:30 a.m. a hearing was held with the City’s state legislative delegation to discuss issues around the property tax and municipal finance. At 3:30 the Council held a roundtable with MIT regarding safety and the MIT research reactor. At 5:30 the Council met in regular session and discussed trash pick-up, police foot patrols, and electric service, and this weekend’s citywide yard sale to raise money for Katrina relief efforts.
October 17 City Council Hearing with Legislators
The City Council met on Monday morning with members of the City’s State Legislative delegation to discuss issues and concerns regarding property taxes and municipal revenue. Six members of the legislature, State Senator Steven Tolman and State Representatives Rachel Kaprielian, Anne Paulsen, Marty Walz, an Alice Wolf and City Councillor and State Representative Tim Toomey attended. The other members of the Cambridge delegation sent staff to the meeting.
City Manager Healy discussed the report Local Communities at Risk: Revisiting the Fiscal Partnership between the Commonwealth and Cities and Towns released in September by the Municipal Finance Task Force. I summarized this report in my October 5 update. The City Manager noted that Senator Tolman and Representative Kaprielian sat on that Committee along with Assistant City Manager for Finance Louis DePasquale.
The Task Force recommendations ask for greater stability in state aid by setting a percentage of state revenue for local aid and lifting the cap on lottery funds available to municipalities. The report also recommends providing communities with additional ability to control non-property tax local revenues by granting more flexibility in local option sources, including local option meal taxes, parking excise taxes, or rental car surcharges, by updating the motor vehicle excise tax, and by reviewing telecommunications taxation and hotel/motel tax issues.
The members of the delegation largely agreed that fair tax treatment is necessary and that the task force report has clearly defined the issues the legislature must address. They reported that the cap on lottery revenue is likely to be removed. Rep. Wolf noted that one problem with providing certainty in local aid is that local aid is a large source of discretionary spending and that removing that flexibility would require reducing other discretionary spending to a greater level. Her primary concern was the impact on human services spending.
The Council and members of the delegation generally noted the impact of increasing property value on the tax liability of elderly is a great concern. It was also noted that many communities have been forced to reduce public safety staffing and programs due to the reductions in local aid and the need to control local taxes. Legislators, and members of the Council, suggested that solutions focused on Cambridge, such as Home Rule petitions suggested by some Councillors, have had little likelihood of enactment by the legislature.
This meeting was not as well attended as some previous meetings on this issue and no member of the public offered comments during the public comment period. It should be noted that property tax bills were sent last week and arrived in most mailboxes on Saturday. As this issue rose with the receipt of tax bills last October it is likely to recede with this year’s bills. As I previously reported, rates for both commercial and residential classifications dropped this year and the City had no increase in the tax levy.
The major issue facing Cambridge and other communities is having sufficient funds to provide services the public expects without over-burdening residential, commercial, or industrial taxpayers. The report from the Municipal Finance Task Force clearly delineates structural issues that need to be addressed at the State level.
October 17 City Council Roundtable
Last week ABC ran a program on the safety of research reactors at universities including MIT during a prime time newscast. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the safety procedures at MIT and any questions resulting from this telecast. Staff from the City’s public safety departments also participated. The short story is that MIT and the City, along with state and federal agencies, work to ensure the safety of the reactor which is used for medical research and research for development of the next generation of nuclear electric generation. The reactor also trains students who will work in this industry.
MIT acknowledged that it can do a better job informing the community about the security of this facility. At the suggestion of several members of the City Council MIT agreed to hold a community meeting on this topic. At the regular meeting the Council passed and order requesting this meeting.
October 17 Regular City Council Meeting
Trash
The Council discussed possibly increasing fines for improper disposal of household and commercial trash as well as a proposal to change the time when residents can put trash out for pick-up. This follows several months of discussion about rats in the City. Both the fine and the pick-up time will require changes in the City’s trash ordinance and will come before the Ordinance Committee. It is likely that the Council will require residents to use covered rat resistant trash cans and set the time back from 3:00 the day before pick-up to a later time, possibly the same day as pick-up is scheduled. Fines may be raised from $25 to $100.
Councillors noted that major issues include limited space for trash receptacles in some business areas such as Central Square, and around some large apartment buildings. Councillors have suggested more frequent pick-up of trash in some more densely populated neighborhoods and the Manager reported that the department of Public Works is looking at a number of options
Police Foot Patrols
Councillor Toomey submitted an order asking the City Manager and the Police Commissioner to report back to the Council on foot patrols. He specifically noted the increase in thefts in Inman Square and suggested that foot patrols in that business district, as well as other business districts, would deter these types of crimes.
Electric Service
The Council discussed an order asking the City Manager to confer with the City Electrician and NStar regarding electric outages in East Cambridge. This led to a broader discussion about electric service and a discussion and Late Policy Order about the City possibly creating a municipal electric company.
Citywide Yard Sale to for Katrina Relief Efforts
The Council meeting ended with a reminder that the City is asking residents to hold yard sales on October 22 and 23 and contribute proceeds to the City’s fund for Katrina Relief efforts. A copy of the City’s press release is available at: http://www.cambridgema.gov/deptann.cfm?story_id=856
For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.
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