December 7 GAC Update
The City Council met on Monday and discussed changes to the refuse and litter ordinance and a request to the City Manager for a legal opinion regarding the Council’s oversight of the School Department.
I am happy to report that Adams and Rafferty Attorneys at Law , Cambridge Savings Bank, Comcast, will sponsor the Cambridge Leaders 2006 event on January 25, 2006 and that Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research will sponsor the Government Affairs Committee again in 2006. Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support.
December 5, 2005 City Council Meeting
The Council met in the longest meeting in several months with the major issues discussed being proposed changes to the City’s refuse and litter ordinance and an order requesting a legal opinion on the Council’s oversight authority over the school department. Neither issue was resolved.
Refuse and Litter Ordinance
The City Manager submitted a report in response to responded to questions raised during the November 22 meeting of the ordinance Committee regarding proposed changes to the rubbish and litter ordinance. The discussion of the Manager’s report, which was viewed by some Councillors incorrectly as recommendations from the City Manager, let to consideration of proposed changes in the ordinance discussed at the November 22 meeting of the Ordinance Committee. The changes in the ordinance are viewed as necessary due to increase rodent activity and the focus is household waste. The Council also had on the agenda the report from that committee meeting.
The proposal put before the Ordinance Committee would ban plastic trash bags, move the time people can but out trash from 3:00 p.m. the day prior to pick-up to 6:00 p.m. the day prior to pick-up, and would establish a ninety day period between Council adoption and the ordinance changes going into effect to allow for the City to educate the public on the changes and on proper disposal of household waste.
During Monday’s meeting changes to the amendments were discussed including requiring trash to be put out the same day as pick-up and allowing plastic bags. Some Councillors think that limiting the number of hours trash would be on the sidewalk by requiring trash to be put out the same day should allow for use of plastic bags. There was also significant discussion about the City’s education and communication effort and at least one Councillor went on the record to add staff to oversee rodent prevention efforts.
The Council also discussed more frequent trash collection, either Citywide or in some neighborhoods, and using the education effort to increase recycling. The Manager’s report shows significant costs to adding the number of pick-ups per week Citywide. Councillors continued discussions about the City can providing rodent resistant trash containers to residents for free or at a discount. The ordinance changes were passed to a second reading and will be discussed at the December 19 City Council meeting.
The City Manager’s report is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityClerk/cmLetter.cfm?item_id=5416.
The report from the November 22, 2005 Ordinance Committee meeting is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityClerk/CommitteeReport.cfm?instance_id=257.
Oversight of the School Department
Councillor Galluccio submitted an order at the November 21st meeting asking the City manager to have the City Solicitor provide a legal opinion on the Council’s oversight of the School Department. The order specifically asks the City Solicitor to report on any legal prohibitions that preclude the Council from directing the City Manager to allocate funds for audits or other reviews of school department finances or other desired analysis of the school department that would assist the Council in making decisions regarding the school budget.
Two School Committee members, Nancy Walser who will serve on the next School Committee and Ben Lummis who was defeated in the November election, spoke against this order focusing not on the order itself but their perception of the intent of the order. The order was tabled on a 5-4 vote.
