Watertown

Watertown City Council

Tuesday October 24, 2023

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The order of items in transcripts is the chronological order in which they were taken up. Some Agenda items may have been skipped.

Section 1

We're doing actually very well. That's sort of the good news. The bad news is that that on top of the $17,000,000 additional dollars that we had to find the project, the MSBA is only reimbursing 7.6% of the additional 17,000,000, which is an additional 1,300,000 that the city taxpayers are gonna have to pay. So that's what this order is all about. It's a state that'll listen, order to borrow another $17,000,000 for the high school project and to extend the borrowing period to 30 years to make sure that we can afford the project and we can afford to do it right. So, that's it in a nutshell. I can answer any questions that the city council has. SIDERIS - Any questions from the city council? Councilor Gannon. GANNON - George, I'm sorry, I can't remember, but is this the final completion of the project? PROAKIS - It is, it's the overall budget that we will need to complete the project. GANNON - And when do you expect the completion to be? PROAKIS - So, we're at the very front end of the construction documents. I think the hope is that we will go out to bid at the end of next year and then start construction in early 2023. GANNON - And expected completion? PROAKIS - It's a 3 year project. GANNON - 3 years. Okay. Thank you. SIDERIS - Any other questions? Seeing none, I'll call for a motion. So, I received a memo from the city engineer regarding the Maple State project. I was not at the meeting because I was out of town for a funeral. I have not had a chance to read the minutes, so, there may be a few things that I may want to talk to the city manager about, but I would like to move to approve the Maple State project as presented by the city engineer. SIDERIS - Okay, we have a motion. Is there a second on the motion? SPEAKER3 - Second. SIDERIS - Okay. I'm gonna recognize Councilor Drake. DRAKE - Yes, thank you, Mr. President. So, I'm looking at the minutes, and I believe it's

Section 2

The council discussed various budget items, including the high school stabilization fund, energy efficiency rebates, and solar panel requests. They also approved a budget amendment to allocate funds for a new firefighter union contract. The tax rate for fiscal year 2024 was also discussed, with plans to shift the burden from residential to commercial taxes in order to balance the tax load between the two. The council also mentioned a previous resolution to reduce the residential tax burden to 50%.

Section 3

The committee on climate and energy met to discuss the progress of the city's climate action plan. They discussed various initiatives in the plan, such as promoting energy efficiency, incentivizing electric vehicles, and implementing a tree protection ordinance. They also addressed concerns about the need for more staff and funding to effectively carry out these initiatives. The committee plans to continue meeting quarterly to monitor progress and discuss further actions. A draft tree protection ordinance has been developed and will be reviewed by city staff and community members before being brought to the council for consideration.

Section 4

The speaker is expressing concerns about proposed changes for traffic flow in their neighborhood, including changes to allow traffic on a street during school hours and potential reconfiguration of a gate and parking lot. The speaker also expresses frustration with the lack of communication and response from city officials and staff regarding the issue. They are planning to attend a meeting with the traffic commission to voice their concerns.

Section 5

Residents of the community are expressing frustration over a proposal that has been made by the school and police, which they were not aware of. They also have concerns about a trash workflow that blocks access to the school and parking for residents. Safety is also a major issue, with incidents of cars almost hitting pedestrians. Despite voicing their concerns to city councilors and officials, residents feel like their concerns are not being heard or addressed. One resident also expresses frustration over her statement not being accurately included in meeting minutes. Others join in expressing their dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency and collaboration in decision-making processes. They are urging for a forum to be held where they can speak to city councilors or those in charge and have their concerns addressed.