Watertown

Watertown City Council

Tuesday December 12, 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

The personnel and city organization committee met to discuss a proposal to amend the front office hours at the DPW building. Present at the meeting were committee members, the city manager, DPW superintendent, Sustainability coordinator, and city engineer. The proposed changes were to be discussed further at the next council meeting.

Section 2

The committee met to discuss the process for reviewing and recommending ARPA proposals totaling $10.7 million. They received expert advice on which proposals met requirements and eliminated those that did not. The council then listened to presentations and submitted preliminary ratings to start the deliberation process. After discussing contingencies and overhead fees, the committee agreed to not fund them with ARPA money in order to create more value for the community. They also used guidelines to stretch the available funds and prioritized certain projects. The next steps included reviewing classifications and communicating with applicants before finalizing the recommendations to present to the council. The committee reconvened on November 21st to finalize the draft recommendations and confirm that all dollar amounts were within the category limits.

Section 3

The chair reported that the committee has reached out to all applicants who were recommended for lower funding levels than their full request. Four applicants, including the Watertown Housing Authority, the Boys and Girls Club, Watertown Cares, and WCA TV, have confirmed that they will accept smaller allocations and proceed with their projects. However, the MetroWest Collaborative said they could not provide services with a reduced amount of money. They provided a list of tasks that would need to be completed for their project to be executed and asked if the council could fund 10% of the allocation for overhead fees instead of the original request of 15%. The committee agreed to request detailed cost estimates from MetroWest before making a final recommendation. The committee also discussed using the city's funds to cover ARPA-related fees from CLA. After considering the public benefit, the committee voted unanimously to not use ARPA funds for these fees. At a public forum on December 4th, residents expressed support for specific projects and suggested the city consider introducing participatory budgeting. The committee made the decision not to fund flat administrative fees for organizations such as Wayside, Right Turn, and MetroWest, but instead pay for estimated costs. The committee agreed on a balanced allocation of funds across three categories: water and sewer infrastructure, climate and energy, and social services. This decision was based on the priorities of the council and the impact of each project on the community. The committee recommended that the council approve a proposed appropriation of ARPA funds, adjusted as needed. Councilor Feltner requested a correction to the December 4th report regarding the evaluation of certain projects. The council approved the amendment and approved the reports from the three meetings. The resolution on appropriation of ARPA funds was then presented, noting the direct allocation of $350 billion to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the city's allocation of $10,742,413. The funds must be used by December 31, 2026 and can be used for various purposes. The city council had previously tasked the budget and fiscal oversight committee to develop recommendations for spending the funds.

Section 4

The committee on public works met to review and make recommendations on the 2024 local road construction program. The DPW presented a slide show about the program's goals and steps taken to maintain and repair streets. The committee also discussed ongoing capital projects and concerns about the pace of the Long Streets and Connector program. The committee recommended approving the DPW's recommendation for the 2024 program, including the reconstruction of several streets, and expressed concerns about the use of lamp black in sidewalk repairs.

Section 5

The speaker thanks the committee and the Department of Public Works for their recommendations and asks for a motion to accept the report. The motion is made and seconded, and there is a brief discussion before the report is approved. Next, the speaker asks for a motion to approve the Department of Public Works recommendations for the 2023 local road construction program. The motion is made and seconded, with additional comments from Councilors Izzo and Feltner. The recommendation is approved and the meeting moves on to new business, including a request for confirmation for reappointments to the historic district commission. The manager provides an update on planned moves to the Parker School and announces holiday closures and the upcoming inauguration. A member of the public, Peter Santore, makes an announcement about a meeting regarding the Lowell school playground. The meeting concludes with a motion to adjourn.