The Malden City Council voted 8 to 0 on Tuesday, October 6 for a resolution supporting the Teamsters Local 25 and UNITE HERE Local 26 members on strike at Encore Boston Harbor, and enrolled two ordinances that change how the city accounts for trash and savings: one creating a Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, the other a reserve and stabilization fund framework. Almond Pierre of Elwell Street spoke for Encore employees during public comment.
Councillor Carey McDonald chaired as council president pro tempore in the absence of Council President Amanda Linehan; Councillors Chris Simonelli and Michelle Luong were also absent, and Councillor Ari Taylor left after the Encore vote. Councillor Karen Colon Hayes attended by video, so every vote was a roll call. The meeting ran from 7:08 to 7:51 p.m.
Trash and reserves
The Solid Waste Enterprise Fund ordinance, sponsored by Councillors Stephen Winslow, Colon Hayes, McDonald and Ryan O’Malley, follows the council’s September 22 vote to adopt the state local option creating the fund beginning in fiscal 2028, after repeated deficits in solid waste funding. The reserve and stabilization framework, sponsored by Linehan, McDonald, O’Malley and Winslow, came back from a joint session of the Finance and Rules and Ordinance committees with three amendments: “financial management team” becomes “financial officers,” a clause on anticipated liquidity needs is added, and a “may” becomes a “shall.” Both ordinances were enrolled 7 to 0 and return for final passage.
The council also ordained, 7 to 0, a housekeeping change to the water billing ordinance replacing “at least once each year” with “monthly,” reflecting the billing practice the treasurer’s office adopted in 2008.
Also at the meeting
- Winslow’s ordinance adding an assistant department head salary schedule to the city code was referred to the Rules and Ordinance Committee.
- Council reappointments of Dr. Scune Carrington, John Colangeli and Dr. Kunwar Singh to the Board of Health, each through October 22, 2029, were on the agenda; James Tarr’s appointment as an associate member of the Planning Board went to the Personnel and Appointments Committee.
- Kenneth Antonucci and Inna Babitskaya were placed on file as Community Preservation Committee members, appointed by the Planning Board and Historical Commission; Malden High junior Naomi Yohannes joined the Commission on Climate Action and Sustainability as a student member; Paul Weston was reappointed to the Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission.
- Lodging house renewals for Metro North Housing Corp. at 115 Washington Street and 22 Charles Street and Cedar House LLC at 116-118 Cedar Street went to the License Committee.
- Councillor Peg Crowe called for a moment of silence for Jackie Bouley, who died suddenly on September 28.
The minutes are on the city’s Agenda Center (October 6 minutes).
