Fall River City Council 9 12 23

foreign public hearing come to order clerk will call the road Council here Dion here Kilby here by Liberty Pelletier Pereira here proposal here Washington and president khmera here pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit this meeting through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings

or Transmissions are being made or the perceived or unperceived by those present and not deemed acknowledged and permissible emotional public hearing sanctioned public hearing has been made and seconded all in favor any opposed motion carriers public meeting is now open item number one it's curb removal Derek Souza 50 Hayfield Lane for the removal of curbing as follows at 50 Hayfield

Lane 16 feet existing opening curb to be removed is eight feet there is no additional curve to be added combined opening after uh proposed after alteration is 24 feet the applicant proposes to extend the existing 16 feet curb opening by an additional four feet on each side the total opening for this location will be 24 feet are there any proponents to this public hearing opponent want to come down please to the

microphone to state your name and address for the record and give us the reason you're a proponent to this you can just hook it on the other one please for now thank you so yeah just speak into the microphone please and give us your name and address for the record and you can sit down at the chair okay Derek Souza 50. hey feeling um I just want to get cars off the road

driving right now it's too narrow so two cars parked side by side constantly dinging up each other's cars so I want to widen it up so we can get the cars off the road and park inside the driveway thank you thank you thank you very much are there any other proponents to this public hearing any other proponents hearing none are there any opponents to this public meeting any opponents

hearing that write the item number two see Fox holding LLC 515 Sanford Road Westport Mass 02790 for the removal of curbing as follows at 1375 Airport Road right now there is no opening at all curb to be removed is 85 and a half feet curb to be added to zero combine opening proposed after alteration is 85 and a half feet the applicant proposes to construct the driveway entrance to serve

a newly constructed Warehouse slash processing building in the industrial park the total curb opening of 85 and a half feet is required to accommodate the Turning requirements of delivery vehicles the total opening at the site will be 85 and a half feet this work has been completed are there any proponents to this public hearing any components can none are there any opponents to this public hearing

opponents come on down please state your name an address for the record and have a seat speaking to the microphone

hey ladies and gentlemen alright from Nantucket Sound see Fox Holdings uh we put up a new building put a entrance way and I had my engineer who was going to submit this a year ago the building is done and we need that width to get tractor trailers in and out of the facility so I'm the owner of the company so he came down as an open but you're really a proponent

the opponent right you you know she's a you're against the proponent you're in favor of it yeah okay yeah it would be a proponent no problem you're doing it okay thank you very much thank you thank you okay so we have a proponent are there any other opponents none just for the record he was a proponent not an opponent no problem maybe no further motion close the public hearings public hearing hasn't made and

seconded all in favor aye any opposed motion carries public hearing is not closed

see accounts coming into Finance City College Community friends will please come to order clerk will call the road council is kadim here Dion here Kilby yeah Liberty Pelletier Pereira here proposal here Washington President Camaro here pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting May transmit this mandatory medium attendees are therefore advised that

such recordings or Transmissions are being made where the perceived aren't perceived by those present and not deemed acknowledged and permissible before we begin a public hearing a number of people have signed up for Citizens input time please want to remind everyone you have three minutes first we have the Linda Calera subject matter um no one is doing their job please come down for three minutes

excuse me I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said for the safety I don't know it says here no one is doing their job there's nothing about safety here I'm not good at this but um Sean I haven't contacted you yet but Michelle I contacted you bro please please don't sing about counselors individually if you want to talk to the counselors for them as counselors okay thank you um people are not doing their job as

City councils and the Fall River Police Department is not doing their job we all know what's going on in this city and as far as City Hall I called again today and the woman over there I'm not going to blast her right now um I asked to speak to uh Ryan and you hung up on me before Linda please I was at the doctor's office and said that quality um

she wouldn't let me speak to uh Ryan and he's over in elections this is the third year that I'm having a problem getting my stuff in the mail for me to fill out and have there on time today I went out and it was registered so now I can't get it until tomorrow um why haven't uh city council like helped us the people isn't that what you all are for for the people

yes the answer is yes okay and I've called you numerous times too sir I believe we spoke on the phone thank you did we not speak on the phone thank you next we have Eileen Raposa subscribe to Marine Street Davis playground

you have three minutes as well

good evening my name is Eileen Raposa I live at 813 Meridian Street and I'd like to stay just for the record I understand the whole three-minute issue but I do have disabilities which sometimes prevent me from speaking Everything at Once I'm gonna do my best okay I'm here about Davis playground in Meridian Street my neighbors and I went to a park board meeting for the first time on the sixth

the most Pleasant meeting I have ever been to here at City Hall I'd like to thank them very much for doing their their job researching public records and understanding what the deed for that playground clearly states listening and respecting what the people who came before the board had to say I've stayed before the city council for the last numerous years that all videos that were taken there

were handed over to the proper authorities being the police department and the District Attorney's department the fall of police department has done an outstanding job as far as my neighborhood is concerned they worked Around the Clock no matter what time of the day and night I had to call them for issues that were going on there they were always there they did what needed to be done

to clean that area up we worked very hard in our neighborhood to keep it that way so everybody can come to that playground and feel safe it's not just safe for us to come in say no you cannot come into my neighborhood that's what my neighborhood is not about I'd like to thank the police department the fire department the city inspector for meeting with the park board in agreeing with us

what the deed States what the safety issues are with that playground in the neighborhood the last city council meeting I was extremely offended and her over the words that came out of City council's mouth about people calling as you can tell right now when I call I have a difficult time speaking I find it extremely offensive and hurtful that I'm going to be made fun of over a phone call

that I made to the city council and in the city because I have issues and it's misconstrued as being a NIMBY attitude and trying to stop people from going there that's not what we are about I'm blessed to live in a neighborhood that I live in all of my neighbors they're not my neighbors these people are my family that's how close

go ahead when we went before the city the city for the school we had an awful lot of concerns because we lived there we know what goes on we know how the traffic is we tried conveying to the city what our concerns were all that was important was the school get built it wasn't about us not wanting a school there it was about what was going to happen I have called the city I have called

Emerald bus company because of the speeding on the streets school buses and when I call Admiral bus company they say well how do you know the bus is speeding I say because there is an Electronics feed sign out in front of my home and that bus is full of students and it's doing 46 miles an hour and the one behind it was doing 58 in the 30 with children on the bus

that's not my kid on the bus if I had an Envy attitude I'd care less but when that bus flips over in front of my home because someone from the other side of the street is coming down isn't going to want to wait for the school bus that's a bad accident waiting to happen if we didn't care we wouldn't say anything

it's my understanding that the issue with Davis playground is being referred to a subcommittee after 32 years of going through this and coming before the city council and explaining over and over again what the deed says what its purposes were for we're now going to refer this to a subcommittee as far as I'm concerned that's just kicking the can down the road it's wasting time it's wasting tax pay it's money

or you can do all the studies you want everything has been given to you for proof that these are the issues they are legitimate concerns not just for the neighborhood but for the entire city because we have people coming there who want just from Fall River they're from Connecticut Maine Vermont New Hampshire that's what we cleaned up there in the fall Police Department cleaned up there

they cleaned up an area where people thought it was okay to come and molest a child out in front of my home that's on video that's what's given to the D.A I am not going to give my videos to be shown in a public forum they went to the proper authorities and they did their job

I understand why people don't want to get involved in their neighborhoods and they say well we can't trust the city we can't trust the government we you know nothing gets done if you don't come before the people and you don't constantly stay on it nothing is going to get done that's you know it's a shame but I can guarantee you that's not going to happen I'm already in street because we care about our neighborhood

we care about the people that come in it I have people that come from all over the city to use that playground I meet them all I have snacks for their kids I have treats for their dogs I don't have a pet anymore I still have treats for their dogs I had a girl show up at my house last year who's been coming since she was little just learning how to walk she came to my

house last year didn't recognize her I said who are you she said I used to come here every day my father I wanted to let you know I'm in college now if we had a NIMBY attitude they wouldn't come knock at my door I had to put up a no trespassing sign on my tree so people wouldn't come in my yard because they're coming in my front yard they're picnicking on my front yard

they're doing whatever they want my front yard they're breaking my fence they're urinating all over the place when they go in the playground and there's no bathrooms back there where do you think they're going they're taking it and it's throwing it over my fence now I hear they want to put pickleball and golf and everything back there nobody said that I know you're doing a great job articulating what you'd like um

where are you in relation to the Davis Park in relation to it because you go down Meridian Street you have that little entrance then it loops around so where are you I'm right there in front on the side of the playground okay so right in front 8 13. oh so you're on the south side if I'm facing I'm on the east side of Meridian Street okay all right so you're right there near the

entrance not across the street on the same side right okay now I understand there's an ordinance in the city that golfing is illegal in the playground this is what I get when I go out in my backyard I have golf balls flying at my head do you understand what our frustration is just want to say a point of clarification no one ever spoke about golf for that problem I mentioned frisbee golf which is

playing with a frisbee completely different but again what the councilors mentioned at the last meeting were just ideas that was thrown out there in a session like this there was no meeting that was held to pinpoint exactly what that Pock would be used for so they just wanted to get clear but you are well beyond the time allowed do you want to continue do you want to wrap it up I

would like to ask every board and every Committee in this city everybody knows it's the lady on Meridian Street so when you're having your meetings and your board meetings to discuss what you want to do in a neighborhood a neighborhood is willing to listen as long as we are respected and our input is respected and heard we should not have to watch a city council meeting on TV people being made fun of my daughter

heard that yeah it was mean they were talking about thanks for coming thank you so much next we have Betty Calhoun subject for Adam Meridian Street Davis Parkway

hi my name is Betty Cahoon I live at 845 Meridian Street my house is adjacent to the park I'm on the left hand side of the lane my grandmother was Charlotte Davis Cahoon she gave the land to the park gave the land to the city for the park um I agree with Nancy I called my brother John Jr Cahoon I also called my sister Priscilla Anderson cohoon my brother lives in Rhode Island

my sister lives in South Carolina this weekend they are also an agreement that it should be a passive Recreational Park the ideas of the park would be a Green Space where there would be picnicking and relaxation going up you would actually have to walk up into up the parkway up to the back of the clock you'd be able to watch Birds listen to The Birds have you ever just took time and listened to birds

walk around and enjoy Mother Nature and play games My grandmother used to love to play Batman that's kind of like one of the games that's from the past my mother grandmother used to love nature she used to love watching Birds baseball games are good too however no leagues that's what one of the problems were they used to have people Incorporated go up and play games up in the park when my father was living however

they used to have the permits for then another group used to go up then and half permits were the poor kids from People Incorporated and ended up coming down from the lane because they couldn't play because the other kids pushed them out which wasn't fair that didn't set right with my dad with it being a green space you'd play catch you could play other kinds of games you could also fly a kite

because there's enough space up there could also relax read a book under retreat also just go up and relax sit and enjoy Mother Nature it is a beautiful space at any time of the year we have four seasons Autumn is fantastic up there with all the trees even in the wintertime it's really pretty even in the spring when you're seeing the buds come out and even in the summertime it's nice and cool

and even the walking trails that Nancy said you've done the walking trails when you go down Bolton Road and you take the left and you go that walking trail why not some walking trails through the reservation as well people a lot of times will talk at the bottom of the you have 30 seconds please okay but it's really um my grandmother loved Mother Nature she loved the birds and it's a wonderful place for that

that was her ideable Park I was talking to my brother and my sister that's what her idea of a POC was not these fancy things with whatever you want to do not permits not a parking lot not a road going into there because that is a filing it's there's nowhere near enough space for you guys to put a road up in there and they'll gate to that link talk should be shut at all times

and not open and people can walk into that Park thank you very much I very seldom talk during sentence input but I put this resolution in and we spoke on the phone right Miss Cullen and when I went up there with the mayor we you came outside and we had a nice conversation and I thought I think what you read is beautiful I really do so I would just say um don't listen to rumors don't listen

to Rose don't listen to lights don't listen to all that um and yeah I don't want to go on with this but it's my resolution I put it in there it's going to be referred to a committee the finance or Health and Human Services but I'll save my comments when the resolution comes but I what you just read I think is wonderful because I Envision just keeping it like it is but

just improving it a little bit students from up the street at the Sylvia school can have field trips it just makes sense the thing is we need to know what's going on absolutely we don't need to hear through a council meeting we need to be involved very good instead of hearing it hearsay any through hearing through your meetings we need to be you need to be upfront with us what your

road is wonderful well thank you and you're lucky my grandmother's not here she was a Spitfire and she was loud so are you thank you so much and I don't like talking thank you thank you construction problems

good evening Mr President good evening members of the council my name is Sherry Ann Tello I am a resident at 1276 President Avenue and I come to you tonight with some grave concerns about the construction project that's been happening I have suffered uh some pretty severe damage to my home so I have my neighbors and we're concerned on who's going to fix our problems so I come to you tonight really to uh

what I do in life really is when there's a problem that's happened to me I come to prevent someone else from going through the same issues that I have President Avenue has been under construction since April and it's still not complete we had no communication about this project or the scope or the depth of how bad our lives would be for these months I bring to you the communication that I

received this is one the first letter that came in April that stated a water main would be replaced okay water main sounds great my I like water let's have clean water no then it was we're going to have a couple bypasses for your house we need to get in we need to put the bypasses in this is the extent of the communication that I've had side so sorry this is the communication next thing I

come home one day and at night all of a sudden eight o'clock here come construction Crews the place is lit up like Fenway I go out to the street and I ask to speak to the foreman I said excuse me sir what time do you guys cut out at night oh we're not cutting out we're working overnight I said what's what is your definition of overnight 8 pm to 4 A.M I live between Spencer Borden and

Truesdale at the crest of the Hill my bedroom is approximately 10 feet from the street there were jackhammers all night the trucks were digging up the street it was a disaster so what's happened to my house now when they dug up the sidewalks is they took backhoes and slammed the back hose on the sidewalk to break the sidewalk to put the new sidewalk in now I'm obviously I'm not a

construction worker but you know that's pretty heavy severe noise and damage I now have water coming into my house every rainstorm last night I had a good puddle in my cellar I've lived in my home for 12 years I've never had water my next door neighbor has a disabled child at times they would not communicate with us when the street was going to be opened or closed the child is nonverbal artistic she had

to get the child out of the house and was not informed in time to get the child to school when I tell you this has been absolute hell for this neighborhood last week they came they started jackhammering up the manhole covers now they have one black coat tarred down nothing is complete and they filled it in and there's now pipes coming out of the street with holes around it that everyone's hitting

all night long I would like you to imagine living in my house sleeping in my bedroom and hearing noise every single night this has again been going on since April I spoke to the foreman he was unprofessional to me he spoke down to me I would never treat another human being in that manner I asked to speak to him again he came to my house he stuck this little card on a

nail on the front of my house asking to speak to me regarding the damages to my house if the wind had come in this card had blown away I never would have been able to be in touch with him came to my house to explain to me why my house wasn't constructed properly and what I needed to do to fix my house and that I needed to prove to him how the city did

the damages by this work he spoke down to me like I was a degenerate or didn't understand what house construction was living in my house for 12 years the water never came in my house before this project began so I come to the council today to ask not only for myself but for the rest of my neighbors who was going to pay for these damages that we've incurred the house down at the bottom of the hill

across from Spencer Borden had sewage backing up into their basement because they hit the sewer line your time is up but the conversation you have is extremely serious I just talked to the clerk we're going to file a resolution to have this item referred to committee Public Works and transportation and bring everyone in that's part of that project to see what's what has been going on why it's

been so long what they plan on doing and then all the other questions that you have you will be invited to that meeting and as well as any of your neighbors and we can discuss it further there because this is since it's a time we appreciate your input thank you letting us know what's going on but I think that would be the right course of action to take at this point instead of being able to

discuss it here because we limited time and the people responsible for what's going on are not present so I think the right thing to do is on our final resolution I told the click to write it up we're going to have it vote on this meeting tonight and then you'll get a phone call or whatever way you want to get in touch with you to let you know and neighbors as well invited to that

meeting okay thank you great great appreciate it thank you very much evidence too of everything that's been happening you can bring that you can give it to the clerk now for the meeting or you can bring it with you whatever you like to do thank you

and I'm sure the committee chairperson won't schedule that meeting as soon as possible thank you so much I'm sure next we have Chief Timothy Oliveira subject matter response times

good evening Council um I received the email this afternoon from a concerned citizen from the Maplewood Park area I believe all of you received that email so there are a couple issues with that one I wasn't able to respond to the email today because I was out of the office but I did get it this afternoon Mr Oliver could you speak into the microphone sure thank you so one um this gentleman Mr Bigelow talks about

a mental health clinician for EMS I have no idea what that's for that's not for EMS we've never talked about a mental health clinician within the EMS department so so that part of it I'm not sure if the lines got confused a little bit but I can assure you that EMS is not interested in adding any metal mental health clinicians at this time it's never been a discussion in my office it's a mobile Integrated Health

coordinator correct so so there might be some confusion with that as for the response times and the ambulance um that was uh went to the Central Station and it's not at the candeas anymore I have packets if any of you want them that show all the response times uh from all of 2022 and 23 today there is a small increase in the response time to Maplewood neighborhood nine seconds that's the actual

increased response time on an average we average four minutes nine seconds and on a city-wide response whether it's the north truck going south or South going north or even mutually to other towns we average seven minutes and two seconds and that's all in the packet that I can hand you tonight um I can assure you that if there was any increase in response time to any neighborhood in the city I would address

it immediately and as for the uh shutting down ambulances do we shut down the ambulance an ambulance uh at night we do not every night but we do yes I do we have 69 paramedics this particular week I have three hour covid one hour appendicitis three on vacation plus personal days yeah if I had the staff that truck at night too I'd be ordering in four paramedics after their 24 hour shift

that they completed what I do is I order in for the peak time during the day and then at night I'll let it go down at 5 30 till 7 30 in the morning however we still have five rescues in service for the city for the night shift and on the analysis it'll show you that on the Night Calls the calls do reduce the peak times are usually during the

day up to about eight o'clock at night so yes between 5 30 and 8 yes the crews do work harder but there's no Gap in service I would never allow that secondly for the mutual Aid last year we did twenty four thousand 400 calls for transports that's actual transport to the hospital about 29 000 calls for service out of that last year 521 calls went to Mutual Aid that's two and a half percent of our

call volume that's that's pretty good you'd never be able to have you could have 15 ambulances on you'd never be able to cover every single call it's impossible um but I do have all the analysis for you um and if there's any other concerns please reach out I will reach out to this gentleman tomorrow personally and if I have to I'll go to the neighborhood meeting and try to touch base with them

and hopefully clear up you know whatever's going on the other issue in here was putting out of service signs on the ambulance yes they were I was I did address the auto service signs on the ambulance I think it's a risk because now when someone looks in that window and it says out of service is the fire station out of service is the truck out of service and they're banging on the

door for help well they put the out of service sign on the fire station is the station out of service so yes I had a huge issue with that if you try to wrap it up please yep and as for me telling people not to talk about not Staffing in the ambulance untrue never told any paramedic on the job or firefighters nor that they'd speak to me anyways that not to talk about it that's total nonsense

absolute nonsense but if there's ever an issue please reach out to me and I can address it thank you thank you so much thank you collection of John Brandt subject of Bank Street Armory

good evening Council good evening good evening uh I just wanted to um I guess a month ago your last meeting uh I had had a meeting this is my name is John brand 116 Rock Street I'm on the CPA board these are my viewpoints I'm the chairman but these are my viewpoints we did have a meeting with my vice chair and uh the day your last meeting uh we decided we I didn't know it was your

going to meet on the armory uh we thought well it was a good idea to have a discussion on the bank Street Armory so I stopped in and that project would have fell under Al Oliveira from dcm's uh oversight so I went in and spoke with him about uh bonding for the bank Street Armory and I said we'd be willing to do something like five to seven million bucks and he thought you know we discussed the

pluses and minuses Staffing utilities everything but he thought it was a good idea to take it up to the mayor's office and the mayor actually called me that day to discuss it a little further then after the meeting we had a two further discussions we did have discussed this at our last board meeting so it's not anything we were kind of sliding by and a lot of the members were in favor of bonding and we

didn't know that it might be 10 million but we even kicked that around but what that comes with that is we were we started looking into the process of if we did that one it would change CPA's face for 10 15 years with non-profits so we would lose that but we thought the benefits of maybe saving a historic building would be good so uh we had two further conversations with the mayor and uh we

talked about what would billing would be used for utilities Staffing can you maintain it after we fix it I mean if we bonded and fix it you know we want to make sure it's going to be maintained and uh those are some big issues that you know we talked about um then I sat down and talked with Mr Macomber about his ideas and my main focus there was the outside of the building

was not going to change I'm just going to stay at the store and um so then I had another conversation with the mayor and I said I don't think you can guarantee us keeping the building up to Snuff because we've never been really good at maintaining public buildings I mean that's not this administration's fault it goes back years after years and Staffing it and then you're looking

at a million dollars and you in payroll coming up with events to do whatever we're going to do with the building so we just kind of thought yeah you know it could be touchy on our end and uh our main thing is saving the building so I recommend to the mayor that our best thing would be Mac Humber taking the building over otherwise you're going to have a police station kind of uh

happening you know it's like do you want to like move forward now or do you want this to continue if we didn't wait so long we might have been able to do something but now it's just I don't think it's feasible for us to come in and not being guaranteed if the building would be maintained as we'd want it I mean because we're basically spending taxpayers money so I don't want that to come back on us

saying like a non-profit suffered for 10 15 years while we put in this building and then it fell back into display so I just wanted to bring that forward and let you know that we did seriously want to you know I hate to see you lose in a historic building but I think this would be the best way you know eventually we'll get tax revenue which that's not our thing we don't care about that but

the other things we couldn't be assured that the city would maintain the building staff it turn it into something it's just a big risk for us to take so I don't know if you had any questions but thank you so much cousin C2 comes down yeah I just have one question and one comment uh my one of my biggest concerns with this is again as you mentioned taxpayer dollars a significant

amount of taxpayer money has gone into that building I don't agree with that building being sold for less than what the taxpayers have invested in that building at the least that that dollar amount should be paid and I don't know if in in the past the CPA has had monies returned that they've put into buildings or not we have we have a uh right now it's uh once it goes past five

years if you sell before the five-year Mark you have to pay us back this uh we did that Grant back eight years ago so it's saved a roof and saved the building so but wasn't there something done more recently no we uh they have implied but uh they put in an application but it was denied we didn't uh fund that one what was the application for um I forget what other work they wanted

to do but uh we just didn't feel it was right because there was no direction on what they wanted to do with the building so it was just going to be throwing more money at a building that was sitting there so we didn't with saving but not what's investing in the saving of it yeah I still feel that somehow the taxpayer dollars should be reimbursed no matter what to be used for something that is

either going to offset the cost for the taxpayers or go into a separate project that's gonna you know benefit the community but to sell it for less than I just I just can't agree with that that I have a hard time with with that I yield thank you thank you come to C3 Cuts coming yes um what's your your total um per year the total money that goes into your program well we've been fortunate

over the years we've had a surplus come down this year the governor decided to spend 42 million dollars a month elsewhere so we're not getting any surplus money so where we'd be normally around 2 million we're going to be around 1.1 that's after we pay for the central fire station the uh the fire station Museum and we're just finishing one more year of uh I think the rail trail okay so you're bored you so you

you're allowance you get from your taxpayers 1.1 million per year right yeah and we normally have around funding around 2.2 you know in order to rehab the project it's like 13 million um so there's going to be other projects that would suffer obviously not suffer but it wouldn't be fulfilled it would it would take away from out along you know but take away from the nonprofits you know like the art museum we're doing

we'd have to stop that uh Parks we'd have to you know it's seriously cut into that so we did look into that we were willing to do it but not having the guaranteed of being made maintained and staffed and and use of the building we just could not see us are you speaking for your entire group you bought this is not it's not the board but uh this will all come to come to the meeting these

things will come up and you know I just the feel for the board we were willing seven but with no it's tough to pass yeah correct I mean I I hate to see it you know not do it but I think this would be the best way to save the building coming from here that means a lot thank you thank you any further questions no I'll hold my questions too

I agree it comes up for discussion thank you Mr Brett I appreciate it thank you next week Alan maccumber subject matter I need a motion to motion away the rules is made is a second hold on hold on is there a second it's not a foreign

I hadn't even thought about not being able to sit here and speak to you this evening that would have been uh quite the thing uh good evening for the record I'm Alan macamer I reside in Westport Massachusetts but I am a partner in the Redevelopment that we did at Commonwealth Landing motion I believe the rules and um I recently transformed the Durfee tech building and it's now called the creative class um

I was a soul bidder in the uh for the bank Street Armory when the city RFP came out and my interest in that is obviously to complete the Redevelopment but it is across the street from a major investment that I made in the city and uh currently it's sort of like in disrepair so I'd like to see it be finished um on March 17th St Patrick's Day I submitted the proposal to the city

I was kind of told it would take 60 days to review it and forward it to the council for an award or rejection it's been six months it's a long time it's it's in your uh it's in the package that came out no I mean you said it was going to take six 60 days someone had told you that say it was in the RFP it's in the RFP right I thought somebody told

you would be all assigned and didn't care no no no no I'm not talking about anything off the record conversations I'm just talking about the documentation I misunderstood I apologize submitted what I'm here for tonight is to respectfully ask that you take a vote one way or the other uh yes or no I've engaged an architect an engineering firm historical reservation consultant and a general contractor

I spent money preparing the proposal that you see in front of you it wasn't just a fly-by-night kind of proposal on City forms now I need to start writing additional checks in order not to lose my development team they're um they don't think it's going to happen it's taken this long they participated in the costing exercise and design exercises and the general feeling is is uh it's it's not going to materialize for

them so again I asked you just either reject my proposal accept my proposal or reject it uh I I do have comments on that if it was rejected I think there's a strong possibility that the building would be condemned and eventually demolished I think it's a loss to the city maybe forever you know I think of the idea of coming up with 14 million dollars of City funds to save the armory in another half

million dollars a year to run it when there's a real viable alternative on the table you know it's it just seems like Financial malpractice to me to to go and spend that kind of money when you can save the exterior of the building and preserve it for future Generations you know if it's rejected and you proceed to spend or Cobble together the 14 million dollars in my opinion it's just

going to Simply ebb and flow through the election cycle um you know it's just from one Administration to another from one city council to another you know it's just gonna it's gonna go back and forth and um some of you may have differing opinions about that and you know maybe we just agree to disagree on what would happen if my proposal was rejected the other thing is you could ask the

administration to rebid the project uh I I think that'd be a Fool's Aaron I really do first I submitted my best proposal I'd ask myself why would I ever bid again you know not going to compete against myself I gave you the best shot and second I I doubt you'd find a reputable developer with a skill set that could top my offer and so I eventually you have 30 seconds sorry I'll try to finish up quickly

eventually you have an offer to consider inferior author I'm stepping to the play I'm investing six million dollars in debt and Equity I'm going to spend three years negotiating a maze of historical preservation Housing Programs to secure another nine million dollars to finish a job in addition the Administration has asked me to make 20 percent of the apartments affordable and with the preference for veterans I

agreed let me just explain what a preference a veterans means in the context of affordable housing only veterans will be qualified and entered into Lottery to award the apartments only veterans but if there are more apartments and qualified veterans a second Lottery will be held for all other income qualified applicants to secure an apartment simply put HUD in dhcd would not allow

me to hold bacon Apartments if there is not enough demand from veterans there's a ton of Redevelopment architectural challenges Financial challenges the too numerous to mention in this particular project I hope we can work together to really make it the building stand for another century and be a sentinel to the Gateway of the city of Fall River and I'm in no way trying to burn my

bridges tonight I I do a lot of work in the city I really don't I'm not lobbying via vote one way or the other I'm just simply requesting you take a vote and that's what I'd ask thank you thank you very much just want to clarify one thing for the record when did you submit your proposal well you said March March 17th okay I just want you to be aware that this Council receive the proposal for

the first time July 18th we did not see them watch we did not see it in April May June or July 18th was the first time we came for this board on July 18th it was referred to the August meeting and now it's here we are the next meeting so if there's been a delay in this process has not been by any member of the city council we did not receive that proposal

back when you submitted it initially thank you very much I just want to make that clear thank you next we have Kelly Buchanan Cedric letter illegal encampments again you have three minutes thank you very much may I approached um the council to give you guys I made copies of um the codes and audience if you want to just give it to the clerks you can pass them out and then you can start your

three minutes that's fine thank you and as you pass it off good evening I'm here tonight as a follow-up um from my last appearance on August 15th 2023 thank you I'm sorry um good evening I'm here tonight for a follow-up to my last appearance on August 15 2023 about the illegal encampments in our community um but before I start I would like to publicly apologize to Michelle Dion as I did call her out on the last

meeting for being one of the four counselors not to return my phone call Miss Dion did contact me after the last meeting she was dealing with a family emergency which she did explain to me and did apologize to me for the delay in her call I would also like to add Miss Dion has been in contact with me and even took a tour of the illegal encampment in my community so again I apologize Michelle

and I along with my community want to thank you for your sincere concern for our community and the dangers we are currently facing I would also like to recognize Brad Calvin Kilby sorry as he did approach me and apologized to me after the last meeting for not returning my call so thank you I appreciate that um I'm here tonight simply to check the progress of my previous grievance about

the illegal encampments since the last meet in the league and the illegal encampments have grown by more than three times the size so since my first time down there till now it's grown three times the size have any of you have any of you had the time to look into my grievance since the last meeting and if you haven't are you planning on tackling the issue please advise does anybody wanna we have that's item

before on the agenda today yeah this resolution awesome thank you um I had in my other question was has any progress been made in to resolve and in that hair in the cold violations in the criminality pop of that our community is currently facing um as some of you may or may not know sadly our community is not the only Community dealing with this with these illegal encampments after speaking with

other residents in the city these illegal encampments are taken over our city the Maplewood Park area the rail trail behind the Liberal Club just to name a few we request that we are requesting that the sit-in city council take action so the laws codes and ordinances are enforced I thank you guys for your time in this very important matter thank you so much Excuse me yes come to see two concert Dion

so sometimes there's confusion in terms of what our our Authority and our powers are there are things we can and can't do enforcement isn't something we can do however we can be a voice and we can let the community know our opinion I went to the camp you're right there are people in there that absolutely don't want to be in there shouldn't be in there and if we had affordable housing in this city they

wouldn't be there I agree and you are correct the encampments have become a community issue when people are having things stolen out of their yards and it's affecting their lives a line needs to be drawn it is on our agenda tonight um you know I think I think it's time as I've said and before it's time for a hand up instead of hand out we need to tackle the issues

and we try we need to try to make everything better for the entire Community not just the people that are in the encampments and hopefully the conversation tonight will stop moving in that direction and as I say the only thing we can do like you is be a voice and then it's up to the people with the authority to make changes and that's what we're asking we're asking I I get you guys your hands are

tied to put so much but you guys the taxpayers pay for you guys to be our voice I do not I'm not a public speaker this isn't in my whale house but I'm here because my community we need it and I get the people that are living in these encampments it's it's awful no human being should live like I believe in they living like animals I've seen it it's awful

but it's it's still some of those people were viable people in our community yes and they've just been priced out and that's a shame nobody should be left behind nobody should be priced out I and I definitely agree with that but they cannot live like this you got to see firsthand you you saw the drug the needles this is what I can't face and playing in parks so I'm like I said to you all before I'm

kind of unfortunately the spokesperson for my community and I'm gonna stay at this because I love my community I love my city and our city is burning down and we're three blocks away with God and hoes trying to poke it out it's not going to work we can't worry about what other communities are doing we have to take action now because in no time we're going to be like Seattle Portland it's ha it's happening

right before us I think we have to do something now and I know they want to build all these market rate Apartments that's another thing people can't afford market rate in this city we need affordable like you said but what happens when you push landlords like me out now more people are going to face the same situations others are facing exactly and that's why I need a plan and we need to take action period I

apologize I'm sorry but I'm not sorry I'm gonna be here every time until I see some progress you know I'm not trying to be anything more than save my community no apology necessary oh that's why I said I'm sorry but I'm not sorry and I I don't want to be a pain in the neck but I'm going to be a thorn in everyone's side until when you're fighting for your community and

when you're fighting to make the life lives better for people it's not being a pain that's being a human being who cares I have the option I can just leave and say and forget about it but what about everybody else that's the coward whale I'm just asking for you guys to put pressure on the mayor put pressure on the governor I don't care who you have to put pressure on that's what you're in this position for

I I that's what you're here for you're here to serve us the people we need our community we need our city saved there's so much happening we need to be saved that's what I'm asking for so again I thank you guys thank you so much thanks Kelly just want to put my two cents in I know Council Diane said if we had affordable housing I think Florida is one of the most

top in the state as far as taking care of people as far as affordability and low-income people for other communities has much affordable housing as we had that problem wouldn't just be as big as it is right now other communities have dropped the ball a lot more than we have by far and I can't disagree with you or agree with you because I don't know but all I do

know is the last I don't know two three weeks I see all these proposals for Alden Street um uh Doro and other places where these companies want to come in and buy up the Mills and make Market plate market price Apartments well market price Apartments I talked to real estate agents because I don't know because my my apartment's not market rate they're well below so I talked to other real estate agent

twelve hundred dollars for a one bedroom apartment it might not be a lot of money to perhaps you want no no it's a lot of money to a single mom with you know a child that's a lot of money I agree the part the point the point I'm making this conversation we can have in another committee but the point I'm making is that twelve hundred thousand for a river for one bedroom or two bedroom is

eighteen hundred dollars in other communities not far from Fall River and that's the problem there's not enough affordable low-income housing going on in other communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and we have more public housing and low-income housing and we will continue to take care of as many people as possible if these companies are coming in and buying them inside them around why don't

we as a taxpayer I'm okay with that I'm okay with you know we're building schools and I get the need for it sure let's take a couple of these ones that's 400 families can I just add in something too a lot of people that live in Fall River and try to get into low-income housing because they can afford a weightless they're on a wait list but you have people from other other areas coming in

if those other areas and I'm talking about our neighboring communities correct if some is that Swansea Westport Dartmouth if they all had low-income housing as well that would be beneficial because if not people come here I was at Kennedy Park and there was a woman there throwing stuff into the a barrel and I had a pile of stuff we were cleaning up from some event and I said to the lady

could you come over here put your stuff over here because they'll clean it and that way the barrel will be empty for somebody that's in the park and she told me that she was here going to the shelter she could only bring one bag I don't know if that's true or not but she said she could only bring one bag that she was originally from Dartmouth but Dartmouth doesn't have

any kind of shelters so she had to come here to Fall River she said you know that's not fair because I know where I shop I know my neighbors I know you know Dartmouth better than Fall River and I'm being thrown because they don't have um a shelter and a lot of the people that live in the end campus yes some of them have been priced out some drug addicted some have mental health

problems why did the state shut down Paul Denver Paul Deva shut down a Taunton State a lot of the units there there are people who need assistance who cannot live on their own where is the mental health that's the big problem and nobody wants to address it in this entire country that mental health is a problem just with coven you've seen depression with students come on so maybe that's something you know if

you tell the governor open up those places and the the beautiful part of this you all around the city council you guys have the voice where they're gonna you potentially make them listen to you I'm here so you can hear my my concerns for my community you guys have that same ability use use your title get on the phone if he doesn't want to hear it go above him well we're going to have a discussion

later on about that and I think we're going to hear a lot of what he's tried to do uh relative to that so thank you very much you know the city administrators here and Mr Dion but Kelly thank you again thanks guys thank you item number two fiscal year 2023 quarterback input no tonight and um Mr malcumber was obviously here and uh Mr Brent was here um so I'd like to if I would some

tolerance from the president I'd like to have the city administrator come down please before we get into item two I don't think he's I I don't think that that's a problem what I'm getting at is I think there is an ability for us legally under our procedural rules with Cushing I believe to take a vote on this this item that's all if we did I'd like to have the council to be present excuse me if you

if we did Council tomorrow please just indulge me please please well you can bring it down without a vote to the council please I'm not doing anything abnormal and I don't want the counselors well I'm making an attention do you want someone to come down and speak about something it's not on the agenda it's not prepared to speak of you have to get a vote from the council do you want to waive the

rules make that motion wave The Roots we will have them come down if it's okay sir thank you motion to waive the rules is there a second to weigh the rules no second emotion does not carry move the auto repair number two fiscal year 2023 quarter four budget reports was referred on July 15th 23. it's a whole discussion want to come down please

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report it's a little prematurity review because this um the timing of it it's done before all of the year-end entries are done before the school is finished doing all their entries so I I can tell you this has already changed what I can tell you is that I mean we're you know gonna have a surplus and it's we have positive um indicators but all these numbers are not at this point have already like they're not

accurate for June 30th because we've already started making all of our final year and adjustments so do you have more accurate Liz um well not yet so as we're going through the process to get free cash certified and do and to submit our balance sheet and and uh all of the other forms that go to dor that's when we will have a final number but this is um we have to do this report this

quarterly report and so we do it and it's just I'm not in disagreement it's just not a timely the timing of it is just doesn't so when do you think we should do it what would be your recommendation of when we should have the fourth quarter um that's when we do the so the fourth quarter would really would be when we do our final year the year-end numbers that we submit to DLR in our audited numbers

yeah I mean I would say like mid-october okay excuse me gonna come by come back at the next meeting in October and give us final uh updated report we would have more accurate numbers at that point yeah we'll turn the table second I'm bringing to October motion the table has an amazing secondary all in favor any opposed okay we'll see you at the next meeting in October

that you item number three discussion with Administration representatives from the Department of Emergency Medical Services Community Development agency and the homeless and substance use disorder Outreach Services regarding funding and Contracting of the mental health you clinician

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Okay who wants to stop do you want to come to see seven uh comes in seat seven comes proposal thank you um so this I just want to clarify one thing this I sponsored this resolution originally and this came out of our conversation our subcommittee um regarding and the question was very brief to to the team here and to Mr Dion as well as said what can we do to help support this issue

um because obviously the the conversation engaged about um affordable housing and a variety of other topics but one of the questions was how can we support um this process and one of the things that did come out of this was the suggestion of expanded mental health conditions so I'm glad all of you are here because I would like to learn a little bit more about how we can help you do the job that you're doing

um with all the extra details involved so that's really why we're here and again I'm glad all of you here to give us some some information on that that a yield um yes from that meeting we had a brief discussion concerning you know a mental health clinician uh I want to advise you that we do have a mental health clinician starting in the next couple of weeks under our Fall

River care Grant which is a samsha grant um that in that person is a contracted employee from Child and Family Services you know we in speaking with the mayor and letting you know talking about this issue we want to see we really want to see how um this this position is going to really work out this position is going to be located uh in a police in the police department in a police vehicle on a

daily basis um so before we would think about adding a new clinician we'd like to see how this first one works out and speaking with the mayor and determining how to fund maybe a second position um we spoke about the funding that was received from the Purdue Pharma lawsuits and I know the city is developing a plan for the best usage of that money and we're going to look at if that money

would be could be used for a another clinician so at this time my my uh proposal would be is that we just hold on a little bit is that it anyone else crossword puzzle you want to continue yeah uh my question and either Mr Dion are mistaken the the analysis of that Grant from the opioid settlement what is the timetable on getting the results on that feedback I should say so um

test current would be here tonight but she she had her baby which was wonderful for her um and uh just great news um everyone's healthy so that's good um and so she's been working with a consultancy that was brought in to do an initial analysis of how um best to to set up and then commit the funds from that as you know what we're looking at is not just the initial

influx of money but at least for the I would say foreseeable six to eight years uh several hundred thousand dollars a year that we can expect not just from the first two settlements but there are additional settlements that are very likely uh to happen a good example is the Kroger settlement that actually happened this week Massachusetts is an enact as Kroger doesn't operate but but

there are many of these they're just going after them one after another and so there will be more money all that said uh is that um I would say we are um maybe 45 to 60 day away from having some some reasonably hard Direction some reasonably firm Direction I guess as to where we want to go with that at which point I think the mayor's intent is to put together a committee of Community Partners of

people that are out there doing this work and understand this work to make recommendations and to vet proposals and to direct the money I think the way the mayor's thinking about it is this isn't really something that is best served if it's just government doing it but rather people like Nikki you know Mr Dion down the end Deputy fonts those folks are engaged in this work on a daily basis and there's many

more people I think Stephanie Perry is here in the audience um you know the and there's other people who I don't know and I apologize if I'm leaving you out but there are so many amazing people doing this work who I think could bring their knowledge to bear and that's the mayor's intent I think is to is to put together a group of those folks to figure out where this goes from here thank you thank you

good evening I think we all understand that there are many facets to these encampments mental health drug addiction alcoholism etc etc etc um I don't know how we get a plan to and I know there are people who don't want to come out of these camps there are those that are praying every day they get out but there are those who truly don't want to come out of those camps and I understand that as well

I think I'm looking for some direction a solution to can we identify the ones that want to come out of the camps that can come out of the camps and at least if we stop by getting a percentage out we're dealing with fewer people and we're dealing with for instance as I was saying with the affordable housing there are Fall River rights living in these camps who receive a check who want housing

our Market has gone up considerably yes do we have the most low income housing in this in in this area absolutely I get that we've done more than our share but the fact remains I spoke with a gentleman at that camp who gets a check has applied for housing and is Number 220 on the list how does somebody who's living in the woods in a tent who has a check

how could how do they get put at the bottom of a list it seems to me we should we have to find a way to be able to house the people who are they going to pay for the for the roof over their head what do we do about that there has to be hard solutions to some of these types of issues I just want to say too that one

thing is that I'm out there every day in the woods and you guys don't ever get to hear the stories of the people that we actually place every single day so for every new one or two person that is entering the encampment because they lost their housing due to its unaffordable we are transporting probably five people to treatment or to other towns for halfway houses and stuff nine some others

created the advocacy fund under the mayor's Administration for the first time to pay for those types of things like three hundred dollars for two weeks in their soba house for the first time ever another change is that the city purchased gelato which is a database that allows all the agencies to finally work together and set a silos because we'd have John Doe who just got kicked out of his housing and they'd

sleep in a car for a year before they'd even ask for help or anyone would even encounter them so now that we have all these agencies listed here there's about 15 agencies that are working together that now know John Doe came out of star yesterday and he needs this this and this you know so we're trying to collaborate to work together but the one thing is every time we get someone out

of into detox out of the woods and then into a sober house after that then what because we're also seeing there's not enough jobs for people with a quarry or they don't have an ID so that's another thing that we broke down the barrier the city made a deal with the RMV I was there all day today bringing three homeless clients to the RMV we waived the fee the 25 we got

him a free birth certificate and now they can actually apply for jobs because they have a state ID but there's so many facets to this that it's not an easy solution you know and more and more people are losing the housing but I just wanted to point out like there's a lot of people that are being pulled out of the woods on a daily basis and you guys just don't get those calls because

they're happy customer you know like well that's good to hear and and and perhaps maybe that's a conversation that needs to be had maybe people need to be aware of the fact that there are a percentage that are being saved transported whatever on a daily basis but there's also that population that is not drug addicted that is not suffering from alcoholism just can't afford their apartment absolutely that

should be the easiest fix of all I would think nothing is easy Council it's a very complex issue and I don't mean to cut you off no that's fine it's it's a very very complex issue we've been working on this for three or four years now very in-depth um what I handed out to you tonight is actually this Administration following the seven principles of addressing encampments and we've put

together and followed those seven principles and we keep following them on a daily basis um it's difficult out there I see the work that Nikki does and Steph Perry does um you know for every one or two that we we house or get them out of that situation there's two right behind them um we're in the encampments on a daily basis I mean we took 2.2 million dollars of um cares act funding and we poured it

into our homeless new shelter an outreach program all kinds of different equipment Vans we even put a work program together a pilot work program together to see to restore some dignity uh human dignity to the homeless issue we opened the Tomato Center which is a day shelter to bring people off the streets into their to do basic skills to do job training um it's just a very very difficult difficult um

environment out there right now and you're right more and more of the homeless that we see and I see them my office sees them on a daily basis I have people that come up to my office and they hear Mike Dion can do wonders but I really can't I can't do any better than Nikki in in the group here um they uh people are becoming homeless because rents are out of control

um you're talking rents that were seven eight hundred dollars and people with with with incomes of twelve hundred dollars to thirteen you know fourteen hundred dollars they were able to afford even though they were high cost burden for paying rent it's not like that anymore I spoke with a gentleman who had an apartment um his rent was eight hundred dollars a month now the landlord claims that their

property is Waterfront and his rent now would be eighteen hundred dollars a month so he's in an encampment and I had one of those a couple weeks ago and I ended up getting them into um uh ships uh ships Cove I was lucky enough to get him into ship's Cove but the same with the same uh um predicament but we're just seeing it more and more it's not stopping

um and it's going to get worse I I looked at I was I was amazed at some of the statistics I looked prior to coming to this meeting where you know homelessness in Massachusetts has doubled since 1990. I mean there's there's um you're gonna make 36 dollars an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment some of our members in our community are not are are not going to be in you can't do it

um we're looking at creating more affordable housing through the Community Development agency but I can tell you right now the rents even with HUD the HUD maximum rents because we're tied into an MSA of Providence Rhode Island and Fall River those hudrats have increased dramatically I'm seeing a HUD rents of two thousand dollars for a two bedroom now so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of our affordable housing stock

that I have on under agreement right now doesn't start to become unaffordable and and you know councilor Kamara is right I mean if you take we're above our 10 okay we're a little less than 11 but if you take into consideration our Section 8 programs our voucher programs our permanent Supportive Housing we're about 28 to 30 I'd say anywhere from 28 to 30 one percent of our units in the city are are affordable

and we have 43 500 and something units in the city so you're looking at a good majority of them are affordable all I know is all I can tell you is is as as a director of the Community Development agency I deal with homelessness every day my office funds the programs we're not case management we have organizations that do that for us I can tell you that we're doing yeoman's work

I mean these people are working very very hard um I Heard it tonight about you know people being on waiting lists there's a five to eight year waiting list to get a a voucher and that list is not just for Fall River that list is Statewide so there's thousands and thousands of people on that list and there's a big waiting list now to get into Federal housing and also State housing this isn't going to stop

like you said it's probably going to get worse and and we're we're working as hard as we can to to stop what's happening um I gave you some information on what we've used our home home money with our our emergency shelter grant money with um we also receive some home op money which is about four million dollars we're going to be we need to use that for homelessness so we're looking at a

couple of buildings in the city that would provide substantial housing something in the 15 to 20 unit range um but it's expensive you know creation of affordable housing is very expensive it's not like it was five ten years ago so I don't want you to think we're just laying down and letting letting things happen no it's not a case of that but you would just think that you know if you have something solid

that somehow somewhere there's got to be a piece that we can address now and and I mean if you get two percent out of the camps we're getting somewhere um we're getting more than two percent out I can tell you that we're just getting more in you know when you talk to people who were viable members of society who were the backbone of Fall River Once Upon a Time and now they're they're

living under those conditions uh there was a gentleman I would I was speaking with people there and this gentleman looked at me and he asked me a question I said no no I know I was a coach at a particular baseball field years ago I I coached little uh minor league with that that gentleman and he looked at me said I know you were my coach and then he went on to coach and to be a

vice president of a league and a mentor and where is he today Community you know I I just it it just kills me to see that happen to people it's it's I I don't know that's not the country we live in we take people in from all over the world and house them and ours are in the woods kills me the hardest lessons that speaking to microphone please they have to look for services before

they're evicted so if they get an eviction notice could you please try to speak into the microphones thank you they need to look for Catholic Social Services and people to try to keep them in their apartment prior to them getting evicted because once they're evicted they have that eviction on their record and then it's very hard for them to even get into affordable housing or any kind

of housing situation so if they get an eviction notice or they know they're going to be evicted from their apartment there are places like Catholic Social Services and other services that will help them make up that deficit so hopefully they can retain their apartment that's the biggest thing because once they have the eviction then it's almost impossible like that's when you're the hamster on the wheel

right trying to get you want to a new load to a new uh list and should I try to get you into affordable housing and then there's the fuel assistance programs in the Tomato Center is awesome and trying to help them with trying to get fuel assistance and energy assistance and um trying to help obtain their health insurance so there are so many people there's a cognitive Stephanie Perry's

out there doing wound care and taking care of people's people's health and services everybody's trying to do their own little bit it's just the clothes we can close for two percent of the people but then there's another person that's looking to take their place and it's true they're not all fall of residence but what's the solution for that right right and I think also you know moving forward

so people are listening to you so they're hearing you okay if I'm gonna get evicted I should not walk out of my apartment because now I put myself in in a worse situation I'm sure a lot of these people were just blindsided they've never been in this situation had no idea that they could fight they just thought but I have no recourse but I'm just saying as the voice as the city council

if somebody reaches out to you I've had counselors reach out to me as if they're reaching out to you because they're in that situation then they're better preemptively than they are if it's already happened so if somebody reaches out and they've got an eviction notice and the rent's being raised okay now is the time before you have that eviction on your record to try to to try to find a solution to your problem

it sure does sure it does if I may yes I think to look at this as just a Fall River problem that that we need to address ourselves as a city by ourselves is a enormous mistake because as Mike said we have 11 affordable when you add in all the other programs it skyrockets up to 30 to 40 percent affordable if you look at Swansea and Somerset they're at about three and a half percent each

Westport on the other side is about the same um and not to say that other towns aren't aren't doing their share they aren't but for way too long I think people have seen Fall River as oh well you know you send those folks to Fall River go to Fall River like it's been this idea that well those are the nice towns and we're Fall River well that's that's garbage that's terrible

um and frankly if you look at the services that this city is providing to its unhoused residents and frankly as well as as the people with homes the things that we're trying to do with a proportionally much smaller set of resource courses than most of those other towns we are doing incredible yeoman's work with the homeless and in the city and in the Parks and in facilities and and trying to do a lot of

the stuff more affordable housing essentially reduces that tax base that's a terrible thing it's a reality to have to confront but it ends up you know the suggestion is if we do more affordable housing okay now we're going to do even more with even less we need to make it a regional issue because the other towns are not doing their share they're not participating in this with us and we've been participating more

than our share for way too long these people need the help we're doing everything we can to provide it to them but it's not just a Fall River problem and I don't disagree with you on that so then the question becomes how do we make it a regional problem how do we force people who don't want to step up to the plate to step up to the plate so in

terms of forcing people I don't I don't know that you can't uh in terms of what this mayor has done and he is in those camps all the time uh he's talking about regionally I understand in terms of leadership right uh you know trying to lead by example um you know what the team that's in this room um is doing and I take no credit for any of it they're amazing and I'm I'm really

not really a part of it the mayor is the one driving it along with some really thoughtful and capable individuals um you know just doing it by example clearly hasn't worked because the other folks you know from you know our next door neighbors haven't looked up and said geez we're going to do the same thing we're going to invest in affordable housing so it may be time to you know four leaders the leaders in

this room are legislative leaders and and the leaders in the sixth floor to collectively reach out and say Hey you know let's let's address this together that may be the next step because I think I think we've done everything and when I say we the administration Mike the mayor the Folks at this table and up in the audience that you can possibly do just to set a remarkable example and

doing so much more than they should ever be expected to do with so little um maybe an explicit request is the next thing and I would include the this Council in in making that request you know can we all together say Hey you know let's let's do this regionally as opposed to just on our own it's not working well I think it's then we should do it I mean that's that's that's

simple and I don't want anybody to misconstrue my statements or my questions as being critical of anybody I think it's just it's just reacting and responding to such an awful situation you know I mean we're talking human beings my my dogs have a better life than most people how do we let people fall through like that you know Seth brings up an excellent point um one of the things on the state level

is discharge planning policy we all have one but is it enforced on a state level no it's not because I can tell you last week three people showed up from the Bristol House of Correction at our shelter on Durfee Street asking for a room I've had Somerset police cars drive up to the shelter and let a person out and drive away they're not organizations are not supposed to be discharging people to homelessness

they're supposed to be working on their behalf to find them so that's just one example of things that I think needs to be taken more seriously you know I had the concept of matching state aid with being above the 10 if you don't if you're not above the ten percent maybe a community gets less steady state aid and one that is gets more stated hey be good for Fall River

you know what we can always pressure our representatives to introduce a bill and fight for it there's some there's there's ways of doing it and we are looking at homelessness as a regional approach I mean we have the South Coast Alliance for homelessness we meet regularly on a monthly basis with Attleboro in New Bedford but they're all in the same boat we're in homelessness around the region is the

same they have the encampments and some of them have bigger problems than Fall River you'll see the homelessness right out on the main streets with that I yield I'm sure other people have comments thank you vice president um I just want some of the questions that I had or some of the comments that I had already mentioned so I wouldn't want to mention those again um but I'm looking at these encampments

when you have places and tell me um Mr Dion who is giving tents I know that the church the old St Patrick's Church which is now Good Shepherd they were giving people tents to be able to set up and they were giving them sleeping bags and they said then it didn't work out they stopped doing that they had bought a bunch they stopped doing that but then I think with stepping stone giving tents as well

there's been multiple organizations that have given tents and sleeping bags out and the reason why is this is that homelessness and getting into a shelter is not a one day affair it could take you a week to two weeks and the only thing that a homeless person has against the elements is sometimes that 10.

so most of the homelessness calls come in and Nikki tell me if I'm wrong Friday afternoon at three o'clock no that's true um uh and very limited resources on Fridays be straight up with you um but then but they give them it they give them a 10.

give them a sleeping bag where do they expect that person to go to the bathroom where you go to the new uh Cumberland Farms that opened up the doors there are locked now because the people in the encampment there were coming in washing up at the sink and changing their clothes that they now have locked the doors McDonald's and that same thing it was locked up Burger King was locked near the rail trail

um the Honeydew because if they're impacting on the businesses I thought that Community Development had bought something that would have a bathroom and a shower or something did that come through yeah we purchased a wash a wash trailer and a laundry and a dryer trailer so you do have those I we do have those yes and where are those located right now they're located at the DCM building

they've been used on multiple times they've been used for they're going to be used for our project homeless connect day um it's a little it's a you just can't leave them out there and let them use them at any time because they'd be used as homeless shelters so I can't leave out the trailers and that's the whole goal of stainless steel building but those all stainless steel with a toilet and a shower and a sink and

people would go in and then the city would come and wash them all down but our goal for homelessness is not to leave people in encampments that's why we made the Tomato Santa that's why we added an overflow shelter with 30 beds we increased our beds from 20 beds at the at the first step in shelter all the way to 80 now but they had reduced them over the summer we had they had reduced

them I had dropped to the mayor correct and he called them and they had to up it again correct because they reduced the beds but not the number of people that were working there which made no sense to me we've had some staffing issues I can tell you that right now also that shelter um runs on a very Bare Bones budget um what was very beneficial to us over

the last year two years was we were able to pay Hazard pay to the to the uh uh and and we were able to keep those shelter workers who wants to be a shelter worker during Colvin no not too many people a lot of our volunteers left but our goal is to bring people out of the encampments that's why we've created this additional Street Outreach team we don't want to give a president a 10 and

say here live out there but sometimes you have to do that just at the beginning well you know I did meet three individuals who were from New Jersey in the encampment and ask them wow you're from New Jersey what you know how did you end up here in Fall River oh because we were told you have the best Services here because we do so much sometimes it's not really helping us

because other people are in fact coming in like the lady that was panhandling with with a child and asked you know well where are you from oh Cumberland so you came from Cumberland to Fall River to Panhandle why well people here are very generous I mean I think that sometimes we're so good to a fault there is a young fellow by the name of John milky I've known him

for a lot of years he wrote a grant and received I think it was six thousand dollars and on specific days he's at Cam's laundromat where anybody not just somebody that's homeless but where people can go wash and dry their clothes for nothing I mean this is like uh I think he's 16 years old who wrote this grant did it all on his own and there's got to be a way for us to

get those things out there the positive things out there we already do it on a daily basis the Tomato Center is allowing people to go in and do their laundry they're allowing them to go in and do to take a shower human dignity things that that things that would improve homelessness so we're already doing that we're providing we're providing breakfast lunch and dinner um uh our work crew is working out of

that building there's a lot of things that we're doing that we're doing them people don't people might not know we're doing them but we're doing you know how many that's a problem you don't have Mr Dion people need to know what in fact we are doing well you know that much more what are they doing out there every single day no but I think that that's you know I know that I was in the

mayor's office and he was on the phone with mayor Mitchell in New Bedford on homelessness they were talking about that and things with what New Bedford is seeing what we're seeing that type of thing we talk about it every day in the main office the other thing is is I've personally put five or six trips on my personal credit card to get people back to New Jersey to get people back to Florida to to New

York if we that's the first thing we ask them where are you from you want to go back home you want to you want to go back to where you came from some people say yes I had one what was it one Ponte Delgado Portugal I wanted to go back to Portugal it's a little expensive but yeah um October is cheaper yeah but no I think that you know you're

doing some good work but I don't I don't think that the people no I happen to have contact with everybody that's at this table when I get calls and I was still looking for that 78 year old man with the 37 year old son who's now at least living in somebody's basement is still waiting for for a place to be you know I work with you on a on its own home and it's very difficult

I know it does it breaks your heart when you you see this because I think there's a humanistic side of us and this community is a great Community one of the things I love best about this community is that when there's a problem people come they step to the plate they help out you know the Saturday kitchen there's more people that attend and you know and some people aren't homeless you

know they're not but it's a way to meet other people and get a good meal the Vets on Wednesday and and one of the other things I just want to bring out there is is that you know we're not turning a blind side either no I mean if there's criminal activity going on in in those encampments or if there's issues happening in the neighborhood the police department is being notified of that I

mean I think they just raided one of the one of the encampments a couple weeks ago and arrested yes three four five people on out of you know so so what happened on Brighton Avenue I know that's not city-owned property I believe that property was owned by Liberty utility but I'm not sure but all those trees got knocked down and that whole encampment there everybody you know my understanding Beth

you could probably talk today National Grid contacted me because there was to do work on their high tension wires and they needed to get people out of there for safety reasons so when they went when we went in we did three weeks of Outreach between Nikki myself Steve Burt and um I'm sorry Jennifer right and uh we went in there and we offered them Treatment Services resource services and and we were able

to get a couple of people into treatment the only there were only two people out of ten that refused to leave they ended up getting arrested for no trespassing after numerous attempts and um and then National Grid went in and they caught they just took it all down it's their property they increased the entrance on the 79 entrance to allow easier access for Public Safety and they

took down all the trees they're going to repost the no trespassing and because they need to go in and work on their high tension wires and they don't really want the liability of having a homeless encampment in that property now they can put no trespassing signs up because it's privately owned correct the city on the other hand can't put no trespassing on state or city-owned property is that correct I don't know

the answer to that question I'd like I'd like you to check that I do know there's one other National good property that's yeah because one of the things here uh you know was about that that you know people couldn't um couldn't be trespassing on property but I know one of it was owned by the state and we had no jurisdiction over the state but what about the city's property that they have

I mean we can limit access to any city property for a good Public Safety reason I mean it's that we had a conversation I think about the um the docks down by the battleship right I mean those are those are locked for for a safety reason um the problem with just putting up a new trespassing sign is is now you create an obligation for the police to go ahead and arrest the people to

trespass and that's I mean I understand a lot of people say wow okay C'est La Vie the problem is that one we have a police force that's already overburdened with with honest to goodness you know crime that that is immediately putting people at risk um and to add that on I think is is a burden that they probably don't need right now and two you end up trying to just lock up homelessness as opposed to

try to offer treatment and services and other things but that's not absolutely true because according to uh response you go out and you ask for what you know what services what help out of the 10 people there only two were arrested for trespassing because they didn't want to leave but if they're going to get arrested for trespassing they're going to know yay listen we have to they're

going to hit their Rock Bottom at some point if not and they do spend a couple of days in jail at least I know they're being fed and they have a bed to sleeping and maybe there they can get some help too sure one half dozen of the other that's the problem as soon as you put up a sign everyone is trespassing and now everyone is breaking the law and and so instead

of having the option to say hey do you want to go you now have everyone as a trespasser the way that National Grid did it they went in for us for a couple of weeks telling everybody and then there was a drop dead day that if you're not out by this time you're going to get a no trespassing so there's options too because then it's not fair to people that live in the community when people

are defecating and urinating that I can look out my window and see or then it's a health hazard for everybody else in the community as well so you get a look at both sides I can't but then you fathom what it's like to be homeless but boy they provide as many services that they can for people but then you don't want it to become a health hazard either for but you know you create a Sticky

Wicket because what happens is you're not going to only catch in the net you are not only going to catch homeless people there's going to be someone elderly or someone a child or some young person who doesn't understand that then no trespassing is going to result in well that's why you can go out for a few weeks and inform people regardless of that though what I've seen and obviously

everyone wants the most important thing is we keep these people alive because no one wants to walk out and see a dead body either if it's going to happen in the winter time and what what's happened is when we shuffle them from site to site now the Outreach workers have no clue where they are so when they overdose no one's even in there for a week to check on them because we had no

clue when I had I got a call last week where someone was so dope sick that they couldn't even leave their tent and they needed EMS and they called my cell phone you know and I knew exactly where to call and send EMS when we continuously just tell them sorry this place is off limits and we shuffle them to another place they're absolutely still gonna cut down trees and go go into someone else's

yard we're just not going to know where they are to provide services build that Rapport or try to get them out of there you know so I'm 100 with you I see both sides you all know I've been homeless myself and now I get to see all the the administration and you guys do to fight homelessness because it wasn't like this let's be honest five years ago no one cared about homelessness no one really

cared about drug addicts either right now more is being done in Fall River than I've ever seen and um it we're not going to solve it tomorrow but we do still have to find a line between between treating them Humane and also being tough right so what is that line does anyone in the country have that exact answer so it's basically been like trial and error we limited giving tents and sleeping

bags one time we take their name now the organizations take their name you're not going to get a million tents to scatter in the woods and just leave and move on um you know so I think the more that we build the trust and the rapport with these people the more they call us in the middle of the night to say I'm finally ready you know and and they're not dying out there when that was that

massive storm we would drive it around until six in the morning like literally all night pulling people out of the encampments and collapse tents because there was so much snow but no one died in Fall River and you know I think that's saying something thank you with that I yield Mr President thank you thank you for your questions thank you um a couple of questions just some statements as well so I know you

know we've we've been talking about this matter and we've talked about it in our subcommittee and unfortunately a lot of the topics that came before us uh today and I and I'm gonna sound like a broker record I'm sure people are going to get upset um the city council has no jurisdiction over right so again we're a legislative body and it's I know for some folks um they don't truly understand a form of

government and what our roles and responsibilities are so as a city council we're a legislative body we cannot direct any of the folks at the table to do anything uh if we could I direct you all to figure out the homeless situation and come back to us with an answer um so but we can't do that right what we can do though is have a conversation about funding and I think that's

something that we started in the subcommittee about a couple months ago and why we have this resolution that was put forth by Council reposo was for you folks to come back and tell us what you needed and coming up with the game plan and asking for resources because we can appropriate funding obviously it's got to be through um you know the efforts of the mayor's office and support of the mayor's office

where that funding is going to come from but if we can identify the programs that you need or the resources that you need we'd be more than willing to support your needs so if it's detergent you know we need more money for detergent or whatever it is and and I know it's tongue-in-cheek but yeah whatever you need in terms of funding for whatever type of resources that you folks are

seeing because again we're legislative your executive day-to-day running the day-to-day situation for for the city I personally would support that so part of this conversation and I think where Council proposal was going um some immediate need is understanding that some of the individuals that are there have mental health issues and we have already been talking about um getting a clinician having a

clinician part of the police department staffed at the police department so that we have a clinician responding to some of the calls with our police officers to help assist some of the mental health cause because um you know the police department in that profession has changed drastically going from crime enforcement to more social work right and they're not necessarily equipped themselves in terms

of dealing with some of the mental health calls that they're getting with uh dealing with but through funding that we're we're providing they're getting some additional training through the chief and the mayor's office so we want to continue to support that so if it's talking about a clinician and I know we talked about the opioid money coming down and I know there's some mechanics

in terms of how that money can be used in the near future whether it's going to flow through free cash and whether or not it needs to be appropriated or if unless there's an update I'm not sure if they have so they've allowed they've come down with that so but the so that was already determined because I know it was up in the air as to whether it was going to

flow through free cash or if it was gonna be able to so the staff fund so we can't just send it to the staff fund we have to get it through free cash no so we what um the res what was put forward to the council that was approved was to set up the staff fund and all monies go that come in go right into the stab fund so it's automatically happening now okay so

without the DOR I know it was up in the air in terms of special Revenue they're talking about it hasn't been approved yet right so I guess that's where I'm trying to figure out what we're doing with with that money because right now I think the DLS ruling is allowed to flow through free cash and then we've got to earmark it specifically for so so that was yeah so we we took the approach of

putting into a stabilization fund um and that's what was approved in Fall River so right now it's not flowing through our free cash it's going directly into and so what do we have for a balancing I I have to get that it's probably it's I think just around a million dollars okay and that's just last year's money yeah is that that's why the first the person who was just under a million dollars and

he's speaking to microphone sorry I apologize um about a million dollars is the first installment and then I I think it's about 400 000 annually is what we're looking at right now so and just I guess in terms of just staying on this resolution so we already have a clinician that we're working through with some funding on your side right and I say your side I mean CDA yeah we wrote

the FR Cara Grant it's a three-year Grant two million dollars I believe um and we've we've put it out there that we're hiring a clinician she's supposed to be starting very soon I think next week so we're you know we're also cognitive throwing good money and you know not having a plan the mayor and I have been sitting down over the last couple weeks and looking at more and more of where the budgets are going to

be with Community Development how what you know other money we're going to need um to to keep this you know going in the future so if if we see so for what I guess what I heard from you folks is that you want to wait and see how the clinician works out if that makes sense then come back and potentially fund another position yeah this is the first time that we've ever had a clinician

into the police department so you know we don't know how it's going to work out um I think we should give the chief the opportunity to have one without giving them two and not working out so I think in in a very short period of time we'll know the benefits of it um and then come back to you and say hey you know I'll go to the mayor and ask him about the

opiate money if that if we can you know get into that so have we started having those conversations with what got to the opioid money and and what it could be used for and if we can kind of make it work with some of this homelessness so there's actually a consultant that we um hire who specializes in who's done this in other or is doing this in other places

um so their work is is nearly complete I think uh I would say 45 to 60 days will have a better sense of where we are okay so is there anything in the immediate future that we can expect that you would be requesting in terms of additional funding programs uh resources I know we keep we keep saying that we need to get it out there um I quite frankly I don't know how much more you

folks can do in terms of trying to get out all this information because we say it here there's only so many people that really want to are entertained by any of our meetings so I don't know that we have a where the target audience that you want to try to get that information out but is there anywhere else that we can start to advertise all these resources and and anything that's available for folks

I think it's pretty well known now um I think we've done a pretty good of getting it out there to the homeless Community I mean I don't know I'll have a line out the door doing laundry um if I tell everybody laundry's free you know um we'll put out we'll we'll put out the uh we'll put the laundromats out of business so um we've we've done a pretty good job in

getting it out there letting all the all the non-profits all of our partners know um we we're having our project homeless connect and another three four weeks where we bring in the homeless and and give them all kinds of services that'll be advertised to the hill so I think we've done a pretty good job so far I just don't wanna over advertise the services I recognize that um you know I think I think in the next

month in the planning of the winter months very soon we'll have a you know I know we'll have a better uh idea of what our needs are and you know I don't want to I wouldn't want to come here and ask for something that we don't need you know I know money is precious in the city budget um so um if we could do it with grant funding if we can figure out

um it would be better to use the grant funding we do have some money that's going to be returned to us from the for uh the Kara Grant so you know there's a lot of things up in the air right now but we'll have a better feel for it um within the next four weeks I'd say and then I guess just shifting gears a little bit you know we would talk about affordability market rate housing

um had a conversation with somebody and it was a debate and and I've said this to the group there there's there's nothing affordable about the affordable housing that we're we're building um it's just it's not affordable just the rents that we're talking about and so when I went back and forth uh with this individual saying I don't know how anybody with a a decent job can afford

some of the apartments and you know they kind of went back and said well you're not you're not having to pay insurance you have to pay taxes and and going around and then we kind of went back to economics and and demand supply and demand right and and the argument being said that there's not enough uh supply for the demand that we have and I said well I don't disagree with you

um but what I'm not seeing is is the the more Supply that we're putting out there I don't see the rent stunning to go down I see the the opposite I see the the rents continuing to go up so the more housing that we build and the nicer they are I think we're pricing out some of the older three families and uh people are starting to have to you know sell those off and

things of that nature because they can't compete with some of the uh you know the luxuries that are that are being had at some of these other apartments so the question coming from Community Development I know Community Development gets tied into to planning are we starting to have a more Global conversation about what the housing market looks like in Fall River and how we can kind of impact that and I know

that's more of a global conversation and I think that really kind of impacts some discussion at the state level with the governor and things of that nature but are we starting to have those conversations yeah we we've as an Administration we've had we've had those conversations um I know my goal and what I've been tasked with is to create as many affordable housing units as I can with

the Community Development home program um but like anything else it's got a limited amount of money um over the last six years I looked at it the other day over the last six years we've brought on about 350 units of additional housing in the city some of that the majority of that being low income um CDA has to do it you know CDA usually does it in small chunks like you know a

four family a three family a six family but we also have huge bigger develops the bigger developments like curtain Lofts and uh Fall River knitting Mills those are over 55 over 60 uh years or years old housing so the rents are cheaper we try to stay with that 10 rule um 10 of the housing in in those developments we'd like to see them affordable in Allen maccumber's property 64 Durfee Street Community Development

was a partner in that we took 11 units as affordable there's 55 units in the building so there's we even went above the 10 we went to the 20 um most of the majority I would say I would say 90 of the units that I have listed as an affordable and on our inventory are still rents anywhere from 750 to a thousand for two bedroom units we haven't seen a dramatic rise in rents

because we're rent we're kind of rent controlled um so we're still pumping out affordable housing we're just yeah my other concern is Pump It Out what where what we're developing right and I don't know this for a fact but having again some conversations with folks that the new developments that we're seeing um a lot of the tenants are coming from outside of farmer so it's not really far

of a residents that are going into these uh tenements right so we're attracting folks from other places bringing more folks in so I'm a little concerned that you know the theory and I know it's supply and demand it's very basic it's something that we've all dealt with uh you know it's A Simple Theory but I don't see it and I think it's a Statewide issue but as you build new you

know and beautiful and I'm all for it uh developments like this you're just attracting folks from outside of the city coming in and we're losing uh the opportunity to fill you know these these apartments from people that need it within Fall River and so I'm curious if we've even run the numbers to see out of all the developments that we've seen you know there's tax credits going into this is

um you know uh incentives that are being provided by the the city how many how many of these apartments are being given to City residents and not that we can control that but I think we need to start talking about when we have you know all these conversations with the developers coming before us you also have to understand that a lot of the apartment complexes that are being rehabbed and being built

are being done with private money no I recognize that which allows them to to rent and you know to do whatever they but I guess I guess I guess what I'm saying is is that it's all being fronted by taxpayer money right so no some of it's not some of it is a good majority of it right so we we can we can start having these conversations that you're getting tax incentives to go into these

Mills right so that's all tax credits that are that are coming into it um so that you've got people coming in getting Finance right they're making they make the only way it works is this financing right we just heard Mr Miss Macklemore coming before us that he's got to go through he's got to navigate to be able to get some credits and things of that nature to make that project work and we hear that across the

board so that there is tax incentives to the to build these developments and we have built zoning we have developed overlays to incentivize the developments of these residential developments right so there's a financial portion that the city has contributed to right to incentivize these developments so the question now is how is it benefiting the residents of Fall River right and it

benefits far over and I get it that we're bringing more people into the city I recognize that as creating additional Revenue which is supporting small and small businesses things of that nature but at the end of the day when we're starting to talk about the homeless aspect but that's what I'm trying to figure out is when we see these developments how many of those apartments are really being utilized by

City residents I can tell you in the ones that I've been involved in curtain Lofts and four of an inning Mills I want to say that a good I would say 40 to 50 percent are people that have lived in fall river that are currently coming out of either an apartment or an elderly selling their home and getting out and moving into a more protected they feel more protected they like the community

they like the the s of living in a mill I've heard it quite often the other ones that the other developments I couldn't tell you I mean I know a lot of those like the Duro ones that Seth correctly if I'm wrong I believe those are being done with private money they they haven't even come to my office to ask ask for any uh um subsidizing if I may um so I mean this is certainly an

important but it is a broader conversation I think we were prepared for tonight and it might be it might benefit from some statistics and some better preparation would you be inclined to let us come back to the council with yeah that's fine I was I was just throwing it out there because I think that's part of the global conversation that needs to be had as well especially from you know if we're going to bring

this to the table we're a legislative body right so when we come back and start approving shifts and you know hdip zones and things of that nature I think we need to know what the the true impact is and if we can kind of massage some of the stuff that we're doing maybe to incentivize Fall River residents of trying to get at least like like a veteran's preference or a Fall River

resident's preference um you know I like to see that that happen so and then I look forward to to seeing what other resources you folks may they need because I want to support that I guess just circling back to uh one of the council's questions about whether or not we can have folks removed I know the ACLU challenged a lot of the communities who were having law enforcement going removing folks

from being able to sleep out in public and open space which also includes City space the AG ruled in 2022 that we are not allowed to remove these folks unless we can guarantee that they have housing and that comes back from a federal case I think it was the ninth circuit court that made that decision so you know we've we've got Court decisions that are that are you know really kind of

handcuffing Us in terms of what we can and cannot do so I just wanted to throw that out there because I knew the counselor had a question so it's it's not that we don't want to have them removed it's a matter of if we do have them removed we have to be able to replace it somewhere else so and we're cognizant of that um we are in our meetings we've had Alan Rumsey yep the

city cooperation Council give us the direction that we need to make sure that we don't do anything and while I'm on my soapbox I'll go to counselor and C2 and just talk about she's spot on um and what the frustration that we've got migrant families who are coming in uh claiming Asylum and the state is not prepared to deal with this issue and provide the resources and and we are a

right to shelter Community one of the only communities uh countries one of the states in the country is that do that so the ma so anybody who is looking for Asylum we have to shelter them um and you just need to look at Taunton 600 people at the hotel there's a demand on services that are being provided by the municipality and what the state is saying is is that they want resources for those individuals and

for us it's not ignoring the fact that we cannot provide resources for our homeless for our seniors for our veterans it's a little frustrating when we have that type of situation coming and I know forever is going to be a community that's going to be dealing with some of this if we have not already been dealing with it but the fact of the matter is is that we're having a difficult time providing the resources

for our residents currently and the fact that we have a state of an emergency with with housing and migrant families no resources in the foreseeable Futures is a major concern and I will say that once we even get some of these families it's just going to add to the encampments because this limited space for these folks to go to um they are being dropped off in communities I'm sure far is one of them

from different locations whether it be Chicopee Springfield and you know they just get on the bus the state has a contract with the transportation company and they just drop them off at hotels motels and then it's on the municipality to try to figure out what's going on and how to deal with these folks so it's just compounding to the problem that we're already faced with so this is just

the beginning I've been to Portland I've seen how Portland is we're nowhere near Portland but I I also don't want to get to a situation where we can't walk on streets because there are tents on on the streets so I think it's a it's a challenge that we're all going to have to deal with and if we had the answer we would we would definitely be fixing it now I just don't know that there is a

reasonable answer to the situations that we're we're dealing with so I just you know I just want to let you know and say again that I'd support anything that you you need for resources and funding so thank you foreign thank you I just have two questions you mentioned the tomato tell us what that is the Tomato Center is a day shelter that operates out of um Spindle City church building on Bay Street okay

um the center uh provides services Job Training Services basic life services like I said laundry showers meals to any homeless individual in the city that wants to get into get into a day shelter they have um access to computer systems it's a great run organization down there it's a part of it's It's a separate part of our overflow shelter it's something basically that we really just wanted to try I mean we we and

we're working on trying to make that self-sufficient and we've had a great partnership with um Spindle City Church I mean they've really stepped up they've they've run our overflow shelter um for many many years um I don't know if you remember our overflow shelter used to have to move every two weeks and we used to have four different places and now we got one place and we're able to serve meals and

we also have used it for emergencies um when the academy building had the power problem they opened up the doors put the cots out and and were able to service people so it's it's a different concept instead of a night shelter it's kind of like a day shelter um it's kind of in its infancy I believe they opened in April um Pastor Tom's here tonight he's the him and his wife Lisa run it um good

people really good people all right and then my other question is is there anything that you can do for the encampment on Bay Street are there any extra efforts that you can I know you can't move them I know you know they have rights to be there um but we've been hearing from The Neighbors about the condition there I mean I I think I think what we can do is we can

we can provide more Street Outreach to them we could get our street Outreach um into that encampment is that going to make other encampments suffer there are other encampments in the city but I think an inventory of the people that are there start looking at everybody's and I know that Nikki does this already but start looking at everybody's needs everybody is different every homeless

person has different needs you know um the issue that we normally have the big issue we have is you if you get them into detox get him into a shelter um do they do they come back it's a community it's it's really I've read a lot about it um homeless people don't like to live alone they don't want to be in their apartment all by themselves they want to it's a community camaraderie it's their

friends so um you know we place a lot of people in detox but is only what a week Nikki a week 10 days and then they come out and they go back and if there's no if there's no unit available which we try to to work with them they go right back out I mean we we've had a lot of success stories and then you have some that are that are not so I think I think

maybe it's more of a targeted Street Outreach to that one encampment okay actually we we have been actually Mike so I spoke to Mrs Buchanan this the day that she originally called the mayor's office and that's exactly what we have been doing since is stepping up to that encampment um that a lot of them are going over to the Tomato Center so we're providing them Services while they're there and

trying to see if there's anything else that can be done for them that hasn't been done other than housing that's one thing we can't just off around a whim but we are we did increase we have been going multiple times a week between the fast team steps team and EMS um you know and it's also you don't want to harass them either so we're going as much as we feel comfortable with that

they're comfortable with us otherwise we meet them at the Tomato Center when they come there but I know it's um been a city-wide concern this particular account treatment and we plan to continue over the next few weeks to really hit that encampment and you'll see that in Camp may go down just because the cold weather is coming right where are they going now they'll go into the Tomato Center or the Overflow

shelter that they have dirty beds the beds that stepping stone will increase from right now they're at 20 I believe I think they might have gone up to 30.

those will go up to 50. so you'll have 80 shelter beds available um so you'll see that encampment probably just transition really to to the to the Overflow shelter where you won't have them living uh in in the encampment you know and the goal is always the goal is always in the winter to transition everybody from the Overflow shelter to the main shelter on Durfee Street and that's really the

goals is to get people out of the shelter on Durfee Street into some type of permanent Supportive Housing or housing so that the Overflow clients are not just thrown back out on the street yeah and I've gone to the Durfee the Durfee Durfee Street first step in so there's a there's a step to it there's a plan is a step we do it every year but you know like anything it's just

increases has that has there been a count done this year yeah that's in your information that you have um I gave you I gave you on numbers for the point in time count for the last three years 21 22 and 23. as you can see the number of sheltered individuals has gone up from like 45 to 80 I believe and that's just because of the increase in beds that we we've brought on with the Overflow shelter

um but you'll have seen uh homelessness kind of has really stayed at level um also um you'll see on those on those graphs um are sheltered unsheltered individuals actually had gone down from 2022 to 23.

not by a big number by a small number and and that those counts are I know the last two year accounts are very very accurate they they the group a real good group went out there and really did some counting they made sure they scoured everywhere okay all right but then I am thank you there you go I just have all right years ago I met someone who's in that situation and they said that they were

caught mandated to come to staff in 30 days and then once they left star they would just walk in the streets of forever doing a lot of what they did from where they where they came from and the individual told me that the mother was a doctor and the father was a lawyer but when the drugs kicked in they just couldn't stop robbing from their family everyone else they ended up being caught

people still being caught mandated to come to Fall River style centers there was a thing called the section 35 and yes if you're but if they're they're not given as freely as they were um probably in previous years but your family can go and Advocate to you if you're a self danger to yourself and at risk for a life threat then they can go and they can have you committed for 30

days 264 and they came from so the district court has go to the clerk's office and they have yeah there was only there was like three locations we're one of three cities in the Commonwealth that that was that was going on and they were coming from everywhere um and I think that's you know one of the problems as well because these poor people have an addiction problem and then that addiction problem they're

being court ordered here and then when they get their treatment for 30 days they just open the door they don't go back to the community they stay here well the places where they serve their section 35 are not just locally as a matter of fact the places where they serve there section 35 are not necessarily the best places and that's why a lot of families are very hesitant to try to do the section 35 because it's

in order for the addiction problem to kind of manifests itself in a positive manner that has to come from within because sometimes it just the forced um nature of it makes them come out angry and maybe not always successful but a lot of the places where they do that section 35 like actual 30 days is not in our local area

I I commend you for what you do I really do I mean you guys do a tremendous job and I like to see the fact that you keep working to get people out of those locations and you really ought to be commended and most people don't know what you do for this community but I appreciate it very much because I've seen it and it's it's a work of it's an

incredible work that you do do but I do agree that we need to do something to help people like Mrs Buchanan and others that are dealing with this on a regular basis they shouldn't be living witnessing this happening right in front of their house and stuff and we need to come up with some type of a plan to address those people and that and those individuals that are on the good side of

what a resident should be doing and the residents and everyone else they're trying to make their stuff work but yet they're going to deal with this every single day and I understand it's a nationwide problem I get it I've seen it in San Francisco I see in uh Nakia Madison and uh Makita Ave in Boston and I see what's going on there but it's something that we need to help and stop

people who in this community from having to deal with that without the city getting involved and bring them to comfort so if we can put up some kind of a plan or something and I'm glad to see that we're focusing more on Bay Street and up and that out but I think we need to ramp it up just a little bit more and if you like counselor Kadeem said if you

need more resources from us please tell us we'll get more people in in that situation I'm sure the mail as well and I commend him for what he's done with the homeless situate population in this city as well um we do have a lot of services we try to put as many people as possible but we need to fix this um whatever way we can constancy seven cups proposals you did

have your hand up are you all said to you no I I just so I think in this this conversation we've all understood that first you need some more time to give us some data you need some time about 40 45 to 60 days for that consultant to come back about the oppoid money so there's there's plenty of opportunity here um the one the one thing I will say and

as we begin to look forward to budget season you know soon very soon I'll sit here and advocate for funding at the city level to help support this you know Mr Diana I appreciate everything you do and the grants that you get with your team but I think the city also needs to have a foot in the game here and there are things in the budget that we probably could have gotten rid of and

there are other things that we could support at least it's one of those things where now the city and the city budget could support this that's my only advocation for further funding Mr Aiken if if you know it sounds like you're suggesting that we don't have enough I'm not I'm not that's just wildly incorrect no but that's okay I'm actually not suggested funny thing I'm actually just

suggesting that we further fund what we're doing because I what I look in front of me is that and Mr Dion said it correct me from a lot of grant funding that's in all for this correct oh yeah it's all it's all Federal grant money right and and we don't we don't get enough from the feds to to also correct I'm I'm not implicating anything Mr Rick and I'm saying we further help it that's all

sounds good not getting it from the governor either you have the country six Council vice president I'd like to take more money out of the budget and put in this but where do we take it from because the budget tight tight and a lot of these agencies that are on here the 15 that are listed here are all agencies that get money are eligible for other grants and that type of thing I just it breaks

my heart to see as many people homeless living in encampments because all the money we're spending on this we could be spending for other things as well in the city if this problem didn't exist but unfortunately it exists what I wanted to clarify was I think when um the council president asked the question about people coming to Fall River um years ago if you lived anywhere in the state you

lived in Lexington and you got in trouble for breaking into some place and it was drug involved whatever the court could order you to go in for treatment you'd go you'd come down here you'd go to Stepping Stone or Star you come here for three days or five days like really you're gonna get cured in three days I don't know who thought of that plan but not going to happen you're laughing

Nikki because you know right well but then if that person after those three days that person left they wouldn't go back to their Hometown they would stay here in Fall River and years ago that didn't happen if you came here once your treatment was done there was money in the budget there was my they would bring you back to your hometown or if you stayed for the three days that was mandatory but then you

wanted to stay for an additional two weeks and then you decided you were going to bolt so you weren't going to be involved in the program anymore they would send you back now they don't section 35 is when somebody goes into court and says this individual for whatever reason is at risk of hurting themselves or others and they need to be sectioned then it's a psychiatric section where

they have to go in I just wanted to kind of clarify that because not all of them are and you're right myself well so hard to get Section 35 today and if you do get it if you can get it a lot of the family members are not happy with where the 30 days is it's true not enough done with mental health I agree thank you for your support everybody Mr President with that I would

just say that item number four on our finance committee was a resolution that I had files um the strategies to decrease the number of homeless Etc I think that maybe we can avoid that one because we picked it up in item number three times yeah so since like I said earlier that we're gonna have some timeline to get some more information I would actually make a motion to table this so we can

revisit it in about two months time that's right Council motion the table hasn't made in a second second all in favor any opposed motion to stable that's cause prayer Lotus cause uh item number four discussion Administration we've got a strategies to decrease it on the homeless encampments within the city

Pelletier

Washington president Camaro here will everyone in the council chair please rise for a moment of Silent prayer foreign

law any person who may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit this meeting 20 meeting attendees are therefore advised at such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and not deemed acknowledged and permissible before we begin I just want to say the council Palatine um it's just he's doing fine he's just a

little tired and couldn't make the next meeting Council Washington had called me earlier she was on her way here and then she had a family emergency that she had to take care of so she's not even with us as well um hopefully everybody will be okay but she had a family emergency man cut the first item before use the Miz request for confirmation of the appointment of Ashley decuna to the historical commission

motion to confirm would be appropriate is there a second second yeah motion has to mean and seconded all in favor aye any opposed is confirmed we have the mayor's request for the confirmation of the reappointment of Elizabeth deblock to the historic commission motion so made motion to confirm is a million second in all in favor aye any opposed to friends have the mayor's request for the

confirmation of the reappointment of Richard Mancini to the historical commission nothing to confirm motion motion confirm is remaining second and all in favor aye any opposed motion carries of the mayor's request for the confirmation of the appointment of Vania Marie naversa favares to the cultural Council motion to confirm motion confirm has remained and seconded all in favor aye any opposed motion counties

we have the mayor's request for the confirmation of the reappointment of Christopher anteo to the cultural Council in favor aye any opposed item five is a communication from the mayor and in order to accept the Massachusetts office of travel and tourism destination development Capital grant program in the amount of fifty thousand dollars to fund the purchase of a trolley bus motion to adopt has a meeting seconded

all in favor aye any opposed motion carries item six is the mayor's communication and resolution to execute the CDA section 108 loan with the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development in the amount of 2.5 million dollars for replacement of fire apparatus and Equipment motion to adopt second two doesn't mean second or all in favor aye aye any opposed motion counties item seven is a communication from the

mayor and a loan order regarding the school Department's proposal to the msba for the Robert L Medeiros resiliency Preparatory Academy renovation project we do have an emergency Preamble that will need to be voted on prior to hearing voting on the item motion to adopt with the emergency Preamble Accord

on the emergency Brianna I'm the Preamble counselors kadim uh yes Deanna Kilby yeah Liberty yes Pelletier Herrera yes proposal yes Washington and president yes is a motion to authorize we published refer to committee on finance second huh motion all in favor I just had a motion constances just a question in terms of I was looking at the packet so the timing of of the situation so I know the

superintendent has had it for a while um I know msba has looked at it have we seen this before before any application was submitted to the msba no that's submitted to our office um on the 7th at the end of the day so I guess the question is it's almost like a rub stamp that they've already got the approval now they're coming back before us so from my standpoint I think from

you know obviously a legislative body we should be involved somewhere prior to you know an msba approval just so that we know what's going on I'm just I guess I'm just trying to figure out where we are in the process we can refer to the community Finance

I missed that Finance

all in favor aye any opposed motion carries item eight is a communication from the mayor and a proposed ordinance regarding restrictions on panhandling motion referred ordinance legislation has been made and seconded all in favor aye any opposed an emotion constitute do you have your hand up or not yeah the only thing I wanted to mention was um there was a this went to panhandling was brought to court

um and it was ruled that it's a First Amendment right for people to Panhandle um so I hope some I don't know what part of the discussion I don't even know if we have the right to do this and I just want to point that out I mean it is so I just want to bring that point up um because obviously I don't want to put the city in a position where we're

violating something that the Supreme Court uh said was legal and then we're going to say no you can't do it um obviously we're going to need more information and I'm sure when it goes to the committee um hopefully we can clarify that but that potentially could be a problem with this with that I yield that's why our friend committee thank you Council the Council seat six Council veterans I think uh that's a

valid question um you can't stop them from panhandling but you can put restrictions on it and this ordinance was done by looking at a lot of ordinances in other places you know you talked earlier my colleague and seat number two talk to you about people that are coming in and getting uh housing in front of our people and I agree with you that's unfair but the same thing with this if you are

collecting on a corner because you have a dance studio and your your team is going away for competition or you're a baseball league or uh the firefighters collecting on Labor Day they all pay a permit to stand on the corner but panhandling they don't pay a permit that doesn't make sense this seems to be an injustice and the ACLU they're going to fight for everything that's their job that's what they want to do for

everybody's Freedom that's fine but I think that some of these and attorney Rumsey has looked at them and I think that there will be discussion but I think that you can put parameters around them one of them is like if you already red light your stock you stop stopped you're confined to your car so if somebody's banging on your window you you can't leave that so they can't entrap you that way either so I think

it's good for discussion because I'm quite frankly tired of seeing all that we see with ruining our entrance ways to the city is it that you can do it so many times a year I don't know well I agree all right so let's see forecast Liberty I'm I yield thank you I just want to say the other day I gave to a cheerleading outfit that was pan they were from Warwick Rhode Island I

said where are you guys from what school is this in here we're from Warwick Rhode Island wow we're generous people forever like to give a lot of money yes so I think we're missing the boat we can allow pan to handling I think we should have an ordinance that prohibits uh the use of giving money while operating a motor vehicle I think that's unsafe so I think if you're in a vehicle

and you're not allowed to uh be on a cell phone issue right you can't be in a cell phone so you shouldn't be able to hand out money while operating a motor vehicle I think if we we did that then I think that settled panhandling because they wouldn't be getting any money so yeah and you should be able to do it if you have a cell phone in one hand and

the money in the other hand that's that's what I say so that's just mine and we can we can have that conversation during during ordinance but that's just my take on the whole situation that's a great argument yes looking forward to having the uh having the discussion but there is limits on the First Amendment as we know and my understanding that this odd proposed ordinance is linked to Public Safety

um so we're not saying we're not denying panhandling but we're putting putting some permissible I mean everything can be argued but we're attempting to put in some permissible restrictions under the law and Lincoln with some public safety issues thank you thank you because I will say this as someone that travels to a lot of different cities in the Commonwealth and I do I I don't see it out there as much

as I see it in Forever it's it's amazing you don't see it in other cities as much as I see it in places like new Fall River New Bedford and Brockton as much it's incredible yeah just one more comment actually what's more incredible is some of these panhandlers Panhandle in Fall River and other locations and they've been asked what are you doing and the answer is well on certain days of the week there's more money to

be made in Fall River and on the alternate days I have there's more money to be moved here so it's just incredible but I I I support this I support counselor and seat ones uh proposal I I think that's a great idea with that I yield thank you

have the traffic commission making recommendations to amend the ordinances a second foreign

the committee on ordinances and legislation at a meeting held on August 22nd voted unanimously to recommend the accompanying proposed ordinance accompanied by an emergency Preamble be passed through first reading second reading past be enrolled in past to be ordained with counselor Dion absent and not voting this is a handicapped parking ordinance motion foreign adoption of the emergency Preamble

counselors kadim yes Dion yes Kilby yes La Liberty yes Pelletier Pereira yes reposo yes Washington president Camaro yes you understand all readings in a second motion has made uncerted it all in favor any opposed ocean carries the committee on ordinances and legislation at a meeting held on August 22nd voted unanimously to recommend the accompanying proposed ordinance be passed through first reading with

counselor Dion absent and not voting this is miscellaneous traffic motion Summit first reading has remaining succulent all in favor aye any opposed motion carries committee on ordinances and legislation at a meeting held on August 22nd voted unanimously to recommend that the accompanying proposed ordinance be passed through first reading with councilor Dion absent and not voting this regards amendments for registered

and certified mail notice requirements social passive first second question frustrating has a million seconded all in favor all right any opposed motion carries committee on ordinances and legislation at a meeting held on August 22nd voted to recommend that the accompanying proposed ordinance be passed through first reading with Council reposo opposed and consulate Dion absent and

not voting this is the thin film plastic bags second motion pass refresh reading has remaining seconded I'm just going to say out loud I am going to oppose this um in doing some research in comparison to what's working at the state level at some of the bills and what I'm seeing here there seems to be some discrepancies of consistency um so I again I said this in the subcommittee I wanted to do more

research to look more into it but at this time I'm gonna I'm gonna oppose a yield thank you yeah the only comment I'll make is the irony of this is yes is it probably a good idea to get rid of plastic bags perhaps but when you switch to paper everything you're putting in your paper bag is packaged in plastic so how effective are we being by removing a plastic bag when everything

else in your bag is it is wrapped in Plastics a lot of which is not recyclable it's all it almost seems like a mute point well with that I yield I guess it's a starting point First Step yeah after the um the ordinance committee meeting I got a number of calls from people opposed to it they said you know the plastic bags that we get now stop and shop has paper bags and forget it

you can't lift them they don't have handles you you know um they're thin quality and they were saying the older bags that they would use the plastic that they use that for trash or they use that they're not just blowing them and what astounds me is and I said it before was all of the exemptions that you know if you bought me at a deli market and they wrapped it

in plastic if you put a newspaper in a plastic bag that was acceptable dry cleaning was either you're going to get rid of it or you're not going to get rid of it though um I don't know I think well it is a start somewhere but I don't know how it's going to be enforced who's gonna call all the supermarkets in the city and tell them all we can't use it how's this going to be enforced

so you do an ordinance but how we're going to enforce that so what's the sense of doing it if you can't enforce it doesn't make sense did you send him a letter I don't know I'm on the fence with this I yield thank you it's not an easy one count to see one Council today thank you so just in terms of the enforcement so the um ordinance was actually tabled for quite

some time in an ordinance committee uh for that specific purpose to identify who was going to do the enforcement yeah uh we brought it back up and ordinance committee we had that conversation there was a discussion about having the health department which is usually the department that would uh enforce this type of ordinance or by law in another community and then Corporation Council said we can

leave it vague and so that it's the city enforce enforcing it and so that the uh the administration can make a determination what the appropriate um department is whether it's the health department or minimum housing building empowerment whoever so that's that's why we left it without having a specific department for the enforcement piece so with that idea yes I did there's also a 180 days from

the time that this passes that it that it takes effect um so there's time for everybody to be notified and and some stores like Stop and Shop they're already doing it on their own I know this has come up in the past and the argument is they want people to use recyclable bags you use them over and over I mean I think the genius people here is uh BJ's you buy something BJ's

and they give you the box back to put it in so you can take them so you can get rid of the Dead trash at the same time you take a new product out no plastic bags they're Geniuses they're not putting their cardboard in any recyclable they're just getting back to the customer hey you look you get rid of this motion hasn't made and seconded all in favor aye and see the post seat seven to post

emotion counties committee on ordinances and legislation at a meeting held on August 22nd voted unanimously to recommend that the accompanying order be adopted with counselor Dion absent and not voting this order is to accept the provisions of Mass general laws chapter 59 section 5n second and the motion country to come to the end yeah I just want to clarify a couple of points we did receive a letter it's

in the end at the end of our packet but um I think some people are under some misconceptions uh for this one being there is no cash payout it's a tax plan that reduces a veteran's real estate tax if a veteran is disabled their spouse can do the volunteer work and they still get the credit it's 125 hours in a year they don't have to do it in a week or in

two weeks they can do it over the course of the year um for disabled veterans it's it's a Nineteen Hundred Dollar um abatement on their taxes because they also qualify for a four hundred dollar abatement with the city being a disabled veteran already and they can get both so and I know people say oh but it's taxed it's tax yes perhaps it's taxed and it shouldn't be but the tax is four hundred

and twenty dollars so then so it's a thousand eighty off their taxes no matter what which is a net gain in a month of ninety dollars a month that can be the difference between a veteran being able to afford some more food or or afford their medication if they're getting the 400 plus the 1500 after taxes it's a net gain of 123 dollars a month for that veteran and I think people were under a misconception some

people thought they were getting 1500 in cash that they could just spend whatever way they want you know it's a way to help veterans stay in their homes to be able to meet their obligation with their real estate taxes but somebody has to volunteer to be able to qualify with that I yield motion Hazard on that motion Facebook yeah the the only concern I have about that is in talking

to the vso if you get this benefit if you were collecting chapter 115 you may not be able to get 115 because this is going to put you higher than the threshold I think the thresholds on 150 on chapter 115 should be higher just like I think on senior citizens over 70 it should be higher than it is but that's the only problem with this is that it could then knock them off of

being eligible for something else like a food stamp like chapter 115 or medication I I'd want to know how many people would this benefit because there are a lot of veterans in the city um and I think she was down here and talked about this and that was one of the things that she had said after so just to keep that in mind with that I yield thank you thank you just as I am

reminded the uh ordinance committee so all we're doing is is adopting the general Law chapter 59 section 5n so that just gives the uh The Authority for the administration if they so choose to be able to implement um this write-off this uh volunteer write-off so um it's not going to be mandated or anything like that it's just another uh tool in the tool belt to be able to support uh the veterans so

um that's all it really is is we're essentially accepting that that chapter section of Massachusetts General law with that I yields there you go yeah I was also going to say um you know we have roughly 5 000 veterans obviously 5 000 veterans aren't going to qualify and aren't going to be able to take advantage of it this is something that people choose to do it it could be their

as he said it for them not all people are going to qualify but not all people qualify for all programs and we have come up with other programs to assist veterans so it's just one more thing that hopefully we can help some people we can't help everybody all the time I wish we could and but um yeah I mean I don't know how you could raise that limit and if we

could that would be great and if it would open it but there's also people that fall through the cracks there's the people that are that don't quite earn enough there's the ones who earn too much and maybe maybe this hits the ones in the middle that can't gain on either end so with that I yield thank you Council motion hasn't been seconded all in favor I hide any opposed motion counts

item 15 is a miscellaneous traffic ordinance for Passage through second reading and enrollment motion soulmate second most you pass a second and the room that has a million seconded all in favor aye any opposed motion counties item 16 is also a proposed ordinance for Passage through second reading and enrollment this one relates to the community medicine scheduling coordinator motion

soulmate second pass or second reading animal has it made in second at all in favor aye any opposed motion counties item 17 is a proposed ordinance for Passage through second reading and enrollment this one is renaming the standing city council committee to include Veterans Affairs or second reading and room has it made in second at all in favor aye the opposed ocean counties whereas the committee on finance would

like periodic updates regarding the Route 79 Duval Street Corridor improvements now therefore be resolved at the committee on finance reconvene with a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation City administrator city engineer for an update on the progress of the Route 79 Duval Street Corridor improvements project Finance I made motion to adopters a million seconds

aye any opposed motion Council where is Fall River has numerous tourist attractions such as Battleship Cove the Lizzie Borden house the narrow Center for the Arts and the Vietnam veterans memorial wall and whereas many organizations within the city such as vivoful River Fall River arts and culture Coalition and Creative Arts Network are working tirelessly to develop Regional engagement with local

communities and businesses and whereas the ongoing development of the Route 79 Duval Street project will provide more access to areas that would attract tourism and revenue now therefore be resolved at the committee on Economic Development and Tourism convene with the administration director of traffic and representatives from Community organizations to develop a strategy for improved signage throughout the city to

assist visitors in locating these events and attractions any opposed okay did you want to speak on the council no I mean it's pretty simple that there's no signs anywhere in the city you don't know where the heck anything is and while they're doing 79 let's see if we can uh get get that going spend two million dollars in tourism from Opera money so uh I want to see some of that million

dollars going for signs so people know where things are yeah not only that the one they do decide I think we should take a look at them because some of the sizes they make you can barely read them if you're driving of course so Dennis if we look at motion hasn't made in second all in favor aye aye any opposed motion carries where is Davis Park on Meridian Street was recently discussed as an open

recreational space for children and families and whereas neighborhood growth and development are vital for the young residents in this area and whereas the city council received detailed report regarding the feasibility to rehabilitate the park now therefore be resolved the committee on health and environmental Affairs convene with interested parties to discuss the future of Davis Park and funding options for

recommended development

motion codes item 21 is a citation for the Lewis Latimer fellowship program citation hasn't made in a second second on the motion content Louis Latimer um was the gentleman who was very instrumental in working with um Thomas Edison because his light bulb only lasted for a little while and his carbon filament that he invented made it last a lot longer and he was also instrumental with the patent for the

telephone with Alexander Graham Bell and Louis Vladimir married a woman from Fall River and he is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery so his foundation is erecting a stone on his grave because there was no stone and that's going to be on September 23rd at one o'clock if anybody wants to go it's pretty interesting there you go another thing of Tourism we've got so many famous people buried at Oak Grove Cemetery that

you know we could have a tour right through there all right motion to adopt has remaining secret all in favor aye any opposed ocean counties I am 22 is an order granting permission to Derek Souza of 50 Hayfield Lane for the removal of kerbank motion to adopt has remained exactly all in favor aye any opposed ocean counties item 23 is an order granting permission to see Fox Holdings for removal of curbing at

1375 Airport Road all in favor all right can we please Chiefs report I'm sure referred Corporation Council was in that uh won't you accept police off up what was that 24.

oh motion to adopters to adopt as we made second all in favor aye any opposed motion carries item 25 is in order for the renewal of auto body shop licenses the first is Richard duklos at 44 6th Street and the second is Paulo Carvalho at 410 2nd Street motion so made motion to adopt has remaining seconded all in favor aye item 26 is a an application in an order to transfer the auto body shop license

from Carlos Souza to Paulo Cavallo at 400 2nd Street portion to adopt motion second second all in favor aye any opposed abortion counties item 26b is an order granting permission to Corey Enterprises to transfer the auto body shop license to David Del Rosario at 751 Eastern Avenue any opposed motion carries 27 are applications for the renewal of auto repair shop licenses has it made and seconded all in favor

any opposed motion carries and item 28 is an order granting permission to transfer the license from Jose Pinero to Wilson Frank Elias this is for an auto repair shop license at 697 Pleasant Street all in favor aye aye any opposed Morgan carries item 29 is a request to accept Gatehouse Drive extending from Maple Street to prospect mode would be appropriate motion to refer to planning board has

been made and seconded all in favor aye aye any opposed motion codes item 29 is a request that the city engineer prepare plans for the acceptance of Mohawk Drive extending from Indiantown Road to Mohawk Drive motion refer to plant I was refer to planning board has a million seconded all in favor aye the opposed motion comes item 30 is a request that the city engineer prepare plans for the

discontinuance of Ash Street from Ash to Globe Street motion referred way second motion sure has a million second all in favor aye and against me item 30b is a request that the city engineer prepare plans for the discontinuance of Center Street from South Beacon to Ash motion referred Planet motion free plan any opposed motion carries and item 30C is a request that the city engineer prepare plans for the

discontinuance of Vine Street from South Beacon Street to Ash motion to refer to planning I was just afraid of planning has an amazing Sega all in favor any opposed motion carries item 31 is the city council's appointment for the historical commission this would be for Jonathan Lima and his term would expire on September 13th 2025. motion to adapt I'm the motion constitute Senate I'm

just curious It's the city council appointment who brought this individual forward we've all brought names anybody that wanted to bring a name I know that's why I'm asking the question who yeah I brought this name forward okay I did I was very involved in the city very involved in historic development things like that it would be a real interest from him by the way he was the only

recommendation we got from anyone some Council kill we had another recommendation someone we notified that individual Aspen was interested he declined perfect content C4 counselor a yield I think I just heard councilman c um six refer to it he has historic background and interest that was my question thank you um yeah and there was conversation tonight that there might be a couple of people interested

um I mean it doesn't have a timeline it's not an emergency I don't know who had that conversation because I wasn't aware of that no I'm a clarify I I um I recommended Dr Phil Sylvia he denied her so he's not interested so I'm content then okay so yeah like I said as the only individual that was willing to do it and accepted the position some thank you so much for your input councils I appreciate it

Madam clerk um we have a number of claims the item number 32.

I was refer to Corporation Council has a million seconds all in favor aye any approach I'm sorry we don't have a vote on the appointment I'm sorry there's a motion to adopt the order we have a motion on item number 31 to adopt uh the order on the appointment hasn't made and second second favor I I any opposed and 32 were the claims which were motion referred Corporation Council second

number 32 for the Corporation Council has a million seconded all in favor aye any opposed motion counties item 33 was a communication regarding the tax workbook program for veterans all in favor aye and the opposed ocean carries item 34 was a communication that we received regarding an alleged Ada non-compliance at a a location in Fall River

I wonder why people just uh are Anonymous when they uh when they uh send their correspondence that I mean there's no way for us to follow up with that individual correct at least they make it aware making us aware of the situation so yeah I just want to clarify that in the original email we did the um tax write-off it was Anonymous but then we had a follow-up email where the man did

give his name and phone number and I did actually reach out to him and had a lengthy conversation with him so at least that individual did step up and and give us that information with that I yield I think emotion hasn't made in second at all in favor item 35 is an open meeting well complaint filed by Patrick Higgins refer to cooperation Council for the corporations all in favor

aye any opposed motion codes item 36 is the Fall River Public Library's annual report accept inflate motion to accept in place motion setup file has been made and seconded all in favor aye any opposed motion taken I'm sorry 739 together second Ary all in favor aye any opposed motion approved

um so the items are the minutes of the public hearings held on August 15th committee on finance held on August 15th in the regular meeting of the city council on August 15th this year approve has a million seconds all in favor aye any opposed motion counties and the last item whereas the area of President Avenue has been under construction since April 2023 for purposes of water main replacement work

and whereas property owners have sustained damage to their properties due to this work which is being done between 8 pm to 4 a.m and whereas concerns have been expressed regarding communication with the city and the construction crew now therefore be at resale that the Committee on Public Works and transportation meet with the respective City representatives and effective Property Owners to discuss this matter

this resolution that I prefer do television discussion yes this is a good time mostly refer motion hasn't made the secretary to adopt a resolution all in favor aye any opposed motion carries motion Cuts will take a recess until we get some signatures for the honors committee I'm taking too many resets

foreign

thank you

City Country we have the miscellaneous traffic ordinance for Passage through final ordination motion submit section is a million seconded all in favor aye aye any opposed Russian counties we have the community medicine scheduling coordinator position for Passage through final ordination promotion still made a second password nation has been made and seconded all in favor aye aye any opposed abortion

carries Andy last is the renaming of the city council subcommittee to include Veterans Affairs motion carries before we adjourn I just want to say week today September 19th is a primary election for City councils and the mayor City Fall River I hope everybody gets out there I hope all the voters go out and vote and good luck to everyone

thank you

thank you