Summary

Council Approves Major Flooding Project Financing

SomervilleJul 9, 20263 min read

At a glance

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The Council approved borrowing $130,392,395 for the Morrison Avenue Linear Storage project, which will add underground stormwater storage, upgrade sewer infrastructure, and reduce flooding and combined sewer overflow discharges. The financing is expected to carry a 2% interest rate over 30 years, with possible partial loan forgiveness.

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City Council

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What this means

The project is intended to reduce flooding and improve sewer performance in the Morrison Avenue, Davis Square, Packard Avenue, and Jay Street areas. The Council also enacted a rule requiring property owners to notify tenants when a building is sold. Decisions on a body-worn camera program and related privacy reports were postponed or sent back to committee for further review.

Key decisions

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Approved $130,392,395 in borrowing for the Morrison Avenue Linear Storage project.
Approved $834,595.05 from the Facility Renovation Stabilization Fund for continuing building design and construction services.
Approved $185,357.58 from the Street Reconstruction Stabilization Fund for street, sidewalk, and pavement assessment and design services.
Enacted an ordinance requiring property owners to provide tenants notice of a building sale.
Laid on the table an application to accept and spend a $231,635 grant for a Police Department body-worn camera program.
Referred body-worn camera impact reports and the technology-specific use policy to the Legislative Matters Committee.
Approved a Home Rule Petition to authorize the City of Somerville to regulate leases and tenancy-at-will agreements.
Approved appointments to the Fair Housing Commission, Affordable Housing Trust, Climate Action Commission, Wage Theft Advisory Committee, and Commission for Persons with Disabilities.
Approved a $50,000 Police Detail Revolving Fund and appropriated $204,400 for the school custodians' labor agreement.
Referred formal recognition of the Davis Square Neighborhood Council to the Legislative Matters Committee.

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