The city has a $250 million proposal to revamp the Tobin and Vassal Lane schools and an attached park, with $237 million to be discussed Monday. (Photo: Marc Levy)

City manager seeks $267 million for projects

City Council, 5:30 p.m. Monday. If you thought the next city budget and its spending would take a hit from the coronavirus, the proposed next operating budget is $715 million, up $35 million (or 5.1 percent) over the current year, with $312 million of the total for capital projects – and this week the council will see city manager requests of $237 million for the Tobin Montessori and Vassal Lane Upper Schools project; $16 million for improvements at the Department of Public Works complex and other municipal buildings; another $9 million for improvements to the Lexington Avenue and River Street firehouses; and $5 million for reconstruction of various streets and sidewalks. City councillors, meanwhile, can bring back an order about police discipline and policy over an errant tweet, and they want to hear back from city staff about its digital equity research, considering there’s already been four orders passed to allocate money for a full feasibility study of municipal broadband. They’re also looking ahead into a Covid-19 future, asking whether Cantabrigians can make their upcoming votes by mail and for a comprehensive strategy on how to reopen the city.

The meeting will be televised and stream online. Sign up for public comment here to get instructions about how to use the necessary Zoom video conference platform.

Wrapping up the budget process, and $2M appeal

School Committee, 6 p.m. Tuesday. The committee is due to receive (and approve) a proposed budget for next year of $214 million, that will then go to the City Council, and to hold a hearing on state school choice. The agenda also includes a recommendation for an appeal to the state that might save $2 million – an expense being added by the state to cover gaps between campus coronavirus closings and the start of remote learning. The district says Cambridge Public Schools had no gap.

To give public comment, signup is mandatory and can be done through noon Tuesday by phone at (617) 349-6620 or 5:30 p.m. online at www.cpsd.us/school_committee/virtual .The meeting will be broadcast over Cambridge Educational Access TV channels 98 and 99 and should stream online. More information is here.

The Building & Grounds Subcommittee meets from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Friday to discuss a general facilities plan and respond to a Covid-19 recovery plan. Public comment signup window is from 9 a.m. Wednesday through 10 a.m. Friday by phone or by noon online.

The Governance Subcommittee meets from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday to discuss the code of ethics of the School Committee. Public comment signup window is from 9 a.m. Wednesday through noon Friday by phone or by 2:30 p.m. online.

‘Nonprofit row,’ Foundry and substation take shape

Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The agency meets to review planned improvements at 93-99 Bishop Allen Drive, the “nonprofit row” building near Central Square, and look at progress on the Foundry community building (the structure of a sublease and management agreement). Also on the agenda: a proposed Eversource substation in Kendall Square that would keep a substation from being built on residential Fulkerson Street. Join the meeting online at tinyurl.com/ycamh9bf or call (301) 715-8592 and enter the Meeting ID of 897 2354 2275# and the passcode 500034.