These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City of Somerville website.
Issues around Davis Square
Public Health and Public Safety Committee, 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The subcommittee calls the directors of health and human services, housing, and housing stability departments for updates on programs and efforts to address drug use, quality of life and homelessness issues in and around Davis Square. Councilors say they also want to know in real time when emergencies are underway such as fires or emergency evacuations. Watchable via videoconferencing.
Voters head to the polls
Elections Department, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. The city is set to elect a new mayor – incumbent Katjana Ballantyne did not get enough votes in the primary and ends her tenure after two consecutive terms – and at least two new councilors at-large. Voters will also decide on two referendum questions: approval of the biggest changes to the city’s governing charter since 1899, and whether the mayor should have a four-year term. A third nonbinding question asks voters whether the city should be prohibited from giving contracts, conducting business with and investing in companies that “engage in business that sustains Israel’s apartheid, genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine.” In-person voting occurs at polls across the city.
Public hearing on 90 Washington
Land Use Committee, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6. This committee, the Planning Board and the city’s Redevelopment Authority convene to hear city plans for 90 Washington St. on Cobble Hill. At last week’s City Council meeting, a senior city planner briefly explained the proposed changes, including removing a requirement for a public safety building and shifting to a mix of uses including housing to focus on recouping as much as $30 million for the land and paying the former owners for a land taking. Separately, as part of a yearlong discussion with city officials, the group continues to discuss a draft amendment for allowing taller buildings near public transit and more density in structures that add affordable housing above the minimums set by the city. Watchable via videoconferencing.
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