During a public hearing on Monday, the Cambridge City Council voted in favor of an administrative order combining several offices related to housing into a unified housing department. The department will be run by Housing Director Christopher Cotter and will report to Assistant City Manager for Community Development Melissa Peters.
“The reorganization of the Housing Department will align function and focus under 5 programmatic divisions in 3 areas,” according to the new plan. They are:
A. Housing Services:
1. Housing Support Services
2. Homeless Program Planning
B. Affordable Housing Programs:
3. Affordable Rental Programs
4. Homeownership Programs
C. Affordable Housing Development and Planning:
5. Affordable Housing Development
Currently, housing programs in the city are split across three different city departments, with different managers. The housing liaison reports to City Manager Yi-An Huang and will be moved into the newly unified department, as will the Multi-Service Center that aids Cantabrigians who are unhoused or nearing eviction, which reports into the Department of Human Service Programs.
Cambridge resident and former council aide Dan Totten spoke in favor of the reorganization proposal during the public comment period, saying it will make it easier for people facing homelessness or eviction to seek services.
Identifying the right programs and services can be “an overwhelming and confusing process, even for people who are providing those referrals,” he said. “When it’s all a one-stop shop, it’s going to be easier to serve vulnerable residents.”
Some public commenters, however, were skeptical of the proposal, citing lack of public knowledge about it. Others asked for additional programs, such as an office of housing stability based on similar offices in Somerville and Boston that are meant to prevent evictions and resident displacement.
Cambridge Housing Liaison Maura Pensak said “much of the work [Boston and Somerville] does is exactly the work that exists with the multi-service center.” She added that the creation and growth of the Housing Liaison’s office since 2019 has led to a capacity and staffing level that is “equivalent or greater” than Boston and Somerville’s housing stability offices.
According to the city’s charter, re-organization plans must come from the city manager (not the council) and council members could not make any amendments to the administrative order issuing the change. The councillors didn’t express major issues with the plan, though, and were generally excited for what the consolidation could provide.
“This is a great idea,” said Councillor Marc McGovern. He said when residents come to him for help with immediate housing issues, he has had to send them to multiple people across different city departments. “When it’s confusing or daunting for me to navigate all of that, it is incredibly difficult for the individual who is going through a traumatic time and worried about a lot a lot of other things rather than having to go to three different departments.”
Councillors did express some disappointment that the unified housing department will not be based in a single building.
“It really undermines [it] when you’re looking for cohesion,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, noting that residents seeking housing services must go not just to separate offices, but separate buildings on different streets. She added, “I know we have issues with space, but I think it would be really helpful” to consolidate locations.
All councillors (except for E. Denise Simmons, who was absent) voted in favor of adopting the administrative order.
Cambridge Keeps AAA Bond Rating
For a 27th consecutive year, Cambridge has received a AAA (“Triple A”) bond rating from the three major credit rating agencies: Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch. Coincidentally, Cambridge is one of only 27 U.S. cities with such a rating right now.
“The city’s financial position is expected to remain healthy given strong fiscal management and significant operating flexibility that will help maintain stability despite the weakness in the tax base,” says Moody’s credit report, justifying Cambridge’s earning of the top rating.
This update comes at a critical time for the city’s financial health, as growth of property tax revenues are expected to slow or decrease over the coming year. All three credit agencies mentioned this in their reports, with S&P’s report citing “changes in the region’s lab and office market.” But the consensus was the city would be buffered by its overall strong tax base and history of sound financial management.
One issue raised during the comment period was whether it was necessary to pay for ratings from three agencies, alleging that the city was trying to “buy” its way to a better rating.
“When we have triple A ratings from all three rating agencies, it actually results overall in having a lower [interest rate],” said Claire Spinner, assistant city manager for fiscal affairs. “While it does cost us a little more to go to three different rating agencies, it is [in the] long term beneficial for the city to get the absolute lowest rate each time we go out to the market to borrow.”
The city is carrying about $800 million in debt on its balance sheet, so even minor adjustments to the interest rate can have a big impact. A press release from the city said Cambridge had been able to refinance its debt, which will save it $2.1 million while lowering debt service costs over the next several years.
According to Spinner, the city’s interest rate of just under 2.2% marks a five-year low. Lower interest rates also allow for lower costs on capital improvements that could impact public safety, like mitigating climate change.
“One of the big pieces of work that we’re funding is in The Port,” said Kathy Watkins, deputy city manager, during Monday’s meeting. “That work is being led by the fact that it is our most vulnerable neighborhood in terms of flooding, and so that is a priority investment area in terms of our capital program.”
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