Federal Covid aid may go to guaranteed income; Free student transit, Fair Share bill also favored
Orders that could change life significantly for Cambridge’s lower-income residents were approved Monday by city councillors, including a call to put some of the $65 million in federal Covid aid the city is getting into a guaranteed-income program and one that would give all high school students free CharlieCards for bus and subway rides.
Attend meetings on a 455-home Kendall tower, timeline for the ‘MassAve4’ bike lanes and more
Public meetings this week look at approvals and timelines for the next set of bike lanes and a study of their business impacts, a 400-foot tower for Kendall Square that would be the city’s tallest, a pause on office and lab development around Alewife, a possible guaranteed income program for the city’s poorest and much more.
‘Future of Telework Committee’ lacks timeline, frustrating councillors and drawing an outburst
The City Manager’s Office has blown past another deadline for setting a telework policy for municipal employees, this time to deliver a report and recommendations to the City Council at its March 21 meeting. The latest missed deadline was signaled weeks earlier by the city manager’s indignation about being questioned.
Delay for bike lanes in Porter Square is accepted; Economic impact study will account for Covid-19
City government was in an unusual position Monday as the city manager asked for support to break the law and city councillors responded in the affirmative – because a May 1 deadline for bicycle lanes can’t be achieved with new levels of community engagement and parking mitigation demanded by the councillors.
Superintendent will decide mask rule for schools; Even public officials seemed unclear on process
There were two hours of School Committee discussion Tuesday in which even members wondered about the process for a mask decision, and the mayor said she would be “happy” to call a special meeting on the topic. The deliberations led only to sending the idea back to the working group – which also doesn’t decide.
Attend meetings on a new problem at preschools, rodent solution, bike lane delay, Cherry Street lot
Public meetings this week look at problems with rats and a change in preschool hours, missing a May 1 deadline on bike lane construction, turning a vacant lot in The Port into affordable homes, special education policies, an energy-use disclosure law, Alewife-area lab moratorium, city manager search, law against wage theft and much more.