All:
As we trudge forward through our snowiest winter in recent memory we should all try our best to take advantage of the sunny days in between and get out into the community. Thanks to the hard work of City staff who have been working long hours trying to keep sidewalks and streets safe for residents. It has been a difficult winter for snow removal and while not every street or sidewalk is perfect, reading the headlines from around the state, many neighboring communities have struggled with plow availability even several days after storms.
I’m looking forward to activities this weekend – hopefully some snow activity (maybe sledding at Danehy?). I even went cross country skiing for the first time in years, since the state park, Great Brook Farm, had enough snow. Definitely worth checking out.
I’m happy that the City has announced the official launch of the new Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control and Stormwater Management Advisory Committee. This advisory committee was created in response to several committee meetings I held and a policy order I passed after working with several watershed advocacy groups. The committee will work with City staff on on-going and future planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance of infrastructure projects related to stormwater management, combined sewer overflow, and flood mitigation. You can apply online or in person by March 13, 2026. I encourage any residents interested in stormwater mitigation to apply, but especially subject matter experts and folks living in areas where this kind of construction will impact you.
I’ve gotten some feedback on the lengths of my newsletters, so I’m trying out a little more brevity below. Happy for any and all feedback – I do my best to make these newsletters informative and readable for everyone.
Below are comments on a few top line items and a few quick notes for Monday’s meeting. If you have questions or comments on these or anything else, please feel free to reach out at any time.
Patty
Council Updates
Finance Committee
As co-chair of the Finance Committee for several years now, I have been working to have more regular meetings and more medium- and long-term planning discussions around budget formation and tax rate discussions. I’ve also been working to have the Council do a better job of prioritizing initiatives. We can do a lot of big things in Cambridge with all of the resources we have, including making huge investments in affordable housing, universal pre-k, and sewer separation projects. But it’s also incumbent upon the City Council and City administration to sequence large investments over time to fit within our long-term financial plans and budget policies, which has allowed us to enjoy great financial flexibility. Sequencing projects and prioritizing initiatives will help us smooth out bonding schedules and will allow for predictable and planned budget growth – protecting taxpayers and ratepayers from large variances and hikes. The latest step in that work was a Finance Committee meeting we held this week on future budget priorities. In this meeting we started to embark on an ambitious exercise to prioritize nearly two-dozen well established Council initiatives into a much more manageable and implementable scoping strategy. As was mentioned in the memo accompanying the meeting, importantly, narrowing our focus is not meant to exclude, diminish, or eliminate other goals, all of which will continue to be part of conversations between City staff, City Council, and community members. Rather, it reflects the practical need to concentrate staff capacity and financial planning. It’s not to eliminate the possibility of other items moving forward over time, but to prioritize a select few and to institute a process by which we ensure that this Council works with City staff productively over the course of the next term to make demonstrable progress on 2-3 priorities. This meeting was the beginning of that process which we will work on for the next few months.
Please write to the Council (at council@cambridgema.gov) or come speak at the meeting (sign up here) about any of the items below.
City Council Meeting - Monday, March 2, 2026
Parking Permit Costs
This policy order was “charter righted” by Councillor Simmons last week and we will discuss it again this week. The policy order asks the Cambridge Department of Transportation to adjust the fees of a resident parking permit, which haven’t been adjusted since 2013, to accurately reflect the costs of administering the program. It also asks to implement a low-income fee structure for residents in lieu of a blanket senior exemption. This ensures that we aren’t subsidizing permit holders – any fee below $75 means the resident car owner is being subsidized by all resident taxpayers, whether they own a car or not.
Municipal Supportive Housing Voucher Program
The City Manager has delivered an update on the implementation of the municipal supportive housing voucher program. This was a request the City Council made during budget discussions last year to create a municipally funded and operated housing voucher program, filling gaps for vulnerable residents. As the memo outlines, the program has been fully established and is being actively implemented.
Transfer Fee Home Rule Petition
The City Manager has come back with amendments to my Home Rule petition asking for authorization to enact a real estate transfer fee on large transactions. This would allow Cambridge to collect a real estate transfer fee of up to 2% only on the portion of sales prices exceeding $1mil. This language would allow Cambridge the flexibility to choose whatever dollar number and percentage makes sense based on our own real estate market (but not to exceed 2%). It has a steep hill to climb at the state house, but it’s an important tool that could be a big part of our overall housing affordability crisis.
Automated Traffic Enforcement
This policy order builds on my work from previous Council terms asking the state for the ability to implement automated traffic enforcement for violations like running red lights, extreme speeding, or other moving violations. The policy order asks for the Council to support existing state bills from Rep. Steve Owens and Sen. Will Brownsberger and also asks the Law Department to draft a new Home Rule Petition.
Election Poll Workers Pay
This policy order asks the City Manager to work with the Election Commissioners to consider giving election poll workers the option to be paid as vendors, rather than automatically withholding FICA and mandatory retirement contributions. This could allow for easier recruitment of election poll workers and help individual workers with ease of processing.
Roundtable on City-Owned Properties and Redevelopment
Following a policy order I submitted that requested the City Manager to prepare for an in-depth conversation around best and future use of City-owned properties, Mayor Siddiqui has announced that we will have a Roundtable Meeting with City staff to discuss.
David and I enjoyed some cross country skiing for the first time in years at Great Brook Farm
Local Events/Notes
Participatory Budgeting
Voting for Participatory Budgeting starts March 5-15. The City of Cambridge is excited to once again invite community members to vote on projects aimed at improving the city as part of the 12th Participatory Budgeting (PB) process. From March 5 to March 15, 2026, all Cambridge residents aged 12 and older, including non-US citizens, all 6th graders, and university students, will have the opportunity to participate. Learn more.
Women’s History Month
The Cambridge Historical Commission Celebrates Women’s History Month. As a joint project of the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women and the Cambridge Historical Commission (CHC), the Cambridge Women’s Heritage Project (CWHP) was created to bring women’s contributions into focus, ensuring that they are included in the City’s rich history. During Women’s History Month, the project feels especially resonant. It reminds us that history is not fixed; it is something we build, revise, and enrich. We invite you to follow the CHC on social media throughout March as we highlight some of the women and woman-focused organizations that built and strengthened our community. Visit the Cambridge Women’s Heritage Project database: https://cwhp.cambridgema.gov/.
Community Friday Nights
Cambridge Youth Programs announces Community Friday Nights. Cambridge Youth Programs (CYP), a division of DHSP, is excited to announce Community Friday Nights, a weekly event series designed to bring residents of all ages together for engaging activities, meaningful connections, and opportunities to build stronger relationships within the neighborhood and across the city. Beginning on Friday, February 27, the free events will take place on Fridays at the Russell Youth and Community Center, 680 Huron Ave. from 6 – 8 p.m. Learn more.
Winter Mix Events
The Community Development Department’s Public Space Lab, with support from Cambridge Recreation, is excited to present Winter Mix – a new series of free community events – that will take place throughout the month of February. Themed outdoor events will take place on Thursday evenings, and indoor pop-ups are scheduled for Saturday afternoons. Winter Mix events are intended to bring joy and warmth to the coldest time of year. By activating public spaces with light, movement, arts, and cultural programming, Winter Mix aims to reduce winter isolation and cultivate community resilience through shared experiences. At each event, community members can expect a cozy, family-friendly atmosphere, festive lighting, music, warm refreshments, games, and performances. An extensive list of local businesses and organizations are slated to participate in Winter Mix, ranging from chocolatiers to the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For additional event details, including programming and activities, as well as time-sensitive updates, visit cambridgema.gov/wintermix.
Cambridge Snow Center
The City will use the Cambridge Snow Center website, along with social media and other communication methods, to keep the public informed about Cambridge-specific impacts. www.cambridgema.gov/snow
Winter Resources for Unsheltered Residents
Cambridge has a network of homeless service providers, faith-based partners, and public services that coordinate efforts during extreme weather conditions. Learn more.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone for reading. If there are any topics you want me to cover in future newsletters, I’m always happy for the input! As always, please feel free to reach out to my aide, Patrick (phayes@cambridgema.gov), or me for any of your City Council needs.
You can find all previous newsletters on my website. Please share with anyone you think would be interested: https://pattynolan.org/news/