Government

City Seeks Residents to Serve on Blue Ribbon Committee on City Council Salaries

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Watertown City Hall

The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City Council is seeking individuals who live in, work in, or own property in Watertown to apply to serve on the Blue Ribbon Committee to examine the salaries of City Councilors. The Blue Ribbon Committee’s duties will be to study the salary received by City Councilors and the Council President for their service and make recommendations on a methodology and process for salaries to be set going forward, including a recommendation for the 2026-2027 Council salary. The committee will receive staff support from Municipal Policy Analyst Doug Newton. The committee’s final recommendations will be presented to the City Council no later than at the December 10, 2024 City Council meeting. The committee’s recommendations must be decided on by the Council by June 2025.

Government

State Sen. Will Brownsberger Seeks Summer Interns

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following information was provided by the office of State Sen. Will Brownsberger:

The Office of Senator Will Brownsberger is accepting applications for part-time, unpaid internships for the summer of 2024. Internships are reserved for residents of the Suffolk and Middlesex District. Applications are due Monday, April 8, 2024. There are two types of opportunities available:

General Office Internships are designed for applicants in the early stages of exploring policymaking and government who are seeking opportunities to learn more and refine their interests. Legislative Internships are designed for those who have already gained some experience and are looking to delve deeper into a topic of interest.

Government

Save the Date: Next Watertown Square Area Plan Public Forum

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Attendees at the Feb. 29 Watertown Square Area Plan meeting hear from consultants working on the project. (Photo from City of Watertown)

The following information was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Watertown Square Area Plan project team invites you to attend our next Public Forum on Thursday, April 4, 2024, beginning 6:30 p.m. at 66 Galen St., Watertown, MA 02472 (note different location than previous public meetings). If you plan on attending the public forum in person, please RSVP so we can properly prepare the venue. 

During this public forum, the project team will present feedback from the previous public meeting (which you can rewatch here: http://vodwcatv.org/CablecastPublicSite/show/3049?site=3), and introduce a proposed design scheme to move to next steps. 

More details on what to expect at this forum will be shared in the coming weeks. If you are unable to attend in person, a broadcast link will be shared in the coming weeks to view the discussion online. 

We encourage all interested members of the public to join and provide feedback!  

RSVP Here: https://forms.office.com/g/nEkynPFmyv

Government

City Manager Submits Nominees for Watertown Human Rights Commission

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Starting with a pool of 28 applicants, City Manager George Proakis selected a group of nine people which is “very diverse with a very interesting mix of backgrounds” to nominate for Watertown’s first Human Rights Commission. The changes to Watertown’s Charter approved by voters in 2021 included the creation of a Human Rights Commission. More than two years later, the inaugural group of commissioners were submitted by Proakis to the City Council on Tuesday. “This one has been a complicated and long process to get us to this point,” Praokis said. The City Council adopted the ordinance to create the Human Rights Commission in September 2023, and in December 2023 Proakis sent out notice that he was seeking applicants for the Commission.

Government

City Considering Going to Half Days on Fridays All Year Long

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Photo by Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

City Manager George Proakis asked the City Council to consider changing the hours for City Hall, along with the Senior Center, to half days on Fridays because it would help with recruitment of employees and added that Friday afternoons are slow for City departments. The proposal would impact City Hall, the Parker Annex and the Senior Center, and would make the hours they are open to the public 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays; and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Typically, Watertown City Hall has hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday most of the year, and during the summer it is open until 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays. Many city and town governments have half days on Fridays for the entire year, Proakis said. City officials examined open hours for neighboring communities, and those communities that are comparable to Watertown. They found that 12 of the 18 communities have full-year half-day Fridays.

Government

Committee of Residents Will Make Recommendation for City Councilors’ Salaries

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Watertown City Hall

A committee of residents and property owners will be created to study what salary should be paid to Watertown City Councilors. On Tuesday night, Councilors unanimously voted to create a Blue Ribbon Committee to study salaries. City Council salaries must be approved by the Council, and when approved they do not take effect until the following term. In January 2023, the Council approved an increase of $1,200 per year to $8,700 a year for the Councilors and a $1,500 increase to $12,000 for the Council President. The increase was based on a 2.5 percent raise per year from 2018 to 2024.

Government

OP-ED: Council Public Forum — 60 Seconds or Not?

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By Clyde YoungerFormer Watertown Council President

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024 I attended the meeting of the Sub-Committee on Rules and Ordinances in support of a petition signed by over 200 residents. Those signing the petition were requesting consideration of adding One (1) additional minute on the two (2) Public Forums in order to allow a resident additional time, if required, to complete their plea. As an alumnus of the Watertown Council, I was dumbfounded to hear some of the discussion with one of the Councilors saying we give them four minutes when other communities give none. We do not give the people time; they give us the opportunity to represent them. Every Councilor I served with understood this.

Government

This Week: Short Term Rentals, Increase Tax Exemptions & Study of City Council Salaries

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The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on whether to allow short-term rentals in Watertown. A City Council committee will look at increasing the exemption allowed on personal property, which would reduce the burden on businesses. The full Council will meet Tuesday and discuss establishing a committee to examine Councilor salaries. Monday night at 6 p.m., the City Council’s Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight will discuss increasing the personal property tax exemption from $5,000 to $10,000. The Watertown Business Coalition supports the idea, saying it would give some tax relief to small businesses.