Chicopee City Council Dec. 3 meeting transcript
The text below is an unedited transcript
created with automatic speech recognition software. It is based on the
audio from a video recording of a Nov. 19 meeting of the Chicopee City
Council. It contains numerous errors, primarily related to the spelling
of the names of people and places. Do not rely on it for information
without additional vetting.
[Speaker 1]
Evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to call to order the December 3rd, 2024 City Council meeting to order. Please rise to the pledge to the flag. And now we'll take a moment of silence for those who protect us home and abroad.
Thank you. If you could mute your cell phones this evening, it would be greatly appreciated. Clerk, will you call the roll call?
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme.
[Speaker 1]
Here. Roy.
[Speaker 3]
Here. Wagner. Here.
Zagorowski. Here. Arriaga.
Here. Brooks. Here.
Gough. Here. Valkyrie.
[Speaker 17]
Here.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus.
[Speaker 1]
Here.
[Speaker 3]
Chomsky. Here. Kushain.
Here. LaBrie. Here.
Pena Costello.
[Speaker 1]
Here.
[Speaker 3]
13 present.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Participating this evening on Zoom, we have Consular Wagner and Consular Brooks this evening. Okay.
In compliance with the Open Meeting Law, the City of Chicopee is broadcasting live and for future broadcasts this meeting on Chicopee TV. Is anyone else in the audience or on Zoom video or audio taping this meeting? Please state your name and reason for doing so.
Is there anyone on the floor taping or recording? Is there anyone on Zoom? Seeing none, we will move into the Mayor's remarks.
Mayor, you have the floor.
[Speaker 2]
Thank you, President LaFlamme, esteemed City Councilors. I have numerous orders for your consideration tonight, and I'll start with Mayor's Order 1. It's the appropriation of $61,781.97 to the following name and account, Human Resources Salary Account for Chief Human Resource Officer slash Director from the available funds and the Stabilization Fund. As you're aware, we had taken the money from those line item of the Human Resource Director. And we're going to use that for some consultant services to carry us through as we start a search. I can't post a position without being able to fund it.
So this is the amount that would account for roughly a half a year's salary so that I can go forward with posting the position as the Chief Human Resource Officer slash Human Resource Director for the City of Chicopee. And just so you know that where we stand now is we are looking at hiring a third party consultant. We will not be using the original, I believe it was, Mike, $100,000?
I think it was about $100,000, we won't be using that all. We'll probably be using more like a tenth of that, and the rest will be returned to the general fund.
[Speaker 1]
Any questions from the floor? Any questions from Zoom? Seeing none.
[Speaker 2]
Thank you for your consideration. We'll move on to Mayor's Order Two. It's the appropriation of $26,367.64 to the following named purchasing salary accounts. Purchasing agent, $11,367.64 and sick buyback $15,000 for a total, like I had said, of $26,367.64 from the available funds in the stabilization fund. I'm sure many of you heard that our purchasing agent, Brian Solomon, will be retiring in a couple of weeks. And first, I want to take a moment to thank Brian for all of his years of service to the city of Chicopee.
He's certainly been an asset to my administration in working with him hand in hand through many projects and many purchase orders and many other, frankly, city business. And I want to thank him for all those years of service. Any questions from the floor?
Mary Beth. Mary Beth.
[Speaker 7]
I also want to thank Mr. Solomon for all his years of service. He was very, very conscientious and always had the city's best interest in his reports. Thank you.
[Speaker 2]
I didn't think he was old enough to retire. I'm kind of shocked.
[Speaker 1]
Any other questions from the floor?
[Speaker 2]
If he's watching. So we'll be posting that position too right away.
[Speaker 1]
I'll sit there.
[Speaker 2]
Well, thank you for your consideration. Again, that is contractual. We'll move on to Mayor's Order 3.
Order that the city council accept the Home Depot Foundation Grant in the amount of $6,800 to the Chicopee Police Department. Said grant will be used for kits containing essential winter items for the homeless and those in need in the city of Chicopee. And it's accepted in accordance with Mass General Law, Chapter 44, Section 53A.
Pretty self-explanatory. I know that Chief Major is here to answer any questions and certainly want to take care of those who are out there homeless as the weather's gotten colder really quickly. And even some snow flurries tonight.
We want to make sure that we're out there doing everything we can to protect the people who potentially are homeless and those who are really having a struggle out there on the streets. Chief, anything you want to add?
[Speaker 6]
We've done this program before through Home Depot, and it's been successful in getting the proper climate clothing to those in need, primarily done through our C3 units. And if our other patrol units come across somebody in need, they'll notify the C3 units and make sure that that person gets taken care of. Thank you.
Any questions from the floor?
[Speaker 16]
Just a quick question. Is this something that the officers will be stocked with in their car? So as they see them, they can hand it to them, or these people are going to have to go to a place and then pick it up?
[Speaker 6]
The officer, if they don't have it in their car, the officers would be able to go to the C3 buildings and pick it up and bring it down to the person in need.
[Speaker 7]
Okay, thank you.
[Speaker 6]
Councilor Costello.
[Speaker 7]
Yes, and tell Captain Lambert, thank you for his hard work in getting this grant. This is something that the city can benefit from. Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other questions from the floor? Any questions on Zoom?
Any questions on Zoom? Seeing none.
[Speaker 2]
Thank you. We'll move on to Mayor's order four. First, let me just prequel a little bit.
I'm pretty excited about the next one, two, three, four, five orders. And as you know from the executive session we held a couple of weeks ago, we're really interested in moving technology forward in the police department. And frankly, we're going to be cutting edge when it comes to technology.
Right now, we are using the FUSIS system, which is a camera AI system that's been a tremendous help in accompanying the PD and their daily operations. And I know that Chief Major's very excited that you brought this forward with Deputy Chief Watson. And what we're really looking to do, and it's no secret, update our tasers, add body cam and dash cams, and really integrate AI into what we do with a real-time crime analysis center here in the city of Chicopee.
I'm going to go through these orders, and please, we'll answer any questions that you have. But I am really excited about the future of the Chicopee PD. It's no secret that I've been saying that public safety is paramount to the success of this community.
And we want to make sure they have the right tools to not only protect themselves, but to protect everyone who lives here. And I've often said, if you don't feel comfortable putting your head down on your pillow at night, you're not going to want to live in the city of Chicopee, no matter how good the schools, how good our services are. If you don't feel safe, you're not going to want to live here.
So we're really focused on this new technology. And I can read the first mayor's order. And what we're doing is adding, like I had mentioned, taser upgrades, body cam, dash cam, and components of AI, and also virtual training.
And the first order reads the mayor's appropriation of $447,461 to the following named account. Police expense account for computer software from the available funds and the stabilization fund. So you can see from the background information, I also wanted to share that in that 441,000 that we're going to be asking you for.
It's my understanding that we're already paying roughly, and please, Chief, correct me if I'm wrong. We're somewhere in the ballpark of $219,000 of this ballpark figure. So we'll be enhancing that with this new technology that all of you had the opportunity to witness it, because I believe you were all present for the executive session two weeks ago.
[Speaker 1]
Mayor, if I could just interject a minute. All these items will be going to finance, hopefully going to finance, so that we can have more discussion the public can hear, too. So just, if you want, you can hold off on some, but the people will be there at that meeting, at finance.
[Speaker 6]
Thank you. If I could add just the one thing, too, just a reminder that we did seek and receive approximately $300,000 worth of grant funding to offset the cost of this program as well.
[Speaker 2]
Okay. It's very important to mention that part.
[Speaker 1]
Okay, we have a couple people that want to ask questions, if I could, Mayor? Yes, sir. Number one.
Councilor Wagner.
[Speaker 14]
Not a question, but a comment. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mayor, and thank you, Chief, for the wonderful presentation you gave during that executive session.
I am looking forward to hearing some of the public's input in finance, but it was a very, very wonderful and thoughtful presentation. You answered all my questions. I'd like the public to know that there's, with all of this AI innovation, they've assured me that there will be appropriate civilian safeguards and human checks on all the technology that's being employed in our department here.
And I think it's going to be a game changer in terms of policing, not just in Chickapee or the commonwealth, but across the nation, so thank you all for your hard work in this.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Councilor Roy.
[Speaker 6]
The software itself, the AI software, it's multifaceted. It's a closed system AI software, so it'll use only what we put into it. And it's also going to be able to allow the officers and the body cameras to have an instant translator feature on the body cameras, which comes in handy sometimes out in the field when we're dealing with somebody who doesn't have English as a primary language.
So they'll be able to have instant translation through that. It's also going to expedite report writing, which again is a benefit for us to be able to get an officer back onto the street doing their job instead of being tied up for an inordinate amount of time writing reports. Those are some of the basics of the software.
Thank you, Chief. The AI software.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Costello.
[Speaker 7]
Yes, Chief, I want to thank you. I've had constituents ask about body cams. So this is wonderful news to them because they wanted to move our police department into the world of technology and you have done that.
So thank you. And like I said, constituents agree with the mayor, public safety is their main concern. And you are addressing public safety with this initiative.
Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any questions from Zoom?
Seeing none, I'll say Mayor.
[Speaker 2]
I'll read the first order. Mayor's order, again, it's four, five, six, and seven that are in front of you. Let me explain a little bit about them.
So I believe I read mayor's order four, correct? Yes. Okay, we'll move on to mayor's order five.
And what we're talking now is civilians, they're going to be trained. Civilians are going to be the ones who work the real-time crime center. And the first one, let me just grab my notes.
Again, then the next, the five, six, and seven are the employees. And again, for the real, and these are going to be civilian positions, like I said. They're going to be skilled, confidential positions.
And also, the fourth one will also be paid for by the Hampton County Sheriff. So we're going to have four positions that are going to be working in the real-time crime center. And the graciousness of the sheriff, he's going to be paying for one of those positions.
And I'll read mayor's order five. That's the appropriation of $43,250 to the following named account. Police salary account for information and technology systems engineer, from the available funds and the stabilization fund.
And that position, again, will be the systems engineer. We'll report to the deputy chief, in this case, who is our chief technology officer. And police chief, you can chime in if you'd like.
They're going to focus on the technology and the systems implementing.
[Speaker 6]
You have it down pretty good, Mayor. The reason why we're asking for a technology engineer is just due to the vast amount of technology that we've implemented over the last few years to include what we're asking for tonight. I've been fortunate enough to have some incredible officers within my department that are very tech savvy.
But the purpose of asking for the new civilian personnel is to be able to remove them somewhat from what they're currently doing and getting them back to more police work.
[Speaker 1]
Any comments from the floor? Councilor Brie.
[Speaker 12]
Yes, Mayor. The job for the information and technology system from the sheriff. Will that be every year that he'll pay for that?
For the position?
[Speaker 6]
Yeah.
[Speaker 2]
The sheriff? Yes, I believe the goal is to have the sheriff.
[Speaker 6]
Yes, he will be an employee of the sheriff's office assigned to us in that capacity.
[Speaker 2]
And just for the record, these are approximately half your salaries.
[Speaker 6]
Okay.
[Speaker 2]
Okay, that's what you're seeing in the budget, to get us to the budget.
[Speaker 12]
He'll be here half time, roughly, from the sheriff's department?
[Speaker 6]
No, he'll be with us full time. Oh, okay.
[Speaker 2]
We're only asking you for half to get us from January to June. Any other comments from the floor?
[Speaker 1]
Any questions from Zoom? Any questions from Zoom?
[Speaker 2]
Seeing none, Mayor? And Mayor's order six is the appropriation of $57,500 to the following named account, police salary account for real time investigative crime analysis supervisor from the available funds and the stabilization fund. That pretty much speaks for itself and what that position is.
That would be the supervisor position in the real time crime center. That person would be making sure that everyone's doing what they're supposed to be doing. I've had the opportunity to visit the real time crime center in Springfield and it's something very special.
And I won't share the details for the confidentiality of my experience, but I believe that you've all seen exactly what the capabilities are in that executive session and moving forward. So we're really excited about the future of the PD and certainly gonna protect our police officers when they're out there. And please understand how readily available, think about all those body cam footage pieces and the power of AI and be able to sort through them in seconds to find what you're looking for.
Whether it be the fuses cameras throughout the city as we continue to grow that program into the private sector and expand our public sector cameras and also now the footage of a dash cam and also body cam. To protect not only the patrolman, but also build public's trust as we handle those situations in real time. Chief, anything you wanna add?
And then Mayor's order seven would be the one position I'm asking for $35,000 to the following name to count police salary account for real time investigative crime analyst from the available funds and stabilization. That position will be creating two of those. One, like I had mentioned, will be paid for by the Hamlin County Sheriff's Department and the other one by the city of Chicopee.
Any questions about Mayor's orders five, six, seven? I'm gonna say thank you for your consideration and thank you, Chief, for being here. Anything you wanna add?
[Speaker 6]
No, sir, I think we have one more on the next page.
[Speaker 2]
Yes, we do. Yes, those were positions. The next piece is the Mayor's appropriation of $147,000 to the following name to count police expense account for computer software from the available funds and the stabilization fund.
This piece is the extra AI of the future that helps with report writing, having manuals online, Chief, and also with the language immediate translation to, I believe, I don't remember how many, but numerous, if not dozens of different languages that we could potentially encounter. And we can really be able to work in real time and find out what's happening in a situation. Any questions from the floor?
Councilor Roy.
[Speaker 6]
Yes, Chief. What is the difference between this software and question number four, Mayor's order number four? Good question, sir.
So this is the software that I was speaking about before, the AI software. Question number four, we currently use a vendor that provides tasers for us and the FUSA software that we're currently using. So as we expand with the body cams and the cruiser cams and the software involved with that, we're restructuring the current contract we have and that's in line with what the first or second order, Mayor's order four, was for.
Thank you, Chief.
[Speaker 1]
Any other questions from the floor? Anyone from Zoom? Just for information, the Finance Committee is going to be December 9th at 630 in this auditorium.
[Speaker 2]
Go ahead, Mayor. Well, I'll say thank you for your consideration.
[Speaker 6]
And then we'll move on to Chief, anything else you want to add about the- I'll say I just appreciate everybody's consideration and time, especially coming to the Executive Committee, so we can show you what we're trying to bring forward for our community.
[Speaker 2]
And I just want to clarify one thing for the record. I had mentioned, I believe, multiple times that we're calling it a real-time crime center. That's not the name of it.
It's a real-time information center. Just want to be clear. We're really focused on the positive part of how this is going to impact our community.
And we're going to call it ours, a real-time information center. And I think that's much more appropriate than calling it a crime center. Thank you again for your consideration.
Move on to Mayor's order eight. It's the, I'm sorry, Mayor's order nine. To the City Council, you're hereby notified that I have this day appointed Tim Foley of Chicopee to the Golf Commission to serve in such office expiring on the first day of November of 2028.
To which appointment I confirm, I ask the confirmation of your Honorable Counsel. So I'm not sure if all of you know Detective Tim Foley. Tim is here.
Tim's a lifelong Chicopee resident, a long time employee of the Chicopee Police Department. And he loves golf. Tim, do you love golf?
Okay. He supports Callaway by hitting balls into the drink and also into the woods, so thank you for that, Tim. But Tim's very interested in all seriousness in serving as a golf commissioner.
He's very passionate about the Chicopee Country Club. And I'm excited for this opportunity for him to serve as a member of the commission. Any questions about the appointment, new appointment of Tim Foley?
I'll say thank you for your consideration. And that's all I have. But most importantly, I just want everyone to know that Santa Claus is coming to town.
Santa will be here early. It took a lot of strings, but we pulled them. And him and Mrs. Claus, they'll be joining us on Friday night here. I ask everyone to join us at 4.30. Santa should be arriving. He'll be landing at the fire department and making his way down to City Hall on a fire truck. And he'll be coming in here.
All those who are watching, please know that Santa is accepting letters. And he'll also be granting those wishes, those Christmas wishes. If you have a request for Santa, you can come and meet him in person, get your picture taken with him, and put your request in for the holiday.
We'll be doing it right here in the auditorium. And we'll certainly also be kicking off the Christmas season or the holiday season by turning on our lights. And I'm really excited about Friday night and Santa coming to town.
So any questions about that? I hope to see everyone there. I know the city council's gonna be passing out, I think, donuts and hot chocolate.
And please understand to the viewing audience and the general public that these events are free. And it's gonna be a lot of fun. So we'll be gathering out here at City Hall Plaza when Santa arrives.
And then we'll be moving inside here for the light refreshments and the opportunity to drop your letter off to Santa. And as my understanding, Santa plans on responding to all those letters. So put your name and address on them and your wish list.
And for those who are interested in a Red Rider BB gun, you will shoot your eye out. So please don't put in that request. And thank you for laughing, Fred.
I saw one of you laugh. And I hope to see all the members of the city council there on Friday. And that concludes the briefing.
Thank you for your consideration. Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
We will now move into public input. Public input is limited to three minutes or less. Is anyone in the audience here for public input?
If so, state your name and address for the record, please. You can come up to the mic right here. And it's a three minute limit.
[Speaker 11]
Good evening, Lisa Bienvenu, 34 Everett Street. It was very interesting to listen to those mayor's orders about the forward thinking of the police department and the investment in technology that this council is looking forward to discussing at the finance committee. I wish that we could be as forward thinking with technology and improvements and other aspects of the city, not just the police department.
Though that's a very important part of the city. But public safety isn't just crime. Public safety is also safety on our streets.
And that seems to create a lot of tension in this city when that's discussed. I know there was a lot of tension about the Burnett Road area. And it's interesting because this council talks to the public in your comments.
Like the public is unreasonable to be concerned about traffic and traffic incidents. And on Burnett Road, and I'm not talking about anything about what the development should be or should not be or whatever. But you should be thinking about the traffic and the traffic patterns and the traffic flow and the fatalities that are occurring in that area.
That should be a part of every decision that you make in planning. Don't spout to us, the taxpayers, that if we don't allow whatever business decides to come to this city, our property taxes are gonna be raised to pay for things. Don't go there, because then you guys should be looking at the budget and the spending from the budget now to see, because I haven't seen you cut anything.
I only see a flow of money, but no one assessing how is that money being used ahead of time. Are you funding for positions that never get filled and then that money gets moved around during the year to pay for other things? That's all our property taxpayer money.
So you guys should be asking a lot of questions about everything. And it shouldn't be the budget being voted on a week before it's due at the end of June.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else here for public input?
[Speaker 9]
Good evening, my name is AJ Crane, I live at 23 Rich Street in Chicopee. I also own a contracting and development business at 821 East Main Street. I'm Chair of the Board of Directors at West Mass Area Development Corporation, which owns a large development off Robbins Road.
But tonight, I'm here in my capacity as Chicobee Chamber. Chicobee, Chair of the Board of Directors, Chicobee Chamber of Commerce. Sorry, Melissa's over there coaching me.
I have a letter to read on behalf of our membership and the Board of Directors. Personally, it's a little disheartening that the tax rate has gone up again. And we continue to be discouraging to commercial industrial development.
That's my personal feeling. But on behalf of the Chicobee Chamber, I'd like to read this letter into the record. To Mayor View and members of the Chicobee City Council, on behalf of the Chicobee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, thank you for the opportunity to address the issues of critical importance to our business community.
The recent increase in the local commercial, industrial, and personal property tax rate. As these rates climb, they significantly impact the sustainability of our businesses and affordability of our residents. Over the years, Chicobee's commercial tax rate has seen significant fluctuations, with one constant factor being the limited commercial and industrial development in our city.
The lack of development creates a shrinking tax base, placing greater financial pressure on our existing businesses and residents. We recognize the decisions made in the past by both this body and factors beyond its control have created obstacles for new development with some opportunities being delayed or ultimately lost. We also know that these decisions are rarely easy and often involve balancing competing priorities.
That said, it is vital that we shift focus to creating an environment where commercial and industrial growth can survive and thrive. The solution lies in fostering a proactive approach in development by prioritizing initiatives that attract new businesses, encouraging industrial expansion, and reinvesting in underutilized properties. We can expand the tax base and reduce the need to burden existing businesses and residents with higher rates.
We urge this council to work collaboratively with us, the chamber, and other stakeholders to address these challenges head on. Together, we can explore incentives for development, streamline the permitting processes, and make strategic investments in infrastructure that will attract new commercial opportunities. These efforts will not only stabilize tax rates, but also position Chicopee as a vibrant hub for economic activity.
Thank you for your time and your dedication to the city, and for your willingness to listen to the concerns of the business community. We look forward to working with you to build a stronger and more sustainable economic future for our city. Sincerely, Chair of the Board of Directors, AJ Crane, Chicopee Chamber of Commerce.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you.
[Speaker 9]
Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Is there anyone else for public report?
[Speaker 10]
Yes, my name is Connie LeBlanc. I live at 55 Providence Street. I am here tonight because I am sick and tired.
I've lived in my home for 21 years. I am tired of the parking issue by Lucky Strike Restaurant. There should be no parking there, period.
Years ago, when Steve Fredericks was the city engineer, he came out. He measured the street, and he said it was 28 feet wide. It wasn't wide enough for cars to park on both sides of the street.
I'm really tired of it. And then when you call, there's a certain officer, I'm not going to name names. He says, if they have a handicapped placard, I give them time.
Well, I'm sorry, I have a handicapped placard. I parked wrong down in Springfield, and I got a ticket. I didn't read the sign correctly.
I paid it. These people, I don't care if you're handicapped or not. They don't need to be parking.
There's no parking here at a corner. I came home today, there's a car right at the corner. And they sometimes park on the other side of the street, by the bar.
It has to be no parking, period. I'm going to start coming to every one of your meetings and complaining about this until you guys do something. This is ridiculous.
The best time of year is when Degree's owned it, and they closed for two weeks. There were no cars there. We could get in and out.
Ambulances and fire trucks are not gonna get down that street with these cars parked there. And there's one spot by the bar that they always park, where the driveway. They're not supposed to be parking there.
But if you call the police, I know they're busy, I understand that. But this is a continuation. I'm gonna start taking pictures and print them out and mail them to each one of you.
I'm tired of this. It's 21 years I've been in my home, and I pay taxes. And like they say, the taxes keep going up and up and up.
And we have enough crime in this city. I've had two shootings on my street within two years, the same house. So you need to do something, and it's traffic.
And they speed down our street and everything else. I'm tired of it. And if you don't do something about it, I will promise you, I will be here at every meeting and speaking at public input about this situation.
Something needs to be done now. Winter is here, and they don't even plow the street right. They plow it three feet off the curb.
How are you supposed to get out of the street? You can't. And I know each and every one of you that are sitting here and in the audience here have been to Lucky's.
You can't say you haven't. So I'm asking you to please do something about this. Because I will be calling not only the mayor's office, but I will go call the police and the DPW to get that street cleaned this winter.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else on the floor for public input?
Is there anyone on Zoom for public input? Is there anyone on Zoom for public input? Seeing none, I'll take a motion to close public input.
Motion made in second to close public input. Roll call, please.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlambe.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Zagorowski. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Goff. Yes. Salkeer.
Yes. Krampets. Yes.
Chumsky. Yes. Cushane.
Yes. LaBrie. Yes.
Cinefistolo. Yes. 13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes. I'd just like to mention that we have our school department liaison, Sandra Perret. Thank you, Sandra.
I know you're listening over there for being here this evening. OK. We'll go into the mayor's orders.
Oh, I'm sorry. We're going to go into the minutes.
[Speaker 3]
You have the minutes for any communication? October 29th, no communication. No communication.
Minutes, please. October 29th.
[Speaker 5]
Councillor Chumsky. Motion that we approve the minutes from the October 29th special meeting.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made second that we accept the minutes of October 29th special meeting. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 3]
Help explanatory.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme. Yes. Roy.
Yes. Wagner. Yes.
Zagorowski. Arriaga. Yes.
Brooks. Yes. Gough.
Yes. Salkeer. Yes.
Krampets. Yes. Chumsky.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Cushane. Yes. LaBrie.
Yes. Cinefistolo. Yes.
13 yes. And the motion passes.
[Speaker 1]
OK. Mayor's orders.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $61,781.97 be hereby appropriate to the following named account, human resource salary account for chief human resource officer slash director. Set amounts be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 4]
Councillor Brooks. Make a motion that the mayor's order be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made in second that the motion be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, this total amount of roughly $62,000 would be representative of half a year's salary for the resource officer slash director. We are currently engaging a third party agency to come and help us advertise. But without this money being appropriated, the mayor is unable to post the position and move this process forward.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any comments from the floor? Councillor Coff.
[Speaker 17]
I'd like to make a friendly motion that it be sent to finance.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made in second to send it to finance. On the motion.
[Speaker 17]
On the motion, the money for the salary was already taken for a consultant. And as I look through the budget, there's a lot of funding that has not been used in the HR department. There's a few line items.
And I think the money could be taken from there instead of the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Councillor Cushing.
[Speaker 15]
Just a point of information in the mayor's briefing, the mayor did mention that the previous $100,000 is actually going to be returned at a rate of about 90% back to the general fund because it's no longer needed in its capacity for the consultant. It's more important to get the job posting out there, which is what the job of a consultant isn't for. So that $100,000 is pretty much going to be refunded back to the city.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Anyone? Councillor Ioannoni.
[Speaker 16]
I agree with sending it to finance. I mean, since we just approved so much just two weeks ago, if it's going to go back, then just move it from there to this instead of back and forth. If we're also only going to be spending a 10th of it, then why do we approve it to begin with?
It was so important to approve it right then and there without question. So there's just a lot of still questions around it. I'd rather look at this deeper.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Councillor Costello.
[Speaker 7]
Yes, I agree with Councillor Arrioga and Councillor Gough. I believe a person at Public Input questioned in regards to how we're handling the monies, that we're approving positions that haven't been funded, and then we have to send the money back or go into another account. So the public, at least at this juncture, wants us to look deeper into our spending habits.
And I agree with Councillor Gough and Councillor Arrioga. Having this go to finance for a public hearing would answer a lot of questions. And maybe this is a new beginning in regards to how we handle their budgets, as was suggested by a constituent who comes here and is very active in how we handle our business.
The federal government has a $35 million dollar, no, excuse me, $35 trillion deficit. And we all hear the news that they're talking about cuts. That affects us with grants and whatever.
So we're going to have to start looking very seriously in regards to spending money. And I think this is a good way to look at. We have proved, you're right, Councillor Arrioga, we have proved amount of money, and now we're looking at, well, maybe we'll only spend 10% of that.
Thank you. Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? I'd like to talk on this one for a minute.
[Speaker 3]
Roll call, please. President Laflamme. Abstain.
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
No. Zagorowski. Yes.
Arrioga.
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks. Yes. Goff.
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Valkeer.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Chumsky.
Yes. Cushing. Yes.
Labrie. Yes. Pena-Castello.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Levin, yes. One no.
[Speaker 1]
One abstention. Thank you. We have a mayor's briefing.
I wish people would ask some of these questions at the mayor's briefing so we would get this information, because we're going to send it to finance, which I have no problem sending to finance this time. But a lot of this stuff could be probably answered at this meeting with the mayors in front of us. And then, you know, I'm hearing about salaries from the public, and just mentioned now.
Let me just say this. All departments wish, wish they didn't have to, they could use the staffing instead of that money and come before us for the other money. But they gotta have the money, those positions ready to go when they're ready to hire.
Some of them, you know, take time, and you know, people are, it's a challenge to get people to come to work. There's a lot of people out there, and they're no sooner coming to take a job with us than they leave us and go somewhere else. So, you know, leaving some money for salary accounts, I think is a good idea.
That's what it's for, yes. I know DBW would love to fill every position that they have open, but unfortunately, they're struggling too. We're all struggling.
Everybody's struggling. Look at our own office. April, since we've been looking for someone in our office, and we're still struggling.
We're still trying to find someone. So we need that money available, just like mine, since it's sitting in our accounts at city councils. But we're hoping to get that person filled, and then the money's there ready to go, and not have to come before the city council or go to human resources or whatever needs to be done.
So it's just something I wanted to bring up because I'm gonna vote for this tonight for this one to go, but I'm gonna start looking at why wasn't this asked during our mayor's orders. That's all I ask. Thank you.
Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Roll call.
[Speaker 3]
Okay, on the amendment to ascend to finance. President LaFlamme. Yes.
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Zagorowski. Yes. Arriaga.
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks. No. Gough.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Thalkeer.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Chumsky.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Kushain. Yes. Labrie.
Yes. Benia-Costello. Yes.
12 yes, one no.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, and the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $26,367.64 be in hereby appropriate to the following name, purchasing salary accounts. Purchasing agent, $11,367.64. Sick buyback, 15,000 for total, $26,367.64. Set of models be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 17]
Councilor Gough. Motion that the mayor's order be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor.
[Speaker 1]
Motion being seconded that the motion be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 17]
This is for the purchasing agent is retiring, and so this is to rehire somebody.
[Speaker 1]
This is his buyback.
[Speaker 17]
And the sick buyback.
[Speaker 5]
Yeah, his buyback, yes, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
All set?
[Speaker 17]
Yep.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Chumsky.
[Speaker 5]
Yes, thank you. I just want to express my congratulations to Brian Solomon, our purchasing director. He's a good guy.
He lives on the street from me, and I've known him for years. I wish him the best, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Krampus. I too wanna wish Brian congratulations on his retirement.
[Speaker 13]
It kinda makes me feel old because he is probably the last department head that is here from when I started. So after that, it'll be a whole new slate. So I wish Brian well in his retirement, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call. President Laflamme. Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Stegarowski. Yes.
Arriaga. Yes. Brooks.
Yes. Goff. Yes.
Valkyr. Yes. Krampus.
Yes. Kushain. Yes.
Labrie. Yes. Benitez-Pastrana.
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And a motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the city council accept the Home Depot Foundation Grant in the amount of $6,800 to the Chigubi Police Department. Said grant will be used for kits containing essential winter items for the homeless and those in need in our city. And it is accepted in accordance with Mass General Law, Chapter 44, Section 53A.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Kushain.
[Speaker 15]
Motion that the Mayor's Order be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the Mayor and a donation accepted this evening.
[Speaker 1]
Motion being second, the motion be received and passed through all stages on a written recommendation of the Mayor and a donation accepted this evening. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 15]
This is one of the many things Home Depot does to support the community. They've done this program for several years now, in addition to a lot of others. And as usual, we'll send them our thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme. Yes. Roy.
Yes. Wagner. Yes.
Zagorowski.
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Arriaga. Yes. Brooks.
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Goff. Yes. Valkyr.
Yes. Krampus. Yes.
Chomsky. Yes. Kushain.
Yes. Labrie. Yes.
Piniepastel. Yes. 13 yes.
And the motion passes. Ordered at the sum of $447,461, being hereby appropriate to the following named account, police expense account for computer software. Set amounts be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 5]
Councilor Chomsky. Motion that the mayor's order be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the motion be received and passed through all stages on the written recommendation of the mayor. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 5]
Yes, this is an appropriation for the police expense account for computer software. And as explained earlier this evening and a previous executive session that we had, this will be for our real-time crime center, real-time information center, as the mayor called it. This is going to be a great asset for the city of Chicopee.
It's going to help keep our neighborhoods and our streets safe. And truthfully, public safety is paramount to the success of our city and every city across the country. So I really do look forward to this being implemented in the future.
Thank you. On a motion.
[Speaker 12]
Do we want to amend this and send this to finance?
[Speaker 5]
If that's what the council would like, I'd be open to it.
[Speaker 12]
Yeah, I think we discussed it when the mayor was here and I'd like to make an amendment.
[Speaker 6]
Mr. President, you don't make an amendment, you just motion to refer to finance. No amendments.
[Speaker 5]
Motion to be sent to finance. Okay, motion made to second finance. Okay, any other comments from the floor?
[Speaker 1]
Any comments from Zoom? Any comments for Zoom? So this motion will be sending it to finance.
[Speaker 3]
Roll call, please. President Laflamme. Yes.
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Zagorowski. Yes.
Arriaga. Yes. Brooks.
Yes. Cobb. Yes.
Salkeer. Yes. Krampus.
Yes. Chumsky.
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Hussain. Yes. Labrie.
Yes. Financastello. Yes.
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $43,250 be hereby appropriate to the following name to count, police salary account for information and technology systems engineer. Set amounts be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Bailik here.
[Speaker 13]
Motion that the mayor's order be received and be sent to finance committee for consideration.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made in second that the motion be received and sent to finance. Sent to finance. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 13]
On the motion, as was discussed previously in the mayor's briefing, this is involving the implementation of a new system. And this involves a lot of money. Involves a lot of people to run it.
And this particular line item, this is for a civilian position that was gonna man the real-time information center. And this is gonna be for police information technology systems engineer, who's gonna be needed to help implement this program and run this program for the technology. So they're gonna be responsible for designing, implementing, installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting improved technology systems used by the police department.
And they're gonna report to the deputy chief. And this is gonna be a civilian personnel and it's gonna be a confidential position.
[Speaker 1]
And I'm in favor of it, but as was mentioned earlier, this is gonna go to the finance committee for discussion.
[Speaker 13]
Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any questions from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFleur?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Arriaga?
Yes. Brooks? Yes.
Scott? Yes. Valkyrie?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus? Yes. Chumsky?
Yes. Kushain? Yes.
Labrie? Yes. Finia Costello?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13, yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $57,500 be in hereby appropriated to the following named account, police salary account for real-time investigative crime analyst supervisor. Set amounts be taken from the available funds and the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 1]
Counselor Zagorowski?
[Speaker 3]
Motion that the mayor's order be received and sent to the finance committee.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made in second that the motion be received and sent to the finance committee for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 8]
On this particular order, this is for a real-time investigative crime analysis supervisor. That person will, again, like was said before, is going to report to the deputy chief. But this is going to bring us into the up-to-date, what we're doing in our city, police department.
Some cities have been doing this for years. So Springfield has implemented this program. It's a good program.
People like public safety. They want public safety. And if you feel safe in your home with this kind of program, I mean, we took the tour at the police department and just saw exactly what is transpiring with this.
And it's a positive thing for both the police and the city of Chickadee, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call. President Laflamme?
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Yes.
Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Stauff? Yes.
Salkeer? Yes. Krampus?
Yes. Chumsky? Yes.
Kushain? Yes. Labrie?
Yes. Pena Costello?
[Speaker 16]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $35,000 be in hereby appropriate to the following named account, police salary account for real-time investigative crime analyst. Set amounts will be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 12]
Councilor Brie? Motion that the mayor's order be received and sent to the finance committee for a public hearing.
[Speaker 1]
Motion that the mayor's order be received and sent to the finance committee for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 12]
On the motion, we'll take it up in committee.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Yes.
Arriaga?
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks? Yes. Stahl?
Yes. Valkyr? Yes.
Krampus? Yes. Chumsky?
Yes. Cushing? Yes.
Labrie? Yes. Pena Costello?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Order that the sum of $147,000 be in hereby appropriate to the following named account, police expense account for computer software. Set amounts will be taken from the available funds in the stabilization fund.
[Speaker 6]
Councilor Roy? Motion that the mayor's order be received and sent to the finance committee for a public hearing.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the motion be received and sent to the finance committee for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 2]
The motion will take it up in the committee meeting.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Scott? Yes.
Salkeer?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus? Yes. Zomski?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Cushing? Yes. LaBrie?
Yes. Pena-Costello? Yes.
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
There's a new appointment of Tim Foley as a member of the golf commission.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Wagner? Councilor Wagner.
[Speaker 3]
Apologies.
[Speaker 14]
Some technical difficulties. The button's not quite working.
[Speaker 1]
That's all right.
[Speaker 14]
Make a motion that the order be received and referred to the human resources committee for a public hearing.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the order be received and sent to the human resources committee for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 14]
On the motion, it's a new appointment to replace, I believe, Gary Lonczak on the golf commission. So it'll be taken up at committee.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor?
[Speaker 5]
It's Tim Foley, not Gary Lonczak.
[Speaker 1]
No, replacing, I think he says.
[Speaker 5]
Oh, my apologies.
[Speaker 1]
Okay. Okay, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFleur.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Yes.
Zegarowski? Arriaga? Yes.
Brooks? Yes. Scott?
Yes. Salkeer?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus? Yes. Kumski?
Yes. Cushing? Yes.
Labrie? Yes. Pena-Castillo?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And a motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
We have a favorable report from the license committee for an application for a home occupation license for the purpose of doing frozen desserts located at 34 Riverview Terrace.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
I make a motion that the favorable report for a home occupation license be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the license committee report be received and a favorable report be accepted this evening with restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, this gentleman, Mr. Delgado, would like to create frozen desserts and sell them out of his home. We heard about his business endeavor. He does have a letter from his landlord supporting this.
The hours of operation would be 7.30 through 9.30 p.m. every day, 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. every day. He is, however, required to contact the health department for an inspection, as well as the fire department for an inspection, and he did indicate to us that there would be enough off-street parking to not interfere with any on-street parking in that area of Riverview Terrace.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Latim, Roy, Wagner? Yes. Zagorowski?
Arriaga?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks? Yes. Scott?
Yes. Valkeer? Yes.
Krampus? Yes. Komsky?
Kushain? Yes. LaBrie?
Yes. Senator Costello? Yes.
12 yes, one out of chair.
[Speaker 1]
And a motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
We have a favorable report from the License Committee for an application for a home occupation license at 21 Emerson Street for the purpose of baking bread and cookies and delivering to customers. Councilor Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the favorable license committee report be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the favorable license committee report be received and approved this evening. On the motion with restrictions.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, Ms. Santana came in and explained what she was looking to do. She as well had a letter of support from her landlord indicating that there were no issues with her operating a business out of her home. Her hours of operation would be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Parking is also not an issue as there is an adjacent parking lot for the address that will support any customers coming and going. And that was generally it. There were no concerns with the health department or any other departments.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 4]
President LaFlamme?
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
[Speaker 4]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Zagorowski? Arriaga?
[Speaker 4]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Yes. Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Salkeer? Krampus? Yes.
Chomsky? Yes. Kushain?
Yes. LaBrie? Yes.
Castello?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes. And the motion passes. We have a favorable report from the license committee for an application for a class two license for a Yaguri auto body located at 922 Front Street.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Same course, Mr. President.
[Speaker 1]
Motion being seconded that the favorable license committee report be received and approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, this is a current license holder. They do have an auto repair license. This would be a class two to sell automobiles.
The hours of operation would be Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There'll be no inside storage related to this business. We have 12 available spaces outside, two designated as employee and two designated as customers. In addition, there are four handicap spots that are available to this business.
Basically, it's a two to one ratio from typical spots to the handicap spots, which far exceeds the state requirement of 15 to one. Unfortunately, last night, they did not have a signed copy of the lease for whatever reason. A signature deed was omitted, and they will need to meet all building department requirements with respect to some debris on the property, but they did indicate that there's a new property owner who's already rectified that, but they would still reach out to the building department for a visual inspection.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other, Councilor LaBrie.
[Speaker 12]
Yes, Chairman of the License Commission Committee, Shane Brooks, please, through the Chair. I just have a question, Shane, on his business. Is he incorporated?
[Speaker 4]
Yes.
[Speaker 12]
Okay, thank you.
[Speaker 4]
And he does have the required bond, the insurance bond. That was included in our package.
[Speaker 12]
Okay, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, we'll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlambe, Roy, Wagner.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Zegrowski. Yes. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Stoff. Yes. Salkeer.
[Speaker 2]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Kouching.
Yes. LaBrie. Yes.
Financastale.
[Speaker 16]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
We have a favorable report with a motion to deny from the License Committee for an application for amended hours to include Sunday for Monroe, Muffler, and break at 451 Memorial Drive. Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
I make a motion that the committee report be received and the motion to deny approved this evening.
[Speaker 1]
Motion being seconded to the License Committee report be received and denied this evening. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, this is the second License Committee meeting in a row that the applicant has not attended. On their behalf, we were able to verify today that they did receive the proper notifications both times and we just felt like if they couldn't extend the courtesy to showing up to the meeting, then we had no other choice but to deny the application.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments from the floor?
Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 4]
Yes. President Slam?
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Stegarowski? Arriaga?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks? Yes. Scott?
Yes. Salkeer?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus? Yes. Zumski?
Yes. Kushain? Yes.
Labrie? Yes. Financastale?
Yes. Martinez?
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
We have a favorable report from the License Committee for an application for a junk dealer's license located at 40B Center Street.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the favorable License Committee report be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made second that the favorable License Committee report be received and approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, this gentleman is looking to open a business to sell video games. His proposed hours of operation were 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. However, there was a little bit of an issue with the storefront located, being listed at 40B.
He will need to contact the engineering department to get that rectified to verify that. It's an actual address and you'll see it in the next order as to why. And we did indicate to the applicant we will not release the license until the engineering department have resolved the issue.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Councilor Bailiwick here.
[Speaker 13]
Yeah, thank you. Just a clarification, this is the chickpea bullion in coins.
[Speaker 4]
Oh, I'm sorry, I got one ahead of myself.
[Speaker 13]
Thank you, thank you, sorry, sorry, Shane.
[Speaker 4]
Oh, no worries.
[Speaker 1]
Okay, you wanna talk about the other one, Shane, or are you all set?
[Speaker 4]
No, it's the same scenario. So there are two businesses going into two distinct storefronts. One is listed as 40 Center Street and one is listed as 40B Center Street, but they wanna be able to confirm those addresses are valid.
So both applicants have been asked to reach out directly to the engineering department to rectify that before we will release both licenses.
[Speaker 1]
Perfect, thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, we'll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme, Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zegarowski? Yes.
Arriaga?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks? Yes. Goff?
Yes. Stelkier? Yes.
Krampus? Yes. Chomsky?
Yes. Kushain? Yes.
LaBrie? Yes. Fenia Costello?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
For a favorable report with a motion to postpone from the license committee for an application for a junk dealer's license located at 1600 Memorial Drive inside Priceway, EcoATM.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the license committee report be received with a motion to postpone to the call of the chair.
[Speaker 1]
Motion may say the license committee report be received and postponed to the call of the chair. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
The applicant did not come to the meeting, so we're going to give him one more opportunity and then we'll hopefully be able to address the application then.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme, Roy, Wagner, Zagorowski, Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Goff? Yes.
Stelkier?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus? Yes. Chomsky?
Yes. Cushing? Yes.
Labrie? Yes. Cassell?
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Thirteen yes. And the motion passes. We have a favorable report from the license committee for an application for a junk dealer's license, dealer and secondhand articles located at 40 Center Street to buy and sell used games and accessories.
Councilor Brooks?
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the favorable license committee report be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the favorable license committee report be received and approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, the hours of operation would be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, same as the last one located at Center Street. That's why I got confused. They will also need to work directly with engineering to identify what the correct address is.
There are two side-by-side storefronts, so they also are fully aware that we cannot release the license until that issue is resolved.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme, Roy, Wagner, Gorowski, Arriaga, Brooks, Gough, Stelkier, Krampus, Skumski, Kushain, Labrie, Castello. 12 yes, one out of chair.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Be it ordered that the following nomination for the former Library Building Commission be submitted to the mayor, Ray Huss Brooks.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Skumski.
[Speaker 5]
Motion that the order be received and sent to Human Resources for a public hearing.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the order be received and sent to Human Resources for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 5]
This is for the nomination of Ray Haas Brooks for the former Library Building Commission. We have a vacancy on there because of a resignation, so we want to fill this to keep the project moving.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Councilor Wagner?
[Speaker 14]
Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. Skumski, would you be open to a motion to approve him this evening?
[Speaker 5]
I just thought the protocol was to send to a committee. But we can gladly send this through tonight. So motion to approve this evening.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made. Do we have to take a roll call to take it off?
[Speaker 5]
Do we need to suspend any rules? Roll with it.
[Speaker 3]
We have to suspend the rule, right? We have to suspend the rule.
[Speaker 5]
31, right? No, no. It's not a commission rule.
It's not a commission rule. It's a policy rule.
[Speaker 7]
It's not a commission rule.
[Speaker 15]
The mayor's appointing a commission.
[Speaker 5]
38, right? Yeah. Motion to suspend rule 10.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded to suspend rule 10. All right. Motion made and seconded to...
Oh, you want a motion? 38.
[Speaker 5]
Motion to suspend rule 38.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded to suspend rule 38.
[Speaker 5]
Roll call, please.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlambe?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Here.
Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Knapp? Yes.
Salkeer? Yes. Krampus?
Yes. Chomsky?
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Cushing? Yes. Labrie?
Yes. Benia? Yes.
Castello? Yes. 12 yes, one out of chair.
[Speaker 7]
And a motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Now let's get a motion.
[Speaker 5]
Can I get a motion? Motion to approve this evening the nomination of Ray Haas Brooks to serve on the old library commission.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded to the order be received and nomination approved this evening.
[Speaker 5]
On the motion, please. So this is to appoint Ray Haas Brooks to the library commission to fill the vacancy because of a resignation. Ray's, he's been on a bunch of boards of commissions.
Anytime we ask him to do something, he's always willing to join. And so I appreciate him taking this opportunity and the effort to do this. Thank you.
Thank you.
[Speaker 12]
Any other comments?
[Speaker 5]
Councilor LaBrie.
[Speaker 12]
Yeah, I just want to thank him for volunteering his time. It's very difficult to fill these positions. So when one comes up, we like to get them in there.
Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Councilor Wagner.
[Speaker 12]
Thank you, Mr. President.
[Speaker 14]
As I said, I've known Ray for a number of years. I served on the Historical Commission with him. He's always been willing and able to serve the city of Chickapee.
He's a small business owner in the community working in real estate. So he's got a love for history and he knows, you know, he knows the job that he's going to be doing.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, sir. Any other comments from Zoom? Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaPlante.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
[Speaker 16]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Zagorowski. Archer. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks. Yes.
Duff. Yes. Salkeer.
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Chomsky.
Yes. Cusheen. Yes.
Mabry. Yes. Pena-Costello.
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
A vote of yes, one out of chair.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
We have an ordinance to add to the following and schedule parking prohibited Murphy Court.
[Speaker 1]
Who's is that one?
[Speaker 5]
Councilor Chomsky. Motion that the order be received and sent to ordinance.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the order be received and take its first reading and sent to the ordinance committee for a public hearing. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 5]
So this is for a no parking sign on the hill of Murphy Court. This is the emergency exit for Litwin school or entrance if there ever was an emergency. So this was removed five years ago or knocked down some time ago.
So this is just to get a new sign up there. So no one parks in case of emergency. Thank you.
Councilor Cusheen.
[Speaker 15]
Does this ordinance already exist? If you're just replacing the sign.
[Speaker 5]
No, it was deleted and no one knows why.
[Speaker 15]
Okay. It's a knock down.
[Speaker 1]
Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, we'll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Yes.
Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Scott? Yes.
Salkeer?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Chomsky?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Cusheen? Yes. LaBrie?
Yes. Pinacostella?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Thirteen yes. And the motion passes. For an application for a new zone change from business A to residential B for 12,400 square feet of property located at 519 Chigabee Street for the purpose of eliminate a split zone and create uniform zoning across the entire property.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Bailiwick here.
[Speaker 13]
A motion made to receive a new zone change application before the Zoning Committee and Planning Board for a public hearing.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made the application be received and sent to Zoning Planning for a public hearing. On the motion, please. On the motion, Mr. President, we'll take this up in committee. Thank you, any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom? Any comments from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagorowski? Arriaga?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks? Yes. Gough?
Yes. Valcure?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampets? Yes. Komsky?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Cushing? Yes. LaBrie?
Yes. Finnegan-Castello?
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes. And the motion passes. Number 20 is the 2025 class one license renewal, Springfield Automotive Partners doing business as Mercedes-Benz of Springfield.
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 class one license renewal be approved this evening with current restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made second that 2025 class one license renewal be approved this evening with the restrictions.
[Speaker 5]
On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
On the motion, unless anybody has any concerns.
[Speaker 5]
Councilor Shumsky. Thank you, Mr. President. I just want to recognize this business, not only as a member of Ward 6, but for all the wonderful community work that they do.
The owners, Peter and Michelle, they also own a small business and really help to build up local businesses in the area and elsewhere in Western Mass. And they also are just great neighbors overall. I wish them many years of success.
Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Any other comments from the floor? Any comments from Zoom?
Any comments from Zoom? Seeing none, we'll vote.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFleur.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Nagorowski. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks. Yes.
Scott. Yes. Salteer.
Yes. Krampus. Yes.
Shumsky. Yes. Kushain.
Yes. Labrie. Yes.
Zinnia Costello. Yes. 13 yes.
And a motion passes. 21 through 28 are 2025 class two license renewals. Daniel's Truck Center, Inc.
Gary's Auto Sales, Inc. Gilbert Auto Care, Inc. International Automobile, Inc.
Penske Truck Leasing, Inc. Rock Rimmin Auto Parts and Recycling. Tellier's Auto Sales, Doing Business as Tellier's Auto Body.
And Vitality's Auto Sales.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 class two license renewals be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the 2025 class two license renewals be approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion.
[Speaker 4]
Unless there are any concerns.
[Speaker 1]
Any questions from the floor? Any questions on Zoom? Any questions on Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President MacLennan.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Zagorowski. Yes.
Arriaga. Yes. Brooks.
Yes. Scott. Yes.
Salteer.
[Speaker 5]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Shumsky.
[Speaker 5]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Kushain.
[Speaker 5]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
LaBrie. Yes. Pinacostone.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Thirteen, yes. And the motion passes. 29 as a class three license renewal, Rock Rim and Auto Parts and Recycling.
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 class three license renewal be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that the 2025 class three license renewal be approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
Unless there's any concerns.
[Speaker 1]
Any concerns on the floor? Any concerns on Zoom? Any concerns on Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme. Yes. Roy.
Yes. Wagner. Yes.
Zagorowski. Yes. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks. Yes.
Scott. Yes. Salteer.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Shumsky.
Yes. Kushain. Yes.
LaBrie. Yes. Pinacostone.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Thirteen, yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
30 through 31 are 2025 auto body license renewals. Tellier's auto body, Inc.
[Speaker 4]
and Vitale's auto body.
[Speaker 3]
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 auto body license renewals be received and approved this evening with restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that 2025 auto body license renewals be approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 2]
Unless there's any concerns.
[Speaker 1]
Any concerns from the floor? Any concerns on Zoom? Any concerns on Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 2]
President LaPlante.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy. Yes. Wagner.
Yes. Sigurowski. Arriaga.
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Brooks. Yes. Scott.
Yes. Salteer.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Shumsky.
Yes. Kushain.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
LaBrie. Yes. Pinacostone.
Yes. Thirteen, yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
32 through 37 are 2025 auto repair license renewals. Daniel's Truck Center, Inc. E&G Automotive.
Gilbert's Auto Care, Inc. Springfield Automotive Partners doing business as Mercedes-Benz of Springfield. Tony's Auto Repair.
[Speaker 4]
Town Fair Tire Centers, Inc.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 auto repair license renewals be received and approved this evening with current restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded that 2025 auto repair license renewals be approved this evening with the restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
Unless there's any concerns.
[Speaker 1]
Any concerns on the floor? Any concerns on Zoom? Any concerns on Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy.
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Wagner. Yes. Zagorowski.
Yes. Arriaga. Yes.
Brooks. Yes. Stahp.
Yes. Valkyr.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Shumsky.
Yes. Kushain. Yes.
LaBrie. Yes. Pinacostone.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
Okay, 38 is 2025 auto body auto repair license renewal. Gary's Auto Sales, Inc. Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
Make a motion that the 2025 auto body auto repair license renewal be received and approved this evening with current restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded. 2025 auto body slash auto repair license renewal be approved this evening with restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 3]
Unless there's any concerns.
[Speaker 1]
Any concerns from the floor? Any concerns from Zoom? Any concerns from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Roy.
[Speaker 9]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Wagner. Yes. Zagorowski.
Yes. Arriaga. Yes.
Brooks. Yes. Stahp.
Yes. Valkyr.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Krampus. Yes. Shumsky.
Yes. Kushain. Yes.
LaBrie. Yes. Pinacostone.
[Speaker 1]
Yes. And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
39 through 40 are 2025 auto detail license renewals. Springfield Automotive Partners doing business as Mercedes-Benz of Springfield and the Tin Shop. Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
I make a motion to 2025 auto detail license renewals be received and approved this evening with current restrictions.
[Speaker 1]
Motion made and seconded. 2025 auto detail license renewals be received and approved this evening with current restrictions. On the motion, please.
[Speaker 4]
Unless there's any concern.
[Speaker 1]
Any concerns from the floor? Any concerns from Zoom? Any concerns from Zoom?
Seeing none, roll call.
[Speaker 3]
President LaFlamme. Yes. Roy.
Yes. Wagner. Yes.
Zagorowski. Yes. Arriaga.
Yes. Brooks. Yes.
Stahp. Yes. Valkyr.
Yes. Krampus. Yes.
Shumsky.
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Kushain. Yes. LaBrie.
Yes. Pinacostone.
[Speaker 1]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
13 yes.
[Speaker 1]
And the motion passes.
[Speaker 3]
That's it.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Councilor Brooks.
[Speaker 4]
I just want to remind everybody as the mayor did, the tree lighting is Friday, December 6th. It looks like I was checking the weather when the mayor was announcing the events and it's going to be very chilly that night. So for the outdoor portion, please, please dress warm.
The high during the day is only going to be 30. So I can imagine it's going to be much, much cooler than that at the event. So look forward to seeing all the residents in downtown in Ward 2, and it should be an exciting event.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Councilor Gough.
[Speaker 17]
Mr. Mayor, I wanted to remind people that we're going to get a little bit of snow this week, so to drive safely.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you.
[Speaker 17]
Councilor Kushain.
[Speaker 15]
Yeah, I just want to piggyback on what President LaFlamme said about asking questions. We should be asking the mayor the questions during the mayor's briefing, because obviously he's the person with the answers. We can get them answered and it's also a public format.
So that satisfies a lot of people's wanting to have things in a public format. He's also available for questions period. So I know we get the agenda on Friday.
We have time to digest it over the weekend and Monday may be short notice, but I can guarantee you if you have a question about an order that is more of a personal voting measure versus things that do need to go committee, whether it be robust and collaborative effort, reach out to him. He'll make time to talk to you so that you can have your answers questions. So you can come here and make the appropriate, you know, answer decision.
And instead of sending everything to a committee, where sometimes it's just more of a personal vote that you're sending the committee for not a, something that needs that, you know, expanded discussion. So I encourage people to reach out to him, to talk to him over the, you know, after the weekend or during the briefing where it is in a public format, get those answers that we need so we can make the decisions and have things processed timely.
[Speaker 5]
Thank you. Councilor Chomsky. Thank you, Mr. President. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a great long weekend. It was great to see family and friends. I had my five year reunion, so it was great to see a lot of them.
I want to take a moment to address concerns that were made over since the last meeting regarding things that were said and done to me personally. I'm very disheartened that this ever had to happen. I hope that it never happens again to any of you or anyone period.
I appreciate everyone who reached out to me in the last week, and I'm really looking forward to just moving forward with anything and everything. You know, we all need to be civil. We all need to be respectful.
We can't threaten people, and we can't wish harm on them because we disagree with the decision, and we can't treat people with such disrespect and wish all terrible things on anyone. It's just very disheartening. So I hope that we can all move past this from now on.
We can all be better people, and the amount of people I've heard tell me from the area of my ward, saying how ashamed they are to even tell people where they live because they're afraid of a stigma that is, it's just, it's awful. It really is, and I really hope that we can move on from this. Thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you.
[Speaker 13]
Councilor Palacir. Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. I did also want to mention too about the weather's changing, and it looks like winter is coming sooner than we thought.
So please be careful with your driving and be careful of watching out for kids crossing streets, people walking, things of that nature. And again, as some of the other councilors have mentioned, that we are having a tree lighting ceremony this Friday. Dress warm.
It is gonna be cold, and let's welcome the new Christmas season. Thank you. Councilor Ziegurowski.
[Speaker 8]
I just got a couple announcements to make. I will be having a public safety meeting December 5th at 6.30 p.m. That's on a Thursday evening. It concerns Ralph and Dale Street.
I spoke to the councilman from that ward, and we're gonna try to settle some of the problems they're having, but I notify the chief and the fire department, DBW, everything necessary to go to this meeting. So that's December 5th, this Thursday at 6.30. Also remember, there was a lot of talk tonight about money being spent to the police department. You know, it's gonna go to finance committee.
I think our president said December 9th in the auditorium at 6.30. This is probably one of the biggest amount of money that the chief or the police department is gonna spend, but it's only gonna bring us into this century. Other departments across the country have already got this type of, and it's gonna make it a lot safer in our community. So it's money well spent.
I know it's a lot of money, but if you remember the tours we made at the police department, it's certainly positive things. I mean, you know, I still fervently believe, and I've heard some comments from the public at times that some of the money we're spending for public safety. Public safety is probably one of the most important things you can have in our city besides the fire department.
People will feel safe if the police are there and the fire department's there. So it's definitely something that it's well, good money that's being spent on a positive. If something's going wrong in your house, you want the fire department there.
You want the police department there. So, you know, we as councilmen care about this entire city. I mean, we work hard on here.
We're not gonna make everybody happy, but we're trying like heck. I mean, the police department is out there. I mean, I get the reports about tickets they got, and arrests they make, and they're doing their job.
They just can't be everywhere. I mean, there's a problem over there by Lucky Strike. I'm sure the ward alderman's gonna work on that and take care of it, but, you know, it's just, it's like what I said before many times.
You see something, call the police department. Keep calling them. That's what you're there for.
They might not come to your problem that minute, but at least it'll be on record that people are calling and complaining. Thank you.
[Speaker 12]
Councilor Brie. Yes, I just wanna add to Councilor Zagorowski's Public Safety Committee meeting. He had mentioned Dale Street and Rolfe Avenue, and it's actually a couple of the side streets we're gonna talk about, Kendall Street and St. Ann Street. So, you know, anybody who can invite their neighbors, I called a couple of people that had called me about that situation, and I, you know, encourage everybody to attend that meeting. And I also want to comment on the public input section on Providence Street. A couple of years ago, myself and some of the councilor at large, if not all of them, and the city engineer met there, and I believe we put up six or seven signs in that general area.
There's two handicap signs, there's no parking signs, two no parking signs in front of the bar, no parking here at a corner in the front of the bar, in front of the restaurant. It's a matter of, you know, police, you know, ticketing, and I'm gonna, you know, talk to the chief about, you know, having some cruisers go by during lunch hours and dinner hours when it is busy, because it is difficult to get in and out of that street. So, you know, other than talking to the engineer and taking his input, I really don't know what else we can do there but enforcement.
So, I will work on that, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Roy. Yeah, just slow down out there and drive responsibly, and this is your city, take pride in it, thank you. Councilor Wagner.
[Speaker 13]
Thank you, Mr. President.
[Speaker 14]
I think it's important to say that we're all one city, we're all one family here, so it's important that we always be kind, be respectful, and try and take care of each other as best we can. That in mind, as we approach the holiday season and as we pass Thanksgiving, I just wanna say that, you know, homelessness and financial struggles are an increasing commonality for many people in our community. If you can take the time to go volunteer at something like Orion Soup Kitchen, please do.
If you can donate, please do. It's important that we keep our community safe and warm and fed in the coming months as the temperatures begin to drop. Please everyone drive safely, the roads are slick, I almost witnessed a car accident not coming home from work today.
Just want everyone to stay safe and stay healthy in the holiday season, thank you.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you, thank you. Councilor Krampus.
[Speaker 13]
Winter's here, so be careful while you drive, and hope people can attend the tree lighting, and take care.
[Speaker 1]
Councilor Costello.
[Speaker 7]
Yeah, I just wanna make an announcement in regards to a Christmas bazaar. One of my constituents contacted me today to remind the public that there is a Christmas bazaar on Saturday, December 14th at nine o'clock in the morning, and the organization is saying, come shop with us for your holiday items. They have cookies, pies, soups, decorations, and more.
This will be at the Faith United Methodist Church, it's located at 191 Malcom Street in Chicopee. So if you can make it, that will be on December 14th, and the Christmas bazaar starts at nine o'clock. It sounds great, so have a cookie, and maybe you get some holiday items, thank you.
Thank you, Councilor Villegas.
[Speaker 16]
Yeah, just a comment on Dale Street, that also abuts Ward One, so it does affect my constituents as well. I have been very active in what's been going on in Dale Street, so I hope that some of Ward One can come to our public safety meeting. I think it's important because it affects all of us, and there's already been efforts made on that street, so I'm really excited to see us keep pushing forward and keep making that area safer.
So far, what's been done has definitely made a big difference. I've had a lot of constituents reach out, so thank you. I appreciate you letting me know that it's working, so that's good, that's a positive step forward.
And then, honestly, I'll just see you all Friday night. I can't wait, I'm excited for Santa to come.
[Speaker 1]
Thank you. Okay, just a couple things I'd like to, Councilor Arreaga, is this Arreaga, just mentioned about the new sign that went up, and I've actually heard from people, too, that said it's really helping out, and I want to thank all the sponsors who did Dale Street and the other areas that we are going to look at. I think it's important we continue it.
Again, we can't solve all the problems. People are people, they're humans, and it's tough, but we still gotta fight and try to do the thing, so this working together. And the other one is regarding Providence Street.
I know Providence Street very well. I have property on Providence Street. I come out of it all the time.
The resident that spoke is right. She's absolutely right, and I'm not gonna defend saying it's not, but police can only be so many places at one time. As Councilor LaBrie said, us at large worked with him in regarding putting signs up, and it's tough.
They see a cop, they'll move, and then they'll go back, so we can only try, and I think maybe we should even try to think about talking to the owner to ask these people in front of his place in the near future to look at it, but I just want to say that it was also mentioned about all this monies that we're spending on the police department. Well, I'm gonna agree with Councilor Zygurowski. If you know why all this money's coming forward, it's not just for the technology and that.
It's gonna relieve some of these police officers. The AI system and all that helps them do reports and helps them do everything, find everything. As you've seen the displays that we got on the police department.
You can be in, if you were in a monitoring room, watching live, they brought some up of people, how they can follow cars right away. The technology's gonna be amazing for the residents, and it's gonna hopefully help solve some of our problems, and maybe some of the speeders are gonna be able to tag their plates, so that's gonna help. So I think we're moving in the right direction with that.
We'll talk about it in finance, but I'm firmly in favor of this. I think it's the right thing to do, and I will take the mayor's quote, and I agree 100%. If you don't feel safe living in this city, what good does it do?
We need to be safe, and so thank you. I'll take a motion to adjourn. Motion made is second to adjourn.
Roll call, please.
[Speaker 3]
President Laflamme?
[Speaker 17]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
McBroy? Yes. Wagner?
Yes. Zagroski? Yes.
Arriaga? Yes. Brooks?
Yes. Stauff? Yes.
Falkeir? Yes. Krampus?
Yes. Zumski? Yes.
Cushane? Yes. McBree?
Yes. Manfiesto?
[Speaker 7]
Yes.
[Speaker 3]
Valdez?
[Speaker 1]
Have a good evening.
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