Agenda Summary
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Conveying budget priorities and requests for FY 2025.
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Official Text
Dear Mayor Ballantyne:
Thank you for this opportunity to advocate for a number of my top priorities that I hope will be a part of Somerville’s FY2025 budget. Housing affordability and anti-displacement work remain the top issues facing our community, and I hope that our budget will reflect this ongoing urgency.
I respectfully encourage you to provide budgetary allocations for the following items:
Seamless continuation of the contract to provide legal assistance to tenants in need, and continued “flex funds” for rental assistance. It is critical that these relatively new – yet now completely essential – programs continue to be fully funded.
Continued support for community organizing via the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS). The tenant organizing efforts by CAAS over the past several years have been transformative to empower residents who are facing displacement, and it is imperative that these efforts continue to be supported.
Continued support for the Affordable Housing Acquisition Fund. I applaud your action to create and fund the Acquisition Fund, which I understand has been very strongly utilized by multiple affordable housing non-profits. I encourage you to continue this record by increasing the funding available to the acquisition fund.
Sufficient staff capacity to move forward on much anticipated Rental Registry & Energy Disclosure policy. It is my understanding that the Residential Decarbonization Manager position was filled approximately one month ago, and that this staff position will be leading the efforts to finally make progress on the Rental Registry & Energy Disclosure Ordinance that was originally introduced in 2021. I ask that this year’s budget include whatever funding is necessary to ensure this work move forward expeditiously in FY25, including funding for any additional technical consulting that is required.
Gilman Square redevelopm...
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