August 14, 2022

No single issue dominated last Tuesday’s city council meeting but there were several interesting items discussed.

Perhaps the most significant thing was an informational memo from Chief Financial Officer Conor Baldwin regarding the recent sale of $43 million in city bonds. Money raised from the sale of these bonds will go towards the Lowell High renovations and other capital projects. Baldwin said that on the advice of the city’s financial advisors, they accelerated the sale of these bonds to lock in a better rate since the Federal Reserve is expected to keep raising interest rates. Baldwin added that the 3.543% the city will pay on these bonds is “a great rate.”

Baldwin highlighted comments from the Standard and Poors rating agency that are contained in the report. Specifically, S&P praised the city for its strong budgetary practices and for increasing the amount of financial reserves, but cautioned that “sizable unfunded retirement liabilities will test management’s ability to sustain reserves at these stronger levels, particularly in a weak economic cycle.”

S&P went on to write, “We could lower the rating if the city draws on its fund balance to weak levels without a plan to replenish.” Then added “We could raise the rating if positive economic development were to continue, growing per capita market values . . . the city would need to maintain structural balance amid growing debt, pension and OPEB [other postemployment benefit] costs, while sustaining strong budgetary flexibility and addressing its sizeable unfunded OPEB liability.”  

Between Federal Covid relief dollars and the historically large amount of free cash available to the city right now, there is no reason why reserves would be reduced and every reason to add to them. The challenge will come in future years when the extra money available now will no longer exist yet the appetite to spend that money will remain. That’s a challenge this or some future council will face in the coming years.

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Tuesday night there was also a public hearing on the creation of the new position of Deputy Public Works Commissioner for Facilities. This person would have primary responsibility for city-owned buildings, most notably the schools and especially the renovated high school. A chronic problem in the city has been building maintenance or a lack of it. Over the past several years, numerous schools have closed because heating systems failed or pipes burst and the place flooded. The problem is not limited to the schools. Several years ago the Pollard Memorial Library sustained substantial damage when a pipe burst and went undiscovered over a long weekend.

Everyone agrees there must be a shift from reacting to problems to preventing them from happening, but that realization has been with us for a long time and it’s hard to see where progress has been made. This latest attempt, to give a high-ranking person in the Public Works Department, primary responsibility for building maintenance seems like a reasonable and important step. This is especially true when it comes to the renovation of the high school. The new gymnasium will be transferred to city control in a matter of days. That facility houses the latest in climate control, air circulation, fire and smoke alarms, and all the other things that go into a state of the art building in 2022.

Given the technology involved, the person responsible for operating and maintaining that equipment would be better off with a computer science degree than a plumbing license. Still, with proper training, supervision, and resources, most employees will be able to handle it. The big question is, will there be “proper training, supervision, and resources” or will the person or persons responsible for the new systems be spread too thin, asked to do too much, and in the end, be unable to do any of it satisfactorily. The stakes are high. A new system that’s well-maintained will last a long time. A new system that’s not maintained or operated properly will cause crisis after crisis before it becomes an old system.

The council adopted the new position by a 10 to 0 vote (Councilor Erik Gitschier absent).

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Weeds took up a chunk of council time. So did marijuana. But first the weeds. Councilors have noted unsightly weeds along city roads and sidewalks and want to know what’s being done about it. The specific agenda item was a response to a motion from Councilor Rita Mercier that asked to “hire a person to apply chemicals to kill weeds around the City of Lowell to help beautify the streets and roadways.”

The response was a brief memo from Interim DPW Commissioner Mark Bryne who wrote:

“We are working with the Parks and Streets Division to see if there is any interest on some of our employees getting a pesticide applicator certification license. In doing so, this would allow us to treat the street/sidewalk areas for any weeks growing out of these areas on an as needed basis much quicker.”

Tuesday’s discussion revealed that the test that must be passed for this licensure is not a simple one and that the employees who expressed interest were concerned about that. Commissioner Byrne explained that the department was offering some test preparation opportunities. Councilor Corey Robinson (who was participating in the meeting via Zoom) observed that even if an employee is properly licensed, there are other costs and requirements such as a separate storage facility for the chemicals. In the past and in the meantime, it seems that the city has hired private contractors to apply these chemicals.

I dislike weeds as much as the next person but I also dislike harmful chemicals. If the chemicals being sprayed to kill weeks are “safe” why do people applying the chemicals require specialized training and employ specialized techniques when handling them? The manufacturer undoubtedly says that there is no harm from exposure in small quantities but is that true for small children? For dogs? For birds? Maybe, but that’s what they said about DDT seventy years ago until that chemical’s harmful effects became undeniable.

I don’t have a blanket opposition to the use of chemicals. I just think it’s wise to ask questions when it comes to pesticides in public places. But on this issue, the only question councilors seem to have is whether a city employee or a private contractor should be applying this stuff. No one asked whether the benefits of using it outweigh the risks.

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Regarding the other weed, marijuana, the Planning Department presented to the council a proposed zoning amendment that would permit the delivery of marijuana by authorized dispensaries. This was referred to the council’s cannabis subcommittee.

Councilors are very bullish on cannabis dispensaries because of the revenue they produce for the city. As I’ve written before, agreements with some of the original dispensaries will soon expire and it’s unclear how much money the city can obtain from renewals so the desire is to license new entities who will then pay the higher fees that come with first-time licenses.

However, according to a Boston Globe story on Wednesday, Governor Charlie Baker signed a “package of significant reforms” to the cannabis industry recently passed by the state legislature. Among those reforms, according to the Globe, is a “crack down on unjustified municipal fees charged to marijuana operations.” That bill won’t affect the tax revenue the city receives from cannabis dealers but it may undercut the other sources of revenue that have proven so lucrative in the past.

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Councilors Dan Rourke and Corey Robinson had a motion urging the city to publicize the “Federal Affordable Connectivity Program.” A representative from Comcast spoke briefly about this program via Zoom. This program gives eligible households a $30 per month credit towards internet service.

In America in 2022, reliable internet service in the home seems almost as essential has heat, electricity, and clean water. But due to the cost of the service and of the devices needed to access that service, many city residents do not have reliable internet in the home. Certainly, anything that will improve access is a good thing.

Comcast has information about the program on its website. The first step for an existing or potential customer is to follow a link on that page to the “federal National Verifier.” Although I was quite sure I didn’t qualify for this program, I followed the link to see what happened. It prompts you to enter some identifying information such as your name, date of birth, social security number, and home address. Then it asks you to choose a user name and password to create an account. The website is hosted by the Federal Trade Commission so I created an account. Then it presents a list of programs that would qualify you for the credit. You check the one that applies to you. They include SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, children qualifying for free and reduced school lunches, or overall income. This is where I turned back.

At the council meeting, Councilor Kim Scott asked about the free and reduced school lunch option. That’s a program that allows children in households that have income below a certain level to get a lunch at school for free or at a reduced cost. Councilor Scott pointed out that several years ago, the School Committee opted into a program that allowed all students to receive lunch for free and asked if anyone knew how that would affect eligibility for this program. No one knew the answer. Perhaps that means all families of school children would potentially qualify.

Hopefully the city will find an effective way to get the word out about this program. Comcast is understandably pleased to support it since (1) they don’t care who they get paid by and (2) this potentially increases their customer base.

Beyond this cost-of-internet-credit program, this discussion points to a substantial need in this city and that is ensuring internet access for all residents. The pandemic forced many things to go online and because of the efficiencies that resulted, there won’t be a rolling back of what has to be done online. That will only continue to grow. To function in school, at work, to obtain a job, to shop, to bank, to access medical care, to do almost anything required in life, you have to be connected. That involves (1) access to internet service; (2) having a device to make that access; and (3) knowing how to use the device. Boosting our collective access and aptitude in all three areas would be of great benefit to the city. In the past, there has been talk of creating city-provided internet access. The Senior Center has provided basic computer classes. The schools, at least during the pandemic, provided each child with a device. But all of those things are good but they either happen in isolation or get off to a good start and then fizzle out.

This motion was a good step in that direction but much more can be done.

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Thanks to the 70 people who joined yesterday’s “Founding of Lowell” Walk. I typed my notes and have posted them on richardhowe.com in case this topic is of interest and you missed the tour.