City Council in brief: New committees set for 2026

The City Council’s eight committees have each elected a chairperson for the new year.

Councilors reelected three sitting chairs: Councilor-at-Large Carlos Vidal for the Licenses and Franchises Committee, Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris for the Ordinances and Rules Committee, and Ward 6 Councilor Sean T. Durkee for the Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Additionally, Ward 3 Councilor Bill Hanley was newly elected chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee, Durkee was elected chair of the Long-Term Debt and Capital Planning Committee, and Ward 2 Councilor Caren Dunn was elected chair of the Public Works and Public Safety Committee.

The Finance Committee had the only contested vote: Durkee nominated Ward 7 Councilor Paul S. Katz and Ward 1 Councilor Anthony LaFauci, the previous sitting chair, nominated himself. Katz won the chairship with three votes, approved by all present members of the committee except LaFauci; Katz himself was absent from the vote.

Councilor-at-Large Randall J. LeBlanc will chair the Committee of the Whole in his position as council vice president.

In preparation for the new year, some committees also worked to clear out older resolutions from their dockets.

LaFauci requested the Committee of the Whole file away a resolution he had proposed in 2024 about a potential public parking lot that has since been sold. Councilor-at-Large Paul J. Brasco also proposed the committee file six resolutions requested by former Ward 3 Councilor George Darcy, since he no longer serves on the council, and two more that have sat untouched for many years.

These resolutions include four conservation restrictions on city property, two requests memorializing Waltham residents, a resolution concerning the MBTA Better Bus Project and a resolution concerning a Crescent Street property. The latter two were filed without prejudice — meaning councilors can propose new motions on the same topics — at the request of other councilors.

At the Licenses and Franchises Committee meeting, Brasco requested to file an old resolution concerning a private way license for utilities company Eversource for Seyon Street, saying it was a matter of a private road and beyond the jurisdiction of the council.

Additionally, the City Council: 

• Accepted a donation of historic Waltham memorabilia from between 1869 and 1969 for the Waltham Museum. (Finance)
• Accepted a donation of 300 toys from the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots program. (Finance)
• Accepted a grant of $183,432 from an Eversource rebate program for converting streetlights lights to LED bulbs. Director of Wires Tim Kelly said that over the past 10 years his department has converted all lights the city owned on public roads. (Finance)
• Approved a $771,600 loan to fund design work for the relocation of the current headquarters for the Department of Consolidated Public Works. Public Works Director Michael Chiasson said the department needs to move out of its current location at the police station in time for the latter’s redesign. (Long-term Debt and Capital Planning)
• Approved a $5.1 million loan to fund abatement work and construction on the former Woerd Avenue Dump for a public park. (Long-term Debt and Capital Planning)
• Considered initial proposals to amend the city’s affordable housing requirements to incentivize new affordable development. (Ordinances and Rules)
• Heard updates about two special permits that were introduced to the council at public hearings last week; councilors asked both to return to the council in future weeks with more information. (Ordinances and Rules)
• Heard updates on three zoning overlay districts on privately owned land proposed by the land owners in December to allow for residential and commercial construction. (Ordinances and Rules)
• Held a joint special meeting with the School Committee to appoint Liz AlJammal to fill the seat of recently resigned School Committee member Margaret Donnelly.
• Invited Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy and Director of Recreation Kim Hebert to a Feb. 3 meeting to act on an earlier proposal to create senior housing and a municipal hockey rink at the former Phineas Lawrence Elementary School. (Committee of the Whole)
• Postponed the vote on a City Council legislative budget because it lacks necessary information. The vote is usually held in the third week of January. (Committee of the Whole)
• Renewed a secondhand vehicle sales license for Waltham Auto Tow Inc. (Licenses and Franchises)