The week ahead: City to start midyear budget review at council’s Tuesday meeting

The City Council Finance Committee will begin its annual review of Waltham’s budget this Tuesday.

The City Council rulebook requires the Finance Committee to review the budget every year at a special meeting all councilors are invited to attend.

The city auditor is responsible for providing councilors with reports on the city’s spending over the past six months no later than Feb. 15. The Finance Committee is required to call a meeting “as soon as practicable” once committee members receive that report.

Because of Presidents Day on Monday, City Council’s committees will meet Tuesday evening. The Finance Committee will meet in the Council Chambers at City Hall after the Committee of the Whole has concluded its business, and the mid-year budget review is one of the items on its agenda this week.

Below is a chronological rundown of other city meetings scheduled this week.

Retirement Board

The Waltham Retirement Board, which handles decisions about city employees’ retirement, will meet this week to discuss cost-of-living benefit adjustments and review investments for the last quarter of the fiscal year.

The board will meet Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 4:45 p.m. in the Lower Level Conference Room at City Hall and will stream the meeting via Zoom.

City Council committees

City Council committees will meet on Tuesday, beginning at 7 p.m, with the Economic and Community Development Committee.

In addition to the midyear budget review, the Finance Committee will discuss a list of requests from Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy including allocating an additional $2.5 million in funds to the Public Works department for snow removal and $70,000 to Veterans Memorial Skating Rink for its operating expenses; accepting a $33,295.36 state grant for the Council on Aging; and purchasing $1,851 in equipment for the Emergency Management Department and $9,665 in technology for the City Clerk’s Office.

The Committee of the Whole will meet to discuss the possible purchase of a lot at 67 Crescent St. The Ordinances and Rules Committee will meet to go over details of a special permit request to build a hotel at 220 Moody St. and discuss a change to the council’s budgeting timeline.

Board of Health

The Board of Health works to address potential public health problems, including communicable diseases, foodborne illnesses, and housing and environmental safety issues, that may arise in the city.

This week board members will discuss applications from two individuals, Bo Wu and Renyang Yi, to become licensed bodywork practitioners and continue work to update the city’s bodyworks regulations.

The board will meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Clark Government Center auditorium.

Traffic Commission

The Traffic Commission meets monthly to discuss matters concerning Waltham’s streets and transportation infrastructure.

This week the commission is scheduled to discuss street-parking changes, specifically removing a disabled parking space in front of 84 Gardner St. and converting some of Church Street’s parking into 15-minute spaces, and will discuss a parking evaluation for a proposed expansion at The Home Depot at 100 First Ave.

It will continue working on some previously proposed items of business including an Elson Road parking study, improvements to the intersection of Cedarwood Avenue and Villa Street, a crosswalk on Linden Street and plans to add electric car chargers to Waltham parking lots.

The commission will also consider whether to approve a street closure for the Moody Street Car Show in August and four different May races: the Flight Performance Road Race, the BBJI 5K Road Race and Walk, the Boston Brain Tumor Ride and the PTO Annual Fitzgerald Fun Run.

The commission will meet Thursday, Feb. 19, at 10 a.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Tree removal hearing

The city’s tree warden will hold a special public hearing to discuss the removal of a public tree at 132 Russel St. for construction.

The Department of Public Works will hold the meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, at 167 Lexington St. The city has asked that anyone with a complaint submit it in writing at the meeting or in advance of the meeting to kthompson@city.waltham.ma.us.