The week ahead: Mayor calls special City Council meeting for first look at budget

Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy will meet with City Council this week to submit her budget recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year.

City Council will convene before the Committee of the Whole meeting this Monday, at 7:45 p.m., to receive the budget, along with various communications with the mayor.

The mayor has compiled recommendations for the budget from requests that city boards and departments have submitted to her over the past few months. After it receives the mayor’s recommendations, the council will schedule full-day meetings to discuss the upcoming year’s budget in more detail before it takes its summer break in July.

Below is a chronological rundown of other city meetings scheduled this week, June 1 through 5.

City Council committees

City Council will also hold regular committee meetings on Monday beginning at 6 p.m.

The Veterans Services Committee will continue discussing how to restore city monuments, with input from former Councilor-at-Large Sally Collura. The Economic and Community Development Committee will discuss trash initiatives in the city; the Committee of the Whole will discuss Pride Day; and the Public Works & Public Safety Committee will consider a request to open a street to install a private home sewer line and hear an update about construction projects on Waltham’s streets.

The Long-Term Debt and Capital Planning Committee will discuss seven requests from the Community Preservation Committee on how to use Community Preservation Act funding over the coming year. The Licenses and Franchises Committee will discuss gas main replacements on Main Street by National Grid as well as an outdoor dining and a fortune teller license. The Finance Committee will consider a series of funding requests from the mayor, and the Ordinances and Rules Committee is expected to discuss three proposed residential neighborhoods in western Waltham.

Municipal Affordable Housing Trust

The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund, created by the city ordinance to fund affordable housing, is overseen by a board of trustees.

This week members of the board will receive updates on ongoing affordable housing projects, including the residences at the former Hardy Elementary School, projects at Cardinal Cottage and other Fernald buildings, and the former Elks Club building.

Trustees will meet at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the basement conference room of City Hall.

Zoning Board of Appeals

The ZBA is a five-person board charged with reviewing new and existing buildings that might violate the city’s zoning code. 

The board has the power to grant project-specific variances to the code, overrule judgments made by the building inspector and grant specific types of special permits, including the comprehensive residential permits outlined by the state’s Chapter 40B statute.

This week it is discussing two large projects. The Alexan Winter Street project, a Chapter 40B apartment building proposed in the Totten Pond neighborhood, is in its final stages. It has faced criticism from neighbors and some city departments for the residential population the building  would bring to the mostly commercial area.

The board will also discuss a proposal from the owners of the Watch Factory Lofts who plan to expand the property’s residential component with a new building that would reuse an underused parking lot — a project that has also seen pushback from neighbors and praise from some housing advocates.

The board will also consider extending the time for construction on a 2024 garage variance on Bacon Street and a petition to allow a new drive-thru ATM at the 881 Main St. Bank of America .

The board will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the auditorium of the Arthur Clark Government Center.

Parks-Recreation Board

The Parks-Recration Board is an eight-person board that oversees the city’s public recreational spaces and programming. This week it will consider a proposed youth organization schedule for the upcoming year.

The board will meet on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Waltham Recreation Department at 510 Moody St.

Board of Survey and Planning

The Board of Survey and Planning regulates public and private ways and makes decisions on the status and boundaries of lots in the city.

This week, it will hear a request to withdraw a petition to repave Fir Avenue, a project that has been delayed multiple times and has drawn objections from residents over communications and potential impacts. It will also hold an election for board positions for the upcoming year.

The board will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday in the auditorium of the Clark Government Center.

School Committee

The Waltham School Committee, an elected six-member committee chaired by the mayor, makes policy and oversight decisions for the Waltham Public Schools.

The committee this week will receive out-of-district staff requests for the upcoming year, listen to civics projects from McDevitt Middle School and review conditions for receiving funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It will also hear an update from Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa on district personnel and enrollment.

The committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the James J. Cannon Lecture Hall at 617 Lexington St.

Conservation Commission

The Conservation Commission is a volunteer board charged with overseeing environmental planning in Waltham. The commission reviews certain types of construction on or around wetlands to ensure they comply with the Wetlands Protection Act and the Department of Environmental Protection stormwater standards.

It will hold a meeting over Zoom at 7 p.m. on Thursday. An agenda and link for the meeting will be provided on the commission’s page on the city website at least 48 hours in advance.

Disability Services Commission

The Disability Services Commission is a seven-person board that works to make Waltham more accessible for residents with disabilities. It advocates and distributes funds for projects related to physical accessibility, signage, interpretation services and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

The commission will hold its meeting over Zoom at 8:30 a.m. on Friday. Participants can request meeting information from DSC Chairperson Mark Johnson at markj@walhouse.org.