The week ahead: Committee of the Whole revisits review of controversial Flock cameras

City councilors will discuss law enforcement cameras installed around the city and citizens’ privacy concerns around them at the Committee of the Whole meeting this week. 

Last week, the council put forward a resolution to review the deployment of Flock cameras and investigate policies the city could adopt to protect residents’ privacy. The resolution did not specify when or by whom the cameras were installed, and said that the city does not currently have any policy regulating the data they collect.

Ward 9 Councilor Robert G. Logan, who introduced the resolution, said that its intention was not to undermine the police department, but to answer constituent questions about who has access to Flock data, how long it’s kept, how it’s protected and how the city is paying for it. He requested that Waltham’s chief of police attend this week’s meeting to discuss the department’s contracts with Flock and how it uses the cameras.

Other councilors said there was a lack of information surrounding the cameras’ installation and brought up similar discussions happening around the state; Ward 6 Councilor Sean T. Durkee mentioned Cambridge’s recent decision to pause the use of Flock cameras in response to privacy concerns, and Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur talked about a statewide bill to establish a data privacy policy that the Massachusetts Senate passed unanimously In September, which has not yet passed the House of Representatives.

The resolution, which was not published in the council’s agenda for the week, was signed by all councilors except Ward 4 Councilor John McLaughlin, Councilor-at-Large Kathy McMenimen, Councilor-at-Large Thomas M. Stanley and Councilor-at-Large Paul J. Brasco. 

City Council committees

City Council’s other standing committees will discuss a number of items of business this week, including a street opening permit at 88 Hammond St. in front of the Public Works and Public Safety Committee and, in front of the Licenses and Franchises Committee, a number of car sales and extended hours permit renewals as well as a new extended hours permit for a McDonald’s at 789 Main St. 

The Ordinances and Rules Committee will revisit an amendment to a special permit for a cannabis dispensary, Middlesex Integrative Medicine, whose permit is set to lapse on Dec. 12. The committee has requested that MIM’s lawyer submit a proposal for an approval permit timeline at this week’s meeting.

The committees will meet at City Hall on the evening of Monday, Nov. 3 starting at 7 p.m.

Local Emergency Planning Committee

The LEPC is a city committee mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the storage and use of hazardous chemicals in Waltham and maintain emergency response plans. It’s chaired by the Waltham Fire Department’s Lieutenant James Perry. 

This week, it is holding a semi-annual meeting that will include a demonstration of its software. It will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in The Cube at 400 Beaver 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, the board is expected to discuss a special use permit for a gas station at 962 Main St. that would allow it to continue to use four driveways that are larger than permitted by the zoning code. It will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in the auditorium of the Clark Government Center.

School Committee

The Waltham School Committee is an elected six-member committee chaired by Mayor McCarthy that makes policy and oversight decisions for the Waltham School District Board.

This week, among other items of business, the School Committee will discuss School Improvement Plans for James FitzGerald Elementary School and Valor High School. It will also introduce the district’s calendar for the 2025–2027 school year and further discuss enrollment policies for Waltham High School’s technical education program.

The committee will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in the James J. Cannon Lecture Hall of the old high school 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 it complies with the Wetlands Protection Act and the Department of Environmental Protection stormwater standards.

This week the commission will discuss the demolition of two private homes in the north of Waltham: a single-family home on Marlboro Road whose lot the owner intends to subdivide and build two new houses on, and one on Hardy Pond Road that the owners intend to replace.

It will be holding a meeting over Zoom at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. A link for the meeting will be provided on the Commission’s page on the city website at least 48 hours in advance.

Update (Nov. 12): This article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Disability Services Commission did not meet on Nov. 7 due to technical difficulties, instead rescheduling its meeting to Nov. 14.