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Planning Department requests staff funding shifts, $20,000 for zoning outreach and cushion for legal support
Summary
Medford Planning, Development & Sustainability proposed shifting several staff funding lines off CDBG and ARPA into the general fund, asked for $20,000 for continued zoning work and increased legal fees to cover appeals and the Medford Square RFQ legal support.
The Planning, Development & Sustainability (PDS) department told the council the fiscal 2026 general‑fund request reflects staff funding shifts away from CDBG and ARPA and includes a new $20,000 professional services line to continue zoning outreach and a modest increase for legal fees tied to appeals and the Medford Square RFQ process.
Director Hunt explained that several positions have been partially funded in past years by CDBG, ARPA, Mass Clean Energy Center grants and other sources, and the FY26 proposal moves some percentage of staff salaries to the general fund so the department can document non‑CDBG work separately. “We should be very cautious about where we are paying staff, full time and part time with CDBG funds,” Hunt said, adding that shifting salaries lets staff record hours for non‑CDBG activities without using block‑restricted funds for general planning tasks.
Hunt described the climate and energy planner whose salary was previously ARPA‑supported and is now moving to the general fund because the role’s energy and solar permitting work remains an ongoing need. He also noted that PDS hired Laurel Siegel to manage CDBG and that her legal and grant management background helps the city prepare for HUD monitoring.
The department asked for $20,000 for continued zoning consultant work to expand outreach and noted it had authorized additional meetings that exceeded the initial scope. Hunt said legal fees in the PDS budget help cover defense for board appeals and fees related to RFQ work; the department plans to require developers to pick up many costs related to Medford Square but requested a small cushion in the budget.
Councilors thanked the department for clarifying CDBG formulas and welcomed confirmation that the city’s CDBG allocation had been finalized and was slightly up from the prior year.
Why it matters: Moving staff funding from restricted federal grants to the general fund clarifies what work is eligible under CDBG and frees PDS staff to support broader planning and economic development tasks without violating grant restrictions. The additional zoning outreach funds and legal cushion support a large zoning rewrite and anticipated appeals.
What’s next: The department will continue community outreach on zoning, proceed with the RFQ process for Medford Square and follow the budget process; no formal vote was taken during the hearing.
