Somerville residents urge council to redirect $3 million police increase to schools, services and alternatives

At a public hearing on the Somerville City Council Finance Committee’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget on June 3, dozens of residents urged councilors to reject a proposed $3 million increase to the police budget and instead fund schools, alternative emergency response programs, capital repairs and social services.

The hearing, convened remotely by Councilor Jake Wilson, finance committee chair, drew multiple speakers from across Somerville who criticized what they described as a “disproportionate” rise in policing spending and pointed to cuts elsewhere in municipal programs.

Five Ward 3 residents led the initial testimony. Derek DuPont, a Ward 3 resident at 12 Craigie Street, said the police department budget now totals $21,000,000 and described the $3,000,000 increase from last year as the result of five years of inaction on alternatives to policing. “Five years of input and advocacy from the Somerville community for progressive ideas like policing alternatives and civilian oversight has instead produced a $21,000,000 police department budget, a whopping $3,000,000 increase from last year's,” DuPont said.

Another Ward 3 resident, Derek Rice, pressed the point and criticized Mayor Katana Valentine’s administration by name for failing to advance alternatives to policing. “This administration continues. This mayor, Mayor Katana Valentine, continues to stick her head in the sand, ignore community feedback,” Rice said, urging investment instead in education, immigrant services and housing stability.

Speakers repeatedly recommended specific re‑allocations and alternatives. Multiple commenters supported creating a municipal civilian traffic detail to replace overtime-paid officer flaggers, and several called for funding “alternative emergency response” teams like those in neighboring communities rather than “co‑response” models that pair police with social workers. “I get really upset when I hear alternative response referred to when you're talking about bringing police and social workers out to meet people. That is not an alternative, and let's call it what it is,” said Lauren Leon, a licensed mental health counselor.

Advocates for education asked the committee to fully fund the Somerville Public Schools’ requests. Claire Hartman, a parent and Ward 2 resident, asked councilors to “fully fund the schools this year, paying attention to the budgets requested by the Somerville Educators Union and the staff at the Somerville Schools.” Several other speakers, including Becky LaPasfilio, Kennedy School PTA president, framed school funding as central to long‑term public safety and community wellbeing.

Speakers also raised concern about recent departmental cuts. Tom King, a community organizer, flagged a $215,000 reduction to the Office of Racial Justice and a $54,000 cut to the Office of Sustainability and Environment as harmful to ongoing racial and environmental justice efforts. Other residents pressed the council to address deferred capital maintenance across city buildings and parks, saying longstanding repairs are being postponed.

Public commenters included representatives and supporters of 350 Mass Cambridge Somerville, neighborhood residents from multiple wards, and community organizers who urged the finance committee to prioritize housing, food security, teacher pay, and direct service programs over the proposed policing increase. Crystal Huff, who described five years of mutual aid work, characterized the budget as misaligned with “the values of Somerville” and questioned the need for a $21,000,000 policing budget.

Councilor Jake Wilson opened and closed the hearing, outlined a two‑minute speaking limit for public comments and reminded speakers to state their names and addresses for the public record. The public hearing record remains open for written comments at publiccomments@somervillema.gov and the committee will consider the FY2026 budget during upcoming council action on the mayor’s proposal.

The public hearing concluded with the finance committee adjourning at 6:55 p.m.