Votes at a glance: Cambridge council approves water rates, several appropriations and launches studies on housing and transit

Cambridge City Council members on May 24 voted on a slate of city-manager agenda items, budget appropriations and policy orders. Major outcomes include adoption of water and sewer block rates for FY2026, formal acceptance of the city’s AAA bond rating report, appropriations for street repairs and Blue Bikes maintenance, and the council’s direction to begin studies or pilots addressing incentive zoning, eviction-record sealing outreach, off-hours parking at the King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School complex, and a municipal transit pilot exploration.

Key votes and outcomes

• Water and sewer block rates (City Manager agenda item 1): Adopted and placed on file by roll call. The council approved the city manager’s recommended block rates for the period starting April 1, 2025, and ending March 31, 2026.

• AAA bond-rating report (City Manager agenda item 2): The council received and placed on file the city manager’s communication that Cambridge retained a triple-A bond rating from the three major national credit agencies.

• Ordinance/code updates on water-system regulations (Chapter 13.08 and 13.12): The…