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Residents press council for data on proposed housing court and to keep newspaper notices
Summary
An online resident urged the council to share data supporting a proposed housing court pilot, questioned a fiscal note that lists costs but no revenues, and voiced opposition to removing newspaper notice for special meetings, citing elderly residents’ access concerns.
At the Oct. 27 meeting, Drake Patton of 684 Natick Ave. urged the council to release data supporting a proposed housing court pilot and to explain a fiscal note he said lists expenses but not potential income. Patton said he had watched previous ordinance meetings and could not find evidence of a need for a new housing court and asked whether the Housing Commission had been consulted.
Patton also spoke against a proposed ordinance to remove newspaper notice for special meetings, saying many residents — especially older people and those without reliable internet access — still rely on print notices to learn about meeting times and agendas. “We need more engagement, not less,” he said, and urged the council to retain print notification as an access safeguard.
Patton said he supported strengthening code enforcement and inspections as an alternative to creating a new enforcement vehicle, and requested that fiscal notes and supporting data be shared with the public before committee consideration. The council did not take a final vote on the housing-court proposal at the meeting; Patton’s comments were referred to the ordinance committee for further review.
