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Votes at a glance: Chelsea council approves appointments, budget items, police funding and contracts
Summary
At its October meeting the Chelsea City Council confirmed appointments, approved several appropriations and a police contract funding transfer, adopted a $500,000 park grant appropriation, and awarded a five‑year trash contract; an order to require reasoning statements from boards and commissions was rejected.
The Chelsea City Council recorded a series of formal actions during its October meeting. Key outcomes and vote tallies are summarized below.
Appointments to boards and commissions: The council approved the appointments that were presented (roll-call vote recorded as 10 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 absent).
Traffic study appropriation: An order to appropriate $100,000 from the general stabilization account to FY25 DBW streets and sidewalks professional and technical account (for a traffic study) was adopted (9 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 absent).
Police collective bargaining cost items and funding: The council approved the cost items contained in the collective bargaining agreement with the New England Police Benevolent Association Local 93 (three-year contract through June 30, 2027). Two councilors announced recusals due to family ties; the recorded votes met the required threshold and the measures were adopted. The council then authorized a transfer of $330,000 from the FY25 salary reserve to the police department regular-salary account to fund wage increases (roll-call recorded as 8 in favor, 3 absent/recused where noted).
Special events fund (Chelsea 400 and beyond): The council appropriated $100,000 from the general stabilization account to establish a new city special-events fund to support community events; the vote was 9 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 absent.
Polonia Park grant appropriation: The council appropriated $500,000, the full project cost, for Polonia Park renovations to meet state reimbursement grant requirements and designated the park under Article 97. Vote: 10 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 absent.
MWRA LEHI loan / lead-service replacement: An order to appropriate up to $800,000 tied to the MWRA LEHI loan program for lead-service replacement was introduced and moved to the Ways & Means committee for further review.
State election warrant: The council approved the warrant for the Nov. 5, 2024 state election (10 in favor, 0 opposed, 1 absent).
Order on statements of reasoning by boards and commissions: An amended order directing the city manager to require all boards and commissions to issue a short "statement of reasoning" for each decision was put to a roll-call vote and rejected (3 in favor, 7 opposed, 1 absent).
Trash-disposal contract: Under procurement authority cited in Mass. Gen. Law ch. 30B §12, the council approved a five‑year trash-disposal contract with Boston Karting Services LLC for the Public Works Department (9 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 absent).
How to read the tally: where roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript, the count of recorded "yes," "no," and absences is printed in each item; recusal statements were recorded when family ties were cited.
