The Public Safety Committee of the Holyoke City Council met on Dec. 30, 2024, to review a large agenda of orders and petitions, moving many items to withdraw or to future meetings and referring numerous traffic, enforcement and safety requests to city departments and the police grant for follow-up.

Chair Jenny Rivera called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. and opened with a moment of silence for former President Jimmy Carter. Committee members present included Councilor Patty Devine, Councilor Carmen Ocasio and Councilor David Bartley; Attorney Bissonnette participated online.

The committee acted on a long list of routine and substantive items. Several items were given leave to withdraw or were marked “received” when city departments had already complied. Others were tabled pending review by the incoming city engineer or asked to be refiled for later consideration. The chair and members moved to clear the committee jacket by tabling a large batch of items and scheduling follow-ups in 2025.

Traffic and neighborhood-safety orders were a central focus. Multiple constituent requests — including petitions and orders related to crosswalks, speed humps, truck traffic and visibility at intersections — were referred to the Department of Public Works or to the city engineer for study and implementation planning. Several petitions (notably a petition for speed humps on Taylor Street) were sent to the city clerk and DPW for signature validation and for scheduling of the required public hearing when appropriate.

For enforcement issues the committee frequently directed items to Sergeant Zurheide to be handled under a police department grant that funds targeted enforcement hours. Members explicitly moved that requests for increased patrols, speed enforcement and some camera/security proposals be routed to Sergeant Zurheide so the police department can schedule activity under the grant.

The committee also voted to refer a proposal asking the police department to explore funding avenues for body cameras to the mayor and the Holyoke Police Department for further study. As one member said during that discussion, "With the climate that police have to work in today, it's only fair." The motion to refer passed by voice vote.

A heated exchange occurred during consideration of a refiled order when an unidentified councilor said, "as far as I'm concerned, he's a traitor to this country," in reference to an absent member. The remark drew no formal disciplinary action in the meeting; other members shifted the discussion back to the order itself and Councilor Carmen Ocasio said she would refile the item.

Procedural votes were routine and largely unanimous: motions to table, receive communications, give leave to withdraw, and to refer orders to DPW, the city engineer, the law department or Sergeant Zurheide generally passed by voice vote (ayes recorded). The committee requested copies of correspondence it had not yet received (for example, a city solicitor letter about charter implications for a proposed police commission) and asked staff to invite relevant department heads — including DPW, the city engineer and the mayor — to future meetings to brief the committee.

The meeting concluded after the chair confirmed follow-up steps and the committee voted to adjourn. Chair Rivera closed the session by thanking participants and wishing everyone a happy new year.

What’s next: the committee scheduled multiple items for reconsideration when city staff (notably the incoming city engineer) and department heads are available, and directed staff to compile material for the committee’s January meetings.