Council approves grants, ordinance changes and budget transfers in March 3 session

The Holyoke City Council approved a string of measures March 3, adopting grant awards, an ordinance amendment and several budget transfers while deferring other items to committee.

Council votes this evening included unanimous approval to accept a $50,000 earmark from the governor’s office for the Holyoke Police Department to establish a fund for gym equipment (approximately $30,000) and $20,000 for traffic safety vests, and the passage of an ordinance amendment aligning the city’s motorized‑scooter definition with state law to avoid repeated local changes. Councilors also accepted a $15,000 Mass Cultural Council grant for the Puerto Rican Cultural District and passed a $50,000 transfer from the cannabis stabilization fund to pay outside legal services. Several smaller transfers to unemployment and payroll lines were also adopted.

The $50,000 public‑safety earmark was filed as Item 59; Councilor Devine explained the allocation and asked the body to move quickly so traffic vests could be ordered before parade weekend. The Council suspended rules to allow a police sergeant to address the chamber and then moved, received, and passed the readings and adoption of the order; the clerk announced a unanimous vote.

On Item 17, the Council adopted a change recommended by the Ordinance Committee that amends the city definition of “motorized scooter” to track state language (the committee cited MGL chapter 90 definitions) so future state updates will be reflected locally without repeated ordinance amendments.

Finance committee items included acceptance of the Mass Cultural Council $15,000 cultural district investment grant (Item 26) and a $50,000 transfer from the cannabis stabilization fund to the solicitor’s legal services (Item 27) to fund outside counsel handling evolving community‑impact fee issues. Councilors discussed the decline in impact‑fee collections but supported using allowable legal‑services funds for defense and counsel. The Council approved multiple payroll and unemployment compensation transfers (Items 28, 29, 61) after committee review; Item 61 passed on roll call 11–2.

Several matters were sent to committee for further vetting, including appointments that members preferred be interviewed by Public Service, questions about out‑of‑state travel and a set of late‑file charter changes that some councilors requested more time to review. The meeting closed after a series of routine referrals and an adjournment vote.

The Council is expected to take up referred items at future committee meetings; specific implementation dates for awarded grants and transferred funds were not provided in the meeting record.