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Somerville residents urge council to protect housing, immigrant services and infrastructure amid $5M shortfall
Summary
At a Feb. 10 Somerville Finance Committee community budget hearing, residents pressed the council to prioritize affordable housing and rental assistance, immigrant legal services and non-police emergency response, and basic infrastructure as the city faces an expected nearly $5 million budget reduction for FY27.
Somerville City Council Finance Committee Chair Ben Wheeler convened a remote community budget hearing on Feb. 10, 2026, where dozens of residents urged the council to protect core municipal services and prioritize housing, immigrant supports and infrastructure as the city faces an expected budget shortfall of almost $5 million.
The hearing opened with procedural instructions and a two-minute limit on public testimony. Chair Wheeler said the meeting would follow Chapter 2 of the Commonwealth’s Acts of 2025 for remote participation, announced that recordings and records would be posted on the city website, and disclosed a possible conflict of interest requiring him to recuse himself from discussions related to the Department of Racial and Social Justice or the Youth League.
Speakers repeatedly called for continued or increased funding for rental-assistance programs and homelessness-prevention funds. Susan Hagel, a housing attorney at…
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