Government Affairs Last Week and This Week
The School Building Committee reviewed the three finalists for designing the new middle school, pouring over detailed presentations and timelines. The new middle school would begin construction next year and be completed by 2025.
Here you can review the presentation of the design proposals: https://holyokemedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-11-01-school-rezoning-changes.pdf
Here you can watch the meeting: https://boxcast.tv/channel/d0fbxuecgtqbfmbop6ax
Also, the City Council Finance Committee met last week, and among the items they took up was a request by City Councilor Will Puello for Mayor Joshua García provide a list of all the businesses that received APRA, aka the American Rescue Plan the Biden Administration created to mitigate the repercussions from the Covid Pandemic to provide money in the form of loans and grants to small businesses.
The City added a new holiday to commemorate — Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19 to mark the end of enslavement. More information about this important date in American history can be found here: https://www.history.com/news/what-is-juneteenth
City Solicitor Lisa Ball updated the committee members on Memorandum of Agreement contract negotiations with the city DPW. The first year raises the hourly pay rate by $1 in years one and two. The third year, employees will be paid a 2 percent increase.
City Councilors Kevin A. Jourdain, Will Puello and Israel Rivera requested that the Mayor’s Office provide a list of the cannabis companies in the city and how much revenue is being generated by the businesses.
“I think it needs to be known that you guys (were being paid) way under market,” said Councilor Jourdain.
In another committee meeting, the Ordinance Committee, Mayor Joshua García updated members about creating an ordinance where every department head report any loss of $500 or more to the mayor’s office.
The committee is also heard from food truck businesspeople seeking more places to sell food. Issues that arise is health and safety, and beyond 300 feet from a restaurant.
The complete Ordinance Committee meeting is here: https://youtu.be/7BPLMIJ7fOg
The complete Finance Committee meting is here: https://youtu.be/WhyIHHUgpDY?t=927
The agenda for the Finance Committee is here: https://www.holyoke.org/meetings/finance-committee-meeting-november-30-2022/
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
