City Council Agenda Petitions
February 28, 2023
Ward 2 Road Paving Request
Requesting funds from Public Works Stabilization Account (PWSA) and Chapter 90 Grant be used to repair and repave the following roads:
- Third Street
- Delaware Ave
- Rhode Island
- Virginia Ave
- Tyler Street Extension
- Maryland Ave – with curbs to direct flow to distant drains
- Yorkshire Ave – curbs only
- California Ave
- Brown Street (sections)
- Kensington Ave
Normally, Councilors provide their ward’s paving needs directly to the DPW with the understanding that their requests will be accommodated as best possible. In 2022, I had provided such a list, and unfortunately not only had none of my specific requests been satisfied, not a single residential street got touched. This petition requests that Ward 2 residents get their due value from their tax contributions. Ward 2 had received just 3% of the Chapter 90 road work. Work on Tyler Street Extension has not been completed per email from Commissioner Morales 3/27/2022.
Petition To Schedule A Spring Public Hearing On 2022 Testing of Hill 78 To Be Held By The Mass Department of Environmental Protection
By Councilor Kronick, a petition to Request Committee of Health and Safety to schedule a presentation by the MassDEP on the state of the 2022 PCB testing at the GE site.
The purpose of this petition is to provide a public forum in which residents may communicate their concerns with state EPA officials regarding the impact of PCB’s on their health.
January 22, 2023
A Petition To Accept Mass General Law Opting Into Serialized Police Badges. Co-sponsored by Jacqueline Sykes
Honorable members of the City Council,
We request that the City of Pittsfield accept Massachusetts General Law Chapter 41 section 93C and add to the Pittsfield City Code Chapter 18-14 the following:
“Any uniformed police officer while on active duty shall wear a badge, tag or label which identifies him by number.”
M.G.L. Chapter 41.98C states that if an officer does not bear a badge or identification that identifies by name, then he must wear a badge or tag of numeric identification. As the authors of 98C leave adoption up to the discretion of the City with the phrase, “any city or town which accepts the provisions of this section”, we propose that the City Council adopts this provision.
Police Chief Wynn stated in November 2022, that current policy adheres to 41.98D. Officers shall display identification cards on lawful requests, and we agree it is reasonable to protect an officer’s personal identification. The current policy requiring one to request identification, though generally acceptable, presumes both that the public has the confidence to make that request and is also informed of Chapter 41-93D. That assumption is tenuous and would be unnecessary with adopting this request. By accepting 41-93C, we both protect the privacy of our officers and secure the public’s trust in them.
M.G.L. Chapter 41 Sections 93C-D:
Section 98C. In any city or town [adopting city council] which accepts the provisions of this section no uniformed police officer, and no other uniformed person empowered to make arrests, employed by such city or town shall be required to wear a badge, tag or label of any kind which identifies him by name, but any such officer or other person employed by such city or town who does not wear any such badge, tag
or label shall wear a badge, tag or label which identifies him by number.
Section 98D. Each city or town sh. ordinance all issue to every full-time police officer employed by it an identification card bearing the officer’s photograph and identifying information. The secretary of public safety and security may adopt regulations relative to the form, content and issuance of such identification cards and to the carrying thereof by municipal police officers. Such identification card shall be carried on the officer’s person and shall be exhibited upon lawful request for purposes of identification.
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleVII/Chapter41/Section98d
Signed: ____________________________ ____________________________
Charles Ivar Kronick Jacquelyn Sykes Councilor, Ward 2
January 3, 2023
A Repeat Request For Report on Medical Response to Narcotics. Resubmitted from 11/29/2022
Honorable members of the City Council,
On November 29, 2022, the Council referred the following request for information to Health Director A. Cambi to determine the extent of knowledge about drug use in Pittsfield. The impact of illegal drug on our residents, families, and businesses is a serious health and safety concern which is borne by the community as a whole. This request is wanting a response.
Submitted, November 29, 2022.
Request for Health Director A. Cambi to provide a report the following information:
Number of emergency treatment (ER) for drug abuse for the years, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 YTD.
In detail, I request breakdown of treatment by drug (e.g. fentanyl, herion), and breakdown by age, ethnicity, and income (if available).
Number of suicides and suicide attempts for years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 YTD.
In detail, I request a breakdown by age, ethnicity, and income.
December 22, 2022
Petition to rescind applying public funding for plowing private roads.
I propose reviewing free plowing services that have offered to private ways this year, 2022. Considering of the logic requires the following revision: homes on private roads receiving city plowing must pay additional fee to account for the that fact they add substantial addition to plowing expenses. Given that these are private lands, the city does not have a tax structure to change the status of those lands.
From the beginning, private land, including road maintenance was an exclusive responsibility of the owners of the land. They knew this when they moved there. The private fees that they pay for road maintenance and plowing are anticipated by these residents. These same costs are completely unanticipated to the city. It is cheaper for the city to do this, no doubt. Afterall, these residents claim that their property taxes already cover it. This is where their logic fails. Their property taxes do not cover this service because the City Budget never calculated their cost into the budget. So, they are going to increase an increase on taxes on the city as whole, which cannot handle further increases. It makes a good deal for these residents but is a bad deal for taxpayer at large.
In addition:
- the roads granted these services do not meet the standard of being public use roads as they exclusively serve the homes on the roads and are deadends.
- Having granted these services, all private ways are assumed to be eligible for all public services for which they have not paid for in their tax bills.
There are two remedies to this problem. 1) Residents on private roads pay a fee to rent city services. 2) We rescind covering 2022 approvals and return responsibility to the homeowners associations.
Council Resolution: Bind City Funding Requests To Departmental Performance
Springside Park is in such a degraded state due to the damage caused by homeless camps which endanger abutting properties, present grave health risks, and make the park completely inhospitable to the taxpayers who are the lawful owners of the Park.
Therefore, I request the City Council pass the following resolution to serve as a guide for funding requests:
City Council shall postpone all future funding requests and grant approval by the Parks Department until the Park Manager enforces all rules prohibiting camps, destruction of nature, fires, drug and alcohol use. This prohibition may be waived for emergencies.
Petition #2
Requests For Progress Report From Homeless Advisory Committee
Report shall cover the following:
- Demographics on the homeless population for 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022
- Age
- Origins
- Health status, eg. drug use, mental health
- Employment status, eg. not looking, employed, seeking employment
- Marital status
- Geographic distribution
- What plan has the HAC developed to provide shelter and services for upcoming fall.
- How many can be housed?
- Where do we plan to provide shelter?
- Status of St. Joseph shelter?
- Plan to distinguish accommodations for stable individuals vs. unstable
- Plan to provide security for homeless in shelters
- Plan to provide shelter from elements during 24 hour day
- By what date has the City chosen to relocate those who are willing to accept City services and to where will those who will not accept be directed?
Public Hearing Request: Tent Cities
The undersigned respectfully requests a Council of the Whole public hearing scheduled for a day certain to address the universal decline in neighborhoods, houses of worship and businesses because of the proliferation of homeless tent cities. Residents and business owners are demanding from the Ward 2 Councilor that we as a council act. The camps extend far beyond Springside Park. They are in Morningside – specifically the Carbulance property. They are in business lots on North Street. They exist on church properties, notably the Church of Christian Science. People from all three demand action.
The Health Department informs me that they will not respond to complaints. 1hey will not penalize property owners who tolerate unlawful occupation of their lots nor request law enforcement intervention to clearthem. The lack of response leaves residents, businesses, and home of worship one acceptable option which is to leave town for a better place where these camps are forbidden. The tents cities are a direct hazard to Pittsfield’s communities. They present the following:
• Public restrooms
• Open trash, unlawful trash dumping, and discarded food which attract rodents and are otherwise disgusting
• Drug paraphernalia and medical waste (discarded needles)
• Public bonfires
• Utility theft
• Aggressive behavior from tent occupants
• Trespassing
Injury to the public goes beyond aesthetic and children have handled waste from these camps requiring medical care. The solution to these encampments is practical and the same as is imposed on all residents who do not comply with city codes: fine property owners who host parties that violate codes, enforce no-trespassing orders by removal of people from property they have no right to occupy. The goal of this petition is two-fold.
- Provide an opportunity for the public to petition their elected representatives directly on this issue.
- Call for a strategy to compel the City to exercise its authority and protect our residents.
This is a code and a law enforcement problem that has been created by the City, and we as a Council must demand
it be corrected.
Signed: Charles Kronick, Councilor Ward 2. September 7. 2022
Wahconah Park Restoration Committee: 7/28/2022
Thursday, July 28 6:00PM
City Hall, Second Floor RM 203
>Architectural Plan and Proposal
>Agenda
>Appointments
Council Meeting: 4/26/22
- PEDA Cash $125,000 plus Tax Increment forgiveness for SolaBlock
- Waste Water/Sewer deficit to be covered by cash draw from the Enterprise Fund.
- PPD Business: Body Cam Petitions. New officer appointment from prior week.
- Verizon Tower: Board of Health Requesting $85,000 to defend Cease & Desist Order
Council Meeting, 4/12/22
- Petition to Address Underserving Ward 2 State Allotment State Funds for Road Repaving
- Opposition and Challenge to Mayoral appointments to City committees
- PPD appointments – tabled
- $500,000 North Street Roadword Proposal with $130,000 city portion
City Council Meeting, Tuesday, February 22. 6:00 pm City Hall. Water/Sewer Rates, appointments to Veteran Services, and local petitions to make our roads better. Below: the proposed Water Sewer rates going up 2022 and 2023.
Exercise your right to petition your representatives and speak at the open mic. Your representatives are only as strong as you! If you have specific concerns about this rate hike, let us know.
My objective: we must maintain adequate funding for the water wastewater infrastructure. However, the financial hardships caused by Covid-19 including loss of work, reduction of health care services combined with radical increases in cost of living means we must creatively discover and implement along with the increases relief for the most vulnerable. Protecting those who are most likely to lose their homes or shortchange necessities is possible.
Read the Agenda here: PDF Agenda
8 responses to “City Council News”
Charles, please support the recently filed petition to the City Council to ban the sale of “nip” alcoholic beverages. It is horrifying to see how many of these miniature bottles litter the streets in our neighborhood.
Thank you.
Mr. Woitkoski:
Leaning in favor. Thank you for your thoughts.
-Charles
I am disgusted by your comments last night about not caring if city officials and employees get pronouns right, and thinking that diversity, equity, and inclusion work is about “protecting people’s feelings.”
DEI is about preventing tragedies like the Buffalo shooting, where ten Black community members were gunned down by a white terrorist. DEI is about lowering the percentage of LGBT teens who commit suicide because they see the wave of hatred crashing down around them in this country. DEI is about making our city streets accessible for the many senior and disabled citizens in Pittsfield. DEI is about helping people stay employed while navigating a raging pandemic—a real illness that causes long term neurological and cardiovascular effects— of which the rates in our city are skyrocketing.
You are out of touch and foolish if you think our police force and city council don’t need real, intense DEI training. How many more Black people have to be killed by Pittsfield police in order for you to see that? Shame on you.
Emma:
Youth suicide is a problem that is increasing amongst children generally – and I would support the Health Department to report on incidents in Pittsfield and provide intervention in our schools.
Sorry to bother you Mr Kronick I’m a resident of Ward 2 that lives on First St and was hoping that there might be something that you can do about the constant and extreme high pitched noise coming from the air conditioning unit on the roof of the Girl’s Club. It’s been a serious disruption and disturbance to this neighborhood daily all summer for over 3 years now. I’m hoping there’s something that you can do about it that your predecessor didn’t. I have also informed the Girls Club. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Todd ( Ward 2 constituent )
You are, at best, a public disgrace Kronick, you can best serve this city by retiring and preferably leaving, I’m sure they can make use a of man of your “skills” and “religious beliefs” in some backwater where they still haven’t realized trans people exist and deserve basic respect.
I look forward to seeing you lose and lose hard in the next election.
I think we all know what’s going on here it’s called dirty pool by the administration. The council president and vice president are in the pocket of the mayor, so they are there to do the mayors bidding at the taxpayer.
What about maplewood ave sidewalks as we had discussed. Dangerous uneven cracks holes etc no curbing and cars park on city sidewalks. I’ve dealt with the cars on sidewalks no one seems to address. We need to beautify and enough is enough. Hamlin st being done wasn’t in the list. Some sidewalks have been done or to be done not as bad. Actually all these areas need attention. I take pride to keep our neighborhoods looking good. I voted and stated this along while ago. Missed your meeting. But work was a necessity for me. Thank you again. Please let’s get this done. Viki