Minutes of the Regular City Council meeting held on December 8, 2025.
Placed on fileReport Accepted and Placed on File
Voice vote · absent: E. Denise Simmons
Meetings
27 of 31 with Final Actions
Jan 12, 2026 to Nov 9, 2026
Cambridge City Council/2026
What the Council decided, and how each councillor voted
Every Cambridge City Council meeting in 2026, filed by date and searchable by keyword: each item the Council acted on, the result, and every councillor's recorded vote.
35 items at Cambridge City Council, May 18 2026
Clear searchCambridge City Council, May 18 2026
Regular Meeting·Mon, May 18, 2026·Final actions published
Minutes of the Regular City Council meeting held on December 15, 2025.
Placed on fileReport Accepted and Placed on File
Voice vote · absent: E. Denise Simmons
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a federal update including an update on relevant court cases.
Placed on fileCMA Placed on File
Voice vote · absent: E. Denise Simmons
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a cross statutory transfer of $322,825.00 within the School Department General Fund.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $38,905.18 from the State Executive Office of Public Safety, Department of Fire Services.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $30,000.00 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Land Conservation Assistance Grant
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $450,000.00 to support the purchase of four parcels of land located within the town of Lincoln, MA.
PassedAppropriation Order Adopted/Orders 5a, 5b, 5c Adopted CMA Placed on File
Roll call 9 yes
A communication transmitter from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $350,000.00 from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Drinking Water Supply Protection Grant.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 9 yes
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appropriation of $251,320.90 from the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Community Connections Grant.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appropriation of $15,000.00 from the Cambridge Food Pantry Grant.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $5,993.40 from the Project Bread Summer Eats Grant.
PassedOrder Adopted and CMA Placed on File
Roll call 8 yes · 1 absent
Who voted how
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a report on Social Housing.
Placed on fileCMA Placed on File
Voice vote
A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appointments to the Social Housing Task Force.
PassedApproved CMA Placed on File
Roll call 9 yes
City Council support of H.968, H.886/S.647, H.1023, and S.570 and S.571 to enact extended producer responsibility and product stewardship in recognition that these laws will relieve municipalities of rising costs, and incentivize producers to sell products that are less toxic and easier to reuse and recycle, by requiring such producers to bear the costs for the proper recycling and responsible disposal of their products.
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
That the appointment of Interim City Clerk Paula M. Crane be extended for an additional period not to exceed six months.
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
S&S Restaurant “Thank You” Celebration
Sponsors Timothy R. Flaherty, E. Denise Simmons, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui
PassedAdopted as Amended
Voice vote
That the City Manager is requested to confer with the relevant departments to immediately request Empower to resign from the Massachusetts High Technology Council and consider options for transitioning the City of Cambridge out of Empower and transferring its retirement accounts into one of the City’s other retirement programs should Empower continue to be a member of the MHTC.
Other actionWithdrawn
Roll call 9 yes
That the City Manager is requested to work with relevant City departments including the Law Department to ensure that there is no new data collected by ShotSpotter devices and all existing data shall be kept, used, or deleted only as required by law under our Welcoming Community Ordinance and Surveillance Technology Ordinance.
PassedAdopted
Roll call 5 yes · 2 no · 2 present
Who voted how
- Present
- Burhan Azeem, Catherine Zusy
That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Mayor’s Office, Law Department, Election Commission, and other relevant City Departments to engage the Collins Center in assisting the City in reviewing policy options for allowing Cambridge voters to directly elect the City’s Mayor.
PassedAdopted as Amended
Roll call 7 yes · 1 no · 1 present
Who voted how
That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the projected fiscal impact of maintaining the current exemption for seniors, along with any administrative steps necessary to do so.
PassedAdopted as Amended by Substitution
Roll call 7 yes · 2 no
That a special Committee of the City Council be formed to conduct a full and complete analysis of each of the proposed changes to the Rules of the City Council, with the goal of a transparent understanding of each of the proposed changes and the implications.
Failed
Roll call 3 yes · 5 no · 1 present
Who voted how
- Present
- Ayah A. Al-Zubi
A communication from City Councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler transmitting the proposed 2026- 2027 Rules of the Cambridge City Council. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY IN COUNCIL MAY 11, 2026 TABLED IN COUNCIL MAY 18, 2026
Tabled or heldTabled
Roll call 6 yes · 3 no
Chapter 2.127 Community Benefits Advisory Committee Ordinance.
PassedOrdained
Roll call 9 yes
Communications for the May 18, 2026 Regular City Council meeting.
Placed on file
Voice vote
Resolution recognizing National Telecommunicators Week (April 12-18).
Sponsors Sumbul Siddiqui, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
That the City Council go on record urging all residents to honor the service and sacrifice by commemorating Memorial Day on May 25, 2026
Sponsors Marc McGovern, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Patricia Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
Resolution on the death of Vinton Turner.
Sponsors Sumbul Siddiqui, E. Denise Simmons, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy
PassedAdopted as Amended
Voice vote
Congratulations to owner Daniel Roughan on the opening of his new restaurant Alice & Monarch.
Sponsors Sumbul Siddiqui, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
Congratulations to the 2026 Inspire Awards Honorees.
Sponsors E. Denise Simmons, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
Condolences to the family of Michael J. Sheehan.
Sponsors Timothy R. Flaherty, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
Condolences to the family of Fernando M. Mendonca
Sponsors Timothy R. Flaherty, Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Marc McGovern, Patricia Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui
PassedAdopted
Voice vote
The Health and Environment Committee held a public hearing on March 25, 2026 to review and discuss CMA 2026-21, related to Cambridge Municipal Code Ch. 8.28, “Regulation on Youth Access and Sale of Tobacco Products and on Smoking in Workplaces and Public Places,” in order to (1) update the current ordinance to conform to widely adopted municipal policies, new state laws, and court decisions, as well as (2) to discuss the recent regulatory landscape in Massachusetts regarding tobacco products.
Placed on fileReport Accepted and Placed on File
Voice vote
A communication was received from Interim City Clerk Paula Crane, regarding an update regarding legislative activity.
Placed on file
Voice vote
A communication from Mayor Siddiqui transmitting a memorandum regarding the search process for a permanent City Clerk.
Placed on file
Voice vote
A communication from Mayor Siddiqui transmitting a memorandum regarding information from the School Committee.
Placed on file
Voice vote
Coverage and sources
Votes
787 items, 508 roll calls
Latest Final Actions: Nov 2, 2026
No Final Actions published for: Regular Meeting, Jan 12, 2026; Special Meeting, Jun 23, 2026; Roundtable, Aug 6, 2026; Regular Meeting, Nov 9, 2026.
Where this comes from
Every item and vote here is read from the City Clerk's Final Actions for each meeting, published on the city's PrimeGov portal. They list every item the Council acted on, its sponsors and reference number, the result, and on a roll call each councillor under yeas, nays, present and absent. Items carried by voice vote show as voice votes, with any absent councillors named.
Each meeting links to its agenda, Final Actions, minutes once they are approved, and video. A meeting appears before its Final Actions do, and its items fill in once the clerk publishes them. Planning Board and Board of Zoning Appeal meetings are not included yet.
Meetings from Jan 1, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026. Built Nov 12, 2026 by Ingest from the City of Cambridge's public records.