14

Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 20, 2020 Baker files legislation to address municipal government challenges due to COVID-19 G ov. Charlie Baker recently announced that his administration will file a package of legislation to help address challenges to municipal governance resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, including potential delays in holding town meetings and adopting municipal budgets for fiscal 2021. The legislation would: z Amend the existing statute that authorizes town moderators to postpone town meetings by 30 days during a “public safety emergency” by adding “public health emergency” as a reason that permits postponement. zPermit town boards of selectmen to postpone town meetings beyond the statutory June 30 deadline (end of fiscal year) when the governor has declared a state of emergency and conditions prevent the completion of a town meeting. zPermit boards of selectmen, at local option, to temporarily adopt lower quorum rules. zPermit continued monthto-month spending into fiscal 2021 by towns based on the prior fiscal year budget with approval of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services (DLS) during a state of emergency. The monthto-month authorization would continue so long as a state of emergency prevents the adoption of a budget. Cities have similar authority under existing state law. zPermit towns to access their free cash balance for fiscal 2021 spending with approval of DLS. This would be based on the July 2019 certified balance and could continue until a fiscal 2021 budget is adopted. zPermit municipal spending from revolving funds at the level set by their fiscal 2020 appropriation until a fiscal 2021 budget is adopted. zAuthorize a three-year amortization period for deficit spending incurred as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The default rule would require a fiscal 2021 tax rate to provide for one-year amortization, and this change would follow the 2015 prece~Letters to the Editor~ Lipper-Garabedian delivers update on COVID-19, swearing in Dear Editor: These are incredible and frightening times in which we are living. I hope your family is weathering the remarkable changes to our daily life, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands. As Mark, Harrison, Oscar, Baryn and I prepare for our fourth day (of many to come) physically separating from our neighbors, friends and family, I recognize how fortunate we are to have a safe place to live, food in the kitchen, and two paychecks. Like you, I also am incredibly grateful for the front line workers (like my sister-in-law, an ER nurse at MGH, and my cousins, police officers in Boston and Belmont) who are striving and will strive to care for us in the weeks to come. I am comforted to see state and local policy developing that is focused on protecting public health, mitigating economic impacts, and reinforcing community supports. Here are COVID-19 links to bookmark and consult: CDC: https://buff.ly/2vkGDvb MA DPH: https://buff. ly/2QbqY90 Malden: https://buff. ly/2Q8MACU I am not sure when I will be sworn in as the State RepreKate Lipper-Garabedian State Representative-Elect sentative for the 32nd Middlesex District. It will not be this week. For now, I continue to Resident opposes single-stream recycling option Dear Editor: I am responding to the Malden Advocate article published on March 13, 2020, titled “New Trash Plan Provides Options.” The City Council’s plans for Malden’s trash are sensible, and I appreciate the work that went into reaching this compromise. The plans for recycling strike me as very unwise and even counterproductive. The article says, “As part of the new program, the city will move to single-stream recycling, which means all glass, plastic and paper can go into the new covered toters. ‘The proposal comes with some costs,’ explained [Parking Department Director Ron] Hogan. The City’s trash hauler, JRM, will charge $200,000 a year for the switch to single-stream recycling, and $50,000 a year for the additional work involved in curbside collection.” Exactly why does Council plan to move the city to single-stream recycling? I imagine some councillors believe it will be easier for residents, but there are at least two big reasons why Malden should not go to single-stream: 1. It will evidently be an expensive change, to the tune of $250,000 per year. 2. More importantly, it is contrary to what we know about contemporary recycling. The days are long past when the U.S. could simply send tons of single-stream recyclables to China or other distant places and trust that our former trash would miraculously change into benign new usable, and non-polluting, materials. China is now inundated with its own trash to be recycled, and the same is true of “alternative” destinations like Vietnam and Malaysia. They no longer will accept single-stream, which usually means contaminated and not recyclable. As a result, tons of our supposedly recyclable trash ends up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Another destination, sadly, is likely to be landfills here in the U.S. If Malden residents and City Councilors really want to make a positive contribution by recycling, then we will have to move in the opposite direction, toward more careful sorting of different recyclables. This is what the U.S. recycling industry wants, because sorted, clean materials (not a mishmash of dirty mixed trash) is what they want and can use. In other words, there is no sustainable market for single-streamed recyclables. For a solid and informative discussion of contemporary recycling issues I recommend people read “You Can’t Recycle Garbage,” by Edward Humes, in the July/August 2019 issue of Sierra Magazine. I hope the Malden City Council will move to put the new trash plan into effect soon. But I hope they’ll reconsider their plans for recycling, and create a system that will support a positive, productive approach, and not just the illusion of “doing something for the environment,” which only results in more piles of garbage, here or elsewhere. Sincerely, Robin Riley Fast Malden be the Chief Legal Counsel at the Executive Office of Education (as well as Harrison’s 1st grade teacher – “Why is my teacher kissing me?” he asked yesterday). Even though I am not yet a member of the General Court, I am available to field your questions and concerns. I have responded to outreach from local realtors and business owners, doing my best to hunt down information and share their perspectives with relevant stakeholders. You can reach me at Kate@KateforRep. com. I will continue to provide updates and information via Facebook and Twitter (@ KateforRep). For example, this week, I’ve flagged information about increased flexibility for public meetings including remote participation; food assistance resources including the grab-and-go meals that Malden, Melrose, and Wakefield Public Schools are providing to students; a national domestic violence hotline; and a small business relief loan program. Again, please socially distance from all outside your household. Wash your hands. Take care of yourself and, in the process, take care of all of us. Sincerely, Kate Lipper-Garabedian State Representative-Elect ACDC Dim Sum Breakfast postponed Dear Friends of ACDC, In light of the latest COVID-19 developments in Massachusetts, we have decided to postpone our Heart of the Community Dim Sum Breakfast on April 24 to a date later this year. While we always look forward to celebrating community building at our Dim Sum Breakfast, we must engage in shared efforts to ensure the health and safety of our community members and the general public. We are actively reaching out to our residents and community members in this time of crisis to offer a full support. For those of you who have already donated to our Dim Sum Breakfast, I want to thank you for your generosity. If you have not donated yet, please consider sponsoring or buying a table. Now, more than ever, ACDC needs your support in providing essential resources to our residents, most of whom are low-income immigrant families. Your donations are critical, especially at this time, to support our affordable housing, our youth and resident engagement work, and our place keeping efforts to create vibrant community spaces. Your sponsorship benefits will remain the same when the rescheduled Dim Sum Breakfast takes place. As a reminder, our offices in Boston and Malden are closed effective today, Monday, March 16 until further notice. Our staff is working remotely and is available by email and phone. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe as we work together through this challenging time. For questions and concerns, please contact Angela O’Donnell at Angela.ODonnell@asiancdc.org or 857.449.7124. Sincerely, Angie Liou Executive Director Resources: h t t ps : / /w w w . c d c . g o v / coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html https://www.mass.gov/resource/ information-on-the-outbreak-ofcoronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19 dent for snow removal costs. School and other closures Baker also announced a threeweek suspension of school operations for educational purposes at all public and private elementary and secondary (K-12) schools in the Commonwealth beginning Tuesday, March 17, as well as a number of other emergency actions. “We know that a lot of the measures we are putting into BAKER FILES | SEE PAGE 22

15 Publizr Home