By Adam Swift
The city council will consider an administrative order from City Manager Fidel Maltez that would provide $1,500 annual stipends for members of several volunteer city boards and committees.
The council moved the order to a future subcommittee on conference meeting. The council has 30 days to either approve or reject the order; if no action is taken, it would go into effect after 30 days.
The order came in response to a council order asking for a feasibility study on the possibility of stipends for planning and zoning board members.
“Our initial research found that many of our neighboring Cities and Towns offer stipends to appointed residents,” stated Maltez. “Many communities, like Somerville, give stipends to several boards not referenced in the Council Order. Specifically, we propose a stipend for the Licensing Commission, Youth Commission, the Traffic and Parking Commission, and the Board of Health, as well as the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals.”
The boards require a significant amount of preparation, research and long nighttime meetings, Maltez noted.
“We propose stipends of $1,500 for each member, distributed monthly,” Maltez stated. “The stipend will be paid only if a member attends a meeting the previous month.”
The city manager proposed starting the stipends on Jan. 1 of next year.
“We currently have 35 resident appointees to the boards mentioned above; this would result in an annual spend of $52,000,” Maltez said. “Since this is a big change from our current operation, we request that the City Council hold a subcommittee meeting to discuss this.”
During the public speaking portion of Monday night’s meeting, two appointed board members said they were not in favor of the stipends.
Zoning Board of Appeals member Joan Cromwell said the stipends are not a productive idea.
“Given Chelsea’s long history of corruption and receivership, it is critical that we remain intentional about transparency and avoid even the appearance of potential misuse of public funds,” said Cromwell. “Board service should continue to be grounded in civic duty and community commitment, with members volunteering their time and energy out of dedication to Chelsea rather than the expectation of compensation.”
Cromwell also took her time during public speaking to criticize the city council for what she called inappropriate and flagrant abuse of authority for its role in the recent vote on the special permit applications for the Boston Provisions food distribution facility that was proposed for 100 Justin Drive. Cromwell voted in favor of granting the special permits two weeks ago, but was outvoted by the ZBA.
Cromwell criticized the actions taken by the council the night before the ZBA vote to move forward a special zoning amendment creating a larger buffer zone for fish processing facilities in industrially zoned parcels.
“I urge the council to refrain from interfering in the independent work of appointed boards and allow us to carry out the duties we have sworn to uphold without disruption or political manipulation,” Cromwell said. “Anything less is an abdication of the council’s responsibility to protect, rather than undermine, Chelsea’s democratic institutions.”
Licensing Board Chair Marnie MacAlpine also spoke against the stipends for appointed board members.
“While I can see the interest in potentially paying boards for the amount of time that we are putting (in), I personally believe as one of our board members … I would prefer to do it for free because we’re doing it because we care about the city,” said MacAlpine.