NOTE: THIS MEETING IS BEING LIVE STREAMED AND RECORDED. CITY COUNCIL AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS CAN BE VIEWED ON THE CITY OF NEW BEDFORD’S HOMEPAGE UNDER QUICK LINKS, THEN MEETINGS.
AGENDA ITEMS:
1. PUBLIC HEARING on a COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting AN ORDINANCE, Amending Chapter 9, Section 4100A, RELATIVE TO MUNICIPAL FACILITY CONVERSION. (Matter ID #0284) (Referred - March 12, 2026.) (Duly advertised in The Standard Times on Monday, April 27, 2026 and Monday, May 04, 2026.)
1a. AN ORDINANCE, Amending Chapter 9, Section 4100A – RELATIVE TO MUNICIPAL FACILITY CONVERSION. (Matter ID #0285) (Referred - March 12, 2026.) (Duly advertised in The Standard Times on Monday, April 27, 2026 and Monday, May 04, 2026.)
1b. COMMUNICATION, Jennifer Carloni, Director, Planning Department, to Councillor Shane A. Burgo, Chairman, Committee on Ordinances, advising that the Planning Board held a public hearing on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 regarding the request by the City Council for the Planning Board to review and make a recommendation relative to adding a new Section 4100A. MUNICIPAL FACILITY CONVERSION for conversion of existing vacant, municipal facilities that no longer serve a public purpose with proposed criteria in addition to the special permit requirements of Section 5300; the Planning Board voted to send a FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION for this Ordinance amendment with the recommendation that Section 4113A (ii) be amended to read “It was used for not less than 20 years for public purposes.” (Received – April 17, 2026.)
INVITEES: Jennifer Carloni, Director, Planning Department; Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Atty. Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor; Representative, Mayor’s Office
2. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Gomes, requesting that the Committee on Ordinances look into establishing an Ordinance that would ban fireworks being shot-off throughout the City after the hours of 10:00 pm with the exception even though illegal after the 10:00 pm curfew on July 4th; and further, that the Ordinance establish a $300 fine for those caught illegally firing off fireworks between July 5th through July 3rd of the following year within City neighborhoods, beaches, waterfront and open spaces; furthermore that this law would be strictly enforced in the City giving some relief to the neighborhoods. (Matter ID #0795) (Referred – June 25, 2020.)
INVITEES: Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Atty. Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor; Brian Medeiros, Fire Chief; Jason Thody, Police Chief
3. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting AN ORDER and AN ACT, providing for the Recall of Elected Officers in the City of New Bedford. (Matter ID #0303) (Referred – March 14, 2024.) (July 17, 2024 – tabled) (October 09, 2024 – remain on the table) (November 19, 2024 – remain in Committee) (May 28, 2025 – tabled)
3a. AN ORDER, (Matter ID #0304) (Referred – March 14, 2024.) (July 17, 2024 – tabled) (October 09, 2024 remain on the table) (November 19, 2024 – remain in Committee) (May 28, 2025 – tabled)
3b. AN ACT, (Matter ID #0305) (Referred – March 14, 2024.) (July 17, 2024 – tabled) (October 09, 2024 – remain on the table) (November 19, 2024 – VOTE: To AMEND the ACT, by striking the language “Six hundred (600)” in Section 3A and replacing it with “Eighteen hundred (1800)” and by striking the language “100” in Sections 3A and 3B and replacing it with “300”; VOTE: To AMEND the ACT, by striking the language “3 months” in Section 2 and replacing it with “4 months” and by striking the language “6 months” in Section 2 and replacing it with “8 months”; remain in Committee) (May 28, 2025 – tabled)
INVITEES: Manuel DeBrito, Election Commissioner; Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Atty. Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor; Representative, Mayor’s Office
4. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Burgo, Pereira, Abreu, Carney, Oliver, Lima, Baptiste, Gomes, Morad, and Giesta, requesting, that the Committee on Ordinances explore the enactment of an Ordinance or City policy to establish parental paid leave to provide compensation for a period of time for City employees in the event of an addition of a child to the employee’s immediate family to allow for the proper care of and bonding with the child. (Matter ID #1429) (Referred – August 17, 2023.) (November 20, 2023 – Judi Keating will secure monies and numbers on instituting a program; tabled) (March 25, 2024 – remain on the table) (April 22, 2025 – tabled) (September 29, 2025 – VOTE: That Legislative Counsel draft a Parental Leave Ordinance that would grant employees paid parental leave up to six weeks at full pay and an additional six weeks at 75% pay to be used in the first year of a child’s birth or adoption; Remain in Committee.)
INVITEES: Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; José Gouveia, Director, Personnel Department; Atty. Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor
5. COMMUNICATION, Mayor Mitchell, to City Council, submitting AN ORDINANCE, Amending Chapter 10, by inserting a new Section 10-86.1, Voluntary Electronic (Email) Delivery of Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Bills, after Section 10-86. (Matter ID #0223) (Referred – March 05, 2026.)
5a. AN ORDINANCE, (Matter ID #0224) (Referred – March 05, 2026.)
INVITEES: Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Atty. Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor; John Taxiarchos, Treasurer-Collector; Representative, Mayor’s Office
6. REPORT, Committee on Ordinances, recommending to the City Council APPROVAL of the ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, Amending Chapter 9 – Appendix A – Table of Principal Uses Regulations. (Matter ID #0344) (Referred – March 26, 2026.)
6a. AN ORDINANCE, Table of Principal Uses Regulations. (DRAFT) (Referred – October 09, 2025.) (Matter ID #1621) (Referred as Amended to allow Batch Asphalt & Concrete Plants and Contractor’s Yards in certain zoning districts – March 26, 2026.)
INVITEES: Jennifer Carloni, Director, Planning Department; Atty. David Gerwatowski, Legal Counsel; Eric Jaikes, City Solicitor; Representative, Mayor’s Office
Chair Suggests 'Waive Reading', 'No Further Action' and 'Report Out to the Full City Council'
7. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillor Lopes, requesting that the Mitchell Administration provide the City Council with a listing of all vacant municipally owned residential lots that are conforming and nonconforming based on current building codes; and further that the Mayor’s Office, the Planning Department, the Office of Housing and Community Development and the Committee on Ordinances collectively work to develop a plan to address the challenges associated with the nonconforming residential lots. (To be Referred to Mayor Mitchell, the Planning Department, the Office of Housing and Community Development and the Committee on Ordinances.) (Matter ID #0048) (Referred – January 11, 2024.) (March 13, 2024 – tabled for 60 days) (May 20, 2024 – remain on the table)
8. WRITTEN MOTION, Councillors Choquette and Abreu, requesting, that the Ordinance Committee meet within the next 30 days to again, consider the home rule petition related to enacting recall provisions for municipal elected officials; this matter was previously heard but has remained in Committee. (Matter ID #0735) (Referred – May 08, 2025.)
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