The Public Safety & Transportation Committee met on Thursday, July 23. See the report and meeting video.
Held
- Overnight Parking Ban ordinance change — 7-0 (Councilor Golden not voting). The City’s Overnight Winter Parking Ban Working Group presented its July 15 report, recommending limited, reversible trial changes beginning in winter 2026–27. The Working Group reached unanimous consensus on codifying clearer written exceptions to the ban, expanding overnight parking for residents with disabilities (replacing case-by-case police discretion), establishing a system for overnight home health aides, streamlining temporary exceptions, and implementing mitigation measures such as expanded snow-emergency declarations. It reached wide but not unanimous consensus on expanding the municipal overnight parking program, and did not reach consensus on designating specific streets for overnight parking or shortening the ban’s duration. Further discussion was needed with the City Administration, School Department, and the Newton Police Department. “Chair Lucas stated that it would be necessary for this Committee to meet in August to discuss and hopefully conduct straw votes by the end of August for the direction the Committee would like to head.” He suggested a public presentation in September. Working Group Chair Markiewicz noted the committee will need to act by the November 2 City Council meeting to implement any changes by December 1.
Present: Councilors Lucas (Chair), Wright, Block, Irish, Roche, Golden, Greenberg, and Silber.
Also present: Councilors Albright, Kelley, Malakie, and Farrell.
Others Present: Overnight Parking Ban Working Group Chair Chris Markiewicz and members Jini Fairley, Mitch Fischman, Michael Halle, and Peter Klapes.