The Somerville City Council’s Legislative Matters Committee put electric vehicle charging station availability for condo residents in focus at their latest meeting.

By Eileen Qiu

Condos could have electric vehicle charging stations installed on the property as discussed during the Legislative Matters Committee meeting last Thursday.

Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis said the Home Rule Petition is still getting drafted and would enable a right to charge, ensuring tenants have access to charging stations on property grounds.

The intent of the ordinance is to reduce barriers for residents of condos, and the intent is good and going in the right direction, said Christine Blais, acting Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment.

However, Blais was concerned that the ordinance did not define landlord or tenant, which could lead to practicality issues concerning who would be responsible for maintenance and repairs of the stations over time.

A good portion of Somerville residents do not hold a lease for more than a year, so Blais questioned whether it was reasonable to ask tenants to install charging stations or remove them at the end of their leases.

Who the ordinance is for, was also a topic of debate. Blais suggested taking a step back to define what problems need to be solved in terms of accessibility and installation of charging stations and the specific needs of the people who want charging stations.

Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang also questioned the language asking condo owners who do not live in Somerville to appoint someone who lives within a 20-mile radius of the city or works in the city.

Niedergang understands it is to hold landlords accountable for the stations, but even landlords who live in Somerville might not be the best at responding to potential issues.

Council members also proposed an ordinance for the Mayor’s Office to send a yearly housing report including data regarding the total number of new rental units created, former rental units that were converted into condos and the number of affordable housing units lost.

It might make more sense for the report to come out every 3 or 5 years instead of annually because of the time it takes to collect all the data, city staffer Hannah Carrillo said. It is important to make sure the data in the yearly housing report does not repeat what the housing needs assessment already covers.

Earlier in the year, the surveillance technology ordinance was put in place so the public has a sense of what technology is out there and how it was used.

There are approximately 30 security cameras fixed to poles throughout the city that are intended to monitor traffic and roadways in the event of an emergency, Police Lieutenant Sean Sheehan said in the 2021 Surveillance Technology Annual Report.

However, the department did not used any covert cameras in the fiscal year of 2021.

The technology Advanced/Next Gen 911 was used in the event of 911 calls to find the locations of landline and cellphone callers in emergency situations. The intent is to be as transparent as possible, Sheehan said.

The next Legislative Matters Committee meeting will be Thursday, November 18.