Government

State Rep. Steve Owens to Hold 3 June Office Hours

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State Rep. Steve Owens. State Rep. Steve Owens will meet with residents in two office hours events in Watertown and a third in Cambridge this month. See details from State Rep. Owens’ office. Please come visit me at my June office hours:

Monday, June 9 from 9:00am – 10:30am at Kendall Kitchen at the Quad (10 Wilson Rd, Cambridge, MA 02138)

Monday, June 16 from 3:00pm – 4:00pm at the Watertown Senior Center (31 Marshall St, Watertown, MA 02472)

Friday, June 27 from 8:30am – 10:00am at Uncommon Grounds (575 Mount Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472)

As a reminder, I have changed offices and phone numbers for the new legislative session. My office at the Statehouse is now in suite 167. The new office phone number is (617) 722-2230. Please give us a call or drop us a note if you plan to stop by!

Government

City of Watertown Maintains Highest Bond Rating for 2025 Municipal Bonds

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The City of Watertown maintained its high bond rating by S&P Global Ratings for the 2025 general obligation bonds. Watertown will have more than $56 million in general obligation loans that will be used for capital projects, including the construction of the new Watertown High School. City officials received a letter from S&P dated May 16, 2025 informing them of the AAA bond rating for the $56.83 million series 2025 general obligation municipal-purpose loan bonds. Projects to be funded with the bonds include high school improvements, street reconstruction, middle school HVAC replacement, sewer system improvements, and vehicle and equipment replacement. The letter reads: “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Watertown will continue to produce surplus operating results and growing reserves, given stable revenues supported primarily by property taxes and a forward-looking management team.”

Government

Hearing on Mt. Auburn St. Trees Rescheduled After Legal Determination

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16″ DBH Honeylocust at 489 Mount Auburn Street in Watertown. A public hearing on the fate of nine trees on and near Mt. Auburn Street was held on Wednesday. At the hearing, it appeared that the future of the trees was out of the hands of the City of Watertown, but a legal counsel’s determination has changed that and the hearing has been rescheduled. The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

Mount Auburn Street Tree Hearing Statement At the scheduled tree hearing on May 14, 2025, city staff indicated that the trees on Mount Auburn Street that are scheduled to be removed are not under the purview of the city’s Tree Warden.

Government

City Watertown Retirees Will Get a Pension Boost After Council Vote

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This week, the City Council voted to give City retirees an increase in their pension benefits, while maintaining a fully-funded pension system. Retirees typically get an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent a year, said City Manager George Proakis, but that increase only applies to the first $14,000. On May 13, the Council voted to increase the amount that the COLA is applied to by $1,000. The pension number is fixed based upon an employee’s years of service and their age when they retired, Proakis said. The increase came at the request of the Watertown Retirement Board, said City Council President Mark Sideris.

Government

City Councilor Caroline Bays Hosting Annual Public Meeting

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City Councilor At-Large Caroline Bays. As part of the changes to the Watertown Charter all City Councilors must have an annual meeting to meet with the public. City Councilor At-Large Caroline Bays announced the date of her meeting. See info below. Please join City Councilor Caroline Bays at her Annual City Councilor Meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from 6-7:30 p.m.

The meeting will take place in the Third Floor Conference Room in City Hall, 149 Main Street, Watertown.

Government

Staffing for Second Watertown-Run Ambulance Approved by City Council

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The Watertown Fire Department got approval to run a second ambulance after the City Council approved funding to staff the ambulance on Tuesday. The vote came a couple weeks after the City Council’s Committee on Budget & Fiscal Oversight heard a presentation from Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson and members of the City administration. That meeting was the second hearing on adding a second ambulance. Nicholson said when calls are handled by the contracted ambulance run by Pro EMS, it takes longer to get to calls, and the City is losing reimbursement for the transportations to hospital when the outside ambulance handles a call. Additionally, he said that Watertown’s paramedics are overworked, morale is low, and several have left the WFD.

Government

City Council Will Hear from Department Heads at Three Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Hearings

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Watertown City Hall

The City Council will hold three hearings on the Fiscal Year 2025 Watertown City Budget beginning on Tuesday, May 20. See more information provided by the City below. In accordance with the Watertown City Charter and Council Rules, the Honorable City Council of the City of Watertown will meet, as the Committee of the Whole, for the purpose of holding public hearings on the City Manager’s Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Department Heads will be available for questions at the above scheduled hearings. Under this schedule, it’s anticipated that the City Council will take formal action on the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget at its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.

Elections

Candidate Papers for Watertown’s 2025 Election Will be Available in Early June

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown residents cast their ballots at Watertown City Hall. The General City Election will be Nov. 4, 2025. Residents planning to run for elected office in Watertown in 2025 will be able to take out papers in the beginning of June, and will have to get the signatures to the City Clerk by mid-July to run in the 2025 City Election, which will take place on Nov. 4.