City Council Meets tomorrow about FY 2021 Budget, M.V.P. Project overview, & more | June 29, 2020

Tomorrow night the Lynn City Council will be meeting at 5:15pm to discuss the City of Lynn’s FY 2021 budget. There will also be City Council Subcommittee meetings at 4pm for the Utilities Committee, 4:30pm for the Ways & Means Committee, 4:45pm for the Licensing Committee, 4:50pm for the Public Property & Parks Committee, & 5pm for the Recreational Cannabis Site Plan Review Committee.

Since all of these meetings are to be held without the public present due to COVID-19 the City of Lynn has made plans to ensure the public can still comment during the public hearing portions of meetings. For more info. please read the following notice below from City Clerk Janet Rowe:

Notice is hereby given that the Lynn City Council will hold a Public Hearing on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 5:00 o’clock P.M. in the Council Chambers for all interested citizens of the City of Lynn, MA on the FY 2021 Budget. The budget proposed for Fiscal Year 2020 is as follows: Total Fiscal Year 2021 Budget $375,433,035.00. The City of Lynn Fiscal Year 2021 Budget is available for inspection and review on the City of Lynn website commencing on Monday, June 29, 2020.

The meeting will not be open to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting will be televised live on the Lynn Community Television (LCTV) government channel and also streamed on the LCTV Facebook page. Any individual interested in speaking for or against or regarding the proposed budget should call (781) 586-6783 or (781) 586-6773 at the date and time of the public hearing. All individuals will be permitted to speak via a speaker phone function. In some instances, the Lynn City Council will call back an individual wishing to speak to ensure an orderly meeting. Individuals wishing to speak may provide their name and phone number to the Lynn City Council and will be called at the appropriate date and time to speak.

This information should be submitted to Terry Young via email: tyoung@lynnma.gov or telephone: (781) 586-6740. The email or telephonic message requesting to speak must be received at least one hour prior to the scheduled meeting. The public will be permitted to call the above phone numbers at the date and time of the public hearing. Any individual desiring to submit written materials either for or against a particular petition should submit the same via e-mail: tyoung@lynnma.gov or regular mail to: Lynn City Council, c/o Terry Young, Lynn City Council office, Lynn City Hall, Lynn, MA 01901.

Documents may also be submitted via the Lynn City Hall drop box located at the Johnson street entrance with a deadline of one hour prior to the scheduled meeting. The documentary submissions may be submitted via a zip drive or similar device compatible to a windows operating system.

Per Order: Janet Rowe, City Clerk Item: June 29, 2020

There will also be a meeting of the Stadium Commission tomorrow at 2pm that we will be broadcasting live. Among the agenda items is the Lynn Public Schools “Cross The Stage” event planned to be held at Manning Field on Saturday, August 1st.

The City Council, Council Subcommittee, & Stadium Commission meetings above will be broadcast on our Government Channel on TV (Comcast: 22 / Verizon: 37) & online (on our website & Facebook page).

Updates from the Baker Administration

Governor Baker is waiting to get another week’s worth of data to see what, if any, effect the resumption of indoor dining has on public health metrics associated with the virus before deciding if the third wave of reopenings will begin July 6. On Friday, he said the experiences of other states highlight the importance of phasing in the state’s reopening. Phase 3 of the state’s reopening will see the return of gyms, sporting events, casinos, museums, and movie theaters. The earliest possible date it could begin is Monday, July 6, but Baker has said that his decisions will be driven by data and not dates.

Governor Baker on Friday signed an interim budget to keep state government running when the new fiscal year begins on July 1 since the Legislature has not yet developed a fiscal 2021 spending plan. The governor filed the $5.25 billion interim budget a week ago and said Friday that the amount is sufficient to fund government operations through July. House and Senate leaders have not laid out a timeline yet for completion of a budget for the full fiscal year.

With just a few days until the new budget year begins, the Baker administration this week told municipalities that upcoming monthly local aid payments will largely be based on fiscal year 2020 estimates. The planned implementation of a new school funding law in the new fiscal year is on hold, at least for the time being.

Green Infrastructure Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Project Overview – Video & survey for City of Lynn

The City of Lynn is seeking community input as part of their planning process to install green infrastructure in the Strawberry Brook Watershed. This online engagement format includes a short video followed by a survey to record comments and feedback.

Take the survey at by clicking here.
Versions in both English & Spanish are available by clicking the box in the top-right part of the survey webpage.

Please reach out if you have questions or barriers to participating: Aaron Clausen, Principal Planner | 781-586-6853 / aclausen@lynnma.gov

This video presentation and survey was produced by the City of Lynn, Mayor McGee’s office, & Lynn Principal Planner Aaron Clausen.
A Spanish-language version is available by clicking here.

With the state of higher education in flux, tuition still a significant issue, and a staggering economy, a group in Essex and Middlesex counties in Massachusetts, is creating pathways for local residents and students to earn college credit based on knowledge and skills they’ve learned on the job or in life, saving them time and money.

Led by North Shore Community College, the Northeast Regional Prior Learning Assessment Consortium (NERPLAC) is a partnership between Essex and Middlesex County community colleges, state colleges and universities, private colleges, workforce boards, employers and community-based organizations. It promotes and increases the use of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) as a strategy to boost college completion, strengthen professional skills for higher paying jobs in regional growth industries, and engender engagement in lifelong learning.

PLA is an assessment given to an individual to determine if they already know the information that would be taught in a college course. If they do in fact have prior knowledge, they are awarded the credit without having to register and take the entire course, making the prospect of receiving a degree much less daunting.

Jim Skelly has worked in IT for over 25 years and couldn’t move up much more in his career without a degree. He enrolled at Middlesex Community College to pursue a degree in cyber security, and because of PLA he will be able to earn his degree in half the time. “Going back has given me a brighter outlook,” Skelly said. “I’m pretty senior in my current position. PLA opens up more compelling options and getting the degree will further my career.”

Through an ambitious but achievable two-year schedule, NERPLAC will become a model for replication, while positively impacting the lives of Essex and Middlesex county residents. The consortium will utilize PLA as an incentive for college enrollment and completion leading to a better-prepared workforce with increased potential within the region and reduction in the credential achievement gap between majority and minority populations.

“North Shore Community College (NSCC) has over 40 years’ experience with PLA and is currently leading a statewide initiative with all 15 community colleges,” said NSCC president Patricia A. Gentile. “Thus, it is very rewarding that thanks to the Essex County Community Foundation, we can now focus on the North Shore region along with our partners and better educate folks who can take advantage of PLA about this option that builds on life’s learning and saves time and money for students.”

“Given the impacts of the coronavirus, the timing may be good for this initiative given the number of folks who are out of work, who have realized that they need to change jobs to make more money, or find themselves with the time to build on their education foundation,” she said.

The consortium is funded by Essex County Community Foundation and is being led by North Shore Community College in collaboration with participating institutions of higher education including, Endicott College, Gordon College, Middlesex Community College, Northern Essex Community College, Salem State University, and University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Partners marketing PLA and engaging employers include NSWIB/CC, Merrimack Valley WIB/Valley Works CC and Greater Lowell WDB/CC. Employers and community-based organizations include Advances Learning Center, Wellspring, Inc., LEO, Inc., and Action, Inc.

For more information about this program or NERPLAC, contact Heather Mayer at hmayer02@northshore.edu.

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A reminder that this event is happening tomorrow June 30 at 6pm.

Lynn youth ages 13-17 are invited to share their perspective with peers from the community about racial tensions, and steps we need to take towards creating racial equality and youth empowerment.

Click here for the registration form.
Click here for the Facebook event page.

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From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 713 with 0 new cases today. 2,847 Lynn residents have recovered and 100 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 3,660. Please visit the new City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).