Council Refers Meeting-Time Change To Committee

Select Board · Meeting of October 13, 2026

WORCESTER — The Worcester City Council voted 8-3 to send a proposal moving its weekly meeting start time to the Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee for review. Councilor Jose Rivera's original order sought a 5:30 p.m. start with a dedicated 30-minute public comment window, while Councilor Sean Rosen's amendment proposed 6 p.m. instead, noting all city subcommittees meet between 5 and 5:30 p.m. Councilors Bellotta, King and Hayter voted no.

Rivera said "when we read a text without context, we end up with a pretext for a proof text," rejecting claims the change would limit public input. Separately, the council voted 8-1 to send proposed rules requiring a March budget-priorities report from the city manager to the same committee, with City Manager McGrathy noting only about 0.2 percent of the budget is typically available for new priorities. DPW Commissioner Westerling reported winter-storm vacancies have dropped from 54 to 28 positions, backed by a $3 million salt-storage investment and seven new plow trucks.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of October 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.