The City Commissioners of Cambridge found themselves in a lengthy discussion over Ordinance No. 1221 on Monday evening, aimed to continue a juvenile curfew policy previously established as a temporary measure this summer.
The new ordinance, set to commence on September 1st and last for a year, was presented in two forms. The original mirrored the prior requirements from February to June, while an alternative version was put forth by Town Manager Mr. Thomas Carroll with the support of Mayor Steve Rideout.
A significant alteration in the revised ordinance involves forgoing financial and criminal penalties for parents. Instead, local care teams would address curfew violations, suggesting services to offenders. Refusal could then see the case promoted to a ‘child in need of services’ petition, allowing legal repercussions against the child or parents.
During public comments, several citizens voiced their concerns about the revised ordinance draft, stating they felt out of the loop regarding these alterations. They requested the council to extend the time for public contributions before locking in the ordinance.
Nonetheless, the Commissioners passed the original ordinance on a 3-2 vote without revision in order to keep the curfew in place starting in September. After to vote, Mayor Rideout expressed his intention of vetoing the resolution wanting to seek broader consistency and allow more time for community input.
It is assumed that the Mayor will exercise his veto before the next scheduled council meeting set for August 28th, his would mean that the ordinance would need to be reconsidered and pass by a more significant majority to override the veto.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.