Revere City Council Roundup

Revere.city has the answers

The City Council met this week with Vamshi Paili who presented his AI-powered public data accessibility platform. Revere.city is packed with federal, state and municipal data and quickly provides answers to questions about anything Revere. Users can look up a wide range of practical information such as the percent of Revere residents who are U.S citizens, the length of a commute time or the average level of proficiency for Revere students in math and reading.

Paili explained that some of the data fueling Revere.city is real time or dynamic data such as train schedules from the MBTA or crime data from the Revere Police Department. But users can look for very detailed information such as the number of residents employed in certain industries or the amount of money the city spends on debt service. And that’s just the beginning. Revere.city is filled with clear and accessible graphs that not only show different slices of data, but the graphs also provide relevant comparisons to state and national trends. Revere.city makes it easy to find specific information that now can require hours of digging.

Councillors asked questions about the accuracy of the data which Paili explained is taken from established sources such as the U.S. Census or the Mass. Department of Unemployment.

The council voted to ask the mayor to issue an RFP for Revere.city which Paili said the city could have for free for a six-month trial basis.  He suggested a link to Revere.city on the city’s website.

Toys for Tickets returns

The popular Toys for Tickets program that lets anyone with an unpaid parking fine donate an unused toy, up to $30 in value, to have the donated amount waived on their ticket is back. There is a maximum of five tickets in parking fines allowed under the program. Toys for Tickets begins on November 17 and ends at the close of business on December 12.

And on December 6^th, 13^th, 20^th and 27^th parking at all metered spots will be free to promote local holiday shopping.

Setting the tax factor

The council responded to the city assessor’s request for a public hearing to establish the minimum residential tax factor for fiscal year 2026. The hearing will be held on December 1^st.

Congrats to the Flag Football Champs

Councillor-at-large Robert Haas filed a motion that the City Council recognize the Revere Jr. Patriots Flag Football team for their undefeated season which ended with a championship at NCYFC 2025 Flag Football tournament on November 1.

Recognizing Sebastian Agudelo Gomez

The council supported a motion from Councillor-at-large Juan Pablo Jaramillo that the City Council award a Certificate of Commendation to Sebastian Agudelo Gomez for his contribution to educating and informing the residents of Revere. Jaramillo also wanted Gomez honored for representing the Colombian-American community with integrity and distinction here in the largest Colombian-American community in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Revere police body cams

City Council President Marc Silvestri filed a motion requesting the Chief of Police to provide the City Council with an update on the use of body cameras for officers, including the cost and expected start time.

 Spotlight on AFC Urgent Care

Councillors supported Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna’s motion to invite AFC Urgent Care, 339 Squire Road, to a council meeting to discuss local healthcare needs and the services Urgent Care provides. McKenna said a recent illness led her to Urgent Care which she never realized was a few doors down from Market Basket, even though it opened about three years ago. She asked the receptionist about the empty waiting room and was told many Revere residents don’t know Urgent Care is on Squire Road.

Urgent Care isn’t meant to replace an emergency room or a family doctor, but it can save time and travel in many cases. Mckenna feels AFC Urgent Care is a Revere asset and wants to make sure all residents know about it.