Somerville trust votes to commit $1 million for RFP

Other Committee · Meeting of October 15, 2026

SOMERVILLE — The Somerville Job Creation and Retention Trust voted unanimously to commit $1 million toward a 2027 jobs and small-business RFP. Staff liaison William Blackmer reported the trust's uncommitted balance at roughly $2.78 million after members returned $81,000 from an unused HR training grant and $30,800 unspent by MassHire Metro North on a youth pre-apprenticeship program. The seven-member board, including Tom Bent, Vicki Coitz, Silvana Dinka, Jim Hashie, Jacob Luria and Rand Wilson, voted 7-0 on each item.

Managing Trustee Annika said the obligation means "this RFP is really happening," with a draft due in December, release in January and applications due in April 2027. The board also welcomed incoming Workforce Development Coordinator Colby Stiles and set its annual public meeting for November 19.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of October 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.