There was a lot on the agenda last night, so let’s power through. In a hopeful sign of times to come, three councilors were in chambers! (ACTUALLY, nope, Councilors McCarthy and Turiel only used chambers Zoom backgrounds. My apologies.) All were present. I will present the matters out of order, to hit some highlights up front, since there was so much discussed.
First, I am pleased to report that our council unanimously voted to condemn acts of hate and violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. There was thoughtful and emotional testimony from the public prior to the meeting, and the councilors were equally sincere when President Madore’s resolution was put forward.
Alright, the next major thing on the agenda was Councilor Dominguez’s temporary moratorium on all development projects in floodplains and wetlands. Councilor Morsillo did not mince words when she expressed her dissatisfaction with the order put forward. She noted that while the proposal implied endorsement by the planning board and conservation commission, her conversations with them indicated that they were not involved in the development of this order, nor were they in support. She questioned the legality of the order, noting that there was no date certain to end the moratorium and pointed out that you cannot change the rules of permitting midway through the process; lawsuits would likely ensue. Councilor Turiel seconded Morsillo’s critique, recognized the need for additional protections for the wetlands, and pointed to the work that Morsillo has been doing with the planning board and the conservation commission on just this matter. Good legislation takes time. Councilor Hapworth took issue with the way the matter was presented and chastised Dominguez for the lack of collaboration and communication. The order, submitted on Tuesday, expected to be adopted on Thursday, and implemented on Friday, had not been reviewed by the city solicitor. He noted that this was “not how to govern.” Likewise, Councilor Riccardi was frustrated with the manner in which this order was presented and affirmed her dedication to environmental protection. She pointed to the Green Building Ordinance, the tree project and urban agriculture ordinance, which are all being discussed and explored in her committee (Public Health, Safety and the Environment [PHSE]). Recognizing the desire to take climate action to mitigate the crisis we are in, she encouraged active members of the community to work towards implementing some of those changes. Councilor Dibble stepped in to note that he had agreed to co-sponsor the order, but then mentioned that he had not read it closely. He asked to add a “friendly amendment” to add the wetlands protection and conservation chapter 50 into the order, apparently determining to ignore the other critiques of the floor. Dominguez said he did not want to respond to the comments on the floor and said that the intention was to limit development in Salem while protecting the wetlands. I am paraphrasing a little bit, but Councilor McCarthy pointed to the order and the path to the council floor as a mess. McCarthy and Madore both asked for a list of projects that would be impacted by this order, and they included the Bagel World renovation and the SiFi project. The take home message I heard was that good legislation takes time, communication, and collaboration. Everyone on the council was in agreement that there need to be stronger environmental protections, but very few felt that this was a well written, thought through order and in fact, would likely open the city to lawsuits. The council voted to move the matter to the committee on Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs (OLLA).
Money matters
The council approved:
$350K to replenish the retirement stability fund;
$216,688 in retirement buybacks;
$8110 for a storage unit at the golf course;
$175K for security upgrades at the South Harbor garage;
$44K for the New Charter St. Cemetery Welcome Center, which will be at the Pickman House in partnership with the Peabody Essex Museum;
$18,795 to reupholster the dilapidated councilor chairs in chambers. This last bit of spending is gaining some traction on the interwebs.
$1044 to pay Danvers for Salem's share of the Salem Beverly Water Supply's Folly Hill Reservoir located in Danvers (pilot); and received
$8110 for burial lot sales and a $1950 donation to the city for a park bench
Two matters were referred to the committee on Administration and Finance (A&F): $50K for the start-up costs for a BlueBike bike sharing program and repurposing the Utility Energy Credit Fund, which if I understood it correctly, would funnel the solar credits the city receives for doing installations on Witchcraft Heights into other like projects. This matter only referred to committee 6–5.
Morsillo also put a homerule petition forward on behalf of Mayor Driscoll to “auto enforce” speed limits in school zones (traffic cameras). She pointed to the data collected during the bike lane pilot on Willson St., where speeds of upwards of 65mph were clocked in a 25mph zone. Both the high school and Horace Mann are on that street. First, a homerule petition means that the city is asking the state to enact this. In this instance, Councilor Prosniewski pointed out, traffic cameras are illegal in Massachusetts. While this matter had passed in 2019 and was being reintroduced because the state legislative session had ended with no action on this matter, the council had questions about the scope of the petition and wanted to see tighter language. The matter was referred to OLLA, co-posted with the committee of the whole (COW).
I do want to take a minute to tease out the tree project, which is SUPER cool (and not just because my street is on the eligibility list). The Greenway Gateway program, which is being rolled out with a collaboration between Salem Sound Coastwatch, the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Salem Tree Commissioner, has a goal to plan 2400 trees in Salem (ideally within 3 years)! Most trees will be on private property at no cost to the property owner; just a commitment to water and love it. More information is forthcoming, but if you are giddy at the prospect of paging through a binder full of trees and picking one out to enhance your yard, you can go to the Mass Urban Canopy website to see if you qualify.
To wrap up, the city seal was bestowed upon Chiefs Butler (police) and Giunta (fire), who both retired this year. Many kind words were lauded upon them.
Respectfully submitted,
Jen Lynch