2026-10-22 - City Council

01:59Mhm.

03:54>> Mhm.

05:49>> Mhm.

06:54>> A regular meeting of the city council

06:56was held in person on Thursday, October

06:5922nd, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose

07:02of transacting any and all business.

07:04Notice of this meeting was posted on

07:06October 20th, 2026 at 3:08 p.m. This

07:10meeting is being recorded and is live on

07:13SATV and Zoom unless technological

07:15issues interrupt the transmission.

07:18Councilors absent, none.

07:20Council President Merkel presiding.

07:22Councilor Favreau moved to dispense with

07:24the reading of the record of the

07:25previous meeting. All those in favor?

07:28So voted.

07:29I now request that everyone please rise

07:32if able to recite the pledge of

07:34allegiance led by Councilor Hepworth.

07:37>> I pledge allegiance to the flag

07:39of the United States of America

07:41and to the republic for which it stands,

07:44one nation

07:45under God,

07:46indivisible, with liberty and justice

07:48for all.

07:54>> The Salem City Council honors that this

07:57land is Naumkeag, or fishing place,

07:59where generations of Naumkeag people

08:02from the Pawtucket band of the

08:03Massachusetts tribe lived and passed

08:06through for centuries. We acknowledge

08:08that this is unceded indigenous land and

08:11also acknowledge the Massachusetts tribe

08:14who continue to honor and hold this land

08:16into the present. Salem City Council is

08:19committed to having ongoing, meaningful

08:21dialogue with the indigenous peoples who

08:24have presence in Salem in order to

08:26dismantle the legacies of oppression and

08:28inequities that persist today.

08:31Public testimony. Public testimony not

08:33to exceed 15 minutes. Public testimony

08:36is not a public hearing or question and

08:38answer period. Sign up must occur 30

08:40minutes prior to the meeting. The

08:42president shall, depending on the number

08:44of speakers, set a time limit not to

08:46exceed 3 minutes, which each individual

08:49presenting testimony must abide. Tonight

08:52we have five people signed up to speak

08:54and each will receive 3 minutes to talk.

09:05First, we have Sue Cresso.

09:08And if you'd like, please come to the

09:10podium.

09:13And please take your time.

09:18And if you like, state your name and

09:19address for the record.

09:23>> Um

09:26Um

09:27just going to put my timer on on

09:30so that I

09:32know.

09:34Um it's Susan Cresso and I made a

09:38mistake last night. Um,

09:40last time I live at 12 Summer Street.

09:45And last week I didn't get a chance to

09:48finish what I was saying.

09:50So, I'm going to finish

09:53tonight.

09:55Um, we've been talking about

09:58homelessness and what to do

10:00in the city, and I let you guys know

10:03that I have been homeless for 10 years.

10:07The thing is

10:09homelessness does it

10:11discriminate. [snorts]

10:13And that's just reality.

10:16There's no one in this room

10:19is above being homeless.

10:22Everyone in this room

10:24can

10:26you know

10:27end up in the hospital,

10:29especially if you're single

10:32and not being able to pay the rent. Get

10:35evicted, no fault of your own.

10:38I know a state worker

10:42who with COVID in the hospital

10:46who's now homeless.

10:48And she worked for the post office and

10:49never recovered from that, and she's

10:52still on the street.

10:54We just

10:57None of us are beyond being homeless.

11:00None.

11:02And how you judge the homeless is how

11:05you're going to be judged. It will come

11:07back. How you treat the homeless

11:11it's going to come back to you. You reap

11:14what you sow. What comes What goes

11:16around comes around.

11:20You say homelessness is a problem? Well,

11:23you guys are the ones

11:26who

11:27have the

11:29authority to fix it. And destroying

11:33property or taking away property

11:38adds to the

11:40adds to them

11:43contributes to their problems.

11:47And that's it.

11:48>> You know, you have 38 more minutes. I

11:50know your timer

11:5138 more seconds.

11:52>> Oh, okay.

11:54Um

11:55yeah, and I have a friend of mine never

11:58did drugs

12:00and my nephew

12:02um

12:03they did

12:04never did drugs. They're homeless.

12:07Um one is doing marijuana

12:10and I just found out and Scott knows

12:13Eddie.

12:14He's doing crack cocaine.

12:18He's 42 years old and he's 40s. I just

12:22found that out.

12:24And [clears throat]

12:26he he he's got a place and it's the

12:28people he's living with, but yeah, it

12:31just um please take it seriously if

12:36you've got

12:37you know, not just getting rid of their

12:40property.

12:41>> Thank you.

12:44Next we have Reese G.

12:48And if you like, please state your name

12:50and address for the record.

12:52>> I don't like that. Um hi

12:55uh

12:57Uh I

12:58>> [sighs]

12:59>> I'm exhausted with you people.

13:01Um

13:02Uh

13:03I'll just say being homeless is like

13:05really expensive and the the reason for

13:08that is because you lose your all

13:10the time. Sorry.

13:11And whether it's other people stealing

13:14your stuff, housed people stealing your

13:16stuff, the cops confiscating your stuff

13:18because

13:19a scary homeless person at Riley Plaza

13:22definitely has time to make a bomb while

13:25they're like being moved every 12 hours

13:27and don't have time to like, you know,

13:30even get food. It's It's just crazy.

13:33This is crazy and I cannot believe y'all

13:36are doing this. Like, I know you guys

13:37want to line up homeless people and

13:39shoot them by firing squad, but like you

13:40got to chill.

13:42You guys have got to chill.

13:45This is This is just going to ruin more

13:47lives.

13:49Like, you know this, but I'm exhausted

13:52and I don't want to be here and I don't

13:54want my friends that are homeless to be

13:56losing their medication and their

13:59identification and like whatever three

14:02belongings they have that they're going

14:04to lose in a week anyways.

14:06Chill.

14:09>> Thank you.

14:12Next, we have Skyler Clark.

14:18>> All right, it's me again. I'm here to

14:20talk about the um

14:22amendment to chapter 24 that you guys

14:24are going to talk about about removing

14:27um

14:28abandoned property effectively. This is

14:30just It's crazy, y'all. Like, dial it

14:32in. Like,

14:33this is so broad as to ban Halloween

14:36decorations. Like,

14:38I know that you guys don't like homeless

14:40people leaving their stuff around, but

14:42this is like beyond that. This is like

14:43cartoon villain stuff. This is the like

14:45pro stealing from homeless people

14:47amendment. Like, I really didn't think

14:50that we would get to this point, but we

14:51have gotten to this point. Like, just

14:53don't do this. Like, this I can only

14:55make a moral argument cuz this is just a

14:57really bad idea. Like, just don't don't

15:01pass this amendment.

15:04>> Thank you.

15:07Next, we have Matt Serpa.

15:13>> Hi, my name is Matt. I've been a Salem

15:16resident for around 4 years.

15:18I'm here speaking against the amendment.

15:20Um the my

15:22fellow have also been speaking against.

15:26Um

15:27I specifically take issue with the

15:29section of the proposed amendment which

15:30allows the immediate disposal of items

15:32deemed soiled if left unattended for a

15:35mere 2 hours.

15:37The ambiguity of the word soiled and the

15:39fact that they only need to be left

15:40unattended for 2 hours will absolutely

15:43lead to the items belonging to our

15:45unhoused community to be wrongfully

15:46thrown away.

15:48With the closing of the Lifebridge

15:50Shelter and the current no camping

15:51ordinance, our unhoused community

15:53members are especially vulnerable right

15:54now.

15:56Items that you may instinctively find

15:57displeasing could be the sole

15:59possessions of or hold great importance

16:01and value to someone without the same

16:03resources you have.

16:05Not to mention medication as was

16:07mentioned before.

16:09Um I take great pride in all the ways

16:11Salem and its residents protect their

16:13vulnerable community members. Downtown,

16:15everywhere you go you can see flyers

16:17with the LUCI hotline and resources for

16:19legal aid to help protect our immigrant

16:21community.

16:22Almost every storefront and countless

16:24homes throughout the city display pride

16:26flags to let our queer community know

16:27they are welcome and safe. It is our

16:29duty to protect all vulnerable community

16:32members, to question our own

16:34subconscious biases, and to think

16:36carefully about our intentions and our

16:38wording. Please vote no. Thank you.

16:41>> Thank you.

16:43Next we have Carol Carr. If you'd like,

16:46state your name and address for the

16:47record.

16:48>> Sure.

16:49Oops.

16:52You have 10

16:53>> Well, this is my lucky night because I

16:54get 3 minutes to speak. The last time it

16:57was only 40 seconds.

16:59Can you hear me?

17:00>> Yes.

17:00>> Okay. Um my name is Carol Carr. I'm a

17:03resident of 7 River Street and I've

17:05lived here for 53 years and I've been

17:08very active in the historical community.

17:12Um and I'm here um I just want to say

17:14that I am astounded and deeply

17:17disappointed by the vote of the city

17:19council to change the city seal.

17:22I have to put this up because I can't

17:23see it. For an issue so important to so

17:26many voters, it seems that the only

17:28consideration given was the feelings of

17:30a small group. Perhaps if the councilors

17:33had not made up their minds before they

17:35voted, one whose mind was already made

17:38up on July 30th,

17:40and actually walked their wards, talked

17:43personally to the people they are

17:45supposed to represent, and have those

17:48constituents sign a petition to change

17:51the city seal, they may have come to a

17:54different conclusion.

17:56During the many weeks that I have walked

17:58the streets, gone to Market Basket,

18:01Crosby's Market, the Community Life

18:04Center, Pioneer Terrace, the train

18:07station, Salem Common, seeking

18:10signatures from hundreds of Salem

18:13registered voters to put the question of

18:16changing the city seal or keeping it as

18:19is,

18:20the overwhelming majority have expressed

18:23their anger at changing the seal,

18:26failed to find anything wrong with it,

18:29in fact, are very proud of it, and

18:32uniformly thought the

18:35uniformly thought the city council

18:36should not be wasting their taxpayer

18:38money to make any changes to something

18:42that doesn't need to be fixed.

18:45How hypocritical it is that the council

18:48wants to change the seal because it is

18:51offensive to a particular group, and yet

18:55they turn a blind eye to the city's

18:58witch logo.

18:59Don't you think those 20 executed

19:02witches would be offended to see that?

19:05And yet we live with it. Why? Because

19:09nothing is perfect in this world. Thank

19:12you.

19:14>> Thank you.

19:21That concludes our public testimony

19:24>> [clears throat]

19:24>> hearings.

19:26We have an order from National Grid to

19:28install one singly owned pole on Bridge

19:30Street at the intersection of Bridge

19:32Street and Flint Street.

19:34Is there anyone appearing in favor?

19:36Please state your name and address for

19:38the record.

19:43>> Hello, my name is John Jenkins. Um I'm

19:46from 44 River Street in Beverly, the

19:49National Grid office.

19:51Um I'm here today representing National

19:55Grid.

19:57Um

19:58>> [snorts]

19:59>> And we are petitioning for the

20:00installation of one pole

20:02um about 165 ft

20:05from the intersection of Bridge and

20:07Flint Street.

20:09Uh

20:10we

20:11are requesting a grant of location

20:14in order to um

20:17install [snorts] new feeder monitors on

20:21said well, on the proposed pole.

20:23Um we use these for quality assurance

20:27and

20:29early fault or problem area detection.

20:33>> Thank you.

20:35Is there anyone else appearing in favor

20:37in person or on Zoom?

20:43I don't see anybody.

20:46No.

20:47Okay. Is there anyone appearing in

20:49opposition?

20:52In person or on Zoom?

20:55I don't see anyone. No.

20:57Okay, seeing none. Do any of the

20:59councilors have questions or comments?

21:02Councilor Smith.

21:04>> Thank you, President Merkle. Uh hey,

21:05John. Um

21:07so, I see this I can see this from my

21:09house. So I was looking at it today.

21:11There's two poles there already. This is

21:12going between or it's replacing the two.

21:14>> It's going it's going in the direct

21:17center of them.

21:18I went out there actually on

21:21Monday

21:22>> [snorts]

21:22>> and put a stake in the ground.

21:24>> Yeah.

21:24>> And it is kind of like how the sketch

21:26shows like 30 ft on each side so in the

21:28direct center.

21:29>> It's in the middle between and it goes

21:30along that property. Okay.

21:32>> Mhm.

21:32>> Um

21:34The other thing is

21:36there's been an issue in the past and I

21:37know you're new with this territory

21:40with

21:41poles going in

21:43and then the street not being or the

21:44sidewalk not being put back as it is.

21:47>> Mhm.

21:47>> We're lucky it's not it's

21:49not a brick area. It's very close to the

21:51brick but it's just a normal sidewalk.

21:53Will you be repairing that

21:55fully and putting it

21:57back as it is?

21:59>> Uh this pole actually shouldn't be

22:01in the sidewalk cuz it's going to be

22:04>> Behind?

22:04>> Yeah, it'll be

22:07I mean I think there's probably

22:09like three three to four feet between

22:11the sidewalk and where the pole is going

22:14cuz it is intercepting the existing

22:16lines and like

22:18if you see how

22:19Yeah, there's the curve right there.

22:21>> So it's not but it's not on the church's

22:22property?

22:23>> No.

22:23>> That's still city property but it's

22:26going to be in the Okay.

22:27>> Yeah, yeah, it's still in the right of

22:29way

22:29but

22:30behind the sidewalk.

22:32>> Perfect. Thank you.

22:33>> Yep.

22:35And also there won't be any outage.

22:39>> Great. Thank you. Any further

22:40discussion? Council Presznusky.

22:44>> Thank you. John, just a side note on on

22:46the poles.

22:48Um

22:49I know that that great had a

22:51last winter was removing a lot of poles.

22:54Not removing but replacing poles,

22:56putting up new poles and stringing new

22:58new power lines and the company the

23:00subcontractors did a good job of putting

23:02up new higher poles and and uh uh

23:06and doing their part.

23:08Somewhere along the line there's been a

23:09glitch because the old poles are still

23:12there. The tops of them have been cut

23:13off. Some of them are

23:15a little shorter or a lot shorter, but

23:17they've been left there since last

23:18winter.

23:19And the frustration of many people in

23:22Salem,

23:23um and down in the Willows, down in the

23:25Point section, down in South Salem,

23:27there's there's um double poles that

23:31um haven't been removed and um I've been

23:34given um some contact information from

23:37your colleague Savita on who to contact

23:39and um I don't know who's worse, Con-

23:43Comcast, Verizon, or

23:46or the people who are in charge of

23:48removing the poles because everybody

23:49keeps pointing the finger at everybody

23:52else. Comcast is saying that they're not

23:54their wires, Verizon is saying it's not

23:56their wires.

23:57Um

23:58um the power lines are up, not quite did

24:00they their job, but um maybe you could

24:02shed some light or some direction to

24:05this council as to who exactly is

24:07responsible for moving moving those

24:09poles because we've gone around full

24:10circle probably three or four times.

24:13>> Mhm. So, typically I know that the like

24:17joint ownership agreement that we do is

24:19with Verizon.

24:20Um

24:22that project down by the Willows, like

24:25all of Ford Ave, is still ongoing.

24:29So, I'm not sure if they're waiting for

24:31us to fully be finished in order for

24:33them to come out and start removing the

24:34double poles, but I can look into that.

24:37Um

24:38I know I had also

24:40spoke to Savita about that one when she

24:42was still in the company.

24:44And I think some of those lights also

24:46had I mean some of the poles had

24:49um city-owned street lights on them

24:52that we aren't allowed to touch either.

24:54So, that could be holding up a few of

24:56them.

24:57But, for the most part

24:58um

25:00I can just double-check with

25:03Verizon to make sure that the right

25:05paperwork was sent over for them to come

25:07and remove those.

25:09>> Right. Verizon says that they can't move

25:10them because

25:11not all of them have their

25:14power lines. And then some of them

25:15belong to the cable companies. And cable

25:17companies say no, some of them belong to

25:19other people. And it's a runaround. It's

25:21just been incredible. And this has been

25:23since last winter. So, uh

25:25I don't know what I have to do. And I'm

25:27sorry to

25:28to vent to you on this, but I'm I think

25:30we're all looking for a little

25:31direction. Let's point a finger at

25:32somebody and say, "You're the people

25:34that have to do something about it." And

25:35we'd like something done.

25:37>> Yep. I I will make sure to bring

25:40um that issue up cuz I know a lot of

25:42towns or cities have issues with the

25:45double poles cuz they are, you know,

25:47not pleasant to look at.

25:49Um

25:51I can reach out to

25:55I guess first like the external

25:58contractor supervisor

26:00and see that everything was done right

26:03and then

26:04back over to our

26:05contact with um

26:07Verizon or whoever needs to be

26:09contacted.

26:10>> It's not just that they're some

26:12that we look at, which they are. It's

26:14just some of them are moving in the

26:15meantime. Some of them

26:17now that they've been abandoned and

26:18wires have been taken off, they're not

26:19in the same position they were before.

26:21Some of them are now sticking out in the

26:23street even further than they were

26:24before. So,

26:25um

26:26yes, thank you. I'm glad you

26:28at least took a note and hopefully can

26:30get back to us. I would gladly you can

26:31get back to me and I'll pick up the ball

26:33from there. Thank you.

26:34>> Yep. Thank you.

26:36>> Thank you.

26:37Any further discussion?

26:40Councilor Smith.

26:41>> Thank you, President Merkel. John, when

26:43was this work going to be done?

26:45Trying to pull it up, but I figured it's

26:46quicker to ask you.

26:48>> Um

26:52I'm not sure yet. It hasn't been

26:53scheduled. Uh Um I think we're waiting

26:55for the petition to schedule it.

27:00>> It need to be done right now?

27:03>> Uh no, I think

27:05it's

27:07a little bit in the future. I know that,

27:09you know, we kind of all in general know

27:10that in Salem during

27:12this time there's a halt on things.

27:15>> Okay.

27:17Uh thank you.

27:18>> Yep.

27:19>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

27:22Seeing none, Counselor Smith.

27:25>> I move the public hearing be closed.

27:29>> All those in favor of closing the public

27:30hearing.

27:32It is so voted.

27:33Counselor Smith.

27:34>> I move that this be held to the next

27:37regular meeting of the City Council.

27:42>> Counselor Smith moves that this be held

27:45to the next regular meeting of the City

27:47Council.

27:49Under discussion?

27:50Counselor Smith.

27:51>> Thank you, President Brogdon. John, if

27:52you get that number, try to get

27:55Counselor Presneski in in contact with

27:57somebody, and then we can easily grant

27:59this next time. I just I think if it's

28:02been since last winter,

28:04it doesn't feel like we should be doing

28:06more work when the old work hasn't been

28:08completed.

28:11Thanks.

28:12>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

28:17Seeing none, on Counselor Smith's motion

28:19uh that this be held until the next

28:21meeting, which is November 12th. Correct

28:24me if I'm wrong.

28:27Which is November 12th.

28:29Uh all those in favor?

28:31All those opposed? It is so voted.

28:35Thank you.

28:36>> Thank you.

28:38>> Appointments and reappointments. We have

28:40the mayor's appointment of Natalie

28:42Ilkonin of 12 Summit Avenue to the

28:45Beautification Committee with a term to

28:47expire October 22nd, 2029.

28:51Councilor King.

28:52>> Thank you, President Merkle. I move that

28:54this be held under the rules.

28:56>> Councilor King moves that this be held

28:57under the rules. All those in favor?

28:59All those opposed? The matter carries.

29:02Communications from the mayor.

29:04We have an order that the sum of

29:05$9,207.27

29:09be approved within the retirement

29:10stabilization fund vacation sick leave

29:13buyback account.

29:15Um

29:17uh to be expended for contractual

29:19buybacks for Deborah Daily at the school

29:21department.

29:23Thank you, Councilor Davis.

29:25>> Thank you, President Merkle. I move for

29:26suspension of the rules.

29:27>> Councilor Davis moves for suspension of

29:28the rules. Seeing no objection,

29:31Councilor Davis.

29:32>> Thank you. I move for adoption.

29:34>> Councilor Davis moves for adoption.

29:35Under discussion, Councilor Davis.

29:37>> Thank you, President Merkle. So, these

29:38are uh this is a contractual obligation

29:40um for uh

29:42uh member of our uh school department.

29:44Um we thank them for their work and wish

29:46them a happy retirement.

29:48>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

29:51Seeing none, on Councilor Davis's motion

29:53to approve this retirement vacation sick

29:56leave buyback, all those in favor?

29:59All those opposed? The matter carries.

30:02Further communications from the mayor.

30:04We have an order to accept a donation

30:06from Yanni's Bistro Incorporated, also

30:08known as or does business as Fantasy

30:10Island, in the amount of $1,000

30:13to the City of Salem Scholarship Fund.

30:16Councilor Davis.

30:17>> Thank you, President Merkle. I move for

30:18adoption.

30:19>> Councilor Davis moves for adoption.

30:20Under discussion, Councilor Davis.

30:22>> Thank you. Uh we thank Fantasy Island

30:25for the generous donation.

30:27>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

30:30Seeing none, on Councilor Davis's motion

30:32to accept the donation from Yanni's

30:35Bistro doing business as Fantasy Island

30:37in the amount of $1,000 for the City of

30:40Salem Scholarship Fund, all those in

30:42favor?

30:43All those opposed? The matter carries.

30:48Further communications to the mayor. We

30:50have an ordinance to amend an ordinance

30:51relative to chapter 24, offenses and

30:54miscellaneous provisions relative to

30:56unattended property on public

31:01Councilor Verrilla.

31:03>> Thank you, President Mercer. Move for

31:04adoption for first passage.

31:06>> Councilor Verrilla moves for adoption

31:08for first passage. Any discussion?

31:10Councilor Verrilla.

31:11>> Thank you, President Mercer. I'll be

31:12brief. So, what we have here is an

31:16ordinance relative to unattended

31:18property.

31:20I will note that

31:21this is exempt by the camping ordinance.

31:25And I do believe that uh

31:28when it comes to this language here, uh

31:31it's pretty vanilla.

31:33Uh I do believe that our enforcement

31:36will take precautionary measures and

31:39actually communicate with the

31:41neighborhoods that public property will

31:44be on as well.

31:46Thank you.

31:48>> Thank you.

31:49Uh any further discussion? Uh Councilor

31:52Hepworth.

31:53>> Uh thank you, President Mercer. Just

31:54want to make a amendment here.

31:57Um

31:58So, I took a call from actually from

32:00former former colleague

32:02uh

32:03that was uh concerned that this would

32:06um

32:08uh tie up with the uh illegal dumping

32:11law and that it could be I guess a

32:12loophole for someone to leave something

32:15out that they wouldn't otherwise do. I

32:17think there's a lot of discretion in in

32:19the way that this thing is is uh

32:21enforced. Uh

32:22but just to just to remove all doubt,

32:24the city solicitor has recommended

32:26adding a section F and then moving F

32:29back to is it back to E or

32:32G, I guess.

32:33Um

32:34uh with the language, nothing in this

32:36ordinance limits enforcement of

32:37Massachusetts General Law

32:39chapter 270, section 16, or any other

32:42law or ordinance prohibiting illegal

32:43dumping or improper disposal of waste.

32:47>> Thank you.

32:47>> Second.

32:48>> Okay. Seconded by

32:54Okay.

32:55So, on the motion for the amendment,

33:00seconded made by Councillor Hepler,

33:02seconded by Councillor Varella, to add

33:05"Nothing in this ordinance limits

33:07enforcement of Mass General Law chapter

33:09270, section 16, or any other law or

33:12ordinance

33:13dumping or improper disposal of waste."

33:17Seconded by Councillor Varella. Under

33:19discussion, and for clarity, this is

33:21discussion on the amendment, and we will

33:24be returning to discussion on the main

33:26motion.

33:27Under discussion?

33:31Seeing none.

33:33On Councillor Hepler's amendment,

33:36"Nothing in this ordinance limits

33:39enforcement of Mass General Law chapter

33:41270, section 16, or any other law or

33:43ordinance prohibiting illegal dumping or

33:46improper disposal of waste." Seconded by

33:48Councillor Varella. All those in favor

33:50of this amendment?

33:51All those opposed? The amendment

33:53carries.

33:57Now, back to the main motion under

33:59discussion.

34:01Councillor Varella?

34:02Do I see anyone else?

34:05I think I saw Councillor Smith first.

34:08>> Thank you, President Mello. I

34:10I know we're doing this a lot. I feel

34:11like this needs to go to a committee

34:13because this is a lot of change

34:16to how we do things

34:19uh regarding

34:21personal property. And it's not just

34:23about the camping ordinance, cuz this

34:25would extend to other things of people

34:28like

34:30I you you got little kids. I get a lot

34:31stuff on Facebook Marketplace. Someone

34:33leaves that out and that suddenly gets

34:35picked up. I understand that the police

34:38are going to look at the items and say

34:40whether it's a homeless person's things

34:42or it's not a homeless person's things.

34:44And I feel like that's even worse. I

34:46feel like that's even

34:47even worse of a precedent to set here.

34:50So, I'm a little concerned. I think it

34:51needs a little bit more discussion. Um

34:55I also don't know what the storage

34:57system is going to look like.

34:59Sometimes people do keep documents and

35:01some and things

35:03in the only place that they can.

35:06If they have only one bag,

35:08they're going to keep the stuff that's

35:10important to them in that one bag.

35:13And we don't know where that's going to

35:14end up. I would like at least the police

35:16storage to maybe be longer. I would say

35:19that we'd probably need to make sure we

35:21differentiate between certain types of

35:23property. Right now,

35:25when there is property that is

35:27abandoned, I've done this multiple

35:29times.

35:30I check with LifeBridge.

35:32I check with the police.

35:34I call DPS.

35:36I go to the health department.

35:39DPS moves it once the health department

35:41says so. So, we have a process for this.

35:44We already do it all the time.

35:48This is also really great for things

35:51that aren't necessarily mentioned here,

35:53which are weapons of mass destruction. I

35:55that sounds too harsh.

35:57Large weapons of moderate destruction. A

36:00bomb in our city. Sorry. A bomb in our

36:03city. And and it's a very real We We

36:06remember the marathon.

36:08It's a very real reality that we live

36:10in. And so, we do need to have some

36:12mechanism.

36:14We have bomb dogs.

36:16They can check this stuff out without

36:18removing the item from where it is. I

36:21don't want stuff left around our city,

36:22either.

36:23But, I also think that this needs a

36:24little bit more discussion before we

36:26just implement it because [snorts] we

36:28already have systems that are in place

36:31and I feel like this may

36:33it we already found one that it butt up

36:35against.

36:36Uh then we had to add the amendment.

36:38There could be more.

36:40This is very new, just came in.

36:42We're asked to vote on it tonight and I

36:43think I think we need a little bit more

36:45time to go through it and hear more

36:47about it. There was no uh

36:49I don't know if there was a back Was

36:50there a back up letter on this one? No,

36:52there wasn't a back up letter on this

36:53one.

36:54Uh so, you know, it would be nice to

36:56have city staff explain this and all

36:58that. Thank you.

37:00>> Thank you.

37:02I think I saw Councillor Halavais's hand

37:04next.

37:05Thank you.

37:06>> Thank you, President Merkle. I can be

37:08brief. I I agree with much of what um

37:10the Ward 2 Councillor mentioned. Uh I

37:12would I would support seeing this uh go

37:14to committee, have a discussion. I would

37:15like to see a more concrete problem

37:17statement around this. Uh cuz I don't

37:19disagree that there's problems here that

37:21this is trying to solve. I'm not sure

37:23necessarily this is solving all of them

37:25in the most effective and efficient and

37:27equitable way.

37:28Uh and I do worry that there are um

37:31there are unintended consequences with

37:33some of these. Um

37:35should be no surprise to people. One of

37:36the first things I saw was like, "Ooh,

37:37the word bicycle."

37:39Um and then I was like, "What does it

37:40mean to be lawfully parked?" And there

37:42are many places in the city where that

37:45city-owned property city-owned um

37:47bike racks have been put up that I can't

37:49fit my bike in. It doesn't physically

37:51fit. Uh there's people that have cargo

37:53bikes that will maybe park them next to

37:55it and I don't want these people I don't

37:57want people getting their bikes removed

37:59uh because they come in they come

38:00downtown, they're doing the right thing,

38:02they're trying to avoid driving, and

38:04they're getting punished because

38:05this is maybe this this maybe could have

38:08could have been tweaked and and I didn't

38:09say something about it. Um I also just

38:11want to echo what some of the public

38:13commenters were saying. I do fear I I

38:16have a fear with

38:18with letting an officer potentially

38:21define what is trash and what is and

38:23what is property, that that gives me

38:26some pause.

38:27Uh and maybe with a more of a

38:28description from the police and having

38:30them come in to talk about why they

38:31think this is necessary, maybe that

38:33maybe I would better understand or maybe

38:35uh we could agree on some guardrails

38:37around that.

38:38Uh but I do I do think this needs more

38:40thought and more discussion from us.

38:41Thank you.

38:42>> Thank you. Councilor King.

38:45>> Thank you, President Mercola. Um yes, I

38:47will also be brief. I agree with the

38:49Ward 6 and Ward 2 councilors. I think

38:50this has to go to committee or just get

38:52voted down. There was no letter in the

38:54backup. It's not clear what problem this

38:55is trying to solve. I It's not clear to

38:58me how this is not already covered in

38:59all of the other ways that we have to

39:00remove things in the city. I I just I

39:04really don't see what goal was here

39:07other than to just

39:09pile on with the other conversations

39:10we've had in the last few weeks. So, I

39:12would love to hear from the mayor what

39:14the impetus was for this um to the body

39:16in a committee meeting or just vote the

39:18thing down and they can bring it back

39:19later. With that,

39:20thank you. Councilor Flynn.

39:23Thank you, President Mercola. I'm really

39:25not sure why we're even taking this up

39:28um with no backup material.

39:30Um I don't think police, fire, or board

39:32of health have been discussed to go over

39:35this.

39:36Um hearing the people speak at public

39:38testimony, I actually think this is

39:41providing more challenges for those that

39:43are unhoused. I don't even think this

39:45should go to committee. I think we

39:46should all vote this down and just end

39:48this tonight. Thank you.

39:50Thank you.

39:52Councilor Verralla.

39:53Thank you, President Mercola.

39:55So, as we always talk about, if there

39:57are any underlying questions or

39:59hesitations about anything that comes

40:01into City Council,

40:03we should probably put it in committee

40:04to have a further discussion. So, I'd

40:06like to make a motion to withdraw my

40:08main motion

40:09and make a new motion that we send this

40:11to Committee on Ordinance, Licenses,

40:13Legal Affairs, co-posted with the

40:14Committee of the Whole.

40:18>> Second.

40:23So, I'm sorry, which committee was it?

40:26Okay. Seconded by

40:34Okay, on Councillor Vella's motion to

40:37refer this to the Committee on

40:38Ordinance, License, and Legal Affairs,

40:41co-posted with the Committee of the

40:42Whole.

40:44Seconded by Councillor Davis.

40:48Under discussion.

40:53Seeing none.

40:55On Councillor Vella's motion

40:57to refer this to the Committee on

41:00Ordinances, License, and Legal Affairs,

41:02co-posted with the Committee of the

41:03Whole, this ordinance amendment relative

41:06to unattended property on public

41:09property.

41:10Seconded by Councillor Davis. All those

41:12in favor?

41:13All those opposed?

41:16The matter carries.

41:21Mayor's informational page, none.

41:24Motions, orders, and resolutions.

41:27Councillor Prasniski.

41:31>> Thank you, President Merkle.

41:33So, resolution calling upon the

41:34Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assume

41:36a greater responsibility for

41:38homelessness, mental health treatment,

41:40and equitable municipal participation.

41:44>> [clears throat]

41:45>> Whereas homelessness, serious mental

41:47illness, and the lack of adequate

41:49treatment facilities and supportive

41:51housing have become increasingly

41:53significant challenges from from

41:55municipalities throughout the

41:56Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

41:59And whereas the closure of numerous

42:00state-operated psychiatric hospitals,

42:03including Danvers State Hospital in

42:051992,

42:07fundamentally changed the delivery of

42:09mental health services without the

42:11development of sufficient

42:13community-based treatment and long-term

42:15residential care capacity to meet the

42:17needs of all vulnerable individuals. And

42:21whereas individuals suffering from

42:23serious mental illness, particularly

42:25those unable to adequately care for

42:27themselves, deserve access to

42:29appropriate medical treatment,

42:31supervision, and safe residential

42:34facilities rather than being left

42:36without necessary care. And whereas

42:39municipal police officers and emergency

42:41responders are increasingly called upon

42:44to manage homelessness-related incidents

42:47and mental health crises despite lacking

42:50the specialized resources, facility, and

42:53authority necessary to provide

42:55comprehensive psychiatric treatment and

42:57long-term care. And whereas

43:01although Massachusetts law provides

43:03certain emergency psychiatric evaluation

43:05and hospitalization procedures, these

43:08remain

43:10These

43:10There remains a need for a more

43:12effective access to treatment

43:14facilities, appropriate residential

43:16placement, and continuity continuity of

43:18care for individuals requiring ongoing

43:22assistance.

43:23And whereas municipalities, such as the

43:25city of Salem, which maintain emergency

43:28shelters and provide essential

43:31essential services to individuals

43:33experiencing homelessness,

43:35frequently serve populations extending

43:37well beyond their municipal boundaries.

43:40And whereas the responsibility for

43:42providing shelter, supportive services,

43:45emergency responses,

43:47and related [snorts] municipal resources

43:49falls disproportionately upon a limited

43:52number of communities, creating an

43:54inequitable financial and operational

43:57burden upon these municipalities and

43:59their taxpayers.

44:01And where homelessness is a regional and

44:03statewide challenge that demands

44:05meaningful participation from all 351

44:10cities and towns within the Commonwealth

44:12rather than relying primarily upon those

44:14municipalities willing to provide

44:17shelter and services. And whereas the

44:19city of Salem recognizes both its

44:22obligation to protect public health and

44:24safety and its responsibilities [snorts]

44:26to treat individuals experiencing

44:28homelessness with dignity, compassion,

44:31and respect. Now, therefore, be it

44:34resolved that the Salem City Council

44:36respectfully but firmly calls upon the

44:38governor of the Commonwealth of

44:40Massachusetts and the Massachusetts

44:42General Court to take the following

44:44actions.

44:45Expand state-supported mental health

44:47treatment facilities. Establish, expand,

44:50and adequately fund appropriate

44:52psychiatric treatment facilities and

44:54residential care programs, including

44:57long-term therapeutic treatment for

44:59individuals suffering from serious

45:00mental illness who require ongoing

45:03professional supervision and cannot

45:05safely or independently care for

45:08themselves.

45:09Two, establish an effective pathway for

45:12law enforcement

45:14treatment, developing a clear, timely,

45:17and legally appropriate process through

45:20which law enforcement officers and

45:22emergency responders may refer

45:24individuals experiencing

45:26serious psychiatric crisis

45:29for professional evaluation, treatment,

45:31and when clinically necessary and

45:33legally authorized, placement in

45:35appropriate state-supported facilities

45:38with full protection of individual city

45:41such civil rights and due process.

45:44Three, require equitable participation

45:47from all Massachusetts municipalities

45:50and act legislation establishing a

45:52mandatory statewide system requiring all

45:55351 cities and towns to contribute

45:58meaningful to meaningfully toward

46:01addressing homelessness through one or

46:03more of the following: Operating or

46:05supporting emergency shelters,

46:07transitional housing, or permanent

46:09supportive housing within any

46:10municipalities.

46:12Participating in and financial

46:14financially supporting regional shelter

46:16and homelessness assistance programs.

46:19Making an annual financial contribution

46:22to a state-administered or regional

46:24homelessness assistance fund based upon

46:26a fair formula considering the

46:28municipality's population, financial

46:31capacity, and existing services.

46:34Four, provide financial assistance to

46:36municipalities hosting shelters.

46:39Establish a dedicated state funding

46:41mechanism to ensure that municipalities,

46:44such as Salem, which maintain shelters

46:46and provide essential services to

46:48individuals from surrounding

46:50communities,

46:51receive equitable financial assistance

46:54reflecting the regional demands placed

46:55upon

46:57their public safety departments,

46:58emergency services, infrastructures, and

47:01taxpayers.

47:03Five, establish statewide accountability

47:06and coordination. Develop a

47:08comprehensive statewide strategy

47:10establishing clear standards for

47:12municipal participation, regional

47:14coordination, treatment availability,

47:17supportive housing, and accountability

47:19ensuring that no individual community is

47:22left to shoulder a disproportionate

47:24share of these responsibilities.

47:27Be it further resolved that the Salem

47:28City Council recognizes that

47:31homelessness, particularly when

47:33complicated by serious mental illness,

47:36cannot be adequately

47:37adequately addressed through municipal

47:40ordinances, police intervention,

47:42emergency shelters, or local resources

47:45alone.

47:46And that having solutions require

47:48sustained leadership, financial

47:50commitment, and direct action by the

47:53Commonwealth.

47:54Be it finally reserved and resolved that

47:57copies of this resolution be transmitted

47:59to Governor Maura Healey,

48:01the President of the Massachusetts

48:03Senate, the Speaker of the Massachusetts

48:05House of Representatives, the Secretary

48:07of Health and Human Services, and

48:09members of Salem's legislation

48:11legislative delegation

48:13using their consideration and

48:15legislative action. Thank you.

48:18>> And your motion?

48:20>> My motion is that

48:21>> and I move to

48:23>> This resolution is sent out

48:25>> Send it along.

48:29>> And I move for adoption by roll

48:31>> Sorry. And I move for adoption by roll

48:33call vote.

48:35>> Thank you. Council President Milosky

48:37moves for adoption roll by roll call

48:38vote. Under discussion, Council

48:40President Milosky.

48:42>> Thank you, Council President Merkle.

48:44Um I think we've been spinning our

48:45wheels for a long time with this

48:46homelessness

48:48situation and we try to regulate our

48:50burden in Salem

48:52um

48:53based upon

48:55all the um

49:00all aspects of trying to resolve the

49:01problem, which is actually a national

49:03national problem, not just a Salem

49:05problem, but Salem has become like an

49:07epicenter in this area of trying to help

49:09everybody in the area and I think a lot

49:11of it has has

49:12um pointed the inequities of other

49:14communities that have not participated

49:16in

49:17um

49:18helping the state resolve these issues.

49:20I think um I think the state

49:23should um start developing a program

49:26where there is a pipeline where that if

49:28somebody is homeless, that they're just

49:30not picked up by the police who

49:32sometimes hand them off to the hospital,

49:34hand them off to Lifebridge. They don't

49:35know what what to do with these people

49:37because there is no set standard on how

49:41a guideline on how to help these people

49:43get on with um get help in the services

49:45they need.

49:46The state closed down the state uh

49:48institutions years ago. I was still on

49:50the police department when they were

49:52when they were closed down. I watched

49:54Danvers State Hospital close its doors

49:57and listened to the

49:58staff telling telling me stories of how

50:02people were

50:03shown the door and those people had

50:06nowhere to go and the staff had nothing

50:08to tell them because they didn't know.

50:11That was what the state of Massachusetts

50:14did to our homeless people and that got

50:16the ball ball rolling on where we are

50:19today. That was the genesis of what were

50:22where we are now. It's nothing but

50:25continue to grow and grow and grow. We

50:27have to reel this back. We have to make

50:29the state accept responsibility for a

50:31mistake that was made a long time ago

50:33and develop some kind of a program and

50:35pipeline that'll help people who cannot

50:38help themselves. Thank you.

50:40>> Thank you. Any further discussion? I

50:42think I saw Councilor Davis first.

50:45>> Thank you, President Merkel. Um, I

50:47very much appreciate the intent of the

50:50resolution. Um, the state obviously does

50:52need to do more.

50:53Um,

50:55with the particular language, I do have

50:58a lot of concerns that I think I know I

51:00don't know if I can support this. I

51:02would love to see another resolution

51:04come in

51:05um

51:06that gets at the same intent. Um, I

51:09think it's really important to state

51:11very clearly um

51:13when we what we know from

51:15public health professionals, mental

51:16health professionals is that mental

51:19health

51:20mental illness is not um

51:23at the core of homelessness, right? It's

51:25not the root of homelessness. The root

51:26of homelessness is our economic system,

51:30the lack of housing, the lack of

51:31shelter, a lack of a social safety net

51:33um for most individuals that are

51:35homeless and have mental ill health

51:37issues, which by the way many do not um

51:39which I think is also very important to

51:40say. Um for those that do,

51:43um those issues often arise after

51:46they've become homeless um or at the

51:48very least worsen. Um So, while I don't

51:51think it was the the the authors,

51:53fellow at large counselors intent

51:56um

51:58to

51:59imply that the mental health or mental

52:02illness is synonymous with being

52:03unhoused. I think that's a little bit

52:05how this language

52:07reads, which I'm very concerned about. I

52:09don't find the language to be very

52:10humanizing. I think that

52:12it seems to be talking about unhoused

52:14people as a burden and a a problem to be

52:16dealt with.

52:19I don't know if we should be glorifying

52:20the Danvers Hospital, which I think for,

52:23you know, a long time was called the

52:24Danvers Lunatic Hospital.

52:26It has an incredibly problematic history

52:27with countless allegations of neglect

52:29and abuse.

52:31I'm concerned about

52:33romanticizing

52:35involuntary

52:37institutionalization.

52:38I don't think that's the

52:40the path that we need to be going down,

52:42or that we should be calling for us to

52:43be going down.

52:44>> [sighs and gasps]

52:45>> I also think

52:47while it is important, I guess, to call

52:50on the state to do more,

52:52it would be great to see

52:54language also in

52:57calls for the national government to to

52:58do more, which I think is where probably

53:00more of the failure lies. I also don't

53:03want to let

53:04Saugus let them off the the hook,

53:06either. Right? Like, I think we have

53:08tools, and we have power. It is It is

53:12less because we're local government.

53:14Um

53:15Yes, there are a lot of municipalities

53:16that frustratingly

53:18do less. There's also There's also some

53:20that do more. Right?

53:22We can look at examples like the city of

53:23Lynn,

53:24which has launched an unarmed crisis

53:26response

53:27team to have trauma-informed supported

53:30support grounded in harm reduction and

53:32racial justice.

53:33They have an opioid working group that

53:35recommends how the city should spend its

53:36opioid settlement [snorts] funds on

53:38prevention, harm reduction, treatment,

53:40and recovery.

53:42Its membership includes public health

53:43staff, clinicians, first responders,

53:45city counselors, people with lived

53:47experience. I would love to see a

53:48resolution

53:50um

53:51that gets more at the the root cause of

53:53the problems. I think that it should be

53:54a lot more focused on

53:57housing

53:58cuz that is that is the root problem.

54:01>> Thank you.

54:03Councillor Halapio.

54:05>> Thank you, President Mercola. I have a

54:06few things to say on this. I'm going to

54:08start with what I like about the

54:09resolution.

54:10Um I appreciate the the call to have

54:14more state support for mental health

54:16mental health in general. I would just

54:17say health health care in general would

54:19be great.

54:20Um I appreciate the the note that, you

54:23know, we really want to see we want to

54:24drive more participation from other

54:26municipalities and other communities. I

54:28think that is important. I think there

54:29are communities that have not been

54:30pulling their fair share on this. That's

54:32very clear.

54:34Uh I love the idea of having some

54:35financial financial assistance to try to

54:37incentivize uh

54:39communities that are doing the right

54:40thing to to be able to continue to do

54:42the right thing and to and to deal with

54:43some of the externalities of that.

54:45Um I think at a high level I like the

54:47ideas of accountability and

54:49coordination.

54:50There is there's one piece I want to

54:51push back on a little bit gently with

54:53the language in here. Um

54:56Shortly after I was elected, I went and

54:59I went to Lifebridge. I spoke with some

55:01of the workers there. And one of the

55:02things that I was trying to have a

55:03better understanding is like, what are

55:05the demographics of the people that

55:06they're working with? And it was very

55:09clear from that conversation that

55:12in terms of folks who Lifebridge is

55:13working with, the demographics of who is

55:16from Salem and who is from out of town

55:18is pretty darn close to the rest of

55:20Salem.

55:21Right? So, not everyone that Lifebridge

55:23helps is from here, but not everyone

55:25that lives here is from here. And that

55:27proportion is pretty darn close.

55:30Um so, I have no doubt, like I said,

55:32that there are communities that are not

55:33doing their fair share. And that if

55:35you're in the middle of Topsfield and

55:36you don't have a home, and you don't

55:37have any way to get income, maybe you

55:40would feel more comfortable coming to

55:41Salem where you think you have a better

55:42chance.

55:43I get that.

55:45The line in the sand on this to me, and

55:47why I can't support this, is no matter

55:50how many times I read through this,

55:54I kept coming across this notion that

55:56we're supporting involuntary

55:58institutionalization.

56:00And that makes me very uncomfortable.

56:03There's a very long history of

56:05state-sponsored violence against queer

56:08and trans people in this country.

56:10And we're hearing calls for it now as

56:13that my community is called mentally

56:15ill, my community is called uh

56:18dangerous, and I

56:20fear that by

56:23supporting involuntary institutional

56:26institutionalization, that

56:29there's a slippery slope with who is

56:32deemed

56:33unsafe, and who needs to be put away

56:36somewhere.

56:38Um

56:39food for thought. Thank you.

56:41>> Thank you. Any further discussion? I

56:43think I saw Counselor Smith next.

56:46>> Thank you, President Merkle. Um I have

56:47similar concerns in in that I actually

56:50do I really like a lot of this because I

56:51do think people are not stepping up. I

56:53agree with that. What I where the only

56:55where I'm concerned is cuz I you know I

56:57grew up here and and remember the

57:00state lunatic hospital at Danvers, which

57:03was called it but when the time it

57:05closed,

57:06it was

57:07overcrowded,

57:09uh full abuse, lobotomies, and there

57:13weren't a lot of homeless people on the

57:14street at the time.

57:15Because it was easy. You could just kind

57:17of section them away.

57:20And I I think about it like, well,

57:25yeah, I mean, what if what if what if we

57:26just sectioned away anything we didn't

57:29want to deal with?

57:30We don't want to fix the sidewalk, so if

57:32you're in a wheelchair, you can't live

57:33here. You can pick a different town.

57:35What if we, you know, what

57:36uh

57:37trans people, uh children, they're

57:39pretty noisy. Maybe they can have their

57:41own community. I do worry about that

57:43sectioning away and and the the the the

57:45the the power that comes from that.

57:47Um

57:48And because that's what would happen,

57:50and people would just be labeled a

57:52lunatic or insane

57:54uh or mentally ill in that order as the

57:57hospital changed its name to be with the

57:59times. Um

58:01And we wouldn't see them anymore. And

58:02so, it was a pretty handy way of dealing

58:05with an issue. Yeah, but was it the

58:07right way? I don't think so. I don't

58:09know if our state would be able to go

58:11back to that. So, it's those mentions

58:13that are kind of my my hold up on this.

58:15Um that's that's really it. The the

58:18state-supported stuff, these large I I

58:20just don't think it's it's the right way

58:22to go about things, and asking the state

58:24to bring those back when it may not even

58:26really be legal anymore is is kind of a

58:29tricky area. Um

58:32People would be

58:34There was a great psychological study

58:35where like somebody went into a they

58:37would go in they would check themselves

58:38in and they'd try to get out. So, they'd

58:41go in, they'd say they have mental

58:42illness, and they they they'd be in

58:43there, and then they'd act normal the

58:44rest of the time. And it took between 3

58:46days and sometimes months and months and

58:48months for these psych students who

58:50signed up for this test,

58:52uh it's just like, you know, interns,

58:53unpaid, uh to get out of there

58:55sometimes. So, sometimes these were

58:57places that people just wouldn't be able

58:59to return from even if they were not

59:01mentally ill in any way, and they were

59:03just put there. So, I I I still worry

59:05about that. Um otherwise, I I love the

59:08stuff about trying to get the state and

59:10trying to get the other municipalities

59:12to focus on this because we cannot be

59:14alone in this fight.

59:17I think we can sit here and parse this

59:19language and change word after word all

59:21night.

59:22But I don't think that's the best use of

59:24our time, and so I don't know what the

59:26solution should be here. I just

59:28mentioned that. Thanks.

59:30>> Thank you. Counselor King.

59:33Thank you, President Mercola. Um I

59:36I I I I generally um agree with the

59:40sentiment of the prior counselors who

59:42have spoken. I I will say um I do I I

59:46think that the intention of this was not

59:48to

59:50endorse the negative parts uh the many

59:53negative parts of like what the Danvers

59:56uh institution was. Like there's

59:58language throughout about, you know,

59:59safe residential facilities, treating

1:00:01people with dignity, compassion,

1:00:02respect. The There was a mention of

1:00:05having more mentions of housing. The

1:00:06phrase supportive housing is in here a

1:00:08bunch of times, right? I think that um

1:00:11I agree that this doesn't really address

1:00:13uh

1:00:14in any way the the

1:00:16you know, mental health uh crises are

1:00:19not the number one cause of

1:00:20homelessness, and I don't think this was

1:00:21meant to say that, either. It's

1:00:23basically saying this is one of the

1:00:24things we want to fix about it, right?

1:00:26That was what the goal was.

1:00:27Um I also really appreciate the fact

1:00:30that this

1:00:31does address the fact that we are

1:00:33putting our police officers in spaces

1:00:35that they are really untrained to to

1:00:37address, right? Um

1:00:39we're basically expecting them to be uh

1:00:42social workers and and then some, and

1:00:44and a lot of our that causes a lot of um

1:00:46trauma to our police officers to put

1:00:47them in those situations, and and I

1:00:49think I appreciate that and the fact

1:00:51that

1:00:52I imagine many officers feel like they

1:00:54they don't know what to do when they

1:00:55encounter individuals um in these

1:00:57situations cuz they they don't have a

1:00:59path forward. So I appreciate all of

1:01:00that.

1:01:01Um

1:01:03I I do agree that it's really hard to

1:01:06separate the extremely negative and true

1:01:09history of people disappearing into

1:01:11these psychiatric hospitals across the

1:01:13country. Um

1:01:15people who

1:01:17We'd given some examples of people who

1:01:18were put there on on unjustly just cuz

1:01:21of like who they are in their identity.

1:01:23Um there's stories of of women who were

1:01:24put there and like lobotomized for just

1:01:26being not the right housewife, right?

1:01:27Like things like that. It's very hard to

1:01:29decouple that history from the reality,

1:01:32which is

1:01:33we do need more residential options that

1:01:37are voluntary for all sorts of people

1:01:41in the Commonwealth to be included as

1:01:43part of our health care system. And the

1:01:44same council unanimously passed a

1:01:46resolution for Medicare for all earlier

1:01:48this year. And and that doesn't only

1:01:51apply to people who are unhoused and

1:01:53experience the mental health crises.

1:01:55That actually applies to tons of people.

1:01:57There's all sorts of different

1:01:59um

1:02:00levels of ability and uh personal

1:02:02situations that lead someone to need to

1:02:04be in some sort of

1:02:06either just supportive housing situation

1:02:08or a residential more supportive

1:02:10hands-on facility, right? There's

1:02:12But like talk to anyone who really needs

1:02:14that or has someone in their life that

1:02:16really needs that and you'll hear about

1:02:17the very very very long waitlist in the

1:02:19state to get someone into a residential

1:02:21facility when they really want to be

1:02:22there and need to be there. So, I

1:02:24actually don't know how I'm voting on

1:02:25this cuz I I think there's I think the

1:02:27intention was

1:02:29good. And I think that

1:02:31it does say a lot of good things. I I do

1:02:34think it is just so hard to

1:02:36tie it from the negative history though.

1:02:38And and I do agree I I wish there'd been

1:02:40some language maybe especially about

1:02:42voluntary voluntary going in cuz I think

1:02:44that that that is um probably the

1:02:46biggest uh

1:02:48issue with I have with it.

1:02:50>> Thank you.

1:02:51Any further discussion?

1:02:52Councilor Flynn.

1:02:55>> Thank you, President Markell.

1:02:56I actually think this is a great

1:02:58resolution. I think we're looking too

1:03:00much into this.

1:03:01Um I can't speak for the good at large

1:03:03councilor over here, but I can speak to

1:03:05his experience. He was here in 1992 as a

1:03:08police officer on the streets, and he

1:03:10got to see firsthand when the state let

1:03:13down so many people by shutting their

1:03:15doors and putting people some people

1:03:18that couldn't care for themselves onto

1:03:19the street. I think what he's saying is

1:03:21a very compassionate thing.

1:03:23Um the state needs to step up. He's not

1:03:25saying to build Danvers State Hospital

1:03:27again. He's saying that the state needs

1:03:29facilities to help people that cannot

1:03:32care for themselves.

1:03:33And I think we all know what the intent

1:03:35was with this.

1:03:36Um the other part about this is

1:03:39he's 100% right that all communities,

1:03:42351 cities and towns, need to step up.

1:03:46Not just Salem, not just Lynn, but

1:03:48everyone. Because we should be a society

1:03:51that wants to help everyone. And And you

1:03:53know what?

1:03:55We can't just turn our backs and have

1:03:56people from other cities just come to

1:03:58Salem because they don't want to deal

1:04:00with it. If everyone did their share, I

1:04:02can guarantee that things would be a lot

1:04:04better. Um

1:04:05again,

1:04:07instead of you know, we're we're blaming

1:04:08different things, um you know, low

1:04:11housing, this, that, but this is

1:04:13something that one part of the homeless,

1:04:15those that have a mental illness,

1:04:19that need help and have nowhere to go.

1:04:20That That is what this is talking about.

1:04:22I could be wrong, but that that's how I

1:04:23took this. So I think it's a really good

1:04:25resolution. I think the intent was

1:04:27excellent, and I don't think we should

1:04:29look too far into it to try to pick it

1:04:30apart when it's obvious what was being

1:04:33said here. Thank you.

1:04:35>> Thank you.

1:04:36Councillor Hepworth.

1:04:37>> Uh thank you, President Mercola. Uh I

1:04:38think if a resolution is going to come

1:04:40from this council, it needs to be

1:04:41supported uh generally by the members of

1:04:43this council. So,

1:04:45we have done this before. We have sent

1:04:46these We've sent a res even though there

1:04:48are other things we could be working on,

1:04:49we can send this to

1:04:51uh committee. We can

1:04:53discuss it there. We've done this with

1:04:55other resolutions where there were a lot

1:04:56of feelings about

1:04:58the language in the resolution,

1:04:59generally supporting parts of it, not

1:05:01supporting other parts of it, not liking

1:05:02sort of some some elements of it, cuz

1:05:04everyone sees a resolution and sees

1:05:06different things in it, because

1:05:07ultimately, it's not doing anything

1:05:09other than making a statement, and we

1:05:10all believe different things.

1:05:12But we have workshopped these things

1:05:14before and we've brought them out and

1:05:15it's been

1:05:17more palatable to the entire group. So,

1:05:19I think if there's a will, we should

1:05:20send this to I'll make a motion to send

1:05:22it to the committee of the whole

1:05:23um

1:05:25tonight.

1:05:27>> Second.

1:05:32>> Okay, Counselor Hepworth motions to send

1:05:35this to the committee of the whole

1:05:37seconded by Counselor Varella. Under

1:05:40discussion?

1:05:44Um

1:05:45Counselor Prosniewski.

1:05:47>> I support sending it to the committee of

1:05:49the whole because I'd like to hear

1:05:50everybody's input and the changes in

1:05:52this. I think that there are some

1:05:54legitimate concerns on some of the

1:05:56languages. I think we're all in here for

1:05:57the same reason that we shouldn't be

1:05:59shouldering this. We should have the

1:06:00state accept a little bit more

1:06:02responsibility. So, let's let's fine

1:06:04tune this. This is never meant to be any

1:06:07kind of involuntary commitment. That's

1:06:10absolutely

1:06:12the opposite direction. This is strictly

1:06:14to do what we're supposed to do for each

1:06:17other and that's help each other. Thank

1:06:19you.

1:06:20>> Thank you.

1:06:21Any further discussion?

1:06:24Seeing none.

1:06:25On Counselor

1:06:27Hepworth's motion to refer this

1:06:29resolution regarding a request for

1:06:32assistance from the state

1:06:34um

1:06:35I'll hold on.

1:06:46Okay. Again, on Counselor Hepworth's

1:06:48motion to send this resolution

1:06:51regarding requesting assistance from the

1:06:52state to the committee of the whole

1:06:54seconded by Counselor Varella. All those

1:06:57in favor?

1:06:58All those opposed? The matter carries.

1:07:04Further motions, orders, and

1:07:06resolutions. Councilor Varella.

1:07:09>> Thank you, President Mercola. City of

1:07:11Salem City Council, October 22nd, 2026,

1:07:14ordered that an ad hoc committee of the

1:07:16Salem City Council be established for

1:07:18the purpose of studying and developing

1:07:21a proposed redesign of the official city

1:07:24seal and preparing proposed amendments

1:07:27to the City of Salem Code of Ordinances

1:07:29necessary to effectuate and implement

1:07:31any city seal adopted by the City

1:07:33Council.

1:07:35Be it further

1:07:36Be it further ordered that the ad hoc

1:07:37committee shall, number one, review the

1:07:40existing city seal, include its origins,

1:07:42evolution, current design, symbolism,

1:07:45and existing legal description contained

1:07:47by section two,

1:07:49one 2-1 of the City Code of Ordinances.

1:07:52Number two, review the findings of the

1:07:55recommendations of the Salem City Seal

1:07:56Task Force submitted on November 10th,

1:07:592025.

1:08:00Number three,

1:08:01develop one or more proposed designs for

1:08:04a revised city seal that reflects

1:08:06Salem's history, identity, values, and

1:08:09contemporary community while considering

1:08:11the appropriate distinction between the

1:08:13official city seal and other city

1:08:15branding or department logos. Number

1:08:17four,

1:08:18provide meaningful opportunities for

1:08:20public input concerning

1:08:22proposed redesign, including

1:08:24consideration of public forums,

1:08:26presentations, surveys,

1:08:29and other appropriate methods of

1:08:30community engagement. Number five,

1:08:32consult with appropriate city officials,

1:08:35departments, boards, commissions,

1:08:37historical organizations, design

1:08:40professionals, historians, legal

1:08:41counsel, and other persons or

1:08:43organizations as the committee

1:08:45determines appropriate. Number six,

1:08:48determine appropriate legal description

1:08:50of proposed new city seal, including

1:08:53visual elements, wording, dates,

1:08:55inscriptions, motto, and other features

1:08:58that would be incorporated into the

1:08:59city's Code of Ordinances. Number seven,

1:09:02prepare proposed amendments to section

1:09:042.1

1:09:05of the city code of ordinances or such

1:09:08other provisions of the code as may be

1:09:10necessary to replace existing legal

1:09:12description of the city seal

1:09:14with this description of the new

1:09:16proposed city seal. Number eight,

1:09:19consider recommendation

1:09:21Consider the recommended appropriate

1:09:23provisions concerning the use of the

1:09:25official city seal including as

1:09:27appropriate provisions

1:09:30distinguishing the official city seal

1:09:32from city logos, branding, and other

1:09:34identifying marks. Number nine, develop

1:09:37recommendations concerning

1:09:39implementation and transition including

1:09:41appropriate date for implementation of a

1:09:44new seal

1:09:45and the treatment of existing official

1:09:47documents, records, signage, vehicles,

1:09:50equipment, publications, electronic

1:09:53materials, and other city property

1:09:55bearing the existing seal. Number 10,

1:09:58consult with the city solicitor and the

1:09:59city clerk concerning legal requirements

1:10:01for adoption, authentication, custody,

1:10:05reproduction, and other official city

1:10:07seal

1:10:09and concerning the proposed

1:10:11amendments to the code of ordinances.

1:10:13And number 11, submit a final report of

1:10:15recommendations to the city council

1:10:18including a recommended design for the

1:10:20revised city seal and proposed ordinance

1:10:23language necessary to amend the city

1:10:25seal's code of ordinances. Be it further

1:10:27ordered that the ad hoc committee shall

1:10:30consist of five members, three members

1:10:32from the city council to be appointed by

1:10:34the president of the city council in

1:10:36accordance with the rules of the city

1:10:37council,

1:10:38one of whom will be designated chair by

1:10:40the president, and two

1:10:44and two additional members, the city

1:10:46solicitor and their designee,

1:10:49and the city clerk or their designee. Be

1:10:51it further ordered that the ad hoc

1:10:52committee shall report its

1:10:54recommendations

1:10:56to the city council no later than May

1:10:582027th,

1:11:00May 27th, 2027 unless an extension is

1:11:03authorized by City Council.

1:11:05Be it further ordered that upon

1:11:07completion of this report, the

1:11:09recommendations the ad hoc committee

1:11:11will shall be dissolved unless otherwise

1:11:14ordered by the City Council.

1:11:18And I would now move for adoption. Thank

1:11:21you.

1:11:22>> Councilor Varella moves for adoption.

1:11:24Under discussion, Councilor Varella.

1:11:26>> Thank you, Councilor President Merkel.

1:11:28So,

1:11:30just let everyone know this document was

1:11:32drafted with the help of our legal

1:11:36department. And the reason it's very

1:11:38specific is when it comes to the scope

1:11:41of

1:11:42the potential of choosing a new city

1:11:44seal,

1:11:45we need to make sure that we're thorough

1:11:47with the approach and that we're

1:11:49consistent with the language. This is an

1:11:53ordinance change, it's a language

1:11:54change. And we do need to keep no stone

1:11:58unturned. So, with that, this is what we

1:12:01have. I feel feel it's comprehensive for

1:12:04the next step of what the discussion

1:12:06will be. I will be making

1:12:10one slight amendment to this. But

1:12:13obviously I'll let everyone discuss

1:12:14before. Thank you.

1:12:17>> Okay, so we're discussion on the main

1:12:20motion

1:12:21with a pending amendment.

1:12:23Okay.

1:12:24Right. Any further discussion? Councilor

1:12:26Halapa.

1:12:28>> Thank you, President Merkel.

1:12:30My thanks to everyone who put work into

1:12:32this, including the solicitor's office.

1:12:33I think this is very thorough.

1:12:35I'm excited to move this forward. There

1:12:37are two things that I want to note about

1:12:41this.

1:12:42The first one is I don't think I missed

1:12:44it in here, but please correct me if I'm

1:12:46wrong. I think it would be prudent to

1:12:48have one of the points in here

1:12:52relating to what we actually want to do

1:12:54with the seal that we have right now. I

1:12:57know that's something that a lot of

1:12:58folks feel really um feel that it's

1:13:01really important, really connected to

1:13:02it, and I want to make sure that as

1:13:04we're going through this process to find

1:13:05out what comes next, we're finding out

1:13:07what we want to do with the previous

1:13:08one.

1:13:09Uh I don't think folks in the city want

1:13:11us to just want it to just kind of go

1:13:12away or vanish. I think it may I think

1:13:14there's a lot of folks that put a lot of

1:13:15time into the history of it and would

1:13:17like to have it

1:13:20honored in some way. Maybe it's the best

1:13:22word to put that. Some way to actually

1:13:23put some language to it and to talk

1:13:25about the complexities of it, talk about

1:13:27the history of it. I think that's

1:13:28important to have in here. I don't have

1:13:30language necessarily to recommend that,

1:13:32um but I'm open to folks' ideas on it.

1:13:35Uh the other piece that I'll I I think

1:13:37is maybe a little bit more

1:13:39problematic maybe too strong of a word.

1:13:42I am skeptical that this ad hoc

1:13:45committee would be able to get a

1:13:46recommendation together by May 27th

1:13:49given how long this whole process has

1:13:51taken. Uh I really appreciate all the

1:13:53words that were in here about making

1:13:55sure there's meaningful public input,

1:13:58and I

1:14:00I don't love the fact that we're saying

1:14:01that, but then we're also saying it's

1:14:03only going to take a few months. I I

1:14:04understand the next sentence is about

1:14:06having way to extend it, uh which I

1:14:08think is important, but I think a time

1:14:10closer to August might be more

1:14:12realistic. Thanks.

1:14:14>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:14:19Um

1:14:20Council Varella?

1:14:22>> Thank you. So, at this point since

1:14:23there's no other further discussion, I

1:14:24am going to make my amendment.

1:14:28So, on

1:14:30in between further ordered on number

1:14:32three,

1:14:34uh

1:14:35between the cities that reflect that

1:14:38reflect,

1:14:40I would be adding

1:14:41the city council order to change the

1:14:43city seal based on on recommendations of

1:14:46the city seal task force. The committee

1:14:48will focus on its consideration

1:14:51on and then it'll continue from on

1:14:53Salem's dot dot dot dot.

1:14:55The reason

1:14:57I do want to put this in is I think it's

1:14:59very important that we do reference

1:15:02the city seal task force report. There's

1:15:04a lot of really beneficial information

1:15:07from historians

1:15:09and there was a lot of work done there.

1:15:10So, I think we should honor and we

1:15:12should reference

1:15:14the work that has already been done to

1:15:15make an informed decision whether that

1:15:18may be. Point of clarity, can you just

1:15:20clarify the

1:15:22where we're talking about and what the

1:15:23amendment was?

1:15:23>> Yes, so I'll read number three and I'll

1:15:25stop where it's going to be inserted.

1:15:28Number three, develop one or more

1:15:29proposed designs for a revised official

1:15:33city seal that reflect

1:15:35So, it'll say now reflects

1:15:38the the council order to change the seal

1:15:41based on the recommendations

1:15:44of the city seal task force.

1:15:47The committee will focus on its

1:15:48consideration

1:15:50on and then it'll continue on Salem's

1:15:52history, identity, values, and

1:15:53contemporary community.

1:15:55So, between reflect and Salem's history,

1:15:58that's where my addition of

1:16:01acknowledging the task force report and

1:16:05the council's recommendation.

1:16:09>> Is there a second?

1:16:12I second it by Councillor King.

1:16:14Okay, on Councillor Verrilla's proposed

1:16:17amendment seconded by Councillor King.

1:16:20Does anyone want me to reread it again

1:16:23or we have clarity on that? Okay, under

1:16:25discussion.

1:16:29Seeing no discussion. On Councillor

1:16:31Verrilla's amendment

1:16:33seconded by Councillor King to insert in

1:16:36number three after it says official city

1:16:39seal that reflect adding the council

1:16:42order to change the seal based on the

1:16:45recommendations of the city seal task

1:16:47force.

1:16:48And then it continues, "The committee

1:16:49will focus its consideration on" and

1:16:53then it goes back to number three

1:16:54saying, "on Salem's history, identity,

1:16:57values, and contemporary community."

1:17:00All those in favor?

1:17:03All those opposed?

1:17:05The amendment carries.

1:17:09Back to the main motion as amended. Uh

1:17:13Councilor Halapa.

1:17:15>> Thank you, President Mergo. I'd like to

1:17:16make a motion to amend this date that I

1:17:19mentioned from May 27th to August 26th

1:17:22or August Yeah, August 26th, 2027.

1:17:27>> Second.

1:17:30>> Hold on, I just want to get it correct.

1:17:33Deadline and what was uh

1:17:36both dates again?

1:17:37>> From May 27th, 2027 to August 26th,

1:17:412027.

1:17:43>> To August 26th

1:17:46in the same year, 2027.

1:17:49Okay, and did I hear a second?

1:17:51Uh second by Councilor Varella.

1:17:53Okay, on uh Councilor Halapa's motion uh

1:17:57to change uh the date for the deadline

1:17:59from May 27th, 2027 to August 26th,

1:18:022027, seconded by Councilor Varella,

1:18:05under discussion.

1:18:07Councilor Smith.

1:18:08>> Thank you, President Mergo. I think for

1:18:10a lot of folks who who originally

1:18:11brought this and have been

1:18:14pushing for this as well as the work of

1:18:16the task force, as well as for the sake

1:18:17of the council, I would I would say

1:18:19let's we should just

1:18:20do our best

1:18:22to meet the deadline that's there

1:18:24because it

1:18:26it's gone on long enough.

1:18:27>> [snorts]

1:18:27>> It also says, "Unless an extension is

1:18:30authorized by the city council." We can

1:18:31We can authorize at any time. We don't

1:18:33have to do it today.

1:18:34We can at least aim for this date and if

1:18:37it's a problem, we can always extend if

1:18:39we need more time. I think having that

1:18:41in there is enough.

1:18:42I don't know that we need to to do it

1:18:45today cuz we don't know who's on the

1:18:46committee. We don't know how things are

1:18:48going cuz it hasn't started yet. So, we

1:18:50can it it's it's the intention here is

1:18:53to allow that.

1:18:55So, thank you.

1:18:56>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:18:58Council Hollapa.

1:19:00>> Thank you, President Merkle. Uh just

1:19:02some more context on on why I think this

1:19:04is a more realistic date. You know, I am

1:19:05the the council liaison to the public

1:19:07art commission, so I've seen these

1:19:08things take time. These these things

1:19:10take time.

1:19:11Uh and I think that everyone uh would

1:19:14prefer us to do this right rather than

1:19:16do it fast. Um if it's not the will of

1:19:19the body to to change this, I understand

1:19:21that we'll we'll just end up moving this

1:19:23deadline in May. Thank you.

1:19:25>> Thank you.

1:19:26Any further discussion?

1:19:28Seeing none. On Council Hollapa's uh

1:19:31motion to change the deadline from May

1:19:3227th, 2027 to August 26, 2027, uh

1:19:37seconded by um I believe it was

1:19:38Counselor Varela.

1:19:40All those in favor?

1:19:43Please hold your hands up for a second

1:19:45so I can get it correct.

1:19:461 2 3 4

1:19:485

1:19:508

1:19:52Uh all those opposed?

1:19:576

1:19:59The matter does not carry.

1:20:05Okay, back to the main motion

1:20:07as amended by uh Counselor Varela's um

1:20:11it it added language.

1:20:13I'll offer discussion again.

1:20:15Uh seeing no further discussion.

1:20:19On Counselor Varela's motion to adopt an

1:20:22order that an ad hoc committee be

1:20:25established to study and develop a

1:20:27proposed city seal redesign

1:20:30as amended. Does anybody want me to read

1:20:32the amendment again?

1:20:34No.

1:20:35As amended.

1:20:37All those in favor.

1:20:39All those opposed. The matter carries.

1:20:49Further motions, orders, and

1:20:51resolutions. Councillor Sidorakis.

1:20:54>> Thank you.

1:20:55Uh Council President Merkel.

1:20:58Uh in the year 2026

1:21:00an ordinance relative to traffic

1:21:02>> reading.

1:21:03>> Thank you. Um

1:21:05so we've got two parking spots

1:21:08Oh, uh I'm sorry. Um

1:21:11I move uh for adoption on first passage.

1:21:15>> Councillor Sidorakis moves for adoption

1:21:17for first passage. Under discussion,

1:21:19Councillor Sidorakis.

1:21:20>> Thank you, Council President Merkel. Uh

1:21:22so we've got two parking spots on

1:21:23Cleveland Street that at one point we

1:21:27had a resident that asked for them to be

1:21:31um

1:21:31restricted for resident parking, like

1:21:34specifically with a sign. This is not a

1:21:36common thing uh in the city. In fact, it

1:21:38might be one of the only instances.

1:21:40Uh and now they're selling that house.

1:21:42Um

1:21:43and this is going to be next to St.

1:21:45Anne's Church. We've got a lot of

1:21:47elderly folks that attend that church

1:21:49and often times the street is full. And

1:21:52so the purpose of this is to

1:21:55convert this resident only parking,

1:21:57which may be specifically for this

1:21:59resident, um

1:22:01to handicap parking. And it it's going

1:22:03to be going through the handicap parking

1:22:05process that isn't restricted to a

1:22:07resident's number. It's going to be

1:22:09anyone with a handicap placard. So that

1:22:11those who are visiting the church for

1:22:14um

1:22:15services,

1:22:16uh they they can utilize that.

1:22:18Thank you.

1:22:19>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:22:23Seeing none, on Councillor Sidorakis'

1:22:25motion for adoption for first passage,

1:22:27an order an order relative to Cleveland

1:22:29Street parking. All those in favor?

1:22:32All those opposed? The matter carries.

1:22:35Further motions, orders, and

1:22:37resolutions, Councilor Turansky.

1:22:43>> Thank you, President Mercola.

1:22:45Ordered that the businesses set forth

1:22:47below are hereby granted a waiver from

1:22:49the requirement to remove their outdoor

1:22:51dining from a city street pursuant to

1:22:53the city of Salem outdoor dining policy

1:22:55dated December 7th, 2023, and as such

1:22:58may maintain their outdoor dining

1:23:00platforms on Derby Street during the

1:23:01months of November 2026 through May

1:23:042027.

1:23:05And this is from Ragazza Restaurant

1:23:07Restaurant Group doing business as

1:23:09Bambolina, 288 Derby Street, and Hazel

1:23:12Deli LLC doing business as Which Side

1:23:14Tavern, 283 Derby Street. Um

1:23:18I move to split the question.

1:23:21Um and consider Bambolina first.

1:23:24>> Okay. We have a motion to split the

1:23:26question.

1:23:28Hold on.

1:23:37Okay. So, we have a motion to split this

1:23:39uh split this agenda item. Seeing no

1:23:42objection, we will first take up the

1:23:45item of the waiver uh to be granted for

1:23:49the removal of outdoor dining um for

1:23:52um is do you have a preference for which

1:23:54one we're taking first? Bambolina. Okay.

1:23:57Bambolina is first.

1:23:59Okay. Uh under discussion.

1:24:02>> Uh thank you, President Mercola. Um this

1:24:04is a request for two businesses that

1:24:06maintained their outdoor dining patios

1:24:08last winter to be allowed to maintain

1:24:11them again throughout this winter. Uh my

1:24:13understanding is that these structures

1:24:15were built very intentionally um and are

1:24:17very high quality um and also difficult

1:24:20to dismantle.

1:24:21Um

1:24:22they

1:24:23um, our

1:24:25Our current outdoor dining policy states

1:24:27that applicants may request a waiver

1:24:29from the city council to keep their

1:24:31outdoor dining area open year round

1:24:33provided they take reasonable steps to

1:24:34prevent obstruction of snow removal. And

1:24:37um, I I believe the owners of Bambolina

1:24:40um, and the supporting documentation and

1:24:41the backup um, even stated that they

1:24:44took on the expense of removing snow

1:24:46from the bike lane and the sidewalk on

1:24:48their own.

1:24:49Um, as the councilor whose area includes

1:24:52the sidewalk by both of these businesses

1:24:54and the bike lane by both of these

1:24:55businesses,

1:24:56I'm not going to point any fingers, but

1:24:58I will say that the vast majority of the

1:25:00snow removal complaints were from areas

1:25:02other than these two. I don't even know

1:25:03that I received any from either of those

1:25:05throughout the throughout the winter

1:25:06season.

1:25:07Um, I think we have here two businesses

1:25:09who are appealing

1:25:11um, to try to, you know, keep their

1:25:13necks above water in a tight market. I

1:25:14know the margins on food are really

1:25:16small and this is just an opportunity

1:25:18for them to capitalize on some of the

1:25:19winter tourism as well.

1:25:21Um,

1:25:22there's other opportunities for, you

1:25:25know, obviously tourism and other

1:25:26commercial activity during the winter

1:25:28with holiday happenings and with Salem

1:25:30so sweet. Um, I believe in the other

1:25:32documentation we have from the Bambolina

1:25:35supporters um, that they did participate

1:25:37in both of those opportunities as well

1:25:39as some others demonstrating that there

1:25:41is an economic benefit to being open

1:25:42over those months. Um, I did receive

1:25:45some feedback that some people were

1:25:46concerned about losing parking revenue.

1:25:50Um, each of those restaurants currently

1:25:51utilizes two parking spots.

1:25:54Um, the parking spots are each a dollar

1:25:56an hour. Assuming that they that those

1:25:58spots were going to be full for the

1:26:00entire season,

1:26:02um, if each restaurant pays the $2,000

1:26:04required, which it's $1,000 per spot for

1:26:07the season, um, then just that payment

1:26:09exclusive of additional um, meals

1:26:12revenue um, covers the first 15 weeks of

1:26:14the 23 to 24 week season on its own. Um,

1:26:17so I think there's a good possibility

1:26:18that they can recoup um, some of that

1:26:21revenue that the city would lose um,

1:26:24if not from the the parking fees

1:26:25themselves, then also from additional

1:26:27business and tax revenue throughout that

1:26:29period.

1:26:30Um,

1:26:32if there's other concerns, um, I I do

1:26:34think we should have a path forward um,

1:26:36to discuss a wider policy for over

1:26:38winter use of outdoor dining policy uh,

1:26:41outdoor dining spaces in our

1:26:42restaurants. Um, let me tell you if

1:26:45these guys could make it happen last

1:26:46winter that there's probably opportunity

1:26:48for other places to do it in

1:26:49non-exceptional winters as well. So, I

1:26:51think we do need to have a meeting um,

1:26:53whether that goes to government

1:26:55services, which is the committee I chair

1:26:57um, or I believe the

1:27:00there was also um,

1:27:02some discussion of this in I think it

1:27:05was committee on economic development as

1:27:07well.

1:27:07Um, but I I think we should have a good

1:27:09solid policy in place uh, before the

1:27:12next outdoor dining season begins. That

1:27:14would be the first Friday of May. So, if

1:27:16we can target to have a good

1:27:17recommendation in place um, by April at

1:27:20the latest, that gives the council and

1:27:22also the city some time to to provide

1:27:24feedback on it as well. Right now, all I

1:27:26see in front of me is two businesses who

1:27:27followed the rules last year who are

1:27:29trying to do another uh, good thing for

1:27:31our city this year. Um, and I will move

1:27:34for approval.

1:27:37>> Okay. Any further discussion?

1:27:39Uh, Councillor Sidorayak.

1:27:41>> Thank you Council President Merkel. Um,

1:27:43I appreciate the Ward 1 Councillor uh,

1:27:46splitting the question. I do have

1:27:47concerns about this.

1:27:49Um,

1:27:50I've done a little bit of research.

1:27:51There really isn't another municipality

1:27:54in all of New England that does

1:27:56year-round parklets except for one.

1:27:59Um, and actually I I encourage us to uh,

1:28:02get ahead on this policy and maybe even

1:28:04look at the municipality to see a more

1:28:07um,

1:28:08a thoughtful approach to creating that

1:28:11avenue for year-round parklets.

1:28:14And I appreciate splitting the question

1:28:16because I think this business in

1:28:19question is a little bit closer to those

1:28:20standards

1:28:22for that as opposed to

1:28:25the other business that I don't think

1:28:27they're close enough.

1:28:29But so I appreciate the Ward 1 counselor

1:28:32mentioning drafting a policy in the

1:28:34future

1:28:36and look forward to that. Thank you.

1:28:37>> Thank you.

1:28:39Any further discussion? I think I said

1:28:40counselor Hallapa first and then

1:28:42counselor Fiorella.

1:28:43>> Thank you, President Mercola.

1:28:46Yeah, I I these businesses have my full

1:28:48support to continue to do outdoor

1:28:50dining.

1:28:51Even in winters like last winter, there

1:28:53are some there are some warm days before

1:28:55May.

1:28:56There are some there are some warm days

1:28:58in November still.

1:29:00This is the kind of thing that our that

1:29:02people in the city want to be able to do

1:29:04outside of October. We want to be able

1:29:05to have nice things. You know, these

1:29:08these this place both of these

1:29:10businesses are succeeding in doing

1:29:12something the city doesn't do very

1:29:13often, which is narrowing the streets to

1:29:15slow down traffic.

1:29:17Both of these places are within dare I

1:29:21say spitting distance of a parking

1:29:23garage that the city's own data shows at

1:29:26peak hours is only 41% full.

1:29:29These people whoever wants to come and

1:29:31park here can go and park there if they

1:29:32need to. I think it says a lot that

1:29:34these two businesses are recognizing

1:29:37that it is a better land use to have

1:29:40something that people will enjoy and

1:29:42people

1:29:43get people to come down and be excited

1:29:45rather than parking. We've seen time and

1:29:48time again that sure in October we

1:29:51probably need more. There are businesses

1:29:53that workers need help with figuring out

1:29:55their parking, but it is not here and

1:29:58not during this time of the year.

1:30:00I would love to see us to have a better

1:30:02policy that allows this thing to happen

1:30:04better and to to encourage more

1:30:06businesses to do this. This is uh this

1:30:08is what folks are excited about. This is

1:30:10what gets people out of the house and

1:30:12gets them to come spend money uh in our

1:30:14downtown. Thanks.

1:30:17>> Thank you. Councilor Varella.

1:30:19>> Thank you, President Merkel. So, this

1:30:21conversation needs a little bit of

1:30:22context. This This whole conversation

1:30:25started

1:30:27in COVID under the Driscoll

1:30:29administration.

1:30:30So, at that time, there was supposed to

1:30:32be phases around the city of creating

1:30:36either parklets or more open space about

1:30:39these businesses. The first one was in

1:30:42front of Ledger Boston Burger Company.

1:30:45The city extended that, bumped out. Uh

1:30:48we obviously lost parking spaces, but

1:30:50allowed for more uh you know, walkways,

1:30:53more accommodation to the restaurants

1:30:56who are by the way charged a must much

1:30:58less rate than the parking spots.

1:31:02Uh at that same time, there was a bump

1:31:04out in front of now Trade House and

1:31:07Mercy

1:31:09uh to also accommodate for outdoor

1:31:10dining. The third phase was supposed to

1:31:13be on New Derby Street in front of

1:31:15Bambolina, All Souls Lounge,

1:31:18uh Bit Bar, and across street from

1:31:20Witch's Brew Tavern. When

1:31:22when Kim became elected to Lieutenant

1:31:24Governor, that conversation ceased to

1:31:26exist. I would like to see it come back.

1:31:28It's something that the businesses would

1:31:30like to come back. I think as Councilor

1:31:32Alopa said,

1:31:34uh these businesses have effectively

1:31:35shown how we can narrow the street a

1:31:37little bit, uh creating normal

1:31:40uh creating uh reasonable traffic

1:31:43calming

1:31:44with narrowing the street. I think we

1:31:45need to bring that conversation back. Uh

1:31:48I have not heard any concerns as far as

1:31:50snow removal

1:31:52uh over the last year with these

1:31:54businesses. I think they've been even

1:31:55very well. They've shown us that with

1:31:58that extension uh that there was no uh

1:32:02public safety issue or underlying issue

1:32:03with that. So, I approve I I agree we

1:32:06should grant this, but we should also

1:32:07have a larger conversation about

1:32:10parklets and uh just development of the

1:32:12space on New Derby in general. Thank

1:32:14you.

1:32:14>> Thank you.

1:32:15Any further discussion? Councilor King.

1:32:19>> Thank you, President Mercola. Um I I

1:32:21want to thank the Ward 1 counselor for

1:32:22her very well-said statement on on um

1:32:26support for this. I absolutely agree.

1:32:28Um I also think that uh

1:32:31a situation that we're putting some

1:32:33these you know, these two businesses in

1:32:34for example is that this is like a

1:32:36year-to-year thing and uh we're seeing

1:32:39that because it's year-to-year and

1:32:41there's a you know, there's a a cost uh

1:32:43just to apply and things like that. Um

1:32:46they're also not uh necessarily able to

1:32:48make larger investments in making this

1:32:50these spaces even more welcoming in the

1:32:52winter. I would love in a future

1:32:54conversation and I have a a wait file

1:32:56right here for a future conversation if

1:32:57folks are interested.

1:32:59Um but in a future conversation I think

1:33:01a conversation around um just making

1:33:03sure that whatever the process is, it's

1:33:05something where businesses can invest in

1:33:07heaters and like windshields so it's

1:33:09actually even even even more inviting

1:33:12space

1:33:13um during during those colder months. Um

1:33:15I know that uh there are only a few

1:33:18places in town that are open on the

1:33:19later end and they're very small. So,

1:33:21like it'd be great if like uh Mercy

1:33:23Tavern for not Mercy yeah, Mercy or like

1:33:25um you know, All Souls had had a a warm

1:33:28place at night, right? Even uh

1:33:30in October November. So, um I'm so

1:33:33thrilled that we're voting on this and I

1:33:34hope to see a program that can be

1:33:36expanded next year.

1:33:38>> Thank you.

1:33:39Any further discussion?

1:33:41Seeing none. On Councilor Trosky's

1:33:44motion

1:33:45that a waiver be granted for the removal

1:33:48of outdoor dining uh for

1:33:53Rega- Regaza Restaurant Group uh doing

1:33:56business as Bambolina's.

1:33:58All those in favor?

1:34:00All those opposed? Matter carries.

1:34:04We will now take up the second part of

1:34:06the question, and that was Councillor

1:34:08Trowsky's motion to adopt

1:34:11similar

1:34:13similar

1:34:15exception for the removal of outdoor

1:34:18dining for

1:34:20Hazel Deli doing business as Which Side

1:34:22Tavern. Under discussion, Councillor

1:34:24Trowsky.

1:34:26>> Thank you, President Mercola. I don't

1:34:29I don't personally have any significant

1:34:31differences between this or the other

1:34:34applicant. I did just want to note that

1:34:36Councillor Davis has recused himself

1:34:38from the conversation.

1:34:40>> Thank you. I appreciate that.

1:34:42For the record, Councillor Davis has

1:34:43recused himself for this vote.

1:34:46Any further discussion?

1:34:50Seeing none.

1:34:51On Councillor Trowsky's motion that a

1:34:53waiver be granted for the removal of

1:34:55outdoor dining

1:34:56for Hazel Deli doing business as Which

1:34:59Side Tavern.

1:35:00All those in favor?

1:35:02All those opposed?

1:35:05The matter carries.

1:35:13Okay.

1:35:14Are there any further motions, orders,

1:35:17and resolutions?

1:35:19Please approach the podium.

1:35:26Thank you.

1:35:28And for the record, Councillor Davis has

1:35:30returned to the chamber.

1:35:33We have a late file. That would be

1:35:35ordered that the Committee on Community

1:35:37and Economic Development help us do with

1:35:40the Committee of the Whole meet to

1:35:41discuss possible amendments to the City

1:35:44of Salem outdoor dining policy.

1:35:47All those in favor?

1:35:49All those opposed, the matter carries.

1:35:57Committee reports.

1:35:59Councilor Varella.

1:36:04>> Thank you, President Merkl.

1:36:06City of Salem City Council, October

1:36:0822nd, 2026. Committee on Ordinances,

1:36:10License, Legal Affairs, Co-post of the

1:36:11Committee of the Whole, to whom the

1:36:12referral was referred the matter

1:36:15to discuss language of a light shield

1:36:17ordinance, has considered said matter

1:36:18and would recommend Section 22

1:36:22.33 light shield ordinance.

1:36:25No outdoor

1:36:29Waive the reading?

1:36:30>> Thank you.

1:36:31I appreciate it. All right, so

1:36:34thank you for waiving the reading. Uh

1:36:36Oh, yep.

1:36:37>> On acceptance of the report, all those

1:36:40in favor?

1:36:42All those opposed? So voted.

1:36:45On the adoption of the recommendation

1:36:47under discussion, Councilor Varella.

1:36:49>> Thank you, President Merkl. So, I will

1:36:52try to make this as brief as possible.

1:36:54Uh so, I'll first start out what

1:36:55happened in committee. So, out of

1:36:57committee,

1:36:58uh we discussed

1:37:01uh a few options of a light shield

1:37:03ordinance. One that was very detailed,

1:37:06uh

1:37:06descriptive on uses, on lighting.

1:37:10We came to the conclusion that I don't

1:37:12think that's going to basically

1:37:15fix the problem. I think that when it

1:37:16comes to an uh light shield ordinance,

1:37:19it needs to be very

1:37:21distinct, clear, and simple on what the

1:37:25intent is. And the intent of this

1:37:27is to make sure that if there is an

1:37:29issue with uh a lighting nuisance, that

1:37:33our building commissioner has or

1:37:35building department has

1:37:37uh a a pathway, a tool to at least tell

1:37:40a resident, "Hey, we have an issue with

1:37:43another resident. You have to

1:37:45remedy this. If not, we do have

1:37:47penalties with this.

1:37:49Uh

1:37:50Lighting pollution, just like noise or

1:37:53noise pollution is an issue for

1:37:56everybody.

1:37:57And I do believe that if we do enact

1:38:00this tonight, it will help

1:38:02neighbors become good neighbors. I think

1:38:04a lot of people don't realize that maybe

1:38:06their floodlights

1:38:08or their lights that are on 24 hours a

1:38:10day may actually affect their neighbors.

1:38:13And I think simple conversations usually

1:38:15would happen.

1:38:17For instance,

1:38:18uh

1:38:19our

1:38:20our our our lecture John Giardi of our

1:38:23electrical department, he handled this

1:38:26for years

1:38:27by actually talking to

1:38:30the parties about this. And he even did

1:38:32take money out of his budget to help fix

1:38:34these issues. So, again, I think that we

1:38:37just need to have a mechanism for

1:38:39enforcement. I don't think this is going

1:38:41to be used frequently,

1:38:43but it just it's it's something in our

1:38:45back pocket. So, with that, there's

1:38:47there's a few

1:38:49amendments that I'm going to make to

1:38:51this

1:38:52based on

1:38:55on feedback we got from the mayor and

1:38:58our legal department. So, with that, I'm

1:39:01not sure does everyone have this in

1:39:03front of them?

1:39:04Okay, great. All right, so

1:39:07what's going to change?

1:39:09And I'll I'll I'll first I'm just going

1:39:11to go with with the recommendations. I

1:39:12know everyone got the email, but what

1:39:14the changes are going to be

1:39:16is adding parking areas

1:39:19and emergency alarm system lighting to

1:39:21allow the lighting list.

1:39:23Uh

1:39:24changing permitted to allowed to avoid

1:39:26implication that there are permit

1:39:28required for such lighting.

1:39:30Uh remove street from the direct light

1:39:32sentence as something lighting is

1:39:34intentionally or helpfully directed in

1:39:36both public and private ways as this

1:39:38primary nuisance is from glare onto

1:39:40private properties.

1:39:42Uh we also clarify the exemption for

1:39:44municipal lighting including public

1:39:46school properties.

1:39:48And then also because this is a

1:39:50violation under Massachusetts General

1:39:51Law 40U which the city has adopted, the

1:39:55appeals process is to the municipal

1:39:57hearing officer

1:39:58and that edit specifies that. And

1:40:01similarly fines are enumerated here uh

1:40:03which they are extended to $50

1:40:07uh for the first fine and any uh other

1:40:10fine after that 50 is a $50 for

1:40:13subsequent offense.

1:40:14So, those are the edits. I do appreciate

1:40:19And also yes, thank you.

1:40:21And then also through penalties uh first

1:40:24and then $150 for the second offense and

1:40:27$300 for the third and subsequent

1:40:29offense. After talking to the mayor,

1:40:31he feels that the fine should be a

1:40:34little steeper. It really does give some

1:40:35teeth to this. I hope it never gets to

1:40:37that point. I don't think it will.

1:40:39Uh but that's it's it's very important

1:40:41that we mirror and reflect this with our

1:40:42ordinances when it comes to fines.

1:40:45So, with that everyone has the edit in

1:40:48front of them.

1:40:49Um and apologies that you know, we're

1:40:51talking about this now but uh we finally

1:40:53got feedback from our legal department

1:40:55and our mayor. This is still simple. I

1:40:57believe that the mayor is comfortable

1:40:59and our legal department is comfortable

1:41:01with this language.

1:41:02And again, this is really about the

1:41:04benefit of the residents to make sure

1:41:06there is an enforcement mechanism when

1:41:07it comes to lighting pollution in our

1:41:10city. Thank you.

1:41:12>> Thank you. Uh so, first off do we have a

1:41:14second

1:41:15on the amendment?

1:41:17I'll say seconded by Counselor Smith.

1:41:22Okay, so for clarity

1:41:24uh and for anyone listening at home, I

1:41:27will read um the proposed amendment. So,

1:41:31we have a proposed amendment uh by

1:41:33Counselor uh Varella seconded by

1:41:36Counselor Smith

1:41:37To replace the language that came out of

1:41:40committee uh to the following.

1:41:43Regulations.

1:41:45No and please correct me if I have any

1:41:46of this wrong. Uh regulations, no

1:41:49outdoor flood lighting or decorative

1:41:51lighting except lighting primarily

1:41:53designed to illuminate walks, driveways,

1:41:57parking areas, outdoor living areas, or

1:42:01outdoor recreational facilities,

1:42:03emergency lighting associated an alarm

1:42:07or other life or building safety system

1:42:10or temporary holiday lighting in use for

1:42:13not longer than an 8-week period in any

1:42:16calendar year shall be allowed.

1:42:19Any permanent lighting allowed pursuant

1:42:22to this section shall be continuous and

1:42:24direct and installed in a manner that

1:42:27will prevent direct light from shining

1:42:30onto any abutting property. All

1:42:32municipal and public school lighting

1:42:35shall be exempt from the provisions of

1:42:37this ordinance. The enforcement and

1:42:39appeals, the building inspector or their

1:42:42designee shall enforce this division.

1:42:45Appeals of any violations of this

1:42:48section shall be made to the municipal

1:42:51hearing officer. And the penalties,

1:42:54whoever violates any provision of this

1:42:56section shall be subject to a fine of

1:42:57$50 for the first offense, 150 for the

1:43:00second offense, and 300 for the third

1:43:03and subsequent offenses.

1:43:06Any further discussion on the proposed

1:43:09amended language? Councilman Halappa.

1:43:11>> Thank you President Mercola. Our

1:43:13discussion on this in committee was I

1:43:15wouldn't say brief, but it wasn't

1:43:17belabored. I I'm fine with all of these

1:43:20amendments from the mayor. I

1:43:23The fines do seem a bit seem a bit

1:43:24steep.

1:43:26$300 every potentially every day for

1:43:29your light being a little bit bright in

1:43:31someone's place seems

1:43:33more than it needs to be. These fixes

1:43:36tend to be about 50 bucks.

1:43:38I feel like if the the third offense was

1:43:39$150, that would still get the point

1:43:41across.

1:43:42But,

1:43:43food for thought. Thanks.

1:43:45>> Thank you.

1:43:46Councilor Smith.

1:43:48>> Thank you, President Merkle. I I also

1:43:49think these are great. Thank you to the

1:43:50city solicitor and the mayor and and and

1:43:52and others for providing this. Uh the

1:43:54reason uh that uh

1:43:56no light should be shining onto a street

1:43:59previously was that um

1:44:01you know, decorative red and green

1:44:03lighting or glared lighting or red and

1:44:07blue lights. Actually, there's someone

1:44:09that uses those downtown.

1:44:11Uh could produce driving issues. You

1:44:15either think the light is something

1:44:17different than it is. A head It's like a

1:44:19headlight hitting you or um you you

1:44:21think you're being pulled over. So, that

1:44:22was the reason for not having these kind

1:44:24of light shine on the street. I would

1:44:27say we accept these and then if that

1:44:28becomes a problem, this is an easy thing

1:44:30to add in later. Uh

1:44:33really we're trying to just get

1:44:35something for the building commissioner,

1:44:37as Councilor Varella said, to be able to

1:44:40go to

1:44:41uh a business or a home and and say,

1:44:44"Look, that light The light's shining in

1:44:46your neighbor's. You got to do something

1:44:48about this." And it is a very easy fix.

1:44:50It's usually pointing the light down.

1:44:52Sometimes it's shielding it with with a

1:44:53very cheap piece of metal. Um so, it's

1:44:56it's worth, you know, avoiding a fine

1:44:59for. Um and then everybody's happy. So,

1:45:01thanks.

1:45:02>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:45:06Seeing none. On Councilor Varella's

1:45:08motion for adoption of this light shield

1:45:11ordinance, as amended, all those in

1:45:14favor?

1:45:15All those opposed? The matter carries.

1:45:19Further committee reports. Councilor

1:45:21Hepworth.

1:45:24>> Thank you, President Merkle. Uh City of

1:45:26Salem and City Council

1:45:28October 22nd, 2026, the Committee on

1:45:30Public Health, Safety, and the

1:45:31Environment co-posed with the Committee

1:45:32of the Whole, two members referred the

1:45:34matter of a camping ordinance, has

1:45:35considered that said matter, and would

1:45:37recommend it remain in committee.

1:45:40>> On acceptance of the report, all those

1:45:42in favor?

1:45:43All those opposed?

1:45:45So voted.

1:45:46On adoption of the recommendation, under

1:45:48discussion, Councilor Hepworth.

1:45:50>> Thank you President Merkle. Uh we had a

1:45:51good discussion with uh we had uh Donald

1:45:54Whitehead from the National Coalition uh

1:45:56for the homeless who gave a 15-minute

1:45:57presentation. We also had uh as always,

1:46:00Captain Burke, Chief Miller

1:46:02um

1:46:04uh to discuss some of the uh the

1:46:06ordinance in general and just talk

1:46:07through um some potential amendments. Uh

1:46:10there wasn't a will on the body to move

1:46:11those amendments forward yet, so we left

1:46:14the entire matter in committee.

1:46:16>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:46:20Councilor Davis.

1:46:21>> Thank you President Merkle. Uh yeah, it

1:46:22was a great discussion. Um I'm looking

1:46:24forward to a uh hopefully soon uh

1:46:27committee meeting to take up those

1:46:28amendments.

1:46:29Um I regret not reaching out to um the

1:46:34National Coalition uh for the homeless

1:46:36or you know, similar organizations

1:46:38earlier on because I think it was um

1:46:41it was important to hear from them. I

1:46:42think it's you know, obviously really

1:46:43crucial that we hear from our

1:46:46um city staff, particularly our police

1:46:48um as they're you know, enforcing um the

1:46:51issue, but you know

1:46:52just as important for us to hear from

1:46:54our um

1:46:55you know, public health, mental health

1:46:57um experts, experts on the homeless

1:47:00um

1:47:01uh

1:47:02we were reached out to by

1:47:04um half a dozen um national

1:47:08um

1:47:08experts um on the issue. I know that it

1:47:10was shortly before our meeting, uh so

1:47:12not everyone had a chance to look

1:47:13through it, but I I hope the councilors

1:47:16um have the time before you know, we

1:47:17take this up again um to really go

1:47:19through that and and look at the the

1:47:21expertise of you know, some of the

1:47:22national

1:47:24experts

1:47:25on the issue and really take that

1:47:27seriously.

1:47:28There is kind of a an open invite

1:47:31from some of the folks that Councillor

1:47:33Alopa and I had the privilege of

1:47:34speaking with to speak to anyone else in

1:47:36the council. I hope that folks

1:47:38um

1:47:39take them take us up on that. Um

1:47:42yeah, and I hope that, you know, I want

1:47:44to make sure that going forward

1:47:46that, you know, hearing from those

1:47:47experts is not kind of an exception from

1:47:50that last meeting but is, you know, kind

1:47:51of a standard practice going forward.

1:47:53I think it would have been fantastic to

1:47:55have that kind of expertise

1:47:57at the start of the of this process at

1:48:00the start of when this ordinance was

1:48:02introduced but hopefully that'll be the

1:48:04case going forward.

1:48:06>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:48:10Seeing none, I'm Councillor Hapworth's

1:48:11motion that this matter of amendments

1:48:13relative to the camping ordinance remain

1:48:15in committee. All those in favor?

1:48:18All those opposed? The matter carries.

1:48:21Communications from city officials?

1:48:23None.

1:48:25Petitions?

1:48:26We have a petition from Salem residents

1:48:28requesting professionals repairs of the

1:48:31Veterans Bridge in the Forest River

1:48:33Conservation Area.

1:48:35Councillor Fiorello.

1:48:36>> Thank you, President Mercola. Move that

1:48:38this be referred to the Committee on

1:48:40Government Services co-posted with the

1:48:42Committee of the Whole.

1:48:43>> Councillor Fiorello moves that this be

1:48:44referred to the Committee on Government

1:48:46Services co-posted with the Committee of

1:48:48the Whole. Under discussion, Councillor

1:48:50Fiorello.

1:48:51>> Thank you, President Mercola. I will be

1:48:53brief. I I could I could I could take

1:48:55all night talking about this. This

1:48:57happens to be in Ward 7.

1:48:59We all know about this specific bridge

1:49:01here.

1:49:03My brief comment will be that there's

1:49:05been many attempts over the last many

1:49:07years to fix this bridge. None of them

1:49:10are are simple.

1:49:13So, I look forward to uh uh,

1:49:16the Government Services meeting on this

1:49:17and figuring out a pathway and at least

1:49:20informing residents of the uh, just the

1:49:23just the hardships and the constraints

1:49:25that the city has in repairing this

1:49:27and what we can do and and the history

1:49:29on the repair of this bridge over the

1:49:31last five to six years. Thank you.

1:49:34>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:49:36Councillor Trawinski.

1:49:38>> Thank you, President Mercola. Um, as

1:49:40chair of government services, I'm really

1:49:41excited to get this into committee. Um,

1:49:44if you haven't had a chance to visit

1:49:46this site, I would highly recommend it.

1:49:48I had the opportunity to take a little

1:49:49walking tour with some local um,

1:49:52stakeholders and nature experts and see

1:49:55very clearly why Japanese knotweed is so

1:49:57bad and how it's so hard to kill.

1:49:59Um, and just it's a really beautiful

1:50:01space. It's very pristine, but go on a

1:50:04nice day because you are not going to be

1:50:05able to get across that bridge if there

1:50:07is any water or any ice or any snow.

1:50:10Um, and you even have to be intentional

1:50:12about where you put your feet on it. So,

1:50:13I'm very excited to tackle this.

1:50:16Um, I think the city has a real

1:50:17opportunity to do something great for

1:50:19the residents here. Um, and I look

1:50:20forward to discussing this in committee.

1:50:22Thank you.

1:50:23>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:50:26Seeing none, on Councillor Varella's

1:50:28motion to refer this to the Committee on

1:50:29Government Services co-posted with the

1:50:31Committee of the Whole, all those in

1:50:33favor.

1:50:34All those opposed? Matter carries.

1:50:37Further petitions. We have a petition

1:50:39from James Jenner, the owner of Amelia's

1:50:42Light Candle Company proposing a small

1:50:44business resident vendor ordinance.

1:50:47>> Councillor Varella.

1:50:48>> Thank you, President Mercola. I move to

1:50:50refer this to Ordinance and Licenses and

1:50:52Ordinances License and Legal Affairs

1:50:54co-posted with the Committee of the

1:50:54Whole.

1:50:58>> Councillor Varella moves to refer this

1:50:59to the Committee on Ordinances License

1:51:01and Legal Affairs co-posted with the

1:51:02Committee of the Whole. Any discussion?

1:51:04Councillor Varella.

1:51:05>> Thank you, President Mercola. Be brief.

1:51:06I had the chance to talk to Mr. Jenner

1:51:08about this. Uh, so I look forward to

1:51:11discussing this in committee.

1:51:14Uh, it really comes down to how our

1:51:16administration wants to handle

1:51:18contracts.

1:51:20And when it comes to vendors and

1:51:21ordinances, we'll get that in committee,

1:51:24but there's a long history on maybe why

1:51:26how that doesn't work. So, we'll discuss

1:51:27it. Looking forward to conversation.

1:51:30>> Thank you. Any further discussion?

1:51:32Seeing none. On Councillor Wallace's

1:51:34motion that uh this petition be referred

1:51:37to the Committee on Ordinance License

1:51:39and Legal Affairs,

1:51:41co-posted with the Committee of the

1:51:42Whole. All those in favor?

1:51:44All those opposed? Matter carries.

1:51:47Further petitions. We have two taxi

1:51:49operator licenses.

1:51:50Councillor Faralla.

1:51:51>> Thank you, President Merkel. I move that

1:51:52these be granted.

1:51:53>> Councillor Faralla moves that these uh

1:51:55these be granted. Any discussion?

1:51:57>> No discussion.

1:51:58>> On Councillor Wallace's motion uh that

1:52:00this taxi operator license be granted,

1:52:02uh all those in favor?

1:52:04All those opposed? Matter carries.

1:52:06Further petitions. We have seven claims.

1:52:09Councillor Faralla.

1:52:10>> Thank you, President Merkel. I move that

1:52:11they refer this to Committee on

1:52:12Ordinances, License, and Legal Affairs.

1:52:14>> Councillor Faralla moves that these be

1:52:16uh referred to the Committee on

1:52:17Ordinance, License, and Legal Affairs.

1:52:19Any discussion? Councillor Faralla.

1:52:20>> No discussion.

1:52:21>> On Councillor Wallace's motion that

1:52:23these claims be referred to the

1:52:25Committee on Ordinance, License, and

1:52:26Legal Affairs. All those in favor?

1:52:28All those opposed? Matter carries.

1:52:31Unfinished business? None.

1:52:34Councillor Hepworth.

1:52:35>> Thank you, President Merkel. Uh, I move

1:52:37for adjournment and see you in November.

1:52:40>> Councillor Hepworth moves for

1:52:42adjournment. All those in favor?

1:52:46All those opposed? We are adjourned.

1:52:48Thank you, everyone.

1:53:30>> Mhm.