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Record of Proceedings

Beverly City Council Meeting – April 6, 2026

City Council — Monday, April 6, 2026
BodyBeverly, Massachusetts
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, April 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:44

Call to order uh Beverly City Council for our regular city council meeting on Monday, April 6, 2026, 7 p.m., City Council Chambers, 191 Cabot Street.

0:56

Ms.

0:56

Kent, would you please call the roll?

0:59

Crowley?

1:00

Feldman?

1:01

Houseman?

1:02

Malady?

1:03

Retundo?

1:04

Sonia?

1:05

Spang.

1:06

St.

1:06

Hilaire?

1:07

Here.

1:07

Flowers.

1:08

Thank you, Ms.

1:09

Ken.

1:09

Councillor Sonia, would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

1:14

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

1:21

One nation under the justice.

1:31

Excuse me.

1:36

Okay, we'll move to the next section of our agenda tonight, which will start with a presentation from Chairman Rich Benevento from our parking and traffic commission.

1:46

Mr.

1:46

Chairman, how are you?

1:48

Very well, thank you.

1:49

Thank you.

1:49

I um I had uh a two-hour presentation tonight, but I was told to cut it back, so I'll cut it down to an hour and 45 minutes.

1:56

So we should from Mr.

1:58

Perry here.

1:59

Um thank you.

2:00

Thank you, Council, for allowing me to come in tonight.

2:03

You know, I I do this typically every year specifically for new council members, but I think it's always good to just kind of go through what we do with the parking and traffic commission, who is the parking traffic commission, uh, and then how we we formulate our decisions and things of that nature.

2:20

I I will say that we have some regulars on the council that are at our meetings all the time.

2:24

Council Retundo's there all the time, Councillor Spang is is uh is there at I think you're at every one of our meetings, and we have a common connection because councillor and I uh sit on the MMA policy committee for public works transportation and public utilities, so uh I see her quite often.

2:40

And I used to get uh quite a few calls from Council Housman as well.

2:44

So uh anyway, um uh the makeup of the commission.

2:48

We have nine members, currently we only have eight.

2:51

Um so there uh is a representative from the Beverly Chamber of Commerce, Planning Department, Public Services, Police, Fire, uh, and then there's two council appointees and two mayoral appointees.

3:03

So our vice chair is uh Darlene Wynn from the planning department.

3:07

Uh we have uh Sergeant Danon Nicholson from the police department, uh Jake Crayleen, Captain Uh Jay Crayleen from the fire department, uh Commissioner Mike Collins from public services, um, and then we have Dana Morton from the Chamber of Commerce, uh, and then we have our mayoral appointee uh actually appointed in 2020, Jonathan Salt.

3:28

He was he's also on the bike committee, so that was a great addition to the uh parking and traffic commission.

3:33

Uh and the other mayoral appointee is David Dines.

3:36

He has a planning background in transportation.

3:39

Uh and of course, myself.

3:40

I am uh your city council appointee.

3:44

Um I was looking at this thing and I was uh dating myself a little bit.

3:48

This is my 19th year on the parking and traffic commission, uh, and I've been chairing the commission for 18 years.

3:55

Uh so uh I've seen a lot of different people come in and out of the city, but uh some of some of the folks are still here.

4:01

Uh and by the way, that was six years after being on the conservation commission.

4:04

So I've been I've been around in uh in Beverly for a little bit.

4:08

Uh but as I say, we do have a good collection of professionals on the parking and traffic commission.

4:13

Uh we may not always uh make uh popular recommendations, but we do believe we're making our recommendations in the best interest of the city uh and those we serve.

4:23

So the role of the commission is really, you know, we're advisory, we're advisory to the planning board, uh the city council, and citizens uh who often come in with concerns or questions.

4:35

Um as I mentioned, we we advise the planning department, department of public services, uh the mayor's office, uh on parking and traffic related issues in the city.

4:46

Um I will um like to thank the planning board because oftentimes um anything that's before the planning board is referred to the parking and traffic commission, and if we make recommendations and that sort of thing, and the developer comes back to the planning board and says something different, the planning board turns them right around and says you have to go back to the parking and traffic commission.

5:00

And if we make recommendations and that sort of thing, and the developer comes back to the planning board and says something different, the planning board turns them right around and says you have to go back to the parking and traffic commission.

5:06

So I want to thank them for that as well.

5:10

Over the past year, the commission's route reviewed multiple site permits and plan reviews, subdivision applications, including amendments and pre-construction.

5:21

One of the big things, at least with me, is any development project that they provide, a construction traffic management plan, because it's great to approve a project, but we all have to live with the uh fallout when these projects are being built, and we want to make sure that it's not impacting the citizens of Beverly.

5:38

Um the most notable project we had this year, many of you probably all also know is the Trask Lane Development Project, which by all accounts was very complex uh and and a thoughtful undertaking uh for the commission.

5:51

We spent a lot of time on that project.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety████████████████16%
Personnel Matters██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Safety█████████████13%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%
Animal Welfare███████7%
Public Engagement██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Beverly City Council Meeting – April 6, 2026

The Beverly City Council convened on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included a presentation from the Parking and Traffic Commission, public comments on rodent control, environmental education, and automated license plate readers, a public hearing on a National Grid utility installation, and votes on numerous orders, including a controversial $241,250 retroactive pay adjustment for Department of Public Services (DPS) employees.

Presentation – Parking and Traffic Commission

  • Chairman Rich Benevento provided an overview of the commission’s role, membership (nine members, currently eight), and advisory function to the Planning Board, City Council, and citizens. He emphasized that safety is paramount and that the commission follows the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and Massachusetts amendments. Key points:
    • The commission reviews site plans, subdivision applications, and construction traffic management plans.
    • The most notable project in the past year was the Trask Lane Development Project.
    • The commission has no budget and cannot conduct studies; it can only recommend scopes of work.
    • Speed limit changes and truck exclusions require MassDOT approval.
  • Councillor Housman thanked Benevento for his 19 years of service and asked about a possible heavy vehicle exclusion study for Boyle Street. Benevento noted that truck volume was previously only 1–2% and that any such study would depend on traffic data.

Public Comments & Testimony

  1. Robin Foley (60 Ron Tool Street) spoke against the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (“black boxes”) and urged the city to continue piloting humane birth control methods through its pest control company. She recited a poem illustrating the secondary poisoning of wildlife and pets, and noted that Representative Hannah Bowen and Senator Joan Lovely support a state-level ban. She asked the city to “ditch the black boxes.”
  2. Bob McIntosh (29 Atlantic Avenue) advocated for a permanent environmental education center at Camp Paradise, to be run in partnership with Kestrel Education Adventures. He highlighted the need for outdoor education in Beverly and noted that the city had indicated further discussions in January but no action had been taken in four months. He urged the council to act promptly.
  3. Aisha Siddiqui (Ward 3) delivered a land acknowledgement honoring the Naumkeag and Patucket bands of the Massachusetts tribe and commended the city’s DEI Director for creating a working group on indigenous engagement. She also amplified the upcoming joint meeting of the Legal Affairs and Public Services committees on April 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM to review the city’s use of automated license plate readers (ALPRs), citing the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Commonwealth v. McCarthy (2020) regarding privacy expectations.

Public Hearing – National Grid Petition (Order 65)

  • Rafael Kerguelen, representing National Grid, presented a petition to install underground conduit and a handhole on Broadway to provide 600-amp service to a small development. He explained that the work would involve 66 feet of trenching near the edge of the road, with full curb-to-curb repaving committed by the property owner (Mr. Greg).
  • Resident testimony: Tiffany Collins (35 Broadway) expressed frustration over repeated street digging on Broadway, which had been under construction for nearly 10 years. She asked if alternative routes (e.g., under the sidewalk) were possible.
  • Council discussion: Councillors Spang and Housman raised concerns about coordination and restoration. Kerguelen noted that sidewalk work would be minimal and that the property owner would restore any affected concrete driveway aprons. The council closed the public hearing and referred the matter back to the Committee on Public Services for further review.

Discussion Items

  • Order 88 – Retroactive Pay for DPS Employees: The Finance and Property Committee recommended approval of a $241,250 transfer from the reserve for union negotiations to fund retroactive pay adjustments (to July 1, 2024) for 43 current DPS employees and 4 retirees. The mayor explained that the classification and salary study, begun over two years ago, had been delayed but that a commitment was made to retroactivity. Solicitor Dole argued this was a one-time, non-precedential action outside collective bargaining. Budget analyst Jerry Perry noted that the total compensation change was $502,000 (including future years) and that the FY27 budget deficit projection of $3.9 million already accounted for these costs. He recommended approval on equity grounds, citing difficulty hiring and retaining DPS staff. The council debated precedent and financial impact.

Key Outcomes

  • Order 88 (Retroactive DPS pay): Passed 7–1.
  • Order 101 ($250,000 state earmark for Brimble Avenue and Dunham Road intersection): Approved unanimously (8–0).
  • Order 102 (Two solar-powered speed feedback signs from MassDOT): Approved unanimously (8–0). Locations: 299 Dodge Street (by the tree farm) and 98 Essex Street.
  • Order 103 ($19,000 FDA grant for Health Department food safety outreach): Approved unanimously (8–0).
  • Order 104 ($24,096 fire safety grant for turnout gear): Approved unanimously (8–0).
  • Order 105 ($1,500–$2,000 donation from Kinship Farm for Council on Aging vegetable bed): Approved unanimously (8–0).
  • Order 119 (Public hearing on accessory dwelling unit zoning amendments scheduled for May 4, 2026 at 7:30 PM): Approved unanimously (8–0).
  • Order 122 (Beverly Farmers Market permit, June 15 – October 5, 2026): Approved 7–0 (Councillor Sonia recused).
  • Order 118 (Handicapped parking space at 23 Front Street): First reading, approved 8–0.
  • Order 58A (Feeding of wildlife ordinance amendment): Final passage with a floor amendment (striking “notwithstanding 117-21 below” from section A). Approved 8–0.
  • Various license renewals and appointments: Approved 8–0 (Orders 94, 95, 96, 97, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 123).
  • Order 65 (National Grid petition): Public hearing closed; referred back to Committee on Public Services.
  • Announcements: The Special Committee on Rental Policies will host a public forum on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 6:00 PM. The Legal Affairs and Public Services committees will meet jointly on April 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM to review ALPR use.

Meeting Transcript

Call to order uh Beverly City Council for our regular city council meeting on Monday, April 6, 2026, 7 p.m., City Council Chambers, 191 Cabot Street. Ms. Kent, would you please call the roll? Crowley? Feldman? Houseman? Malady? Retundo? Sonia? Spang. St. Hilaire? Here. Flowers. Thank you, Ms. Ken. Councillor Sonia, would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. One nation under the justice. Excuse me. Okay, we'll move to the next section of our agenda tonight, which will start with a presentation from Chairman Rich Benevento from our parking and traffic commission. Mr. Chairman, how are you? Very well, thank you. Thank you. I um I had uh a two-hour presentation tonight, but I was told to cut it back, so I'll cut it down to an hour and 45 minutes. So we should from Mr. Perry here. Um thank you. Thank you, Council, for allowing me to come in tonight. You know, I I do this typically every year specifically for new council members, but I think it's always good to just kind of go through what we do with the parking and traffic commission, who is the parking traffic commission, uh, and then how we we formulate our decisions and things of that nature. I I will say that we have some regulars on the council that are at our meetings all the time. Council Retundo's there all the time, Councillor Spang is is uh is there at I think you're at every one of our meetings, and we have a common connection because councillor and I uh sit on the MMA policy committee for public works transportation and public utilities, so uh I see her quite often. And I used to get uh quite a few calls from Council Housman as well. So uh anyway, um uh the makeup of the commission. We have nine members, currently we only have eight. Um so there uh is a representative from the Beverly Chamber of Commerce, Planning Department, Public Services, Police, Fire, uh, and then there's two council appointees and two mayoral appointees. So our vice chair is uh Darlene Wynn from the planning department. Uh we have uh Sergeant Danon Nicholson from the police department, uh Jake Crayleen, Captain Uh Jay Crayleen from the fire department, uh Commissioner Mike Collins from public services, um, and then we have Dana Morton from the Chamber of Commerce, uh, and then we have our mayoral appointee uh actually appointed in 2020, Jonathan Salt. He was he's also on the bike committee, so that was a great addition to the uh parking and traffic commission. Uh and the other mayoral appointee is David Dines. He has a planning background in transportation. Uh and of course, myself. I am uh your city council appointee. Um I was looking at this thing and I was uh dating myself a little bit. This is my 19th year on the parking and traffic commission, uh, and I've been chairing the commission for 18 years. Uh so uh I've seen a lot of different people come in and out of the city, but uh some of some of the folks are still here. Uh and by the way, that was six years after being on the conservation commission. So I've been I've been around in uh in Beverly for a little bit. Uh but as I say, we do have a good collection of professionals on the parking and traffic commission.

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