Beverly City Council Meeting – May 4, 2026
Beverly City Council Regular Meeting - May 4, 2026
The Beverly City Council met on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included resolutions honoring Eagle Scouts and retired firefighters, three public hearings, public comments, a presentation from the South Essex Sewerage District (SESD), and several subcommittee reports. All council members were present (8-0). The meeting was adjourned after approving multiple orders.
Consent Calendar
- Approved Order 130 honoring retired Firefighter John P. Murray and Deputy Chief Russell C. Halloran (8-0).
- Approved Order 131 honoring five Eagle Scouts from Troop 4: Sebastian Brulette, Graham Denin, Ben Walsh, Joseph McManus, and Noah Boudreau (8-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alyssa McGill (age 15, 182 Brimble Ave) spoke in favor of opening a nature center at Camp Paradise, citing concerns about runoff from a nearby dump and the need for environmental education.
- Diana Nehamer (12 Pratt Ave) raised concerns about Flock license plate reader cameras, stating that data is shared with out-of-state law enforcement tens of thousands of times per month, violating Fourth Amendment rights. She presented a petition with over 100 signatures calling for cancellation of the contract.
- Jessica Kegel (8 May St), director of Kestrel Educational Adventures, advocated for a free public nature center at Camp Paradise, noting that wetlands are being damaged (e.g., salt dumping, compost near amphibian breeding ponds). She was accompanied by Dr. Dorothy Borse, an aquatic ecologist.
Public Hearings
- Order 119 (ADU Zoning Amendments): Assistant Planning Director Ken Clausen presented proposed revisions to align the city's ADU ordinance with the state's Affordable Homes Act (Chapter 150). Key changes: removing owner-occupancy requirement, eliminating parking requirements within half a mile of transit, and allowing ADUs on non-conforming lots without ZBA action. No public speakers. Referred to Legal Affairs.
- Order 129 (National Grid Underground Facilities): National Grid representative Sabida Mahaber Sheehy explained this is an upgrade to existing infrastructure on Chase Street/West Dane Street. Work will take about four hours and involve digging. Approved (8-0).
- Order 124 (Interdepartmental Transfer for Fire Department Overtime): Finance Director Brian Ailes requested a $190,000 transfer from six underspending areas to cover fire department shift coverage costs for FY2026. Fire Chief Peter O'Connor attributed overtime to unexpected injuries (12 personnel out for extended periods) and two firefighters leaving for other departments. Budget Analyst Jerry Perry noted this is the fourth consecutive year of such transfers and recommended a higher overtime budget for FY2027. Approved (8-0).
Presentation: South Essex Sewerage District (SESD)
- Chairman Mike Parsons, Executive Director Dave Michelson, and General Counsel Kristen Kohlack presented the district's financial challenges. SESD faces a $1.5–2 million increase in residuals disposal costs and a $390 million capital improvement plan over 10 years, including a critical pipeline under Salem Harbor. They are seeking a Prop 2.5 exemption to raise their operating budget ceiling from $26M to $30.5M and debt relief for capital projects. The Collins Center projected Beverly's assessment could increase from $5.3M to $760,000 in operating costs and an additional $2M in capital debt service by FY32. Budget Analyst Jerry Perry expressed concerns about the lack of financial oversight in the draft legislation and recommended more guardrails. No council action was taken; this was an initial presentation.
Discussion Items
- Subcommittee meetings were held: Finance and Property approved setting a public hearing for CPA projects (May 18 at 7:45 PM), approved the prior year invoice ($796.59), recommended a 3% salary increase for City Clerk Ms. Kent, and approved the $190,000 transfer. Legal Affairs approved the appointment of Matthew Hergut to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and a secondhand junk dealer license. Public Services approved the National Grid petition and GoNet Speed petition with 11 conditions (vote 7-1, Councillor Rotundo opposed due to process concerns).
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Order 130, 131, 112 (appointment to Human Rights Committee), 129, 124, 134, 135, 136, and 50 (GoNet Speed with conditions).
- Referred: Order 119 to Legal Affairs; Order 133 to set a public hearing; Order 132 to Public Services; Order 59 and 60 to Legal Affairs; Order 127 (naming Met Ziegler Way) remains in process.
- No action: SESD presentation was informational; further discussion to follow.
- Future meetings: Ward 2 community meeting on trash/recycling on May 7 at 7 PM in Council Chambers; Ward 1 meeting on May 6 at Ayers Ryal Side School.
Meeting Transcript
You're ready. All right, thank you. Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us here for our city council meeting this evening. So nice to have many people here in the chamber, but I know that we especially have some scouts and families from Troop 4 in Beverly. And we're going to be getting to some resolutions celebrating Eagle Scouts from Troop 4, and we'll get to that at the top of our agenda once we call the meeting to order. But I want to say a special word of welcome to our scouts, to our Eagle Scouts, and to your families. So thank you so much for joining us. I always like to run through what's on the agenda before officially calling the meeting to order so that we can all have a sense of what's before us. And this is a very um full agenda at the beginning with lots of wonderful things and wonderful content. So I will just talk through what we've got before us. As I mentioned, we do have those five resolutions celebrating five Eagle Scouts from Beverly. We do also have a presentation from the South Essex Sewerage District, SESD. We have some speakers from the public who have signed up to speak during our public comment portion of the meeting. And for both our presentation and the public comment, I'll thank you in advance for what I am anticipating might be a bit of patience and flexibility because we do have three public hearings posted for 7 30, 7 50, and 8 p.m. And we are legally required to take those public hearings at the time that they are posted. So we will get to those other speakers and presentations as quickly as we can, allowing for those public hearings. And then we have some routine business to take care of. We'll take a brief break for some subcommittee work, and then we'll be back to finish everything up. I'll also say a word of thanks as always to Kim in the Bev Cam booth who is keeping our meeting live, streaming, and accessible for folks who are not able to join us in person. Thank you very much, Kim. We appreciate you. So with that, I'll officially call to order this regular meeting of the Beverly City Council, Monday, May 4th, 2026, 7 o'clock PM. Ms. Kirker, will you please call the roll? Crowley. Here. Feldman. Houseman. Here. Melady. Here. Retundo. Sonia. Here. Spang. Here. St. Hilaire. Flowers. Here. Thank you, Ms. Kirker. Counselor Feldman, will you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, please? Congratulations to the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much, Councillor Feldman, for leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. I did want to just take a moment and acknowledge some of our city staff who are here with us. Brian Ailes, our city finance director is here.
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