Peabody Finance Committee Meeting: Trash Fee and Water/Sewer Rate Increases - June 2, 2026
Peabody Finance Committee Meeting: Trash Fee and Water/Sewer Rate Increases - June 2, 2026
The Finance Committee of the Peabody City Council met on June 2, 2026, to consider two major proposals from Mayor Betoncourt: a new residential trash fee and increases to water and sewer rates. The meeting included extensive public comment, council debate, and multiple votes. The committee ultimately recommended both items to the full council, which passed them with amendments later that same evening.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Larry Roberti (13 Radio Road) expressed concern that a fee would become permanent, comparing it to the sales tax, and argued it should be treated as a Proposition 2½ override requiring voter approval.
- Diane Foel (12 Sherman Street) asked about enforcement of the fee on tenants vs. landlords, and noted difficulty for landlords passing costs to tenants.
- Lee Claudins (149 Linfield Street) criticized reliance on future improvements, urged focus on health care costs, and questioned how Peabody got stuck with prevailing wage increases in the Republic contract.
- Mike Barton (45 Aberdeen Road) questioned the mayor's credibility given past promises, and suggested negotiating health insurance with other carriers.
- Linda D'Ambrosio (17 Styles Drive) asked whether the trash fee would limit bag/sticker requirements, and argued residents should not pay for city employee health insurance increases.
- Rochelle Ignata (54 Russell Street) advocated for a pay-as-you-throw program instead of a flat fee, noting 162 communities use that model.
- Cindy Yates (32 Redberry Lane) asked for confirmation that HOAs are exempt, questioned the percentage of headcount reduction (20 positions), and suggested negotiating union health insurance.
- Russell Donovan (12 Quail Road) argued against the fee, stating it unfairly targets homeowners while businesses and condos are exempt, and noted that a tax increase would be more equitable and tax-deductible.
- John Salisbury (7 Emerson) said the decision should not bypass Proposition 2½, and advocated for pay-as-you-throw as a consumption-based model.
- Rhonda Anderson (12 Jackson Street) asked why comparable cities like Woburn have no trash fee, and urged the council to consider all options before voting.
- Mike Radinowski (32 Sabino Farm Road) suggested the city buy its own trash trucks to save money and create jobs.
- Ron D'Ambrosio (17 Styles Drive) expressed frustration with rising costs and called for state-level action on prevailing wage.
- Travis Bojick (20 Margin Street) supported city-owned trucks and pay-as-you-throw, and said the fee should come out of taxes.
- Amanda Green (18 Roosevelt Avenue, via Zoom) favored pay-as-you-go as a one-person household.
- Jason Stone (16 Fairview Avenue, via Zoom) asked for transparency on Essex Tech costs and suggested commercial properties contribute more.
- Miss Swirling (8 Eisenhower Road, via Zoom) urged rejection of both the trash fee and water/sewer increases, citing cumulative burden on seniors and families.
- John Lewis (7 Buford Road) questioned how the city got to this point and asked for a long-term plan.
- Tracy Pescia (57 Aberdeen Avenue, via Zoom) opposed the flat fee, noted her own composting service costs $190/year, and called for consideration of automation and other options.
- Sue (18 Sabino Farm Road) urged better traffic enforcement to generate revenue, and expressed concern for seniors on fixed incomes.
Discussion Items
- Trash Fee Proposal: Mayor Betoncourt presented a $200 annual fee for single-, two-, and three-family homes (condos and 4+ units exempt). Discounts for seniors (65+), veterans, and those with compost contracts. A five-year freeze on the fee was proposed. The fee would generate about $2.4 million annually to delay hitting Proposition 2½ for five years and avoid drastic cuts.
- Water and Sewer Rate Increases: An 8% increase for FY27, followed by 5% increases for FY28 and FY29 (later amended to one year). An administrative fee of $30/quarter for residential and $50/quarter for commercial (later reduced to $25/$50). Elimination of the 10% early payment discount was proposed but later defeated. The increases are needed to cover MWRA purchases during droughts, anticipated Rousselot water rights debt service ($2.4 million/year), and overall enterprise fund stability.
- Council Debate: Councillors Gamash, Turco, Daigle, Peach, Higgins, and Rosignal expressed support for the trash fee as a necessary stopgap to protect services and avoid sudden Proposition 2½ override. Councillors Manning Martin, Ladoff, and Corvo opposed, arguing the fee bypasses voter approval and that more cuts should be made first. Councillor Welton proposed a full waiver for seniors and disabled, later modified to an abatement program. For water/sewer, Councillor Turco explained the admin fee was intended to stabilize the fund. Councillor Rosignal opposed the two-year 5% escalator and the elimination of the early discount.
Key Outcomes
- Trash Fee Approved (8-2): The full council adopted a five-year freeze at $200 per unit, with $100 discounts for seniors 65+, all veterans, and residents with compost contracts. Other existing property tax abatements (disability, blindness, etc.) also apply. The fee will be billed semi-annually.
- Water/Sewer Rate Increase (8-2): An 8% increase for FY27 was approved.
- 5% Increase for FY28 Only (8-2): The second 5% increase for FY29 was removed; only one year of 5% beyond FY27 was approved.
- Administrative Fee (7-3): $25/quarter residential, $50/quarter commercial accounts.
- Early Payment Discount Retained (6-4): The motion to eliminate the 10% discount failed.
- Enacting Clause (10-0): The ordinance amendments were adopted as a package.
- Trash Fee: The ordinance will take effect July 1, 2026, with no increases until June 30, 2031. The full council vote was 8-2 (Ladoff and Corvo dissenting).
- Water/Sewer: The new rates and administrative fee will be effective upon passage.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call to order the finance committee meeting of June 2nd. On our agenda this evening, we have two items. The first is the establishment of a trash fee, and the second is water and sewer rate increases. We have a lot of people in attendance tonight, which is great to see. Um just so the council's aware and the public's aware, the way I'm going to run this meeting is to take up the first item, which is the trash fee. The mayor and his team will present um you know their proposal to us. I will allow for public comment. Please try to keep public comment between three and five minutes so that we can uh get through and everyone will have a chance to speak. I will say when we get to public comment, um if you'd like to speak, please just start cueing on this area so we can kind of have a good flow of people. And when you come to the podium, state your name and address for the record. And then once we once the public speaks on the trash fee, we'll also take uh comment from Zoom. If anyone on Zoom, if you're on Zoom and you'd like to comment when we get to the public comment period, please just raise your hand and the clerk will unmute you so that you can speak um and same thing, state your name and address for the record. After the public speaks on the trash proposal, we'll entertain um questions and comments from the committee and other counselors, and then we'll move on to any votes that come from committee. After that, we'll do the whole same process again for the water and sewer rates. Sound good. Uh this evening we do have the committee members, Councillor Daigle, Councillor Gamash, Councillor Manning Martin, Councillor Turkle present. All of the counselors are present with Councillor Welton flying coming in hot from Boston. He should be here in a few minutes. Uh with that, I will turn it over to Mayor Betoncourt. Good evening, Madam President. Good evening, counselors. Hope everybody's doing well. Good evening to everybody who's here today. Uh this is certainly a day that I have dreaded uh for many years now. Uh this is my fifteenth year as mayor. I've been mayor a long time. And I had always hoped that I wouldn't have to bring forward a trash fee, and that's why I never did for 14 years because I knew that there would be um a strong reaction, that it would not be a popular um decision to bring it forward. Uh there would be some anger, there'd be some frustration. And uh, I understand it. And some I probably talked to nearly a hundred people over the last few weeks, and uh much of what was said to me I agree with. And um it is a difficult uh position uh to be in and a very hard one for anybody who's an elected official. I run for office every two years. It's not something that I know is popular, and it's not something that I really uh enjoy or look forward to bringing. This was always kind of a last option for me. Um if it wasn't, I would have brought it forward many years ago and not 15 years in to me being mayor and serving in the seat and having the privilege to serve in the seat. I grew up here, I've lived here all my life. I went through the school system, and uh my parents still live here. My wife and I are raising our four children. Uh my mother-in-law lives with us. I have two students right now in college, two in the PBD public schools, and uh dollars are very difficult right now. Uh costs that go up, seems like everything's going up, and college I can tell you is going up crazy amounts. But I look around here and people I've spoke to, uh, these people that I care about, people I've known all my life, and I don't uh again relish the fact of bringing this forward because I knew it would be unpopular and there'd be some anger and frustration towards me, and I do understand it. Uh again, this is not something that I wanted to bring forward, particularly now with so much uncertainty in our world, uh so much um just uh turmoil across our world and our nation, and it's putting increased pressure on all of us. Uh gas prices have skyrocketed, food is gone up an incredible amount, um, utility costs have gone up, and so any type of increase to anything is a burden for everybody here, and um I understand that, and I and I don't bring this forward very lightly. Um I look at other cities and towns, and this is a hot debate uh everywhere, and it's um and I understand it again, and it's um but this it's the position we're in, and I do believe my job as mayor is to try to make sure that the services that are provided are services that meets the needs of our city. Um a budget that I'm gonna be presenting in a couple of weeks. Uh, the councils have received, has 20 positions that have been cut in this year's budget from the police department, from the fire department to Department of Public Services here at City Hall. There's multiple positions in each department. Uh I do suggest that we are trying to where we can tighten our belt and make some cuts where we can.
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