OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Salem Town Council Meeting - July 6, 2026

Town Council — Monday, July 6, 2026
BodySalem, New Hampshire
SessionTown Council
DateMonday, July 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:03

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

July 6th meeting of the town council.

0:02

If you would all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:07

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:15

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

0:26

Let me just introduce who's up here on the dais with us.

0:31

Tonight to my far left is Mr.

0:33

Key Stramaya.

0:35

Right next to me here is Mr.

0:36

Paul Pellateer.

0:38

Good evening, Salem.

0:39

To my immediate right is uh the board secretary, Lisa Whitrow.

0:43

Good evening.

0:44

To her right is Kathy Stacy.

0:46

Good evening.

0:47

And to her right is Barney Wright.

0:49

Hello.

0:50

My name is Bob Bryant, and it's a pleasure for me to serve.

0:54

As your chairman for this board, everybody you don't see here is on vacation, and that's why we typically only run a meeting in July for once and once in August, because we get a hard time having people show up.

1:09

So having said that, I just want to say that we're uh broadcasting tonight from the old town hall.

1:16

And uh I'd like to thank Howie, Beverly, Dan, Brian, and I guess there's a current vacancy we're gonna hope to fill.

1:26

And any other members of the historic committee or council or just the volunteers who have showed up tonight.

1:33

Um this is a wonderful opportunity for us to uh sit and revisit with our past, and it's uh certainly been restored to uh probably a better condition than it was in the 17 or 1800.

1:49

So we're we're in really good shape here tonight, and we just wanted to make sure we thank everybody that had something to do with it.

1:56

I would look to uh Kathy really quickly to do the consent agenda and then we'll have oh you want to do minutes.

2:05

We have minutes.

2:05

Okay, go ahead.

2:06

Yeah.

2:06

I'm in meeting minutes from June 15, 2026.

2:11

Motion has been made in second.

2:12

All those in favor.

2:15

Six to zero.

2:16

That's unanimous.

2:17

Ms.

2:17

Stacy.

2:18

Thank you, Mr.

2:19

GF.

2:20

I move to approve the July 6th, 2026 consent agenda and further to acknowledge receipt of the following donations.

2:26

Human Services Department, eight $25 gift cards to market basket from the Salem Women's Club, a $200 value.

2:34

Community Service Department, multiple financial donations totaling $11.

2:39

Community Services Department, rubber plate round mats for Hedgehog Park from the field.

2:44

Oops, I'm sorry, from the Friends of Salem Recreation, a 229 dollar value.

2:50

Community Services Department, Flowers and Plantings for Hedgehog Park from the Salem Garden Club, a $2,500 value.

2:57

And the police department, $500 from Rockland Trust for National Night Out.

3:03

Motion made in second.

3:04

All those in favor.

3:06

That's also six to zero.

3:10

Mr.

3:10

Devine, if you would at this time introduce our uh guest for a little presentation here before we start.

3:17

Uh so this is Brian Flanagan from the Historic District of the Hampton Committee who's going to be speaking over this night.

3:23

Thank you for uh for being here.

3:25

This is our second annual.

3:26

We're we're very honored and happy to host the second annual meeting in July of the Council Council meeting tonight.

3:33

Uh my name is Brian Flanagan.

3:35

I'm the uh happy president of the Salem Historical Society, been here for 10 years.

3:40

And uh Mr.

3:41

Chairman, you uh thank you for praising this building.

3:44

It was a six-year renovation that went through a lot of hardships, but we got it right, and the town was a big part of that help.

3:50

Uh the heavy lifting and getting this thing done.

3:53

So we're so happy to have this for the next 1500 years.

3:56

I'd like to give a shout out to the uh people who the leadership in this in this organization, Beverly and Howie, Susan and Susan, Linda and Lorna, Dan and Muffy, and Phil and Phil.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation███████████████████████████████31%
Transportation Safety████████████████████20%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████15%
Public Safety██████████10%
Procedural████████8%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Fiscal Sustainability███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Salem Town Council Meeting - July 6, 2026

The Salem Town Council held its second annual July meeting at the historic Old Town Hall, with six members present. The meeting covered routine approvals, appointments, a fire engine lease, solid waste code amendments, water restrictions, traffic safety studies, and several department updates.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the June 15, 2026 meeting minutes (6-0).
  • Approved the July 6, 2026 consent agenda, acknowledging donations including: $200 in gift cards from Salem Women's Club, $11 in financial donations, rubber plate round mats for Hedgehog Park from Friends of Salem Recreation ($229 value), flowers and plantings for Hedgehog Park from Salem Garden Club ($2,500 value), and $500 from Rockland Trust for National Night Out. (Vote 6-0)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were received.

Discussion Items

  • Historic Building Presentation: Brian Flanagan, President of the Salem Historical Society, highlighted the six-year renovation of Old Town Hall and thanked the town for support.
  • Employee of the Month: Town Manager honored Heather McGallen from the Town Clerk's office as July Employee of the Month for her dependability and customer service.
  • Appointments:
    • Appointed Bill Girardo to the Conservation Commission as an alternate member, term ending April 2028 (6-0).
    • Appointed Jubilee Oblander to the Historic District Commission as a regular member, term ending April 2029 (6-0).
  • Fire Engine Lease (Resolution 2026-13): Discussed and adopted a resolution authorizing a five-year lease with All American Investment Group LLC for a new fire engine pumper, principal amount $1,109,538, annual payments $243,607.34. Voters approved the warrant at the 2026 town meeting. The second reading was waived. (Vote 6-0)
  • Community Development Tax Credit Program: Suspended Resolution 2026-14 due to no applications; to be revisited in September.
  • Solid Waste Code Amendments (First Reading): Presented changes to Chapter 409, notably eliminating the small business owner hauler provision due to lack of use and enforcement issues. Public hearing held; second reading scheduled for August 3, 2026. (Vote 6-0)
  • Conservation Fund Donation: Accepted a $2,000 donation from Edward Hawkins to the conservation fund per RSA 36-A:4. (Vote 6-0)
  • Historic District Commission Rules of Procedure: Planning Director Jacob LaFontaine presented updated bylaws, increasing the commission from six to seven members and adding two alternate positions. The rules establish formal review criteria and application procedures. Councilor Stacy noted concerns about a tie-vote provision and suggested reference corrections; the update was informational only.
  • Water Restriction Update: Municipal Services Director Wayne Amaral reported a reduction in water usage after mandatory restrictions were implemented in May. As of July 2, Canobie Lake level was 217.82 feet. About 300 potential violators were identified; second notices with fines have started. Amaral recommended the restriction remain through fall to ensure adequate supply.
  • Traffic Safety Discussion (North Main Street & Bluff): Wayne Amaral reported that the intersection is operating as intended, with adequate sight lines and signs. Crash data were below the warrant threshold for stop signs. He recommended no action, but Councilor Pelleter requested increased police enforcement.
  • Traffic Safety Discussion (Hampstead Road, Shannon Road, Town Farm Road): Amaral recommended an all-way stop sign at this intersection, citing 12,000 vehicles per day and eight correctable crashes in 2025. The measure met three of five MUTCD warrants. Council discussed potential traffic backup impacts, with Amaral noting once a stop sign is installed, it is unlikely to be removed without major volume changes. The Police Chief also supported the change via email.

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted Resolution 2026-13 authorizing the fire engine lease (6-0).
  • Suspended Resolution 2026-14 for the community development tax credit program (6-0).
  • Set the second reading for solid waste code amendments on August 3, 2026 (6-0).
  • Accepted the $2,000 conservation donation (6-0).
  • Directed the town manager to pursue police enforcement at the North Main/Bluff intersection.
  • Provided budget guidance: keep the FY27 increase as close to flat as possible, considering 3.5% from the prior year.
  • The town manager announced discontinuation of the water smart customer portal due to low usage (10% of customers).
  • Next meetings: August 3, 2026 (single meeting in August), September 14, and September 28, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

July 6th meeting of the town council. If you would all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Let me just introduce who's up here on the dais with us. Tonight to my far left is Mr. Key Stramaya. Right next to me here is Mr. Paul Pellateer. Good evening, Salem. To my immediate right is uh the board secretary, Lisa Whitrow. Good evening. To her right is Kathy Stacy. Good evening. And to her right is Barney Wright. Hello. My name is Bob Bryant, and it's a pleasure for me to serve. As your chairman for this board, everybody you don't see here is on vacation, and that's why we typically only run a meeting in July for once and once in August, because we get a hard time having people show up. So having said that, I just want to say that we're uh broadcasting tonight from the old town hall. And uh I'd like to thank Howie, Beverly, Dan, Brian, and I guess there's a current vacancy we're gonna hope to fill. And any other members of the historic committee or council or just the volunteers who have showed up tonight. Um this is a wonderful opportunity for us to uh sit and revisit with our past, and it's uh certainly been restored to uh probably a better condition than it was in the 17 or 1800. So we're we're in really good shape here tonight, and we just wanted to make sure we thank everybody that had something to do with it. I would look to uh Kathy really quickly to do the consent agenda and then we'll have oh you want to do minutes. We have minutes. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. I'm in meeting minutes from June 15, 2026. Motion has been made in second. All those in favor. Six to zero. That's unanimous. Ms. Stacy. Thank you, Mr. GF. I move to approve the July 6th, 2026 consent agenda and further to acknowledge receipt of the following donations. Human Services Department, eight $25 gift cards to market basket from the Salem Women's Club, a $200 value. Community Service Department, multiple financial donations totaling $11. Community Services Department, rubber plate round mats for Hedgehog Park from the field. Oops, I'm sorry, from the Friends of Salem Recreation, a 229 dollar value. Community Services Department, Flowers and Plantings for Hedgehog Park from the Salem Garden Club, a $2,500 value. And the police department, $500 from Rockland Trust for National Night Out. Motion made in second. All those in favor. That's also six to zero. Mr. Devine, if you would at this time introduce our uh guest for a little presentation here before we start. Uh so this is Brian Flanagan from the Historic District of the Hampton Committee who's going to be speaking over this night. Thank you for uh for being here.

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