[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6212420,"mediaKeyId","3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2","parentId",3685389,"title","Elections office readies polling changes and bilingual outreach; FY26 budget recommended at $311,368","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",3067000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2&start=3067&end=3067","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2/thumbnail_3067000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6212420/Salem-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Elections-office-readies-polling-changes-and-bilingual-outreach-FY26-budget-recommended-at-311368","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212420-4d838421764987016b433a29c006b395/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212108&Signature=BHQFOvKWO5YQtJd6SJAYw~Qt610SV6EXy9lLGEGErE~UBun~XkRaJr23~y-bRnClwQiBtO2MCL3p2gJGXgxnQxXx5RHX~Am3Eo~rmXrk513JAhZtGJiT0RPSUoPlLtyTltHpQPS3qBPJapYP2Y0nuQf7~dOnzIE1Dn0zLPSl10gSDuuplYz7ojxpb3429Rx0ORcG-aCrrP~eSufAoL0pyXoBLPVgiV2X-W0givBUf9fZ8TmzWj8qDBRd9YZA3Nu0i~R0jUWyDVDY3BYxj-uu92aVip8u~ko3N3TnNOsK1KuP~6QpZESougq7ZVPEnO2bPNC~RveyEaahmiwMLkwWCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Salem City, MA","date","2025-06-06T11:07:56Z","article","The Committee on Administration and Finance on Thursday recommended approval of the Elections and Registration FY26 budget, with personnel of $254,718 and expenditures of $56,650 for a department total of $311,368.

Maureen Fisher and members of the elections team described efforts to expand bilingual capacity at polling locations and build a larger pool of translators and poll workers. Fisher said the office now has a second bilingual employee who passed the assessment and receives the bilingual stipend; staff have worked with Salem High, Salem State Civic Engagement and MassHire to recruit translators and youth volunteers. “We believe it would be more beneficial to have a translator, 1 for each precinct,” Fisher said.

The office announced two polling‑place changes previously approved by the council: Ward 3’s Salem High School voting will move from the auditorium to a small gym with its own entrance, and Ward 6’s Bates School will return to the music room (the state reviewed ADA compliance). Fisher said there is no statutory timeline that requires when voters must be notified after council approval; the office plans a combination of mailed maps, social‑media messaging, robocalls and signage in coordination with DPW and the police traffic unit.

Election dates were confirmed: the preliminary is scheduled for Sept. 16 and the biennial for Nov. 4. Fisher reminded prospective candidates that nomination papers are available in the elections office during business hours through Friday, July 25, and must be returned by Tuesday, July 29 at 5 p.m.

Anna Friedman, finance director, told the committee the published budget does not include a one‑time special election cost that would be necessary if the council schedules a debt‑exclusion ballot for an MSBA high‑school project; she said that cost would likely be requested as a free‑cash appropriation and brought back to the council when amounts are known.

Councilor Mesilla moved the budget recommendation; Councilor Harvey seconded and the committee carried the motion.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Committee on Administration and Finance June 5th, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee recommended the Elections and Registration budget and heard staff outline polling‑place relocations, a push to recruit translators and poll workers, schedule dates for the preliminary and biennial elections, and the potential cost process for any special election tied to an MSBA high‑school debt exclusion.","taxTitle","Salem City, Essex County, Massachusetts","taxId",70531,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6212425,"Council office budget approved; city rolls out new agenda software and bilingual meeting transcription line",942,2168000,3110000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2&start=2168&end=3110","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2/thumbnail_2168000.jpg","/articles/6212425/Salem-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Council-office-budget-approved-city-rolls-out-new-agenda-software-and-bilingual-meeting-transcription-line","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212425-f397ac9e54d0a520e6d5a7a2d9ffb0c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212108&Signature=KVJY0CZzB2lGYE8eX6RTxAM8ULVOXq34riNuJq23r~VtVC2yqFihg-ZNt3NzlSMN7JI5u7YkKHoDIZGGoJFLJYi9faBN4BDXMf8bt4dsLKd3JnnIXxcWQBBh7o5ikpdaVs8pd8wu9gF~MCIpXcuj7~gsjOrLK4oU7Ppv7BOb4MYueqabeCulFTDNXqHHbmVnXj4VJzPsIt7JbgxHZuehDvtqteDi~490HfN1P74wrG079O7BFXYW920GN-t6kWM9B4gwK4kVc6kPk6nfSLn7QvnKoN3f52hAcDud1xNNkPIq36J0oj8zDUc91mqA0zbXAEXPUDXqpICeQyM2upttjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on Administration and Finance on Thursday recommended approval of the City Council department FY26 budget after staff described new office tools and translation planning.

Maureen Fisher, assistant city clerk, described the city’s new agenda software, which she said improves committee reports and backup document linking, and the recent hire of a minute taker, Marybeth Costello, to prepare minutes for web posting. “We actually have another, training scheduled for January,” Fisher said when describing recurring customer service training, and she noted that the minute taker will be able to post approved minutes directly to the city website.

Fisher also described a new badge‑printing system for licensed public guides. She said the city issued 45 current licensed guides and had issued roughly 96 older badges earlier in the year; staff are updating those legacy badges and printing new IDs going forward. “Out of those 96 half of those have done that so far and we've updated their old badge to a new badge,” Fisher said.

The proposed City Council budget includes a contracted‑services line the clerk’s office identified for real‑time Spanish translation and written transcripts; Fisher said the line item is budgeted at $15,000 while staff collect quotes. The personnel lines also reflect cost‑of‑living adjustments and settled union increases; the municipal code printing and agenda‑software fees were cited as reasons for small increases in printing/binding and software lines.

Councilor Stott moved to recommend approval of the personnel and expenditures lines; Councilor Harvey seconded. After a brief recount to correct a math error in the initial motion, the committee approved the personnel line of $181,821 and expenditures of $97,136 for a department total of $278,957.","The administration and finance committee endorsed the City Council office FY26 budget and heard staff describe a new agenda platform, a minute taker in place, new ID badge printing for licensed guides and a $15,000 contracted‑services line to support Spanish translation and transcription of meetings.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6212429,"City Clerk’s office keeps level funding; expands bilingual services and cross‑training",698,1482000,2180000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2&start=1482&end=2180","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2/thumbnail_1482000.jpg","/articles/6212429/Salem-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/City-Clerks-office-keeps-level-funding-expands-bilingual-services-and-crosstraining","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212429-d0a7fefb93dd10053780a01382a83536/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212108&Signature=cMoqZNMGhlhz9AzELExrBm3Ytecen1LqA8C8BqhnGTp8iX5JNuTjpNlc74CC7V355Pq0c5lw~REZYox-RIC6U1xrCyPPpbvcgfAXHpv48zpN2RCBXvchX3nAV~J3-m5zuiEfmGle68mqx4engULWO8VtJL20-i2z2ovRu1wmKxHkJvOPBnD81vct89TZ8gXk1PNVmehPK6slFH0a-LM21DL29fnUU0oS4f6Z3j9uNw0H~mwKv6glHFWfSmmN-a-IV58HvrUTHjHgEHE8R7sdeLdj7It9PoCWH8~WGyZhCCPvlZDPQF73Bmdgt8h7eE9M99WqLdLeaIlJiIJJ8lpjJA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee on Administration and Finance on Thursday recommended approval of the City Clerk department’s FY26 budget totaling $398,026, including $384,156 in personnel and $13,870 in expenditures.

Maureen Fisher, assistant city clerk, described operational changes and service enhancements in the clerk’s office, including a newly certified bilingual staff member receiving a monthly stipend and use of a virtual-translator iPad system for in‑person counter interactions and polling places. Fisher said one employee passed the bilingual assessment and “now they’re gonna get compensated for it.”

Fisher explained the office has expanded acceptance of credit cards at the counter for most transactions, with the exception of some higher‑fee items where processing fees make card acceptance less practical; online requests remain limited to birth, death and marriage records. She also outlined a customer‑service training program run through the city’s insurer (Maya) and a state transition to the Maverick system for death certificates, which the office and funeral providers are still working to stabilize.

On staffing and operations, Fisher described a cross‑training approach that rotates staff responsibilities for births, deaths and marriages so the office can cover absences. She said most budget lines are level‑funded and that salary lines reflect settled union increases. “Everything else looks like it was pretty much level funded in that office,” Fisher said.

Councilor Stott moved the budget recommendation; Councilor Harvey seconded. Chair Merkel recorded two hands plus her own and the motion carried.

The discussion included operational details—translation capacity, polling‑day technology support and municipal-code printing costs—but no changes to ordinances or election law were proposed during the hearing.","The Salem City Council committee recommended the City Clerk office FY26 budget after staff described expanded bilingual capacity, new virtual-translation tools, ongoing cross‑training and state system migration for death certificates. Personnel increases reflect union settlements.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6212434,"Salem committee approves $570,809 Veterans Services budget, staff seek outreach to reach more veterans",1156,525000,1681000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2&start=525&end=1681","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3685389-920c8cf4337f32f53d783e89899fcff2/thumbnail_525000.jpg","/articles/6212434/Salem-City/Essex-County/Massachusetts/Salem-committee-approves-570809-Veterans-Services-budget-staff-seek-outreach-to-reach-more-veterans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6212434-0beb9e031e2c13291b5e2f5e06e71517/orig.mp4?Expires=1771212108&Signature=iIEYwjrgJW~RGkHo9wnHFM1bjrOsSMbpaNdm~VGvGsm6usjJpWmVT3a2H8peYZG7Qpm2xvXordDM6G~RGHUIw19N1l0gVTsw5VLhzg-r5WSkqo6-CLDIGiTFDACfbxIefXkqJjmeBpASq2v8YhrHbIeWxZaJ4XJ9nPKKjez7uTsMnkvwSHC~LfeXDmqHTVpAySbUlkzuWIPgBqutPg7LXT0KSDBn7Fl9nIPhXAAlkavITjo1mVHaiM5yiM4DnZhiY7UJi24bUvoKwezmrpVWxSXkPsYgmK4NS0oCE9Qneet9eFFAFNc~5-9QPcxV0t5u4FaSd1Z29PEFYXMKncopag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Salem City Council Committee on Administration and Finance recommended approval Thursday of the fiscal year 2026 Veterans Services budget totaling $570,809, including $160,009 in personnel and $410,800 in expenditures.

Kim Emerling, director of Veterans Services, told the committee the office is small and “pretty stable,” serving about 40 to 45 clients and handling benefits work, VA compensation claims and state Chapter 115 benefits. Emerling said recent federal and state changes have opened more compensation options and the office has seen an increase in veterans filing claims. “We run about 40 to 45 clients, essentially,” Emerling said.

The budget hearing focused on maintaining current services and an adjustment to staff pay. Emerling said the principal change in the proposed FY26 budget is a payroll increase to bring her full-time assistant’s salary up to parity with the new grade. “She was well below the average across the state,” Emerling said, and the adjustment was intended to make the position “equitable.”

Committee members asked about housing assistance and outcomes. When asked how many veterans the department helps obtain housing each year, Emerling estimated “10 to 15 a year at any given time,” and described the mix of temporary and longer-term placements. She explained some veterans use VASH (the VA’s Section 8 voucher program), which can involve long waits and requires coordination with landlords and local programs. Emerling said waits for some emergency-to-permanent placements can be “3 or 4, could be 5 months,” depending on applicants’ circumstances.

Emerling described a transitional home in Beverly operated by North Shore Counseling with about 16 rooms that can be used for temporary placements; placements there are considered transitional by the VA and do not always remove a veteran from emergency lists.

Councilor Stott moved to recommend approval of the Veterans Services personnel and expenditures lines; Councilor Harvey seconded. Chair Merkel said she saw two hands plus her own and the matter carried.

The committee did not adopt new policy changes; discussion centered on maintaining current services, outreach to identify eligible veterans, and the effect of federal and state benefit changes on local caseloads.","The Salem City Council administration and finance committee recommended approval of the Veterans Services department FY26 budget totaling $570,809, including a personnel increase to make an assistant’s pay competitive. Director Kim Emerling described steady caseloads and ongoing housing challenges for veterans.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Elections office readies polling changes and bilingual outreach; FY26 budget recommended at $311,368

Council office budget approved; city rolls out new agenda software and bilingual meeting transcription line

City Clerk’s office keeps level funding; expands bilingual services and cross‑training

Salem committee approves $570,809 Veterans Services budget, staff seek outreach to reach more veterans