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Council approves nonprofit use of Wigan Auditorium; raises questions about fee collection and waiver policy
Summary
The council approved use of the Wigan Auditorium by the PBD Education Foundation and discussed how fees for municipal spaces are collected and waived. Councilor Manning Martin asked that the council task Legal Affairs with reviewing fee-waiver policy and collection accountability.
The Peabody City Council on Aug. 19 approved the PBD Education Foundation’s use of the Wigan Auditorium for Oct. 15 and took up broader questions about how the city collects and waives fees for municipal facilities.
Councilor Gould moved to approve Item 9b — the Education Foundation’s request to use the auditorium — which the council approved. Councilor Manning Martin used the discussion to raise procedural questions about the application form, who collects fees, and who has authority to waive fees. Manning Martin noted the application indicates nonprofits are charged a $500 fee and asked why Community Development appears to handle fee invoicing for the auditorium.
Council President Julie Daigle (speaking from her experience working with Community Development) said custodial overtime associated with auditorium use is billed through Community Development and that historically invoicing was handled by that office; she said multiple department systems may not be integrated and that fee-tracking has been “old school” in the past. Manning Martin said the council needs a clear policy and accountability for fee waivers and collections across departments.
On that point, Councilor Manning Martin moved to refer a review of fee-waiver policy and departmental discretion to the Legal Affairs committee; that referral was approved. Councilors discussed consolidating guidance and possible flow charts to clarify which department collects which fees (for example, custodial overtime is tracked as public-property maintenance under Community Development).
Why it matters: Use of municipal auditoriums implicates custodial overtime, departmental billing, and fee-waiver discretion. Councilors sought a consistent, accountable approach across departments to ensure fairness and financial tracking.
Formal actions recorded: approval of Item 9b (Wigan Auditorium use) and a referral to Legal Affairs to review fee-waiver policy and fee-collection accountability.
