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Votes at a glance: Salem council approves appropriations, easements, appointments and zoning actions
Summary
The April 24 Salem City Council meeting included multiple routine and substantive votes: appropriations for prevailing-wage retroactive costs, mayoral communications, donations, easements for electrical work at the police station, several appointments and first-passage votes on zoning ordinances (ADU amendments and Flood Hazard updates).
At its April 24 meeting the Salem City Council approved several mayoral communications, routine appropriations, donations and infrastructure authorizations, and took first-passage action on two zoning ordinances. Most items were brief and either passed unanimously or were referred to committee for follow-up.
Key votes and outcomes
- Prevailing-wage appropriation: The council approved an order appropriating $125,029.97 to cover fiscal-year-2024 increased labor costs for solid-waste engineering (retroactive prevailing-wage adjustments tied to a contract price adjustment with Waste Management). The action was adopted by roll call.
- Fiscal-year invoice payment authorization: Under Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 44, 64, the council authorized payment of $125,029.97 in prior fiscal-year invoices from the fiscal-year-25 engineering solid-waste budget (two-thirds vote). The council approved the two-thirds vote by roll call.
- Burial account transfer: The council adopted a transfer of $5,900 to the Department of Public Services burial account for Greenland Cemetery operations.
- Retirement sick-leave buyback: The council approved a contractual sick-leave buyback payment totaling $202,445.83 for Lynn Barrett from the Council on Aging (the transcript documents the larger figure of $202,445.83 in the roll-call discussion; earlier backup referenced a smaller amount). The motion recognized Barrett's 32 years of city service.
- Donations: The council accepted a $3,500 bench donation for Salem Common from Renee Olsen and a $1,000 donation from St. James (St. Jean's) Credit Union to the Parks and Recreation golf tournament charitable fund.
- Easement for electrical equipment at Salem Police Station: The council authorized the mayor to execute an easement to Massachusetts Electric Company to install electrical equipment that will enable fast EV charging and support future microgrid work at the police station. Councilor Cohen noted that funds had already been allocated for EV chargers and said the easement will support resiliency and future solar/microgrid projects.
- Appointments and reappointments: The council confirmed Graham Hines to the Planning Board (term to 04/09/2030) and reappointed Yamila Cruz to the Scholarship and Education Committee; a separate appointment (Daniel Riccarelli to the ConCom) was held under the rules.
- Wastewater surveillance for H5N1 (committee): The A&F committee heard testimony on a proposed one-year contract with BioBot Analytics to test wastewater for highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1). The Board of Health reported low public-human risk; the committee voted unanimously to keep the matter in committee for now.
- Zoning first-passage actions: The council approved first passage of two zoning ordinance updates by roll call vote (as amended): revisions to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to align with Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities regulations (the council added a technical correction to allow ADUs in the B-1 district and agreed to hold a subsequent committee meeting between first and second passage), and updates to the Flood Hazard Overlay District to match new FEMA flood maps effective 07/08/2025 (council added an effective date in the ordinance amendment).
- Halloween-parking zoning referral: Proposed zoning changes to regulate parking during peak tourist periods ("Halloween parking") were referred to the Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs Committee co-posted with the Committee of the Whole for further review.
What to watch for next: The ADU amendment will return for second passage after a committee meeting to address implementation questions; the camping ordinance (chapter 24, section 31) advanced for first passage and will return after implementing regulations are drafted; the government-services committee will consider council-chamber use rules on April 29.
