Chair of the Lawrence City Ordinance and Intergovernmental Relations Committee reported on Nov. 25 that city staff and utilities still list hundreds of outstanding “double pole” tickets and urged clearer timelines and faster removals.

“The ordinance is 8.24.0.02,” the chair said, reading from the code, “entitled ‘double utility and telephone poles prohibited after statutory time limits.’” He told the committee that in a recent meeting with National Grid and other telecom firms the city documented roughly 226 open tickets tied to double poles and that city departments had their own outstanding lists.

According to the chair’s update, the Department of Public Works reduced its internal list from 62 to 11 after updating records; the information technology department had 38 open entries and the fire department had 16. The chair said he had emailed the city attorney seeking two clarifications: whether the city holds ownership of poles under contract and how the existing ordinance applies to current installations.

“The question I had for the city attorney was, is it true that we own the poles by contract?” he said, adding that he would report back when the attorney responds. He also asked National Grid to provide a one-year removal tally so the city can gauge progress.

Committee members backed a targeted approach: release a small number of older cases to show movement while holding other tickets pending more information and legal clarifications. The chair suggested selecting two or three cases from the Oct. 7 list to move to the full council as a committee report and to order public hearings on those items.

In committee action, members voted to table Doc 46425 (an application to install a JO pole on Beacon Street near Andover Street) while staff and the city attorney clarify ownership and enforcement questions. The motion to table was made and seconded and carried on a roll-call vote.

What happened next: departments (DPW, IT and fire) were assigned to produce validated lists of remaining poles so the committee can prioritize removals and work with National Grid and other carriers. Chair and members emphasized balancing the need to speed network upgrades with the obligation to remove obsolete secondary poles that create public-safety and right-of-way concerns.

The committee will revisit the issue after the city attorney and utilities provide the requested information and after the departments submit reconciled inventories. The item the committee tabled will remain pending until those follow-ups return to the committee.