City Council Meeting
Council approved several budget actions including 2024-052 ($30,000 water appropriation), 2024-053 (accept $19,760 grant from the Newburyport Society for the Relief of Aged Women), 2024-054 (accept $19,000 firefighter safety equipment grant), and 2024-056 (transfer $50,000 within the Police budget); the council also discharged 2024-055 (proposal to increase Retirement Board stipends) from committee for full consideration and referred 2024-061 (Economic Development earmark $150,000), 2024-062 (FY25–FY27 public health shared services grant), and 2024-063 (Pedestrian Bridges earmark $12,500) to Budget & Finance.
The City Council meeting opened with routine business including approval of a monthly list of licenses and a brief announcement that several councilors and staff attended training on dog hearing procedures. Vice President Gilday noted scheduling changes for a Whittier Technical School budget hearing. A single member of the public raised concerns about an ongoing transportation project; no council response was recorded.
The council reordered the agenda to consider second readings first. On second readings the council approved several fiscal actions: 2024-052 (a $30,000 appropriation from Water Retained Earnings), 2024-053 (accept and expend a $19,760 grant from the Newburyport Society for the Relief of Aged Women), 2024-054 (accept and expend a $19,000 Firefighter Safety Equipment grant), and 2024-056 (transfer $50,000 from Police Salaries & Wages to Police Other Expenses). The council also handled 2024-055 (proposal to increase Retirement Board stipends): after discussion — including questions about whether city ordinances prohibit compensation and information on board workload — a motion to discharge 2024-055 from the Ordinance & Administration subcommittee passed 5-2; the item was then scheduled for continued consideration at a later meeting. Several first-reading orders were referred to Budget & Finance with second-reading dates set, including 2024-061 (Economic Development earmark, $150,000), 2024-062 (FY25–FY27 public health shared services grant), and 2024-063 (FY24 pedestrian bridges earmark, $12,500).