**AMENDED** City Council Meeting
Council approved three mayoral appointments (Jonathan Greeno to the Board of Assessors, Travis Souther to the Trustees of the War Memorials) and reappointed City Clerk Jennifer E. Smith; the council accepted District 2 Councilor Claudel Frederique’s resignation and declared the seat open. The Bay St. National Grid underground conduit/pole hearing (WR#31343970) was continued, and several substantive matters — including the City Clerk Salary Ordinance (2026-128), an order to accept M.G.L. c.140 §139 (2026-129), a $25,000 FY27 Field Demonstration grant (2026-130), and a $30,000 Smart Growth Stabilization Fund appropriation for neighborhood traffic calming (2026-133) — were referred to the Standing Committee of the Whole.
The City Council meeting opened with roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, then acted on several mayoral appointments and personnel items. Council approved the appointment of Jonathan Greeno to the Board of Assessors (2026-124) after a brief presentation and Q&A about the city revaluation process, approved the appointment of Travis Souther to the Trustees of the War Memorials (2026-125), and reappointed Jennifer E. Smith as City Clerk (2026-127). The Council also accepted the resignation of District 2 Councilor Claudel Frederique (2026-132) and declared the District 2 seat open. The August 2026 list of licenses was approved unanimously.
City staff presentations and discussion focused on the Assessor’s revaluation process and police traffic enforcement and staffing. The chief assessor explained the state‑mandated revaluation, the value of interior access for accurate data collection, and the process for multi‑family paperwork; councilors encouraged resident cooperation. Police Chief Craig Bailey described traffic safety concerns and staffing constraints; the mayor and chief agreed to meet before the Council forms any ad hoc committee. Public commenters raised concerns about the new trash removal ordinance’s impact on condominium associations and asked for expanded composting and for improved pedestrian/cyclist safety; councilors and the mayor responded, noting typical condo practices and the tight timeline for associations to arrange new trash service.
On procedural and referral votes, the Council corrected and continued the National Grid hearing to the next meeting (the hearing notice related to Bay St. WR#31343970) and referred several items to the Standing Committee of the Whole for September 15, 2026 — including the City Clerk Salary Ordinance (2026-128), an order to accept M.G.L. c.140 §139 (2026-129), authorization to accept a $25,000 FY27 Field Demonstration Project grant (2026-130), payment of listed prior‑year invoices (2026-131), and a late‑filed order to appropriate $30,000 from the Smart Growth Stabilization Fund for neighborhood traffic calming (2026-133). All recorded votes reported in the minutes passed unanimously, 8-0.
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