The week ahead
Next week’s agenda centers on a City Council review of the City Clerk salary ordinance and traffic‑calming funding, multiple Planning Board development hearings (including Rocky Hill follow‑ups), and school facilities and year‑end budget updates.
Vote on City Clerk salary ordinance and traffic funding
City Council, Tue, September 15
The Council will consider Ordinance 2026-128 (City Clerk Salary Ordinance), Order 2026-129 to accept M.G.L. c.140 §139 (waiving individual dog license fees for residents 70+), acceptance of a $25,000 FY27 Field Demonstration grant for Council on Aging kitchen modernization (2026-130), and an appropriation of $30,000 from the Smart Growth Stabilization Fund for traffic calming (2026-133).
Rocky Hill multi‑parcel hearings and ADU site plans
Planning Board, Mon, September 14
Continued hearings include 29 Lake Attitash Rd (Special Permit — Water Resource Protection), 3 Old Merrill St and 12 Oak St (Site Plans and Special Permits XI.K3 for Accessory Dwelling Units), the Rocky Hill multi-parcel Elm Street development (Site Plan XI.V and Definitive Subdivision), and 28 Haverhill Rd (Amesbury Gateway Village Smart Growth District). New hearings include 4 Lake Attitash Rd (Special Permit — Water Resource Protection) and 2-4 Elmwood St (Definitive Subdivision).
Year‑End FY26 budget and school facilities updates
School Committee, Mon, September 14
Agenda includes a Year‑End FY26 budget update and facilities updates for Shay Elementary (parking spot lining), Amesbury Middle School (signage/curb painting and air conditioning) and Amesbury High School (signage/curb painting).
Last week
Two meetings last week set the tone for coming debates: Council referrals on pay, fees, grants, and traffic calming — and a major conservation approval for the Rocky Hill development.
Council refers clerk salary and traffic‑calming items
City Council, Tue, September 8
Council votes confirmed key appointments (Jonathan Greeno to the Board of Assessors; Travis Souther to the Trustees of the War Memorials) and reappointed City Clerk Jennifer E. Smith, accepted Councillor Claudel Frederique’s resignation (opening the District 2 seat), approved new business licenses, and referred several items — including the City Clerk Ordinance, the dog‑license waiver order, the COA grant acceptance order, and a $30,000 traffic‑calming appropriation order — to the Committee of the Whole for detailed review. Staff briefings covered the assessors' revaluation timeline and a police staffing/traffic‑enforcement presentation that requested a multi‑year resource plan.
▶ Moments to watch:
- Assessors' revaluation and certification overview — starting at 0:16:01
- Traffic enforcement, staffing study, and request for a multi-year plan — starting at 0:41:00
Rocky Hill NOI approved with detailed environmental conditions
Conservation Commission, Tue, September 8
The Conservation Commission voted 6–0 to approve the Rocky Hill Development Notice of Intent and issue an Order of Conditions, attaching requirements on monitoring, seed‑mix and tilling, snow‑storage grading, long‑term mowing limits, invasive‑species management, bonds, and conservation‑restriction language. Commissioners agreed remaining technical items could be handled as special conditions and closed the hearing.
▶ Moments to watch:
- Rocky Hill Development: applicant update and peer-review response — starting at 0:01:44
- Detailed conditions discussion and vote on Rocky Hill NOI (monitoring, bonds, riverfront standards) — starting at 0:09:34