Welcome to the (New)sletter!
- Katelyn Holappa
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Hi folks,
I'm trying something new with the newsletter and I'm changing formats. I'm moving away from an email that I know most folks don't read, and instead I'm switching over to something more reminiscent of a blog. I'm hoping that this format will increase engagement, provide an easier way of pulling up previous newsletters (rather than searching your inbox), and overall I think this tool is a bit easier for me to use compared to anything I've tried that requires an email format. Worry not, I'll still be sending out email updates when a new iteration of this newsletter/blog comes out, but it'll contain a link to this site rather than the entire content.
So, without further ado, welcome to the Ward 6 / North Salem Newsletter v2: Eclectic Hullabaloo! It's a working title...
Table of Contents
Regular Council Business
Meeting Details:
The Salem City Council currently meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 7 pm.
The next meeting taking place on May 14th.
Folks looking to give public comment can sign up with this link, or sign up with the City Clerk prior to 6:30 pm on the day of.
As long as it behaves, the meetings are also available via Zoom (here) or SATV on Channel 22. The Zoom password is 599130
Agenda Highlights:
Budget Season is beginning at the City Council! The Mayor & the city Department Heads have spent the last few months putting together their budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, and have officially submitted this to the Council for approval. The proposed budget is a 4.5% increase over FY26, and is sitting at $225,261,444.
There are many budget meetings planned over the next month-or-so and in this meeting we will be voting to send all of the pieces of the budget into our Administration & Finance committee for the review.
We will also be voting on several orders related to fees for water, sewer, and waste disposal.
There will be several votes on items coming back from committee, please see the Council Subcommittee Updates section below for details on those.
Council Subcommittee Updates
The council maintains five standing subcommittees on which different Councillors serve, in addition to a Committee of the Whole, which meet as needed to discuss business outside of the regular bi-weekly Council meetings.
I serve on OLLA, PHS&E, and C&ED, as well as the Committee of the Whole with all other Councillors. As a member of those committees I have "voting rights" and count towards the quorum. More information about subcommittee assignments can be found here, on the city's website.
Government Services (GS)
Topic: City Council Chamber Policy & Reservation Form
This item was brought into Council last year and continued forward into this session. While that was before my time serving on the Council I was able to listen to the discussion and from what I understand, there were concerns about the use of the Council Chambers as a public space, accessibility, and impact on Council & City Hall operations & proceedings. As I do not serve on this committee, I am looking forward to learning more about the issues here and voicing my own thoughts and concerns to the committee for consideration.
This item may be referred back to the full Council with a recommendation for the May 14th meeting.
Ordinance, Licences, and Legal Affairs (OLLA)
Topic: MGL, CH. 59, Sec 5, Clause 41A Elderly Tax Deferral Program, MGL Ch. 60, Sec. 3D to create a local Tax Payer Fund and Ordinance increasing the Maximum benefit limit for the senior resident tax work abatement program.
This item was submitted to the Council by the Mayor and was sent to committee during our April 9th meeting. Given the recent voter approval of the debt exclusion in support of the new Salem High School project, these programs are designed to reduce the impact of the property tax increase as follows:
Elderly Tax Deferral Program (MGL CH.59, Sec 5 Clause 41A):
Salem offers income-qualifying senior property owners an option to defer payment of their property taxes until the property is sold or the property owner passes away. Upon adoption (I do not know what year) the minimum income threshold was $20,000 but has increased with the cost of living to $31,096 today. The proposal before the committee would increase this income threshold to $75,000.
While I always have some reservations about "save now and pay later" options, as long as there is sufficient information that is shared with residents about the pros & cons of this option, and given that this is already an option in the city, I am tentatively in support of this measure.
Taxation Aid Fund (MGL CH. 60, Sec 3D):
State law allows communities to create a fund to help defray property taxes for lower income seniors and people with disabilities. Individuals paying municipal bills would opt-in to donate directly to this fund, which would be managed by a "taxation aid committee" consisting of 3 residents from Salem, the chair of the Board of Assessors, and the City Treasurer. This committee would be responsible for identifying the aid recipients. The item before the committee relates to potentially creating this fund and taxation aid committee for Salem.
This is another no-brainier for me. I'm curious to see if there are estimates on the actual financial impact this would provide, as there are similar aid funds already in existence in the city, but I see no downside in allowing this program to help some of those who most need it in Salem.
Senior Tax Work-off:
Individuals who are 60 years or older who's income is less than $60,240.00 for a one-person household, or $68,065.20 for a two-person household, may perform work for the City of Salem, up to 100 hours per year, and receive an abatement on their property taxes. Presently the maximum abatement is $1500 per year, and the item before the committee would raise this to $2000 which, since 2023, is the maximum legally allowed.
I love this idea; what a great way to help seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, while providing a means of connecting with our community. I am interesting in learning more about what type of work qualifies and seeing if there are options to extend the number of allowed participants beyond the current limit of 60 city-wide.
These items may be referred back to the full Council with a recommendation for the May 14th meeting.
Topic: An Ordinance relative to Traffic relative to buses and Tour Buses Parking Permit Fees.
This item was submitted to the Council by the Mayor and was sent to committee during our April 23rd meeting. The committee will discuss the proposed ordinance, that would establish a new tour bus parking fee of $50 per bus per day, implemented via the Passport parking app that we all know and love. The order would also create a fine of $300 for failure to pay this parking fee.
The spaces where tour busses are allowed to park in Salem varies throughout the year, peaking at 63 spaces, 25 of which are located downtown. Presently there is no fee charged to tour bus companies for parking in these spaces.
If you've attended a Council meeting so far this year, more likely than not, you've heard me say this: "There is no such thing as free parking." When the individuals utilizing a public parking space are not paying to use that space, all of the maintenance costs (paving, sweeping, snow removal, etc.) of that space are paid for by each of us that live here and pay taxes, regardless of how often we use any particular parking space. Especially given the comparative size of tour bus parking spaces, I strongly feel that establishing this parking fee is overdue and I support this measure. In fact, I'm hoping that we can charge tour bus companies more than $50, especially in our peak fall tourist season; the price for the rest of downtown parking goes up in the fall and so should this.
This items may be referred back to the full Council with a recommendation for the May 14th meeting.
Public Health, Safety, and the Environment (PHS&E)
No upcoming meeting scheduled
Administration and Finance (A&F)
Upcoming Meeting: Tuesday, May 19th at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for the Executive Office (Mayor, Legal, HR, etc.), IT/GIS, Library, and Unexpected Funds
Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, May 20th at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for Public Safety (Harbormaster, Fire, Police)
Upcoming Meeting: Thursday, May 21st at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for the Legislature (City Council, City Clerk, Elections & Registration), and Veterans' Services
Upcoming Meeting: Monday, June 1st at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for Intersectional Services and Traffic & Parking
Upcoming Meeting: Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for Sustainability & Resiliency and Planning
Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for Public Services
Upcoming Meeting: Monday, June 8th at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for the Council on Aging and Recreation & Community Services
Upcoming Meeting: Tuesday, June 9th at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items & Capital Improvement Plans for Finance (Collector, Assessor, Purchasing, Treasurer, Finance)
Upcoming Meeting: Wednesday, June 10th at 6:00 pm
Topic: Budget items for Salem Public Schools, Capital Improvement Plans, and various appropriations
Community and Economic Development (C&ED)
No upcoming meeting, but we recently had a presentation for 2025 Haunted Happenings. Please stay tuned for a post about my thoughts on how that went.
Potential Changes in the Neighborhood
Potholes-be-Gone!
The DPS Director has informed be that his department will be making another pass through North Salem over the next two weeks to fill in reported potholes. Please continue to report these via SeeClickFix. I appreciate your patience as city workers continue to address these throughout the city!
In recent years we are seeing more potholes form as compounding issues damage our road surfaces: Climate change and faster & more frequent freeze / thaw cycles, the average passenger car weight is increasing as "Light Trucks" and SUVs are increasingly outselling smaller sedans in the US, and more frequent and heavier delivery vehicles from Amazon and other logistics companies utilize our public roadways. The inconvenient truth is that if we want fewer potholes forming, we need to decrease the amount we are driving and shopping online.
Bay View Ave Seawall Improvements
Item D on the regular agenda shall include a public hearing for Bay View Ave seawall improvements as follows:
Public Hearing – Request for Determination of Applicability for Jay Caroll, City of Salem Engineering Department. The project consists of replacing an existing sidewalk along Bay View Ave, and replacing the stone beach access ramp with revetment stones to deter erosion. It will also add rip-rap stone to the back of the existing seawall. The work is located at the Bay View Ave Beach (Map 45), within an area subject to protection under the Wetlands Protection Act and the Salem Wetlands Protection and Conservation Ordinance
Related files can be found on the city's SharePoint here
