20211004 City Council Minutes City of Beverly
Regular City Council Meeting
Public Meeting Minutes
Monday, October 4, 2021, 7:00pm
This meeting was conducted pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2021. This remote meeting
was held over Google Meet and live streamed by BevCam.
Paul Guanci, City Council President, called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. City Clerk, Lisa
Kent, took the attendance by roll call.
Members Present: Stacy Ames, Dominic Copeland, Kathleen Feldman, Timothy Flaherty
(arrived at 7:57pm), Julie Flowers (arrived at 7:09pm), Scott Houseman, Todd Rotondo, Estelle
Rand, Paul Guanci
Members Absent: None
Houseman led the pledge of allegiance.
Guanci made a statement about the virtual meeting being recorded by the City of Beverly and
streamed by BevCam on channel 99 and BevCam's YouTube channel. He confirmed that all
members present could hear and noted the remote meeting format and process. Guanci read Rule
22 of the Beverly City Council. He introduced a vote to allow items to be taken out of committee
and voted on the floor. Kent took a roll call vote and the motion carried(7-0). Guanci read the
procedure for remote public hearings. Flowers joined the meeting at 7:09pm.
Presentations,Awards and Memorials
Dean Berg - Green Beverly
Dean Berg, Executive Director of Green Beverly, presented on the work Green Beverly. Green
Beverly focuses on education and actions residents and businesses can take. Green Beverly will
have a digital,physical, and community presence. The organizational structure is a nonprofit
with about 30 people and growing. Revenue sources are grants, sponsors and donors.
Ames requested the presentation be shared through the Clerk's Office so it could be distributed.
Flowers asked if there are plans to bring more interns into the organization.
Berg said it has been a great partnership so far and would definitely be a good opportunity.
Copeland asked what the capacity is to bring some of this out into the wards.
Berg stated they have members who could certainly do that.
Rotondo asked about from a business level some of the options of purchasing bulk.
Berg stated one of the active community projects is to look at different take-out compostable
options for restaurants, schools, and other food services.
Feldman stated she is excited about seeing Beverly implementing new policies. One of the
biggest issues as a councilor is how to streamline information to all residents, not just those that
would already be following Green Beverly.
Rand asked if Green Beverly has worked at all with the Waste Reduction Committee and
commented that when looking at funding sources, every year there is a small amount of funding
that comes out of the Mayor's Office for meeting community needs.
Berg stated Green Beverly is in pretty close contact with the Waste Reduction Committee and
Sue Higgins is one of the coaches on the Green Beverly team.
Michael Cahill, Mayor, said he appreciated the way Councilor Rand was thinking and suggested
follow up conversations to talk about funding. He asked that the next time the Council meets
Erina Keefe be placed on the agenda to give an update on what she has been doing since she
started about a year ago.
Communications from His Honor the Maw
Order #174-Reappointment-Mr. Kevin Andrews to serve as an alternate member of the Board of
Appeals.
Referred to Committee on Legal Affairs.
Order #175-Grant-$49,680 Municipal Road Safety Program grant from the Executive Office of
Public Safety and Security Office of Grants and Research
Catherine Barrett, Grant Director, stated this is an annual grant with the goal of reducing loss of
life in crashes.
The motion to approve was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(8-0).
Order #176-Donation-$1,000 from Mr. James H. Modugno of Beverly to purchase Beverly
Police Department uniforms.
The motion to approve was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(8-0).
Order #179-Earmark-$150,000 from the Mass Department of Fire Services to upgrade and
modernize the fire alarm dispatch systems in the Beverly Fire Department.
Barrett thanked Jerry Parisella and Andrea Zelano for advocating for this earmark. The
difference between a grant and an earmark is that a grant typically has more compliance on the
backend for reporting, whereas earmarks tend to be wired in a lump sum. This one is unusual in
that it is reimbursement.
The motion to approve was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(8-0).
LATE FILE-Order #180-Appointment of Mr. Gregory Howard to the Beverly Historical
District Commission
The motion to accept the late file was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the
motion carried(8-0).
Referred to Committee on Legal Affairs.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—October 4,2021 page 2 of 3
Communications from other City Officers and Boards
Order #177-Councilors Rotondo and Flowers-Quarter 1 Recap from the School Committee's
Subcommittee on Finance and Facilities for FY22.
The motion to receive and place on file was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and
the motion carried(8-0).
Order #178-Sergeant Henebury-A request to amend the current city ordinance 270-49 by adding
a"Handicapped Parking Sign" at 37 Pond Street and 3 Fossa Terrace.
Referred to Committee on Legal Affairs.
Unfinished Business
Order #171-President Guanci-Delegate responsibility to the City Solicitor's Office for the OML
complaint filed by Joseph Kane dated September 19, 2021,pertaining to the City Council's
September 13, 2021 meeting.
The motion to approve was made and seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion
carried(8-0).
Flowers mentioned that at the October 18th meeting there will be a presentation, not a public
hearing, about the redistricting that is happening so people can learn more about that process.
Executive Session
The motion was made to move into an executive session pursuant to M.G.L. c.30A, s.21(a)(1)
(purpose 91) to discuss a complaint against public officials, specifically an Open Meeting Law
Complaint by Joseph Kane dated September 19, 2021,pertaining to the City Council's
September 13, 2021 meeting and to adjourn the City Council meeting from the executive session.
The motion was seconded. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried (8-0). The meeting
went into executive session at 7:45pm.
Beverly City Council Meeting Minutes—October 4,2021 page 3 of 3