Council doubles commercial snow fines, rejects relief

Select Board · Meeting of October 26, 2026

NEWBURYPORT — The Newburyport City Council doubled commercial snow-clearing fines to $100 while rejecting bids to loosen the six-hour residential compliance window. Councilor Zede's motions to extend residential sidewalk-clearing time to 48 and then 24 hours both failed, the latter 4-7, with Councilor Kahn arguing safe-routes-to-school coverage gaps meant the city could not take on full responsibility. Ordinance 237 passed 9-2 on first reading as amended.

The council also voted 11-0 to send $80,000 into budget contingency to explore joining a Danvers-based regional IT collaborative, part of a larger $235,000 supplemental budget order that included $155,000 for legal services amid the city solicitor's request to double its monthly rate to $22,000. Councilors ratified a three-year Teamsters Local 170 contract via a $41,239 transfer, 10-1. The council also unanimously adopted an updated snow and ice removal plan mapping DPS clearing priorities street by street, and endorsed, 11-0, a framework to exit city operation of downtown parklets by 2028.

In the full story:

• Public comment: City Improvement Society and downtown beautification funding
• Mayor's update: Fire chief search, Whittier tensions, CTE expansion
• Order 892: FY27 supplemental budget, IT contingency and legal services
• Collective bargaining agreement: Teamsters Local 170
• Ordinance 228: Parking violation fee schedule
• Ordinance 237 and Order 893: Snow and ice removal enforcement and city plan
• Order 880: Parklet program restructuring
• Ward-specific traffic ordinances: stop signs and parking restriction
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,575 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.