Council Finalizes Trash Fee Ordinance, 7-2

Select Board · Meeting of June 15, 2026

Beverly's City Council voted 7-2 to finalize a trash fee ordinance setting a $300 default residential rate after a reconsideration vote overturned an earlier 6-3 tally. Councillor John Rotundo's amendment, passed 8-1, requires a mandatory fee review every two years. Councillor Scott Crowley's push to cut fees further, to $200, failed 1-8 after Budget Analyst Jerry Perry said it would actually cost $1.3 million in lost revenue, not the $1 million Crowley estimated.

Councillor Patrick St. Hilaire called city spending "out of control and completely unsustainable" and urged rejecting any fee increase, while Councillor Michael Mullady reversed his position mid-debate, warning that cutting the fee could mean "hurting more people by cutting services." Five residents, including nurse Dina DiOrio, separately urged the council to protect Veterans Services funding, citing a roughly 1,561-to-2 veteran-to-staff ratio.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: Veterans Services Budget
• Proclamation: Bernard M. Gordon Foundation Day
• Zoning Ordinance: Accessory Dwelling Units
• Special Committee on Deficit Reduction
• Grants and Donations
• Trash Fee Ordinance: Order 142 Final Passage
• Routine Appointments and Licenses
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,450 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.