Where

93 Washington Street, Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, Salem, MA 01970

What was decided

The council granted National Grid conduit requests and a GoNetSpeed fiber-optic request. It confirmed several appointments by 10-0-1 roll call votes, held others to the next meeting, and paid prior-year school, parking, and engineering invoices. It also adopted weekend taxi and rideshare pickup zones for October and received a Planning Board report on data center zoning.

Decisions recorded

• Granted National Grid's request to install conduits on Bridge Street in front of 252 Bridge Street. p. 2page 2 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Granted National Grid's order to install conduits on Naples Road at the intersection with Hemenway Road. p. 2page 2 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Granted National Grid's order to install conduits on Webb Street at the intersection with Fort Ave. p. 3page 3 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Granted GoNetSpeed's order to install and maintain underground fiber-optic facilities on Jefferson Ave. p. 3page 3 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Confirmed the Mayor's appointment of Alphonse Wright to the Food Policy Council, 10-0-1. p. 4page 4 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Confirmed the Mayor's appointment of Catrina Meyer to the Bicycling and Shared Path Advisory Committee, 10-0-1. p. 4page 4 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Confirmed the Mayor's appointment of Elena Rodriguez-DePaul to the Race Equity Commission, 10-0-1. p. 5page 5 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Confirmed the Mayor's appointment of Samantha Stringfellow to the Zoning Board of Appeals, 10-0-1. p. 5page 5 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Received and filed the Mayor's informational appointment of Darrien Marazzo to Zero Waste Salem. p. 6page 6 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted a $10,768.48 order to pay prior-year school department salaries from the current budget, under suspension of the rules, 10-0-1.
• Adopted a $900.81 order to pay a prior-year Parking Department National Grid electricity invoice from the current budget, 10-0-1.
• Adopted a $330.00 order to pay a prior-year Engineering Department invoice from the current budget, 10-0-1.
• Adopted the Mayor's order approving and adopting the City's Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. p. 10page 10 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Received and filed the Mayor's update on the revised Sustainability, Energy and Resiliency Committee mission statement. p. 11page 11 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted a resolution honoring retired City Clerk Ilene Simons, 10-0-1. p. 11page 11 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted an order directing the Committee on Ordinances, Licenses and Legal Affairs to meet with the Committee of the Whole on administrative review for reasonable accommodations in zoning for individuals with disabilities. p. 13page 13 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Accepted the committee report and discharged the living wage requirement ordinance amendment from committee. p. 13page 13 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Committee recommended that the camping ordinance review remain in committee. p. 13page 13 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted the communication from the Veteran's Agent requesting that a new veterans square at Lafayette Street and College Drive be named O'Neil Square. p. 16page 16 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted the order designating taxi and rideshare pick-up and drop-off locations for October weekends. p. 17page 17 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Received and filed the Planning Board report on the proposed zoning amendment to Section 3.1 Table of Uses for data centers. p. 18page 18 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Ordered a hearing for October 8, 2026 on National Grid's petition to relocate one jointly owned pole on Summit Ave. at Eden St. p. 38page 38 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Granted the residents of Orne Square a block party on October 31, 2026, from 3 PM to 9 PM. p. 38page 38 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Granted the listed public guide, taxi operator, and vehicle for hire license applications. p. 38page 38 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted the noise control ordinance amendment for the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall area for second passage. p. 40page 40 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted the traffic ordinance amendments for Lafayette Street and Salem Street for second passage. p. 40page 40 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Adopted the fire lane traffic ordinance for Beach Avenue and Sutton Avenue for second passage. p. 41page 41 of the minutes (opens in new tab)
• Withdrew the motion to add City departments back into the gas-powered leaf blower restrictions. p. 45page 45 of the minutes (opens in new tab)

3 decisions aren't shown: they couldn't be matched to the minutes.

The full text is in the city's PDF, linked below.

Minutes posted on the city website (PDF, 360 KB). Saved copy (opens in new tab), saved October 19, 2026.

Earlier versions of these minutes:

• Version saved October 19, 2026 (opens in new tab) (PDF, 339 KB)

Agenda

A copy of the agenda wasn't saved here. It is on the city website (opens in new tab).

Terms used here

DPS

Department of Public Services, which maintains the city's streets, parks, playgrounds, common areas, cemetery, water and sewer mains, and vehicles, and clears snow and ice.

Salem Skipper

The city's on-demand rideshare service, booked in an app, running Monday to Saturday, 7 AM to 9 PM.

Committee of the Whole

The full council or board meeting as a committee, to discuss a matter before voting on it at a regular meeting.

receive and file

To accept a letter, report, or other document into the record, without taking any other action on it.

tabled

Set aside by a vote, to take up later. A tabled item comes back when the board votes to take it off the table.

All the terms in the glossary

Source

This meeting is listed in more than one place: the same board on the same day, and only one listing gives a time. The listings are shown here as one meeting.

• Salem City Council Regular Meeting September 24, 2026 (opens in new tab), on the city's Agenda Center
• Salem City Council Regular Meeting September 24, 2026 (opens in new tab), on the city's meeting portal

First recorded by Salem Publick on October 19, 2026.