Written by: Dan Shibilia
There is a lot happening tonight. Let’s lay out the agenda…
School Committee @ 6PM @ Media Center : Agenda & Executive Session
City Council Public Hearing @ 6PM @ City Hall: Agenda
Council Special Meeting @ 7PM @ City Hall: Agenda
City Council
The special workshop to discuss the proposed trash contract starts at 6 p.m. in the Great Hall. A special meeting follows right after it and that’s where the vote is expected to happen. Waste Management representatives will answer questions at the workshop and residents can speak.
For those just catching up, this is C-27-45, a contract with Waste Management of Londonderry, Inc. for curbside trash and recycling, along with dumpster pickup at certain locations. The contract first came up at the council’s Nov. 2 meeting. It was tabled until tonight’s special meeting.
The process for getting here wasn’t smooth. The Council spent 20 minutes complaining at the last meeting that they had questions and wanted to ask them. However, with the representatives of Waste Management at the podium, the only one to ask a question was Councilor DiZolgio. The rest talked about asking questions but never did. It reeked of a room that didnt read the packet.
This contract is tooted as the Mayor as the “promised trashed reset” the City has been waiting for. The transition from Harvey to Waste Management was talked up by his office at the first meeting. The agenda lists the first year at $2,689,790, or $224,150 a month. The price rises every year, reaching $3,269,461 in year five, or $272,455 a month. According to the contract document, service would start July 1, 2027, and run through June 30, 2032. The contract says the city’s payments depend on the City Council appropriating money each year.
It lands in the middle of a two long running debate that have seemed to merge.. the battle of trash at Methuen Housing Authority and 55+ communities / condo complexes.
Residents of 55+ condominium communities have asked for curbside trash and recycling pickup for the last few years. Currently, any trash and recycling services in these communities is funded through the condo fees. Their stance is they pay more in taxes than any other group and all they want is “tax equity”.
Meanwhile, trash at the Methuen Housing Authority is picked up at the city’s expense. The contract’s list of city service locations includes five housing authority addresses. It is worth noting that the MHA is federally subsidized, and average household income there is less than $20,000 a year, according to sources.
On Nov. 5, Mayor Beauregard wrote to condominium trustees and property managers about a separate plan. He said the city would offer voluntary, city paid recycling pickup to eligible 55+ condominium developments, starting around July 1, 2027. It would not include trash. The letter says the service is not part of the contract before the council tonight and would be set up in a separate agreement with Waste Management. It would also need yearly approval from the council. To take part, at least 60 percent of a development’s units must be owner occupied.
It will be interest to see how this evolves. Will Soto and her section of the Council dig in on the revenge tour against MHA which could cause rent increases for all MHA residents? Will 55+ residents show up and advocate for the Council into adding them to the curbside pickup? Will the Council approve the contract to avoid rental fees for trucks?
Watch the meeting below once it starts…
School Committee
The School Committee meets earlier. Its executive session is set for 5:30 p.m. in the Media Center at Methuen High School, 1 Ranger Road. The posted notice cites state law and says the committee will discuss “the deployment of security personnel or devices, or strategies with respect thereto.”
Here’s the catch…
The notice was posted Friday… although it’s not dated or time-stamped as to when the original posting was created. State Open Meeting Law requires public bodies to post notice at least 48 hours ahead, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. With the weekend left out, a Friday posting leaves less than 48 hours before a Monday evening meeting.
The assumption is this has to do with the hack that impacted a third-party vendor causing the Schools to almost pay a bill to a hacker. We didn’t… but almost. The issue is that this meeting would be an open meeting violation.
Watch the meeting here: Methuen School YouTube
Should be an interesting night.
Sources
City Council Workshop Agenda, Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.cityofmethuen.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-1176?html=true
City Council Special Meeting Agenda, Nov. 9, 2026: https://www.cityofmethuen.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11092026-1177?html=true
C-27-45 contract packet, Waste Management of Londonderry, Inc., dated Nov. 2, 2026: https://www.methuen.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6437/C-27-45-PDF
Letter from Mayor David P. Beauregard Jr. to association trustees and property managers, Nov. 5, 2026: no link available
School Committee Executive Session Posting, Nov. 9, 2026: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NQnoUX3Gs31YhaxwJAok5OOim2MvxX2G/view?usp=sharing
M.G.L. c. 30A, Section 20: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleIII/Chapter30A/Section20