Written by: Dan Shibilia

The Council meets at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall on the third floor of the Searles Building, 41 Pleasant Street. You can watch live on Channel 8 (Comcast), Channel 32 (Verizon), stream at Methuen.gov/livestream, or youtube.com/@MethuenMeetings.

Every 1st and 3rd Monday, nine city councilors sit down in the Great Hall on the third floor of the Searles Building and make decisions that affect our taxes, our streets, our schools, and our neighborhoods. Most residents never see it happen. The agenda gets posted to the city’s website at least 42 hours or so in advance, buried in a PDF, full of well-crafted language and resolution numbers that don’t mean much unless you already know the context.

This is my attempt to fix that and bring attention to items that may be of interest to you.

Starting now, before each City Council meeting, I’ll break down what’s actually on the agenda in plain language, item by item so you can walk in informed, watch from home with context, or at least know what your elected officials voted on after the fact. Where I have background on an item, I’ll share it. If I think something is … funny, I may go ask some questions and bring that information back and include it here. Where the outcome seems predictable, I’ll say so. And where I have an opinion, I’ll be upfront that it’s mine. You can disagree. That’s the point. An informed city argues better than an uninformed one.

Monday’s meeting has a lot on it. Here’s what you need to know.

Here is a link to the agenda with all the published supporting documents: https://www.cityofmethuen.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04062026-1061?html=true

The Routine Stuff Up Top

The meeting opens the same way every time: roll call, acceptance of the agenda, the Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation, and a moment of silence. It will be interesting to see if they make another catholic prayer the highlight of the invocation.

Then, public comment, which is your chance to speak on anything on or off the agenda.

The Council will also formally accept the minutes from the March 16 meeting, and Councilor Valley will be recognized with a congratulations citation for receiving a YWCA Tribute to Women award. There’s also a proclamation recognizing May as Motorcycle Awareness Month.

Appointments (Item 8)

The Mayor is asking the Council to confirm several appointments to city positions and boards. These are standard confirmation votes, the Council reviews the candidates and votes to approve or reject. This week’s list:

Tristan Hoare, MAA, appointment as City Assessor. The assessor’s office determines the value of all property in Methuen, which is the foundation of the city’s property tax revenue. This is an important hire. By all appearances an outsider with no real ties to Methuen.

Daniel Donahue appointment as Assistant Fire Chief. A promotion within the Fire Department to the number-two position. However, there is no backup available on the agenda as of the time of writing this article.

Traci Lavigne-Milnes, RN, appointment as Board of Health. A registered nurse joining the board that oversees public health matters in the city. Looking at her resume in the attachment she has a vast experience and should be a great appointment.

Christine Metzemaekers appointment to the Commission on Trust Funds (Reappointment). She’s being renewed to the board that manages the city’s trust fund accounts (like the Edwin J. Castle Fund you’ll see referenced several times on this agenda).

Salma Boulal and Luis Sanchez appointment to Cultural Council. Two new members joining the board that supports arts, humanities, and cultural programs in Methuen. Salma is an MHS grad of 2023 and looks to be motivated and dedicated. Luis has documents missing from the backup at the time of writing so the entire resume was not available for review.

Lesly Melendez-Medina appointment to the Licensing Board (Alternate). An alternate seat on the board that handles liquor licenses, entertainment licenses, and similar permits. Looking at the resume, while it comes across as qualified and capable, my only concern would be the connection to Councilor Santos. As a longtime employee of Groundwork, she has ties to her social network (we have already shown her connection to Groundwork and its Executive Director).

Presentation: Clean River Project and Illegal Dumping (Item 9)

Rocky Morison will present on the Clean River Project and the ongoing problem of illegal dumping in Methuen. No vote is expected; this is an informational briefing, but it’s one worth watching if you care about the Spicket or Merrimack River, or if you’ve noticed dumping in your neighborhood. Rocky has been a long-time advocate for cleaning up our waterways, especially the Merrimack where our drinking water comes from. However, Methuen, despite being the location of his office, has a checkered past in funding the cleanup of the river.

Mayor’s Report (Item 10)

Currently blank…….. It will be interesting to see how many times this agenda is updated between now and the meeting. For the record, I am working from an agenda downloaded at 9AM on Thursday.

CAFO Report — Money Questions (Item 11)

The CAFO will report, but three specific requests have been queued up by councilors:

Paid Parental Leave costs (requested by Councilor Pesce): The Mayor issued an executive order establishing paid parental leave for city employees. Councilor Pesce wants a projection of what that actually costs, past spending and future obligations, and where the money comes from. I’m curious as to her goal here? Is she, a mother of 3, going to argue against parental leave? This will be interesting to see unfold. Kudos to the Mayor for making this a priority.

Stadium Improvement Project accounting (requested by Chair Soto): Soto wants a detailed breakdown of the finances behind an email the CAFO sent back in February about the stadium project. Essentially: show your work. Neither the email nor any other information is available for reference.

Searles Estate expenses (requested by Chair Soto): The city owns the historic Searles Building. Soto wants a full accounting of all costs associated with it, including acquisition, insurance, bond payments, and anything outstanding. The public has been asking about Searles money for a while, and this is a formal request for transparency. … I agree with her. I don’t necessarily like what I see her long term agenda is but this is a valid ask. Methuen should be aware of how this is impacting us especially as we go into a bleak budget season.

Councilor Requests (Item 12)

These are formal questions from councilors directed to the Mayor, department heads, or city solicitor. No votes, but the city is on record to respond:

Echo Lane sewer connection (Councilor Valley): Residents on Echo Lane need a sewer connection… what’s the timeline?
Police/Fire/DPW building replacement (Councilor Santos): What’s the status on plans to rebuild or replace the aging public safety and public works buildings? This seems to be a standing repeat question answered in very clear detail by the Mayor at the last meeting.
Oakland Avenue Bridge state report (Councilor Santos): Requesting the state inspection report on the Oakland Ave bridge.
New trash barrel delivery (Councilor Drew): When are the new barrels showing up and how is distribution being handled?
Rail Trail overhangs (Councilor Valley): Asking the city solicitor to look into the feasibility of addressing trees or structures overhanging the rail trail. Lets hope they don’t revisit the Laborer’s Union building overhangs. It’s been talked to death and since we don’t own it, we can’t spend money to fix it.
Lowell and East Capitol Street construction (Councilor Marsan): When does that project resume and when will it be done? Have you driven down Lowell Street specifically between Capitol Street and M&T Bank recently… rollercoaster. The City should be holding the vendor responsible.
Second and third trash bin fees (Councilor Marsan): The city charges residents for additional trash bins. How many are out there? Is the city actually collecting the fees in years two, three, and four?
Restrooms at youth baseball fields (Chair Soto): There are apparently no restroom facilities at youth baseball fields and water service is delayed on top of that. Soto is asking for an administrative response to what is frankly a basic public health issue for kids and families.

Contracts (Item 13)

C-26-80 New Police Motorcycle: $29,870 A 2026 Harley-Davidson Road Glide from Seacoast Harley-Davidson in North Hampton, NH. This is a standard police department equipment purchase.

C-26-81 Cardiac/Metabolic Health Screenings: $32,340 A contract with Telemedicine Group for 35 health screenings at $924 each for city employees. The contract is one year with two optional one-year extensions. This is a wellness benefit for the city workforce.

Unfinished Business

TR-26-24A Sale of the Oakland Avenue School ⬅ The big one

This item was postponed from the March 16 meeting at the Mayor’s request. It’s coming back Monday, and it’s the most consequential vote on the agenda.

Here’s the background: The city has owned the Oakland Avenue School at 125 Oakland Avenue since it stopped being a public school. Since 2001, it has been leased to the Oakland Avenue Trust, which operates The Islamic Academy for Peace, a PreK–8 grade school. The current lease runs through 2036 at $5,000 per year … a very low rent.

The Trust now wants to buy the building outright. The offer: $2,680,100, which happens to match the city assessor’s certified valuation of the property.

The buyer has proposed two payment options: pay cash at closing, or put $200,000 down and finance the remaining $2.48 million through the city itself at 6% interest over 25 years. If Methuen holds the mortgage, the city would collect an estimated $4.79 million in total revenue over the life of the loan.

The Mayor is recommending the sale, noting the Academy has invested roughly $1.38 million of its own money into maintaining and improving the building over the past 25 years … money the city did not have to spend. He also notes the school has a strong academic record and deep community ties.

The Mayor added a note in the agenda that he voluntarily sent notice to abutters (neighbors of the property) beyond what was legally required, so nearby residents could attend and weigh in.

The Council votes yes or no. If approved, the Mayor is authorized to sign whatever documents are needed to close the deal.

My opinion… this is a no brainer. It’s a great move for the City. In a time were revenues aren’t keeping pace with expenses, we need everything we can find to help grow our base.

TR-26-26 Amending Council Rules on Moments of Silence

Sponsored by Councilor Michael Simard. This resolution would amend the City Council’s internal rules about how moments of silence are conducted. This one was previously tabled and it purely aimed at one particular resident who has requested moments of Silence for people who have been murdered by ICE (not targetted by Simard but the Councils intend to quiet that one resident). In the first pass, they couldn’t agree on who deserved a moment of silence and who didn’t so it was tabled. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

TR-26-30 $16,920 from the Castle Fund for Methuen 300

The Edwin J. Castle Fund is a city trust fund that exists to benefit Methuen. This resolution authorizes spending up to $16,920 from it to support Methuen 300, the city’s upcoming 300th anniversary celebration. Requested by the Mayor and the Commission on Trust Funds. The money is to be used for the development of a Methuen300 website (www.Methuen300.org), Print ads, and handouts/mailers. The trust currently has a little over $427k.

TR-26-31 $290 from the Castle Fund for Historic Methuen

A smaller draw of $290 from the same Castle Fund, this time going to the group Historic Methuen, the organization that preserves the city’s history. The money is for the purchase of a portable public address system and batter for public programs. It’s small dollars so it’s not that big of a deal but the question still remains… does this group do any of its own fundraising? Why can’t they do this themselves?

TO-26-9 Cottage Food Ordinance (Final Vote)

This ordinance, sponsored by Councilor Valley, has been in the works for a while. It formally allows residents to produce and sell certain foods made in their home kitchens … things like baked goods, jams, and candy … under state law that already permits this. Methuen is just creating its own local framework to participate in the program properly.

An amendment was added by Councilor Drew to set an effective date six months after passage, giving the Health Department time to get its inspection process in order before the ordinance kicks in. This is the final vote. I expect this to pass with minimal discussion as it was questioned pretty heavily on the first go around.

New Business

TR-26-32 Health Insurance Options Study (Chapter 32B, Sections 21–23)

This one requires a little unpacking. Massachusetts law gives cities a tool to potentially save money on employee health insurance by joining the state’s Group Insurance Commission (the GIC), or by making plan design changes like adjusting co-pays and deductibles. To use that tool, the city first has to formally “accept” Sections 21–23 of Chapter 32B essentially opting into the legal process.

This resolution does that: it puts Methuen in a position to evaluate switching or restructuring its employee health insurance. Accepting these sections doesn’t change anyone’s health coverage right now, it just starts the clock on a formal process that involves negotiating with employee unions and retirees before any changes take effect. Think of it as opening a door to see what’s on the other side.

It’s of note that many municipalities have made the switch to GIC mainly for the cost containment value. Right now, we have an uncapped liability as a self-insurer. This means we have no idea what our insurance is going to cost every year. With GIC, it would be a fixed cost for the City. However, this is undoubteley not going to sit well with any of the Unions. This is a push to cut costs and save jobs but will be viewed as a war on health care.

TR-26-33 Accept Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Funding for River Cleanup

The city is accepting money from the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) to support a Merrimack River Cleanup Initiative. This connects directly to the Clean River presentation earlier in the meeting. No cost to the city as it’s grant money. I am willing to bet this is met with some resistance.

TR-26-34 Accept $34,988 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant

Free money for the Fire Department. The state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security is awarding Methuen $34,988 through its Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant program. The Council just needs to formally accept it.

TR-26-35 $1,700 from the Castle Fund for the Memorial Day Parade

Another draw from the Castle Fund, this time $1,700 going to American Legion Post 122 to help fund Methuen’s Memorial Day Parade. A standard annual allocation.

TR-26-36 Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month Proclamation

A formal proclamation declaring May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Methuen. Sponsored by Chair Soto, Councilors DiZoglio and Valley, and co-sponsored by the Mayor. This pairs with the proclamation at the start of the meeting.

TR-26-37 and TR-26-38 Transferring the Currier School and Pleasant Valley School to City Government

These two resolutions would transfer custody and control of the Currier School and the Pleasant Valley School from the School Department to the City government. This is a procedural step that typically happens when a building is no longer being used as a school. It moves the property into the city’s hands so it can be managed, leased, sold, or repurposed. Both were requested by the Mayor.

This was initially kicked off by the previous School Committee last summer and voted to be surrended to the City. It’s taken months to get to this point. This would be a big help for the Schools going into the next budget cycle because they wouldn’t have to budget for the maintenance and utilities of these buildings again.

In a quick exchange with the Mayor he did mention he has big plans for these properties so I am axious to hear what he has to say.

TR-26-39 Accept Green Communities Grant from State Energy Resources

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources is giving Methuen a grant through its Green Communities program, which funds energy efficiency and clean energy projects in municipalities. The Council just needs to vote to accept it. No city match required.

TR-26-40 Unclaimed Property Law (Chapter 200A, Section 9A)

Sponsored by Councilor Valley. This allows Methuen to formally opt into a state law governing unclaimed property… things like forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, or abandoned safe deposit boxes. Under this provision, after a set period, that property gets turned over to the state for safekeeping, and the original owners can still claim it. This is a housekeeping measure to bring Methuen in line with state practice.

TO-26-11 Pest Control Ordinance for Demolition and Commercial Waste Sites

Sponsored by Councilor DiZoglio. This new ordinance would require pest control measures whenever a building is being demolished, a site is being cleared, or at commercial waste operations. The idea is simple: when buildings come down or large amounts of waste move around, rodents get displaced and spread into the surrounding neighborhood. This ordinance puts the responsibility on the party doing the demolition or the waste work to deal with pests before they become the neighborhood’s problem.

This is going to have a cost impact on builders and investors. I expect this to have substantial pushback from the realtors and contractors on the council.

After the meeting we will do a recap.

Still have questions? Ask them, let’s discuss the issues!

Inside Methuen

What’s on the Agenda: City Council, Monday…