Gloucester shopping cart rules advance; Essex backs 19 articles

A Gloucester council committee sends a shopping cart ordinance to the full council, Essex selectmen back every town meeting article, and Manchester-by-the-Sea accepts its harbor plan.

Gloucester Rockport Essex Manchester-by-the-Sea

By Kerry Jane · Friday, November 6How we work

Trust Check: Checked against public records

A Gloucester City Council committee voted 2 to 1 on Monday to send a rewritten shopping cart ordinance to the full council, with a public hearing set for Nov. 24. In Essex, the selectmen voted to be listed as recommending a yes vote on all 19 articles at the Nov. 16 fall town meeting, though the Finance Committee has not yet backed three public works articles. In Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Select Board voted 5 to 0 to accept the town's harbor management plan as a working document. Every vote below comes from the meeting video and stays marked that way until the towns post approved meeting minutes.

6meetings covered

16votes counted

3towns

19items still from video

The decisions that matter most

Sent a rewritten shopping cart ordinance to the full City Council with a public hearing on Nov. 24. Stores with fewer than 50 carts would be exempt. Larger stores would have six months to tag carts and add wheel locks.Gloucester: City Council Ordinances and Administration Committee, 2 to 1 · From the meeting video
Voted to be listed as recommending a yes vote on all 19 articles at the Nov. 16 fall town meeting. The Finance Committee has not yet backed three public works articles and meets Nov. 10.Essex: Board of Selectmen, All in favor · From the meeting video
Accepted the town's harbor management plan as a working document. Town staff will ask each board for the status and priority of the plan's recommendations, with a new look early in 2027.Manchester-by-the-Sea: Select Board, 5 to 0 · From the meeting video

Gloucester

8 decisions

City Council Ordinances and Administration Committee

Monday, Nov. 2 · Committee vote only. The full City Council holds the public hearing Nov. 24

2 to 1
Sent the rewritten shopping cart ordinance to the full City Council with a public hearing on Nov. 24. Stores with fewer than 50 carts are exempt. Stores with 50 or more carts would have six months to tag every cart and add wheel locks.
From the meeting video

City Council Planning and Development Committee

Wednesday, Nov. 4 · Recommendations only. The six petitions go to the full City Council, which meets Nov. 10

3 to 0
Recommended three new National Grid poles on Washington Street for a project to replace about 1.5 miles of bare power lines with covered cable.
From the meeting video
3 to 0
Recommended a buried fiber optic line along Blackburn Drive and Dory Road to Applied Materials, with a condition that the road be repaved in the spring.
From the meeting video
3 to 0
Recommended new underground electric service for homes on Highland Street and one other residential street.
From the meeting video
No vote
Put off a change to the zoning ordinance's rules for multifamily buildings to Dec. 2 and a Madison Avenue pole petition to Nov. 18.
From the meeting video

School Committee

Wednesday, Nov. 4 · Mostly reports

No vote
Heard from the superintendent that the schools have 83 fewer students than a year ago, for a total of 2,698, and that the special education share is 25.3 percent, corrected from the 30 percent given Oct. 28.
From the meeting video
No vote
Put off a vote on updated committee operating protocols to its next meeting.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Approved the consent agenda of routine items such as warrants, transfers and donations.
From the meeting video

Essex

5 decisions

Board of Selectmen

Monday, Nov. 2 · All votes were voice votes and no count was announced

All in favor
Voted to be listed as recommending a yes vote on all 19 articles at the Nov. 16 fall town meeting.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Set up a five member screening committee for the fire chief search.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Signed an engagement letter with Roselli, Clark and Associates to audit the town's books in the spring.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Traded the old harbormaster boat and two trailers to Perkins Marina for an $8,000 credit toward fuel and services.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Told Comcast that the four Cape Ann communities are starting the cable license renewal.
From the meeting video

Manchester-by-the-Sea

6 decisions

Select Board

Monday, Nov. 2 · All votes were by roll call

5 to 0
Accepted the harbor management plan as a working document and thanked the committee that wrote it.
From the meeting video
5 to 0
Allowed a 7 a.m. weekday start for the Harbor Improvement projects and the Lincoln Street well project. Tappan Street, a residential street, stays at the usual 8 a.m. for now and comes back Nov. 23.
From the meeting video
5 to 0
Approved the consent agenda of routine items.
From the meeting video

Manchester Essex Regional School Committee

Tuesday, Nov. 3 · Serves both Manchester-by-the-Sea and Essex. Votes were by roll call or voice with no count announced

No vote
Learned that the state campaign finance office will not let the district mail its Essex Elementary School booklet to homes. The guide is online and will be handed out at town meeting.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Approved sending the committee's letter on the Essex Elementary School project to local outlets, with final edits left to one member.
From the meeting video
All in favor
Approved the consent agenda of bills, a payroll voucher and the Oct. 20 meeting record.
From the meeting video

Coming up next week

Mon., Nov. 9, 6:30 p.m.Manchester-by-the-Sea: Planning Board public forum on the sign bylaw
Town Hall or on Zoom
Open to the public. Any edits to the sign article would come to the Nov. 16 special town meeting as one amendment.

Mon., Nov. 9, 3 p.m.Rockport: Select Board
Rockport, see the posted agenda for the room or Zoom link
Open to the public. Check the posted agenda for how to attend or comment.

Tue., Nov. 10, 6:30 p.m.Gloucester: City Council
6 Manuel F. Lewis St.
Open to the public. The Planning and Development Committee's six utility recommendations go to the full council. The council opens with a time for residents to speak.

Tue., Nov. 10, 7 p.m.Essex: Finance Committee
Essex, see the posted agenda for the room
Open to the public. The committee decides whether to back the three public works articles. Public works members are invited.

Mon., Nov. 16, 6:45 p.m.Essex: Fall town meeting
Essex Elementary School, 12 Story St.
All registered voters may attend and vote on the 19 articles. The selectmen meet at 5 p.m. before it.

Mon., Nov. 16, 7 p.m.Manchester-by-the-Sea: Special town meeting
43 Lincoln St.
All registered voters may attend and vote on the eight articles. A special town election follows.

How to read the labels. “From the posted minutes” means the town has posted official minutes or an approved summary that confirm the vote. “From the meeting video” means we watched the recording and counted the vote ourselves; the town’s minutes may change a detail. Where a count was not clear on the recording we say so and do not guess.

Where to find the records

Every agenda, packet, recording and set of minutes we have is in the Meeting Finder, and you can search past decisions by subject in Decisions by topic. To read or search what was said at a meeting, use the unofficial meeting transcripts.

Sources

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