City Council

City of Salem, Massachusetts “Know Your Rights Under the Open Meeting Law, M.G.L. c. 30A ss. 18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033.” The City Council Committee on Ordinances Licenses and Legal Affairs co-posted COW______________________ met in the Council Chamber on _Wednesday, October 8, 2025 _____________ at ______6:00_______P.M. for the purpose of discussing the matters(s) listed below. Notice of this meeting was posted on __October 3, 2025__ at ___ 11:59 A.M._ (This meeting is being recorded) ATTENDANCE OLLA – Hapworth (chair), Jerzylo & Morsillo. City – Maureen Fisher. Tinker Island Association – Annie Harris & Eric Sandblom, Petitioner – Peter Vallis. ABSENT WERE: OLLA - Cohen & Varela SUBJECT(S) #465 Ordinance to Amend Ordinance relative to Public Guides Chapter 40, Section 30-Prohibition stopping on Howard St. (Co-Posted with COW) #337 Petition from Peter Vallis to Discuss lot on Tinkers Island. (Not Co-Posted with COW) Discussion #465 – Hapworth – In my opinion, the entire ordinance needs to be rewritten. It seems to be piecemealed together, but for the purpose of this meeting, we are only going to discuss a safety ordinance about Howard Street as an emergency measure which is currently signed as a shared street. The street is not safe to walk down, because the sidewalk is often blocked by parked cars. It is a popular street for guides to walk down to share stories about the Howard Street Cemetery and Giles Corey. They are stopping in the middle of the street to tell those stories which is not safe. We came up with a compromise to allow the guides to walk down Howard St., but they cannot stop on the street and must wait until they are on the green space near the Old Salem Jail before they stop the tour to tell their stories. Morsillo – I am fine with adding this language for Howard St., but this is a bigger issue that we need to address. We should limit the number of people in walking tours, especially when they are walking through neighborhoods. They shouldn’t be out there until 10:30-11pm. I have had complaints from a couple people on Botts Ct. that they are out there late at night and they are just making stuff up to extend the tours. Jerzylo – I have been talking to our City Solicitor and Assistant City Clerk about re-working the ordinance in its entirety which probably won’t get done this year, but hopefully it will be revised in time for next year. Motion to accept the ordinance as written. Seconded by Morsillo. Motion carries 3-0. Discussion #337 - Hapworth – Moving on to the petition by Peter Vallis. Tinkers Island is city property. It is leased to Tinkers Island Association. It's a group of camps on the island or cottages on the island. By an agreement that was struck with the city in the 1960s, there are a lot of B14 cottages on the island. In the early 1990s, as a group, because they were seeing virtually no city services, no trash pickup, they pay a lump sum back to the city each year as part of the lease agreement. In the early 1990s, Mr. Vallis, owned a camp on the island. There was a hurricane that came through and destroyed his camp. Around 2007, Mr. Vallis stopped paying his dues to the Tinkers Island Association, which would have paid the city, but since he stopped paying, his membership lapsed. Eventually there was an agreement made, and an assessment done on the site. The agreement was that Mr. Vallis could pay about $7,000 to reinstate his site or Mr. Vallis received payment of $3,000 for the assessment and forego his camp to the Tinkers Island Association. Mr. Vallis accepted $3.000. The wrinkle is, in the meantime, there was a 15th camp built on the island, separate from this situation. There were legal battles being fought in the early 2000s that raised fees for everybody. Currently, there are 14 campsites or cabins on the island. Peter would like to ask the city to reinstate his site on the property. Vallis – I request that the city re-assess and re-instate Lot 7, Tinkers Island on the city tax roll and that I am recognized as the only taxpayer for Lot 7 as it was from 1984 to 2010. From 2011 to present, no one has been assessed to pay the taxes for this lot. Harris – There are no subdivided lots on the island. The city owns the island and leases it to Tinkers Island Association. To tax those that pay dues to the association, the city designated parcel numbers to each of the members of the association. In 2014, the association bought Peter’s interest, and we have submitted a copy of the bill of sale. Jerzylo – Does the association pay one bill or is everyone individually taxed? Harris – Everybody pays an individual real tax and personal property tax bill. The association pays a lease payment to the city. Morsillo – There are 14 structures on the island and how long does the individual have to re-build if their structure is destroyed? Harris – 3 years, but we will give an extension if requested. Morsillo – During the re-building timeframe, they are still paying dues to the association, correct? The taxes that are paid to the city are on the structure, correct? Harris – Yes. Morsillo – At some point, a 15th structure was built on the island, in violation of the lease with the city that only allows 14 structures. How did that happen? Harris – In the 2000s, someone started to build a structure on the island after the season was over, and it was discovered after a storm and some of the materials for the new structure were washed over to Marblehead Neck. The association received a call asking what was being built on the island. We were not aware of it, nor was it approved by the association. The structure was mostly built and remains on the island. Morsillo – In 2014, the association had an agreement with Mr. Vallis to buy out his part of the lease? Sandblom – Part of the agreement to buy Vallis out, was to then transfer that campsite over to the 15th structure to make that a legal structure, since it was already built. Then we negotiated to buy the new structure out, so now we only have 14 structures on the island. Vallis – If you look at the tax rolls, my lot has been omitted. Morsillo – These are taxed as structures, and they are not lots. It is one lot that is being leased from the city by the associations, and the structures are being taxed by the city. Vallis – My house was destroyed in a 1994 storm and the city continued to send me a tax bill until around 2010. If I was only supposed to be billed for the structure, then why did the city continue to charge me taxes? Morsillo – It is your responsibility to inform the city that your structure was destroyed. It is not the city’s responsibility, and they don’t inspect and/or assess property every year. Vallis – I will pay a buy back fee, if necessary, to be reinstated. Hapworth – I understand that you aren’t bringing this to us out of selfishness. I understand that you have spent a lot of time on the island through the years and you want to continue to use the island. The problem is the property is owned by the city and leased to the association. The agreement with the city is that there will only be 14 structures on the island and the city taxes those structures. Your structure was destroyed in 1994, and the association bought your interest out, and you received $3,000 for that buy out in 2014. I don’t see that the City Council can change the agreement that the association has with the city so that you can camp or fish on the island. Jerzylo – I agree with Hapworth. You sold your interest back to the association and you have no structure on the island. You have no interest in the island because there is no interest in the land; just a structure for use on the island. When you received $3,000 from the association, you gave up your interest in the island. Morsillo – Motion to return this to the full council with a recommendation to deny the petition to reinstate the lot. Seconded by Jerzylo. Motion carries 3-0. On the motion of C. Morsillo meeting adjourned at 6:38 P.M. ________________________________________________________ (Chairperson)