City Council approves five-year capital plan, municipal bond orders, rent-stabilization resolution
City Council · Meeting of June 25, 2026
Salem City Council backs FY27 capital plans and endorses rent-stabilization legislation. The body voted unanimously on second passage to approve two bond orders totaling $15.5 million, one for a $7.862 million General Fund CIP and another for $7.660 million in Water and Sewer CIP improvements. Council President Alice Rose Merkl presided as the Council voted by roll call to adopt a resolution urging the Massachusetts Legislature to enable rent-stabilization policies, citing Salem's 34.8 percent rent increase since 2020 and a finding that roughly half of renter households are cost-burdened.
The Council also directed the Committee of the Whole to review municipal rules and standing committees to align procedures with Council responsibilities.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 684 words
Source: the City Council meeting of June 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 14-day free trial
Subscribe to Salem News to keep reading this post and get 14 days of free access to the full post archives.
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news