Mayor Verga writes:
I hope everyone had a nice holiday season and a great New Year!
Here are a few updates and highlights from the Mayor’s office and City Hall this week:
- The Private Road Working Group will give a formal presentation of their final recommendations and findings at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 10th. The group will present their recommendations to the full council and explain their process. Also included in the meeting are several recommended ordinance changes that were a direct result of the group’s work. Learn more about the presentation and proposed ordinance changes here: https://bit.ly/3X7ufGR
- The Department of Revenue approved the City’s “Free Cash” General Fund as of July 1, 2022, in the amount of $4,304,608. My office has recommended a new annual allocation of 10% from “Free Cash” for paving and sidewalk work in an effort to close the funding gap. This new allocation is another result of the final recommendations from the Private Roads Working Group to help address the conditions of our City’s municipal streets and work towards improving our private roads. Learn more about the approved “Free Cash” and new allocation in the upcoming City Council Meeting Packet: https://bit.ly/3GMvQMv
- Season 2 of Project: Pop-Up Gloucester has been extended into 2023, and Detali will be expanding into the entire space. Project: Pop-Up is an innovative program to help remove many of the barriers for small businesses to expand into brick-and-mortar spaces and is a recommendation out of the Local Rapid Recovery Plan. The program highlights the incredible partnerships with several community organizations, and the extension is due to collaboration with Action Inc. Learn more about the program here: https://bit.ly/3QjaTMe
I welcome any questions or feedback, so don’t hesitate to contact my office by email (mayor@gloucester-ma.gov) or phone (978-281-9700). A reminder that comments are not monitored 24/7 – phone or email is the best way to contact my office.
