Beverly council drops address rule for speakers
Beverly City Council voted to drop the requirement that public speakers state their home address aloud. The council approved the rules change 7-0 in its last meeting inside current Council Chambers before City Hall's renovation sends sessions to the Beverly Middle School Library starting October 5.
Select Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026
Beverly City Council voted to drop the requirement that public speakers state their home address aloud. The council approved the rules change 7-0 in its last meeting inside current Council Chambers before City Hall's renovation sends sessions to the Beverly Middle School Library starting October 5. The council president said speakers can now give their address to the clerk in writing and name only their ward, noting it "may not feel safe to have to say your residential address in a public forum that then is on the internet." Members also voted 7-0 to accept a Beverly 400th anniversary quilt from the Garden City Quilters and approved two National Grid underground-utility petitions, 7-0 each, for School Street and Bridge Street.
A third National Grid petition, for Bow, Wallace, Cabot and Abbott streets, was continued to October 5 at 7:30 p.m.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,299 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Members read the rest of this story and every Beverly meeting we cover, in full.
Become a memberAlready a member? Sign inA 30-day free trial needs a payment method. After it, your membership renews at the price shown at checkout until you cancel, which you can do anytime from your account. Subscription terms
Share this story
Know someone in Beverly who follows town government? Share Townbrief Beverly: they can sign up free.