Beverly Council Sets October Hearings on Racial Justice Funding, Sustainability Director

BEVERLY — September 21, 2020 — Beverly City Council unanimously scheduled public hearings on a $150,000 racial justice initiative and a privately funded sustainability director position at its September 21 remote meeting. Mayor Michael P. Cahill requested a $100,000 appropriation plus a $50,000 reserve transfer for the racial equity effort, which would pay for staff training, an equity audit, and a new full-time coordinator; and separately sought approval to accept a $100,000 donation from Monarch Group LLC to cover 80 percent of a new sustainability director's first-year salary, with a $15,000 reserve transfer covering the remainder — a funding structure designed to shift the full cost to city taxpayers by year four. Both hearings are set for October 5. The council also heard from Montserrat College of Art President Dr. Kurt Steinberg, who reported zero positive COVID-19 cases since the fall semester opened, 360 students enrolled — down only 3.5 percent against a sector average decline of 12 to 22 percent — and a new 20-year, 41-bed downtown housing agreement with a private developer.