HAVERHILL — At its meeting on May 20, 2025, the Haverhill City Council introduced Judy Barrett as the city’s new fiscal impact consultant—a hire aimed at equipping the council with clearer, data-driven analysis on developments requiring special permits.
Mayor Melinda Barrett, who clarified that she’s not related to the consultant, said the hire fulfilled a long-standing request by councilors seeking more transparency around the financial implications of development. “In the past, the council may have felt like they were driving blind on some of these things,” she said. “This will be an opportunity to get some more insight into the real impact of proposals that are in front of you for special permits.”
Barrett, who has previously worked with Haverhill on zoning matters, was scheduled to present remotely during the meeting, but technical difficulties with her audio prevented her from being heard clearly. Economic Development & Planning Director William Pillsbury stepped in to deliver her slide presentation on her behalf.
Pillsbury emphasized that Barrett’s role is not tied to a single project. Instead, she will conduct a comprehensive fiscal impact analysis across land use types—residential, commercial, and industrial—using current financial data and a 10-year review of municipal expenses. “She’s going to look at the financial history of the city,” Pillsbury said. Later adding, “So, we’re not just looking at one year’s worth of expense, we’re going to go back and look for 10 years and then we’ll have a profile of our expenses—what’s happened with the fire department over the last 10 years, that kind of thing—and that will be useful in looking at where we are going, going forward.”
Barrett’s analysis will involve interviews with department heads, demographic and GIS analysis, and the development of a methodology for assigning service costs to different types of land use classes. “Again, what is the fiscal impact analysis?” Pillsbury said. “It’s for any given land use. It’s an estimate of the cost of community services. What are the services that we provide—police, fire, schools—across the spectrum. It will also provide an estimate of local government revenues. In other words, what are we going to generate in terms of taxes on a new project, in terms of fees, in terms of the income side of the pro forma. And then an estimate of the net revenue—what’s the revenue minus the cost.”
“I think the thing we’ve always been lacking is the cost,” he continued. “We’ve had in the past, people will give us great estimates of what they think the revenue is gonna be, but what’s it gonna cost? We don’t know. And so this will be a real enhancement of that. And then what’s the ratio of revenue to cost—we can evaluate that on a project-by-project basis.”
The study is expected to provide the city with financial clarity in future decisions on special permits and zoning changes, allowing officials to compare projected revenues and service demands for proposed developments using consistent, evidence-based metrics.
Vice President Timothy Jordan praised the move, saying it would allow the council to make more informed decisions about proposed developments. “This is exactly what we wanted,” Jordan said. Later adding, “At least now we will have data to be making informed decisions and knowing what the impacts are going to be.”
Councilor John Michitson noted the analysis won’t address social and economic impacts, but said it will help the city better understand the pressure new developments place on existing municipal services. “This will enable us to make better decisions,” he said. While broader community benefits—such as attracting businesses through market-rate housing—are harder to measure, Michitson said the analysis will at least provide a clearer understanding of tangible impacts, like increased strain on sewer and water infrastructure.
“Let’s just say hypothetically, we had 40 acres of commercial space available in order to try to bring in good businesses to the city,” Michitson said. “Well, one carrot that we would have would be the fact that we have these market-rate apartments, right? Now you can’t quantify that as easily as, you know, what’s the impact on sewer and water, for example, but it’s really important.”
Barrett is expected to deliver her findings in a future in-person presentation and make herself available to answer council questions.
The council approved permits for Haverhill’s first-ever Pride Parade, scheduled for Saturday, June 7, 2025. Nathan Phillips of the Haverhill Pride Planning Committee described the event, which will begin with a flag-raising at 12:30 p.m. City Hall followed by a parade starting at 1:30 p.m. at GAR Park and proceeding along Bailey Boulevard, Emerson Street, and Washington Street, ending at Wingate Street. At the conclusion of the parade, a resource fair will be held featuring community organizations and nonprofits, along with drag performances and downtown art walk activities. “First and foremost and most importantly, [the event] showcases Haverhill not only as a welcoming place for all, but a place that is safe for everyone to experience and share their joy,” Phillips said. Councilor Devan Ferreira called the event “really big for Haverhill” adding that it ties right into the city’s Art Walk which is scheduled for the same day.
Following the presentation from the Haverhill Pride Planning Committee, the council approved permits for the Haverhill Art Walk, scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. on June 7 after the Pride Parade. The event will include live music, an alleyway art market, theater performances in vacant storefronts, and pop-up exhibitions along Washington and Wingate streets. The council also approved a permit for the fifth annual Boardwalk Block Party, set to take place on September 6 from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on the lawn at Harbor Place along Merrimack Street.
Infrastructure improvements also moved forward as the council unanimously authorized a $95,000 easement acquisition for stormwater drainage at 134 Hale Street, part of the Lock Street sewer separation project.
Additionally, City Clerk Kaitlin Wright presented a proposal to establish new fees for issuing personal and commercial kennel licenses, explaining that the changes are required under “Ali’s Law,” a state regulation enacted in response to a kennel case in Western Massachusetts involving inhumane treatment. Wright explained, “Every municipality in Massachusetts has to go into accordance with these regulations.” The council set rates at $150 for residential kennels (4-9 dogs) and $200 for commercial kennels (10 or more dogs). Wright noted the fees align with those from comparable cities like Reading, although smaller towns sometimes charge less.
The council unanimously confirmed appointments to the Central Parking District Commission, naming Josiah Morrow to a one-year term, Joseph Romatelli and Nomsa Ncube each to two-year terms, and Karl Brunnelle to a three-year term. Additionally, William Liberty, Jeremiah McCarthy, and Alison Colby Campbell were reappointed to the Harbor Commission.
Upcoming hearings were scheduled, notably on a special permit requested by Astro Enterprises LLC to build a four-unit condo building at 0 Nichols Street, which was continued due to an incomplete application, and a zoning request for three contiguous parcels on Amesbury Road to change from commercial highway zoning to residential medium, both slated for further discussion in June and July.
The meeting concluded with an announcement about an upcoming public Planning and Development Committee meeting, scheduled for June 16 at 6 p.m., where councilors will review Haverhill’s housing production plan. “The reason we are noting it now is that we would like citizens with actual housing needs to please attend so that we can understand what the needs are uh in the city,” Councilor Michitson said.
The next Haverhill City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, located at 4 Summer Street in Haverhill.
