By Lorna Garey
Tuesday’s City Council meeting opened with a moment of silence honoring active service members and veterans ahead of Veterans Day. Councilor Peg Crowe requested an additional moment of silence in memory of Richard “Rick” Burns, who recently passed away.
Burns was the third-generation owner of the E.E. Burns & Son Funeral Home on Main Street, and Crowe highlighted his extensive community contributions through the Rotary Club, Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation and Pine Banks Foundation.
“His calming demeanor and support of families in the most difficult time was a hallmark of Rick’s kindness,” said Crowe. “In pure Rick fashion, donations in his memory can be made to the Warming Center. He continues to give to our community.”
Inclusionary zoning overhaul ordained, beating deadline
The centerpiece of the meeting was the final enactment of Malden’s comprehensive overhaul of its Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) ordinance, Paper 335-26, and its companion incentives section, Paper 335A-26.
Enacted in 2021, Malden’s original IZ policy mandated that residential projects of eight or more units designate 15% of units as affordable for households earning up to 50% of Area Median Income (AMI). However, a five-year feasibility review conducted in April 2026 by RKG Associates found that the policy had essentially brought private development to a standstill: Only four affordable units had been permitted in market-rate projects over five years, with zero moving forward since 2023.
The newly ordained main paper recalibrates project economics in five areas:
- Set-aside adjusted: Lowers the mandatory affordable housing set-aside from 15% to 10% of total units.
- Income tiers: Adjusts the rental affordability threshold from 50% AMI to 60% AMI to align with state and federal financing standards, while keeping homeownership at 80% AMI.
- Administrative compliance: Replaces the former special permit requirement with an administrative “demonstration of compliance” review by the OSPCD Director.
- Fee-in-lieu: Increases fee to buy-out an affordable unit in lieu of including one from $300,000 to $375,000 per unit and grants the Affordable Housing Trust Fund sole discretion over whether to accept fees or require unit construction.
- Exemptions: Nursing homes and convalescent facilities are exempt.
Its companion ordinance, Paper 335A-26, enacted three developer incentives under Section F, notably granting developers two additional market-rate units for every required affordable unit built, doubling the prior 1:1 ratio. There are also new height allowance and parking minimums aimed at spurring development.
Councilor Steve Winslow underscored that the vote had to happen immediately — under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, Section 6, the Council was bound by a strict 90-day statutory clock following the close of the joint public hearing on August 12. Tuesday, November 10 was the absolute final day for action, or the entire amendment package would have legally lapsed.
Winslow informed the Council of a meeting held earlier that day with Mayor Gary Christenson, Building Commissioner Nelson Miller and City Planner Michelle Romero to address discrepancies between the new IZ policy and the recently passed MBTA Communities zoning and the Overlook Ridge overlay district, which still carry 15% affordability requirements:
“The building inspector and city planner had some concerns that the inclusionary zoning ordinances had some conflicts between the MBTA zoning ordinances that we have recently passed, as well as the overlay for Overlook Ridge,” said Winslow. “The recommendation is we pass this and iron out those other changes as urgently as we can.”
The Council ordained both papers.
In other matters …
The consent agenda featured two mayoral appointments, an annual board report and a code update.
Leilani Ricardo was reappointed to the Cultural Council through August 2029, and Leonard Iovino was confirmed as Fire Commissioner to complete the unexpired term of Emery Haskell through March 2027.
The Malden Historical Commission FY2026 Annual Report, outlining priorities such as local historic district establishment and demolition delay ordinance updates, was placed on file.
The fourth item, Paper 452-26, sponsored by Chair Amanda Linehan, proposed a comprehensive update to Chapter 11.16 of the Malden Municipal Code regarding public shade trees. It would define the authority of the city’s tree warden and set urban forestry standards and trench permit protections within 50 feet of shade trees on public land. Winslow asked to remove the paper from the standard Rules & Ordinance referral track, suggesting instead a joint referral with the Public Properties Committee to ensure Ward 4 Councilor Ryan O’Malley, who joined as a co-sponsor, could actively participate.
The Council voted to refer the shade tree ordinance to a joint meeting of Public Properties and Rules & Ordinance.
Resolving $800,000 snow and ice deficit
Malden got around 60 inches of snow last winter, including 23 inches from a single historic two-day Nor’easter in late January. That forced the DPW to blow through the $200,000 the city typically sets aside for snow and ice removal.
Because seasonal snowfall is impossible to predict, per state law, snow and ice removal is the only line item in municipal budgets that can be run as a deficit, with shortfalls filled with funds raised the following fiscal year. To cover the high costs incurred last winter, the council amended the FY2027 General Fund budget by reducing the Department of Public Works appropriation by $800,000, from $9,525,480 down to $8,725,480. Should the coming winter be similarly snowy, the city can again deficit spend to pay for removal.
Councilor Ari Taylor noted that Chief Financial Officer Chuck Ranigan presented the move as essential.
“If we left that [$800,000] number in there, we would have had a negative excess levy capacity, which we can’t have,” said City Assessor Nathaniel Cramer. Without shifting the deficit to the tax recap sheet, the city could not finalize its tax rate.
“In essence, this maneuver gives us the flexibility to either spend money in FY27 or push it off to FY28,” said Winslow.
The Council unanimously adopted the budget reduction.
35% Residential Exemption Reaffirmed
With the budget adjustment settled, the council was able to set the FY2027 tax rate and minimum residential factor, which defines how much of the property tax burden can be shifted from homeowners.
City Assessor Nathaniel Cramer reviewed local market trends. With 2025 sales data showing a stabilizing real estate market across the city, he recommended the maximum allowable tax shift to commercial properties under state law, a factor of 1.75. Under Malden’s residential exemption, which was originally adopted in 2008 and increased from 30% to 35% in recent years, 8,100 owner-occupied households out of 12,672 residential parcels currently qualify.
The average tax exemption is $3,361, saving the average residential homeowner approximately $1,049 compared to an unshifted single tax rate.
On the commercial side, a newly contracted vendor auditing personal property accounts — that is, the equipment, machinery and furnishings used by local businesses — added approximately $850,000 in new tax growth, boosting total new municipal growth to nearly $1.6 million.
O’Malley underscored how Malden’s demographic layout supports the policy. Because the city must still collect the same total tax revenue, aka the levy, granting a tax break to owner-occupants based on home value requires the city to raise the base residential tax rate to make up the difference. Non-owner-occupied properties, like large apartment complexes, don’t qualify for the exemption, so their often corporate owners end up paying a higher rate on the full assessed value of their buildings.
Cramer agreed, observing: “It works unbelievably here because we have so many large apartment complexes.”
With no public testimony offered in favor or opposition, the Council unanimously approved the 0.9059 minimum residential factor and the 35% residential exemption on a 10–0 roll call vote.
Cemetery easement stalls over alleged National Grid misconduct
A proposal to grant National Grid an easement across Forest Dale Cemetery drew critiques of the utility company’s treatment of city property.
Councilor Ari Taylor introduced the paper, explaining that it was intended to stabilize a leaning, hazardous utility pole near Forest and Sylvan streets by allowing ground anchors and guy wires to be placed behind the cemetery wall, rather than obstructing the sidewalk.
However, Malden Cemetery Commission President Jim Tuxbury and Cemetery Superintendent Chris Rosa delivered testimony describing years of broken promises and trespass by the utility.
Tuxbury, a retired police officer, detailed repeated instances of utility crews arriving unannounced.
“One of our conditions was for them to check the day before, because obviously, during a funeral, we do not want trucks, commercial trucks, digging,” he said. “It’s obvious to us they do not want to follow any kind of rules.”
Rosa recounted issues after previous pole permits had been approved with conditions requiring wire removals and tree plantings.
“One day they came in during a funeral. Next time — and they always sneak in — I found trucks parked on veterans’ graves,” said Rosa. “I lost my mind. I kicked them out.”
Tuxbury added that an arborist verified that guy wires wrapped into tree canopies by utility workers had strangled and killed mature cemetery trees. He asked that the city demand reparations and replantings, arguing that a seven-page permanent easement was unnecessary when a simple one-page contract could suffice.
City Solicitor Alicia McNeil clarified that the easement document originated entirely from National Grid. Council members voiced unanimous support for cemetery officials, with O’Malley arguing against granting a permanent property right for nominal compensation and suggested an alternate route.
“Rather than an easement, we might want to look at a license,” said O’Malley. “The difference between an easement and a license is that a license is revocable at the will of those who grant it.”
Councilor Michelle Luong agreed, expressing discomfort with granting permanent utility access, while Councilor Steve Winslow drew on his legal background, calling on the city to use its permitting leverage.
“Utilities are, I’d say, almost a fourth estate of government, and so they are used to powering through things,” said Winslow. “We have to assert our sovereign authority and push back. Just like we had to really push them to get those poles done so the hospital site could get done … If you’re not cooperating on this thing, we’re not going to cooperate anywhere.”
On a motion by O’Malley, seconded by Taylor, the Council voted 10–0 to refer Paper 455-26 to the Public Properties Committee to negotiate stricter terms or a revocable license.
Free cash transfers and Linden Park upgrades
The Council dispatched two significant financial items under Orders and Resolutions:
Paper 454-26: Sponsored by McDonald, this order appropriates $11,173,913 from certified free cash — that is, funds remaining from the previous fiscal year — into the city’s newly created stabilization funds, allocating $10,158,103 to the General Purpose Stabilization Fund and $1,015,810 to the Short Term Capital Needs Stabilization Fund.
Taylor noted this fulfills recent ordinance changes aimed at safeguarding municipal reserves. The order was referred to the Finance Committee.
Paper 456-26: A resolution authorizing Mayor Gary Christenson to accept and spend a $425,000 PARC Grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for improvements to the Linden Park Playground. The $1.46 million project is set to replace playground equipment; install rubberized safety surfacing; add fencing, trees, and picnic tables; and construct a shade shelter.
OSPCD Director Alex Pratt confirmed that boundary and deed questions previously encountered at Trafton Park had been vetted and resolved for Linden Park by the legal department. The Council passed the resolve unanimously.
Animal control shifted to DPH
The council ordained Paper 446-26, amending Title 2 of the Malden Municipal Code to reassign oversight of the Animal Control Officer (ACO) from the Malden Police Department to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
Winslow noted that the measure, sponsored jointly with Linehan, implemented a detailed October 22 memorandum from Christenson. Under the new operational structure, day-to-day supervision of the ACO shifts away from the Police Patrol Captain, who oversees 65 patrol officers, and into Inspectional Services and Public Health, aligning animal welfare, rabies tracking, and hoarding investigations with community health services. The ordinance passed unanimously without debate.
Finally, under personal privilege, Winslow commended local veterans, noting that the city’s annual Veterans Day observance would take place the following morning at 10 a.m. at Forest Dale Cemetery. He also encouraged residents to support upcoming holiday food drives, including the annual “Cranksgiving” event on Sunday organized by Bike to the Sea and Bread of Life.
This is a recap of the Nov. 10, 2026 City Council meeting. The full meeting is on YouTube.
The City Council agenda has links to all papers and supporting documents.
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