Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
Haverhill city councilors are scheduled tonight to consider asking the legislature for approval to expand the city’s Board of Health from three to five members.
Mayor Melinda E. Barrett recommends the additional members. In a letter to the mayor last week, City Solicitor Lisa L. Mead said state law currently limits the city to a three-person board and she drafted a home rule petition for councilors to consider. The special legislation would give the mayor the authority to name five members with staggered terms, eventually totaling three-year appointments. Health Board Chairperson Peter Carbone told WHAV, he has requested an enlarged board for at least three years.
“There are many times there’s a conflict for one of the three of us, for some reason not able to attend a scheduled meeting,” he said.
With five members, he explained, there is a better chance of having three out of five members to make a quorum rather than two out of the three. Carbone said there is also another advantage to the city.
“The bigger part of that is the knowledge that the two new members could bring to the table about health-related issues and animal health-related issues that we don’t necessarily have today with three of us,” he added.
Besides Carbone, Health Board members include Diana Sherlock and Dr. Romie Mundy.
The Haverhill City Council meets Tuesday night at 7, remotely and in-person at the Theodore A. Pelosi Jr. Council Chambers, room 202, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St. As a public service, 97.9 WHAV plans to carry the meeting live.