At the Council’s regular monthly meeting on December 8, Ken gave an update on the Chamber operations and initiatives, including the North Shore Blue Economy. Ken also gave a brief update on the status of the town of Essex’s deliberations on special event/ entertainment licensing.

The Council discussed the annual process of tax classification in the city of Gloucester, and the Chamber’s long-standing position in support of tax rate parity among all classes of property in the city.  Ken attended and reported on the recent Budget & Finance Committee meeting at which the committee recommended supporting the Mayor’s recommendation to retain a tax shift of 1.03 for commercial/ industrial property.

On December 15 the Council also held a special meeting to consider a request for Chamber support for Cape Ann Marina Resort’s proposed new boat storage facility.

The Government Affairs Council leads the Chamber’s focus on economic development and public policy, one of our key platforms. This Council meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 7:30 to 9 AM, and participation is open to any Chamber member with an interest in being engaged with our state and local government and helping foster a vibrant Cape Ann economy.  Currently, those who are part of our monthly meetings include representatives from Cape Ann’s industrial, tourism, government, real estate, legal, non-profit and services sectors.

To learn more or join in these meetings, please contact Ken or me.

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Bill Scott
Chair, Government Affairs Council
Scott Energy Company