The Newburyport City Council on Feb. 18 voted to refer two late-file orders — a loan order for the Recreation Youth Services Center and a paired order to place a debt-exclusion ballot question before voters — to the Budget and Finance Committee of the Whole for further review. The motion to refer passed 9–1 after more than 25 minutes of discussion about timing, voter notification and construction bid timelines.

Councilors and the mayor said the referral is intended to allow more public information and committee vetting. The sponsor of the orders asked residents to submit written comments to council@newburyportma.gov and said a committee timeline would be circulated to the council.

The issue that animated debate was whether the city should hold a special election this spring for a debt-exclusion vote tied to the Recreation Youth Services Center project or delay to the November general election. The mayor said the city now has finalized construction documents and a fixed bid price, and “every second when we don't do this, the price tag goes up,” urging voters be given an immediate choice. Opponents of a special election said the $8.3 million figure has been known for roughly two years and that a stand‑alone special election would be costly and might not be fair to all voters.

Committee timeline and ballot logistics were discussed. One councilor asked about the resident-notification process; staff said the typical statutory notification period is roughly 30–35 days once an order is passed and that a May 6 date in the packet represented the final day for closing under the project timeline. Councilors also noted that the city has not committed to producing a statutory “voter information” mailer (often called a red book) and that a decision on what material to send to voters would be required if the council pursues a special election.

Councilor [sponsor] moved to refer the two late-file orders (Order 685: Recreation Youth Services Center loan order; Order 686: Recreation Youth Services Center ballot question) to Budget and Finance and the Committee of the Whole; the motion was seconded by Councilor Harmon. The council then voted by voice and subsequent roll call, resulting in a 9–1 split in favor of referral.

The referral sends the loan and ballot question to committee for schedule, public hearings and a recommendation back to the full council. Staff and the sponsor indicated the committee would outline a timeline and invite public input before the council decides whether to advance a debt-exclusion question to voters.

What happens next: The Budget and Finance Committee of the Whole will schedule meetings to vet the order language, timeline and public notification plan and will report back to the full council with recommendations and any requested edits to the ballot language.