Malden Council Enrolls Dumpster Ordinance, Tables Three Cannabis Amendments

MALDEN — November 1, 2022 — Malden City Council tabled three cannabis ordinance amendments and enrolled a new dumpster placement ban in a busy November 1 session. The council voted 10-0 to table Papers 317-22, 318-22, and 319-22 — administrative corrections to the city's cannabis regulations — after Councilor Steve O'Malley argued the papers were part of a broader package that could not be fairly split from a fourth, more controversial principal-use amendment the Rules and Ordinances Committee had decided to refile. The council unanimously enrolled Paper 367-22, amending city code to bar dumpsters from being "placed" on public ways, a word change from the original "stored" recommended after review by the building inspector. Councilor Craig Winslow's parks permitting reform, Paper 439-22, was sent to the Rules and Ordinances Committee with unanimous support; the proposal would authorize a $300-per-day fine for permit violations and require city council approval for any recreational facility agreement exceeding one year — a direct response to what Councilor Paul Simonelli described as paid soccer instructors from outside Malden "destroying" Lincoln Commons without permits.