JLJames Laurenti

Civic Resources: Beverly

My town is making hard decisions with real consequences, and the conversation around them has been contentious. These are an attempt to make it clearer: explainers that walk through the problem, and tools to poke at it yourself. Nonpartisan, sourced, and built for people who don't have time to dig.

Reading

Narrative explainers that turn a contentious civic problem into plain language. They build on each other, so start at the top.

  1. How the budget works

    Written spring 2026, before the FY2027 budget was set

    Why the city keeps running short, in plain language.

  2. The FY2027 budget

    The year the gap got real: rising costs, the trash-fee fight, and what was cut to balance one budget.

Tools

Interactive pieces. Poke at the numbers and the map yourself.

  1. Find the money

    The actual budget, and a chance to close the gap yourself. It’s harder than "just cut the waste."

  2. The development map

    Beta

    Where Beverly is changing, parcel by parcel.