HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-7-13ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF NONVOTING TAXPAYERS
Minutes of meeting 10 A.M., SATURDAY, July IN 2819,1 atP 2:4.,
4 Fairgrounds Road
1. Attending: Gary Beller, Peter Halle, Peter Kahn, Don Green (from
10:33 a.m.), and Bill Sherman; guest speaker John B. Brescher,
Chair, Town Government Study Committee. Also present: Curtis
Barnes, member, TGSC. Members absent: Lou Bassano, Kathy
Baird, Lou Bassano, Howard Blitman, Bill Gardner, Sue Matloff
and Jay Strauss.
2. Lacking a quorum, an informal discussion was opened at 10:15 a.m.
Approval of the proposed minutes for the June 29, 2019 meeting
was deferred. Our guests John Brescher and Curtis Barnes were
welcomed.
3. John spoke of his committee's focus on the Town Charter, broadly
and in textual detail. A wide range of Town personnel including
members of the Select Board and Town Counsel have been
interviewed. Town Counsel was asked to report any changes in
state law affecting current Charter provisions.
4. Concerned that Select Board members are burdened with tasks best
delegated to others, the TGSC has recommended that a Sewer
Commission take on Board concerns about wastewater collection,
etc. John noted that the Sewer Department faces uncertainties about
location of ancient pipes.
5. Also recommended is a Licensing Board to take on Board licensing
responsibilities. Creation of the current Board of Health is seen as a
model. These recommendations preferably would be implemented
through amendment of the Town Charter.
6. [Charter changes implemented at the 2019 ATM included
replacement of the "Board of Selectmen" with "Select Board."]
7. The TGSC also wants better Town Administration: transparency so
the public knows how to navigate to get answers, clearly defined
job descriptions, roles and responsibilities, and organization chart.
8. Its third major focus is on the form of Town government, whether
with Open Town Meeting, Representative Town Meeting, or
available alternative.
9. John recalled that Falmouth was spurred to go from Open to
Representative TM by passage of a zoning issue when the
proponent packed the vote. With 30,000 pop., Falmouth now has
14 precincts with precinct captains attending Representative TM
twice yearly, one on financial issues, the other for non-financial.
Actually, all Falmouth residents can attend and can speak their
concerns at a Representative Town Meeting but only precinct
captains can vote. [For Falmouth Charter, see
https://ecode360.com/16230342 ] Those elected as precinct captains
are expected to keep themselves well informed on TM issues, to
hold pre-TM sessions with constituents, also with seasonal residents
(nonvoting taxpayers). That potential for a voice given seasonal
residents was cited as a particular plus value for Representative
TM. If a precinct captain proves uninformed ("clueless,") the Town
Clerk is empowered to eject him. E-voting is used in Falmouth with
hand-count as an available backup.
10. To change Nantucket to have Representative TMs would require
much voter involvement in a major educational outreach. Of some
8000 registered Nantucket voters, typically 600 — 800 show up at its
Open TM. Some 170 other Massachusetts towns have OTMs and
20 — 30 have RTMs.
I LPrecincts in Nantucket might generally follow NCL area
association neighborhood boundaries. [For equal representation,
each precinct should include substantially the same number of
voters.] John recommends reliance on a professional for
establishing proposed precinct bounds and corresponding number
of precinct captains. The bounds and number of precincts would
presumably be established prior to a Town Charter amendment.
{See Home Rule Amendment to the Constitution of the
Commonwealth, Article LXXXIX, Section 3, at
https-//www.mma.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/article89 O.pdf
for amendment procedure.]
12.Gary Beller said he was very frustrated with a dysfunctional OTM
and wondered whether excess state control was a problem. John
thought not likely. Gary preferred that more not less responsibility
be centered on the Select Board rather than Town Meeting. He
hopes that a Nantucket Charter change would increase the
involvement of nonvoting taxpayers.
13.Don Green characterized his town's RTM [Reading, MA charter at
https://www.reading'ma.gov/sites/readingma/files/file/file/2015 -04-
21 _reading home_ rule_charter.pdf ] Generally precinct captains
are known to their neighbors and can be contacted personally.
Republican and Democratic caucuses can put forward and support
precinct captains.
14.Curt Barnes expressed his concern that Town officials had
conducted discussions with National Grid "in camera' regarding its
proposed L8 extension of power lines on poles from town to the
Rotary.
15.Responding to Bill Sherman, John said that amendment of the
County Charter was outside the task of the TGSC. TGSC is
working on a self-imposed timeline to offer its recommendations to
the Select Board, perhaps also asking a Town Meeting vote on a
non-binding charter change resolution.
16.Particular suggestions to TGSC from ACNVT members:
- per Peter Halle, include in a change by charter amendment to
Representative Town Meeting that some number of precinct
captains be elected at large.
- per Gary [perhaps in jest] have Annual Town Meeting run for 5
days of discussing the articles, then vote on the sixth day.
John recalled the suggestion that warrant articles be taken up at
random to ensure continued voter participation.
17.Responding to Jeff Carlson's 7/10/19 email inviting ACNVT
appointment of a representative to serve on the Coastal Resiliency
Advisory Committee (CRAG), Don as Chair appointed Vice -Chair
Gary Beller. ACNVT Secretary is to notify Jeff Carlson.
18.Our next meeting July 27 will include election of officers, and
speaker Kristie Ferrantella, new Select Board member and member
of the Nantucket Town Government Study Committee. Kristie
Ferrantella is also VP of the Nantucket Island Chamber of
Commerce.
19.The meeting ended at 11:33 a.m. with an expression of thanks to
TGSC Chair John Brescher and member Curt Barnes.
20.Respectfully submitted,
Bill Sherman, Secretary
Draft minutes e -distributed 7/18/19. Minutes adopted 7/27/19,
posted 7/36/19 and hard copy submitted to Town Clerk 7/36/19