HomeMy WebLinkAbout_09022020-8951Town Government Study Committee
Minutes of the meeting of September 2, 2020. The meeting took place via Zoom. Members of
the committee present were: John Brescher, Curtis Barnes, Rick Atherton, Linda Williams, and
Tucker Holland.
1) Chair John Brescher called the meeting to order at 10:05 am with a quorum.
2) Agenda: Tucker Holland moved approval of the agenda, seconded by Linda Williams.
All voted in favor by voice vote.
3) Public Comment: None.
4) Minutes: Rick Atherton suggested we revise the ongoing workgroup language within the
minutes. A motion was made by Linda Williams and seconded by Curtis Barnes. All
voted in favor by voice-vote.
5) Finalization of memo to Select Board:
Curtis Barnes asked when we are trying to get this memorandum to the Select Board. It has
been difficult to get a hold of Town Administration and it was suggested that the Committee
request to be put under “Public Comment” if the Select Board did not schedule something.
Rick Atherton began reviewing the draft of the memorandum to the Select Board. Rick’s
suggestion for the first Paragraph was to insert the chart illustrating the various forms of Town
Government available. Tucker Holland agreed and noted that we should include a “punchline”
or some declarative statement to grab the Select Board’s attention.
Rick also added that as a result of the non-binding questions asked of the voters, the desire to
see the Committee do additional work seemed to open the window for further review of the
forms of Town Government. Linda Williams asked if the Committee thought we were at a point
where we could make a suggestion regarding the form of Town Government. The consensus
amongst the Committee members was that the Committee was not yet at that point.
Linda further suggested that rather this be a final memorandum to the Select Board, it could be
used as a status update so the Select Board could be kept up to date on what the Committee
has been doing.
John Brescher agreed with the idea of a status update to the Select Board. He then asked the
Committee how the Committee can arrive at a conclusion or declarative statement regarding the
form of Town Government. Curtis Barnes suggested asking the voters if they definitively
wanted to stay with Open Town Meeting. Rick Atherton suggested appointing a commission for
something of this scale. Both Linda Williams and Tucker Holland agreed with this approach, but
noted that in order for the response to be accurate and legitimate, further education of the public
would be needed. The Committee also noted that there is a need to have access to Town
Counsel to review the charter to make sure it complies with the latest standards in the
Massachusetts General Laws.
The Committee then reviewed other paragraphs of the memorandum.
The Second Paragraph referenced the need for code enforcement and the Committee did not
have any comments regarding the way this was written.
For the Third Paragraph referenced the proposed changes to the audit committee, the
Committee suggested that text be added to the addendum, which is the warrant article
submitted by the Town.
For the Fourth Paragraph, which involved the discussions regarding the Historic District
Commission, the Committee had no suggestions.
For the Fifth Paragraph, the role of the Town Government Study Committee, the discussion
centered around what the Select Board was asking for. The sense from the Committee was
that if the Select Board deems a separate Government Review Committee appropriate, they are
empowered to create it. The Committee recommended adding a note that during the course of
our meetings, many people have been curious and had concerns about the daily functioning of
government and many of these concerns could be addressed through internal operations in
Town Administration and the Select Board.
The discussion of the Committee regarding the establishment of a Licensing Committee
mimicked the discussion of the Town Government Study Committee in that this would be
something Town Administration or the Select Board could be empowered to do.
The paragraph for the Parking District Commission discussion noted that the Committee should
obtain a copy of the Town Meeting Warrant Article discussing this proposal and attaching it to
the addendum.
The Parks and Recreation Department discussion focused on cleaning up the formatting of the
text, as well as a broader discussion regarding the uncertainty of this department. The
Committee agreed to “clean-up” the text and await more clarity from Annual Town Meeting and
Town Counsel.
Rick Atherton suggested that for the paragraph regarding a Town Ombudsman or the
establishment of a Dispute Committee, the Committee note that we had already opined on this
matter and have sent a letter to the Select Board and Town Meeting moderator.
With respect to the paragraph regarding the Airport’s proposed warrant article, Rick Atherton
noted that he had spoken with Tom Rafter and the article had passed at June’s Annual Town
Meeting and a home rule petition was submitted to the State to delegate the authority to the
Select Board to approve capital projects. The suggestion for the Committee was to attach the
home rule petition and warrant article to the memorandum.
6. Discussion of Future Responsibilities of Committee and topics investigated The next task for the Committee is to compile the edits to the memorandum and review again at their next meeting. 7. Other Business None. 8. Date and time of next meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for September 16, 2020 at 10:00 am via Zoom.
9. Adjournment
A motion was made by Linda Williams and duly seconded by Tucker Holland to adjourn
at 11:10 am.
Respectfully Submitted,
John B. Brescher, Chair