Ordinance and Administration Committee

RECEIVED By City Clerk at 2:13 pm, 6/28/22 City of Amesbury Office of the City Clerk 62 Friend St. Amesbury, MA 01913 Ordinance & Administration Committee Minutes May 16, 2022, at 6:00 PM VIRTUAL The meeting was called to order by the City Clerk at 6:02 PM Roll Call was taken, and present were Councilor Frey, Councilor Lennon, and Councilor Rinaldi. Topics for Discussion: Election of Committee Chair- Councilor Rinaldi moved to elect Councilor Frey as the Chair of the Ordinance & Administration Committee and he was seconded by Councilor Lennon. A roll call vote was taken, and it was voted unanimous (3 present). Approval of Committee Meeting Schedule-  Councilor Rinaldi asked if only meeting once a month with council meetings twice a month would hold up a council bill if it needed to go this subcommittee for a recommendation. Councilor Lennon responded that the new format should lead to planning by bill sponsors to ensure they have time to proceed for approval. Councilor Rinaldi moved to approve the 2022 meeting schedule. Councilor Lennon seconded but moved to amend to make the location either city hall or virtual. A roll call vote was taken, and it was voted unanimous (3 present). Minutes for approval- February 15, 2022 (cont. from April). Councilor Lennon moved to approve the minutes from February 15, 2022 as amended, and she was seconded by Councilor Rinaldi. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed (2 in favor- Frey abstained). Public Comment-  Councilor Wheeler commented that there had not been contact made yet with former committee members Raffa and Johnson about the new structure and having their roles restored. The intent would be to appoint as special municipal employees and non-voting members. 2022-057 An Order to authorize the Mayor to participate in the 2022 LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program. - Mayor Sponsor  Community and Economic Development Director, Angela Cleveland, spoke to the committee about the program, how it works, and how the city would benefit from it.  Councilor Lennon had various questions about the program and stated that she’d like to see these types of orders come before the council before the program actually starts.  Councilor Rinaldi noted that Amesbury was accepted as one of only 14 communities nationwide and the only New England community.  Councilor Frey asked who would be included from the city to attend the program orientation. Director Cleveland responded that this orientation and training had already taken place.  There was a question about whether this program would include city buildings receiving LEED certification. Director Cleveland responded that this program was geared more towards sustainability and equity within leadership. (I don’t recall who asked the question). Councilor Lennon moved to send bill 2022-057 back to the full Council with a positive recommendation and she was seconded by Councilor Rinaldi. A roll call vote was taken, and it was voted unanimous (3 present). 2022-059 An Order to create five (5) new, permanent fifteen (15) minute parking spaces throughout downtown Amesbury. -Mayor Sponsor  Community and Economic Development Director, Angela Cleveland, spoke to the committee about the order. She stated that they reached out to the businesses who had the temporary spots in place to see if they could benefit from them being permanent. She discussed where the five spots would be located within the city.  Councilor Lennon stated that she would like to see these continue to be temporary until some sort of traffic study was done. Ms. Cleveland said that there were no funds for that at the moment. Councilor Lennon asked if this could be done through the LEED program and Ms. Cleveland said that was not within the scope of the program.  Councilor Wheeler spoke during the public comment of this piece. He stated that this would need to be revised to be an ordinance and not an order. He also stated that the traffic regulations for the city already has a section that details the city’s 15 minute parking spaces and that section would need to be revised as well.  Councilor Lennon stated she would like to see feedback from Planning and Development subcommittee before making a recommendation. Councilor Lennon moved to continue bill 2022-059 to the next regularly scheduled Ordinance and Administration meeting of June 20th. She was seconded by Councilor Rinaldi. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously (3 present). 2022-062 An order to Amend the Amesbury Zoning Map and Zoning Bylaw to establish a Marijuana Overlay District (MCOD).   Councilor Lennon stated that this was referred to the Planning Board and that they would need to wait until they receive a recommendation from them to act on this matter. She suggested that this be continued to the next regularly scheduled Ordinance and Administration meeting. Councilor Lennon moved to continue bill 2022-062 to the next regularly scheduled Ordinance and Administration meeting of June 20th. She was seconded by Councilor Rinaldi. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously (3 present). Councilor Lennon moved to adjourn the meeting at 6:47 PM and she was seconded by Councilor Rinaldi. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously (3 present). May 20, 2022