Ordinance and Administration Committee

By City Clerk at 8:25 am, Sep 20, 2023 City of Amesbury Office of the City Clerk 62 Friend St. Amesbury, MA 01913 City Council Ordinance & Administration Subcommittee Meeting Minutes June 15, 2023, at 7:30 PM City Hall Auditorium- 62 Friend St. Chairman Frey called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Roll call was taken and present were Atty. Johnson, Attorney Raffa, Councilor Rinaldi, and Councilor Frey. Absent was Councilor Lennon. Approval of Minutes- May 15, 2023 Atty Raffa noted several typographical errors to be corrected: • Typo in 2023-040 third bullet point extra “in”. • 2023-049 fourth bullet third sentence could/would • 2023-050 first bullet, “he” should be “she”. • 2023-034 summary of order, capitalize the word “section”. Councilor Rinaldi moved to accept the minutes of May 15th with the corrections noted. He was seconded by Councilor Frey. The motion passed unanimously (2 voting members present). Public Comment- There was no one to speak during the public comment. Topics for Discussion- 2023-049 An Ordinance Relative the Office of City Clerk and Assistant City Clerk. -Councilor Wheeler Sponsor • Councilor Wheeler distributed a revised version of the order and explained the red-line changes to the committee. • Amanda Haggstrom, the City Clerk spoke to the legal opinion from KP Law and some concerns she still had codifying certain items from the job description based on the feedback from the Attorney. • Atty. Johnson asked Ms. Haggstrom if she was comfortable with the amended order, and she stated she was. Councilor Rinaldi moved to send 2023-049 revised version June 15, 2023, back to the City Council with a positive recommendation pending revisions to: Section 132-2 (I), Section (M)- inserting the words “Oversees the” before “purchasing all office supplies and equipment.” Section 132-2 (I), Section (L)- replacing the phrase “keeper fo the Official Seal” to “keeper of the Official Seal”. Section 132-2 (C)- Adding the following items from the Clerk’s job description as numbers: (4) Equipping, and staffing all polling places, training election workers, distributing ballots, and testing and maintaining voting equipment. (5) Preparing and issuing notifications regarding election activities, schedules, and locations. He was seconded by Councilor Frey. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously (two voting members present). 2023-053 An Order to accept Sections 3 to 7, inclusive, of Chapter 44B of the General Laws, otherwise known as the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA)- Councilors Lennon, Wheeler, Mandeville, and Hogg Sponsor. • Councilor Wheeler said there was an attempt to pass in 2016 and explained the process of Community Preservation Acts. He said that the state gives money as an incentive for adoption. He said that if the council approved, it would go on the ballot, the voters would need to pass this by simple majority vote. A committee would be established that would recommend projects to the council for approval. • Councilor Rinaldi asked some questions about the attempt in 2016 and talked about the tax bill impacts. • Councilor Wheeler talked about the timeline and that you want to put this question on a ballot for an election with a higher turnout. He said that we can try this year and if it doesn’t pass, we can try again next year for the presidential election. Councilor Rinaldi moved to send 2023-053 back to the City Council with a positive recommendation. He was seconded by Councilor Frey. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously (two voting members present). The council engages in discussion on the east end smart growth order and changing the date of the meeting. Tentatively planned a special meeting 6/27 at 6:45 pm Councilor Rinaldi moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:13 p.m. He was seconded by Councilor Frey. The motion passed unanimously (2 voting members present). June 21, 2023