City Council - Ordinance Committee

Ordinance Committee Minutes January 24, 2023 Members present: Salem Derby, Brad Riley, Tom Peake Members absent: Also in Attendance: Homar Gomez, Owen Zaret, Koni Denham, Gwynne Morrissey Meeting called to order by Councilor Derby at 6:30 pm 1. Public Speak Time: Gary Bourbeau from Ludlow – Believes that approving the CPC ordinance will close the Bethlehem house and change Easthampton from a pro-choice community to a pro-abortion community. 2. Approval of the January 5th meeting notes: Councilor Peake motioned to approve; Councilor Riley seconded; vote: 3-0 APPROVED. 3. Continuing Business: Vacant Storefront Ordinance Councilor Peake updated the Committee that engagements in his personal life for seeking venue spaces gives an appearance of a conflict of interest. He let the Committee know that he would engage in conversations in the future about the ordinance but said he would vote to abstain to prevent any conflicts of interest. Councilor Derby received the updated ordinance from the city solicitor and opened discussion to the Committee. Councilor Peake requested a final review of the track changes to ensure everything is cleaned up. Councilor Derby verified in the final document that “INSERT ENTITY” will be changed to “Building Commissioner or their designee.” Planner Bagg wanted to ensure the language suggests the planning department’s participation along building the spreadsheet and waivers. Gwynne Morrissey had questions about Section 6, B stating that City Council does not set inspection fees. Councilor Derby confirmed and suggested we explore setting a fee in the language of the ordinance in consultation with the Building Commissioner. “INSERT PAYEE” will be changed to “Building Department.” Jeff Bagg suggested we investigate whether fees to the Building Department go to the General Fund and whether we should create a separate fund for the fees. Mayor LaChapelle clarified that in other departments, we’ve looked at fee and revolving accounts. There’s a specific way they are created, and it depends on the type of fee that is collected. This is a question to defer to our City Auditor.  Gwynne Morrissey wanted to know if there is any language required about retroactivity. Councilor Derby verified that we must start at Day 1 when the Ordinance goes into effect. Jeff Bagg confirmed that Day 1 starts when the first letter is sent to property owners.  Councilor Riley made a motion, and Councilor Derby Seconded. Vote: 2-0 approved with Peake abstaining that the Vacant Storefront Ordinance be sent to the full Council for a public hearing. Revisions to City Ordinances  Add Chapter 6, Section 6-23: Safe & fair access to legally protected reproductive and gender- affirming health care services. o Councilor Zaret updated the Committee on changes to language in the ordinance, which focuses more on education and outreach at the municipal level for state level policies and procedures and removes language related to enforcement. o Councilor Derby wants to do a final vetting of the new language before a final vote. Public Comments Pam Hibbard – thought the language was already vetted by the city solicitor. Councilor Derby clarified that no language goes to the solicitor without a vote from the Committee. Pam requested getting access to the changes in language before it goes to the solicitor. Councilor Gomez clarified that the language is public record. He clarified the process from start to the present day and what happens next. Sandra Zieminski – She wanted to know if the original on the website. Councilor Peake confirmed it is located on the website on the full City Council agenda. Councilor Zaret let Sandra it is searchable by keywords. Dick Pasquini – Board of Directors at Bethlehem House, lives in Ludlow, MA. Dick spoke about the vandalism at Bethlehem House and the new investment in security systems. He spoke in support of women who come to Bethlehem House. 4. Other: Next regular meeting will be set at a later date. Councilor Peake made a motion to adjourn, and Councilor Riley seconded. Vote: 3-0. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Councilor Brad Riley Clerk to the Ordinance Committee