Home Rule Study Commission

Home Rule Study Commission Borough of Greenville Minutes of the Meeting held June 20, 7:00 PM Greenville Senior Center 1. Call to Order Paul Miller, Commission Chairman 2. Pledge of Allegiance – Steve Thompson 3. Roll Call: Paul Hamill Hal Johnson Martha Johnson Paul Miller Casey Shilling Steve Thompson Steve Williams Also present: Jasson Urey, Joyce Ammons, Lawrence Keller, Tracy Beil, Craig Brick, Kimberly Brick, Ryan Baker Media: Caleb Stright, Record-Argus 4. Public Comments: None 5. Minutes: Casey made a motion to accept the June 13 minutes as presented and Hal offered a second. Motion carried 7-0. 6. Old Business: Paul Miller reported that he talked to the attorney who said that if we get the draft to his office by July 1, they should be able to get it back to us in the latter half of the month. Paul tentatively suggested August 1 & 15 as public hearing dates and August 22 to adjourn the Committee of the Whole and vote on the charter as a Commission. A motion was made by Steve T. to accept 9.1 (a) of Draft # 8 as written and section 9.1 (b), the first two sentences only. Casey offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Paul H. to accept 9.2 (a & b) of the current draft as presented. Casey offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Steve T. to add the following as 3.2 (d) of the current draft. The city is committed to the best practices of municipal governance, innovation and administration, including those related to ethics, finances, budgeting, safety forces, infrastructure, human resources, planning and development, and current issues facing Greenville. To achieve these goals, councilmembers and the mayor shall complete training on the best practices of municipal governance and administration. Training sessions are to be provided for by the city, as determined by council, within three months of a person’s election or appointment to the position of councilmember or mayor. Training shall consist of a minimum of eight contact hours of instruction for new councilmembers and councilmembers who have been reelected.  When training is completed, the clerk of council shall provide each officer with a certificate of completion. The certificate shall be signed by the person designated by council to verify the completion of the training. The signed certificate shall be filed with the clerk of council prior to the expiration of the three-month period of time for the completion of training. Casey offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 6-1 with Martha opposed. A motion was made by Casey to add 9.1 (b) of the alternative option in the current draft as 9.3. Martha offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Steve W. to accept the following as 10.2. “In January of 2025 and each 10th year thereafter, five registered voters shall be appointed as members of the Charter Review Commission after being elected in the preceding November election. Members of the commission shall not hold any other office or position of employment with the city. The commission shall review the charter and within six months after the appointment of its members the charter review commission will adopt recommendations by majority vote. Council shall submit any proposed amendments recommended by the commission to a vote of the people in the manner provided under this charter and the state Constitution.” Amendments shall be in the form provided by council. Paul H. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Steve W. to accept 10.1 of the current draft with the addition of the phrase “No earlier than January 1, 2025,” at the beginning of the first sentence. Steve T. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Casey to accept 11.1 (a) of the current draft as presented. Paul H. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Steve W. to accept 11.1 (c) of the current draft, which will become 11.1 (b) of the new draft, as presented. Paul H. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Paul H. to accept 11.2 of the current draft as presented. Casey offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Casey to accept 11.4 (a) of the current draft as written as 11.3. Paul H. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Steve W. to accept 11.6 of the current draft, which will become 11.5 in the new draft, as presented. Hal offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. The COW agreed that it would be beneficial to have Paul M., Jasson and Dr. Keller work together to write a transition schedule proposal (11.5) which will become (11.4) to be voted on next week. 7. New Business: A motion was made by Paul H. to accept Preamble Alternative 3 of the current draft as presented. Steve W. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Casey to accept 1.2 of current draft as presented. Paul H. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0.  A motion was made by Paul H. to leave the name “Borough of Greenville” in place. Steve T. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion failed 2-5 with Hal, Martha, Paul M., Casey, and Steve W. opposing. A motion was made by Steve W. to rename the Borough of Greenville, the “Town of Greenville”. Casey offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion passed 5-2 with Paul H. and Steve T. opposing. A motion was made by Casey to ignore the suggestion to reword 3.5 (d). Martha offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. A motion was made by Casey to accept 4.1 (d) of the current draft as presented. Martha offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 6-1 with Steve T. opposing. A motion was made by Casey to ignore the suggestion to replace 4.2. Steve T. offered a second. The secretary called an individual vote, motion carried 7-0. Paul Miller said the COW would begin looking at page 22 of the draft and cover all other italicized sections as well as the proposal for section 11.4 at the next meeting. 8. Public Comments Craig and Kimberly Brick spoke at length about a number of concerns including amount of training for council members, the taxpayers paying for training, how meetings are advertised, and potential expenditures for a name change. Jasson said he believes there is still a widespread disconnect with the public. He received a phone call from someone who thought the HRSC was raising school taxes. He feels communication is the key to getting a charter passed. Tracy Beil said she feels that it is the community members’ responsibility to collect information about what is happening in local government. 9. Good of the Order: Steve T: No comment Martha: Commented on how differently local government looks when you study it carefully and how much she appreciates the administrative staff and council Steve Williams: Thanked Paul H. for the chocolate and said he appreciated tonight’s comments Hal: thanked the public for their comments Casey: Thanked public, said it is nice to see new faces, encouraged them to invite others Paul H.: Thanked community members for attendance Paul M.: Thanked everyone for coming, noted tonight was the HRSC’s 29th meeting 10. Adjournment Paul H. made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Hal offered a second. Motion carried 7-0 and the meeting adjourned at 9:00 PM. Respectfully submitted, Martha C. Johnson, Commission Secretary /Treasurer