City Council

City of rtaunton :M.unicipa[Council:M.eeting :M.inutes City 1fa[[, 15 Summer Street, rtaunton, :M.)I In tne Cnester ~ :M.artin :M.unicipa[Council Cnam6ers :M.inutes, Novem6er 22, 2022 at 9:24 O'clocR,,.<P.:M.. REVISED <R§guCar :Meeting Counci[<Presitfent Cl'fii{[ip (])uarte <Presitfing <Prayer was offerea 6y tfie Counci[ <Presitfent )f. moment of siCence was offerea 6y Councilor :McCau[for tfie 6ruta[ attacR., of 25- patrons ant! tfie 5-tfeatfis tfiat tooR., pCace in CoCoraao Springs witfi tfie £fi(J3rr'Q community. Jfe aCso asRJa our Cfiief of Cl'oCice to RJep a watclifuC ana vigiCant eye on our Lfi(J3rr'Q community in our City auring tfiis fiofufay season. <Present at ro[[ ca[[ were: CounciCor Cl'oste{[, Quinta[, Sand'ers, Cl'ottier :McCau[, (J3orges ant!(])uarte CounciCors Coute ant! (])ooner was a6sent. Record of preceding meeting was read by title and approved. So voted. Opportunity for input by the general public. Nobody was present to speak. Hearings: NONE Communications from the Mayor: Council President Phillip Duarte said just as a reminder, "Lights On" is Saturday, December 3rd from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The opening ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m. on the Taunton Green. There will be lots of live entertainment, kid's activities, a laser light show and much more. You can find more details about everything going on at https://www.lightsonfestival.org/. Sunday, December 4th, will be the Christmas parade which will kick off at noon starting on Broadway and proceeding through the Green and ending at Marian Manor. The raffle baskets to benefit the Christmas parade are available now in the lobby at City Hall on the 2nd floor. You can purchase tickets from the Clerk of Committees. The drawing will be on Tuesday, December 6th proceeding the City Council meeting. Appointments: NONE  2 Communications from City Officers: Com. from the Special Assistant City Solicitor regarding the disciplinary hearing date for the Taunton Fire Department, Civil Service, MGL Ch. 31§41-45. The office has been contacted by Fire Chief Timothy J. Bradshaw who is requesting that the appointing authority hold a disciplinary hearing for an employee of the Fire Department to consider the termination of that employee's employment. The Law Department reviewed all materials and agree that a hearing should be set and would request that a hearing be scheduled for some time in December or January before the Committee of the Council as a Whole. If the Committee would prefer, the hearing could be held on a separate night. Councilor Pottier wanted to note that since it's a potential termination, he really doesn't have a problem with this being chaired by the Committee of the Council as a Whole. However, if it is in January, they will have a new Council president at that time and it may be tough to have the Council President be one of their first meetings. If they can do it in December it probably would be best. Motion was made to refer to the Committee of the Council as a Whole. So voted. On discussion, Councilor McCaul suggested a date certain in December. The City Solicitor said there has been some discussion about a potential date between the Law Department and Council for the Firefighter to his Union and so they actually prefer to do this in early January. Perhaps the week of the 9th or the 16th. They also suggest it to not be on a Council meeting night. Councilor Pottier asked if the potentially grieved party can choose to have the hearing in public or in Executive Session. The City Solicitor said yes the employee and the Union can elect to do this hearing in open session. Motion was made to have the Law Department setup the hearing on the week of the 9th or 16th in January and report back to the Council. Councilor Duarte was opposed. So voted. Com. from the City Solicitor regarding billiard table licensing requirement. On November 1, 2022 the Committee on Police and License voted to refer to the Law Department the question of whether billiard table license renewals are legally required to come before the Municipal Council. The answer is that the City does not have authority to waive the licensing requirement for billiard tables (including renewals) and that the required licensing authority is the Municipal Council. M.G.L. was listed. In sum, under present law, businesses are required to obtain annual license for billiard tables from the Council in order to comply with state law. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and Legislative Delegation. So voted. Com. from the Chief Financial Officer requesting a transfer of funds for the Office of Economic Development for the amount of three-thousand dollars ($3,000.00) for a promotional increase inside their office. Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Finance and Salaries. So voted. Com. from the DPW Commissioner requesting that the Commissioner of the DPW be allowed to authorize contracts to continue to work in city roadways beyond the winter moratorium limits outlined in City Ordinance 383-20 Restrictions upon issuance of permit that prohibits a permit involving excavation in any street or way, sidewalk, state highway within the boundaries of the City be issued between November 1 and April 1. Authorization of work from the Commissioner will be conditional on the forecasted weather. All contractors will be notified that construction work must be suspended, and that no further permits will be issued should inclement weather occur that might otherwise adversely affect traffic flow. Any excavation permitted during the winter  3 moratorium will not be allowed to be plated. The City Solicitor commented stating they haven't specifically reviewed this with the DPW but they would point out that the moratorium under the city ordinance takes effect November 1st. So they are 2/3's through the month and so he would suggest that just based on the nature of the request and the timeframes involved that he suggests to take the vote tonight unless the Council needs to review this asked question. Motion was made to approve the request. So voted. Communications from Citizens: Com. from Brian Gillis, Manager-Gas Construction of Eversource requesting for permission to extend their 2022 construction season consisting of excavations on public roadways within the City of Taunton until January 1, 2023, weather permitting. This request is an extension to the typical mid-November time frame in which Taunton DPW no longer allows excavation to occur within public roadways, with the exception of emergency gas leak repairs. As of November 10, 2022, EGMA is still working three gas main replacement projects in the city which are approximately 50 to 90% complete. Further details were listed. Additionally, EGMA is requesting to complete scattered gas work into mid-December including but not limited to gas leak repairs, gas service stub abandonments and new gas service installations. Upon being granted permission, EGMA agrees to work closely with and communicate on a weekly basis with the Taunton DPW on current jobs in progress and their respective locations as they have successfully done in past years. Motion was made to refer to the Committee of the Department of Public Works. So voted. Petitions: Host Community Agreement - NEW Application submitted by Vanessa Jean-Baptiste, Legal Greens, LLC for a NEW Host Community Agreement for a Marijuana Delivery establishment to be located at 168 Broadway, Taunton. Motion was made to refer to the Committee of the Council as a Whole. So voted. Street Acceptances Petition submitted by the City of Taunton for the acceptance of Saints Way and Bridget Drive as public ways in the City of Taunton. Motion was made to refer to the City Clerk to schedule the public hearing. So voted. Petition submitted by the City of Taunton for the acceptance of Johnson Court as a public way in the City of Taunton. Motion was made to refer to the City Clerk to schedule the public hearing. So voted. Claims Claim submitted by Lena Candido, 5 Goff Ave., Taunton seeking reimbursement for damages to her automobile from hitting a pothole near 5 Goff Ave., Taunton at the stop sign. (Already referred to the City Solicitor and DPW) Claim submitted by Teresa Haggerty, 316 Hill St., Raynham seeking reimbursement for damages to her automobile from hitting a pothole in front of 68 Allison Ave., Taunton. (Already referred to the City Solicitor and DPW)  4 Claim submitted by Julie Raposo, 1336 Williams St., Dighton seeking reimbursement for damages to her automobile from hitting a pothole on Hart Street/Depot Drive, Taunton. (Already referred to the City Solicitor and DPW) Claim submitted by Zachary Taylor, 231 Dighton Ave., Taunton seeking reimbursement for damages to his motorcycle from hitting a raised structure on Bow Street near High Street, Taunton. (Already referred to the City Solicitor and DPW) Committee Reports: Motion was made for Committee reports to be read by title and approved. So Voted. Recommendations adopted to reflect the votes as recorded in committee reports, noting Councilor Sanders did not participate in the Public Property Executive Session. So Voted. Unfinished Business: Councilor Pottier said he received a call from a constituent. The water situation on Fiddlers Way was discussed a couple months ago. Motion was made to refer to the DPW to see if there is a status update. So voted. Orders, Ordinances and Resolutions: Ordinance for a second reading to be passed to a third reading AN ORDINANCE REVISING OFF STREET PARKING CHAPTER405 ARTICLE VI PARKING METERS Be it ordained by the Municipal Council of the City of Taunton as follows: That Section 405-83 through 85 of the Revised ordinances, as amended, is hereby further amended by deleting Section 405-83 through 85 and replacing them as follows. That Section 405-83 be amended as follow: Section 405-83 Off Street Parking A. The City of Taunton Parking Commission shall establish rules for off-street parking for all municipally owned parking lots and facilities, to include parking passes and hours of operation. B. The City of Taunton Parking Commission shall set rates for parking and electric charging stations at all municipally owned parking lots in the City of Taunton, subject to approval of the Municipal Council. C. Vehicles illegally parked in a permitted location within a municipally owned parking lot or facility will be subject to a fine and towing at the owner's expense. All ordinances or parts thereof inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon passage. Motion was made to pass to a third reading. So voted.  5 New Business: Councilor Postell requested a motion to refer to the Safety Officer and the City Engineer to review the intersection of Kingman Street and Seekell Street for a four- way stop sign. So voted. Councilor Pottier said he had a discussion with the Fire Chief today. There was a recent court ruling that came down on a case that was originally filed in 2008 he believes, on some challenges with the Civil Service exams. There was some question on the validity of the exams and the timing thereof. Motion was made to refer this issue to the Committee on Fires and Wires and also invite the City Civil Service Official to discuss some options they may have at a later date. So voted. Councilor Postell made a motion to refer to the Mayor's Office to request a status of the Lake Sabbatia cleaning and restoration from over the summer to see where we are at going into the winter month. So voted. Information only, Councilor Borges and Councilor Duarte wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Meeting adjourned at 9:41 P.M. A true copy: Attest: JLL/KLD  6 REVISED II ,_-' <.:..:1 ,.__, :-.J I I -'• ~·! r:::i ··1, Ic-J ,--q City of Taunton ' (~) ··-·-:·-·:·i -·" Municipal Council ....... ,-_.r, . ~ f '1 1 _.Y.: - ..... - 1 ::r November 22, 2022 -< - ,.;< 0 I )> .D fTI I fr ·...,-, o ..,., The Committee on Finance and Salaries ~ 9 ::x: w C-) ...... ~ CX) The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA 02780 in the Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. Present were Councilor Phillip Duarte, Chairman and Councilors Pottier and McCaul. Also present were CFO Patrick Dello Russo and Human Resources Director Amy Kazlauskas. The meeting was called to order at 5:36 PM. 1. Meet to review the weekly vouchers and payrolls for City departments. MOTION: Approve the payroll warrant in the amount of $1,484,572.86. So voted. MOTION: Approve the accounts payable warrant in the amount of $2,653,616.14. So voted. 2. Meet with the CFO and Human Resources Director for a presentation on analysis of elected officials compensation. CFO Patrick Dello Russo and HR Director Amy Kazlauskas gave a presentation on the compensation for the members of the City Council and for the Mayor. Mr. Dello Russo indicated that any increase would likely take effect in January of2024. The presentation provided compensation comparisons to other Massachusetts cities. It was reported that the Council has had no increase in salary in nearly a decade and that the Mayor is compensated less than many of her direct reports. Mr. Dello Russo and Ms. Kazlauskas suggested that a new, formula based pay structure could be implemented that would compensate the Mayor at the average of the top five civilian employees and the Council would be compensated at 12.5% of the salary of the Mayor. With this proposal, the salaries of the Mayor and the Council would remain below the average of other cities but would move closer to the average. They suggested that doing so would take politics and bias out of the salary process. However, it was stressed that this is just one proposal and other options could be analyzed. Councilor Duarte indicated that Mass General Law requires that a pay increase go into effect in the next term, not during an election year. Councilor Pottier asked for more information on this statute and the timing of such a pay increase. Councilor Pottier clarified that the Council had not actually had a salary increase since at least 2005. He stressed that many of the Mayor's employees make more than the Mayor despite the 24/7 nature of the job and that sometimes you need to pay good money to recruit good people.  7 Page Two November 22, 2022 The Committee on Finance and Salaries - Continued Councilor McCaul asked how the cities were chosen as part of the salary comparison and Mr. Dello Russo reported that these were taken from recent Collins Center reports. MOTION: Make the presentation part of the record. So voted. Councilor Duarte requested that the Collins Center report be sent to the Councilors. He further requested that Fall River, New Bedford, and Attleboro be included in the salary comparisons. Councilor Pottier suggested that Weymouth would be a good comparison and that a fuller set of data, including population, would be helpful. Councilor Sanders asked if this plan had been endorsed by the Mayor and Mr. Dello Russo indicated that it had not been endorsed. Mr. Sanders asked who the top five salaried civilian employees are and Mr. Dello Russo indicated that they are the CFO, the First Assistant City Solicitor, the DPW Commissioner, the Assistant DPW Commissioner, and the Water Superintendent. Mr. Sanders shared his thoughts on how the salary received by the Council might impact or encourage people to consider running for office. He asserted that this plan sounds a bit like automatic pay raises for the Council and the Mayor but Mr. Dello Russo indicated that is not the case since when people retire or leave there could be lower paid people hired as their replacement. Councilor Sanders further shared his concern that there could be times when union employees only receive an insubstantial pay increase or no increase at all but that Councilors could be receiving something much more significant and that he would have a hard time with that. He is also interested in looking at more data including other Cities with similar economic situations, "gateway" cities in particular. Councilor Borges shared her believe that all ofTaunton's City employees work really hard and that she supports them day in and day out. She suggested that the Mayor's salary be discussed separate from the Council's because she believes that the Mayor's job is a 24/7 job and deserves more compensation. Ms. Borges indicated that the Mayor is unable to tum off the phone at 4:30 as the Mayor is always getting calls and the job is a huge responsibility. She has never felt that the Mayor's compensation has been fair and she was stunned to know that those four other positions are making more than the Mayor and that the Chief of Staff was so close to the same salary as the Mayor. Councilor Borges drew attention to all of the boards in the City that are compensated including the Conservation Commission, the School Committee, the Planning Board, and the Zoning Board which are all boards that work really hard especially more recently where Planning Board has had an increase in responsibility because things were taken away from the Zoning Board and put on the Planning Board as well as due to more development. She expressed her opinion that this conversation should be had regarding all of the boards at the same time, not just the Municipal Council and the Mayor. She mentioned how several years ago the Chairman of the Zoning Board, Mr. Ackerman, brought forth a proposed raise for the Zoning  8 Page Three November 22, 2022 The Committee on Finance and Salaries - Continued Board of Appeals. Councilor Borges suggested that Steve Turner, Dennis Ackerman, Greg DeMelo and the rest of the Chairs of these boards to maybe submit the same sort of request to Mr. Dello Russo to ensure that their boards: Cable Commission, Conservation, etc. are being fairly compensated. They should be looking at them at the same time. Like other Councilors, she suggested that New Bedford, Fall River, and Attleboro be included in the analysis. She reiterated her desire to see the Mayor's salary separate and shared that she serves on elected board right now, the Bristol-Plymouth School Committee which is uncompensated. She indicated that many events she attends are things she would be attending anyway because she wants to. However, Councilor Borges indicated that she considers things like constituent services, interviewing police officers, interviewing department heads, or being part of the grievance committee to be part of the job. She stressed that she would like Mr. Dello Russo to come back with the other boards and everybody be looked at to determine what they're making and see where changes are needed. Again, she urged them to make the same request for fair compensation. Councilor Pottier agreed that the other boards should be reviewed and potentially adjusted. Councilor Coute questioned why we would want the Mayor to be paid less than her counterparts or subordinates. He suggested that the Mayor be compensated at 5% more than the top 5 subordinates. Councilor Pottier clarified that the Council has not had an increase in 18 years and, for the Mayor, it has been a couple years. He added that Town Managers in some small communities receive large salaries. Councilor Borges questioned how this would even be possible given that the budget was already agreed upon and Mr. Della Russo indicated that if a raise was to take place that the reserve fund would be used. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM. CITY OF TAUNTON Respectfully submitted, Nov~2 2 2022. ~?f<}'j~ . ~1_/u_ IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees (J~RT~ ACC;TE~ ..RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. 9;;~.;· ~  9 City of Taunton Municipal Council ; November 22, 2022 \ I i The Committee of the Council as a Whole I, '1 -, _,, w The meeting was held at Taunton City Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA =-92180 in t'i?e Chester R. Martin Municipal Council Chambers. ~ ~ )> r- p G .. Present were Councilor Phillip Duarte, Chairman and Councilors Borges, McGiul, Potti~ Coute, Sanders, Quintal, and Postell. Also present were Building Commissioner Bob Pirozzi, Helen DeSilvia of 44 Harrison Street, Haskell Kennedy of Medicine Man Solutions, Attorney Blake Mensing, and City Solicitor Matt Costa. Councilor Dooner was absent. The meeting was called to order at 6:32 PM. 1. Meet with the Building Commissioner to discuss issues at 46 Harrison Street. Building Commissioner Bob Pirozzi gave an update on the situation at 46 Harrison Street. He reported that notice was sent to the property owner and that he received a call from the owner, Mr. Thomas, who expressed his desire to install a fence to secure the property as well as security cameras and lights. On November 17, Mr. Pirozzi received a call that the contractor was there cleaning up debris on the site. Mr. Pirozzi reported that there was still some debris left behind but the owner indicated that they owner will be going back tomorrow to complete the work. Mr. Pirozzi did note that some of the materials left behind are for construction. He also reported that the owner told him that he met with a fence company and is awaiting a quote. Councilor Coute asked if Mr. Pirozzi knew when they were planning to resume construction and Mr. Pirozzi indicated that funding is an issue. Mr. Coute asked if Mr. Pirozzi still deemed the site to be safe and Mr. Pirozzi said that it is not an unsafe site. Councilor Borges indicated that there has been some progress. Councilor McCaul asked for Helen DeSilvia's thoughts on the progress and she indicated that, while there has been some progress, there is still a pile out back near her property that is prohibiting her from planting her hedge so that her property will be contained. Councilor McCaul made a motion: MOTION: Put a little more pressure on the property owner. Councilor Borges asked Mr. Pirozzi if he had walked back to see the debris pile and asked if he could call the property owner to encourage him to remove that pile to allow Ms. DeSilvia to plant her hedges. Mr. Pirozzi said that he had told him that he left some debris behind but that he could have a further conversation.  10 Page Two November 22, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued Councilor Quintal agreed that he would appreciate :Mr. Pirozzi calling :Mr. Thomas. Councilor Pottier asked :Mr. McCaul to add to his motion language that Mr. Pirozzi continue, to extent of his authority and jurisdiction, to stress that this person be in compliance of City ordinances. AMENDED MOTION: Mr. Pirozzi to continue stressing to the landowner to the extent of his authority for the continued progress on this property. So voted. (Councilor Borges voted no.) MOTION: The Council President draft a letter on behalf of the Council outlining the number of times :Mrs. DeSilvia has come before the Council and that it is a concern of the Council and in good faith request that he remove the debris and erect a fence. So Voted. 2. Meet to discuss the proposed Host Community Agreement for Medicine Man Solutions, LLC for a marijuana retail establishment at 597 Winthrop Street. Attorney Blake Mensing and Haskell Kennedy of Medicine Man Solutions indicated that the community outreach meeting had been completed and that the proposed agreement had been sent back to Attorney Costa with some minor suggested changes. MOTION: The Council authorize the Law Department to enter into a Host Community Agreement with Medicine Man Solutions, LLC and :Mr. Kennedy. So Voted. 3. Meet to discuss public input. Councilor Duarte read a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts dated November 4, 2022. MOTION: Make the letter part of the record. So voted. Councilor Duarte read a letter from Attorney Costa dated November 22, 2022. MOTION: Make the letter part of the record. So voted. Councilor Pottier made a motion: MOTION: Refer to the Council President and the Mayor's Office to consider drafting or fine tuning the policy.  11 Page Three November 22, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued Councilor Sanders stressed that since July of 2020, except for one or two uncomfortable moments, public input has gone smoothly. He is concerned about listing so many rules on public input on the agenda. He emphasized that the Council works for the public and that these suggested policies overthink the situation. Mr. Sanders would like to see public input go back to the way it was prior to the new procedure. He emphasized that negative feedback is a core constitutional free speech freedom. Attorney Costa indicated that the real intent is so that the Council will have guidance about what is acceptable and where the line can be drawn. The intent is not to limit anyone. He stressed that the law does not even allow you to prevent someone from lying. Councilor Sanders discussed his concern that the agenda end up opening with a long list of guidelines. Attorney Costa further emphasized that the registration policy is not a screening tool. Councilor Borges agreed with Councilor Sanders and suggested that the agenda should just state "Public Input" and the guidelines should be removed from the agenda and maybe be put on the sign in sheet. People should be stopped from speaking when they begin to discuss things that are not City business. Councilor Postell also suggested that much of this is overthinking it. He indicated his belief that they should not be causing obstruction and reiterated that the Council is here to represent the people. He also stressed that he does not want to put more work on the already busy Clerk's office by requiring advanced registration. Mr. Postell indicated that he does not want to create the perception that the Council does not want people to come and to talk. Councilor Duarte indicated that he agrees with Councilor Sanders and with the ACLU letter that a pattern is developing and that the guidelines are being pursued in response to a singular situation. He believes that this procedure is overkill and is a solution in search of a problem. Mr. Duarte indicated that he will not support anything that requires people to sign up in advance for items not on the agenda as he believes this chills public input. Councilor McCaul expressed his preference that people register ahead so that it can be on the agenda since then the Councilors can gather some more information and have a dialogue. Councilor Duarte discussed how, when the vote was taken to suspend public input, it was not on the agenda but that the advice of the Law Department was that it was not anticipated by the Chair. He wondered if the same principle would apply if something came up during public input since it would not have been anticipated by the Chair. He indicated that items can easily be referred to a committee for discussion.  12 Page Four November 22, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued Attorney Costa reminded the Council that in addition to the Open Meeting Law, there are also the Rules of the Council that govern meetings. Councilor Coute stated that best practice would be to refer items to a future meeting. He stressed that the most transparent way to have public input would be to have everything to be discussed on the agenda. Councilor Quintal expressed his opinion that things should go back to the old way. Additionally, he said that he doesn't think he could be stopped from going to the podium to rebut something. Attorney Costa indicated that if someone was disparaged they can rebut it, as that is a standard rule of meetings. Councilor McCaul questioned if public input could be held during the committees and Mr. Costa indicated it could be either the full Council or committees. Mr. McCaul suggested the committees be considered. Councilor Coute stated that the Council should be following the Open Meeting Law guide. Councilor Borges suggested they open public input. Councilor Pottier indicated that during public input, the Council cannot interact with the public and only can refer to a subcommittee. Allowing items to be on the agenda allows for interaction. He stressed that anything discussed must be relevant to City business and that it is helpful to give the Chair some guidance since it is up to the Chair to rule people in or out of order. Councilor Pottier retracted his motion. MOTION: Allow for public input. So voted. Kara Civali of 110 Dean Street suggested the Council consider a public forum so that a back and forth could happen. She indicated that signing up is not needed or fair. She further stated that it has been shown repeatedly that there is interaction. Ms. Civali also mentioned that the vote to suspend public input was not on the agenda. Jean Fountain of 288 Highland Street referred to an earlier meeting where she had spoken about a City Councilor. She indicated that she didn't know all the rules but would have thought that this would be the place to address the issue. She indicated that never once did she attack anyone and when she mentioned the name she was shut down. Ms. Fountain questioned if you have an issue with a Councilor, who you would take your complaint to. She indicated that the following  13 Page Five November 22, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued week a friend of the Councilor came in, spoke on his behalf, and then they immediately shut down public input. Councilor Lawrence Quintal of 80 Broadway indicated that his friend came to speak voluntarily. He stated that he was not there that night and was not offended. :Mr. Quintal stressed that it was not orchestrated to have a friend come in. Carol Doherty of 148 Highland Street shared her beliefthat this is a critical subject and shared her experience with public input when on the School Committee. She indicated that the Councilors are public servants and they need to respect the voice of the public. MOTION: Close public input. So voted. Councilor Coute made the following motion: MOTION: The Law Department to draft an amendment to the existing procedures for public input to line up with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Open meeting. law on a roll call. Attorney Costa asked for clarification and if the registration requirement was to remain and Councilor Coute confirmed. Councilor Duarte emphasized that the Open Meeting Law doesn't specify a procedure for public input. Attorney Costa stated that in the Open Meeting Law guide on the topic of public input there is no guidance about how it is to be conducted. The Attorney General recommends that it be invited but doesn't establish guidelines. Councilor Sanders emphasized that as long as it's not anticipated by the Chair, there can be discussion. He discussed how during public input the best case is that items are referred to a committee but that there may be instances where things need to be dealt with more immediately. :Mr. Sanders reminded that people have the right to petition their government for a redress of grievances. He stressed that less is more and would like to see the process go back to where it was six months ago. Councilor Postell indicated that he is not opposed to seeing best practices. He expressed his concern that having people sign up in advance at the Clerk's office may work for those who can get there but not for others. Councilor Pottier emphasized that during public input the best they can do is refer the new topic.  14 Page Six November 22, 2022 The Committee of the Council as a Whole - Continued The motion was restated: MOTION: The Law Department to produce a draft of amendments to the public input rules and procedures to be in line with the open meeting law. On a roll call, Councilors McCaul, Pottier, Coute, Quintal, and Postell voted yes. Councilors Borges, Sanders, and Duarte voted no. The motion passed on a 5-3 vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:46 PM. Respectfully submitted, CITY OF TAUNTON ~{'-~ NOV .2 2 '.'022 Maggie E. Clarke Clerk of Council Committees IN MUNICIPAL COUf\',ClL L....------------· RE ORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. K~  15 City of Taunton I - ~ Municipal Council November 22, 2022 The Committee on Public Property I ~; ~ __:~~ Gj ;:;:'~ ~ ;;: r1 I The meeting wa~ held ~t !aunton Ci_ty Hall, 15 Summer Street, Taunton, MA ~2780i,.n the::~~ Chester R. Martm Mumc1pal Council Chambers. p ); ~ d:J c;;i •• ::; ~ ~ Present were Councilor Christopher Coute, Chairman and Councilors Mcehul, Borg~ andP• Quintal. Also present was City Solicitor Matt Costa. Councilor Dooner was absent. The meeting was called to order at 8:49 PM. 1. Meet in executive session to discuss potential acquisition of real estate by the City of Taunton (Assessors' parcels 80-45 and 80-47). MOTION: Enter into executive session. On a roll call, Councilors Borges, McCaul, Quintal, and Coute voted yes. So voted on a roll call. MOTION: Return from executive session. On a roll call, Councilors Quintal, McCaul, Borges, and Coute voted yes. So voted on a roll call. Councilor Coute reported that no votes were taken in executive session. The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 PM. Respectfully submitted, CITY OF TAUNTON Maggie E. C arke NOV .2 .2 2022 Clerk of Council Committees IN MUNICIPAL COUNCIL REPORTS ACCEPTED. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. COUNCILOR SANDERS DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION. cRK~