General Government Committee Backs Earlier Meetings for North Adams Council
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The General Government Committee is recommending three changes to ordinance regarding City Council meetings — including changing the start time to 7 p.m.
The committee is also advising that it be put into ordinance that the council president have discretion to cancel meetings and that the way meeting packets be delivered be changed to "digitally."
Councilor Keith Bona had brought the issue of canceling meetings two weeks ago following the snowstorm on March 14 that dropped several feet of snow across the region.
That resulted in the council canceling its meeting for the first time in six years (although meetings have not been held for lack of quorum).
He noted the ordinance covers elections and holidays but not weather or other unanticipated events.
Committee member Ashley Shade pointed out that Robert's Rules of Order, which the council follows, already gives the president that authority.
But Bona argued that putting it in ordinance would ensure that future councilors and clerks would have a process in law to follow.
"I just feel something official needs to be here," he said.
There was some discussion about rescheduling meetings, with Bona's initial communication considering the next day or week. Shade asked about going virtual rather than canceling completely.
"I still think we can still have meetings and do the business, even if we can't get together in person," said Shade. "I think that's an important thing to note."
But it was agreed that shifting to virtual would run afoul of Open Meeting Law, which requires 48 hours notice of meeting changes.
"I think it's good to have the abiity to go remote," said Chair Wayne Wilkinson. "But there are some people that really like watching the show on TV, and they just don't have the access to watch it remotely."
Several councilors had questioned the need to make changes that would require the cost of publication and pointed out there were more than a few outdated ordinances they weren't changing.
But those ordinances just haven't been taken up yet, said Bona. He noted that Shade had brought up the outdated curfew ordinance tht was repealed.
"There was some question of should we be wasting our time with this," he said. "Here's something that has been presented. There's a lot but no one has presented others."
Changing the meeting time has come up in the past and although not originally part of Bona's communique, it was added in to the recommendations.
Wilkinson has tried twice to get meetings moved earlier in the evening. North Adams has the latest start time in the county at 7:30 p.m. and at times meetings have run up to or past 10 p.m. The Pittsfield City Council shifted its meeting time back an hour to 6 p.m. two years.
The last recommendation to start at 6:30 p.m. failed but Bona thought there was support for 7 p.m. at the time.
"6:30 was really pushing it," he said. "I think 30 minutes is a fair compromise."
In response to a question from Councilor Bryan Sapienza about Northern Berkshire Community Television, Wilkinson said he had spoken with the organization about a time change and the answer had been positive.
Peter Gentile, an NBCTC volunteer who frequently films the meetings, was asked shortly before the following City Council meeting if the time change would be a hardship. He said no, and that he would like it to be even earlier.
Bona said as long as they were cleaning up the language, he thought that the references to getting council papers by mail or delivered by police officer should be removed since that is no longer done. The committee agreed.
The committee voted unanimously each change separately and Wilkinson said this will be how they will be presented to City Council.
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