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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-02-10 ad Hoc - Charter Review Committee MinutesTown of Reading ri K Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Charter Review Committee Date: 2025-02-10 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: Location: Conference Room Session: Open Session Version: Final Chair Chris Haley, Vice Chair Jonathan Barnes, Jesse Arnold (remote), Geoffrey Beckwith, Alan Foulds, Ray Porter, Jeff Struble Members - Not Present: Andrew Grimes, Chuck Robinson Others Present: Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Town Clerk Laura Gemme, Town Counsel Ivria Fried (remote), David Talbot, Christopher Cook (remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jacquelyn LaVerde Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in -person in the Town Hall Conference Room and remotely via Zoom. Chair Chris Haley called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm. Public Comment: RMLD Board of Commissioners Chair David Talbot stated that he had no public comment, but requested to participate in the discussion of Section 3.5 pertaining to the Municipal Light Department. Review of Proposed Charter Chances with Town Counsel Recommended Updates to Section 2.12.1 Finance Committee: Chair Chris Haley raised for discussion the role of the Finance Committee Chair on the Appointment Committee, in the event the Chair is up for reappointment themselves. Jeff Struble noted that it Is the same on the Bylaw Committee. Geoff Beckwith and Alan Foulds explained that this is a common practice in many communities and not required by state law. Town Counsel Ivria Fried expressed concern about potential conflicts of Interest, but noted that the issue could be addressed by having the chair abstain from voting, or by filing a disclosure and getting approval from the appointing authority. Ms. Fried will do more research on the potential conflicts of Interest and report back at the next meeting. Recommended Updates to Section 2.15 Referendum Procedures: Ms. Fried suggested changes to clarify the process when a referendum petition is filed and when it needs to be certified. An individual must file a petition within seven (7) business days. The Board of Registrars has three (3) business days to certify the petition. Upon certification, the Board of Registrars must immediately notify the Select Board. The Select Board then has ten (10) calendar days to call an election. The election can be held no sooner than 35 days, which mirrors state law. She clarified that if the referendum lacks the requisite number of signatures, then the Town Meeting vote will become effective. Page I I RMLD Updates to Section 3.5: Ms. Fried stated that she spoke with the Attorney General's Office. They will not be able to give an official opinion, but they are still reviewing the Charter, and have reviewed it in the past, and found that the provisions of the Charter are consistent with state law. Ms. Fried is still awaiting further feedback. Ray Porter stated that he researched the comments in the Duncan Allen memo. There are differences between the Charter and Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 164. The Charter says that the Commissioners appoint the accountant and a lawyer, but under Chapter 164, that is under the authority of the General Manager. In the Charter, the contracts that the Commissioners approve must be consistent with procurement laws under Chapter 30B, but where the RMLD functions as a business, it Is not bound strictly by state procurement rules. Mr. Porter stated that the provisions could stay in the Charter, but the RMLD would just ignore them. He argued that some things are misleading, and the Charter should be made consistent with state law and RMLD's current practices. The Committee discussed whether the proposed changes should be reviewed again following the Board of Commissioners' 5-0 vote to not change anything at their November 13t% 2024 meeting. Mr. Porter and David Talbot stated that the matter would be added to the BOC agenda for their meeting on February 26th, and Mr. Porter will report back on the BOC's position at the next meeting. Proposed changes to sections 5.4.1 and 5.4.2: Jeff Struble noted some inconsistency in the terms of employment for an acting town manager under three different scenarios, including temporary absence, long-term absence, and filling a vacancy. He proposed adding "under terms of employment to be determined by the Select Board," which appears in section 5.4.3 Vacancy, to sections 5.4.1 Temporary Absence and 5.4.2 Long -Term Absence. The Committee agreed to not include the language to 5.4.1 Temporary Absence, as the Town Manager, not the Select Board, designates the Acting Town Manager for short-term absences, such as vacations. The Committee opted to add the language to 5.4.2 Long -Term Absence, as the Select Board is responsible for Long - Term acting appointments. The Committee also discussed whether to add language to section 5.4.2 to clarify when an appointment should be made following a vacancy. Ms. Fried stated that she would suggest some language for the Committee to consider. Ms. Fried explained the next steps to the Charter Review process. Once the Committee votes on the Charter changes, they will need to decide whether to request a special act for the changes that cannot go through the Town Meeting ballot process, then create a Charter Review document to be submitted to the Select Board. Ms. Fried stated that she would work with the Town Manager on the document. The amount of work left for the Committee should be completed in two more meetings. Ms. Fried will prepare a bulleted list of the next steps ahead of the next meeting. Future Meeting Dates: The Committee agreed to schedule the next meeting for Monday, March V. Future Aaenda Items: At the next meeting, Ms. Fried will provide updates on the Finance Committee and Bylaw Committee Appointment Committees, provide text to clarify the appointment of the Town Manager vacancy, and will create a timeline for the next steps in the Charter Review process. Ray Porter will report back on the February 20 RMLD BOC meeting on how the Board would like him to proceed. Jonathan Barnes will circulate recommended changes to section 8.12.1 to Ms. Fried and Ms. Gemme ahead of the next meeting. The Committee will also vote on the proposed changes at the next meeting. Approval of Minutes: Jonathan Barnes noted a minor correction to the draft minutes. Pape 1 2 On a motion by Geoff Beckwith, seconded by Jonathan Barnes, the Charter Review Committee voted 7-0-0 to approve the meeting minutes of December 18, 2025 as amended. Roll call vote: Jesse Arnold - Yes, Jeff Struble - Yes, Jonathan Barnes - Yes, Alan Foulds - Yes, Geoff Beckwith - Yes, Chris Haley - Yes, Ray Porter - Yes. On a motion by Geoff Beckwith, seconded by Jeff Struble, the Charter Review Committee voted 7-0-0 to adjourn at 9:02 pm. Roll call vote: Jesse Arnold - Yes, Jeff Struble - Yes, Jonathan Barnes - Yes, Alan Foulds - Yes, Geoff Beckwith - Yes, Chris Haley - Yes, Ray Porter - Yes. Page 1 3