Council employs voting alternates for subcommittees

Date: 9/5/2014

WEST SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to avoid subcommittee voting stalls, Council President John Sweeney has designated an alternate councilor to vote when a chair is absent.

“I want to keep our town moving forward,” Sweeney said. He explained that there have been too many instances where subcommittees lacked a quorum because their chair was absent. To avoid this, Sweeney thought it best to implement this secondary system.
   
He notified the council of this change at its meeting on Sept. 2.
   
In other action, the council passed the Tree Committee Ordinance making one amendment to the motion. Initially, the ordinance stated seven members must take part, but the council approved a committee with a minimum of three and a maximum of seven participants.
   
District 3 Councilor George Condon III said the range would allow “flexibility” within the committee as members come and go.
   
A vote regarding the Protection of Drinking Water properties was postponed until the council’s next meeting on Sept. 16 pending some questions posed by District 2 Councilor Lida Powell.
   
She sought clarification to whether all restricted uses had to be listed individually. Powell wasn’t sure the current language that broadly defines the detrimental uses to the water system was sufficient to prevent contaminants from runoff.
   
The council also approved the following appointments: Suellyn Pevlin to the Commission on Disabilities, expiring on Jan. 1, 2017; Doreen McDonald to the Council on Aging, expiring on Jan. 1, 2017; Kathleen O’Brien-Moore to the West Springfield Housing Authority, expiring Jan. 1, 2019; and Jane Barrientos to the West Springfield Cable Television Committee, expiring Jan. 1, 2017. All four began their service on Sept. 3.
   
The votes for the ARH Piper Green Estates and the Marijuana Ordinance were continued until Sept. 16. The vote regarding a nail salon zoning ordinance was postponed until Oct. 20.