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Date: 7/25/2023
AMHERST — At the July 17 Town Council meeting, councilors entered into a spirited discussion following a proposal from Town Manager Paul Bockelman for discussions on the formation of a commission on town transportation and parking issues.
Speaking before the council, Town Manager Paul Bockelman noted a large portion of council time is spent on public ways and concerns in handling resident requests.
“We have this Transportation Advisory Committee which is sort of trying to figure out its role with the council,” he said. “ I have had several conversations with [Transportation Advisory Committee Chair] Tracy Zafian and we both began looking independently at how do other cities handle traffic, transportation and parking issues and what many of them do is have a separate commission that is set up and each one takes a different form it seems to handle these things and actually has decision making authority.”
Bockelman requested the council to enter into discussions to determine if a similar body of oversight might be workable in Amherst.
“The request to the council is to have the conversation amongst yourselves as to whether you want to delegate some substantial portion of your authority as keeper of the public ways to an independent body that would make the decisions in your stead,” he explained.
Bockelman offered examples of considerations like utility pole installations that the council currently reviews and approves. He also cited a similar structure currently in use within the licensing commission for liquor and other licensing authority.
“Our experience with that has been very successful, very well run and very efficient,” he said.
Citing frustration by residents as to where requests for issues like roads and paving actually go,
Bockelman stated there was a need to provide clarity and transparency to residents as to how the requests are being handled.
“The advantage would be that we would have one body looking at all the requests on a town-wide, comprehensive approach,” he said.
Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne, also a member of the Town Services and Outreach Committee, spoke in support of and highly recommended Bockelman’s proposal.
“I think this is a way to channel the expertise that is in our town as it pertains to the road, safety and transportation needs and all of that and it really gives the people who are investing the time and the research and the study and making these proposals, giving them the authority to then act on it,” she said.
In contrast, Councilor Mandi Jo Hannake stated she did not plan to vote in favor of the proposal or to look into it further but asked Bockelman for clarification on his proposal.
“It sounds like although you didn’t propose right now that you’re proposing potentially of stripping the council of its entire authority on the public ways because you said almost, ‘well you could retain some but I’m not sure why you’d want to,’” she said.
Hannake also expressed concerns that there was a push to remove the council’s role in government as a whole citing past worry from prior councilors regarding members proposing legislation.
“I guess part of this is a frustration that the lack of clarity on how to do this simply means we strip the council of the authority and send it to someone else instead of proposing how the council can be more clear on exercising its authority,” she said.
Also taking issue with the proposal over concerns of potentially reducing or eliminating council jurisdiction were Councilors Jennifer Taub and Cathy Schoen.
“I think punting it to a group doesn’t get rid of the need for some clarity,” Schoen said. “There’s a lack of who’s in charge here.”
Schoen also told Bockelman that based upon his draft proposal that she would like to know how the structure works in other cities and towns.
Councilor Michele Miller offered support but also asked for clarification on the weight of authority the council and a commission would have.
Offering his response, Bockelman stated that would be up to the council.
“My recommendation is that you give it the authority that you want to give it. You may retain some authority, say changing the direction of a street, whatever it is you want to retain but you’ve delegated some responsibility to the town manager already for certain smaller things which is great and facilitates what requests for parking or things like that and that works out pretty well,” he said.
Bockelman said the creation of a commission and its authority would be the council’s decision but that some level of classification on the decision-making processes would be necessary.
“I do think we need to recognize that the current system is not working well, [it’s] close to broken,” said Councilor Andy Steinberg who pointed to the amount time parking and sidewalk issues referred to the Town Services and Outreach Committe to be addressed.
“We do need to do something and this a way to start that process rolling,” Steinberg added.
Councilor Dorothy Pam agreed the idea was one that could be discussed further but balked at potentially handing off any authority to another body.
“We are elected by the people, we represent the people and when it comes to something like a parking garage, I am not willing to give that away to a commission no matter who’s on it,” she said. “The people are used to expressing themselves to us through the Town Council, through mail, through meetings, through public comment.”
Council President Lynn Greisemer recommended the town manager return before the council with more clarity and additional detail before the proposal move ahead or be forwarded to the Governance, Organization and Legislation Committee for consideration.
A motion passed 12-0 with one absence to request the town manager develop a draft charge for a Transportation and Parking Commission and propose potential changes to the town council policy regarding control and regulation of the public ways for submission by October 31.