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Date: 9/21/2021
NORTHAMPTON – During the Northampton City Council Rules Select Committee’s Sept. 15 meeting, the committee discussed changes to City Council Committees, including the Finance, City Services and Community Resources committees.
Before jumping into the meeting’s discussion, Ward 5 Councilor Alex Jarrett and Ward 3 Councilor Jim Nash gave their opinions on potential changes to the City Council’s committees during public comment because they are not members of the Rules Select Committee.
In terms of the current meeting structure of the Finance Committee, Jarrett said it makes sense to change that committee’s structure instead of meeting during the full council meetings.
“I do see little use of having the committee in meeting. As it is now, we all participate, and we have little discussion on first reading because we have already done that discussion. I like the idea of the Finance Committee meeting as needed but it does bring up the question of how we decide what to refer,” he said.
Nash said with any changes he hopes the spirit and utility of the committees stay the same.
“I think we need to adhere to the idea that our committees are in the place where the public can interact with us during our discussions of the topic. Committees are a great place to get information from experts and for people to come in and really engage and discuss the legislation being proposed,” he said.
One of the larger topics of discussion during the meeting was the role of the City Council’s Finance Committee, which currently meets during regular council meetings with participation from the full council as opposed to being a committee that meets separately with orders delegated to it.
Before making any decision, Councilor At-Large Bill Dwight suggested consulting the mayor to determine the timelines and restrictions for the financial orders that come before the Finance Committee.
“One of the biggest sticking points is that it is the only series of items that the council does not refer out. We do not have that flexibility because of the timelines and restrictions. It is worth having a conversation with the mayor to figure out which limitations are there,” he said.
While Ward 2 Councilor Karen Foster said the full council meeting for financial orders is a strength of the way it handles the orders, she also said it was odd to her the Finance Committee meets during the full meeting.
“The way we have been functioning as a council basically is that the entire council is the Finance Committee, and that is a point of strength in how we handle financial matters. I think the idea of having a separate committee meeting within the City Council meeting has always felt a little silly. I would be strongly in favor of eliminating the Finance Committee,” she said.
Ezekiel Baskin, a citizen on the committee, said he was in favor of having the Finance Committee meet on a separate day to allow members of the public an opportunity to speak about financial orders.
“I think the point of bringing in engagement from the public is significant. And I stand by my point that I do not think financial orders should be introduced, deliberated on and voted on in the same day. That to me feels like there is no opportunity for the public to have genuine engagement with the financial orders,” he said.
Committee Vice Chair and citizen Al Simon said he was in favor of keeping the Finance Committee.
“On the topic of whether there should be a Finance Committee, I think there should be because I think there should be subcommittees to separate the wheat from the chaff for the council, to do the prep work, digging, the questioning, to have the discussion in a more informal setting and then making decisions to pass stuff up to the council for final decisions,” he said.
Ward 7 Councilor and committee Chair Rachel Maiore said she was in favor of eliminating the Finance Committee.
“I feel strongly that we look at how we are operating now and recognize our city and our culture here so I would support eliminating the Finance Committee. I am of the opinion we should eliminate the committee and have the full council review financial orders,” she said.
Foster said she would be in favor of allowing time between introducing a financial order and voting on it, much like when orders require a second reading.
“Most orders could be introduced and then voted on later, then there is opportunity for councilors to talk with constituents and get more information. One thing I like about the second readings it does give us more time to research and talk with constituents after a topic has been introduced at a meeting,” she said.
To wrap up the discussion, Dwight made a motion that would allow the Finance Committee to meet separately ahead of full City Council meetings to allow for more expanded input from the mayor and the public. Under his motion, this committee would determine which issues would be included in a consent agenda and how different orders would be brought up before the full council. The committee unanimously agreed to approve Dwight’s motion and agreed to invite the mayor to a future meeting to discuss the changes.
The City Council Rules Select Committee next meets on Sept. 29.