Council initiated rules review
By DAN MORIARTY
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – The City Council voted Thursday night to approve the first reading of a revised ordinance by which the council conducts business after making several amendments to the document presented by two committees. Councilors offered several amendments to the rules document during discussion of the ordinance.
The Ad Hoc Charter and Review Committee and the Legislative & Ordinance Committee have been working to revise the Rules of Council to streamline the legislative process.
Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell, chairwoman of the Charter and Rules Committee, said the goal Thursday night was to amend the proposed document and present a clean copy for consideration of the council members at the second reading and final passage of the ordinance as revised.
“Any changes, suggestions, amendments are open to be discussed tonight so we can move forward and get the package completed (with revisions) at the next meeting,” O’Connell said.
Two of the major amendments to the proposed ordinance were offered by Ward 5 Councilor Richard E. Onofrey, chairman of the Finance Committee. Onofrey made a motion to delete the Long-range Bonding Committee and replace it with a Long-range Financial Overview Committee.
“It’s my understanding that we’re looking at the rules and committee structure to streamline how we do business.” Onofrey said. “Every bond already comes to the Finance Committee. The additional step of sending bonds to the Long-range Bonding Committee just slows the process. Either we will streamline the way we do business or not.”
At-large Councilor David A. Flaherty, chairman of the Long-range Bonding Committee and a member of the Finance Committee, supported Onofrey’s motion.
“I agree, we don’t need it, it’s redundant,” Flaherty said. “We can do the same work in the Finance Committee.”
Ward 3 Councilor Peter J. Miller Jr., said he had reservations about eliminating the Long-range Bonding Committee.
“I think it’s important to have a committee to focus on long-range financial planning, it’s an important role in the council’s deliberations,” Miller said.
Onofrey addressed Miller’s issue later in the debate when he made a motion to replace the Long-range Bonding Committee with a Long-range Financial Overview Committee.
“This committee will be charged with looking at the big picture through a (rolling) five-year planning process,” Onofrey said. “How the city spends money. Do we save for specific capital expenditures, do we bond? How can we bring in revenue? It’s important to have a separate committee to take a long-term look at the city’s financial situation.”
Both motions were approved. The motion to eliminate the Long-range Bonding Committee was passed on a 12-0 vote, while creating of the long-range strategic planning committee was approved by a vote of 11-1.
Ward 2 Councilor James E. Brown Jr., chairman of the Legislative & Ordinance Committee offered an amendment to change the name of the Public Health, Safety and Traffic Committee to the Public Health and Safety Committee eliminating the word “traffic” from the committee name.
“Any traffic items that come before us, we refer to the Traffic Commission and Law Department,” Brown said. “They came back to us through the L&O, they never go back through the Public Health, Safety and Traffic Committee.”
Brown said his amendment to the ordinance will not change any of the function and review process of the committee. That change was also approved.
Flaherty offered an amendment to the rules governing how council members address each other during debate on the floor. The present rules prohibit using the name of another councilor, requiring councilor to use committee titles or location, such as “the councilor to my immediate right.”
Flaherty argued that the ban on the use of councilor names creates confusion for residents watching the meetings on local access channels.
“It makes it hard to follow, creates confusion on the part of viewers as to whom you’re referring,” he said. That change was also approved.
Brown said that councilors will be encouraged to debate and amend motion, order and resolution at the first reading to allow members of the public time to review and digest those changes in the future.
“If we make amendments when a motion is introduced (for the first reading) it will be more fair to the public, rather than making changes at the second reading and final passage when the public has no time to review those changes and communicate with us,” Brown said.
The second reading and final passage is expected at the council’s Feb. 16 session.
