April 6, 2009 Post-Meeting List
Voted:
• To elect Stephanie as Chair, in a vote of 4 in
favor, 1 absent (Brewer)
• Unanimously to keep the system of rotating the
Vice Chair position alphabetically among members on a monthly basis
• Unanimously to elect Aaron as Clerk
• Unanimously to approve the Common Victualler's
License for J's Cuisine, per the motion sheet
• Unanimously to proclaim April 25, 2009 Arbor Day
in
• Unanimously to authorize the flying of the
Children's Memorial Flag in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, per
the motion provided
• Unanimously to elect Gerry as Select Board
representative to the Police Chief search panel
• Unanimously to elect Aaron as Select Board
representative to the Fire Chief Search panel
• Unanimously to recommend the zoning bylaw
article on Taxi Services; Alisa will speak to this at Town Meeting
• To recommend the zoning bylaw article on the
Municipal Parking District, in a vote of 3 in favor, 2 opposed (Weiss, Stein);
Aaron will speak to this at Town Meeting
• Unanimously to recommend the zoning bylaw
article on B-G & B-VC Lot Frontage; Gerry will speak to this at Town
Meeting
• Unanimously to include the Select Board in the
Mullin Rule article
• Unanimously to recommend the article on the
Mullin Rule; Alisa will speak to this at Town Meeting
• Unanimously to recommend the article to rescind
the General Bylaws, Article IV, Housing Review Board; Diana will speak to this
at Town Meeting
• Unanimously to recommend the article amending
the Town's Human Rights Bylaw; Gerry will speak to this at Town Meeting
• Unanimously in a single vote to approve the four
special wine and malt liquor licenses as detailed on the motion sheet
• To approve the minutes of the March 16th and
23rd meetings, in a single vote, of 3 in favor, 2 abstaining (Brewer, O'Keeffe)
Agreed, without
voting:
• To separate the taking of minutes from the
Clerk's position, which had been a recent arrangement based on convenience
• To find an alternative to Select Board members
doing the minutes, because it hinders full participation
• That the BID presentation on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
at Amherst Cinema would be informational and not deliberative, so potential
attendance of a Select Board quorum is not an Open Meeting Law concern
Requested:
• That Larry consider options for staff handling
of Select Board minutes
• That the proposal for distribution of emergency
shelter and fuel assistance funds from the Waxman case be considered by the
Committee on Homelessness before coming to the Select Board for endorsement
• That the Select Board be informed of the Town's
plans, once they are formalized, for better coordination of information and
service referrals in eviction cases
• Informally, to learn if the new score board
planned for donation at Community Field will be solar-powered
• More information about how and where retiree
benefits are accounted for in the budget, with an emphasis on making the budget
presentation as logical as possible
Items to be added
to the 4/13 agenda:
• Personnel Proposal (postponed due to the late
hour)
• Member Reports: JCPC Update, Municipal Breakfast
Reports, Annual Report Update, Hadley Parade Update, Liaison &
Representative Reports (postponed due to the late hour)
• Chair's Report (postponed due to the late hour)
• Consideration of draft March Select Board Report
(wasn't completed in time for this meeting)
Items to be added
to a future agenda, not necessarily 4/13:
• None
• Personnel Proposal document
Why not propose to the Board that the summary which you prepare after each meeting, like the one above, be considered an adequate record -- i.e. minutes -- of the meeting and as such be considered for amendment and approval?
Past experience with staff taking minutes -- in addition to placing the additional burden on a now reduced office staff -- has not always been satisfactory, and while pages and pages of transcript-like minutes are indeed likely to be difficult for a SB member to take while trying to participate in discussion, you yourself -- even as chair -- are obviously able and willing to keep a clear and useful and perfectly adequate record of the evening's proceedings.
ACTV tapes are available to anyone interested in more details.
P.S. Date, place, times (call to order and adjournment), and attendance would obviously have to be added, but that's all, as I see it.
Kate Seaman (from the SB office, for those who don't know) has proposed something similar -- taking the list info, formatting it appropriately as minutes, and filling in some gaps and extra info. She is a real perfectionist, so I have no doubt that whatever she suggests will serve the SB and the public very well.
Perfect. Go, Kate!