GREENFIELD — The possibility of a special election to decide the fate of a new public library is not as easy as generally thought.
While At-Large City Council Vice President Penny Ricketts put forward the idea this weekend of a special election to decide the devisive topic, it was unclear initially what exactly the process might need.
City officials have been unsure about the process considering the charter doesn’t directly address an issue like this. By Tuesday evening, and on the eve of a City Council meeting that could see discussion of a new library, the City Clerk’s Office relayed a specific way the council could put forward a special election – if it chose to pass the buck to their constituents.
If the council decides to hand the decision to voters, it needs a special act of the Legislature to allow a special election to aprove the $19.5 million project.
This all would likely need to be done before April 30, the deadline for accepting a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners $9.4 million grant to help pay for a new 26,800-square-foot library. the plan is to build the replacement building next to the current 15,300-square-foot library, which is housed in the 1797 Leavitt-Hovey House and was incorporated as the town’s library in 1908.
“If it’s doable steps, then yes, I’d like to go ahead and do that,” Ricketts said Tuesday, signalling she is OK with going down this path if it’s possible to beat the deadline.
The council, which meets tonight, has yet to take up Ricketts’ idea of a special election.
When Ricketts first floated this idea this weekend, City Council President Karen “Rudy” Renaud was unsure whether she would want to go ahead with a special election if the vote on the library was non-binding. It remains unclear whether the election, if petitioned to the state Legislature, could be binding because the city’s charter is silent on the issue.
Special elections typically cost between $10,000 and $15,000, Mayor William Martin said.
Ricketts said she would favor favor pushing forward on a non-binding ballot question, because at least the citizens can say definitively what they want — even if that means the council isn’t obligated to listen to what the residents ultimately say.
“It doesn’t matter to me how the councilors vote after they see the outcome because they have to live with those decisions,” Ricketts said. “We have to see what our community wants.”
Ricketts said earlier in the week she wanted to take the path of a special election because the council seems split on the matter. So far, it doesn’t seem the library proponents have enough votres on the council.
“Am I taking a huge leap of faith? Perhaps,” Ricketts said earlier. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is that people were heard.”
There are a couple other potential ways to go about a special election, but they are unlikely to be pushed through before April 30. Residents could try a citizen referendum or a citizen initiative petition, both of which could lead to a special election but would likely take more time than is available.
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264