GREENFIELD — The public will have a chance to comment and provide feedback on the proposed changes to the city charter at an upcoming meeting of the Appointments and Ordinances Committee.
The virtual hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m.
“The Charter Review (Committee) has passed the torch onto A&O,” said Precinct 6 City Councilor Sheila Gilmour, who was part of the Charter Review Committee and is also a member of the Appointments and Ordinances Committee.
The Charter Review Committee finished its work on the charter review in April and presented its findings in a report to the Appointments and Ordinances Committee in June.
“The (Charter Review) Committee doesn’t have the authority to make changes, just to suggest them,” Gilmour said, referencing the report by David Singer, chair of the review committee, at an Appointments and Ordinances Committee meeting on June 15.
According to Article 8 of the city charter, a periodic review calls for a review of the charter by a special or standing committee of the City Council in every year ending in zero. Last June, seven members — Gilmour, Precinct 7 Councilor Otis Wheeler and At-Large Councilor Christine Forgey, as well as David Singer, Allen Wood, John Lunt and Erin Donnelley Drake — were appointed to the committee.
Some of the sections the review committee worked to revise include the Public Safety Commission — for which it recommended the City Council look into whether a civil review board is necessary — and a recommendation to amend the charter so there are three elected assessors in addition to a chief assessor who is hired by the mayor, but doesn’t act as a voting member.
The committee also recommended revising the threshold for the support required for citizen’s referendum petitions to 10 percent of all registered voters, or 1,272 signatures, as opposed to 10 percent of voters voting in the last biennial election — a recommendation that has sparked debate among residents.
“Our view was that we’d like to have a strong number in order to put it on the ballot,” said Singer. “You want to have a number that shows a lot of people are interested in having this issue decided so when it goes to the ballot, it gets a lot of interest.”
He said a lower number indicates a strong minority, but a higher number indicates there’s a “groundswell.”
Others, such as Greenfield resident Al Norman, feel the proposed change of threshold is unnecessarily high. Norman said city officials aren’t always perfect, and citizen’s referendums offer a path to “correct them.”
“Voters should have the opportunity to correct them, without a steep hill to do so,” he said.
Norman has been involved in referendum issues on several occasions, including in 1993 when the then-Town Council voted to allow Walmart on the eastern end of the French King Highway. The issue was brought to a referendum vote, and the opposition won.
“It has not been used frivolously, and it has not been used frequently,” said Norman, who has been outspoken against the proposed change to the citizen’s referendum petition process. “But it is an important tool for democracy for voters to have a check and balance on their elected officials.”
Norman said the question should be brought to voters, rather than decided by City Council.
“This ordinance hearing is the first opportunity for Greenfield voters to stand up for democracy, for their free speech rights,” he said. “This is a very important right that I think people in Greenfield need to pay attention to. It’s one of the most important things in the charter.”
Although the Charter Review Committee doesn’t offer a recommendation on the subject, its final report also addresses residents’ interest in ranked choice voting in Greenfield. For this change to be made to the charter, the report explains, a Charter Commission would need to be formed and the question put before voters at the next election.
Gilmour encouraged residents to attend the July 27 hearing and offer feedback on the proposed changes.
“This is our equivalent of the constitution,” she said. “This is the guiding document that defines how things happen in the city. If people have strong opinions on how the city government is serving them, then this is a good opportunity to weigh in.”
Ultimately, City Council will have a chance to accept or reject the proposed changes, and make changes of their own; certain issues may be brought to a ballot vote if deemed necessary. Singer noted that the council cannot change the charter without approval of the mayor as well.
“The charter is probably the most important governmental document we have,” Singer said, echoing Gilmour. “Every 10 years, we take a look at it to see what’s working and what isn’t. That’s a long period of time — a lot happens in 10 years. This is a chance for people who otherwise are not that interested on a day-to-day level to see what kind of suggested changes are being made and be involved.”
Residents can participate via Webex at bit.ly/3z7N6F0.
The Charter Review Committee’s final report can be viewed at bit.ly/3xVlrag.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne