RULES AND REGULATIONS COMMITTEE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2006

CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER

Convened: 6:08 p.m.

Adjourned: 7:52 p.m.

Present were: Chairperson Councilor Paul P. Clancy, Jr.

Councilor Joseph M. Petty @ 6:11 p.m.

Councilor Frederick C. Rushton

Councilor Barbara G. Haller

Councilor Michael C. Perotto

Also: City Solicitor David M. Moore

City Clerk David J. Rushford, clerk

1. Order of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes and Mayor Timothy P. Murray - Request City Council Standing Committee of Rules and Regulations review the City Council’s Committee structure and make recommendations regarding any changes in the number and functions of the committees and any new committees.

#37 CC January 4, 2000

In Committee February 26, 2001 – Held

Recommend Report with Adoption of the accompanying Order that the Mayor report to the City Council what changes might be considered to the Standing Committee structure to achieve either consolidation or expansion of the number of committees.

2. Petition of Ronal Madnick request City Council to amend its rules of operation to provide that all petitions and matters submitted by citizen petitioners which are forwarded to the City Manager and to the office’s departments shall be reported back to full council within 60 days. Further request that the City Clerk’s office notify the citizen petitioner of their petition being placed on the city council calendar for final disposition.

#16 CC February 1, 2000

In Committee February 26, 2001 – Held

Recommend File

3. Order of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes - Request City Council through its standing committee on Rules review the City Council rules so as to update the jurisdiction of each standing committee over the appropriate city departments.

#28 CC February 15, 2000

In Committee February 26, 2001 – Held

Recommend File

4. Order of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes - Request Rules Committee to review the alignment of Committees and departments.

#8q CC September 12, 2000

In Committee February 26, 2001 – Held

Recommend File

5. Order of Mayor Raymond V. Mariano and Councilors Paul Clancy, Jr., Steven Patton, Juan Gomez, Joseph Petty, Janice Nadeau, Dennis Irish, Timothy Murray, Stephen Abraham, Konstantina Lukes and Michael Perotto - Request City Council establish goals for appointment to the Library Board of Trustees including district representation and appropriate representation for under represented groups.

#27 CC January 2, 2001

In Committee February 26, 2001 – Held

Recommend File

6. Order of Councilors Paul P. Clancy and Janice L. Nadeau - Request City Council consider having the library trustee nominee reception at library one week prior to selection by Council.

#39 CC January 2, 2001

In Committee February 26, 2001

Recommend File

7. Communication of David J. Rushford, City Clerk, transmitting communication relative to the process for citizen participation before City Councils in the cities of Leominster, Fitchburg and Springfield.

#49 CC March 13, 2001

Recommend File

8. Communication of David J. Rushford, City Clerk, transmitting communication relative to establishing a procedure that notifies citizens of the process that will be followed after a petition is first submitted to City Council.

#50 CC March 13, 2001

Recommend File

9. Communication of David J. Rushford, City Clerk, transmitting communication relative to how matters introduced at Council meetings under Suspension of Rules are added to and made part of the official record of the City Council.

#51 CC March 13, 2001

Recommend File

10. Report of the Committee on Rules and Regulations Upon the Report of the Committee on Rules and Regulations Upon the Order of Councilor Lukes request City Council vote to establish a Standing Committee on Colleges/Community Relationships.

#72 CC March 13, 2001

Recommend File

11. Petition of Michael Grandone requesting a City Ordinance be established that states when a citizen submits a petition to City Council/Sub-Committee, it is to be acted upon or at least acknowledged by hearing within 6 months, be it negative or positive consideration.

#51 CC August 21, 2001

Recommend File

12. Order of Councilor Stephen Abraham - Request the Rules Committee to review the procedure used by City Council for election of individuals to the Library Board of Trustees.

#176 CC December 11, 2001

Recommend File

13. Petition of Ronal Madnick, Exec. Dir. of Worcester County Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of Mass., request to make it a rule of the City Council that the maker of a petition shall be given up to five (5) minutes to address the Council when the petition is first introduced and if more than one person signed the petition the first person listed will be the speaker.

#21 CC January 8, 2002

Recommend Deny

14. Petition of Ronal Madnick, Exec. Dir. of Worcester County Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of Mass., request to amend Rule 51 of the City Council by adding after the words “All petitions filed by a citizen with the City Council shall automatically be referred without debate to the proper committee, board, commission, department of the City Manger for investigation, recommendation or disposition except for questions of clarification, amendment or opposition by members of the City Council: the words “after the primary petitioner is allowed the opportunity to address the City Council. The presentation shall not exceed five (5) minutes. The petitioner is to inform the mayor if he/she wishes to speak.”

#22 CC January 8, 2002

Recommend Deny

15. Petition of Ronal Madnick, Exec. Dir. of Worcester County Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of Mass., request City Council to amend its rules of operation to provide that all petitions and matters submitted by citizen petitioner(s) which are forwarded to a committee of the City Council, to the City Manager or to City departments shall be reported back to the full Council within sixty (60) days unless the Council agrees to an additional sixty (60) days.

#23 CC January 8, 2002

Recommend Deny

16. Petition of Ronal Madnick, Exec. Dir. of Worcester County Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of Mass., request that the citizen petitioner be informed of the initial vote of the Council, informed of the Committee that the petition has been referred to, informed of the time and place of the Committee hearing, informed of the recommendation of the Committee, informed of the Council meeting at which a vote will be taken, notification of when the petition(s) is placed on the City Council calendar for final disposition and notification of the action of the Council.

#24 CC January 8, 2002

Recommend File

17. Order of Councilor Konstantina B. Lukes - Request City Council to refer its current rules to the Standing Committee on Rules and Regulations for a review.

#70 CC February 26, 2002

Recommend File

18. Petition of Frank Caputo et al request City Council appoint an ad hoc committee to review current standards used by the Traffic & Parking Committee when approving new handicap parking spaces in residential areas and to establish written definitive standards by which such issuance should occur.

#11 CC January 28, 2003

Recommend File

19. Order of Councilor Barbara G. Haller – Request Administration provide a report on the reasons for the requirement for individuals giving public testimony at city-held public hearings and meetings to give their home address and to make recommendations regarding continuing this practice of offering alternatives for those individuals who wish to make comment but do not wish to divulge their home address.

#49 CC April 29, 2003

Recommend Report and Adoption of the accompanying Order that the fourth sentence of Rule 53 of Rules of the City Council be changed as follows: “He or she shall be requested to state his or her full name and the municipality of residence prior to addressing the issue under consideration.”

20. Petition of Michael Galvin request creation of a City web page to track citizen petitions by original date in Council, date in Committee, date of public testimony and date of final disposition vote by Council.

#11 CC May 20, 2003

Recommend File

21. Resolution of Juan A. Gomez - That the City Council take up as an issue the establishment of a policy as it relates to attaching non-binding referendums on municipal election ballots.

#83a CC November 18, 2003

Recommend File

22. Order of Councilor Michael C. Perotto, Councilor Paul P. Clancy, Jr., and Councilor Joseph M. Petty – Request the City Council to consider elimination of the Ordinance Committee and in its place have all ordinance items referred to Land Use to report to the full City Council. Further, request a time standard be applied to ordinance items referred to the Land Use Committee.

#46 CC April 6, 2004

Recommend File

23. Chairman’s Order from the Standing Committee on Municipal Operations - Request the Standing Committee on Rules to consider a re-structuring of the Committees of the City Council so that there is an alignment between the Committees and the newly established Departments of the City Manager.

#36 CC November 23, 2004

Recommend Refer to the Mayor

24. Communication of David J. Rushford, City Clerk, transmitting a chart indicating the number and type of City Council Standing Committee meeting, including the number of calendar items considered at said meetings, for the period 2002 through 2004.

#13 CC December 14, 2004

Recommend File

25. Order of Councilor Joseph M. Petty - Request that City Council consider establishing a Standing Committee on Technology in Government; said committee to consist of three (3) members to: a) increase the strategic use of technology in government, thereby increasing efficiency in government and enhancing the quality of public services, b) promote the openness and transparency of government by ensuring that public information is accessible to all residents, and c) close the digital divide by expanding access to broadband in the underserved communities across the city.

#36 CC April 12, 2005

Recommend Report and Adoption of the accompanying Order that Rule 22 of the Rules of the City Council be and is hereby deleted in it’s entirety and in place thereof the following new Rule 22 (p) is inserted:

“Committee on Public Service and Transportation, to consist of three (3) Councilors, to consider all matters concerning the use of technology in city government, energy resources and conservation, cable television, transportation, public street lighting and all complaints that may be sent to the City Council concerning public service corporations.”

26. Order of Councilor Thomas P. White - Request the creation of a Standing Committee on Energy Resources and Conservation.

#75 CC November 1, 2005

27. Order of Konstantina B. Lukes - Request the Standing Committee on Rules and Regulations to consider an amendment to the City Council Rules on the issue of voting reconsideration when an item is brought before City Council under suspension without an emergency issue pending that requires immediate action.

#18s CC March 21, 2006

Recommend File

28. Order of Mayor Timothy P. Murray - Request the Standing Committee on Rules and Regulations consider the City Council pay be established on a per diem basis based on the number of sub committee meetings attended by its members and number of sub committee meetings that the chairs actually held.

#18g CC October 24, 2006

Recommend Hold

29. Order of Councilor Paul P. Clancy, Jr. - Request the Standing Committee on Rules and Regulations consider recommending a change to the Rules of the City Council so that the City Council meets alternately on Tuesday evenings with Standing Committees of the City Council. Further, request the City Clerk provide City Council with the number of city council items are carried over from week to week.

#11e CC October 24, 2006 – Order Adopted 7-4

Recommend Report and Adoption of the accompanying Orders as follows:

That Rule 26 of the Rules of the City Council be and is hereby deleted in it’s entirety and in place thereof the following new Rule 26 is inserted as follows:

“Rule 26. At the first meeting of each January the mayor shall introduce, and the City Council shall by majority vote adopt, an Annual Calendar of City Council Meetings. The Annual Calendar of City Council Meetings shall:

A. Maintain as much as practical the alternating schedule of City Manager agendas and City Council agendas whereby a “City Manager Agenda” shall mean the transmittal of communications of the City Manager to the City Council and the “City Council Agenda” shall be a City Council agenda that includes Motions, Orders or Resolutions filed by individual Councilors in writing with the City Clerk in accordance with Rule 35.

B. Include the City Manager’s monthly Economic Development Report as the First Item of Business on the first “City Council” designated meeting agenda of each month.

C. Include as the First Item of Business on the second “City Council” designated meeting agenda of each month a Finance Committee Item to consider a monthly report from the City Auditor on the status of the City Budget, which report shall contain a narrative on departmental expenditures and budget balances; the budgetary impact of vacancies in funded positions due to retirements, resignations, workers compensation or injured-on-duty status; and any other information indicating any significant variances in the financial performance of the City as anticipated in the annual City Budget.

D. Identify the dates for Summer Schedule of the City Council, which schedule shall include no fewer than three meetings spaced as evenly as possible between the last meeting in June and Labor Day.

E. Identify the Tuesdays when no meetings of the City Council shall occur due to general and primary election days, holiday weeks, the Summer Schedule or any other appropriate reason.

F. Specify whether any meeting held either before or after any break in the regular weekly meeting schedule may be a joint agenda which shall include both a City Manager agenda and a City Council agenda.

G. Identify the dates for the Annual Evaluation of the City Manager and the Annual Tax Classification Hearing.”

Chairman’s Order request that Rule 39 of the Rules of the City Council be and is hereby amended by deleting the words “Alternating weeks beginning on week one” from subsection k and “Alternating weeks beginning on week two” from subsection l.