AMHERST — Allowing non-management municipal, school and library employees to run for Town Council, requiring the Finance Committee to have resident members and giving people more time to collect signatures to challenge official council votes are among a series of adjustments that could be coming to the town charter.
A preliminary report published this week by the Amherst Town Charter Review Committee, which began meeting in September 2024, includes a series of draft recommendations that will go to the Town Council, and is accompanied by an addendum that covers a range of other topics, such as structural changes in town government, that would take more time and effort to implement.
The information was put out in advance of the committee’s final public forum, scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Town Room at Town Hall, with an option for people to participate via Zoom at https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/86368994176
“We want feedback on both the preliminary report and the addendum, and might even take feedback on adding something,” said Julian Hynes, who has chaired the committee.
Erika Mijlin, who served as vice chair of the committee, said the committee is looking for input on what has been prepared so far. “We really hope that we can generate curiosity, if not outright response, to what we’ve proposed,’ Mijlin said.
Mijlin explained that embedded in the preliminary report are measures that could enhance the functioning and responsiveness of the town government, but none would make dramatic differences to the town manager-Town Council government that has existed since 2018.
“Nothing changes the government fundamentally,” Mjlin said.
Much of the report suggests clarification of existing language and comes from input from the “lived experience” of residents over the past seven years. Mijlin said the hope is that recommendations would change and improve the way people engage with their representatives.
What’s in the addendum, though, would have a wider impact, but would necessarily trigger a new Charter Commission or action from the state Legislature.
Hynes said there will be opportunity to interact and discuss during the forum, though people can also continue to write comments until Jan. 1. He said he is interested in hearing from those who currently serve or will be serving on the Town Council, or town workers who would get the opportunity to run for positions on the Town Council.
The committee is in the home stretch of its work, with a final report to be delivered to the Town Council for its Jan. 5 meeting. That meeting could also feature a presentation. Councilors will then have 90 days to take some form of action on the report.
Preliminary report proposals
Over the course of 32 meetings, held pretty much every other week, the committee has arrived at 18 proposals that Town Council could take up with relatively simple up or down votes, Hynes said.
One of those is to enact term limits for how long a councilor can serve as a president and vice president, while another is removing the right for an individual councilor to postpone action on an item, instead requiring a vote by three councilors.
Employees who work for the town, the Jones Library or schools can’t currently run for Town Council, but would be able to under the recommended change. The voter veto provision currently give 14 days for people to collect signatures, but this would be extended to 21 days. Another idea is to allow the Town Council to solicit a legal opinion beyond the town attorney.
There are also clarifications of town manager responsibilities and a requirement for district councilor meetings to be held three times per year and for at-large councilors to attend at least five of these over their two-year terms.
Addendum
In the addendum are what the committee calls “suggestions that fall outside simple or technical changes to the language of the charter” and were beyond the specific charge of the committee.
“But we wanted the council to know the ideas still exist out there in the community of Amherst,” Mijlin said.
The addendum outlines what would likely require the creation of a new Charter Commission, or some other mechanism to enact, should there be interest from the Town Council.
Some of these would be dramatic overhauls of what exists, like moving from the manager-council government to one that would feature a mayor, or returning to the representative Town Meeting government.
There are also ideas of a smaller Town Council and lengthening and staggering the terms of service, giving Town Council permission to increase line items in the budgets for the schools and library, and making the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Finance Committee elected by the voters.
Hynes said when the final report is released, the committee will likely provide the breakdown of the voting on the recommendations so councilors can understand how much support each proposal had from the committee.
Meg Gage, a member of the committee, said the preliminary report shows a commitment to listen to the public and ensure that even when there were tied votes among the eight members, those concepts are placed in the report.
Gage said the recommendations indicate a tension between participation by the public and the efficiency of government.
The report also includes recommendations for setting up the next review committee in 2034, such as ensuring there is a budget so the panel can have paid consulting help from the Collins Center and access to the town attorney.
Hynes said there is interest on the approach the Town Council takes once it has the final report in hand. “One of the things we’re curious about is how the council approaches this,” Hynes said
Hynes said the committee thanks Clerk to the Council Athena O’Keeffe, who helped staff the committee, and Samantha Giffen, the town’s communications manager.
To read the report, go to: https://amherstma.gov/3799/2024-Charter-Review-Committee.