City Councilor Lisa Blackmer is sworn in as president by City Clerk Marilyn Gomeau.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council in its first meeting of the year on Tuesday approved a right-to-farm ordinance and re-elected officers.
The council also spent some time debating the creation of a public arts commission, in the end postponing it to the next meeting when it was learned the city solicitor had not yet reviewed the ordinance.
The council did endorse the ordinance as written, although there was some concern over the five-year terms.
"We felt very good about the ordinance and that it would be beneficial," said Councilor Kate Merrigan, chairman of the General Government Committee. Her committee had recommended adoption of the ordinance but she said the appointment of members and their terms had been flagged for further debate.
The commission will be comprised of five voting members who are residents of the city and two nonvoting advisers with a connection to the city. The initial members would be appointed ranging from one to five years to start; the following appointments once those terms were completed would all be for five years.
The commission would over see visual arts — murals, statues, etc. — on public buildings or grounds and review contracts detailing the responsibilities and rights of the city and artists. Administrative Officer Michael Canales said the idea was to eventually expand its role to raise or accept grants and donations and solicit public art.
At issue at Tuesday's meeting was whether five years was too long for a commissioner to serve.
Councilors Wayne Wilkinson and Keith Bona advocated for a shorter term.
"I've heard the comment from constituents that five years is a long time," said Wilkinson. "Once they're appointed, you're not getting rid of them."
Bona thought the terms shouldn't be excessively longer than the council or mayor's.
"If there is a new administration, their philosophy may be different who they want on that board," he said. "I'm comfortable with three or four years ... five years, you're talking the administration could change three times."
Councilor Eric Buddington, however, thought the longer period of service would prevent rapid change in the city's approach to public art.
"I would prefer to have longer terms so our vision as a city does not change that fast," he said. "The art will last longer."
He found support from Councilor Joshua Moran, who said institutional memory and familiarity with the artists working with the city would be beneficial. "I like the continuity of not having a change over during art projects ... people switching over in one year or three could just add another level of difficulty."
Councilors also pointed out that there would be an opportunity to appoint a commissioner each year.
City Councilor Kate Hanley Merrigan gives a synopsis of the General Government Committee's discussion of the public arts commission.
Without a real push to change the terms, the council decided to leave them as written. However, there had been some belief by Merrigan and Canales that the council might modify the terms, so they had delayed sending the ordinance to the solicitor in anticipation of changes.
To prevent having to publish the ordinance twice, a costly venture, Buddington agreed to withdraw the ordinance and motioned to postpone until the next meeting.
The council seemed to informally agree that General Government would review/interview the first 10 applicants put forward by the mayor and recommend five candidates, rather than create an ad hoc committee to do it.
"The first year could feel a little awkward but we have to establish the initial committee from scratch," Canales said.
The right-to-farm ordinance was passed to a second reading and published. The ordinance, an adoption of a state law, would require realtors to inform homebuyers they were in a right-to-farm community. The law was designed to encourage farming and the protection of farming where it is zoned.
In other business, Lisa Blackmer was re-elected as president and Nancy Bullett as vice president, unanimously. Councilor Jennifer Breen was absent. Wilkinson and Bona drew the names and seats for the 2015 term.
Blackmer provided the councilor with this year's council rules, which she said hadn't been changed. She did, however, ask that council and audience members be considerate in the use of electronics: turn off or silence cell phones and for councilors to abstain from distracting use phone and laptops.
The rules will be voted at the next meeting.
The council also:
• Reappointed Justyna Carlson to the Historical Commission for a term expiring in 2018 but postponed reappointing William Mahoney until his residence could be confirmed.
• Approved Raymond Foster to drive a taxi for City Cab.
• Set a public hearing for the Jan. 27 meeting for Cumberland Farms' request for fuel tank storage at its Mohawk Trail location.
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City Councilor Lisa Blackmer is sworn in as president by City Clerk Marilyn Gomeau.
City Councilor Kate Hanley Merrigan gives a synopsis of the General Government Committee's discussion of the public arts commission.
