Minutes

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Town of Wellfleet

Charter Review Committee

Meeting Minutes

January 16, 2018

Wellfleet Town Hall, Basement Meeting Room                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Present: Harry Terkanian, Barbara Cary, Denny O’Connell, Deborah Freeman , Paul Cullity, Roger Putnam

Regrets: Helen Miranda Wilson

The meeting of the Charter Review Committee (“CRC”) was called to order at 2:00 p.m. by Chairperson Deborah Freeman.

It was moved, seconded and VOTED 5-0 to accept the Minutes of the CRC meeting of January 8, 2018  (Paul Cullity arrived at 2:30 p.m., after the vote was taken.)  

Discussion

In earlier CRC meetings it had been considered that in order to expedite discussion and voting at Town Meeting the revised Charter be presented as several separate articles.  However it was decided by consensus that the revisions made to the Charter be submitted as one Warrant Article, as there are numerous changes throughout the document which cross reference one another. 

• It was moved, seconded and VOTED 5-0 that no Warrant Article be proposed for any change to the ByLaws regarding the proposed references in Charter Section 3-5-3 to the “Strong Fire Chief” law as set out in MGL Chapter 48, Section 42. No change to the ByLaws will be necessary until approval of the revisions at the Annual Town Meeting in April, 2018, and subsequent town elections and referendum a year later.Town Counsel will be asked to draft any Bylaw changes.

There was general discussion about how best to distribute the final draft of the revised Charter; Denny O’Connell will see to it that the draft will be delivered to Dan Hoort, Brian Carlson, Joe Powers, Dan Silverman, the Selectboard (for further delivery to Town Counsel for review), all Community Boards, Committees and Commissions, and the Town Website.

There will be a Wellfleet Community Forum meeting dedicated to review and discussion of the revisions hopefully in March, but definitely prior to the Town Meeting, as well as the “prior Town Meeting town meeting”, held by Dan Silverman, presumably in mid-April.

There is no further meeting of the CRC scheduled at this time.

It was agreed by consensus that the Meeting be adjourned at 2:35 p.m.