Chestertown Councilman Jim Gatto made a proposal at Monday’s council meeting to “formalize” the way town committees are formed and regulated.
“So we know which committees are out there and where they are.”
“We’re bringing a lot of committees on board with the town,” Gatto said. “I’d like to formalize the process in which we approve the committees and which they operate under.”
Gotto said that a committee ”should be formed by the Mayor and Council in an official action” and candidates should be reviewed by the council before they are appointed. He said committees should be given a clear mission and a specific date to report recommendations back to the council.
The five minute video below is the exchange among council members over Gatto’s proposal.
In a move towards greater transparency, Gatto said all committee meetings should be open to the public and publicized in advance.
“Public transparency should be paramount and include open publicized meetings…with an advanced announced agenda,” Gatto said. He said the minutes of the committee meetings should be made available to the public. Committee members would be required to brief the public and council regarding “problems and progress.”
Gotto said a master list of all the active committees and their progress should be posted on the town’s website and in the Constant Contact Newsletter. He said the progress of the committees should be on the council’s agenda at the first meeting of every month.
“I think if we’re going to form a committee, we should know about this committee before it is formed,” said Councilman Marty Stetson in support of Gatto’s motion.
Chestertown Town Manager Bill volunteered to write an ordinance. He said Gatto’s idea “was a good start” but that the different groups working for the town should be clearly differentiated between a “committee, a taskforce, and a study group.”
Gatto said after the meeting that any committees or groups should be formalized and scrutinized by the council where taxpayer funds are involved.
Bill Anderson says
“This video is unavailable.” Translation: Margo doesn’t like Mr. Gatto making a recommendation that could hinder her ability to create, appoint people to, and control committees (and who can attend meetings, when, and under what conditions).
Fletcher R. Hall says
Good start Councilman Gatto.
Keep up the good work. Do not let this proposal be sandbagged and disappear in the eather.
This type of procedure should have been a part of the procedures of the town council for years.
The town elected officials and management need tighter administrative rules to make the procedeeings of the town elected body more responsive and effective.
Also, how about incresing the sound so that those attending council meetingscan hear the procedings?
MB Troup says
Chestertown Town Manager Bill volunteered to write an ordinance. He said Gatto’s idea “was a good start” but that the different groups working for the town should be clearly differentiated between a “committee, a taskforce, and a study group.”
If the semantics are that important, hen fine; however, all these groups should be subjected to the ordinance. If committees are overseen while taskforces get free reign, the ordinance designed to increase transparency becomes counterintuitive. Any group tasked with the responsibility of forming Town policy, regardless of what their 250 vistaprint.com business cards say, should be included.