NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council is giving boards and commissions more time to file meeting minutes.

 

Councilors spent some time Monday debating whether to amend an ordinance passed five years ago that required boards to provide meeting minutes within two weeks before passing it to a second reading 7-2 with Councilors Marie T. Harpin and Jennifer Barbeau voting against.

 

The General Government Committee on Monday had recommended returning to the state law standard of 30 days or within three meetings, whichever is longer. 

 

Councilors have said the two-week deadline has been difficult, particularly when there have been multiple meetings within a short period of time.

 

Harpin thought it an issue of transparency, and that residents shouldn't have to wait up to 90 days find out about matters that could affect them, their homes or their businesses. Furthermore, it should be far more accessible than having to call the city clerk, she said.

 

"We live in an age of computers and internet, that information should be available online," she said. "If someone's not able to make a meeting, they should be able to pull up the meeting minutes within a reasonable amount of time."

 

There must have been a reason to change it to two weeks, Harpin said, because the council had voted unanimously twice.

 

Councilor Wayne Wilkinson said former Councilor Eric Buddington had introduced the measure and "the rest of council didn't think at the time that that was unreasonable."

 

Barbeau said there are boards facing dozens of Open Meeting Law complaints now (apparently referring to the missing Airport Commission minutes) and that while having all meetings videoed and  posted would be great, "that is not our reality in this city at this time."

 

"If we're going to cut this back, and we're going to follow Mass General Law, well, how exactly where would we see this play out for the boards and commissions that aren't filing their meeting minutes?" she asked, adding that the minutes didn't need to be approved but rather a draft be made available.

 

Both Harpin and Barbeau pointed to the use of meeting minutes as a way to inform the public — and other officials — about the work they are doing. 

 

Councilor Ashley Shade said the minutes weren't a transcription but rather a summary of discussions, actions and those present.

 

"I think the real solution, long term, is to look into technology and how we can either record or have access to meetings where people can go back and watch and hear the conversations ... in the context of why people vote a certain way," she said. 

 

Macksey said waiting three meetings for minutes was not optimal. 

 

"I use the minutes as a tool to get a pulse on what my committees are doing," she said, but acknowledged that "when I ask people to be on boards and commissions, the first thing they say to me is 'do I have to take minutes.'"

 

On the other hand, she was sympathetic to councilors who have to take minutes because she takes the minutes for the Mass MoCA Commission because no one else wants to.

 

Macksey said her administration is working on ways to better use technology, track the filing of minutes, and how to provide boards with clerical support. A few boards have staff support but most don't.

 

"So we're brainstorming to try to solve that," she said.