North Street Neighborhood Association

Charter Drafting Committee Releases Narrative about Proposed Charter

2012-02-02T15:28:39Z

The Northampton Special Act Charter Drafting Committee has just released a narrative to go with its charter proposal. The narrative discusses the pros and cons of various recommendations.

The public is invited to attend a City Council workshop on the charter on February 8, 6-9pm in the Community Room of JFK Middle School, 100 Bridge Road in Florence. State and local timetables require that the language of the proposed charter be finalized in March so the people can vote on it in November. Now is the time to express your opinions and concerns to your city councilors.

Northampton Special Act Charter Drafting Committee - Narrative for Proposal

Here is a YouTube video of the committee discussing its last revisions to the narrative at its final meeting on January 31. This video is 1 hour 37 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen.

See also:

Video: Charter Committee Presents Proposal to City Council

Proposed Charter with Video of 1/17/12 Charter Committee Meeting

Video: Charter Committee Presents Proposal to City Council

2012-01-30T21:00:17Z

Here is a 44-minute YouTube video from the 1/19/12 meeting of Northampton's City Council. The Special Act Charter Drafting Committee presents its recommendations and the councilors discuss ways to move forward. This video was recorded by Emily Odgers.

The Charter Drafting Committee will meet again on January 31, 5-7pm in City Council Chambers, and the City Council will hold a public workshop on the charter proposals on February 8.

See also:

Proposed Charter with Video of 1/17/12 Charter Committee Meeting

Proposed Charter with Video of 1/17/12 Charter Committee Meeting

2012-01-26T19:57:39Z

Here is a YouTube video of the 1/17/12 meeting of Northampton's Special Act Charter Drafting Committee. This meeting was recorded by Emily Odgers. The video is 2 hour 51 minutes long.

The committee presented its recommendations to Northampton's City Council on January 19 (see NCTV video). The committee will meet again to discuss the narratives of its recommendations on January 31, 5-7pm in City Council Chambers.

The City Council will hold a special workshop to discuss the committee's recommendations on February 8, 6-9pm in ~~City Council Chambers~~ the JFK Community Room, JFK Middle School, 100 Bridge Road, Florence. The public is invited to attend.

Charter Recommendation of the Special Act Charter Drafting Committee

See also:

Videos: Charter Drafting Committee, 1/9/12-1/12/12

"When it Comes to Wetlands, It's Hard to Improve on the Original"

2012-01-25T21:18:00Z

To compensate for development in and around wetlands, developers are sometimes encouraged or required to create new ones. GOOD reports, however, that these restored wetlands are inferior:

...ecologists have found that restored wetlands are not as ecologically valuable as the originals—a new analysis of 621 wetland sites shows that, on average, restored wetlands regained only about three-quarters of their original biological performance. In restored wetlands, plants, insects, and animals do not reach their former abundance, density or diversity... [R]estored wetlands hold less carbon—on average, 23 percent less than untouched wetlands, according to the analysis...

“You must worry about the function that you're losing,“ [UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow David] Moreno-Mateos says. “It's going to take centuries to grow back.”

Click for the full article

See also:

"Degraded" Wetlands Can Get a Lot Worse

Photos Show: Man-Made Lakes and Stormwater Retention Systems Are No Substitute for Natural Wetlands
"A band of white pollutants and algae float at the top of a stormwater retention pond at Belle Hall Plantation. Though created to handle pollution and often full of mosquito larvae, this type of pond is considered a functioning wetland under definitions by the U.S. Department of the Interior."

Carlon Drive: Compensatory Wetland Not Working

Videos: Charter Drafting Committee, 1/9/12-1/12/12

2012-01-17T02:38:42Z

Here are videos of the January 9, 10, 11 and 12 meetings of Northampton's Special Act Charter Drafting Committee (click for minutes, presentations and related material). These videos were recorded by Emily Odgers. The committee will have one final meeting on January 17 before presenting its recommendations to the city council on January 19.

Notes from 1/9/12

The committee supports a four-year term for mayor (councilors to stay with two-year terms)
To fill a vacancy in the mayor's position, there should be a special election unless a general election is less than six months away (same as the present rule for city council vacancies)
President of the city council should chair council meetings
No term limits for mayor
Ward 3 City Councilor Owen Freeman-Daniel's suggestion to increase the city council's power over appointments did not get traction

Notes from 1/10/12

The mayor should continue to chair the school committee
The position of city clerk should continue to be filled by election
The committee supports the establishment of a commission to study instant runoff voting
Committee chair David Stevens had a vigorous debate with Ward 3 representative Madeline Weaver Blanchette over whether to eliminate preliminary elections. At issue was whether these elections excessively advantage incumbents and disadvantage candidates who have less money and recognition.

Notes from 1/11/12

The committee proposes to refer the issue of preliminary elections to a study commission
Signatures to be required to run for office: 50 for ward city councilor (no change), 100 for at-large city councilor, 150 for mayor
The committee declines to make provisions for free petitions or recall petitions (see Methuen for an example of these)

See also:

Gazette: "Northampton charter panel wants mayor to serve four years" (1/17/12)
The council is expected to study the new charter for a couple months. Should the council approve the charter changes, it would go to the state for approval and, ultimately, to the public for an up-or-down vote in November...

The committee calls for another new commission to study alternatives to the current preliminary election system, including "instant runoff voting" in which more than two candidates can run in a general election and voters cast their preferences in ranked order.

Video: Leaders Speak with Charter Drafting Committee

Video & Presentation: Charter Drafting Committee Public Forum II (12/6/11)

Video & Presentation: Charter Drafting Committee Public Forum of November 15, 2011

Video: Board of Public Works, 1/11/12 Meeting

2012-01-14T22:00:58Z

Here is a YouTube video of the complete 1/11/12 meeting of Northampton's Board of Public Works. This video is 52 minutes long and was recorded by Mimi Odgers.

At 47:53 on the video, Ward 7 City Councilor Gene Tacy addresses the board, saying that more communication between the board and the city council is needed. In particular, he seeks more frequent meetings of the City Council-Board of Public Works Conference Committee. Tacy believes this might have prevented Northampton's Sewer Enterprise Fund from becoming responsible for paying for significant cost overruns in the upgrade of the Bradford Street Pump Station.

See also:

Video and Pictures: Replacement of the Bradford Street Sewer Pump Station

Video: Conservation Commission Hears Comments about Montview Parcel in Meadows

2012-01-14T15:31:59Z

Here is a YouTube video from the 1/12/12 meeting of Northampton's Conservation Commission. Many members of the public attended to speak about the process for overseeing a three-acre parcel of land at Montview Avenue and Ventures Field Road. The commission expects to take up the subject again at its 1/26/12 meeting, 5pm in the City Hall Hearing Room (2nd floor, enter building from rear). This video is 1 hour 17 minutes long and was recorded by Adam Cohen.

See also:

Gazette: "Northampton Conservation Commission delays Montview parcel decision" (1/12/12)
The Conservation Commission Thursday delayed a decision on whether to turn day-to-day management of a small piece of land in the Meadows Conservation Area over to a neighborhood coalition.

The proposed agreement would give the Meadow City Conservation Coalition, a newly-formed group of neighbors who live in the surrounding neighborhood, oversight of the 3-acre Montview parcel at the corner of Montview Avenue and Ventures Field Road...

Opponents expressed concerns about letting a private group of neighbors create an RFP and select a farmer for the land.

The Montview Conservation Land

Grow Food Northampton

Hot Topics at This Week's Charter Meetings So Far

2012-01-11T21:17:09Z

[Correction: Ward 3 City Councilor Owen Freeman-Daniels did not participate in the debate over preliminary elections on January 10.]

Northampton's Special Act Charter Drafting Committee is holding an intense series of meetings this week to prepare a proposal for City Council. See the city calendar for meeting times and places. We will post videos from these meetings within a few days. In the meantime, here are notes on Monday's and Tuesday's meetings from our videographer, Emily Odgers. The committee has not made its final decisions. These notes are just the sense of the committee at the present time.

Meeting of 1/9/12

The committee supports a four-year term for mayor (councilors to stay with two-year terms)
To fill a vacancy in the mayor's position, there should be a special election unless a general election is less than six months away (same as the present rule for city council vacancies)
President of the city council should chair council meetings
No term limits for mayor
Ward 3 City Councilor Owen Freeman-Daniel's suggestion to increase the city council's power over appointments did not get traction

Meeting of 1/10/12

The mayor should continue to chair the school committee
The position of city clerk should continue to be filled by election
The committee supports the establishment of a commission to study instant runoff voting
~~Committee chair David Stevens had a vigorous debate with Councilor Freeman-Daniels~~ There was a debate over whether to eliminate preliminary elections. At issue was whether these elections excessively advantage incumbents and disadvantage candidates who have less money and recognition. This matter will be revisited at the committee's 1/11/12 meeting.

Video: Leaders Speak with Charter Drafting Committee

2011-12-20T01:41:18Z

Here is a YouTube video plus highlights from the 12/14/11 meeting of Northampton's Special Act Charter Drafting Committee. These videos were recorded by Emily Odgers.

The 12/14 meeting featured a Leadership Round Table that included Clare Higgins, Pat Goggins, Mary Ford, Michael Vito, Jim Dostal, David Murphy, Paul Spector, Stephanie Pick and David Narkewicz. Topics of discussion included the powers of the mayor, City Council and School Committee, and the length of terms. A series of final committee meetings is planned starting on January 9.

In this excerpt, former mayor Clare Higgins says that she prefers that the mayor not chair City Council meetings.

In this excerpt, former city council president Pat Goggins says that he prefers that the mayor not chair School Committee meetings. He would prefer the school superintendent to perform that role. Clare Higgins disagrees.

See also:

Video & Presentation: Charter Drafting Committee Public Forum II (12/6/11)

Video: Special Act Charter Drafting Committee, Meeting of November 30, 2011

Video & Presentation: Charter Drafting Committee Public Forum of November 15, 2011

Video: Charter Drafting Committee, Meeting of November 9, 2011

Video: Special Act Charter Drafting Committee, Meeting of October 26, 2011

Video: Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air

2011-12-18T13:31:07Z

This four-minute video from the American Society of Landscape Architects describes how trees benefit cities.

"...a single large healthy tree can remove greater than 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year... Through their leaves, trees also provide evaporative cooling, which increases air humidity. Shaded surfaces may be 20-45 degrees cooler, and evapotranspiration can reduce peak summer temperatures by 2-9 degrees."

See also:

Topographical Map Shows How Kohl Condo Proposal Will Eat Into a Rare Stand of Mature Trees in Downtown