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Government Study Committee

Government Study Committee. Presentation of Form of Government Options January 22, 2004. SHARON TOWN GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMITTEE MEMBERS: George Bailey, Anne Carney, David Fixler, Dennis Friedman, Andrew Nebenzahl, Gloria Rose Sam Zisblatt, Patricia Zlotin.

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Government Study Committee

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  1. Government Study Committee Presentation of Form of Government Options January 22, 2004

  2. SHARON TOWN GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMITTEEMEMBERS:George Bailey, Anne Carney, David Fixler, Dennis Friedman, Andrew Nebenzahl, Gloria Rose Sam Zisblatt, Patricia Zlotin

  3. Charge of the Committee:To examine the governmental structure of Sharon and submit findings and recommendations to the Town.

  4. Focus of committee’s first year was to improve the current open town meeting format.

  5. Recent Changes to Open Town Meeting: Two Scheduled Town Meetings1. Annual Town Meeting in the Spring – Mainly Budgetary Items2. Special Town Meeting in the Fall - Mainly Non-Budgetary Items

  6. Changes cont. - All town meetings will begin at 7PM instead of 8 PM - Annual Town Meeting will now take place before the town election

  7. Suggestions: - No more than two consecutive nights for a town meeting- Limits on the time each person speaks (Moderator’s discretion)

  8. Suggestions cont. - Have counters sworn in prior to the start of town meeting - Have new finance committee members names published prior to the town meeting

  9. Second year’s focus is to look at all forms of governance:- Open Town Meeting- Representative Town Meeting- Council

  10. 263 Towns have Open Town Meeting (75%)- 38 Towns have Representative Town Meeting (11%)- 50 Cities and Towns have a Council Form of Government (14%)

  11. Of the 50 with Council form, 44 have a mayor- Of the 6 without a mayor, 5 are Towns

  12. Local Elections Offices/Overrides/Local Options/Referendums Open Town Meeting Legislative/Fiscal/Committees Current Government Structure Boards and Committees

  13. Attributes of Open Town Meeting • Open to all voters • Supporters of an issue can vote as a block • Purest form of democracy as everybody has a vote

  14. Attributes Of Open Town Meeting Continued • ‘Special Interests’ can have large influence if attendance is low • Difficult to ensure attendees have sufficient information to vote

  15. Attributes Of Open Town Meeting Continued • Long meetings as many people may speak on a particular topic • Amendments can make it difficult to ensure a deliberative process occurs • Long time lag between setting a date and meeting so difficult to deal with special opportunities

  16. Attributes of Open Town Meeting Continued • Individual votes not recorded • No detailed minutes of debate recorded • Some voters feel intimidated

  17. Attributes of Open Town Meeting Continued • If have large attendance, need more meeting space • school age children, business travel, evening work hours limit many voters participation

  18. Attributes of Representative Town Meeting • Representatives elected by Precinct (from 10 to 25 each - usually 3 year terms) • Major difference between RTM and OTM is only elected representatives able to vote

  19. Attributes of Representative Town Meeting Continued • Smaller number of people to inform about issues • More difficult for special interests to dominate meeting • Increases neighborhood cohesiveness as representatives meet with local constituents

  20. Attributes of Representative Town Meeting Continued • Limited citizen participation (Citizens may address the meeting with the permission of the moderator) • May be dominated by special interests elected as a block • No true accountability to constituents as votes are normally not recorded

  21. Attributes of Town Council • Significant change from OTM or RTM as Council makes all decisions for the town • From 9 to 15 Council members (as determined by Charter) elected by District, at-large, or both • Present a unified vision for town rather than having disparate views among Boards

  22. Attributes of Town CouncilContinued • Professional town manager responsible for daily operations, reports to TC • Consolidate work of many Boards/Committees • Boards (Planning, Conservation, Health, Appeals, Finance) may be retained - reporting to Council.

  23. Attributes of Town CouncilContinued • Smaller body so more deliberative (Charter may require several notices and reviews before actions taken) • Votes Recorded so accountability • Public testimony allowed at each meeting of Council (by Charter)

  24. Attributes of Town CouncilContinued • Clear lines of authority • Option to have Council President serve on School Committee • Ability to act quickly on issues (Councils meet bi-weekly)

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