The Charter Revision Commission will be meeting on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 6:30pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room, Ste 211.  The meeting will be held in the Municipal Building located at 230 Main Street in Brattleboro. 

They will not be meeting on their regularly scheduled date of March 18th due to the Informational Meeting for the School District that is being held then. 
The Agenda and Minutes are attached.

Catrina Lawley
Executive Secretary
Town Manager's Office

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Brattleboro Charter Revision Commission

Agenda
March 11, 2010
6:30 pm
Hanna Cosman Mtg Rm

1. Call to Order
2. Agenda Review
3. Approve minutes of March 4, 2010
4. Announcements
5. General discussion Art IV Sec 6 Duties of Selectboard; Sec 7 Duties of Town Manager

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Brattleboro Charter Revision Commission

Minutes
March 4, 2010
6:30 pm
Hanna Cosman Mtg Rm

Present: Commissioners Richard Dudman, Larry Bloch, Orion Barber, Ronny Johnson, Corky Elwell, Spoon Agave (chair)
Absent: Commissioners Jane Southworth, Harold Dompier, Tom Finnell
Others: Annette Cappy, Town Clerk; Jane Fletcher, Asst Town Clerk

1. Call to Order: 6:33 pm

2. Agenda Review: no changes

3. Approve minutes: Dudman – asked if charter changes made last meeting were “motioned in?” No.
Agave – should we set an internal policy? Discussion followed about what to have motions for, important items? Technical items? None, both?

MOTION: Agave/Dudman – “motion” everything in PASSED 6-0

Barber – we should be sure that all draft copies of minutes prominently display the word draft. Agreed.

4. Announcements:

Cappy – recommendation from last May on write-in vote counting apparently lost in the shuffle. Offered proposed new wording for Art II Sec 2 that will require write-in candidates to file a “declaration of candidacy” no later than one hour before close of polls on election day. Purpose to end arduous and lengthy work counting many hundreds of write-ins for countless people who are ineligible, uninterested or whose names are illegible, among other things. It should be no trouble or barrier for a serious write-in candidate to fill out form at polling place. State statute appears not to prohibit this.

MOTION: Bloch/Dudman – to accept Cappy proposed addition: PASSED 6-0

MOTION: Dudman – Amend Cappy proposal changing “intends” to “accept” in Art II Sec 2 PASSED 5-0-1

TASK – Dudman will incorporate all changes including those from Feb 18 meeting.

Bloch – Town Atty yet to draft new language on Initiative section.

Bloch – spoke to Paul Gilles about HAVA (Help America to Vote Act) does it permit funds to be released to municipalities for new voting machines capable of processing ranked voting systems used in local elections? Gilles will research.

Elwell – next meeting will conflict with Town School informational meeting. Mar 18th mtg cancelled. Rescheduled earlier for next week, March 11th.

Bloch – examined potential for a run-off election system using current proposed SB configuration of two and three year terms. Appeared to be no way to make it work.
(Cappy and Fletcher departed)

5. General discussion Art IV Sec 5

Barber – How does charter distinguish between boards, committees and commissions that Selectboard may remove and those that it can’t?

Agave – suggests that charter list only those standing or permanent boards etc that cannot be removed by SB. Others come and go with sufficient frequency that charter would only, and continually, be misleading. No overriding reason to list.

TASK – Dudman will rewrite Sec 5 with new Appointments language

Sec 6
MOTION: Dudman/Bloch – line 1, preface, change “supervision” to “oversight.” Passed 6-0

MOTION: Dudman/Elwell – para 1, 2 and 3 strike words …”and to provide for appointment…” Passed 5-0-1

MOTION: Dudman/Barber para 4 change “render” to “establish” Passed 5-0-1

MOTION: Dudman/Johnson para 8 add at end “…as circumstances may require.” Passed 5-0-1

MOTION: Dudman/Johnson remove para 22 Passed 6-0

MOTION: Dudman/Johnson remove para 23 Passed 5-0-1

TASK: Dudman will reword para 2 and 3 after consulting with Fire Chief.

6. Adjourn 8:38 pm