NORTHAMPTON — At a busy Thursday night meeting, the City Council made progress on issues related to the upcoming elections, passed a resolution in support of the state COVID-19 Housing Equity Bill and voted to keep their meetings remote through the end of the year.
City Council President Gina-Louise Sciarra said “we have our work cut out for us” trying to educate voters about the ballot question they could see in November.
The proposed ballot question asks voters if they support the city establishing a public utility called a municipal light plant (MLP). The so-called plant would actually be a city-owned company that can provide broadband internet to businesses and households, but if the question passes, it will not give the city permission to build anything or spend any money.
The measure to add the question unanimously passed the first reading on Thursday, and the council’s final vote could take place at its next meeting on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.
At-Large Councilor Bill Dwight, a co-sponsor of the measure, called the language “arcane and complicated … but what it actually says (is), ‘Are you in favor of establishing a municipal broadband system for the city of Northampton?’”
Under state law, creating the MLP requires approval from the City Council in two separate fiscal years, followed by ratification from voters. The council voted in favor of the plan in 2020 and again in May.
If voters pass the question, the city will have permission to create the MLP, but it will not be required to do so. If the question is voted down, the city cannot establish the MLP.
“The language is confusing here,” said Councilor Marianne LaBarge of Ward 6, describing a visit from a concerned constituent who saw the agenda item about the MLP and came to LaBarge’s house to ask about it. “People want to know where the money’s coming from, that we’re building a plant.”
Mayor David Narkewicz said the language is mandated by state law, and it’s the same ballot question that Easthampton voters passed in 2019. Narkewicz said City Solicitor Alan Seewald submitted one edit to the question summary – the section that explains the effects of a yes or no vote – but the language of the question itself cannot be altered.
“This will not commit the city to it, it will not commit the city to any spending, but it’s a required vote,” Narkewicz said.
An independent consulting firm called Design Nine is conducting a feasibility study and working on a cost-benefit analysis of potential business models.
The council took a first vote on a warrant to authorize early voting in the preliminary and general elections. When the warrant passed, the council suspended the rules to allow for an immediate second vote, which also passed, making the early voting plan official.
For the preliminary election, early voting will be offered from Sept. 21-24 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Early voting for the general election will be Oct. 23-29 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The hours on Sunday, Oct. 24, would be 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. All early votes will be cast at the Senior Center, 67 Conz St.
City Clerk Pamela Powers said that Secretary of State William Galvin’s office plans to mail postcards to all voters statewide to explain the no-excuse early and mail-in voting procedures that are in place due to the pandemic. She had asked for two readings of the measure on Thursday so that she could notify Galvin’s office of the early voting dates as quickly as possible.
Councilor Alex Jarrett pointed out that, so far, school is not canceled on the day of the Nov. 2 general election. Powers said schools “usually have a professional day for the general election. … I’m surprised that didn’t happen this year.”
Councilors unanimously voted to support passage of H.1434/S.891, under consideration in the state Legislature, which would provide protections for tenants who owe back rent and homeowners who are late on their mortgages due to the pandemic.
More than $800 million worth of federal rental assistance is available in Massachusetts, and councilors and members of the public said evictions should not occur while that money remains unused.
“It would be fantastic for Northampton to go on record in support of this urgent need to protect people from eviction and foreclosure during this time,” said Pamela Schwartz, director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, adding that the bill “is useful to landlords, particularly small landlords, who are in need of resources.”
The council voted to keep meeting remotely for the rest of the year instead of using a hybrid model, citing concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19. Under a hybrid model, the council would meet publicly at City Council chambers; screens in the room would display Zoom participants, who would be able to observe and address the council virtually.
“Right now, there seems to be a new level of urgency and stress related to the delta variant” of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, said at-large councilor Dwight. “Hampshire County has one of the lowest COVID incidence rates in the state, but we know that this virus doesn’t particularly care about boundaries, classes or anything else other than the fact that all of us are convenient hosts.”
Dwight pointed out that the health department holds vaccine clinics in the City Council chambers, and meeting there could contaminate the space. Sciarra, the council president, said the city’s mask mandate would apply to everyone at an in-person meeting, which would make it challenging for the public to follow along.
“We’ve been robbed of so much of the non-verbal communication that we share together,” said At-Large Councilor Michael Quinlan, “but I just don’t think that (a hybrid model) is a safe thing to do. I think we have got to respect the science and stay remote.”
Meetings are held via Zoom, live-streamed on the Northampton Open Media YouTube page and broadcast live on Comcast channel 15.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.