Council Considers Meeting Less

– Allison Goldsberry

While some city councilors say they don’t have enough on their agenda to justify a weekly meeting, others say the weekly Council meeting is one of few public forums that allows citizens to air grievances and call issues to their government’s attention on a regular basis.

“The public has been used to having the Council meetings every Tuesday night…We’re here to serve the people of this community. This is their forum,” said City Councilor Robert Penta.

Councilor Penta opposes recommendations recently made by the Rules subcommittee that the Council meet three times each month and reserve the last Tuesday of the month for subcommittee meetings, which are also open to the public.

City Councilor Paul Camuso, Chairperson of the Rules subcommittee, says the Council is more productive in subcommittee meetings and under the new plan, the Council will be meeting more and doing more work, not less.

Like last week’s meeting, Penta and Camuso got into another shouting match about the issue though this time Penta’s argument managed to persuade enough councilors to reconsider the rule changes in another subcommittee meeting.

The Council voted 5-2 to send the changes back to the Rules subcommittee for reconsideration, with Councilor Camuso and Council President Robert Maiocco dissenting.

The Council is also considering doing away with a required meeting with the mayor, which the Council says hasn’t happened for twenty years, and lengthening the amount of time subcommittees can meet and report back to the full Council from four weeks to six.

The Council also approved a recommendation from Mayor Michael McGlynn to increase each councilor’s monthly allowance by $100. The mayor recommended the same for the School Committee during its last meeting, which the Committee approved.

Property Tax Rates Tabled

The Council tabled is property tax discussion Tuesday night because the state Department of Revenue has yet to officially certify Medford’s property values.

In other real estate tax news, Council President Robert Maiocco said the state legislature approved Medford’s home rule petition to lower the anticipated residential property tax increase by raising taxes on commercial, industrial, and personal property. The tax increase would be phased out over three years.

Council Supports Keno at Veterans Organization

Post 1012 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars is one step closer to receiving its Keno license from the State Lottery Commission.

The Council voted to support the VFW’s bid for the license and also will send a letter of support to the lottery commission, which will have the final say in granting the license.

Billboards “Come Full Circle” for Council

The city will receive the property taxes it’s due from billboards along Mystic Avenue several years after their construction raised the ire of the Council.

The Council, along with City Assessor Edward O’Neil, pushed to get accurate property value assessments of the billboards so they could be taxed accordingly.

According to Councilor Stephanie Muccini Burke, the five billboards are worth nearly $3 million and it will be billboard owner Clear Channel that will have to pony up the cash.