Holyoke committee amends 43C order, opts to develop finance department by ordinance and tables further action

The Holyoke City Ordinance Committee on Nov. 9 debated whether to use Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 43C or local ordinance changes to create a city finance department, amended a filed order to remove mandatory citation to c.43C §12, and laid the amended order on the table for further work.

The committee’s most consequential action was an amendment to a committee order that originally read, in part, “the city of Holyoke accept and adopt the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 43C section 12.” Committee members agreed to strike the standalone acceptance language and replace it with a directive that the city “shall create an administrative and finance department as outlined in the statute or by way of amending city ordinances,” then lay the amended order on the table for additional drafting and review. The amended motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: the choice between adopting an optional state template (Chapter 43C) and drafting a local ordinance affects whether the council proceeds by a home-rule petition or by local ordinance drafting, and alters the timing and specific qualifications, duties and reporting relationships for a new finance director or chief administrative and financial officer.

Committee members debated technical differences between sections of Chapter 43C and the Municipal Modernization Act. Councilor Linda Bacon cautioned that “I don’t think you can just look at one section without looking at the whole law,” urging staff to provide the full chapter for review. City solicitor Bernice Bissonnette (identified in the…