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Council begins first reading of memorialization committee ordinance; final naming authority remains with council
Summary
Council held a first reading Feb. 11 of an ordinance to create a memorialization committee to advise the City Council on naming public spaces and objects. The committee would replace Resolution 85 (2019), clarify referral and review procedures and include a provision allowing removal of names if public interest changes.
The Watertown City Council took up a first reading Feb. 11 of a proposed ordinance to create a memorialization committee that would review naming requests for public spaces and objects and make recommendations to the council.
Councilor Gannon, reporting for the Rules and Ordinances Committee, said the draft ordinance grew out of a December committee discussion and would replace the current Resolution 85 (2019) governing non-veteran naming requests. The proposed ordinance would be added to Title 3 (Administration) as a new subchapter and would clarify that the City Council retains sole authority to grant or remove names for public spaces, rights of way and memorial objects.
The committee and staff discussed referral mechanics: proposals would be submitted in writing to the council president and referred to the memorialization committee for review. The draft clarifies that referrals come through the council president, not directly from the city manager, to avoid ambiguity about who may initiate requests. Committee members and staff emphasized that public participation would be part of the committee’s rulemaking and naming recommendations.
The draft ordinance distinguishes between small donations or memorial objects and larger namings (parks or facilities) and contemplates different fees and maintenance expectations depending on scale. It also includes a review clause, taken from the existing resolution, stating that the council “shall have sole authority to remove the naming of any public space or object if, with the passage of time, it determines the public interest is no longer being served.”
Councilor Gardner asked whether the library and schools would be covered; the committee reporter confirmed that naming of library facilities and schools remains under the control of the school committee and library trustees and would not be handled by the new memorialization committee. The Rules and Ordinances Committee voted to recommend that the council accept the ordinance for a first reading and requested staff provide a clean draft with city-attorney review prior to the public hearing.
Council voted to accept the committee report on the ordinance; the first reading will be scheduled for a future council meeting with clarifications incorporated into the draft.
