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Council delays broad ordinance overhaul; will rewarn limited open‑meetings changes and form working group for wider review
Summary
After an extended debate over proposed city ordinance edits, councilors agreed to withdraw a multi‑section package and rewarn a second reading that contains only the open‑meetings updates; they also agreed to convene a working group to review other substantive ordinance changes, including the recreation department language.
Barre City Councilors spent significant time on Feb. 11 debating a proposed set of municipal ordinance updates that had been scheduled for a second reading, including open‑meetings compliance language and other, more substantive structural changes.
Several councilors and members of the public urged caution about removing larger sections of the code — most prominently the change that would eliminate the existing Recreation Department language — without fuller community review and use of the city’s equity assessment tool. Opponents said substantial deletions deserved separate review and public comment; supporters said the comprehensive update reflected staff recommendations and prior first‑reading work.
After extended discussion, the council agreed to rescind the second‑reading motion and rewarn a narrowed second reading that will contain only the open‑meetings law changes (Article 1 of Chapter 2). Staff and councilors will form a working group to review other ordinance items (including recreation language) and return proposed changes through the normal first/second reading process with appropriate public notice. The clerk advised that a revised second reading must be properly warned and republished before adoption.
Why it matters: The open‑meetings provisions were identified previously as needed to resolve an open‑meeting law complaint. Councilors said they were committed to correcting that issue promptly but wanted the broader ordinance rework — which includes department structures and other governance language — to receive more transparent public review.
Next steps: Staff will prepare the narrowed ordinance text for a rewarned second reading (open‑meetings language only) to the council at its next meeting and will set up a working group to study and recommend changes to the remaining ordinance sections. The working group will be asked to use the equity assessment tool and include stakeholders before proposed wholesale deletions are returned to council.
