Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Holyoke committee backs charter change to let council set law department duties by ordinance
Summary
The Charter & Rules Committee voted to forward a proposed amendment to Section 39 that would make the law department’s duties subject to ordinance, following a lengthy debate about separation of powers and the council’s need for access to independent counsel.
The Charter & Rules Committee of the Holyoke City Council voted to send to full council with recommendation a proposed amendment to Charter Section 39 that would replace the charter’s current expansive description of the city solicitor’s duties with language saying the city solicitor shall perform legal services as the city council establishes by ordinance.
The proposal, introduced by Councilor Jordain, would condense the first two sentences of Section 39 into a single line authorizing the council and mayor, by ordinance, to define the law department’s duties. Jordain told the committee the change is intended to remove ambiguity that has, at times, allowed the law department to assert sweeping authority that could block charter or ordinance…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
