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Chicopee Rules Committee sets council-submission deadline at 11:00 AM two business days before meetings
Summary
The Rules Committee amended Rule 11 to require items for the City Council agenda to be submitted by 11:00 AM two business days before a meeting, with no exceptions including snow days or emergencies; the change passed unanimously at the June 10 meeting.
The Chicopee City Council Rules Committee on June 10 voted to amend Rule 11 to require that “Items must be submitted no later than 11:00 AM two business days prior to the City Council meeting,” and that snow days or other days City Hall is not open shall not be counted as business days.
Councilor Frank Laflamme said the change was intended to give office staff enough time to prepare agenda items. Attorney Tim Reilly presented the precise language and explained the deadline and formatting requirements; the proposed text includes the clause, “There are no exceptions to this rule, including for emergencies.”
After the committee closed public input, Councilor George Balakier moved to amend Rule 11 to the language presented by Attorney Reilly; Balakier moved again to approve the amendment as amended. Both motions were seconded by Councilor Laflamme. A roll-call vote recorded Laflamme, Shumsky (via Zoom), Balakier, Brooks and Roy voting yes and the motion passed unanimously.
The committee recorded the amended rule text into the minutes for the public record. No further implementation steps or exceptions were specified at the meeting.
