Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-04-14 Government Operations Committee Minutes Government Operations Committee April 14, 2009 Minutes Councilor Attendance: Wheeler, D’Errico, Blanchette, Gratwick, Palmer Staff Attendance: Barrett, Farrar, Cammack, Dubois, Others: 1. Ambulance Billing Agreement with the Baileyville Ambulance Corps and Town of Baileyville The item was moved, seconded, and recommended for approval to the City Council. 2. Proposed Amendments to the City of Bangor Charter – Nominating Petitions and Candidate Order on Election Ballots. Blanchette will assume Chair due to Wheeler’s conflict of interest. Heitmann stated that the number of names on the petition is determined by the City Charter and requires that Council candidates secure 150 signatures and that School Board candidates secure at least 100 signatures. Heitmann stated that Wheeler approached him about the difference between the two. The City looked at other offices and communities and found that communities such as Portland, Augusta, Brunswick and South Portland have the same numbers for the Council as with the School Committee. One possibility is to change the number of signatures for both City and School to be the same but that change would need to be done by a vote of the citizens of Bangor. This can be put on the ballot by petition brought by citizens or by Council Order. It could appear on a June election, special election or on the November election. Because of the requirement on the turnout, this would require 30% of the numbers in the last gubernator election. It only makes sense to have it at the next regular election. The City would need to have a turnout of approximately 3,400. Historically on Special Elections and even Primary Elections it is difficult to get that kind of turn out. This would give the City plenty of time to get this item on the November Ballot. The other issue Heitmann looked into is the order that names appears on the ballot. In Bangor, names are in alphabetical order according to the Charter. In order to change this, it would require a vote by the citizens of Bangor and again with the same requirements. Some communities list the names by the order in which applicants are received, and others draw names from a hat. There is nothing that requires the names to be alphabetical. Heitmann referred to a study that found some benefit to being the first name on the ballot. This is a concern to anyone that happens to be the last name on the ballot. Wheeler stated that there are two factors that prompted him to introduce his concerns; the first reason is the need for consistency between the number of signatures required for the School Committee and the City Council. He recognized that the City Council exercises a wider range of authority but to say that the seat on the City Council is more important then the seat on the School Committee would be not only wrong but a disservice to the importance of the School Committee. The second reason is somewhat forward looking. There has been an accelerated influx in younger adults to the City over the last 10 years or so. During the process of nominating people for positions on City boards and committees the City has had the great pleasure and excitement of hearing from quite a few individuals in their 30’s and late 20’s. He feels that these young people would serve admirably on the City Council but do not have the advantage or network of friends and acquaintances that those citizens that have lived here for 40, 50 or 60 years. Wheeler said he finds it easy to find 150 names and would like to make it a little easier for the younger individuals because he thinks that they have a lot to offer. Wheeler responded to Gratwick and said that he is asking that the number of required City Council signatures be reduced from 150 to 100. He feels it is the fairest way and the most interesting way is for candidates who have submitted the required number of signatures be allowed to pick the names out of a hat in the City Clerk’s office with the City Clerk present to determine the ballot order. Blanchette asked Dubois if the Committee votes to have this brought to the Council would it be possible to look at the last 4 elections to determine who took office and where their names were on the ballot. Dubois responded to Blanchette saying that she felt that it would be favorable if this process was done in public as opposed to in the City Clerk’s office. It could put the City in a difficult position if someone challenges the process. It could be done during a Council Meeting after the petition deadline has gone by. This would allow for the process to be public. She pointed out that the town of Sanford has 100 numbers in a basket and when a person turns in their petitions they pull out a number which is attached to their petition. Barrett responded to Gratwick saying that after looking at other cities, their methods are all over the place. The purpose of looking at the numbers is to make sure that enough of an effort is put forth so that serious people are running but no so high that it becomes a barrier for people getting on the ballot. Barrett feels that the number does not seem to be too high but he understands Wheeler’s concern and the fact that they should be the same number between the City Councilors and School Board Members. Responding to Gratwick, Barrett said that Alpha is the predominate method used in the order of placement on the ballot, from what he has seen especially in Maine. In other places in the country the placement by lot is at least as popular because he thinks that people do realize that there is an advantage to being first on the ballot (or higher on the ballot). Palmer feels that the placement of the names on the ballot is very important. He does not feel like having the drawing publicized at a Council Meeting and thinks that having a press conference would work. Heitmann suggested that this should be discussed at the next Council Meeting. He agrees that it would be beneficial to have the Clerk’s office do some research on the number of names on the ballots and how many Council Candidates per elections. He wonders how many petitions are turned in and then the individual disappears possibly due to not having enough names on the petition. Blanchette stated that she would like to have a questionnaire go out to the Councilors asking them how they feel about the number of required signatures and changing the method of the placement on the ballots. This would give the City a sense of how they feel and not waste time by staff and Council if it turns out that the majority is not in favor of a change. Heitmann stated that the Charter is not worded in a way that says that the “Council and the School Committee shall be” on the ballot in a specific way. It just says that the ballot “shall be”; so the City can simply change the language to impact the School Board as well. He suggested checking with the School Board to see if they have an opinion. Wheeler commented on Blanchette’s request for a questionnaire and feels it is not needed and not helpful to the process. Since charter amendments require a public hearing anyway, the people that really need to be heard from are members of the public as well as members of the Council. The staff will gather the information needed and share that information with the Council prior to the next Government Operations Committee meeting and have it on the agenda in two weeks. Heitmann will put together a memo to all the Councilors with that information and a request that all Councilors attend the next meeting. If there are any Councilors that are unable to attend he would request that they provide any comments they would like him to pass on to other Councilors at that meeting. No formal action was required. 3. Proposal to Increase Certain City Clerk Fees Dubois referred to the memo that was provided and stated a fee increase is being proposed on certain services that the City offers to the citizens as a convenience and are not required by the City Charter or State law. Due to the changes in the laws regarding the Drivers License renewals, people now have to provide a certified copy of their birth certificate. The City Clerk’s office has seen a dramatic increase in the vital records requests in the office. A new service that has been offered by this office is the ability to request a copy by phone and with a credit card. This increases the calls that come into the City Clerk’s office and to the front counter clerks. The Clerk’s office has 2 or 3 clerks working at a time, and at times is unable to answer a high volume of calls due to people at the counter needing assistance. These transactions over the phone sometimes take 7 - 9 minutes each. This concerns Dubois as the popularity increases and people decide to call in for this service and are willing to pay the additional $2 fee for the expedited service which puts them in the front of the line. The attempt is to offset the cost of this additional service that people are choosing to use and hope that only the people that really need this service will use it. The City Clerk’s office offers the walk in service or the method of sending in checks via mail for those local individuals and the birth certificate is mailed out the same day. There is no additional fee for these methods. Dubois responded to Blanchette by saying that the City Clerk’s office gets around 10 or so calls a day, which averages about 50 a week. Many of the calls that are received are local people and she does not feel that the calls from out of state would mind paying the additional for the convenience. If the increase was to $10 she feels that the calls will diminish somewhat but not stop the calls completely. Palmer agreed that there should be a fee for the expedition and with technology the City will need to meet the needs of the people and recognize the limitations of the staff and what they are able to do. Dubois responded to Wheeler stating that she likes that fact that these services are offered to those that really need it. She does not want the service to be abused which is the reason for the increase. She pointed out that the City is not required to offer this service. The fact that the City can now take credit cards is a luxury and if used properly can be a benefit for the customer. The notary service is a more generalized service that is offered. She polled some banks, Credit Unions, and attorney’s offices in the area to see what, if anything, they charge and found for the most part the service is free. It is not that the City is an exclusive provider of notary services, but most individuals logically go to City Hall. When staff receives calls, they try to direct them to these other companies because the service would be free for them. This service could be discontinued once we got the word out to people and can redirect them appropriately. The Dedimus Justice service is a little more specialized. Dubois thinks that people come to City Hall for the convenience of her being a public person and that that they know where she is so that they can find her. It is difficult to find a Dedimus Justice that is retired and she believes this service should remain available. Responding to Wheeler, Dubois said she would prefer to continue offering these services and simply urge people to go elsewhere. Blanchette suggested that requesting callers to leave their name and number in order to return the calls when time allows. Dubois responded by saying that when the clerks are dealing with someone at the counter and a call is coming in, she has instructed the clerks to not interrupt the transaction and let the phone call go to voice mail. Once the call is answered the clerk is starting another transaction. The Clerk’s office ends up with a bank of messages throughout the day. Responding to Palmer, Dubois said that there are a few weddings done every year. The City charges $200 for that service. The money goes directly into the general fund and is done in the Council Chambers. She feels this is worth the effort. Dubois requested an increase is genealogy research. Dubois stated that the City is not required to offer this service, but the records are public. Staff can steer people to other agencies to receive the records such as the State Archives, or the Department of Vital Records, etc. But, if an individual would like to look at the records, the Clerk’s office provides that service. This service requires personnel time and often the person requesting the information is calling from out of town and not able to do research on their own. Often times little information is given and requires a substantial amount of research. This fees forces people to narrow the search. For example, the Clerk’s office will look through 10 years of records for one fee and will save someone money if they can narrow it down to only one or two different searches. The increase is $5 per search if they have the exact date and $10 per search without the exact date and includes a copy of the record. Gratwick does not feel that $5 or $10 would be enough for a day’s worth of searching and asked if it were appropriate to charge per hour or minute? Responding to Gratwick, Dubois said that the fee is collected prior to the search. If they do not find the information, it is very difficult to collect the fee. It would be difficult to collect credit card information for an hourly basis when the length of time for research needed is unknown. Gratwick stated that he did not feel that taxpayers should be paying for the amount of time it requires to research other people’s genealogy reports. Barrett pointed out that the City Clerk’s office charges a $10 fee for each 10 year increment; therefore, if the search requires a time frame for 30 years then the individual will be charged for 3 different fees of $10. A motion was made and seconded to increase the fees as recommended by the City Clerk. 4. Transportation Consideration for Voters on Election Day Dubois started by discussing the consolidating of polling places to one polling place. There was a lot of discussion with voters and the transportation issues regarding difficulties getting to the polling places. This is a result of the voting being taken out of the neighborhoods and moving it to a different location. The City has offered a free ride on the BAT during the past several elections. The participation has been extremely insignificant to the point that the BAT has not billed the Clerk for those services until this past Presidential Election year. The City had usage that equaled about $175 dollars for this past election. She did not anticipate in future elections that it would be more than that. One of the concerns is that if people have difficulties getting to the route that the BAT follows, those people would not be able to take advantage of that. She feels there might be a small percentage of the population that might still find themselves with some transportation issues. She thought about having City staff use fleet vehicles and pick people up but looked into insurance and liability, and found that it becomes an issue. She feels that perhaps the City could offer taxi rides. These taxi cabs are in the business of transporting the general public, and are use to getting people into and out of their homes. They can go to those interior locations where the bus does not necessarily go by. She wanted to get a sense from the Council whether or not this was a viable solution before she looked into it more. Gratwick asked how one would determine who was “unable to utilize” public transportation. Dubois responded by saying that she would work closely with Joe McNeil. If someone is truly handicapped and unable to use public transportation, they use the LYNX to pick them up. Using the LYNX can be an expensive option for one or two voters; however, it is not so expensive that the City would be looking at thousands of dollars. Responding to Gratwick, Dubois feels that although there might be some abuse, for the most part people are not going to call for a free ride to the Civic Center and back home. Gratwick is concerned with the Taxi and potential abuse. Dubois stated that if people contact the City with a transportation issue, the City would offer the services in the order of necessity; for example if the Clerk’s office received a call for a free ride, staff would encourage the BAT first and then look at the other options if necessary. Palmer reminded the committee that it is important to remember that early voting is an option. He is not in favor of using the taxi service because he feels that there would be an issue with the various companies no matter how fair the City tries to make it. He believes that the BAT is an excellent option and would encourage having a shuttle service from the parking garage to the Civic Center and back again. Barrett suggested having conversations with the LYNX service and stated he has some reservations regarding the use of taxi cabs. He thought that it might cost $20 to $30 per ride on average making it difficult to justify and control. Responding to Blanchette, Dubois said she did not think Brewer offered this service on Election Day. Blanchette feels that Bangor goes out of their way to help voters. With early voting, prepaid postage, the BAT service and handicap accessibility, Blanchette said that the City of Bangor does enough and she feels that the taxi cab service would be abused. Wheeler thanked Dubois for her compassion but brought up other issue’s on taxi cabs, such as: the wait time while the passenger is voting, where the taxi will park, will the City be responsible for the waiting, will the passenger be able to find the taxi when they return and finally, can the City ensure that they do not make any other stops before they return home. A motion was made to continue to work with McNeil regarding the BAT service for voters; it was seconded and passed without objection. The committee tanked Dubois for her effort. Meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m.