COUNCIL REJECTS DEMANDS TO REDUCE POLICE BUDGET
Amherst Police Department. Photo: Facebook
REPORT ON THE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING OF 7/20/20
The meeting was held via Zoom webcast and was broadcast simultaneously on Amherst Media Channel 17. The meeting was recorded and can be viewed here.
Participating: Councilors Shalini Bahl Milne (District 5), Alisa Brewer (At Large), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), Darcy DuMont (District 5), Lynn Griesemer (District 2), Mandi Jo Hanneke (At Large), Dorothy Pam (District 3), Evan Ross (District 4), George Ryan (District 3), Cathy Schoen (District 1), Steve Schreiber (District 4), Andy Steinberg (At Large). (Absent Sarah Swartz, District 1)
Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Council Clerk Athena O’Keeffe, Health Director Julie Federman
Because of technical difficulties with Amherst Media, the meeting was not called to order until 6:40.
Highlights
- An extensive discussion on the state of the pandemic in Amherst focused on concerns about the Umass reopening plan and about the need for means to ensure accountability of students living off-campus.
- Town Clerk is encouraging Amherst voters to vote by mail and proposed having one centralized location — the high school gym — for in-person voting in both the September primary and the November election.
- After considerable discussion, the Council voted 12-0-0 to accept the proposed budget including holding the two vacant police positions open until the Town Manager, Councilors, and residents fully explore options for providing services and report back to the Council by January 31, 2021. During and since the July 6 Council meeting, 37 residents spoke in favor of decreasing the Police Department budget by 52 percent. While the Councilors unanimously rejected this request, they pledged to work with the three citizen groups seeking defunding of the police.
- The Council discussed but did not vote on a proposal to reduce the number of votes necessary for the Planning Board to approve a Site Plan Review.
- The Council appointed Bernie Kubiac to the Finance Committee as a nonvoting member.
COVID-19 Report
Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Health Director Julie Federman updated the Council on the status of COVID-19 in Amherst. The number of cases per capita in Amherst is one of the lowest in the state. In the past 14 days, 482 tests were performed with four positive. The core team of staff and public safety officers are still meeting regularly but only about twice a week instead of everyday as was the case earlier in the pandemic. Bockelman is continuing his weekly call-in show every Thursday at noon and his once-a-month Cuppa Joe at 8 a.m. on Friday. These are recorded and available on the Town website.
The Town swimming pools, Puffers Pond, and the Farmers’ Market have opened. Each opening requires a lot of planning and staff time. The Town and schools are in close communication regarding plans for the fall. There are federal and state funds to aid towns, and Amherst is exploring how to tap into them. The Town has applied for a transportation grant. The Town is currently in Phase 3 of reopening. Gathering-size limits are 25 for inside events and 100 for enclosed outside events. An unlimited number is permitted in large open areas where social distancing can be maintained.
Federman pointed out that much of the increase in COVID-19 in the nation is among people ages 18 to 30, which is of special concern to Amherst with the anticipated return of college students in mid-August. Bockelman likened it to a cruise ship docking in the center of Town. He sent a letter of concern to UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy on June 10 and received a response shortly before this Council meeting.
The Health Department is working closely with the public health staff of the three towns included in the Five Colleges and with the public health staff at the colleges and university in order to develop testing and contact tracing policies. These policies are not finalized for the university. All institutions will require students to sign agreements on safe behavior and will advise students to limit their time off-campus.
The Councilors had many concerns, especially about Umass’s somewhat vague plans regarding quarantine and testing, and its lack of planning for students living off-campus. Brewer worried about students using apartments as “party shacks.” Hanneke cited a Yale University study which extrapolated that if 10 of 5,000 students were positive for the coronavirus, and all students were tested weekly, there would be 1,600 positive cases in 80 days. Umass anticipates close to 10,000 students returning to the area.
Several Councilors asked why Amherst does not have a mask rule. Federman felt that social distancing is more important in this rural area. Masks are needed indoors and for having a conversation outdoors but are not necessary for merely passing someone when walking. Forty signs which delineate safety measures will be placed around town. Councilor Evan Ross thought that, especially with students returning, it would be better for the Town to have a mask rule, at least in the downtown area. Students are required to wear masks on campus. He also thought it may be better for the economy, since some residents are wary of coming downtown when people are unmasked.
Ross also felt that students are important to the Town and should be welcomed back with expectations of safe behavior. The Council did vote to send a letter to Umass in support of Bockelman’s June 10 letter and requesting that the issues he raised be answered. The motion passed 10-0-2 with Ross and Councilor Steve Schreiber abstaining.
Voting
Town Clerk Shavena Martin unveiled plans for the September 1 primary and the November 3 general elections. Changes in polling places are necessary because the North Amherst Fire Station is not available, the Bang’s Center is closed, and there are safety concerns with using the three elementary schools. While Martin is hoping most residents will vote by mail, the Town is required to provide in-person voting. She proposed to have all ten precincts vote in the gym at the high school. This will lower expenses and allow for increased security at the central location. The State will provide personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to poll workers. Yet to be determined is the availability of transportation to and from the high school. There will be early voting at the Bangs Center August 22–28 and October 17–30. It is impractical to have an early voting site on the Umass campus. The Town’s election plan must be submitted to the Secretary of State three weeks before the election, so it will be voted on by the Town Council on August 3.
Final Budget Proposal
Finance Committee Chair Councilor Andy Steinberg presented the final proposed FY21 budget. During and since the July 6 Council Meeting, 37 residents have spoken in favor of decreasing the Police Department budget by 52 per cent. After consideration, the Finance Committee had voted 5-0 to recommend that two vacant positions on the Police force not be filled until at least January 31, 2021, leaving Amherst with 46 full-time police officers. Leaving the two positions unfilled would preserve funding for them; if the positions were eliminated, that money would be “lost” and would not even be available if there was a recommendation to shift some police duties to professionals in social services or mental health.) Of the nonvoting members of the Finance Committee, Marylou Theilman had opposed the recommendation, Thomas Hegner had supported it, and Sharon Povenelli had abstained. All three had supported the full municipal budget.
Discussion among the Councilors was robust. Most pointed out that freezing rather than eliminating the positions or reducing the budget is necessary to preserve funds for use in other services. All professed a commitment to work with the Race Equity Task Force, Defund 413, and the Pioneer Valley Workers’ Center to reform the Police Department with respect to treatment of people of color. Councilor Shalini Bahl Milne stated that this is the beginning of a conversation and that the Council will not “let it go.” Brewer said that the issue will not be solved in six months, or even a year or two, but she expects it to be on the agenda of every Council meeting. She called the decision of Northampton to cut ten percent from its police department “bizarre” and added, “Doing something [because] Northampton does [it] is not something Alisa ever wants Amherst to do. Period. End of story.”
Three members of the public spoke in response. Curry Kautz of District 2 appreciated the Council taking the matter seriously. However, Lydia Irons of District 4 called out several Councilors individually for asking for more time. She said her group, Defund 413, showed up and did the research on reducing the budget. They do not need more discussion, she said. She claimed that Bockelman has the ability to reallocate funds to social services. Bailey Battee of District 4 maintained that defunding the police is the important point and that fewer police are needed to keep people safe here.
The Council voted 12-0-0 to accept the proposed budget, including holding the two vacant police positions open until the Town Manager, Councilors, and residents fully explore options for providing services and report back to the Council, with a deadline of January 31, 2021.
Town Manager Evaluation
The Town Manager evaluation will be completed on August 17. Bockelman submitted a 13-page self-evaluation. Comments were solicited from Town staff, committees, and residents and were due by July 15. Councilor Darcy DuMont requested more detail in the section regarding climate action (Section 2A).
Supportive Housing Project at 132 Northampton Road
The Council resumed its discussion of whether to include a recommendation, in the support letter to be sent to the Zoning Board of Appeals, that preference be given to people who reside or work in Amherst when determining who can live in the studio housing at 132 Northampton Road that is planned Valley Community Development Corporation. Councilor Pat DeAngelis expressed concern about homeless people who do not have a permanent address. There was also concern that a recommendation to give preference to local people would restrict minorities. Brewer stated that she is not interested in meeting a regional need until the Amherst need is met. No vote was taken on the matter.
Proposed Amendment of Zoning Bylaw Would Change Requirements for Site Plan Reviews
The proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment to Article 11, Section 11.25 , which would allow site plan reviews (SPRs) to be approved by a simple majority of the Planning Board, was introduced.
Planning Board members Michael Birtwistle and Janet McGowan expressed their concern that this amendment would mean that a small number of individuals could allow a review, and that there at least four votes should be required. The CRC vote had been 4-1 in favor of the small number of votes; Councilor Sarah Swartz voted against it, believing that there at least four votes should be required. At the Council meeting, Councilors DuMont, Dorothy Pam, and Cathy Schoen voiced support for a 4-vote minimum.
The Council will vote on the proposed amendment at its next meeting (August 3).
Kubiac Appointed to Finance Committee
The Council approved the appointment of Bernie Kubiac as a nonvoting member of the Finance Committee to replace Theilman. Although Griesemer and Hanneke voted against this appointment at the Governance, Organization and Legislation Committee meeting, both voted in favor at the Council meeting. The vote was 9-2-0, with DuMont and Schoen voting no; Swartz and DeAngelis were absent. Kubiac’s statement of interest is here.
Filling Vacancies on Planning Board
Hanneke outlined the CRC’s new procedure for filling the three vacancies on the Planning Board. The new procedures were adopted when some of the appointment responsibilities of the Outreach Commications and Appointments Committee (OCA) were transferred to CRC, after OCA’s dissolution in June 2020. All positions will be considered open, even if an incumbent expresses interest in continuing. No specific term limits were set.
Town Manager Report
Since it was well after 11 p.m., the Town Manager did not give a verbal report; he referred the Council to his written report.
The next Council meeting will be August 3.