Council Subcommittee Crafting Rules for Appointing Community Preservation Committee

Watertown Town Hall

{Updated Feb. 11, 2018 at 9:50 a.m., the method for appointing the statutorily required members of the Community Preservation Committee was corrected to be by the other members of the board on which they serve.}

The process for how the at-large members of the Watertown Community Preservation Committee has been hashed out by the Town Council’s Rules & Ordinances Committee over the past year, and a final recommendation will soon be going to the full Council for consideration.

Five members of the CPC are mandated by the state Community Preservation Act law, and communities can add at-large members. Watertown’s CPC will have four at-large members.

The Rules & Ordinances Committee has discussed this in prior meetings, and they sent it to the full Council for an opinion on who should appoint the four members. For other appointed town boards and committees the Town Manager nominates people and the Town Council approves the appointment, however those behind the CPA – which created the CPC – wanted to have a different appointment process.

In September, the Town Council voted to have three members appointed by the Council and one by the Town Manager. How the Council would select members was a question sent back to the Rules & Ordinances Committee to create a recommended process.

Town Council and Town Manager Will Appoint People to Community Preservation Committee

Tuesday night, the subcommittee met for the second time in recent weeks to come up with a recommendation.

“As the ordinance is currently written, three of the members will be appointed by the Town Council,” said Councilor Anthony Donato, who chairs the Rules & Ordinances Committee. “Those individuals must be residents of Watertown and cannot be Town employees, appointees or elected officials.”

The fourth member will be appointed by the Town Manager, Donato said, and the person can be “a town employee or resident and must have particular knowledge of the Town’s financial and developmental needs or other relevant experience.”

The process for how the Council will select the members was discussed by the subcommittee, but must be reviewed by the Town’s attorney to see if it is allowed under the state statute, Donato said.

Rules & Ordinances member and Councilor Lisa Feltner said that residents interested in serving on the CPC would submit applications, then Councilors would select a group of candidates to interview. After the interviews, the group would be narrowed to finalists and those selected would be interviewed a second time. Then the Council will vote to select the CPC member. The recommendation will also have procedures for breaking ties as well as what to do if too few people apply or no candidate is considered qualified.

Because this is the first time the CPC will be appointed, the Council will select three members, and their terms will be staggered, Feltner said.

The members required by statute are: member of the Planning Board, a member of the Conservation Commission, a member of the Historical Commission, a member of the Housing Authority Board and a member of the Parks Commission. These members are appointed by the members of the boards on which they serve.

Watertown does not have a Parks Commission, the person for that seat would be appointed by the Town Manager and can be a resident or a Town employee.

The Town Council will be asked to approve the CPC member selection process.