MERRIMACK CHARTER COMMISSION

REGULAR MEETING

January 31, 2006

 

Commission members present:  Chairman Tom Mahon, Vice Chairman Heather Anderson, Secretary Fran L’Heureux, Robert Kelley, Tim Tenhave, Peter Batula, David Yakuboff, Finlay Rothhaus (arrived at 7:25 PM), and Lon Woods.

 

Chairman Mahon convened the meeting of the Charter Commission at 7:10 pm in the Conference Room of the Town Hall.

 

Announcements

Chairman Mahon noted that material regarding the final report is available on the Charter Commission’s website.  The Charter is available in its entirety, as well as broken into each article.  A comparison of current form to Charter form is included with links to the appropriate sections of the Charter for easy reference.

 

Public Comment

There was no public comment at this time.

 

Reports

Chair – Chairman Mahon noted that the letter to go with the report to the Board of Selectmen was signed.  He noted a “thank you” to the members of the Commission.

 

Vice Chair – Vice Chair Anderson noted she is working with Brian McCarthy to put everything on the Commission’s website.  A binder is being created to go to the Board of Selectmen.  She noted that she also spent time with some of the Frequently Asked Questions and other issues to be presented to the public.

 

Key Messages for Public Awareness Effort

Heather Anderson noted she is in the process of creating a chart containing our 5 key messages and several bullets of supporting statements for each key message.  The information in this chart will be used for meetings with community organizations and a video for government television.

 

February 2, 2006 Board of Selectmen’s Meeting Preparation

Tom Mahon noted that the agenda for this meeting has been set.  The discussion with the Board will probably begin about 7:30 PM.  He noted he will keep his remarks brief and to the point.  He will respond to any questions by the Board.  The meeting will be held in the Court House.

 

Speaking Engagement(s)

David Yakuboff noted he is still awaiting final confirmation of a date to meet with the Senior Citizens.

 

Fran L’Heureux noted she is still awaiting a final confirmation of a date to meet with the Lions Club.

 

Heather Anderson noted that a page on the website will note dates/times of speaking engagements.  She asked if anyone would be willing to pull the “coffee chats” together.  This would involve informal chats at local coffee shops.  Mrs. L’Heureux volunteered for this work.  (Finlay Rothhaus arrived at this time.)


Frequently Asked Questions

Some possible FAQs were presented.  It was noted that these are questions that will be asked of the Charter Commission.  There was some concern expressed over question #19 which deals with the things that are “broken” with the current form of government.  Some members of the Commission felt that it is the responsibility of the Commission to inform the voters of how the proposed Charter will be different from the current form and not to dictate what is “broken” with the current form.  Robert Kelley noted that this question could be turned around to tell the public what is better with the proposed Charter.  Tom Mahon noted that members should turn in their answers and the Commission will decide later what to do with this question.

 

Minutes

January 5, 2006 – A motion was made by Lon Woods and seconded by Robert Kelley to accept the minutes of January 5, 2006 as printed.  The motion passed 7-0-2.

January 10, 2006 – A motion was made by Fran L’Heureux and seconded by Heather Anderson to accept the minutes of January 10, 2006 as printed.  The motion passed 9-0-0.

January 17, 2006 – A motion was made by Robert Kelley and seconded by Heather Anderson to accept the minutes of January 17, 2006 as printed.  The motion passed 9-0-0.

 

Other Business

Future Meetings – The Commission decided to meet again on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 unless something happens to dictate another meeting before this date.

 

Questions from the Press

There were no questions from the press at this time.

 

Public Comment

There were no comments from the public at this time.

 

Comments from the Commissioners

Lon Woods noted a “Thank You” to all of the Commissioners, especially Tom Mahon, Heather Anderson, and Fran L’Heureux.  He noted that the work on this Commission has been interesting due to the task and the members of the Commission.

 

Adjournment

A motion was made by Fran L’Heureux and seconded by Lon Woods to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 PM.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Rita Carlton, Recording Secretary