BEST

PRACTICES PROGRESS REPORT

In March 2009, The Ad-Hoc Committee on Best Practices in Northampton Decision-Making presented to City Council a report containing its final ten recommendations. The report was adopted by the council, and it is the council that has the responsibility for implementing the recommendations. Over two years have passed since the recommendations were submitted, and David Narkewicz has presided over the council during most of this time. Based on public information, here's my evaluation of the progress being made on each recommendation. 1. DEVELOP WRITTEN PROTOCOLS FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC MEETINGS. These protocols do not exist. There have been recent instances, such as the decision to demolish the Chesterfield Road Dam, where a written protocol would have greatly benefited those citizens trying to offer alternatives. However, some progress has been made in the way some committees and departments conduct meetings and involve the public in decision-making. PROGRESS GRADE C- 2. ASSUME AN ONGOING RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXPLAINING THE DETAILED FUNCTIONS AND PROCESSES OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT. Although NCTV coverage of city meetings has increased and there has been increased collaboration with neighborhood organizations, I see no progress on other suggestions related to this recommendation, such as the development of a citizens guide. PROGRESS GRADE D 3. ASSUME AN ONGOING RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXPLAINING THE CITYS ANNUAL BUDGET IN DETAIL. Efforts here have been inconsistent. The Mayors office did conduct extensive community outreach in the run-up to a recent Proposition 2 1/2 override. The new Finance Director is also providing welcome reports to the public online. However, during the current year's budget process there was little outreach and citizen involvement was almost nonexistent. Several councilors were absent from certain budget hearings, and for a joint hearing with the School Committee the council even lacked a quorum for seventeen minutes. PROGRESS GRADE C- 4. IMPROVE WEBSITE TO BE MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND INCREASE ITS OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. There have been some recent improvements to the citys website. However, there are still times when information is hard to locate. On many occasions the citys calendar has omitted meetings or had inaccurate information. PROGRESS REPORT C+

 5. REVIEW AND, IF NECESSARY, REVISE CURRENT PROCEDURES FOR MAKING APPOINTMENTS TO CITY COMMITTEES TO ENSURE THAT APPOINTMENTS REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITY. The councils Appointments & Evaluations Committee has brought some clarity to the appointment process. However, there is considerable room for improvement in regularly announcing upcoming vacancies and making a concerted effort to recruit more citizens for city committees. There is much expertise in the community that is not being tapped. PROGRESS GRADE D- 6. COMMISSION AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE OFFICE OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. No evidence of any progress on this recommendation. PROGRESS GRADE F 7. CREATE A VISION/MISSION STATEMENT FOR CITY GOVERNMENT THAT PRIORITIZES CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION, ETHICAL BEHAVIOR, AND BEST PRACTICES IN DECISION-MAKING. No evidence of any progress on this recommendation. PROGRESS GRADE F 8. DESIGNATE A STANDING COMMITTEE TO CONTINUE THE WORK BEGUN BY THE AD-HOC COMMITTEE ON BEST PRACTICES TO IMPROVE CITY DECISION-MAKING AND PROMOTE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. No evidence of any progress on this recommendation. PROGRESS GRADE F 9. REVIEW CITY COUNCIL RULES AND PROCEDURES, AND CITY ORDINANCES, IN RELATIONSHIP TO BEST PRACTICES GOALS AND GUIDELINES. The Ordinance Committee conducted such a review during 2008-2009. I chaired the committee during this time. Some of the recommendations regarding public comment sessions have been implemented. Other changes to council procedure have been made. PROGRESS GRADE B- 10. INITIATE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE CITY CHARTER. Considerable progress is evident. The recently formed Special Act Charter Drafting Committee will provide the legal mechanism for changing the citys charter. To ensure that citizens are fully informed, information about the committee and its meetings should be easily accessible on the citys website. PROGRESS GRADE A

OVERALL PROGRESS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS D+

Paid for by The Bardsley Campaign Committee, P.O. Box 60252, Northampton, MA 01062 Loretta Gougeon, Treasurer