Framingham Transition To City Nears Completion With Bylaw Change

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham took the final step to becoming a city on Tuesday night.

The City Council approved the conversion of the old town bylaws into ordinances — a massive undertaking that meant figuring out how to distribute the duties of the old Board of Selectmen to the mayor, City Council and various city board and commissions.

The transfer has taken place over the three years following the 2017 referendum to become a city. The Council Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee headed by Chair District 8 Councilor John Stefanini, Vice Chair District 9 Councilor Tracey Bryant and District 6 Councilor Philip Ottaviani has been working since the spring on the final conversion.

The committee built on work done by the 2017 Select Bylaw Review Committee and Mayor’s Bylaw Review Committee in 2018 and 2019. It also looked at what Weymouth and Braintree did when those cities converted from towns.

There was one conflict between the Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee's final product and the larger City Council.

City Solicitor Christopher Petrini advised that the Cable Advisory Committee should report directly to Mayor Yvonne Spicer per state law. But Stefanini said the Cable Advisory Committee fits the definition of a "Multiple-Member Body," which means the Council should be able to approve its members. The Council voted 6 to 5 to reverse the subcommittee's recommendation, which would put the Cable Advisory Committee under Spicer's authority.

After that change, the Council voted unanimously to accept the committee's work. A second and final vote on the change will take place at a future Council meeting.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee also recommended the exploration of a host of new ordinances to "achieve the meaning and spirit of the Charter." The Council voted to accept the recommendations and delegate the work to appropriate Council subcommittees. Those potential ordinances include:

• Create transparency by streamlining the public records request process; expand the municipal bulletin board; define who uses notification lists; establish reporting requirements of "Multiple-Member Bodies" with annual reports; and update Open Checkbook
• Create a process for publishing annual revenue forecasts and five-year projections
• Send junk and motor vehicle dealer licensing to the Board of Licensing
• Establish a committee dealing with real property
• Establish a uniform annual calendar for appointments and first meetings of "Multiple-Member Bodies"
• Redraft a law dealing with the sale of indecent publications
• Deem that city division heads make financial disclosures and create a way for elected officials to file ethics disclosures
• Create a single chart of enforcement tools for violations of city ordinances
• Appoint a full-time Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator