City Council to Hold Emergency Meeting Tuesday To Discuss Spicer Administration’s $2.5 Million Shortfall

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FRAMINGHAM – The 11-member City Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss Mayor Yvonne Spicer’s administration’s $2.5 million shortfall in the water & sewer fund on Tuesday night, announced the City Council chair on Sunday afternoon.

The meeting will be Tuesday, December 8th at 7 p.m. on Zoom and on the Government channel.

“As you are all aware, the Mayor has requested the City Council approve an additional $2.5 million bailout of the water and sewer enterprise fund.  Further, we are being asked to do this over the next 10-12 days.  If we are to accomplish this on the requested timeline it is going to require a special meeting on December 17, in addition to our December 15 meeting, given the two-vote requirement,” wrote City Council Chair George P. King Jr. to the rest of the Council today, December 6, just before 1 p.m.

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“As you are also aware, for any appropriation request to be acted on, it must be referred to the Finance Subcommittee first.  It is not optional, and we cannot waive it.  Therefore, the only way it can get to the Finance Subcommittee in time for December 15^th, would be for me to refer it, as allowed by our rules.  Although I have done this in the path with less significant items,  I made a point at a recent meeting that I am uncomfortable doing so.  Given the magnitude of this issue, I am particularly uncomfortable doing it, as I feel like I am cutting half the Council out of the discussion.  Therefore, I am going to call an emergency meeting for Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m.   This is an emergency meeting because it will not meet the 48-hour notification required by the Open Meeting Law,” wrote King.

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The state’s open meeting law defines emergency as  “a sudden, generally unexpected occurrence or set of circumstances demanding immediate action.

“Although I was aware on Thursday there was an issue, I was not aware of the proposed solution and request for action until well after 1:00 on Friday, when the Clerk’s office closed.  That would have been the deadline. Therefore, I am comfortable in the justification of the emergency meeting,” wrote Chair King.

“The Finance Subcommittee is also scheduled to meet at that time on Tuesday.  The Finance Subcommittee can be in recess while the Council meets and then deal with the issue after the Council meeting,” wrote King.

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