Council Delays Action on Metered Rates Ordinance

The Council’s Ways and Means Subcommittee decided to postpone action on an ordinance amending metered rates for residential buildings and commercial properties based upon the number of units in the buildings at its meeting Monday.

Subcommittee Chair Gerry Visconti said the ordinance request had been “in subcommittee quite some time” and he wanted councillors’ input on the matter.

Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna began the discussion by stating that she would like a vote taken on the measure. But Council President Anthony Zambuto asked that a vote be postponed until the new Council takes office in January.

“I hate, especially on my last night, to disagree with my friend, Joanne McKenna – however, I’ve got a lot of problems with this, mainly what the criteria was for the schedule for residential, commercial – there’s a lot more I want to know about the process and how this happened,” said Zambuto. “I think there’s a lot to be talked about and a lot to be investigated.”

McKenna said she respected her colleague’s point of view.

Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino said he agreed with Zambuto’s remarks to postpone a vote on the issue.

“I, too, feel that is kind of a complex matter and it needs to be further weeded out and discussed a bit further,” said Serino. “I think we have a whole new Council session, and we need to take some time and make sure we know what we’re voting on and what the criteria is and why we’re choosing that criteria.”

Ward 3 Councillor Arthur Guinasso said, “This [ordinance] is a little deeper that you think it is, and I think it’s affecting a lot of long-time homeowners in our community, and I don’t want to see that kind of activity occur that hurts the longtime homeowners, so I would ask that this be held over until the new Council in January and they review it in detail.”

Ward 4 Councillor Patrick Keefe agreed that there should be more dialogue on the issue. Keefe sought to make sure that the new Council would take up the ordinance “with vigor.”

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky delivered remarks “as a tenant and a resident on behalf of all the residents and renters that have to put up with $100 a month, per person, for what could be the next year.”

“A lot of people don’t have $1,200 to put out from now until the new Council decides what they want to do with it [the proposed ordinance],” said Novoselsky. “Honestly I think you’re making a mountain out of a molehill. I think it’s very simple that you’re taking care of the owner-occupied people which is minimal – there’s about 40 residents in the city that are affected by this. I am disappointed that you will not be bringing it up this year.”

Visconti said based on the consensus of the Council, the matter would be placed on file.