MassVoter.com← Taunton Municipal CouncilTaunton Municipal Council · 2022–2023 Council · Regular meeting
February 1, 2022
33 recorded votes, 3 with disagreement.
Sources: Official minutes (PDF) · City meeting page
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
Attendance
Present: Jeffrey Postell, Lawrence Quintal, Barry Sanders, Christopher Coute, David Pottier, John McCaul, Estele Borges, Phillip Duarte, Kelly Dooner
Absent: None
During the meeting:
- Councilor Duarte recused himself from this matter do to his employment as an employee of the State Legislator
Every vote, in order
So voted.
To go out of the regular order of business to Appointments
From the minutes
“Motion was made to go out of the regular order of business to Appointments. So voted..”
Appointment of Sarah Riendeau for a permanent full-time Fire Lieutenant for the Taunton Fire Department
To approve appointment
From the minutes
“Motion was made to approve appointment on a roll call vote. On a roll call vote, nine (9) councilors were present, nine (9) councilors voted in favor..”
To invite Sarah Riendeau into the enclosure to be sworn in
From the minutes
“Motion was made to invite Sarah Riendeau into the enclosure to be sworn in. So voted..”
The City Clerk swore in Sarah Riendeau as a Fire Lieutenant for the City of Taunton.
To take a brief recess
From the minutes
“Motion was made to take a brief recess. So voted..”
Appointment of Sarah Riendeau for a permanent full-time Fire Lieutenant for the Taunton Fire Department
To revert back to the regular order of business
From the minutes
“Motion was made to revert back to the regular order of business. So voted..”
On the petition submitted by Ricardo Camara, 207 Washington St., Taunton to allow a Grade 2 (7-12 dogs) kennel license for personal use/dogs (NOT BUSINESS USE) at 207 Washington Street, Taunton, MA.
To open the Public Hearing and invite the interested party into the enclosure
From the minutes
“Motion was made to open the Public Hearing and invite the interested party into the enclosure. So voted..”
Com. from the Animal Control Officer submitting an Inspection Report with a positive recommendation and a sketch of the property.
To make part of the record
From the minutes
“Motion was made to make part of the record. So voted..”
He does not qualify for that.
To open public input
From the minutes
“Motion was made to open public input. So voted..”
Parties were invited into the enclosure. Com. from Chairman, Taunton Planning Board submitting a positive recommendation. Com. from City Planner submitting recommended approval comment. Com. from Conservation Agent submitting no issue comments. Com. from City Engineer submitting no comments. Com. fr
To make all 5 communication a part of the record
From the minutes
“Motion was made to make all 5 communication a part of the record. So voted..”
Appointment of Sarah Riendeau for a permanent full-time Fire Lieutenant for the Taunton Fire Department
To approve
No: Borges, Coute, Dooner, Duarte, McCaul, Postell, Pottier, Quintal, Sanders
From the minutes
“On a roll call vote, nine (9) councilors were present, nine (9) councilors voted in opposition. Motion did not pass..”
It's the noise factor.
To close public input
From the minutes
“Motion was made to close public input. So voted..”
So voted.
To approve the Kennel License
From the minutes
“Motion was made to approve the Kennel License on a roll call vote. So voted..”
On the petition submitted by Attorney Edmund J
To open the Public Hearing
From the minutes
“Motion was made to open the Public Hearing. So voted..”
He does not qualify for that.
To open public input
From the minutes
“Motion was made to open public input. So voted..”
Timmy Furtado, 55 Liberty Street, East Taunton, said he is 100% for this.
To close public input and approve the petition
From the minutes
“Motion was made to close public input and approve the petition. So voted..”
Mayor O'Connell explained they worked Saturday, Sunday and Monday, if someone does not have their road completed or they think it needs to be plowed further, looked at, or sanded, they can call the DPW.
To have an after action submitted to the City Council from all the departments involved as an oversite of numbers that they had just so they can look at calls for service from police and fire, any power outages from TMLP reported and anything they can identify some vulnerabilities
From the minutes
“Councilor Postell made a motion to have an after action submitted to the City Council from all the departments involved as an oversite of numbers that they had just so they can look at calls for service from police and fire, any power outages from TMLP reported and anything they can identify some vulnerabilities. Also, to outline some of the questions that were just asked regarding challenges they may have had in terms of staffing for the plows. Just an after action after a significant incident. So voted..” (Motion: Postell)
Taunton Cultural Council Appointment of Josephine Dwuye, 37 Madison Street, Taunton to serve on the Taunton Cultural Council for a term of three (3) years expiring in January 2025.
To move approval
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval. So voted..”
Appointment of Tara Sousa, 103 Flintlock Road, Taunton to serve on the Taunton Cultural Council for a term of three (3) years expiring in January 2025.
To move approval
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval. So voted..”
Com. from Police Chief requesting to declare a 2009 Crown Vic, which is no longer suitable for police patrol and is in need of repair which is cost prohibitive, as surplus property, so that it may be donated to the Dighton Police Department for use with their new comfort dog.
To move approval
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval. So voted..”
Com. from City Solicitor submitting Xfinity Correspondence in regards to channel changes occurring effective March 22, 2022
To receive and place on file
From the minutes
“Motion was made to receive and place on file. So voted..”
Com. from Police Chief requesting a conditional appointment for Ruben Cruz subjected to the listed nine conditions.
To refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief. So voted..”
Com. from City Solicitor regarding the proposed Home Rule Petition - Operations and Maintenance of the Wastewater Treatment Plant
To adopt the proposed special act as a home rule petition to be transmitted to 7 the City's legislative delegation as possible
Yes: Borges, Coute, Dooner, McCaul, Postell, Pottier, Quintal, SandersNo: Duarte
From the minutes
“Motion was made to adopt the proposed special act as a home rule petition to be transmitted to 7 the City's legislative delegation as possible on a roll call vote. Councilor Duarte recused himself from this matter do to his employment as an employee of the State Legislator. On a roll call vote, nine (9) councilors were present, nine (8) councilors voted in favor. One (1) councilor was recused. Councilor Duarte did not vote..”
Appointment of Josephine Dwuye, 37 Madison Street, Taunton to serve on the Taunton Cultural Council for a term of three (3) years expiring in January 2025
To move approval
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval. So voted..”
Com. from City Solicitor regarding the Civil Service Appeal to the Municipal Council of Disciplinary Decision in regards to a personnel issue with an employee appealing a disciplinary action taken by his supervisor at a requested
To refer to the Committee of the Council as a Whole for an Executive Session Hearing on Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:00 p.m
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer to the Committee of the Council as a Whole for an Executive Session Hearing on Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. So voted..”
Com. from City Solicitor in regards to the former Leonard School Property/Assessors Parcels 46-235; 45-229; 46-212, requesting that the former Leonard School property be referred to the Committee on Public Property for considerat
To refer to the Committee on Public Property
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Public Property. So voted..”
Councilor Borges motioned to meet with the representatives of Bristol Plymouth regarding financial impact on the new school project on the City of Taunton in the Council of the Whole.
To move approval
Yes: Borges, Pottier, SandersNo: Coute, Dooner, Duarte, McCaul, Postell, Quintal
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval on a roll call vote. … On a roll call vote, nine (9) councilors were present, three (3) councilors voted in favor (Councilor Sanders, Pottier and Borges). Six (6) councilors voted in opposition (Councilor Postell, Quintal, Coute, McCaul, Duarte and Dooner). Motion did not pass..”
Councilor Borges motioned to meet with the Human Resources Director and the City Solicitor regarding a policy for Council appointments in Council of the Whole.
To move approval
From the minutes
“Motion was made to move approval. So voted..”
Fortune Teller License - RENEWAL 1. Dawn Lorraine located at 159 Silverwood Dr., Taunton.
To refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer to the Committee on Police and License and the Police Chief. So voted..”
Com. from Greater Taunton Area Allied Veterans Council, 82 Ingell St
To refer to the Council President and to receive and place on file
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer to the Council President and to receive and place on file. So voted..”
Committee reports
For Committee reports to be read by title and approved
From the minutes
“Motion was made for Committee reports to be read by title and approved. So Voted..”
Resolutions: NONE New Business: Councilor Borges motioned to meet with the Human Resources Director and the City Solicitor regarding a policy for Council appointments in Council of the Whole
To meet in the Committee of the Council as a Whole and if they have any questions they can refer it to the City Solicitor and to the Human Resource Director
From the minutes
“Councilor Borges made a motion to meet in the Committee of the Council as a Whole and if they have any questions they can refer it to the City Solicitor and to the Human Resource Director. So voted..” (Motion: Borges)
Councilor Dooner added she feels a thank you for our Veteran's is never enough or what we do will never be enough.
To refer this to the Committee on Military & Veterans Affairs and to the Mayor's Office to go over the process of becoming a Purple Heart Community
From the minutes
“Motion was made to refer this to the Committee on Military & Veterans Affairs and to the Mayor's Office to go over the process of becoming a Purple Heart Community. So voted..”
Councilor Borges said it was brought to her attention that Department Heads have been asked to craft their budget from the CFO with a reduction in other by 10%.
To get an explanation from the CFO, on what the rationale for that was
From the minutes
“Councilor Borges made a motion to get an explanation from the CFO, on what the rationale for that was. With that, also a balance of the stabilization and whether or not they have been certified for free cash yet. So voted..” (Motion: Borges)
From the official minutes kept by the Taunton City Clerk (agendas and minutes). From the Taunton Municipal Council’s official minutes, posted in the city’s Agenda Center. Most items pass by voice (“So voted”), and the minutes record only the result for those; how each councilor voted is shown for roll calls. MassVoter never grades officials; votes and attendance are shown exactly as the minutes record them. MassVoter never grades officials; votes and attendance are shown exactly as the minutes record them. Councilor photos: City of Taunton Municipal Council page (taunton-ma.gov). Former councilors show initials.
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