Warrant Committee Organizes Itself, Reelects Officers
What actually is the Warrant Committee?
BAR HARBOR—Town Clerk Liz Graves led the Bar Harbor Warrant Committee in its short organizational meeting on Thursday, June 29. The meeting at the Bar Harbor Municipal Building’s council chambers, lasted ten minutes, which had some members quipping that it was the shortest meeting the deliberative body had ever had.
Graves first swore in the group. All members had to sign their personal oaths at the end of the meeting, clustering around the heavy wooden table to sign individual papers.
After verbally taking the oath of office, Warrant Committee officers were elected. Robert Chaplin nominated Seth Libby for chair. Libby nominated Julie Berberian for vice chair. Christine Smith was nominated by Chaplin for secretary. There were no other nominations for any of the officer positions. All were accepted unanimously. All served last year in those positions.
Members Eben Salvatore and Jeff Young were absent.
Graves reminded members that they all had to take a freedom of access exam, which is a yearly requirement, and take an ethics exam, which must occur every three years. She quickly ran through the names of those who still had to meet those requirements.
Libby also suggested members read the committee’s bylaws. He welcomed new member Shaun Farrar to the committee. Farrar, Carol Chappell, Allison Sasner, and Christine Smith were all elected earlier this June.
WHAT IS THE WARRANT COMMITTEE ABOUT?
According to the town’s charter (article VII), the 15-member committee is elected and comprised of people who are “qualified to vote in elections in the Town of Bar Harbor and have been registered to vote for one year prior to their election.”
According to that article:
“It shall be the duty of any duly elected Warrant Committee to consider, investigate and report upon with recommendations or comments all articles except those dealing with election of candidates in the warrant of all Town Meetings, whether annual or special. When requested to do so, it shall be the duty of Town officers and committees to meet with the Warrant Committee or any of its subcommittees and to furnish all information relative to matters being considered by said Committee or subcommittee.”
According to the bylaws, the Warrant Committee’s duty is to “consider, investigate, and report upon (with recommendations or comments) all articles, except those dealing with the election of candidates, in the warrant of all Town Meetings, whether annual or special.”
Town officers and other committees must give the Warrant Committee or its subcommittees information about those articles when the committee (or a subcommittee) requests it.
The committee then makes formal recommendations on those warrant articles or the preliminary municipal budget so that the voters can know if they recommend changes to the town’s land use ordinance or the budget or not. A member can also submit a minority report or recommendation at the Annual Town Meeting or Special Town Meeting about any of those articles.
The council’s deadline for items on the warrant for the November election is in August. Last year those items included changing the two-thirds rule, a cap on cruise ship disembarkations, and allowing retail marijuana in town. The rule change and cruise ship disembarkations passed. Recreational marijuana did not.
The town typically reviews historic properties each year. Any changes in wording, removals, additions, must be approved by voters.
Member Caleb Cough asked if the committee was keeping the same budget review and warrant article review format this year. Libby said that he planned to, but it is still on the table and that they can review how they did it last time and send him and the officers suggestions on how to improve it. There are currently no plans to change the subcommittees. The bylaws of the committee list those subcommittees as: general government (health and welfare and cooperating agencies); public works (recreation and protection); and education.
The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m.
Disclosure: Shaun Farrar is my husband and a contributor to the Bar Harbor Story.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
https://www.barharbormaine.gov/273/Warrant-Committee
To talk to all committee members, email here: warrant@barharbormaine.gov