School Committee OK doing Voice Vote on Budget
In our article about the last School Committee meeting, we questioned the vote as it was not a roll call vote as the Mayor did last year. However, Mayor Nicholson has kindly informed us that only a voice vote is actually required, “The General Laws of the Commonwealth only require roll call votes on specific votes- mainly on borrowing loans or on appropriations (the final vote to actually spend money on something). Since the vote of the School Committee is technically to send their final recommendation to the City Council for their vote on the appropriation, this could be done by a simple voice vote, but the City Council’s vote must be done via a roll call vote.” However, according to City Solicitor John Flick, a roll call vote can be requested at any time by 2/3 of the members of the committee.