Voters would make the final decision on creating a financial manager in the November election.
CHICOPEE – The City Council’s finance committee is awaiting the answers to a half-dozen questions about a proposal to revamp the city’s financial departments before it debates if it should ask voters to consider the idea.
“We want to hear what this is all about,” City Council President William A. Zaskey said. “It looks like now...let’s vote and then find out what’s in it.”
About three weeks ago Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette formally posed putting a question on the November ballot that would ask voters if they wanted to create a position of financial manager. The manager would oversee the offices of tax collector, treasurer, auditor and assessor.
State law allows voters to create the department by referendum question. Either the City Council can put the question on the ballot or voters can collect 4,000 signatures to list it.
Bissonnette said he feels so strongly that a manager would create a more cost-effective department that follows on modern financial practices, he will collect the 4,000 signatures if the City Council rejects down the idea.
A number of City Councilors said they do not like the proposal, but the body voted to send it to finance committee for more discussion.
Zaskey said he is hesitant to support any changes, especially while there are so many questions about the proposal.
“Overall our operations have worked,” he said. “I think the mayor should have a valid reason for wanting the change.”
Zaskey said he does not expect to call a meeting until he gets answers from the mayor, but Bissonnette said he expected to respond to the questions in person during a finance committee meeting.
The councilors want to know if the city treasurer and tax collector would continue to be elected under the new proposal. If they are not, councilors question how appointments would be made, Zaskey said.
He said he is also concerned there would be fewer checks and balances if the department heads are appointed.
Bissonnette has said publicly his plan would call for the treasurer and collector be joined into one position and likely be appointed because most professionals are hesitant to run for office.
One of the main reasons for having appointed instead of elected positions is professionals who hold those jobs generally deal with the day-to-day operations while elected officials such as the City Council and School Committee’s main job is to create the policies that the professionals implement, Bissonnette said.
Zaskey said his committee also wants to know if the city assessors would continue to be elected and what the role of the board of assessors would be in the future.
He also questioned if the auditor’s job would change. That position is appointed by the City Council now.
“How does the school department fit into this whole scenario?” he asked.