The City Council decided Friday to spend $10,000 on a consultant to lead a committee on paper streets, reversing a decision councilors made earlier in the week.
At a special meeting held Friday morning, Council President Jim Violette moved to reconsider his vote against the proposal, saying he changed his mind after hearing from residents of the area who wanted the city to hire the consultant.
The council voted, 4-0, in favor of the reconsidered motion. Councilors Ed Symbol, Drew Gattine and Suzanne Joyce cast the other votes in favor of the proposal. Councilors Brendan Rielly, John O’Hara and Ann Peoples were not present at the meeting.
Violette said he heard from at least two residents of the Chestnut Street neighborhood who urged him to reconsider his vote. He said he was swayed by the argument that the city needed to have an unbiased third party running the discussion regarding paper streets.
Paper streets became an issue this summer when residents near Chestnut Street complained about a Yarmouth-based developer’s plan to build roads on paper streets for a housing development. Despite the fact that construction had already begun on the roads, the council approved a six-month moratorium on construction in August to give the city time to discuss the matter.
At the initial vote last Monday, Violette, O’Hara and Symbol voted against the plan. Rielly and Joyce cast the two votes in favor, and Gattine and Peoples were absent from the meeting.
Mark LeClair of Chestnut Street told the council on Friday morning he didn’t want to see anyone from the community leading the committee because he wanted someone who had no interest in the matter leading the discussion.
Robert Foley of Mitchell Street said without an independent leader, it would be impossible for the committee to do any kind of effective work. “A task force without a facilitator is like a vehicle without an engine,” he said. “It’s not going to move; it’s not going to go anywhere.”
City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the administration was pleased the council reconisdered its earlier vote. “This was a tool that we felt was needed very strongly in this situation,” he said. “We feel the correct decision has been made.”
The City Council must still hold a second vote on the matter before the administration can move forward with hiring the consultant. A date for the next City Council meeting has not yet been set.
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