Easthampton ordinance panel advances sign rule changes, tables Council on Aging residency vote

EASTHAMPTON -- November 4, 2024, Easthampton's City Council Ordinance Committee advanced two code changes and deferred a contested Council on Aging residency vote to November 25. The committee unanimously approved forwarding to the full City Council an amendment to Section 10.096B eliminating the permit requirement for political signs and a new Section 2.1 definition of "surveyor" registered with the state Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; both go before the full council Wednesday. The longer debate centered on whether to allow non-Easthampton residents to serve on the Council on Aging board, with Council on Aging board member Tom Brown reporting that at least eight other city bodies, including the Planning Board and Zoning Board, already have no residency requirement at all. The committee tentatively coalesced around a one-third cap on non-resident members, with those members required to reside in Western Massachusetts, after Council President Gomez successfully argued that a Hampshire County restriction would unfairly exclude residents of neighboring Hampden County cities. Councillor Smith said she was not ready to vote, and the full committee agreed to also examine residency rules across all city boards before acting.