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Middletown
Leads
Middletown Leads is a weekly newsletter intended to
connect the Middletown community by expanding understanding of how government
works in Middletown.
The Middletown
Town Council establishes policy and provides oversight of municipal activities,
which are managed by a Town Administrator.
The Town Council
meets twice monthly to discuss and act on business related to the Town. Meetings are streamed on the Town’s website.
Town Council
actions are the what of government.
This newsletter will provide the why
and what it means.
"Community Civics for Adults," a
workshop series, was recently conducted at the Middletown Library where
interested citizens met to learn how municipal government works in Middletown.
The schedule included the following topics (with
summaries of the discussions):
1. Middletown
- Its Citizens, Its Values, Its Government
revolved around the challenges to developing a community character.
There was consensus that Middletown provided a thruway between Newport and
Portsmouth, and the division of the town by the East Main and West Main roads
promoted separate interests on the east side and the west side of town that
undermined a sense of unity. Missing was a community culture focused on
Middletown as a whole rather than on separate areas of the town.
2. The
Town Charter drew attention to the Code of Ethics, the state requirement
for a 10-year charter review, and the inconsistency between the recommendations
of Charter Commissions and what finally appeared on the ballots. There
was discussion about conflict of interest and outside influence on the
recommendations of all committees as they translate to governmental action.
Some dissatisfaction was expressed about the difference between those
recommendations (in spite of substantial research and lengthy discussion) and
what was finally sent to the voters or enacted by the Town Council.
3. Government
Structure and Services focused on a review of the Policy Manual and Table
of Contents of the Book of Ordinances. Differences between Town Policies and
Ordinances were observed, with the conclusion that policies could be relaxed as
appropriate while Ordinances were effectively the laws of the town. It was
noted that an inordinate amount of time passed between a recommendation based
on apparent need for action and actual approval.
4. Strategic Planning and
Services stimulated great interest in the Comprehensive Plan as it relates
to governmental actions, including some confusion about the areas of
responsibility of planning and zoning. Discussion provided clarity about state
approval of the Comprehensive Plan and the need for zoning to conform with the
Plan itself.
Discussion of the Planning Board, Zoning Board,
and Conservation Commission drew questions about members, many of whom had been
on the boards for many years. It was acknowledged that these boards often spent
many meetings exploring and even researching mitigating factors, although there
were questions about the extent to which the decisions of individual members
might be influenced by the political preferences of others.
There was also concern about the ability of
small groups of self-interested residents to influence final decisions that
might not be beneficial to the town as a whole.
5. Finance brought a review of the tax structure,
including rates for the previous 10 years as well as tax credits due to
exemptions. There was discussion about the influence on taxes of the town’s 47%
rental and/or investment properties. Concerns were expressed about the fairness
of rentals and investment properties compared to owner-occupied properties.
There was brief discussion about taxing rentals and investment properties at
the commercial rate since they generate income.
6. Making
a Difference led to concerns about the dominance of a small core of
residents who seem to have more influence than others due to their longstanding
presence on boards and committees. A suggestion was offered to appoint a
nominating committee to seek prospective candidates and make
recommendations. There was agreement that term limits on all boards and
committees might encourage new applicants.
Public engagement was considered particularly
challenging because Middletown does not have a town publication, and newsworthy
coverage is provided only by The Newport
Daily News and Newport This Week,
whose primary focus is Newport.
In summary, participation was exceptionally
vocal. Discussion repeatedly returned to the absence of community spirit and
participation in town affairs leading to a need to interest others, especially
millennials, in political activism.
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