Saugus charter board member, Bisignani at odds

SAUGUS – When Charter Commission member Karla deSteuben told the Board of Selectmen that her committee has only spent $50 of its $5,000 budget, Town Manager Andrew Bisignani’s head snapped up.DeSteuben was before the board asking to have an article seeking a budget increase of $25,0000 put on the Town Meeting warrant.”We’ve been meeting for five months and we’ve only spent less than $50 of $5,000,” deSteuben said. “We were trying to avoid coming for additional funds.”DeSteuben said the funds were needed to publish the commission’s preliminary report, which it is required to do, and to possibly hire a part-time secretary to take meeting minutes. Currently, board members are trading off the duty, but that makes it difficult to have total participation.The group has also been urged by the Attorney General’s office among others, deSteuben said, to consider hiring a consultant if it decides to draft a new charter.Bisignani said he had no issue with the article or with the commission in general, but people should be aware that the commission has spent well in excess of $50.The commission has met in Town Hall about a dozen times and Bisignani said when it meets after hours, contracts require a custodian to be present and, therefore, paid.”And in some cases those meetings have exceeded four hours,” he added. “Those hours have been charged against the $5,000.”DeSteuben was clearly taken aback. She argued that the town is required by statute to provide a free meeting space for the commission. Bisignani said the space was free, but the custodian was not.DeSteuben also wondered why she was just hearing about the issue.”Here’s my concern,” she said. “We’ve been meeting for five months, we have a treasurer . . . no one on the charter has been notified that we had these charges.”The purpose of the Charter Commission is to seek change. DeSteuben said she guessed statute required the community to provide a free meeting space so the committee would not be inhibited or feel pressured in its deliberations.Bisignani said Thursday the commission was free to draft all the changes it sees fit, but it wasn’t going to be free.”I support the Charter Commission and what they’re trying to do,” he said Thursday. “People should be aware though that it comes at a cost. My custodial (account) is depleted and you can’t meet in a public building without a custodian on duty.”