HOLYOKE – The Holyoke City Council met to discuss a variety of agenda items including enforcing residential snow and ice removal and recognizing Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 16.

According to Councilor Rebecca Lisi, there have been prior issues with asking Holyoke residents to comply with the snow and ice removal ordinance because it did not state residential zones specifically.

The Police Department and Board of Health were then without a tool to require residents to clear the ice and snow from their areas, said Lisi.

The council was asked to vote on changes to the previous ordinance which would include updating residential zones and enforcing the removal for these areas within 24 hours.

On portions of the street where parking meters are installed, snow and ice would need to be removed from the entire width of the sidewalk within eight hours.

In the end, the council decided that they wanted to see this ordinance written down in legal form before passing it. It was referred back to the Committee on Ordinance at this time.

Members of the council also voted to pass a rule in regard to illegal dirt-bikes. The new ordinance states that the Holyoke Police Department now has the authority to confiscate and manage illegal dirt-bikes and off-highway vehicles. This is similar to the petition filed in Springfield, and also currently pending in the state Legislature.

The residency requirement for the Department of Public Works (DPW) Director was also discussed. According to Lisi, the city hasn’t been able to find the widest talent pool for jobs by limiting pools of applicants with a residency requirement. The ordinance was asking the council to relax these requirements for positions throughout the city to access a broader talent pool.

The council voted to remove the residency clause for the DPW Director. However, for the ordinance to be officially valid there must be a charter change. The council is now asking the state Legislature to amend the charter to remove the residency requirement.

A controversial meeting topic was the discussion of recognizing Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day. Many councilors became heated over whether the holiday should now be called “Indigenous People’s Day, formerly known as Columbus Day.”

One councilor argued that Columbus Day is a recognized federal holiday and cannot be changed. Many councilors also argued that this should not pass and should instead be changed by an executive order from the mayor.

Councilor Libby Hernandez said that referring to the holiday as Indigenous People’s Day would “create opportunities, close opportunity gaps and move toward a more inclusive way of thinking.”

She said that it is a way of “unifying what’s right and fair.”

In the end, the council voted to table the discussion. They requested the final legal form for the next full City Council Meeting where they will highlight the matter again.

Those interested in viewing the Holyoke City Council Meeting in its entirety are encouraged to visit the Holyoke Media page.