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Sorry, you're too late to have Maureen Feeney marry you in the Public Garden during a weekday

The City Council today adopted new rules that will limit new City Clerk Maureen Feeney's ability to pick up some side cash by performing weddings.

City Councilor Matt O'Malley (West Roxbury) said the new rules will bring transparency to a government function and some extra money to city government. At the State House, state Rep. Marty Walz (D-Back Bay) is pushing similar legislation to limit the ability of city and town clerks to make money through weddings during business hours.

Under the new regulation, proposed by City Councilor Mike Ross (Mission Hill), any fees for weddings performed during business hours at City Hall will go into city coffers, rather than Feeney's pocket. Previously, Feeney and her predecessor, Rosaria Salerno, could keep the $15 fee for "solemnizing" a wedding.

In addition, the new regulation limits City Hall Weddings to the hours of 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays - although Ross said an "emergency provision" would let would-be spouses apply for a wedding at other times in unspecified emergency situations. But weddings performed by city officials outside City Hall during any business hours are now prohibited, although Ross added that that just means people will now get married "in this beautiful building."

Feeney can still pocket fees for any marriages she performs outside of business hours or on her lunch hour.

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Comments

How about the Assistant City Clerk ?...

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The new rule applies to the four people in City Hall who are licensed to perform weddings.

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In any government job I have ever been involved in. I'm surprised there needs to be laws/regulations made to halt the practice.

I have heard of police chiefs getting bonuses for the amount of arrests/arraignments that department gets though. I wonder if this was a similar practice.

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A bonus for arrests would be grossly unethical. I have to doubt any such thing has been part of a police chief's contract.

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Pin Money? Really, Adam?

(Ok, I admit, pin money is a great phrase and not used enough. But it focuses on the gender of the city clerk completely unnecessarily, don't you think?)

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I always thought pin money had something to do with bowling; didn't realize I was wrong until I saw your note and looked up the definition. So I've changed the phrase.

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Similar new rules are needed, for example Rule 34 http://www.cityofboston.gov/citycouncil/councilrul... for the City Clerk, Council Staff Director, City Stenographer to make available in plain text the .sgstn file of the public meeting of Boston City Council for folks with hearing loss
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/fileextensions/f/sgs...

>"...attached please find the electronic file created from the last City Council meeting (4/4/2012). In your request you had asked for the dictionary file associated with the stenographic software. Please be advised that the dictionary file is part of the proprietary software and is not something that the City Council contracts with the stenographer to produce, the stenographer uses this file for all of her clients and it is her intellectual property. As such, it is not a public record.Thank you.
> Ann H. Braga, Esq. MPA Staff Director
> Boston City Council
> Boston City Hall, 5th Floor
> One City Hall Square
> Boston, MA 02201
> Office 617 635-3625
> Fax 617 635-4203
> Cell 617 828-3170
> email
city.council at cityofboston.gov
http://cityofboston.gov/citycouncil
> Have a great day!"

You can request the stenographic record of the public meeting of Chicago City Council !

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