The city versus the School Committee battle, which is most frequently centered on money, hasn’t gotten any better.

School Committee member Paul Cannistra has made good on his promise to file an open meetings violation complaint with Attorney General Patrick Lynch, and the AG has agreed to look into it.

Cannistra was recently ejected from a City Council meeting in which the council was deciding whether to cut the school committee’s budget by $2.9 million, after Finance Committee Chairman Ray Gallucci admitted that he had a meeting at his residence with council members Donna Travis (Ward-6), Steve Colantuono (Ward-1) and Council President Bruce Place (Ward-2). Gallucci said the four council members worked on amendments to the budget at the session.

Immediately after revealing this, Cannistra popped out of his seat and asked Place if he would “indulge” him on a point of order. After Place refused, Cannistra shouted out that the council had just admitted to a violation of the state Open Meetings Law because the full council finance committee had met at Gallucci’s house—a private residence—and without proper notice.

Place then asked a police officer on detail to remove Cannistra from the meeting.

Afterwards, Cannistra promised that he would contact the AG’s office to inquire as to whether or not the council finance committee members had, in fact, violated the law.

“I’m not well-versed on this stuff. I just thought I should follow through on what I thought had to be followed through on,” said Cannistra yesterday during an interview.

“I have no problem with the council amending the mayor’s budget, but I do have a problem with them acting in secret like a shadow government.”

School Committee member Lucille Mota-Costa, when contacted on Tuesday, said she agreed with Cannistra, and said she wanted her name added to the complaint.

The move is largely symbolic. The last well-publicized infraction of the Open Meetings Law took place in Barrington in 2005, when the AG fined the community $1,000 for having a secret meeting.

The complaint’s investigation could take well over a year, and there’s no guarantee that the term-limited Lynch will still be in office once the complaint is resolved one way or the other.

But the complaint does underscore the tensions between the city’s two main governing bodies.

Place said he was aware of the complaint, but was confident that no wrongdoing had taken place.

“I received a letter from the AG’s office and we’ll be responding to it either through our attorneys,” said Place.

City council solicitor John Harrington couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.

“I never thought what we did was illegal or improper and I still don’t,” said Place.

Place speculated that the complaint is more a result of Cannistra’s being ejected from the meeting than a genuine concern for the Open Meetings Law.

Place said he’s confident the AG will find no wrongdoing on the part of the city council finance committee.

Meanwhile, city councilman Joseph Solomon (Ward-4) said the situation highlights the need for a stenographer at meetings. The city council eliminated the position as part of its budget request, but there seems to be momentum to restore the position.

The AG, he said, throughout the course of his investigation, will be able to adequately assess what was said at that particular meeting, Solomon said, because the stenographer was present.

“That is just one of the many advantages to have a professional stenographer” said Solomon.