Charter Revision Commission

Background:

On May 15, 2007, the Manchester Board of Directors adopted a resolution establishing a Charter Revision Commission and appointing its membership. The Town Charter defines the form of government for the town and sets out the roles and responsibilities of most elected and appointed town officials. The Charter also codifies the basic framework for how government is conducted, such as the processes for adopting ordinances, the town budget and the identification and operation of the various departments of the town government. A link to Manchester's current Town Charter is under the Town Attorney heading in the Document Center.

Periodically, communities update their charters to reflect changes in the way the business of government is conducted, to reassign roles and responsibilities or to clarify certain provisions. This process is called Charter Revision and may result in minor technical and administrative changes as well as substantive changes to the structure of the local government. Manchester has a history of undergoing revisions of its Charter to conform its provisions to changes in the manner in which municipalities conduct their governmental operations. The last Charter Revision in Manchester was carried out over the course of 2002 and 2003 and the resulting amendments to the Charter were approved by the voters by referendum on November 4, 2003.

Subsequent to appointing the Charter Revision Commission, the Board of Directors adopted a resolution directing certain recommendations to the Commission. The Commission is not limited to acting just on these recommendations. The Commission is required by State statute to hold at least one public hearing prior to any of its substantive meetings in order to hear recommendations from the public. That public hearing was held on July 24, 2007. Additional public hearings have been held on September 20, 2007 and April 10, 2008. The Commission is also free to consider any other items it would like to be included in the Charter Revision.

Charter Revision Commission Members:

Stephen Penny - Chair

Robert Schneider - Vice Chair

John Backer

William Bayer

Joseph Diminico

Margaret Hackett

Edward Joy

Lewellyn Pelletier

James Stevenson

Draft Report:

The Commission is nearing completion of the draft report it will submit to the Board of Directors. A link to a working draft report is provided below. The working draft is subject to change prior to being submitted to the Board of Directors on May 27. A public hearing will be held on May 22 for the public to comment on the working draft.

Charter Revision Commission Working Draft Report (updated 5-9-08)

The following attachments are referenced in the working draft:

Minutes of April 24, 2008 Commission meeting

Minutes of May 1, 2008 Commission meeting

Comments on Budget Referendum Prepared by Chairman Penny

Budget Referendum Proposal Made by Vice Chair Schneider

Schedule:

2007 Schedule: The Charter Revision Commission has held two public hearings, on July 24 and September 20, 2007, in addition to its schedule of regular meetings. The 2007 Charter Revision meeting schedule is here.

2008 Schedule: At the request of the Charter Revision Commission, the Board of Directors extended the deadline for the Commission's draft report to May 27. The Charter Revision Commission adopted a 2008 meeting schedule as a result.

* The Commission has scheduled a public hearing on May 22 for comment on its preliminary draft report.

Public Input:

Residents of the Town of Manchester may make suggestions regarding the Town Charter at any future public hearings held by the Commission. Residents can also submit their comments in writing to:

Charter Revision Commission

Attn: Julian Freund

Town of Manchester

P.O. Box 191

Manchester, CT 06045-0191

Or electronically at E-mail Charter Revision Commission. When submitting comments electronically, please include the phrase "Charter Revision 2008" in the subject line.

Agenda:

* 3-13-08 meeting cancelled

3-6-08

2-28-08

* 2-14-08 meeting was cancelled and a 3-6-08 meeting was added to the schedule by the Commission.

1-31-08