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, April 10, 2008, April 24, 2008 and May 22, 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 has submitted its Draft Report to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors held a public hearing on the Draft Report on June 19. On July 1, a majority of the Board of Directors passed this resolution recommending certain changes to the Draft Report. The Charter Revision Commission will meet on July 24, 2008 to consider the Board of Directors resolution and to finalize the Report.

Draft Report of the Charter Revision Commission

The following attachments are referenced in the working draft:

Outline of comments made by Chairman Penny -Budget Referendum Charge

Copy of proposal submitted by Vice Chairman Schneider -Motion on Referendum

Copy of notes from Commission member Backer -Utilizing CPI as a Referendum Trigger

Handout -CPI Determines Income for Millions of People

Draft provision for budget referendum prepared by Town Attorney Naab

Summary timeline for budget adoption process

Schedule:

The Commission has completed its Draft Report which has been submitted to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors held a public hearing on the Draft Report on June 19. The Board of Directors is expected to recommend changes to the Draft Report during its July 1 regular meeting. The Commission will then consider the Board of Directors' recommended changes and issue a final 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:

6-19-08 Board of Directors Special Meeting and Public Hearing on Draft Report

* 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.