By Katie Farrell
NEWBURYPORT — After 90 years, it's time.
At least for the audience at last night's Charter Review Committee meeting.
City Councilor Ed Cameron and Newburyport resident Chip Wyser held an informational meeting last night to help kick off a multiyear, detailed process to begin reviewing and updating the city's charter — the document by which the city is governed.
The last time the document was updated was 1919, when the form of government changed from having mayors serve one year to serving two.
For Cameron, the concept is a "no-brainer," he said. In tough times, it's time to make sure the right structure is in place.
A Charter Review Commission would be charged with reviewing the document and making proposed changes. Those could include changing the city's form of government from a mayor to a city manager, extending the mayor's term, extending city councilors' terms or changing how people are appointed or elected to boards.
Any changes would need to be approved by voters during an election.
"It's time to look at this and make some changes," said Esther Sayer, adding that she had hoped to see more new faces involved in the process.
"I think it's high time we reviewed our city government from top to bottom," agreed City Council President James Shanley.
At-large Councilor Donna Holaday called 90 years of the same charter "far too long."
By reviewing the document, dialogue would begin about what works and doesn't, and more efficiency could be found, others said.
Wyser said the city may need an executive with longer than a two-year term.
"It takes you two years to get started to be good," he said.
But it will be a long time before any changes come before voters at the polls.
First, there will be a signature drive, where voters will be asked to sign a petition agreeing to place a question on the November ballot to form a Charter Review Commission. And volunteers are needed to go out and collect them.
Fifteen percent of the city's voters need to sign the petition to get the question on the ballot. That's about 1,950 signatures from eligible voters, Cameron said, or to be on the safe side, about 2,200 should be collected.
"There's a lot of signatures that need to be pursued," he said.
Once those signatures are given to the city clerk and certified as valid, the City Council will place the question on the ballot. On election day, voters will be asked if they want to form a commission and to vote for candidates running for the commission. The top nine candidates will be elected to the commission.
Once formed, the commission will get to work. It will need to complete a preliminary report within 16 months that would be published and submitted to the attorney general's office for advice and an opinion. A final report would need to be completed by May 2011 for voters to have a chance to accept or reject it the following November.
More information on the charter review can be found on the city's Web site at www.cityofnewburyport.com and clicking on the "City Clerk" link, or by e-mailing Ed Cameron at edcameronNBPT@gmail.com.
