Charter Review Committee Not Ready to Discuss Charter. Planning for Outreach Campaign Continues

Report on the Meeting of the Charter Review Committee, March 13, 2025

Present
Julian Hynes (Chair), Erika Mijlin, Andy Churchill, Bernie Kubiak, Raphael Rogers, Ken LeBlond, Meg Gage.  Absent: Marcus Smith.  

Staff: Athena O’Keeffe. 

The meeting was held on Zoom and recorded.

Public Comment
Arlie Gould noted that the way the Charter is written, the Town Manager and Town Council are independent entities; however, the Town Council oversees the Town Manager, who is actually a town employee. She urged the committee to state this clearly and plainly in the Charter. Erika Mijlin and Meg Gage thanked Gould for her comment and urged her to submit her comments in writing, using the Charter Review Feedback Form.

Request for Funding
Julian Hynes said that the Town Manager will bring up the committee’s request for funding through the Supplemental Budget process on March 24. It is expected that the Town Council will refer the request to the Finance Committee and vote on the request on April 7. A significant portion of the funds will be used to hire the Collins Center as consultants. Assuming the funds will be granted, Bernie Kubiak suggested that the Collins Center be told of the status of the request.

Reviewing the Charter
Hynes proposed that the committee review Article II of the Charter to identify concerns, noting that there is a public perception that the committee is approaching its work too slowly. (The charge requires the committee to complete its work by April 1, 2025. See below.) Several committee members felt that at this point, the more important work is to get input from various constituencies, not to express their personal opinions. Kubiak referred the committee to Town Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke’s lengthy and detailed letter commenting on several sections of the Charter, including Article II for an example of feedback. However, Andy Churchill noted that while the letter is useful, it reflects the opinion of only one councilor. He believes that the committee is going in a productive direction and should not feel pressured. Raphael Rogers referred to the charge that requires the committee to analyze feedback from a wide range of stakeholders and to be guided by that feedback. In response, Hynes urged all members to become familiar with the Charter. Ken LeBlond agreed it is important to be familiar with the Charter.

Kubiak stressed the importance of getting feedback from town councilors, past and present, as well as department heads because they have to live with the Charter.  It is important to know what works for them. He hopes that Collins Center will provide sample questions.

Mijlin said it is important to sequence the collective work, to generate good questions, and to analyze them appropriately.

Outreach Subcommittee Update
Mijlin reported on three matters discussed by the subcommittee: a protocol for gathering feedback from elected officials, a process to develop a survey to collect public input, and a proposed timeline for public listening sessions. Miljin screen-shared outlines of each topic that will be posted on the website at a future time.

Feedback from Elected Officials and Department Heads
The subcommittee recommends that input from this group utilize a written questionnaire that could be digitized. In contrast with a face-to-face interview format, responding to written questions allows for adequate time for thoughtful reflection and it is less time consuming. It also avoids concerns about interviews that were expressed at the last committee meeting. The subcommittee targeted April 21 as the release date of the questionnaire and returns would close on June 30, although these dates are fluid and the response time could be shortened. Some committee members thought that the different groups (Town Councilors, Library Trustees, School Committee members, department heads) may require their own set of questions. Kubiak urged that the committee contact the Collins Center for sample questions and helpful materials. He reminded the committee that he had developed some questions that could be reviewed by the Collins Center.  

Survey of the Public
The subcommittee recommends that a survey form be developed to gather public input, with Collins Center support, to be launched in April with a second push during the summer. Publicizing the survey will be important. Gage suggested that the survey include a brief summary of the Charter and an explanation of what changes would require actions beyond a vote of the Town Council to be enacted. KP Law, the town’s attorneys, will be asked to attend a future committee meeting to provide guidance on these actions.

Timeline for listening sessions
The subcommittee recommends that there be at least three listening sessions, tentatively scheduled on April 28, May 19, and June 16.  Each session would be attended by two committee members who can introduce the session and facilitate conversation. Sessions would be recorded and some copies of the Charter would be available. Planning includes securing appropriate venues and developing prompting questions. Kubiak asked that some ground rules for facilitators be developed.  Churchill noted that the proposed schedule for the first session coincides with the introduction of the survey. 

The committee reached consensus on all three issues and thanked the subcommittee for their work. Recognizing the significant work ahead to implement these plans, several members offered to help. 

Request Extension
Hynes noted that the charge requires the committee to complete its work by April 1, 2025. Clearly, this is not possible. Hynes will submit a request to the Town Council to extend the deadline to October 31, 2025, as discussed at the last meeting.