It’s Not Too Late to Apply to Serve on Town’s Charter Review Committee
Photo: Blue Diamond Gallery
The Government, Organization and Legislation Committee (GOL) of the Amherst Town Council, determined at their meeting of March 21, 2024 that the pool of candidates of the Town Charter Review Committee, numbering 14 at the time, could be considered adequate if the size of the committee was reduced from nine to seven members.
They recommended that reduction to the Town Council which will take up the matter at their meeting on April 1 Given the seriousness of the committee’s charge, and the apparent lack of diversity in the applicant pool, committee members opted to keep applications open until their next meeting on April 4 and will revisit the sufficiency of the pool at that time.
Interested residents can apply for a position on the committee by filling out a Community Activity Form.
About the Charter Review Committee
The Committee is a multiple-member body appointed by the Town Council in accordance with Charter section 9.6: Periodic Review of Charter, which states:
The Town Council shall provide, in every year ending in a 4, for a review of the Charter by a special committee to be established by Town Council. All members of the committee shall be voters not holding elective office when appointed. The committee shall file a report within 1 year recommending any changes to the Charter which it deems necessary or desirable, unless an extension is authorized by vote of the Town Council. The Town Council shall vote upon the recommendations in the report within 90 days of receipt of the committee’s recommendations. Action on all proposed charter changes shall be governed by Section 9.1 of this Charter.
The 2024 Charter Review Committee will be composed of nine voting members who must be registered voters in Amherst. The membership shall reflect the diversity of the Town of Amherst population. The term of service is to conclude upon presentation of a final report to the Town Council. For more information on the 2024 Charter Review Committee see the Committee Charge.