Council divided on four‑year terms; members consider separate ballot question

The council resumed discussion of an item in the draft charter proposing staggered four‑year terms: for the mayor and town clerk beginning after the 2029 election and for council members beginning after the 2031 election. Council members were split. Some said they were undecided and wanted more public input; others said they supported a separate ballot question so voters could consider the term‑length change on its own. Council member Anne said she “would support it being a separate question,” and Council member Nicole said separating the items would protect voters who feel strongly about the term length from rejecting unrelated charter items. Attorney Steve explained the process: the council sends recommendations to the Charter Revision Commission, which will confer with council leadership. The final draft returned to the council will be subject to an up‑or‑down vote; the council also controls how the charter questions are presented to voters on the ballot and may split issues into multiple questions. No formal motion or vote was taken. Council leaders recorded the item as unresolved and placed it on the list of items for further debate before the July 22 meeting.