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Pembroke Park directs staff to run internal charter study ahead of possible revisions
Summary
Commissioners gave administrative direction for an internal review of the town charter to identify missing or outdated provisions and to prepare recommendations should the town pursue formal charter amendments for ballot consideration.
Commissioners directed the town manager’s office on March 13 to conduct an internal study of the Town of Pembroke Park charter to identify missing language and points that could be updated to align with modern municipal practice.
Commissioner Jacobs proposed the internal study and said it would not replace a formal charter review or ballot measure but would prepare staff recommendations and comparisons with charters from similarly sized municipalities. Chandler (administrative staff) said the effort would be a line-by-line comparison and would not itself implement charter changes; the town attorney explained the timeline for placing charter amendments on the ballot, noting the supervisor of elections’ deadlines and the practical need to prepare draft ordinances well before the June deadline if the town seeks November 2026 ballot access.
The commission gave direction to staff by consensus for the internal study and asked administration and the attorney to provide draft recommendations by January 2026 if the town wants to pursue ballot placement for November 2026. The town attorney outlined scheduling constraints: ballot language and ordinances would have to be finalized in time for the supervisor’s office, which requires submissions around the second week of June 2026 for the November 2026 ballot.
Why it matters: An internal charter study could identify procedural gaps and modernize the town’s governing document; any formal amendments would require subsequent ordinance readings and ballot access as required by state election procedures.
