Governance committee advances charter draft after hours of debate; sends amended package for full‑council review

The Governance Committee on Jan. 22 advanced a revised city charter draft after more than four hours of debate that centered on how Medford should elect its legislative body and several procedural clarifications recommended by the Charter Study Committee.

The meeting opened with the committee’s plan to review the preamble, Article 1 (definitions) and Article 2 (the legislative branch) and continue later with compensation and composition, Chair Singh said. Committee members and members of the Charter Study Committee and the Collins Center then discussed definitions, council powers, appointment review and the most contested subject: whether council seats should be 11 at‑large/ward seats or reconfigured into a hybrid of district and at‑large seats.

Why it matters: the charter would replace rules in place for nearly 40 years and will reshape how residents access and hold local elected officials to account. The committee’s decisions determine the version that will go to the full City Council and, if approved there, to the state legislature as a home‑rule petition and ultimately to voters if the legislature requires a referendum for changes in composition.

Committee members praised the study committee’s work while disagreeing on composition. President Behrs (President Behrs) thanked the Charter Study Committee and the Collins Center for their work and for the listening sessions that informed the draft: “Thank you… the work that they did… and especially for those who are here tonight,” he said. Milva McDonald, chair of the Charter Study Committee, defended the report’s choice points and said the group “looked at other charters… and that seemed like a reasonable provision, so we included it.”

Debate focused on representation. President Barris (President Barris) proposed amending…