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Council signals charter review topics: town clerk as charter officer, removal thresholds and records procedures
Summary
Council and staff discussed proposed charter changes including whether to list the town clerk as a charter officer, reconsidering how many council votes are required to terminate certain officials, and possible policies on council members sharing material while avoiding Sunshine Law violations.
Councilmembers reviewed items for the charter‑review committee and discussed potential changes to governance roles and termination thresholds.
Councilmembers suggested asking the charter review committee to consider naming the town clerk as a charter officer and to examine whether the charter should remove or change the existing threshold (currently four votes in the charter language as discussed) required to terminate the town manager. Several councilmembers expressed concern that reducing protections in the charter could make the town less attractive to candidates for manager positions; one councilmember proposed instead removing the specified vote threshold from the charter and allowing termination terms to be set by contract, which could preserve negotiating flexibility.
Council members also raised a related set of concerns about whether elected officials can circulate documents to each other without running afoul of Sunshine Law restrictions. One councilmember asked the town attorney for case law or attorney‑general opinions that would permit one‑way distribution of documents to the council if recipients do not reply; they asked staff to request formal guidance from the town attorney and to present any supporting case law.
The council asked the charter review committee to consider these matters; members also discussed timing because the town manager’s contract includes a deadline for a strategic plan and other administratively timed items.
