Council opens extended public review of draft charter, refers document for legal review and warns Jan. 5 public hearing

The Newport City Council on Dec. 1 opened a prolonged public discussion of a proposed replacement charter and voted to refer the draft to municipal attorneys for legal review and to warn a public hearing on Jan. 5, 2026.

Mayor Rick Ufford Chase framed the discussion and emphasized respectful, focused comment as councilors and residents debated major structural proposals in the document: whether the Clerk‑Treasurer should be appointed or elected and, if appointed, whether the office should report to the city manager or to the council; the creation and powers of a city manager; limits on indebtedness and how those limits should be expressed; citizen petition thresholds for calling special meetings (current 25‑voter provision versus the state’s 5% check‑list rule); and how to handle water and sewer oversight.

John and other councilors raised concerns about segregation of duties between the Clerk‑Treasurer and the city manager; several residents argued the rewrite should proceed slowly and section‑by‑section, not as a wholesale replacement. Proponents argued readability and modernization are necessary to attract qualified municipal leaders and to clarify governance after repeated disputes under the older charter.

Councilor Carter Finnegan moved that staff forward the document and a list of specific questions to attorneys at SPNF for review and requested return comments by Dec. 19. The council also voted to warn a public hearing — to be part of its regular meeting on Jan. 5, 2026 — as the first of two statutorily required public hearings on charter amendments. Both motions passed by voice vote.