Council holds second public hearing on proposed charter; no action taken

Newport City — The City Council convened a second public hearing Monday on a proposed municipal charter and ended the session without voting on the measure, saying further drafting and a council working session would precede any formal action.

The chair opened the hearing at 6:02 p.m. and told attendees, “we will not be taking any action tonight,” explaining that Carrie would share a draft on-screen and council would pause at each section for comments. Council members and residents then reviewed the document section by section.

Why it matters: The charter would reshape the city’s governance and the balance of authority between elected officials and the city manager. Residents and council members pressed for clear guardrails to protect voter oversight of land sales, prevent conflicts of interest, and ensure appropriate checks on the city manager’s authority.

Details of the discussion included repeated questions about property sale and lease language. Jennifer Hopkins flagged the absence of a dollar cap on leases and sales, asking whether the draft should include a limit. Pam and others raised concern that the draft would allow the city to enter long-term leases or conveyances without explicit voter approval. Legal counsel responded that state law requires posting notice of a conveyance at least 30 days before closing and allows voters to petition to put a conveyance to a vote, noting a 5% petition threshold for triggering that process.

A separate line of concern came from multiple council members about how much authority the draft grants the city manager. Speakers warned that, without clear dollar thresholds or other limits, the manager could execute contracts that the council would later have to address. The chair said the goal of the redraft is to provide “tight and strong and clear language” to help attract qualified manager candidates while maintaining oversight.

Council members also discussed conflicts of interest and whether to reinstate stricter language from the old charter. One councilor recalled a past instance in which an official had been prevented from contracting with the city; another noted the legislature recently adopted a municipal code of ethics (listed in the transcript as "24 BSA section 19 91"), which legal counsel said covers many conflict situations but asked the council to review the statute text for clarity.

Public comment session: Online and in-person commenters urged the council not to rush and to ensure community input is fully considered. Jennifer Hopkins and Laurie both told the council they felt the process had moved quickly and asked for more time for review.

What happened next: The council formally closed the second public hearing by voice vote; a motion to end the hearing was made, seconded and carried, with the chair noting a working session is scheduled for Wednesday to pursue line-by-line edits. No charter vote occurred on Monday; any decision to place a charter question before voters will follow additional council deliberations and the formal warning process.

What to watch: The council will meet Wednesday for a working session to refine language and then decide whether to place the charter amendment on the March ballot. The council also plans to provide a clean and a strike-through version of any changes when voters receive materials for the ballot.