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Council authorizes outreach to city‑manager recruiter and schedules charter review steps
Summary
Council approved initiating contract talks with Dominic Cloud to run a professional six‑month city‑manager search and agreed to further public review of a draft charter with attorney input and public hearings scheduled between December and March.
The Newport City Council voted Nov. 17 to authorize outreach to Dominic Cloud (Saint Albans), who presented informally as a potential independent consultant to manage a targeted city‑manager recruitment. Council members said Cloud estimated a roughly six‑month search and a fee in the neighborhood of $15,000. The mayor asked for one council member to join him in negotiating contract terms and reporting back to the full council.
Separately, councilors reviewed an initial draft of a proposed charter revision drafted from recent charters such as Essex Junction’s and local practice. The council discussed a two‑week public‑review window, an attorney review by the SPNF firm in December, public outreach and planned public hearings in January–February, and the prospect of placing charter questions on the March 3 ballot. Several residents urged caution: commenters asked that existing citizen‑initiated special‑meeting rights be preserved and warned against losing local protections, while others asked that personnel protections for appointed officers be maintained.
Council approved a motion allowing council leadership to negotiate terms with Cloud and asked staff to post the draft charter, a cross‑reference table to the current charter, and other supporting materials on the city website for public review prior to the next meeting.
