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Chief counsel outlines charter amendment vs. revision process; 20% petition threshold explained
Summary
Chief Counsel Mike Carey told the council that charter changes can proceed as narrow amendments or broader revisions; a citizen petition requires signatures from 20% of registered voters (per the last gubernatorial turnout) or the council can initiate action; a charter commission process would take up to 12 months to finalize before referendum.
Mike Carey, the city's chief counsel, briefed the council on options for changing Lewiston’s municipal charter and the legal distinction between an "amendment" and a "revision." Carey said courts have used tests of breadth and depth to decide whether a proposed change requires the more exhaustive charter-commission process.
Carey told councilors a change defaults to a revision unless it is both narrow in breadth and shallow in depth. He cited the Fair Elections Portland case as guiding precedent and explained that a revision could trigger a charter…
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