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Charter commission debates modernizing language, public‑notice rules and authority over boards
Summary
Commissioners considered replacing the archaic phrase "office of trust or emolument," updating publication rules to allow statute‑consistent electronic notice, clarifying town seal custody, and debated whether the town council should be able to decommission boards by ordinance.
Commissioners spent much of the April 1 meeting reviewing Article 1 edits and other structural changes to the draft charter, seeking plain‑language replacements and clarifications on authority and process.
One early and sustained debate concerned the phrase "office of trust or emolument," an eighteenth‑century term that appears multiple times in the current charter. The draft replaces it with modern wording such as "elected, appointed, or employment position" where appropriate. Town counsel Nick, brought in to advise commissioners, told the group the substitution raised no legal objection: "I don't have any concerns just striking that…
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