House Government Operations & Military Affairs committee reviews charter amendment to add recall procedures for a small town

The House Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee on the floor considered H.953, a bill that would amend a small town's charter to add a formal recall procedure for elected town officers. Representative Matt Byron, the bill's lead sponsor and the committee chair, introduced the measure and said he was "the lead sponsor and primary shepherd of this charter amendment proposal."

Legislative counsel Tim Devlin read the bill as introduced, saying it would add a new Section 5, "recall of elected town officers," to the town's charter. Devlin told the committee that the voters in the town approved the charter proposals on May 15 and that Section 5 prescribes petition and voting mechanics. "A written petition signed by not less than 15% of the registered voters of the town seeking the removal of a town officer and requesting a vote'" would trigger either placement of the question on the next regular town meeting warning or require the select board to call a special town meeting to vote…