Charter revision commission approves first directives, moves boundary text, and asks lawyer to draft Gak language

The Ithaca Charter Revision Commission on its first public comment meeting approved a package of directives asking the city attorney to draft charter language for a range of working-group recommendations, and adopted several amendments to simplify and modernize longtime charter provisions.

Commission Chair Billy Noseworthy opened the session with an overview of the three-step approach the commission will use — working groups prepare “asks” for the city attorney, the attorney drafts language and explains legal constraints, and the commission then refines final ballot text. "We are an independent nonpartisan commission charged with reviewing and revising the city charter," Noseworthy said during introductory remarks.

Why it matters: The commission is building the set of changes that could appear on a future ballot and must finish legal review well ahead of the submission deadline. Commissioners emphasized they first want to direct attorneys to return workable draft text rather than spend commission time drafting provisions that may be legally infeasible.

Public commenters pushed the commission to protect long-standing community programs. "I strongly support codifying GK and the Ithaca Youth Bureau in the charter," Sam P., who identified himself as a resident of Ithaca and a Cornell student, told commissioners. He said codification would "cement their status" and urged preserving representation and staff efficiency.

Dr. Lesman Mcbine Clareborn, who identified herself as director of the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (Gak), asked commissioners to honor the decades-old public–private relationship between the nonprofit and the city, and to preserve the board’s role in selecting the Gak director. "There has been a fantastic historic public–private relationship between Gak Inc. and the city of Ithaca," she said, urging the commission not to disrupt the arrangement that has produced long-serving directors.

Key votes and directives - Modernize C36 (common-council powers): The commission adopted an amendment directing the city attorney to produce language to modernize and simplify section C36, removing potentially preempted or antiquated provisions and ensuring compliance with New York law. The amendment and the amended paragraph were adopted by the commission.

- Move boundary text and keep official map with clerk: After extensive debate over the historic "meets-and-bounds" city-boundary text, commissioners approved amended language directing the city attorney to relocate the long descriptive boundary text to an appendix or another section while ensuring an official city-boundary map is maintained in the city clerk’s office (roll-call vote approved the amendment).

- Ward and election-district maps: The commission approved replacing lengthy text descriptions of ward boundaries with official maps (and keys) on file with the city clerk and the Tompkins County Board of Elections, a change proponents said will make the charter more accessible and reduce confusion caused by out-of-date textual descriptions.

- Incorporate Gak and the Ithaca Youth Bureau: The commission voted to ask the attorney’s office to draft charter language incorporating the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (Gak) and the Ithaca Youth Bureau, with a directive to preserve and be "consistent with" existing agreements or contracts. Commissioners cited the unique contractual relationship between the city and Gak as a reason to ensure the charter change does not unintentionally void existing arrangements.

- Simplify department-head search procedures, preserve Gak representation: The commission directed the attorney to draft streamlined procedures for department-head searches to replace the current prescriptive committee formula, while asking that, for Gak director searches, approximately one-third of the search committee include representatives of Gak Inc. The change is intended to make searches workable while respecting contractual expectations and community participation.

Items referred for more work Commissioners agreed to send multiple more complex items back to the steering committee for additional research and legal framing, including several enforcement-related and disciplinary questions and a fuller examination of the supervision and independence of the city attorney/city prosecutor roles. A proposed amendment that would have prevented the city attorney from serving as city prosecutor failed in a contested vote; commissioners asked the steering committee and city attorney’s office to study the governance and enforcement questions further.

What’s next The commission’s motions are directives to the city attorney’s office to return draft charter language or an explanation if a directive cannot be implemented under state law. Commissioners said they expect more iterative work from the attorney and follow-up memos from working groups before final ballot-ready proposals are prepared.

Votes at a glance - Resolution No. 3 (first set of working-group recommendations): motion moved and seconded; amended language adopted (amendment carried). - C36 modernization directive: adopted. - Item 5.2 (attendance enforcement language): adopted to direct attorney to draft language enabling council to promulgate removal rules for consecutive unexcused absences. - Item 5.3 (abstentions/recusal policy): referred to legislative working group for further work. - Item 5.4 (move city-boundary text to appendix and keep map with clerk): amended language adopted by roll call. - Item 5.5 (ward/election district maps filed with clerk & county BOE): adopted unanimously. - Item 5.6 (incorporate Gak and Ithaca Youth Bureau consistent with agreements): adopted 10–1. - Item 5.7 (simplify department-head search, GK representation): amendment adopted (recusal handled for one member). - Item 5.8 (city attorney/city prosecutor separation): proposed amendment to prohibit the city attorney from also serving as prosecutor failed; item returned to steering for further research.

Commissioners said the next step is for the city attorney to return draft language and for steering and working groups to refine any items that require more legal analysis or community input. The commission adjourned after referring several items for additional work.