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Council tables charter-cleanup ordinance after members say edits go beyond 'cleanup'
Summary
Councilors and residents raised concerns that proposed edits in Ordinance 2026-02 remove council authority and change the form of government; after extended discussion the council voted to table the ordinance for additional review and revision.
The council tabled Ordinance 2026-02, a proposed cleanup of the town charter, after several council members and residents said the draft contained substantive changes beyond clerical cleanup.
Town attorney Charlie summarized the ordinance as a consolidation and modernization of charter language. Several council members and a long-serving resident argued that specific changes—removing council authority to hire certain employees, altering 'chief executive' language and modifying removal/suspension provisions—appear to shift power toward a manager form of government and therefore go beyond simple editing. One council member said she wanted to locate the original charter language and trace when any prior form-of-government changes occurred before approving further changes.
After extended debate, a motion to table the ordinance until the council and staff could review and propose specific language revisions carried. The council directed staff and legal counsel to work with the mayor and manager to refine the wording and return a revised draft for future consideration; no final charter changes were adopted at this meeting.
Councilors stressed that the intent was not to block modernization but to ensure the town’s form of government and the council’s statutory powers are preserved and clearly reflected in any amended charter language.
