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Bill would let municipal governing bodies place single-form charter changes on the ballot
Summary
HB1394 would permit a supermajority of an existing municipal governing body to place a single charter amendment changing the form of government on the ballot — intended to avoid launching a full charter‑commission process for a narrow change — with committee members asking for safeguards and majorities.
Representative Sweeney described HB1394 as a targeted way for municipalities that already operate under a charter to ask voters whether they want to change the form of government without convening a full charter commission to rewrite the entire charter. The sponsor noted his experience on a charter commission in Salem and said the full process can be time-consuming and resource intensive when a single limited change — for example whether a town council should hold a budget vote or a council should adopt budgetary authority — is the only desired shift.
Under the bill, a specified supermajority of the governing body (draft language before the committee) could place a single, clearly described charter-form amendment on the March ballot; the attorney general’s office would still review for legal compliance and voters would retain final authority. Committee members pressed about limits — whether cities should be included, the appropriate adoption threshold and protections for multi-year contracts or employment consequences that a broad structural change could trigger. The sponsor and members discussed drafting changes to limit the measure to town charters and to require higher adoption thresholds for major form changes.
