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Charter panel votes to recommend elected officials begin terms Dec. 1, directs edits to election-date language
Summary
The Woodbridge Charter Revision Commission agreed June 3 to recommend that elected officials’ terms begin Dec. 1 (appointed officials to start July 1) and asked the town attorney to identify charter provisions to update language transferring municipal elections from May to November.
The Charter Revision Commission on June 3 agreed in principle to recommend that elected officials’ terms begin Dec. 1 and that appointed officials’ terms begin July 1, a change commissioners said would give newly elected leaders time to prepare for the budget process.
Commissioners discussed inconsistencies between charter sections governing appointed and elected terms—citing sections referenced in the meeting as 7‑7 (appointed boards and commissions) and 8‑8 (commencement of elected offices)—and flagged the need for a housekeeping review to ensure calendar and fiscal‑year language are consistent across the document. "To change it so that it's a month or so after the election makes sense to me," one commissioner said while explaining the rationale for December start dates.
The commission also voted to direct staff and the town attorney to locate and update all charter language tied to the municipal election date change from May to November (section 8‑4 and related provisions). Town attorney Nick explained the town clerk maintains official hard copies and an editable electronic version and offered to help identify every section affected by the proposed timing changes. "The town clerk maintains the hard copies of the charter," Nick said, adding that an e‑code electronic version allows the commission to obtain an editable Word document for redlining and drafting.
The motion recorded the commission's current consensus and will be followed by drafting precise recommended language for the commission’s report. Commissioners emphasized that their role is advisory: any charter changes would ultimately require the formal drafting steps and, if applicable, voter approval.
Next steps: the commission directed the town attorney to map affected charter provisions and the clerk to provide access to the working document; the commission will draft redlined language for later review and possible inclusion in its report.
