Canal Winchester charter review commission elects leaders, sets review schedule and five-minute public-comment rule

Chair Chuck Milliken and Vice Chair Scott Conner were chosen at the Canal Winchester Charter Review Commission’s organizational meeting on Wednesday, as the group set a timetable and ground rules for reviewing the city charter.

The commission, meeting in City Hall Council Chambers, elected Chuck Milliken as chair and Scott Conner as vice chair, and agreed on an article-by-article approach to the charter’s 12 sections. Jesse Shamp, legal counsel, recommended structuring meetings around the articles and urged the group to set clear public-comment parameters to keep review work from becoming repetitive.

The commission left the most important procedural decisions in place at the outset. Committee member Stacey Boumis said she preferred reviewing two articles per meeting and asked that any administration-suggested charter changes be forwarded to the commission for consideration; Matt Peoples, the city administrator, said the city maintains an online public feedback form that can be used to solicit resident input.

On outreach and participation, the commission agreed to advertise a public-comment opportunity and to allow five minutes per speaker for comments during its meetings. "If the duration is only 4 or 5 minutes, it can still be considered substantial," Jesse Shamp said while cautioning the group against creating a process that would force repeated revisits of completed sections.

Members also agreed to involve local students in a limited research capacity. "We can give pieces of projects," Matt Peoples said, describing a plan to work with teachers so students can research assigned sections and report back to the commission.

Shamp flagged one substantive legal item for early attention: "We need to amend how salary raises are done for both the mayor and council members. The way it's written since the last time is found to be unconstitutional," he said, advising the commission to address the language before it causes a problem.

The group set meetings for the first and third Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m., planning roughly eight meetings through mid-May to produce recommendations in time for City Council to act by the July 21 deadline required for placement on the November ballot. The commission also discussed using the city’s social media and website to circulate information and solicit feedback.

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn by Committee member Stacey Boumis, seconded by Committee member Jake Vasilj. The motion passed 10–0; the meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m.

What happens next: staff will circulate materials and any administration-identified charter issues before the next meeting, the commission plans an introductory session on forms of government and related background, and the group will work with schools to define student research roles.