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Explainer: What the proposed charter edits (Secs. 3.059–3.065 and related changes) would do
Summary
The committee reviewed draft language that would remove the elected City Attorney and establish an appointed corporation counsel with specified qualifications, compensation rules, recusal requirements and an option to retain a law firm; the committee approved submitting these edits for ballot consideration.
At its July 9 meeting the North Tonawanda Charter Review Committee reviewed and approved draft text that, if adopted by voters, would reorganize how the city provides legal services. Committee staff member Kate updated a spreadsheet showing specific edits to multiple charter sections; the minutes list the affected provisions as Sec. 3.021, 3.023(b), 3.026, 3.051, 3.052(c), 3.054 and new Secs. 3.059–3.065.
According to the minutes, the practical consequences of the edits would include removing the City Attorney from the list of elected officials; striking the City Attorney's four‑year term provisions; deleting the existing City Attorney section and reserving that section number; and creating a corporation counsel position appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. The proposed Sec. 3.061 would explicitly allow the city to hire either a single in‑house attorney or retain a law firm, selected through a procurement‑consistent process, and Sec. 3.062 would require that designated attorneys be admitted to practice in New York and in good standing. Compensation would be handled by council resolution or agreement within appropriations rather than by ordinance under the proposed Sec. 3.054. The draft also adds mandatory recusal language for elected‑official‑versus‑elected‑official litigation and allows the council to retain special counsel by resolution within budgeted funds.
The committee voted to submit the draft to the City Clerk/Treasurer for possible placement on the November 2026 ballot. The minutes do not include fiscal detail (no dollar amounts or consultant invoices) or outside legal analysis; those items and public input will be expected during the committee's upcoming public hearing(s) and in further staff follow‑up.
