Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter Amendments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Essex Junction council opens public hearing on three proposed charter amendments
Summary
Council opened a public hearing on three governance-related charter amendments from the governance committee: higher pay for the council president, CPI-indexed council stipends, and a mandate for governance reviews at least every 12 years; no members of the public testified.
The Essex Junction City Council opened a public hearing on March 11 to present three charter-change questions developed by the governance committee and to receive public comment.
Regina, a city staff member who presented the package, summarized the three ballot questions: "First...should the president of the council be paid 25% more than the base pay for the council members?" She said the second question would remove the annual stipend decision from the council's budget process and instead tie the stipend to the consumer price index with an annual adjustment effective July 1; the third question would add a charter requirement to conduct a governance review at least once every 12 years.
No members of the public registered to speak either in the meeting room or online, and the chair closed the hearing. Regina told the council the questions came from the governance committee's final report and that, if approved procedurally, the questions would be placed on the ballot so voters can decide.
The city will finalize ballot language and mailing after council action on the warning; staff indicated the governance-committee report and comparative data from other communities are linked in the meeting packet for further public review.
