Upcoming Forum is the Last Chance for Public to Hear Proposed Changes to Town Charter

With less than a month to go until the January 5 deadline to complete its work, the Charter Review Committee ) has submitted its Preliminary Report to Town Council on December 7. and is seeking feedback before completing its Final Report. A Public Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. to present the report to the public and to solicit comments and concerns. The public is urged to attend either in person in the Town Room of Town Hall or virtually using this Zoom link: https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/86368994176. 

The CRC’s Preliminary Report consists of four sections. The first section contains general information such as the committee’s charge, a listing of its members, and brief descriptions of the Charter Review Process. The second section summarizes the committee’s recommended changes, while the third section presents those recommendations in the form of a chart showing the rationale for each suggestion along with the corresponding language in the original Charter. Some of the recommendations are technical, “clean-up” proposals, such as clarifying when a vote of the “full Town Council” is required (votes on bylaws or financial decisions) instead of those that require a super-majority or only a majority of those present at a meeting. But some points have potential for a more substantive impact. For instance, the report includes a recommendation to limit the terms of Town Council President and Vice President to no more than four consecutive one-year terms. (Town Council President Lynn Griesemer will have served seven consecutive one-year terms when the new council is seated in January).   The recommendations also include extending the period to obtain signatures to support a voter veto from 14 days to 21. 

The fourth and final section is entitled “Addendum to Preliminary Report: Issues Beyond the Charter Document.” As the title implies, the majority of the committee interpreted the Town Council’s charge to the Charter Review Committee as requiring them to confine their work to making recommendations only on matters that fell within the four corners of the Town Charter. Any topic that would require a Special Act of the Legislature or a town-wide referendum was deemed to be beyond the scope of the charge. Instead, the committee chose to produce an addendum that listed some, but not all, of the public comments received. These curated issues are divided into structural changes (such as changing to a Mayor-Council form of government, returning to Town Meeting, or shrinking the number of councilors) and public engagement issues, describing multiple ways that transparency, communication, and engagement can be improved. The addendum does not include many of the types of comments included in the surveys conducted by either the League of Women Voters or the Amherst Indy (see e.g. here, here, here and here). It also does not indicate the level of support for or the sources of any of the issues described in the addendum. 

Two additional sections are being prepared for inclusion in the Final Report: addressing recommendations for the Town Council’s response and a review of the review process itself.

The upcoming Public Forum on Tuesday, December 16 will be the only opportunity for the public to hear a presentation on these recommendations.

In addition to attending and making public comment at the public forum, residents can offer written feedback here: https://www.amherstma.gov/FormCenter/Town-Council-33/2024-Charter-Review-Committee-Feedback-215. The site will be open until January 2, 2026,  but the committee advises submitting as early as possible for maximum impact. The public is urged to attend the public forum either in person in the Town Room of Town Hall or virtually using this Zoom link: https://amherstma.zoom.us/j/86368994176.