October 19th Listening Session on Proposed Amherst Charter Changes

Monday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m. (tentative)
Amherst Town Hall

The Amherst Town Council will hold a listening session on Monday, October 19, to hear from residents about several potential changes to Amherst’s form and structure of government identified during the recent Charter Review process.

Athena O’Keeffe, Clerk of the Council, will begin with a brief presentation explaining the process and procedures for making changes to the Town Charter between official charter review years. Julian Hynes, who served as chair of the Charter Review Commission, is also expected to attend and provide context for the commission’s findings and recommendations.

Click here to read the Charter Review Report.

Residents will then have an opportunity to offer public comment on the six issues included in Section 4, “Beyond the Charter,” of the Charter Review Commission’s final report:

1. Change Amherst to a Mayor-Council form of government
2. Return to the Town Meeting form of government
3. Create a smaller Town Council
4. Lengthen and stagger terms for elected offices
5. Allow the Town Council to increase individual budget line items without increasing the total budget
6. Elect resident members of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Finance Committee

The Charter Review Commission specifically recommended that the Town Council hold a public dialogue on these structural issues within 18 months of its report.

This is an opportunity for Amherst residents to learn more about what these potential changes would mean and to share their views directly with the Town Council.

Please note: The start time is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m., but it may shift slightly, potentially to 7 p.m. We will provide an update as soon as the final time is confirmed.