The commission is on a tight schedule to review the current special charter and make recommendations to the governing body by August. Its five members were elected in November, but election results were delayed by Hurricane Sandy, putting the commission a bit behind its normal course.
The largest anticipated cost for the commission is disseminating its findings to the citizenry, who must endorse any proposed changes in the charter or form of government. By donating their professional skills for many of the tasks ahead, commissioners expect major savings compared to other municipalities' charter study budgets, but will need to spend about $24,000 to print and mail approximately 19,000 copies of their final report to city residents. The commission will seek City Council approval for the budget.
The immediate task ahead is to interview numerous past officeholders on their views of city government under the special charter. Plainfield's charter calls for a city administrator in charge of day-to-day operations, three department heads under whom all divisions fall, seven council members representing four wards and an elected mayor with a four-year term. The commission may recommend changes in the 1968 charter or conversion to a new form of government.
At Thursday's meeting, commissioners compiled a list of names of potential interviewees, including past mayors, city administrators, department heads, corporation counsels and political party leaders. Some overlapped those interviewed for a 1990 study by a charter review committee. The commission hopes to begin the interviews with the two surviving mayors of the past 44 years at the Jan. 24 meeting and may also call on Dr. Harold Yood, nonagenarian blogger and close observer of city government.
The commission will both conduct all its meetings in public and perform outreach to neighborhood associations and other community groups to ensure maximum engagement by citizens. Study materials, minutes and agendas are posted on the commission's blog, set up and maintained by Commissioner John Stewart at no cost to the public. Commissioner Mary Burgwinkle is serving as secretary as an in-kind donation to the commission's work and will be making outreach as well as writing reports.
Click here to access the Charter Study Commission's blog. The next meeting is 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice
Good morning Bernice do you know who the new BOE President, and Vice President are. I could not make it to their re-org meeting last night
ReplyDeleteRenee
Hi Bernice,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report on this meeting. 19,000 copies seems to be a lot, is this number a reflection of households or voters? Perhaps the Charter can locate a couple of central locations -the Library and City Hall- to leave copies for those who are interested, then just mail a notification on where the copies can be located to the 19,000 recipients they have on mind. Facebook, Twitter and Scribd can also be used to reach out and spread the word. Just an idea.
Great Googlie Booglie another scam brewing in the city with this charter stuff
ReplyDeleteAnd here I was thinking I had cornered the market on cynicism, but Anon. 2:36 really does take the cake. There are more than enough real scams set loose by the cabal in City Hall to think everything must be one. That would be a wrong assumption of course. This is a group of dedicated and elected citizens that actually want to hear your views and revamp a Charter that will yield a city government that is not dysfunctional and becomes more responsive to the needs of everyone in town. Give them a break and provide them with your ideas. They'll be more than happy to hear you out. Go to the meetings, get engaged. And do your research when it comes to scams. They're out there without a doubt. This isn't one of them however. More head less heart and the scammers will be brought to justice.
ReplyDeleteFormer City Adminstrator Larry Bash is the guy you want. He knew what REALLY worked or didn't.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I feel skeptical that the 2013 City Council will approve the requested funding by the commission?
ReplyDeleteWhat if they don't?
Thank you to Plaintalker II for covering Charter Study Commission and for the report on the 1/8 meeting. Regarding the estimated cost and number of copies of the final report of CSC reported above, I would like to note for readers that the budget request submitted to the City in mid December included an explanatory footnote regarding the final report. The footnote explained that the statute that governs final reports of Charter Study Commissions, N.J.S.A. 40:69A-10, provides that commissions must deliver to the city clerk sufficient copies of the final report to permit distribution to any interested citizen. That obligation can be interpreted in many ways, so, CSC obtained an estimate for copying and mailing to every Plainfield household, with additional copies to post in the city. The footnote explained that the estimate was the highest possible cost, that there would be much deliberation on interpreting the statute to arrive at a distribution plan that would satisfy the statute and be as cost effective as possible. Since submitting the budget request, the City Solicitor has given an opinion that the statute does not require mailing to every household, that we can rely on dropping copies at various locations in Plainfield. Our consultant from Rutgers Center for Government Services indicated that we could rely on email as one mode of distribution when questioned. So, the number of reports and the amount required for printing will continue to be discussed and will likely be less than the amount of the budget request. All readers are invited to our meetings, schedule for the year on our blog, http://plainfieldcsc.blogspot.com and on the City website.
ReplyDeleteMary Burgwinkle, CSC Secretary and Budget Subcommittee Member
I believe that the council is required by law to fund the Charter Commission Study. I don't know specifics about how much, but they do need to fund it.
ReplyDelete