UPDATED: Bills Go Out With 'City of Framingham' On Them

Originally published at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25 Updated at 6:45 p.m. with details on the March 29 vote. Updated at 2:30 p.m. Friday with quotes from the Assistant Town Manager.

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Excise bills from the Town of Framingham went out this week and began arriving in mailboxes Thursday, Feb. 25.

One small issue the bill states the ”City of Framingham” as well as the “Town of Framingham.

The return address clearly states City of Framingham.

Voters are to decide on March 29, if they want to create a Charter Commision, which would study if the Town of Framingham should change its form of government including possibly a City form of government.

Framingham Assistant Town Manager Jim Duane said Friday it was an “error by the bill vendor who handles the bill processing and the mailing.”

Duane said the Town’s treasurer proofread the bills and made changes, but that the vendor did not make all the changes. The return address still said City of Framingham.

“It was an honest mistake,” said Duane.

Duane said the vendor (www.kellyryan.com) recently upgraded its software, which caused the initial error.

“The vendor was very apologetic,” said Duane, who said Town Hall has been receiving phone calls about the bills.

Framingham was not the only community that had an error on its bills with the vendor.

Checks should still be made out to the Town of Framingham said Duane.

Voters to Have Say in Framingham Form of Government on March 29

If voters say yes to a Charter Commission, they will also elect 9 Charter Commissioner on March 29, too. There are 26 candidates.

Framingham currently is run by a Town Manager, a 5-member elected Board of Selectmen, and Town Meeting. Residents elect 12 Town Meeting members for each of the town’s 18 precincts.

If voters agree to form a Charter Commission in the spring of 2016, the Commission would be tasked to study forms of government for up to 18 months and then make recommendations on possible changes, including the possible of option of becoming a city to voters, as early as spring 2017.

A Charter Commission could recommend Framingham become a City with a mayor. A Charter Commission could recommend Framingham have a city manager and a city council and eliminate Town Meeting. A Charter Commission could recommend Framingham reduce the number of elected Town Meeting member and keep its Town form of Government. In fact, there are dozens of options the Commission could recommend to voters on a future ballot.

Framingham has created several Charter Commissions over the years.

Back in 1996, 63 percent of Framingham voters agreed to create a charter commission to study the idea of changing Framingham from a town to a city form of government.

But a year later, the when the commission asked voters to adopt a city charter the measure was rejected with only 32 percent of voters supporting the ideas.

Voters did agree to increase the number of Selectmen from 3 to 5 and create a Town Manager form of government in town.