UPDATED: Framingham First Community Meeting at La Cantina Restaurant

A group of Framingham residents and community leaders looking to change Framingham‘s form of government from a town to a city will hold its second public meeting on Wednesday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. at La Cantina restaurant on Route 135.

The public is invited to attend.

The group of organizers, calling themselves Framingham First, is looking to hold meeting in various precincts across Framingham over the next six month,

This meeting is designed to reach out to the citizens of Framingham that reside in Precincts 15, 16 and 17, but anyone is welcome to attend the meeting.

“We will discuss ways we can help make Framingham a better place to live, learn, work and play and our goal of creating a Charter Commission,“ said Jason Smith, one of the members of Framingham First.

The group held its first public meeting the last week in June.

“Framingham First” is a group of municipal and business leaders looking to form a Charter Commission, which would study forms of government, and make recommendations to voters to approve via a ballot question.

Framingham Patch was the first media outlet to report on Framingham First and its goal of changing how the town operates, last month.

Framingham First organizers also include current Framingham Selectman Smith, former state Rep. John Stefanini, Planning Board Chair Christine Long, Zoning Board Chair Phil Ottivianni, Town Meeting member Janet Leombruno, and Framingham High Class of 2016 President Jake Binnall.

Some of them want a city form of government with a mayor, some want a city form of government with a city manager, and some just say its time for a change, and are not sure what is needed yet.

The group has begun gathering signatures of registered voters in Framingham.

State law requires those interested in creating a Charter Commission to collect a minimum 15 percent of the registered voters in town (about 5,375 signatures for Framingham) on a petition.

If enough signatures are collected and verified by the Town Clerk by that deadline, then in April 2016 voters will see a local ballot question asking if they are in favor of creating a 9-member Charter Commission to study the town’s form of government and to recommend changes. That Commission, if created, after studying forms of government could decide to recommend no changes.

Also in April 2016, voters would elect 9 residents, who have collected a minimum of 100 signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot, to serve on the Charter Commission.

The decision to create a Charter Commission and who to serve on it will be on the same April 2016 ballot for voters, if more than 5,375 signatures are verified.

Residents can contact the Framingham First group at FraminghamFirst@gmail.com or call 631-312-1152.

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First published at 6:30 a.m. Updated to reflect the number of signatures needed to get name on the ballot to be a charter commissioner.