Medford Makes Moves To Update City Charter

MEDFORD, MA — The Medford City Council on Tuesday voted 4-3 to back the formation of a Charter Commission, which would start the process of reviewing and potentially updating the city charter. The request will now go to the State Legislature for approval.

The request was submitted by Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. Such a commission would be tasked with reviewing the city's charter, which defines the organization, powers and functions of city government. Medford's charter has not been fully reviewed or updated since 1986.

"To effectively and efficiently govern a 21st century city, we need a guiding document that meets the needs of a 21st century government," Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. "We need to create clear structures and processes where the community is engaged and involved in the decisions we make for the future of this city."

The mayor originally expected to start the process by early March, but the coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold. A Charter Commission would consist of a cross-section of community stakeholders to review the city's charter, determine if updates and amendments are necessary and, if so, recommend changes for consideration.

"We need to study ways our government is structured to meet the needs of our residents, and what better way to do so than involving residents and other community stakeholders in this process?" Lungo-Koehn said in a statement.