Charter Review Commisson in Works

A Charter Review Commission is being formed in Barrington.

The Town Council approved the formation of the commission at its most recent meeting on June 3. It is now looking for up to a dozen and no less than nine volunteers to serve on that board.

Barrington’s Town Charter calls for a review board to look over the municipal government’s guiding document every 10 years, according to Town Manager Peter DeAngelis Jr. The last time a Charter Review Commission existed was 2004.

The task of the commission would be to come up with any proposed amendments to the Town Charter for the Town Council to put on the 2014 election ballot, said DeAngelis.

“Or they could decide the charter’s not broken and needs no fixing,” he said.

The final report of the 2004 Charter Review Commission indicates that the 12-member group met 15 times and took testimony from the Town Council, School Committee, town manager and treasurer, superintendent of schools, the appropriations committee, the town solicitor and state legislators.

A public hearing would have to be held before any proposed changes could be put on the ballot. There were eight separate amendments on the 2004 ballot; all passed. 

Among the eight amendments in 2004 were two changes to the Financial Town Meeting. One changed the day from a Thursday at 7:30 pm to a Wednesday at 7 pm; the second boosted the number of voters needed for a quorum from 15 to 35.

Another amendment required annual performance reviews of the town manager and school superintendent by March 1.

Another amendment changed Barrington’s purchasing requirements to match state law.