Charter Review

The charter review committee had their first meeting on Wednesday, Mar 14th. We're off to a good start

Most of the meeting was devoted to setting meeting ground rules, and looking through the 3" binder of information supplied by Mindy Ward and her legal staff. Lots of good information including charters from other cities, model charters, and information from the Texas Municipal League.

We decided that the meetings will be open, but that comment will not be taken from from the public except when specifically scheduled. We will also be meeting the first and third Wednesday of the month at 8:30 am.

I expect good things from this committee (not just because I am on it.) We plan on being open about the process and what we are doing. We will be seeking public input, but not until we are better prepared to handle it. This will not be a total charter rewrite, but a needed look at what changes should be made. The charter is the fundamental law of the city, its constitution if you will, so changes should not be taken lightly. We want the voters to be confident in the amendments they will vote on. The only agenda is a better San Angelo.

There will be a special E-mail address set up for comments and feedback to the committee, and you can also leave me comments here which I will forward to the rest of the committee.