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Public comment invited at first Charter Review Task Force meeting Aug. 31
Aug. 18, 2009
Contact: Brent Stockwell, Senior Advisor, 480-312-7288
Charter Review group to begin work Aug. 31
The new Scottsdale City Charter Review Task Force will conduct its initial meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at Scottsdale City Hall, 3939 N. Drinkwater Blvd.
The seven-member task force was appointed by the City Council to make recommendations on changes to the charter, which serves as the city’s “constitution,” laying out the basic functions and powers of local government.
One key purpose of the first meeting will be to hear public comments on charter issues or the review process before the task force begins detailed work over the next several months. Members of the public may also send comments to the task force via a form available here.
“Some of our charter language is outdated or unclear, and it has been the city’s practice to appoint a citizens task force to review it periodically and suggest possible changes,” said Mayor W. J. “Jim” Lane. The Mayor pointed out that the last review was about 10 years ago.
The charter was first approved by voters in 1961, and has been amended eight times over Scottsdale’s history. Any task force recommendations will be reviewed by the City Council, and the City Council will decide which matters, if any, to refer to the voters. A charter election has tentatively been scheduled for Nov. 2010.
Task force members are Steven Twist, chairman, Susan Bitter Smith, Jim Derouin, Cindi Eberhardt, Alan Kaufman, Charlie Smith, and Lisa Johnson Stone.
The initial meeting will be broadcast live on CityCable Channel 11 and via streaming video on the city's Web site, available by clicking on the “Streaming Video” link on the left side of the home page.
The form for sending comments to task force members, the tentative meeting schedule, meeting agendas and materials are all available on the commission’s Web page. Go to the Hot Topics section at the bottom of the home page and select “Charter Review Task Force.”
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