Saugus charter board aims for final draft release in January

SAUGUS – The Charter Commission has entered its second year of work and is edging ever closer to a final draft of a potential new charter.Commission Chairman Peter Manoogian said the group is hoping to have a final draft to put before residents in January.”We’re not required to have public hearings until March, but we want to add this extra step,” he said.The commission is two weeks into a line-by-line review of the preliminary draft that was developed by consultant Michael Curran. Well versed in his field, Curran has drafted more than 60 home rule charters within the state.”We hope to be done with the selectmen and the School Committee (portions) by Thursday,” Manoogian said.The document Curran prepared, at the request of the entire commission, creates one legislature where the executive authority would be shared between an elected official and a town manager.He also kept alive the formation of a separately elected five-member board of selectmen but with a little twist. The board would serve three-year staggered terms with the chairman being elected separately by the voters.Although there has yet to be a vote of solidarity taken, Manoogian said the structure of a new and reformed town government is becoming clearer with each meeting.Points agreed upon so far include a 27-member town legislative body known as “the assembly.”Under the assembly, two members from each of the 10 precincts will serve for two-year terms. There will also be six at-large members who will serve three-year terms and act as chairmen of standing town legislative committees. The legislative leader, loosely similar to the town moderator, will also run town wide and serve for a three-year term.One of the major differences between the proposed legislative body and the current Town Meeting is that the assembly could call itself into session. The Board of Selectmen must call Town Meeting into session. That power, Manoogian noted, would provide responsive flexibility to community issues as they arise.Under the still-fluid proposal, the selectmen will be charged with establishing policy, supervising and evaluating the town manger and, as it does now, will serve as the water and sewer commission.The selectmen will also directly appoint members of the boards and commissions that control land use and resources within the town.The town manager’s role will include implementing the administrative aspects of the town, as well as the policies derived by the selectmen. He or she will also be required to develop capital and financial forecasts, including revenue forecasts.The proposal also calls for a simple majority to hire and fire the manager rather than a two-thirds vote, and that the hiring process include a screening committee to review applicants.Other aspects of the preliminary draft include enhanced financial monitoring, greater inclusion and monitoring of the School Department regarding the budget and forming ethical standards consistent with state practices.It has also been agreed upon that legislators will not be able to serve in any other town office including committees and boards unless they are a sub-committee of the legislature.Manoogian said the commission hopes to have a draft charter finalized before the New Year so that during the month of January, focus groups can review and comment on it. Any citizen who wishes to participate on a focus group should contact Manoogian at [email protected].