A Resolution for the City's Charter Review Commission

Over the past two weeks, we have seen a healthy public debate on several issues regarding the Charter Review Commission proposed by Rockville's Mayor and Council.  

I decided to draft a resolution to create the commission that meets my concerns and those of many members of the community. I am offering it up for discussion at the Mayor and Council's meeting on Monday.

There has been interest from members of the public in seeing what the draft resolution says before I introduce it, and I can't think of a particularly good reason to withhold it, so here it is.

The commission resolution is attached to this post as a PDF above.

In my note to my colleagues, which appears below, I invited them to offer any improvements to the resolution. I warmly extend that invitation to all readers of this article.

Please deliver your thoughts however you like: in the comments to this article, via emails to me and/or my colleagues directly, or in person to the Mayor and Council during Citizen's Forum at our meeting on Monday.

Tom Moore

The following is the note regarding the commission that I sent to my Mayor and Council colleagues on Monday afternoon:

Colleagues, 

I would like to add an agenda item to the April 30 meeting to discuss the Charter Review Commission. I do not believe this can be discussed in executive session, as the issues I plan to raise do not qualify for an executive session. Councilmember Pierzchala agrees with my request for the agenda addition.

Members of the public have raised some very good points about how it would be best for us to have an open process in recruiting and selecting members of the Charter Review Commission, and I would like to pursue a path that is as open and transparent as possible. It is not too late for us to do so; our resolution establishing the commission is an ideal opportunity to address some issues that need addressing.

During this agenda item, I will introduce the attached draft resolution for consideration. This draft resolution uses the 2002 Charter Review Commission resolution as its starting point. It alters the path we had been considering in choosing the members of the commission, and addresses several areas that our discussion last week did not cover.  

I believe my draft resolution accomplishes the goals of transparency and significant public participation, while not discarding the work each of us has already put into this matter.  

If you have any improvements to this draft that you would like to offer, I would be delighted to consider them. If you would like to pursue another path, I invite you to draft a resolution that describes a process you would like us to consider, and invite you to offer it up for discussion on April 30 as well. 

Accordingly, I also request that we not schedule the executive session discussion Jenny has proposed regarding the Charter Review Commission. I am not prepared to discuss any topics relating to the Commission that would merit an executive session.

Brenda, Sara, and Debra: This is my first shot at writing something like this, and this draft undoubtedly violates several important rules of resolution-writing. If you could be so kind as to point out its deficiencies in that regard, I would appreciate it. 

Thank you!

Tom