June 8: Medford Charter Study Committee Community Information Session

Question: Where do you turn to find out how your local government works?

Answer: The city charter.

A city charter is the blueprint that details how city government operates and functions. It can outline everything from term limits to ward representation to citizen participation mechanisms.
Learn more about the charter and the work of the Medford Charter Study Committee at a Community Information and Listening session on Thursday, June 8, 7-8:30 p.m. in person at Medford’s City Hall Chambers or on Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81883022593.

It’s common practice for municipalities to review their vital, fundamental charter document periodically, but there has not been a comprehensive review of Medford’s charter for several decades. In the fall of 2022, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn changed that with the establishment of the Medford Charter Study Committee.

The Committee is currently composed of nine residents that began meeting in December of 2022. Their process involves detailed research, education, discussion and input from the community and city officials.

Ultimately, the committee will make recommendations for charter changes to the City Council and Mayor. If those recommendations are accepted, they will go to the State House for approval, then to the voters of Medford.

To learn more about the complexity of Medford’s current charter, you can check out the presentation the Collins Center for Public Management made to the Charter Study Committee in March of 2023.

To see an example of what a modern charter looks like, see the generic modern charter provided to the committee by the Collins Center in February of 2023.

To see how city council authority in Medford compares with city council authority in three comparable communities, see this presentation by the Collins Center from May of 2023.

In the coming months, the Committee will continue to review the charter with an eye toward crafting a modern, transparent document that clearly outlines how city government works.
Hearing from the community is a vital part of the process. As the committee studies Medford’s charter, compares it to other communities, and researches best practices, they look forward to hearing from residents about what they want from their city government.

In addition to the Community Information and Listening Session on June 8, regular meetings of the Charter Study Committee take place on the first Thursday of the month from 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom. All are invited. Agendas, minutes, meeting presentations, recordings and other resources are available at www.medfordma.org/charterstudy. You can also contact the committee at medfordcharterstudy@gmail.com with comments or questions.

A second community listening session will be scheduled in the fall. The committee also plans a presence at city events over the summer. A survey will be available in the coming weeks. Residents can also submit their thoughts using this feedback form.