The Charter Commission has completed its work and their proposed Charter was placed before the voters on November 7, 2017. The Voters of Newton were asked if the city should approve the new charter recommended by the Charter Commission and the vote was 10,963 Yes and 12, 570 No.

** The Commission unanimously voted on April 27, 2017 in favor of the proposed charter, included within the final report.

** Previously, The Commission unanimously voted on February 15 in favor of the proposed charter. The Commission's preliminary report can be viewed here.

** Please sign up for the Charter Commission email list via www.eepurl.com/bKbp1D.

**Current charter, City of Newton

**Our updated meeting schedule is here. Our next meeting will be held Wed., July 12, 2017 in City Hall, Room 211.

The members of the Charter Commission are honored to have served the City of Newton throughout this rigorous review process. The election of a Charter Commission is a rare opportunity for a city to modernize and improve its government and we have devoted our best effort to this challenge.

Our charter proposal is based on considerable research, thought, and deliberation. We aimed to create a charter that will serve our city well for many years, and will allow for a more effective and responsive government as well as greater citizen engagement.

Our proposal does not reflect on the way in which any current or former members of the city government have performed their duties. The Commission members believe that Newton is fortunate to have so many dedicated public servants at every level. We offer sincere thanks to Newton’s elected officials and city employees who participated in the charter review process. In addition to all they do for our city, they shared their time and wisdom with us.

We are especially grateful to the City Clerk, Elections Office, Legal Department, Information Technology Department, and Comptroller’s Office. We thank our charter specialists at the Collins Center for their patience, expertise, participation in our meetings, and research assistance. Last but not least, we thank the citizens who attended our meetings and commented thoughtfully in person or by email. The insights of Newton’s citizens played a significant role in shaping our proposal.

We encourage residents to read the entire charter proposal. For background information, please look through this website where you will find the documentation that informed our decisions, the meeting minutes, and audio recordings.

We urge the citizens of Newton to join us and vote YES to adopt the proposed new charter on November 7.

Sincerely,

The Newton Charter Commission
Josh Krintzman, Chair
Rhanna Kidwell, Vice Chair
Bryan Barash
Jane Frantz
Howard Haywood
Anne Larner
Brooke Lipsitt
Karen Manning
Chris Steele

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