Plymouth Charter Review Committee Finalizes Revised Town Charter

Committee prepares to present document to town bodies and gather public feedback ahead of October Town Meeting

PLYMOUTH, MA - July 30 - The Charter Review Committee is entering the final stages of preparing a revised town charter for presentation to Town Meeting members and the public. At their recent meeting, committee members discussed strategies for finalizing the document and gathering feedback from residents ahead of the Oct. 19 Town Meeting.

Committee Member Len Levin announced that a final version of the revised charter should be ready by Aug. 7. "You will have it before I go [for a medical procedure]," Levin told the committee. "Come hell or high water."

The committee plans to present the revised charter to several town bodies, including the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Committee of Precinct Chairs (COPC). They debated how best to engage with precinct caucuses to explain the changes and gather input.

Some members advocated for a centralized presentation to all precincts, but others felt attending individual caucus meetings was important. Committee member Larry Pizer argued, "At least in my precinct, there are no shy people. And the words will come out and we will hear, okay, there are no problems whatsoever...or these three matters, oh, we only thought there were two matters that were of interest and we can prepare for that."

The committee ultimately decided members should attend precinct caucuses to answer questions and receive feedback, rather than make formal presentations. "We are not going to the precinct caucuses to make presentations," said committee member Mike Hanlon. "We're there to listen to commentary and receive feedback and answer questions."

To help explain the changes, committee member Steve Bolotin is preparing a chapter-by-chapter summary of key revisions to the charter. "I have already started working on it," Bolotin said.

The latest draft of the revised charter will be posted on the town website for public review and comment. Committee members stressed the importance of having consistent messaging about the proposed changes.

"One of my concerns is the messaging around this is it's gotta be very clear of what we're trying to do," said Levin. "And because if we don't pay attention to the messaging around this, then it's gonna get really kind of creating all this world."

The committee hopes to have a polished final document ready well in advance of the October Town Meeting. They plan to continue refining the charter based on feedback received at precinct caucuses and other presentations.

The committee also discussed the importance of gathering public input through the website. Residents can submit comments to charterreview@plymouth-ma.gov. These comments will be forwarded to committee members for review and potential discussion at future meetings.