Rockland Debates Charter Changes: Modernization vs. Tradition
Select Board votes to advance charter revisions to town meeting despite concerns over governance changes
ROCKLAND - April 15 - The Rockland Select Board votes 3-2 to advance proposed charter changes to the May town meeting, following extensive debate about modernizing the town's 55-year-old governing document.
Karen Ripley, representing the Charter Review Committee, presents the culmination of a seven-year effort to update Rockland's charter, which hasn't been revised since its creation in 1970.
"The charter, in much of its language, does not align with the state's current recommendations or what the town needs," Ripley explains to the board.
The proposed changes aim to create a more functional and consistent government structure, addressing issues that have accumulated over decades of minimal updates.
"After the lawyers at the Collins Center, who have revised more than 150 town charters, reviewed Rockland's current charter, our department processes, and in-office workflows, they stated for their first time ever they were not able to create an organizational chart for the town of Rockland," Ripley says.
The inability to create a clear organizational chart highlights the charter's outdated nature and inconsistent governance structure, according to committee members.
Newly elected Select Board member Steven O'Donnell raises several concerns about the proposed changes, particularly regarding the shift of appointment authority from elected boards to the town administrator with Select Board oversight.
"My worry is more to the fact that, and this is not a reflection, Doug is terrific. I'm more looking to the future. This is a charter that will govern our town until it's way past us," O'Donnell says, referring to current Town Administrator Doug Lapp.
O'Donnell specifically questions language that would move hiring authority for department heads from elected boards to the town administrator, with the Select Board having final approval.
"My concern is just the ability, the way that it's written, is that a future town administrator could disagree with the park commission's recommendation on who to hire for the superintendent and say forget you guys and go rogue on his own," O'Donnell explains.
Ripley counters that the changes aren't about power but organization and oversight.
"I think power is a strong word though... I think it's more oversight in organization than power," she says.
Select Board member John Ellard expresses similar concerns about the timing of the proposal, suggesting the board should delay the charter revision to allow more time for review.
"I think people are going to be confused by this. I hate the fact that it's all or nothing. I think there should be opportunities for people to break it into pieces," Ellard says.
Select Board member Michael O'Loughlin defends the committee's work and the need to move forward with the charter revision.
"I don't want to look at a group of Rockland residents that spent the last three years or even seven for some of them and tell them, 'Hey, close but not close enough, we're not even going to give the residents a chance to vote for it,'" O'Loughlin says.
O'Loughlin emphasizes that the proposed charter includes a mandate for review every 10 years, ensuring it won't remain unchanged for decades again.
"We're not locked into this until 2070 like the last year. So it's like we do this every 10 years, and we make sure we make adjustments to it," he says.
Select Board Chair Tiffanie Needham supports advancing the charter to town meeting out of respect for the committee's extensive work.
"Out of deference and respect to all of the work that your committee has done, I feel that we need to move this forward to town meeting and in alignment with the fact that our charter is antiquated and we're negligent if we don't try to update it accordingly," Needham says.
The board ultimately votes 3-2 to include the charter revision on the town meeting warrant, with O'Donnell and Ellard opposed.
The Charter Review Committee plans two public outreach meetings on April 22 – one at 2:30 p.m. at the Senior Center and another at 7 p.m. at the High School Lecture Hall – to educate residents before the May 5 town meeting.
Other key highlights from the meeting include:
* Town Administrator Lapp provided an update on the Regional MWRA water supply study, expressing concerns about cost allocation methods that could disadvantage Rockland.
* The board welcomed newly elected member O'Donnell and re-elected member Lori Childs following the recent election.
Lapp notes that the Charter Review Committee's public outreach meetings will provide opportunities for residents to learn more about the proposed changes before town meeting.
"They're going to do two community outreach meetings Tuesday night, the 22nd, one during the day at the senior center, one at the evening at the lecture hall," Lapp says.
The annual town meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at Rockland High School Auditorium.