Fall River Charter Commission

03/20/2019

Take a listen to today’s WSAR Jamie Tyrrell Show guest speaker on the Charter and how it relates to the recall.

02/06/2019

The purpose of the long-term financial forecast called for in the charter is to ensure the city has the capacity to meet its financial challenges of today and in the future, while maintaining appropriate levels of service. It is simply a projection and it should provide a 5-year summary of revenue and expenditures and projected tax increases.

At the city council meeting last evening, it was apparent that the financial team had some heartburn by this provision of the charter. Why is preparing this forecast so challenging for them? If they don’t know how to create one, there is tons of resources to assist them. It is not uncommon for cities throughout the U.S. to have a 5-year plan and some cities have plans that go out 30 years. There are no excuses, please just do you job! The people of Fall River deserve insight into our future financial capacity.

The city is already creating a 5-year capital improvement plan. So, it just makes sense to integrate the capital improvement plan into a long-range plan that will help identify funding and gauge its overall impact, including the affect it may have on taxes and water/sewer rates.

The long-term financial plan should include input from city council members and department heads. Getting their buy-in serves to establish a solid foundation of goals, which can help the council efficiently evaluate annual budget needs. When presented properly, an established plan allows for continuity—and prevents a lapse in focus on key goals—as our city council usually changes every 2 years.

Financial management is an important variable used by bonding agencies in determining our city’s bond rating. Having a long-term financial plan in place speaks to the city’s knowledge of reserves, its commitment to future debt management, and its forward-thinking approach—all of which score points during the bond-rating process.

Taking time to prepare a long-term financial plan is key to our city’s future success. Planning is never a bad thing.
The people of Fall River deserve no less!

11/21/2018

http://www.heraldnews.com/opinion/20181120/letter-to-editor-fall-rivers-home-rule-charter-is-as-good-as-any-other-charter-in-state

I am a School Committee member in Newburyport, serving in that role since 2004, to include two years as vice chair. I was elected to Newburyport’s

10/17/2018

Here is a link to the current city charter.

07/14/2018

We are in July of 2018 and the special committee that was supposed to bring the city ordinances into compliance with and fully implement the charter has

05/12/2018

Charters set a direction for the city; they generally do not provide significant detail. Once the voters have adopted the charter, it is the responsibility of the city’s officials to “respect” the voters decision and IMPLEMENT the charter by following the standards the charter provides, meet the city’s immediate needs for charter implementation by adhering to the specific directions provided in the charter’s transition article, and amend existing ordinances or write new ordinances so that the charter can be reasonably and consistently followed by the current and future city administrations.

02/25/2018

Fall River's boards, committees and commissions play an increasingly vital role in how our city government operates. These multiple member bodies research

11/08/2017

FALL RIVER — Both questions posed to voters on the election ballot Tuesday were overwhelmingly approved putting an updated city charter into effect

11/06/2017

Please vote YES tomorrow on the Proposed Home Rule Charter for a new start to a better future. A YES vote allows for more transparency, citizen participation, financial and strategic planning and structure. Most importantly, future reviews that will allow changes as needed. A NO vote means nothing will change and the city will remain stagnant. No changes mean no change. You decide if you want to be apart of this city's future. Vote YES on question 1.

11/06/2017

In December 2011, when I started the home rule charter process with a small group of supporters, I believed it was much needed. People were asking for change. And in 2015, people supported that notion, when 9,318 voted to revise the city charter and elect a charter commission. And in November 2017, I am more convinced than ever that the city needs a new charter.

Most of the elected commissioners believe that the totality of the changes proposed represents an improvement to Fall River's government. So, it is with a strong conviction that I support the proposed Home Rule Charter.

Please join me in voting “YES” for the charter. You are not just voting for a new charter; you are voting for a better Fall River! This is a “unique opportunity”, a historic occasion that obviously does not present itself often, but one that can certainly put Fall River on a solid course for the future.