Lawmaker wants public involvement in charter review process
Common Council Majority Leader Reynolds Scott-Childress emphasized the importance of public involvement and education as city lawmakers discussed creating a Charter Review Committee at Wednesday’s Laws and Rules meeting.
Scott-Childress suggested city lawmakers could set an informational session on charter review in June. He added that the city would invite experts on charter revisions to the sessions to educate the public on the process as much as possible before a committee is formed.
Scott-Childress said he favors waiting until June for the session as city officials are considering scheduling a public information and education event in May about the past, present and future of the Pike Plan canopies on Wall Street in Uptown.
While Mayor Steve Noble and Common Council President Andrea Shaut recently expressed support for demolishing the canopies, Noble noted that all options are still on the table at last week’s Common Council Finance and Audit Committee meeting.
Scott-Childress cautioned scheduling sessions about the Pike Plan and Charter Review in the same month would overwhelm the public.
At Wednesday’s meeting, committee members agreed that the Common Council should lead the Charter Review process, but they stopped short of taking a vote that would pave the way to creating a charter review committee.
Scott-Childress said he wants to ensure the public has as many opportunities to educate themselves on charter review as possible before a committee is formed. That said, he called on his fellow lawmakers to