AUBURN – A vote to change the city charter may be on hold until June, councilors said Monday.

Councilors were considering asking voters to elect a charter commission this November. If voters agreed, the commission would begin a yearlong review of the charter, reporting back with changes in time for the November 2004 election.

But Councilors said Monday they’d prefer to review the current charter looking for potential changes, rather than convene a charter commission if it’s not necessary.

“I not in favor of hurrying to make a decision,” Councilor Belinda Gerry said.

City Attorney Pat Scully said councilors would have to decide by Aug. 4 if they want to put charter commission on the November ballot. That would leave two weeks for councilors to review the current charter and look for areas that need to be changed.

Councilor Richard Livingston suggested the council study the charter until June, possibly putting the charter on the ballot with the 2004 primaries. That would give the charter commission 18 months to consider changes, and could put the matter on the 2005 ballot.

Councilor Kelly Matzen suggested city management begin that process by compiling a list of their suggested changes. Other councilors agreed.

“This is not a dead issue,” Mayor Norm Guay said. “I think that when we actually start reviewing the charter, the matter of a charter commission is going to rise in importance. I think the more we look at it, the more we’ll see it needs updating.”

The city adopted its current charter in 1990. Voters have amended it twice since then, once in 1992 and again in 1994.

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