AUBURN – Voters could select a commission later this year to change the City Charter, said Mayor Normand Guay.

“Once we get through the budget and do what we need to do, one of the things I’m eager to get is a Charter Commission,” Guay said.

The city adopted its current charter in 1990. Voters have amended it twice since then, once in 1992 and again in 1994. A full charter review was a key part of Guay’s campaign when he was elected in 2002.

“Some things might no longer be valid,” Guay said. For example, city rules give citizens an unlimited amount of time to collect signatures for a city referendum.

“They can take years, if they want,” Guay said. “I’m not against citizen referendums, but there needs to be a deadline.”

That’s just an example, he said.

“I think most of it would be housekeeping, by nature, making sure the language was right,” Guay said.

The City Council considered changing the charter, but decided early in 2003 to come up with a list of recommended changes.

“So many things happened in the meantime, we never got around to it,” Guay said.

According to state law, voters would elect a commission to go over the current charter and suggest changes. They would bring the proposed changes before voters a year later.

Guay said he would like to see voters appoint the charter commission in this November’s election, to get the new charter on the ballot in November 2005.

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