AUBURN – Charter commissioners heard a lot of talk about spending and borrowing limits Thursday night.

Only 13 braved Thursday’s snowstorm to attend the Charter Commission’s first public hearing, but most who spoke said they favored some sort of limits on city borrowing.

Commissioners Dave Adams and C. Ellen Peters both remarked that bond limits seemed to be a theme the evening.

“We just want some say in how the city spends our money,” said James Williams, of 58 Olive Street.

Former City Councilor Joe DeFilipp urged the commissioners not to impose those kinds of limits, however.

“This city is not a town,” DeFilipp said. “We can’t get everyone together in one big hall to vote on all of our spending.”

Most in the audience said they favored some limits.

“Auburn is now the only city in Maine that doesn’t have this sort of limit,” said Jim McPhee of 72 Hillcrest St.

Portland, South Portland and Lewiston all require voters to approve city borrowing if it goes past a certain dollar level.

“I don’t think it’s hurt their economic development,” McPhee said. “They might even be doing better than us.”

Commissioners will continue gathering information, possibly meeting with city councilors Monday and School Committee members later this month.

Bonds weren’t the only suggestions, however. DeFilipp urged commissioners to adopt stricter punishments for councilors who leak information from executive sessions. McPhee urged the commissioners to draw up a list of definitions and make the charter easier to read. The current charter relies on too much legal jargon, he said.

“Citizens should be able to read this document and understand what it says without having to consult a lawyer,” McPhee said.

Voters selected six Auburn residents to serve on the commission in November’s election, and councilors appointed three more.

The group has divided its review into mayor and city council operations; School Committee and education department functions; elections, finance and budget operations; and city departments and commissions.

It should release a report in about nine months, suggesting changes to the City Charter. Voters have to approve those changes at the polls before they become the city’s rules.

Focus groups

They might not rely on meetings to gauge public sentiment, however. Commissioner Peters said she hopes to create a random list of 60 Auburn residents – about 12 from each ward – and meet with them in focus groups.

“They would be similar to what we’ve done here tonight, but they’d be confidential,” Peters said. “Everyone that’s here tonight has an ax to grind, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. These would be for individuals that don’t normally have the chance to express themselves.”

Peters said she would create a report to the commission when she was done. That would be a public document, without the names of the people who participated, she said.

Commissioners said they liked the idea but wanted to think about it more.

“It’s just different from any way public business has been done before – here at least,” said Commissioner Chip Morrison.