Bill > S2604

This bill proposes a new charter for the city of Somerville that significantly restructures its local government. The charter establishes a city government with a strong mayor-council system, creating an 11-member city council (4 at-large and 7 ward-based members) and a separately elected mayor, both serving 2-year terms. The bill includes comprehensive provisions for city governance, including detailed rules about elections, appointments, budget processes, and administrative organization. Key provisions include creating new procedures for appointing city officials, establishing community input mechanisms like budget hearings, and implementing periodic reviews of city charter, ordinances, and multiple-member bodies. The bill also requires the creation of two special committees: one to study public campaign financing and another to explore ranked-choice voting. Additionally, the bill includes provisions for a potential future ballot measure to extend the mayor's term from 2 to 4 years. The charter would take effect only after being approved by Somerville voters in a municipal election, with some provisions implementing gradually between 2025 and 2027. The bill repeals several existing special acts governing Somerville's municipal operations and replaces them with this comprehensive new charter.

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2604