Charter Commission

The Charter Commission is made up of the following:  Six (6) Elected Members and Three (3) Members appointed by the Board of Selectmen.  A Municipal Charter is the basic document that defines the organizations, powers functions and essential procedures of the Town.
  • On August 24, 2022, the Charter Commission sent their Final Report Submission to the New Gloucester Select Board.
  • On Monday, August 29, 2022, the Municipal Officers voted to send the Charter Commission Final Report to the voters at the November 8th, 2022, Election.

 

Below are the final documents:
Copies of these documents will be available at Town Hall

 
If you would like to be added to the Charter Commission listserv, please send a message to: ngchartercommission@gmail.com
 
What is a charter?
A charter is the equivalent of a constitution for the town. The charter defines the governance structure of the town, distribution of powers, budget process, public access, and other government functions.

What is the Charter Commission’s charge?
The Charter Commission will draft a charter to submit to the voters of New Gloucester, who will determine whether the town adopts the Charter.

What is New Gloucester’s current governance structure?
New Gloucester’s current governance structure is a Town Meeting-Selectmen-Manager form of government, where town meeting serves as the legislative arm of government, the selectmen serve as the executive body, and the manager oversees the daily operations of the town.

What are the typical governance structures in Maine?

  • Town Meeting-Selectmen
  • Town Meeting-Selectmen-Manager
  • Council-Town Meeting (often for special purposes only, such as budget adoption)-Manager
  • Council-Manager
  • Council-Mayor-Administrator
 
Comments about the charter process are also welcome at ngchartercommission@gmail.com. All correspondence to and from this email address is a matter of public record.
 
Summary of the Process for forming/creating a Charter
 

Here are links to information on Charters