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18 Youngstown charter changes go to council
YOUNGSTOWN
The charter-review committee will give 18 proposed charter amendments — several call for major changes to Youngstown government structure and elections — to city council to consider placing on the November ballot.
The committee had considered prioritizing the proposals or reducing the number, but decided Monday to forward all 18 to council.
Mayor Charles Sammarone had asked the committee Jan. 23 to have the proposed amendments to city council by June 1.
“We’ve completed our task,” said Jerome Williams, committee chairman.
Next is a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, 151 W. Wood St., to hear public comments on the proposals.
“It’s a done deal,” Williams said about the recommendations. “We’re not going to change any. We’ll present the 18, and if there are questions, [from the public] we can explain why we support them.”
Williams said he’ll speak to Sammarone to see how the 11-member committee should present the recommendations to city council.
“We assume we’ll meet with council” to discuss the proposals, he said.
The charter requires city council to approve amendments before they’re put on the ballot for a public vote. Those approved by voters become part of the city charter.
Among the key recommendations are requiring council wards to be redistricted every decade after the U.S. Census, having nonpartisan elections, cutting the salary of council members, requiring council committee and general meetings to be no earlier than 6 p.m., making it easier to recall elected officeholders, eliminating an elected council president (members of council would choose among themselves), and creating a position of vice mayor to replace the chief of staff/secretary to the mayor post.
Other proposals would create a department of human resources, make information technology and economic development individual departments rather than part of the finance department, abolish the park and recreation department, and have a division of property maintenance that would include inspections, code enforcement, zoning and demolition.
The committee also wants to be convened annually rather than every four years under the charter.