Worcester Charter Review

At a glance

• What: Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee discussion of the City Charter, including a City Manager communication on a process to establish a charter review commission. A committee hearing was held August 17, 2026 with resident testimony.
• Where it stands: on 2026-10-06 the Council filed the committee reports and adopted a resolution 10-0 encouraging a resident signature drive.
• Next: reports from the City Clerk and City Solicitor are pending. A non-binding ballot question needs six votes.

Committee hearing 2026-08-17

Based on auto-generated captions plus the posted minutes.

• Solicitor Alexandra H. Kalkounis outlined three routes: Council home rule petitions (about six months, cannot change the form of government, terms or composition), special legislation, and a voter-elected Charter Review Commission (the only route to a full review or a change such as strong mayor).
• Clerk Nikolin Vangjeli's timeline: petition signatures of 15% of registered voters (about 18,000 certifiable of a little over 120,000), question plus a nine-member commission on the November 2027 ballot, report within 18 months, Attorney General review, a vote around 2029, new charter around 2031. The 2024 resident effort never filed papers.
• 16 residents spoke (15 for, Fred Nathan against); themes were power concentrated in the city manager, participatory budgeting, stronger boards and commissions, a ten-year mandatory review, and six school districts versus five council districts.
• Gary Rosen pushed a committee resolution backing a review ("100 people, 200 signatures each"); Morris A. Bergman preferred a non-binding referendum and piecemeal fixes. The two clashed over it; neither motion was put, and Satya B. Mitra held the matter 3-0 pending reports.

Council action on 2026-09-08

• Placed the committee reports (on charter-hearing advertisements and the City Manager's commission-process letter) on file.
• Adopted committee orders asking the City Clerk and City Solicitor for reports on:
  • Charter changes possible without a Charter Review Commission.
  • The Council's role in ordinance changes.
  • Resident testimony from August 17.
  • The process to put a non-binding question on the local-election ballot.

Signature drive (2026-10-06)

• The resolution encourages a drive for 15 percent of registered voters, roughly 16,000 to 17,000 signatures per Rosen.

Other

• The City Clerk's four informational communications were referred to Municipal and Legislative Operations on 2026-09-22, ahead of its September 28 Charter discussion.

Discussion time

About 106 minutes across 2 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Log

• 2026-10-06 - City Council — Chairman's resolution 11a (encouraging residents to gather signatures of 15 percent of registered voters for a charter review or new charter) adopted 10-0 (Bilotta absent), after Gary Rosen said the committee never meant the Council to collect the roughly 16,000 to 17,000 signatures and that a nine-member charter commission would be elected on the same ballot. At Khrystian E. King's request the City Clerk and Solicitor explained that a charter commission must be elected by voters, the Council can put a non-binding question on the ballot with six votes, and the Clerk wants 45 to 60 days' notice for a November ballot (overseas ballots); King said he backs a strong-mayor form and a non-binding question but doubted six votes. Reports 14a to 14f (the charter hearing order and the City Clerk's communications) were accepted and placed on file. Gary Hunter and Abby Mortillaro spoke for it; Hunter offered to help gather signatures.
• 2026-09-22 - City Council — Items 12a-12d (City Clerk communications on August 17 testimony, the September 28 Municipal and Legislative Operations meeting on the Charter, the process for a non-binding ballot question, and charter changes possible without a commission) referred to Municipal and Legislative Operations, 11-0. Gary Hunter told the Council a review cannot wait until after the election.
• 2026-09-15 - Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee - Satya B. Mitra announced the committee's next meeting, Monday September 28 at 5:00 p.m., to discuss the charter review.
• 2026-09-08 - City Council — Committee reports placed on file 11-0; four report orders (charter changes without a commission, Council's role in ordinances, August 17 testimony, non-binding ballot question) adopted 11-0. In public participation Gary Hunter urged speeding up a charter review that has been put off for 10 years (item 14b), and Feanna Jattan-Singh backed 14b and said residents could gather 20,000 signatures for a petition if the Council will not act.
• 2026-08-17 - Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee - Hearing: Solicitor and Clerk explained charter-change routes; 16 residents spoke (15 for a review, 1 against); Rosen resolution and Bergman amendment not put; matter held 3-0; four report orders; related communications filed 3-0. Per the captions, the Clerk said the commission route runs to about 2031; Rosen and Bergman debated whether to "bless" a signature drive and Mitra promised another meeting.
• 2026-07-21 - City Council — Items 14b and 14c: City Clerk communications on options for changing the Charter and on advertising the 2026-08-17 Municipal and Legislative Operations meeting referred to that committee.
• 2026-09-28 - Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee — Educational session. The Clerk showed the 1983 and 1985 ballots and a sample petition and walked through the commission route (15 percent signatures, 200 to run, report within 18 months, Attorney General review, second vote); changes to form of government, Council composition or terms need a commission, minor changes can be made by rule, ordinance or special act. A non-binding question needs six votes and could go on the November 2027 ballot. Gary Rosen's motion that the Council "encourage" a public signature drive passed 3-0 (it reached the full Council 2026-10-06); Morris A. Bergman objected to the word "support" and wants the drive to be organic. Orders 3A and 4A-4E filed 3-0.