BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg city council is looking for volunteers to join the Charter Review Commission.

Applications are available on the city’s website  Ogdensburg.org and at city hall.

Ogdensburg’s City Charter was last reviewed in 2017, with the last meeting of its Charter Review Commission held on Nov. 13, 2017.  

The commission consists of 12 individuals appointed by council. They are tasked with reviewing the city’s charter and making recommendations for changes. Such changes may include small adjustments to ensure consistency and continuity in language or  larger changes that can modify rules and regulations that govern the city and its government.

The commission was last formed in 2017 and included chair Fred Bean, Sean O’Brien, Laura Pearson, Sean McNamara, Laura Ashley, Douglas Loffler, Andrew Putmar, Kevin Kendall, Storm Cilley, Christopher Pitcher and Scott McRoberts.

Last time around the commission offered many suggested changes, though many were not supported by the city council.

Among the failed proposals would have a three-year term for the position of mayor and a call to ensure that each of the city’s election districts included a representative who resided within it.

Instead the city opted to continue “at large” voting which allows anyone who resides in the city to run for any available seat.

It is possible for the charter commission to bypass the council via public referendum, however that does not appear to have been done in the past.

Another recommendation made by that Commission, which was approved by Ogdensburg City Council, reduced the time period between City Charter reviews from 10 years to six years, thus requiring a City Charter review begin no later than December 31, 2023. On July 24, 2023, City Council amended the City Charter to change the deadline date for City Charter review to Dec .31, 2027.

Mayor Michael Tooley, with City Council support, stated early in 2024 his intention to have City Council appoint a City Charter Review Commission this year. On Sept. 23 Ogdensburg City Council outlined the process by which a City Charter Review Commission shall be appointed in 2024, with its meetings to begin in 2025.

Based on the number of applications received and their review of these applications, Ogdensburg City Council hopes to appoint the 2025 City Charter Review Commission at its Nov. 12 regular meeting.

The first meeting of the 2025 City Charter Review Commission is scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Room 3 at City Hall. 

This timeline allows nearly a two-month period which will allow time for the following:

• City staff make available a hard copy of the City Charter, if requested, to the Commission (the Charter can be found on the City of Ogdensburg website).
• City staff to prepare information for the Commission outlining their role as defined in NYS Division of Local Government Services.
• Review of the City Charter by all interested and affected parties to submit to the Commission suggested amendments to the City Charter. This includes City Council, City Administration, citizens, business owners, among others.