Pop quiz: What is a city charter and why is Hermiston revising its own?
Those questions will be answered in detail during a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8 at the Hermiston Conference Center.
Hermiston Assistant City Manager Mark Morgan likens a charter to a city’s constitution.
“It is the basic document which sets the table for how the city government operates, as well as what laws the city can create,” he said.
Hermiston’s charter hasn’t had a major revision in almost 50 years, and over that time various components have become outdated. The Hermiston City Council began working to come up with revisions to the Charter in early 2014, using the League of Oregon Cities’ “Model Charter.”
A rough draft of updates has now been completed, and the council is seeking public input for any final changes before the new charter is placed on the May, 2015 ballot.
Thursday’s meeting will be held in the conference center’s board room.
