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"A charter is roughly comparable to a constitution, but its primary focus is the operation and procedure of municipal governance. Charter governance allows citizens to choose their own form of government."
-- Paul Rutter, Bricker & Eckler law firm
Home rule charter / charter government were first passed in Ohio in 1913. Charter government is the most common form of government for cities in Ohio. The city of Warren's current form of government follows Ohio Revised Codes written by the state legislature in Columbus. Many statues have not been updated since the 1950s (before the Civil Rights Act of 1964).
The issue of Charter has come up several times prior to 2010. However, in 2010, Warren council formed a Charter Study Committee, a group of bi-partisan citizens chosen by city hall and council to study the issue of should an ordinance be passed to place on the ballot the question: "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a Charter?"
The Charter Study Committee held public meetings hosted by Kent State professors who explained the difference between charter and statutory government. The committee then recommended that Warren council place on the ballot the question: "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a Charter?"
Warren council voted down the Charter Study Committee's recommendation.
At the time, Councilwoman Helen Rucker, D-At Large, said, "If we vote no, it's not that we don't want to give (residents) a chance to vote, we just want to give you more time."
Thirteen years has been long enough to wait.
Because Warren's current system of government is outdated and broken, action was taken. The Warren Deserves Better Charter Initiative formed and followed the Ohio Constitution. A group of citizens circulated petitions to obtain the required number of signatures. Those signatures were verified by the Trumbull County Board of Elections. These are the rights of citizens, granted by the State of Ohio. By law, Warren council was bound by the Constitution of the State of Ohio to vote to place the question on the ballot: "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a Charter?"
Some changes that a charter can bring to the administrative function of the city and give rights to the residents which currently are not in place:
1) Allowing city council members to have full access to the city's budget, accounting and financial status including city spending;
2) Elected officials or department heads should not have the right to discipline a city-employed family member. They should recuse themselves from such a task;
3) Implementing a "statute or provision" against hiring family members and that all jobs (not reserved for the unions) should be advertised on the city's website and in the local press;
4) Members of city council should have the right to review all contracts entered into by the Board of Control, which is made up of the Mayor and Director of Safety and Public Services. Under our current statutory form of government, city hall can and does choose not to report to city council who received a city contract and for how much. (This year, Warren's board of control was sued for refusing to hold public meetings. Board of control meetings by law should be open to the public; Warren was not holding open meetings and omitted pertinent information from public records requests. A lawsuit was filed by a local citizen. Warren admitted violation of the Ohio Revised Code, proving our current form of government is uninformed and failing.)
5) Establishing that the city administration hold monthly "participatory budget review meetings" with the residents outlining the city's financial status and spending.
6) Mandating all elected officials attend yearly training by the Ohio Municipal League as part of "continuing education" to be current on any changing laws, rules and regulations. As it stands today, municipal training for elected officials is "suggested," not mandatory. There are several council members who served and did not complete the Sunshine Law or Open Meetings Act training.
In conclusion, a Charter form of Government is essential for modernization of the city, necessary for eliminating some of the restrictive Ohio Revised Codes (e.g., the city being unable to financially assist residents with "back flow" preventers to stop flooding in homes) and is the key to empowering citizens to have input into how the city is governed and their voices being heard.
A charter government is written by the people, works for the people and is monitored by the people. Vote "yes" for Charter May 2nd.
Tina S. Milner is coordinator of The Warren Deserves Better Charter Government Committee.