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<br />The citizens of Paris deserve a Charter that is both up to date and efficient. It deserves a <br />Charter that allows the Council and its city administration to operate with clear guidance <br />and with the flexibility to ensure the taxpayers are served effectively and efficiently. <br /> <br />It is therefore critical the Charter be amended to allow the citizens to be served <br />effectively. <br /> <br />Proposal <br /> <br />This proposal is designed to address these areas of concem by proposing a process, <br />providing facilitation, and drafting proposed language for the Charter revisions in the <br />following manner. <br /> <br />· In order to assess expectations and needs, I will meet with members of the City <br />Council, the City Manager and City Attomey regarding the deficiencies of the <br />CUlTent Chmier as well as the expectations of the Council and staff regarding <br />proposed amendments and their respective priorities. <br />· A Chmier Review Commission should be established by the City Council. This <br />body will be responsible for the complete review of the Chmier, and for making <br />recommendations to the City Council for amendments. It is anticipated the <br />Commission will meet regularly, in as many as ten meetings. The Chmier itself is <br />quite voluminous with over 150 sections. Each section will require review, <br />possible revision, possible consolidation with other sections, and comparison with <br />CUlTent state laws. Because of the size and complexity of the Chmier and the <br />issues related to its amendments, the process should include 3; sufficient number <br />of meetings to ensure proper deliberation. As consultant, I will be involved in <br />each meeting of the Commission. <br />· There should be periodic updates on the progress of the Commission and process <br />to the City Council at least three times through the process of the ten meetings of <br />the ConU11ission. These meetings will bring a status repOli of the progress and <br />discussion of issues that may arise. <br />· The City Manager and City Attomey should be involved in the process of review <br />of the Charter, both during the regular meetings of the Commission and at times <br />tlu'oughout the process. Each of them brings a unique perspective to the revision <br />process. The City Manager is responsible for the overall administration of the <br />city and must work within the ChaJ1er's guidelines and limitations on a daily <br />basis. The City Attomey is responsible for the legal aspects of the Charter. There <br />will be legal issues that arise, as to the applicability of existing or proposed <br />language that require the City Attomey to provide his opinion and expertise. <br />Periodic meetings with these two staff members are important to ensure the <br />integrity of the process. <br />· Between Commission meetings, it will be necessary to review the work of the <br />Commission and provide responses to requests made in order to ensure the <br />smooth transition from one meeting to the next and ensure the Commission is <br />productive during its meetings. This will include conducting research, drafting <br />language, and consulting with staff. <br /> <br />Paris <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />8/31/2006 <br /> <br />r.... <br />