Detroit Charter Revision Commission

[DetCharter]

I've recently noticed some discussions on forums such as DetroitYes around town concerning the Detroit Charter Revision Commission and the lack of resources that exist to learn more about the actions taken by the commission and find information related to the topic. This is the exact problem that a colleague and I found at the end of last year when we began to follow the process. motivated by a need to educate our fellow citizens on such a historical moment in the history of our city we created www.detcharter.com; an independent citizen operated organization to help people understand the process and results. As the Commission continues its drafting phase of the charter we will continue to report on their progress but the draft charter will be released Saturday, May 7th. At that time we will host a series of community discussions to vet the major issues changing in our local constitution. Find more information @ www.detcharter.com/RSVP and find us on facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/DetCha...64119273637431 to follow the progress.

[Parkguy]

Thanks for doing this! It is a great community service.

[DetCharter]

It has been a great experience so far into Detroit policy implementation and we'll continue to follow the progress. We're happy that citizens are participating in the process

[maxx]

The list of proposals is not a casual read and requires a copy of the original charter. I looked for news stories on the changes and could only find this which sounds reasonable.
http://www.detcharter.com/process/re.../GOS%20212.pdf

The proposal that there be an annual audit sounds reasonable.lol

[DetCharter]

I realize the website and the topic can be a little daunting but you have to understand that the changes are coming so fast. The Commission is now meeting 3 times per week and we're just trying to stay caught up. As the Drafting phase winds down at the end of this month we'll be able to condense the content into a more manageable and comprehensible way. The community forums will be a great opportunity for members of the community to get caught up on the changes while their is still time to voice your opinion on the matter. We hope that any interested parties will take some time to participate before its gone.

[maxx]

How about some summaries here? What sort of info has been given at the neighborhood meetings so far?

[DetCharter]

Their are no "neighborhood meetings". The commission meets at formal sessions as per the schedule.
Here is what I can tell you about key decisions made by the body so far:
- Elected Officials must live in the City/district for 1 year before being eligible for election
- City Council will be elected from 7 districts and 2 at-large members
- City Council will approve appointments of key department heads
- Key Boards and Commissions will have District Representatives
- Community Advisory Councils will be created in each district
- A public campaign finance system and fund will be created
- There will be NO special elections
- The Ethics Board will be stronger, with the ability to enforce rules and levy fines
- An Inspector General's Office will be created to eliminate waste and fraud
- Functions of the Ombudsperson will be given to the City Council district members

[DetCharter]

Find the Charter Commission Schedule here:

http://www.detcharter.com/calendar/april.php

All meetings are open to the public. Come and make your voice heard, there aren't many meetings left. The Commission will convene the drafting phase at the end of April.