Question 1 - Amendments to Framingham Home Rule Charter

Shall the City approve amendments to the Framingham Home Rule Charter as proposed by the City Council, summarized below? The Framingham Home Rule Charter, approved by the Framingham voters in 2017, is the City's governing document, establishing the City's structure, organization and operations, including the City's executive and legislative branches, powers and duties, elected officers, divisions, officials, authorities and other requirements for City operations, budgeting, planning, and other processes. The Charter contains a process for periodic review by a Charter Review Committee appointed in May of every year ending in 3, which may propose Charter amendments by a report to the City Council. After its appointment in 2023, the first Framingham Charter Review Committee undertook a thorough review of the Charter, held public meetings, drop-in focus groups, and conducted surveys and public hearings to obtain public input on proposed Charter revisions. The Charter Review Committee prepared and submitted a report of proposed Charter amendments to the City Council. The City Council reviewed and acted upon the report and voted to submit final proposed Charter revisions to Framingham voters for consideration. Those final proposed Charter revisions were also reviewed by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office before submission to the voters of Framingham. Among the proposed amendments include the following: a prohibition on elected officials serving in any other elected capacity while serving in their City role; modifications to the appointing authority of the Mayor; modification to the term of Mayor by imposing a maximum limit of three terms on the office of Mayor; clarification on the process for Mayor's veto of City Council actions; addition of a new officer role of Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer; a change to the process for adopting and revising the City's master plan and long range strategic plan processes; a change in the process to fill vacancies in elected roles on the City Council and School Committee; a change in the process for submission of reorganization plans; removal of technology services and media services from the administrative and finance division; changes to the annual budget planning and processes, including time for submission and additional pubic deadlines in the citizen petition process; modifcations to clarify the Charter review process, and other changes and clarifications to Charter wording.