CHRONOLOGY OF CHARTER AMENDMENTS



1. Home Rule Charter adopted April 23rd, 1977, effective January 1st, 1978.

2. Article 2, City Council, Section 2-2, Organization.
Amendment approved by the voters November 3rd, 1981.
Amendment submitted to voters by the City Council, Resolution #758, approved March 16th, 1981.
This section originally read as follows:
Section 2-2 Organization.

After the Councillors Elect have been sworn, the City Council shall be called together by the oldest member elected who shall preside. The City Council shall then elect, from among its members, a chairman and vice chairman to serve at the pleasure of the City Council. The chairman shall preside at all meetings of the City Council, and perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Charter, by ordinance or by vote of the City Council. The vice chairman shall act as chairman of the Council during the absence or disability of the chairman. The City Council shall elect from among its members one Councillor to sit as a voting member of the School Committee. This member shall serve at the pleasure of the City Council.


3. Article 4, School Committee, Section 4-1, sub-section (a), Composition.
Amendment approved by the voters November 3rd, 1981.
Amendment submitted to voters by the City Council, Resolution #758, approved March 16th, 1981.
This section originally read as follows:
(a) Composition - There shall be a School Committee of seven members. Six of these members to be nominated and elected at-large. The seventh member shall be a member of the City Council elected by the City Council. The School Committee shall exercise control and management of the public schools of the City. All school committeemen shall be nominated and elected by the voters at large.

4. Article 8, Referendum Petitions, Section 8-3.
Amendment approved by the voters November 5th, 1985.
Amendment submitted to voters by the City Council, Resolution #1359, approved February 25th, 1985.
Said amendment added the last two sentences at the end of the second paragraph.

5. Appointment of City Solicitor.
Amendment approved by the voters November 5th, 1985.
Amendment submitted to the voters by the City Council, Resolution #1380, approved August 5th, 1985 and enacted by the General Court as Chapter 182 of the Acts and Resolves of 1985.
Said Act:
(a) Struck sub-section (c) of Article 2, Section 2-8, and replaced the same with the present section;
(b) Moved former sub-section (c) to new sub-section (d);
(c) Added new Article 10, Section 10-9.

6. Number of Precincts Increased.
Amendment approved by the legislature June 10th, 1986 as Chapter 88 of the Acts and Resolves of 1986.
Amendment submitted by the City Council, Resolution #1473, approved April 16th, 1986.
Amendment changed:
(a) Article 2, Section 2-1, sub-section (a), which originally read:
"Precincts 1, 2 and 6 to be known as the central district;
precincts 3, 7 and 9 to be known as the east district;
and precincts 4, 5 and 8 to be known as the west district".
(b) Article 7, Section 7-4, which originally read:
"Section 7-4 Precincts and Districts. The territory of the City shall be divided into nine precincts so established as to consist of as nearly equal a number of inhabitants as it is possible in compact and contiguous territory;
bounded insofar as possible by the center line of known streets or ways or by other well defined limits.
The nine precincts shall be separated into three districts.
The central district shall include precincts 1, 2 and 6;
the east district shall include precincts 3, 7 and 9;
and the west district shall include precincts 4, 5 and 8.".

7. Election of a Mayor and Establishment of Limitation of Terms of City Councillors.
Chapter 332 of the Acts and Resolves of 1992 accepted by the voters on May 4th, 1993 replaced the City Manager with a Mayor and placed term limits on the Mayor and City Councillors.

8. Section 9-10 of Article 9, Removals and Suspensions.
The following was added:
"Nothing in this section shall be construed as granting a right to such a hearing to a person who is a member of Local 3699, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Methuen Support Staff Employees Unit.
Said member shall be governed by the disciplin-ary procedure of said Unit's collective bargaining agreement with the City of Methuen.
” Chapter 76 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996.

9. Article 2, Sections 2-8(a), (b) and (c), Appointment of City Accountant, Clerk of the Council and City Solicitor.
Amendment approved by the legislature approved June 28th, 1996 as Chapter 145 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996.
Amendment submitted by the City Council, Order #3738, approved February 5th, 1996.
Amendment changed:
(a) Article 2, Section 2-8, sub-section (a), which originally read:
"(a) City Accountant -
As soon as practicable after the Council has been organized, the City Council shall elect, by ballot or otherwise, a City Accountant to hold office for a term of two years and until his successor is qualified."
(b) Article 2, Section 2-8, sub-section (b), which originally read:
“(b) Clerk of the Council -
The City Council shall elect, by ballot or otherwise, a Clerk of the Council, who may be the City Clerk, to hold office at the pleasure of the Council."
(c) Article 2, Section 2-8, sub-section (c), which originally read:
"(c) City Solicitor -
The City Council shall, on or before July 1st in the year it organizes under Article 2, Section 2-2, elect, by ballot or otherwise, a City Solicitor to hold office for a term of two years and until his/her successor is qualified."

10. Article 3, Section 3-3, Appointments by the Mayor.
Amendment approved by the voters November 5th, 1996; see Resolution #3745 and Chapter 148 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996.
This section originally read as follows:
“Section 3-3. Appointments by the Mayor.
Except as otherwise provided by this Charter, the Mayor shall appoint, upon merit and fitness alone, and may remove subject to the provisions of the civil service laws, the provisions of this Charter, or other pertinent statutes where applicable, all officers and employees of the Town, except employees of the School Department.
All appointments made by the Mayor shall be subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the full Council.
The Mayor shall submit, in writing, to the Town council, at least ten days prior to the next regular meeting when the appointment is to be made, the name of any person he desires to appoint to a Town position.”

11. Article 3, a new section 3-9, Terms of Office - Department Heads was added.
Amendment approved by the voters November 5th, 1996; see Resolution #3745 and Chapter 148 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996.

12. Article 4, School Committee, Section 4-1, sub-section (a), Composition.
Amendment approved by the voters November 5th, 1996; see Resolution #3745 and Chapter 148 of the Acts and Resolves of 1996.
This sub-section originally read as follows:
“(a) Composition - There shall be a School Committee of seven members who shall be nominated and elected at large.
The School Committee shall exercise control and management of the public schools of the City.”
(Approved by the voters November 3rd, 1981; see Resolution #758).

13. Article 2, Legislative Branch, Section 2-1, Sub-section (c), Election and Term
Amendment approved by the Legislature September 24th, 1999, Chapter 82 of the Acts and Resolves of 1999, and adopted by the Voters November 2nd, 1999.
The second sentence thereof originally read as follows:
“No person shall hold the office of City Councillor for more than three consecutive or non-consecutive terms”.

14. Article 3, Executive Branch, Section 3-1, Sub-section (b), Term of Office
Amendment approved by the Legislature September 24th, 1999, Chapter 82 of the Acts and Resolves of 1999, and adopted by the Voters November 2nd, 1999.
The following sentence was added to Sub-section (b):
“No person shall hold the office of Mayor for more than three consecutive terms”.

15. Article 4, School Committee, Section 4-1, Sub-section (c), Election and Term
Amendment approved by the Legislature September 24th, 1999, Chapter 82 of the Acts and Resolves of 1999, and adopted by the Voters November 2nd, 1999.
The following sentence was added to Sub-section (c):
“No person shall hold the office of School Committee member for more than three consecutive terms”.