By Rebecca Martin
A municipal charter is the legal document that defines the organization, powers, functions, and essential procedures of city government, and the City of Kingston Common Council might be picking up charter reform again in 2024.
Laws and Rules Council Committee in March, 2024
“Kingston lawmakers mull charter revision” in the Daily Freeman
If they are successful, it will be the first time since the fall of 1993/1994 when the city first adopted a city manager form of government. The outcome was abruptly overturned a year later, and Kingston became a strong mayor form of government (which continues to govern us today). You can read the whole sordid tale by Tom Benton.
The politics of that time period left us with a charter that is plagued with problems, and that we have raised for over a decade. In our efforts to find original materials and learn the truth about the trajectory of that process , we’ve collected many helpful materials that are now accessible to the public. It includes timelines, a copy of Kingston’s early charter (with amendments from 1970 – 1985), the proposed City Manager form of government revision from 1993 and more.