City of Dover
Delaware
Regular 2005 Charter Review Committee Meeting
iCal

Jun 1, 2006 at 12:00 AM

2005 CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE

The 2005 Charter Review Committee met on June 1, 2006, at 7:26 p.m. with Chairman Leary presiding. Members present were Mrs. Greenwood, Mrs. Merritt, and Dr. Miller. Mr. Christiansen (resigned, submitted letter of resignation), Mrs. Malone, Mr. Jones and Mr. Scheller were absent. Mrs. McDowell was also present.

AGENDA ADDITIONS/DELETIONS

Mr. Leary requested the addition of item #A-1 - Correspondence from Robin Christiansen. He also requested that items #1-A - Section 4 and #1-B - Section 5 be deferred until all members of the committee are present.

Dr. Miller moved for approval of the agenda, as amended, seconded by Mrs. Merritt and unanimously carried.

CORRESPONDENCE - ROBIN R. CHRISTIANSEN

Mr. Leary read a letter of resignation received from Robin R. Christiansen (Attachment #1) into the record. He requested that if any member has a suggestion for his replacement, that they notify him as soon as possible so that he can request the City Council to fulfill this vacancy.

Mrs. Greenwood moved for acceptance of the letter of resignation from Robin Christiansen, seconded by Dr. Miller and unanimously carried.

CHARTER REVIEW - ARTICLE II

Members reviewed the following Sections of Article II of the City Charter, as follows:

Sections 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12

After reviewing Sections 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12, of the City Charter, members did not recommend any changes. Mr. Leary noted that the General Assembly is currently considering legislation to amend Title 15 of the Delaware Code that will most likely cause further review of Section 8 of the City Charter for possible amendments.

Sections 7, 10, and 13

After reviewing Sections 7, 10, and 13, of the City Charter, the following recommendations were made by members:

Members had previously recommended that Section 7 be moved to the Dover Code.

Referring to the fifth paragraph of Section 10, members felt that the third word “may” should be replaced with “shall”. It was also suggested that the gender language in this paragraph be corrected to reflect non-gender. Mr. Leary advised members that more detailed requirements of Council regarding their voting on issues is included in Section 30, Code of Conduct, of the Dover Code.

Regarding Section 13, members questioned what would constitute “moral turpitude” and requested that the City Solicitor provide new language to better clarify its intended meaning.

Sections 14 and 15

After discussing Sections 14 and 15 at length, it was the consensus of members that Sections 14 and 15 be deferred to be discussed along with Sections 4 and 5.

Mrs. Greenwood moved for adjournment, seconded by Dr. Miller and unanimously carried.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:38 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas J. Leary, Chairman

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\Dover_1cityclerkClerksOfficeAgendas&MinutesMisc-Minutes2005 CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE20066-01-2006 Minutes.wpd

Attachment - Letter of Resignation Dated May 25, 2006 Submitted by Robin Christiansen

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