Charter review panel recommends switch to commission–manager government

The Augusta Charter Review Committee recommended moving the consolidated government to a commission–manager form, arguing the change would clarify lines of authority and increase accountability.

"We have selected the manager form of government to clarify those lines of authority and responsibility," Clint Bryant, vice chair of the Charter Review Committee, said in the meeting. He said the manager would oversee day-to-day operations while the mayor and commission would set policy.

The committee described the proposed manager as a professionally credentialed executive who would oversee the city’s 28 departments, hire and fire department heads, set budgets for departments subject to commission approval, and ensure regular performance reviews. Bryant said the model is common in larger U.S. cities and that it helps separate strategic policymaking from operational management.

Committee members said they removed charter language duplicative of state law and shifted provisions better suited to ordinances into the code. The panel also recommended a regular schedule for charter review: "The charter review committee voted unanimously to require a charter review every seven years from the time a new charter takes effect," a committee spokesperson said.

Members stressed that the committee’s recommendation is advisory: a draft charter will be posted publicly and the state reviews proposed charters before any referendum. "The most important people in this room are the voters," Marcy Wilhelmi, who opened the meeting and led the session, said, noting the committee’s plans for public education and outreach on the draft.

Next steps include posting the committee draft to the city website, additional public education sessions, and meetings March 5 and March 19 to take up motions and review language. If the state certifies the draft, the measure could proceed to a referendum on a date set at the state level.