Biddeford Charter Commission elects Steve Ellis as secretary, votes to meet biweekly

The Biddeford Charter Commission held its organizational meeting and elected Steve Ellis as secretary after nominations. The body then heard a presentation from Alex Pringle, legal director for the Maine Municipal Association, on the commission’s roles, timeline and legal obligations, and set steps to schedule a required public hearing.

Alex Pringle told members a municipal charter is "the single document that sets out the plan of municipal government for the city," and walked the commission through home‑rule background, statutory reference points and a recommended timeline for work. Pringle advised that commissions generally treat charter revision as a roughly nine‑ to 12‑month educational and drafting process, and urged retaining independent legal counsel to assist with drafting and to provide the sign‑off required by law.

The commission moved through officer elections as its first substantive business. After nominations for secretary—Kat Bates and Steve Ellis—Scott Whiting moved to elect Steve Ellis and Sam Pecor seconded the motion. The chair announced the vote as unanimous and welcomed Ellis to the post.

Members then discussed scheduling the public hearing the statute requires within 30 days of the organizational meeting and noted the need to provide public notice at least 10 days before the hearing. Commissioners reviewed the city calendar and agreed to circulate several candidate dates in the first two weeks of August so staff can confirm venue and broadcast availability. A staff member said the city had placed a placeholder in the council budget for commission expenses and indicated the amount would be confirmed (reported as $30,000; staff to verify).

The commission debated meeting cadence and venue options. After discussion about staff availability, broadcast capability and the short statutory clock, Elise moved that the commission meet biweekly; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with the chair announcing the motion approved. Members said the cadence can be revisited later if workload permits.

During a question‑and‑answer period, commissioners asked whether MMA provides ongoing legal representation; Pringle said MMA offers trainings, materials and limited inquiry services but does not act as ongoing counsel for a commission. Commissioners also raised a discrepancy in their charter’s language about appointment counts and whether to seek a second legal opinion; Pringle recommended the commission discuss the matter with counsel and treat the city solicitor’s opinion as one piece of advice among options.

Members spent time on outreach strategy, proposing that public engagement be organized around focused topics ("chunks" of the charter) and that commissioners adopt outreach pools to draw in different constituencies. Sam Pecor referenced a National Civic League survey and related resources as tools the commission could use to solicit structured public input.

The chair reminded members that commission communications using the official biddefordmaine.org accounts are subject to the state’s freedom‑of‑access and public‑records requirements and urged members to use those accounts so records are retained on the city server. Several members reported they needed assistance setting up the official accounts; staff said they would follow up.

The meeting closed after a unanimous motion to adjourn. The commission agreed to circulate potential hearing dates and finalize room and broadcast arrangements before issuing the required public notice.