Medford Charter Review Heads To State House

MEDFORD, MA — Medford's Home Rule Petition to create a charter review commission is now a bill in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Home Rule Petition will be taken up by the Joint Committee on Election Laws.

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn submitted the petition to the state in January following approval by the Medford City Council. If approved, Medford would be authorized to create a nine-member commission to review and redraft the city's charter, which sets forth the structure, representation and responsibilities of city government.

The charter has not been substantially reviewed or updated in nearly 40 years.

The mayor originally expected to start the process last spring, but the coronavirus pandemic put those plans on hold. A Charter Commission would consist of a cross-section of community stakeholders to review the city's charter, determine if updates and amendments are necessary and, if so, recommend changes for consideration.

"A thorough review of our city’s charter is important to making sure that we are guided by modern policies to meet the needs of a modern community," Lungo-Koehn said. "I want to sincerely thank our State Delegation for sponsoring this important Home Rule Petition and advocating for a hearing on behalf of the City of Medford. I look forward to testifying in support of this Bill, and to seeing progress toward updating our outdated City Charter in the best interests of the Medford community."