Proposed Ballot Question: “Shall a commission be elected to frame a charter for the Town of Brookline?”

 

Description: If approved by voters, this ballot question would begin the process of considering a city form of government for Brookline. 

 

This ballot question will NOT decide whether Brookline becomes a city; its purpose is to create a Charter Commission that will write and submit to the voters a new city charter.

 

By signing this petition, you are agreeing only that there should be a question on the ballot at the next local election about creating the Commission that would draft a charter. The Charter Commission then has up to 18 months to draft a new charter for Brookline. Voters will decide at a subsequent election whether to accept the charter drafted by the Commission.

 

With almost 60,000 residents, Brookline is the largest town in Massachusetts. Its form of government is a Select Board of 5 individuals elected at large (the executive) and a representative Town Meeting of 240 members (the legislative branch), comprised of 15 Town Meeting Members elected from each of Brookline’s 16 precincts.