Cumberland County adopts its first charter
(Re-Printed from the Portland Press Herald. Click here for the full story.)
For Cumberland County Commissioner Richard Feeney, it was only fitting that voters adopted a county charter during county's 250th anniversary year.
Officials said the measure got strong support from nearly all of the county's 28 communities on Tuesday, from large cities such as Portland, South Portland and Westbrook to small towns like New Gloucester.
Though the final totals won't be known until next week, a check of more than a dozen communities' results confirmed that a majority of voters approved the county's first charter since it was established in 1760.
"When I ran for office, I made the charter the holy grail of my campaign, so it has been a very emotional issue for me," said Feeney, who lives in South Portland. "We made history here in Cumberland County, after 250 years."
County Manager Peter Crichton said the charter will increase the number of commissioners from three to five, giving voters better representation. The board won't expand until November 2011, when two new members will be voted into office.
Feeney said he now represents about 85,000 people. That number is expected to drop to about 55,000.
Crichton said the charter also will increase the cap under which the county may borrow money without going to referendum, from $10,000 to $4.1 million.
Feeney said that will allow the county to borrow for much-needed repairs and improvements to its properties, such as the civic center and the county courthouse.
"That doesn't mean that we are going to go out and try to borrow that much money every year," Feeney said.
The charter also will eliminate the register of deeds and the county treasurer.
Diane Lee Gurney, who was elected county treasurer on Tuesday, and Pam Lovley, who was elected register of deeds, will be replaced by county employees when their terms expire in four years.
Claude Morgan, chairman of the Charter Commission, said an effort to enact a county charter in failed in 1982, and another failed in 2004.
A new commission began meeting in 2008, and Morgan said its members did a much better job of reaching into communities to get their message out.
In Portland, more than 64 percent of voters -- 14,064 -- voted to approve the charter. And in Raymond, a small town that has resisted charters in the past, voters supported it.
"We did well in Raymond, which to me is a good indicator that something changed," Morgan said.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:dhoey@pressherald.com
A County Charter for Cumberland? The Decision is in Your Hands
(Re-Printed from the Gray and New Gloucester Gazette. Click here for the full story.)
By Tracy Scheckel
Oct 25, 2010 – Currently, Cumberland County, not unlike the majority of counties in Maine, operates without its own charter, and thus refers to with Maine Statutes for governance. Basically that means that pretty much any change to how the county does business literally requires an act of congress, well at the least the state legislature.
Some of you may remember voting for Cumberland County Charter Commission members in a previous election. The elected members of that Commission have worked for the better part of a year to develop a Proposed Charter for Cumberland County.
According to the final Charter Commission report to the County Commissioners, Charter Commission Chair, Claude Morgan states "….rationale behind the creation of a Charter, namely to confer as much 'home rule' authority as possible upon County government in order that it address the specific needs of the region." The Charter would allow the citizens of Cumberland County to vote on issues rather than leave them in the hands of statewide legislators in Augusta.
One of the more significant elements to the proposed charter is an increase from the current three commissioners to five. Although the voters refused an increase to seven in a recent election, the rationale for the increase is strong. With three Commissioners, each serves a population of about 91,000 constituents. A State Senator in Maine is charged with approximately 36,000. Another rationale is that with only three commissioners, a simple majority is just 2, and essentially they decide the size and scope of the entire annual county budget.
Another point of interest is the fact that the Commissioners currently set their own compensation, and under the Proposed Charter the determination of compensation for the Commissioners becomes a responsibility of the Finance Committee.
The Finance Committee with a bit more power will replace the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). Currently, the Commissioners can review and essentially ignore the recommendations of the BAC. Under the proposed charter, should the commissioners choose to ignore any recommendation of the Finance Committee, they would have to provide a public explanation in writing thus providing accountability for their actions.
As far as outside funding and potential grants, according to charter commission members, the Federal Government has developed funded programs aimed specifically towards County governments. Presently, county governments that do not have self governing documents are disregarded or only considered included after pleading their individual case for specific items. A charter such as is proposed assists in eliminating that recognition issue.
Another function of the charter addresses efficiency in operating procedure. Currently, while the commission can appoint Standing and Ad Hoc Committees, there is no operating procedure that dictates the operation, function, and how to determine when a committee project is complete. The proposed charter establishes policy so that committees work more efficiently and don't linger in existence after their charge is fulfilled.
The Charter also allows for the elimination of certain elected positions. It allows for more flexibility to operate within the boundaries of the State statues. In this case, the Charter is transferring the functions of two elected offices to two existing County offices presently administered by professionals. Furthermore, it allows the Commissioners and/or the Manager the future flexibility to make structural changes to maintain a cost effective administration.
The charter also allows the County the ability to consider privatization of services where a cost effective alternative might be achieved. Examples of such an option might be: County jails may be transferred to the State, and High Technology services such as Haz-Mat may be handled by professional private firms.
Overall, according to its authors, the Proposed Charter puts more governance into the hands of the people of Cumberland County and allows the Commissioners to develop initiatives that will foster a more fiscally efficient government.
Related to this story:
Charter Commission News
June 29, 2010 - Proposed Cumberland County Charter on Tour
(Re-Printed from the Forecaster. Click here for the full story.)
By Kate Bucklin
PORTLAND — The Cumberland County Charter Commission will host a series of public hearings to gather feedback on a proposed charter that has been in the works for the past year and a half.
County voters elected six members to the Charter Commission in November 2008; two more were appointed by county commissioners. Cumberland County has never had a charter, instead operating under rules set by the Legislature about 250 years ago.
The commission has been holding hearings since May in municipalities throughout the county. July 8 at 6:30 p.m. the commission will be at Brunswick Town Hall to discuss the proposed charter. Subsequent hearings are scheduled in Gorham and Raymond, before the commission begins the approval process in August.
The draft charter suggests several changes to the way county government operates.
The commission is proposing to eliminate the elected positions of treasurer and register of deeds. The county has had a finance director for several years who handles financial operations. The elected treasurer has limited duties, including signing checks.
The proposed charter would increase districts in the county from three to seven. Increasing the number of districts would reduce the number of people each commissioner represents. Currently, each of the three commissioners represent about 90,000 people. If increased to seven districts, each commissioner would represent about 39,000 residents.
That would be on par with other Maine counties.
The Gorham hearing is scheduled for July 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall and the Raymond hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Jordan Small School portable.
On Aug. 5, the Charter Commission is expected to vote on final language for the proposed charter and forward the recommendation to the County Commission. The County Commission is scheduled to vote Aug. 16 on final language. Both of those meetings will happen at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
Voters will decide on the proposed charter on Nov. 2.
05/04/10 - Proposed Cumberland County Charter proposes job, district changes
(Re-Printed from the Forecaster. Click here for the full story.)
By Kate Bucklin
PORTLAND — A charter for Cumberland County that has been two years in the making is ready for public review, as its drafters prepare to send the document to a November vote.
The Cumberland County Charter Commission was elected in November 2008 to create a charter for the county, which has been operating for 250 years under rules set by the Legislature.
"We've never had a charter," Bill Whitten, the assistant county manager, said. "We've been following the legislative rules that created county government 250 years ago."
The draft charter is a 10-page document that outlines how the county as a government is organized and how it elects officials and hires employees, and includes a few big changes.
The Charter Commission has proposed eliminating the elected positions of treasurer and registrar of deeds. The elected positions of sheriff, district attorney, judge of probate and register of probate would remain, because those positions are required by state law to be elected.
Whitten said the county has had a finance director for several years who takes care of the county's financial business and the budget. Currently, the elected treasurer's duties, by law, includes signing checks.
The registrar of deeds would be hired by the county manager; the county treasurer would be eliminated.
Another proposal is to increase the districts within the county from three to five or seven. Currently, each of the county commissioners represents about 90,000 residents. If the commission is increased to seven districts, each member would represent about 39,000 residents, according to Elizabeth Trice, county coordinator of grants and special projects.
In other counties, the number of residents per district range from about 50,000 in Penobscot County to about 10,000 in Franklin County. The average is about 30,000.
The Charter Commission has scheduled several public hearings in the coming months. On May 13 at 6:30 p.m. the commission will hold a hearing in Council Chambers at South Portland City Hall.
On June 28 at 5:30 p.m., a hearing is scheduled at Scarborough Town Hall.
For a full list of upcoming Charter Commission meetings, and to view the draft charter, go to cumberlandcounty.org and select the Cumberland County Charter Commission link.
3/5/10 The Cumberland County Charter Commission asks for feedback on Draft Charter
The Cumberland County Charter Commission is giving voters a peek at the document that could change the way county government runs.
Nine elected officials have been studying the state’s largest county since January 2009. Commissioners believe the proposed Charter will improve the way county government delivers services to more than a quarter-million people in 28 municipalities and townships.
The proposed Charter eliminates two elected positions and expands the types services county government will deliver to more than 250,000 residents.
The public is invited to view and comment on the proposed draft charter. The Commission will hold a number of public hearings in communities throughout Cumberland County in the months leading up to November 2010. Feedback on the charter can also be sent to any of the individual charter commission members.
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