This bill allows municipal officers to place a proposed charter amendment directly on the ballot to change the form of government within a municipality. The new legal language specifies that a two-thirds vote of the municipal officers is required to initiate this process. The proposed amendments can include various structural changes, such as adopting a town council or transitioning between different governance structures like council-manager or mayor-council systems. To be adopted, the amendment must receive a majority of votes from those participating in the election. Additionally, each amendment is limited to a single subject, although multiple sections of the charter can be amended if they relate to that subject.

The bill also includes a deletion of the previous provision that allowed for alternative statements of a single amendment, thereby prohibiting such alternatives under the new law. The effective date for this act is set for 60 days after its passage.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 49-B:5
HB1394 text: 49-B:5