PLATTSBURGH — The City of Plattsburgh Charter Commission will launch a public outreach campaign in June to give it insight into what residents want for their city.
Chair of the Charter Commission Ira Barbell, a former city councilor, said the plan is for them to send a survey out to residents in their Municipal Lighting Department bills starting next month.
The survey will have general questions ranging from “would Plattsburgh be a place you recommend someone to move to?” to more specific questions like “are you satisfied with the services Plattsburgh offers?” There will also be more open-ended questions that give the respondent a chance to write more detailed responses if they wish, Barbell said.
The commission will use several online platforms for its survey so it can reach as many people as possible.
Barbell said the responses from the survey will help the commission decide what direction residents want their city to go in.
For instance, when the charter commission was formed, its main goal was to identify whether or not the city should transition to a city-manager form of government.
As it stands, the city has operated under a strong mayor type of government, where an elected mayor runs the city on a day-to-day basis, since it was formed in 1902.
If a city manager position is implemented, the mayor would then take on a much smaller role but the change would bring more consistency to City Hall, which has not had a two-term mayor since Republican Don Kasprzak served from 2006 to 2014.
Barbell said if the residents respond to the survey and the majority say they’re not happy with the city, its services or direction it’s headed, then that will indicate the city needs a change, possibly to a city-manager form of government. Likewise, if residents indicate they are happy with the city, there will be no need for a change, he said.
“I have no idea which way it’s going to go or what’s the best way to go,” Barbell said.
“Some people want this mayor, you know, want a (traditional) mayor. They’ve always had a mayor. They want a mayor.”
Mayor Wendell Hughes said whatever the city wants, he will support.
“There’s pros and cons with everything,” he said about a potential city manager.
“If the taxpayers want it, then we’ll get it implemented. That’s what it comes down to.”
Other proposals the city charter commission are looking to put forth include revisions to council and mayor compensation and when they can be implemented; changes to charter language to make it clear council members can speak directly with department heads without asking permission; changes to the city’s five-year plan method that would include more public participation in the development process; changes to the budget deadline to move it to Dec. 15 of the current year; more information on the budget message made to the public; and a change that will ensure council provides notice and seeks input from residents when proposing new ordinances.
Barbell and Rod Sherman, a member of the commission as well, recently presented these proposed changes to Hughes, while also making them available to the council.
If the council likes any of these proposals, they can take steps toward a local law to implement them as soon as they’d like. If not, the changes could eventually appear on the November ballot if the commission votes to move forward with them by Aug. 15.
“It’s a great thing to look at the charter, some of the things are outdated from 10 years now,” Hughes said.
“They’re going to write in clearer language for how the council communicates with department heads. Things like that I think are a great thing … they’re going to try to clarify some of those things so there’s no questions where you can’t read it one way and I can’t read it another — we see the same thing.”