Comments Sought on Charter Proposal
A public hearing tonight will give Port Hueneme residents their first opportunity to comment on a proposed municipal charter. The City Council, sitting as a charter commission and advisory committee, spent from February to April formulating a draft eight-page charter.
Essentially a municipal constitution, a charter provides a city with a greater degree of autonomy, City Manager Dick Velthoen said. General law cities--those without charters--are subject to state legislative rules, he said.
A charter “is a more powerful tool for the people to decide what they want their local government to be,” he said.
That freedom extends to a greater latitude in saving and generating money, Velthoen said. That is an important consideration in Port Hueneme, which has a small tax base and is chronically short of cash.
Among Ventura County cities, only Ventura is a charter city.
No action is expected to be taken tonight. A charter must be adopted by the vote of the electorate.
The council is expected to decide at its June 19 meeting whether to place the issue on the November ballot.
Tonight’s meeting begins at 7:30 at City Hall, 250 N. Ventura Road.
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