Top five candidates will study charter
– if plan approved by voters in November
By:Roger Alvarado
Nominating petitions for the charter study commission will be available in the municipal clerk’s office in the Municipal Complex beginning today.
On May 13, the Township Committee approved an ordinance to ask voters if a study of the township’s government should be undertaken. State law requires an independent commission of five residents to undertake the study be elected at the same time.
During the Nov. 2 general election, candidates for the Charter Commission will be listed on the ballot with the top five vote-getters gaining election to the commission.
The body would only form if the question is approved.
Any Hillsborough resident who is a registered voter can seek election to the study commission. Candidates will appear on the ballot without party designation or slogans.
The filing deadline for candidates is Sept. 3.
Candidates would need to secure 100 signatures in order to gain placement on the ballot.
If the ballot question were to be approved, the Charter Study Commission would have nine months to come up with a proposal and make a report.
Meanwhile, the group of residents circulating a petition to change Hillsborough’s form of government says it still isn’t sure whether it will file a lawsuit to try and overturn a charter study commission ordinance.
Former mayor Glen van Lier said Tuesday that Citizens for a Change in Government Inc. is still mulling its options and has yet to retain an attorney.
By law the group has 45 days to determine whether it wants to mount a legal challenge to contest the way in which the ordinance was published.
The group is considering filing a lawsuit to overturn the ordinance placing the charter study commission question on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, because members believe the ordinance was not properly advertised.
Mr. van Lier did say that the group is continuing to collect the 3,769 signatures needed (and could still need if they can get a judge to agree) to get the question of whether the township should adopt a mayor-council form of government on the ballotit currently has between 3,400 and 3,500 signatures.