A city charter, like the federal Constitution, defines the overall organizational structure and key roles and responsibilities for government operations. For the past year a group of Oneonta city residents has been working to understand our city government operations and develop suggestions for improvements to our guiding city charter. We are now beginning to consolidate and finalize our recommendations.
Our task was identified as a priority by the city's updated Comprehensive Plan, completed under Mayor John Nader, who later established the Charter Revision Commission. Additional members have been appointed by Mayor Dick Miller. The commission's mandate is to offer its suggested charter revisions to Oneonta voters for an up-or-down vote on the general election ballot in November 2011.
Starting our work in January 2010, the commission's first task was to understand current government operations. We attended many meetings of the Common Council and its committees, and held a broad series of discussions with current and past city aldermen, mayors and appointed city officials and department heads. We also attended meetings of standing city commissions and boards and spoke with a range of their leaders and members.
Working in subcommittees, we carefully analyzed our current densely written 49-page charter, last substantively revised more than 45 years ago, and compared its structure and detailed provisions to a cross-section of charters of similar cities throughout New York. We have held 15 open-to-the-public full commission meetings and two public forums.
The picture that has emerged is of a committed city government leadership team that strives to get the job done in spite of charter gaps and inconsistencies. From our research and discussions, we have reached two clear consensus points:
1) The current charter is a user-unfriendly document. On a variety of key issues it offers confusing, contradictory, overly detailed, inconsistent or outdated guidance. Our goal is to have our charter be a concise document that lays out a clear overall framework, with appropriate flexibility, for our elected leadership to efficiently guide policy and oversee city operations in the 21st century. We believe a good city charter should be readily understood by a high school civics class, not just specialists or lawyers.
2) Oneonta would benefit from the creation of a new senior administrative position. The City of Oneonta is a public corporation, with a $20 million annual budget. City aldermen spend many hours dealing with urgent but minor administrative or budget-management issues. City government functions are hampered by confusing roles and responsibilities for policy formulation and city operations. Many department heads face confusing and inefficient upward reporting and supervisory lines. We are convinced that the city would reap many financial and performance benefits from the addition of a qualified professional city administrator or city manager. This senior executive officer would be responsible to our elected officials. He or she would administer day-to-day city business and free up aldermen and the mayor to address important policy and planning issues.
In the next phase of our work, the commission will work with city leaders and fellow citizens to:
"¢ Make recommendations for the specific duties and responsibilities of this new position; elaborate how this position will support the work of the Common Council and mayor; and build the case for how creating this new position is a good investment in Oneonta's future
"¢ Translate the commission's findings and recommendations into a reconfigured charter document. This work will be supported by the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials and the Government Law Center of Albany Law School.
The commission's next public forum is scheduled for Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Embury Room at the First United Methodist Church, 66 Chestnut St., Oneonta. We look forward to concerned citizens attending and helping us position our city for future success.
David Rissberger is chairman of the Oneonta City Charter Commission.
Columns
Strengthening Oneonta city government: Revising our city charter
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
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Safety Patrol D.C. visits never get old
I asked Cam Morris, head of Eastern Travel/Oneonta Bus Lines, how many years her company has been handling the Safety Patrol trip to Washington, D.C.
Continued ... - My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
- Catching a whiff of 'Vermont Vapor'
- Selections from the virtual mailbag
- Recalling days of 'Doughnut King'
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Safety Patrol D.C. visits never get old
- Cary Brunswick
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We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Continued ... - Plenty of blame to go around for Bangladesh horror
- Obama is going against his word on Social Security
- Reflecting on a Florida trip
- Those magnificent spies in their flying machines
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We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
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A closer look at the Oneonta town survey
The Town of Oneonta conducted a survey of town residents during February and March of this year. The survey indicated that generally town residents are satisfied with the quality of services provided and they are happy to live here. They want to balance the quiet, rural way of life we have with additional commercial development and environmentally sound practices.
Continued ... - Farmers markets are in full bloom
- Records seizure is an insult to free press
- The evangelical view of same-sex marriage
- Manor's fate will be Otsego board's legacy
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A closer look at the Oneonta town survey
- Lisa Miller
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A view from above
Fire towers in the Catskill Mountains have always been destination points, built to capture some of the region’s best views. These sentinel stations served an important role for the earliest possible sightings of forest fires in the remote mountain ranges. But the fire towers and those who manned them fulfilled a multitude of other roles as well.
Continued ... - Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
- Independent stores make up for loss of Borders
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- Mark Simonson
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Blackmail scheme failed to hurt Richfield Springs resort season in 1888
The timing simply couldn't have been worse. Thousands of visitors were making plans for their summer vacations to Richfield Springs in 1888 when a bombshell of a newspaper article hit the newsstands of New York City. The article appeared in The New York Sun that stated typhoid fever and diphtheria had a "heavy presence" in the resort village, known and respected worldwide for its cleanliness and good health.
Continued ... - General Clinton Canoe Regatta got a new home in 1972
- Sunday movies in Oneonta finally shown in 1934
- Politics, fitness and landmarks dominated local news in May 1968
- Local people sought income in many ways in 1933
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Blackmail scheme failed to hurt Richfield Springs resort season in 1888
- Rick Brockway
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Waterfalls are even better when you keep them to yourself
Millions of people flock to see the great waterfalls of the world. They watch the millions of gallons of water wash over Niagara Falls or see the water come out of spectacular mountains to fall hundreds of feet into the valleys below. Waterfalls are truly some of nature's most beautiful sights.
- Kids have sparkle in their eyes
- People make the outdoors even better
- Turkey season has ups and downs
- Spring air isn't always the freshest
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Waterfalls are even better when you keep them to yourself
- Sam Pollak
- William Masters
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.
- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
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Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.
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Romney shows little regard for common man
The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.
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Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
