Charter Review application period extended

ROSEBURG, Ore. – The City of Roseburg is extending the application period for a new, limited-duration Roseburg City Charter Review Committee, which will work to help update the current City Charter.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Friday, June 3. The City needs to fill three vacancies for citizen committee members. Candidates must live in Roseburg. Three City Councilors already have been appointed to the committee: Bob Cotterell, Sheri Moothart and Andrea Zielinski, said Roseburg Assistant City Manager/City Recorder Amy Sowa.

The special limited-duration committee is expected to meet for about six months starting Wednesday, June 22, to update a charter established in 1982.

“We just felt it was time to take a good look at the charter. There’s probably some updating that needs to be done,” said Sowa.

The six-member committee will work with City staff and the City attorney to review and propose amendments to language or sections of the City Charter. The Roseburg City Charter Review Committee will be reviewing the authority and responsibilities of the Mayor, Council, City Manager and Municipal Judge; examining the ordinance-adoption process; evaluating Mayor and Council terms of office and qualifications; and considering other government responsibilities.

This committee will not be changing laws or the code. The committee reports to the Roseburg City Council, which must first approve amendments or changes to the charter before Roseburg voters would be asked to weigh in on proposed City Charter amendments in a Special District Election in May 2023, Sowa said.

The committee will meet on the fourth Wednesday of each month, unless the committee needs to skip a month or add any extra meetings. Committee meetings will be held in person in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 900 SE Douglas Ave. in Roseburg. The meetings will be open to the public.

Cotterell, Moothart and Zielinski will review the citizen member applications and make recommendations to the City Council, which is expected to appoint the three citizen members on Monday, June 13.

An online application can be found on the City commissions webpage.