In order for cities and towns to meet the challenges of the coming years, they must be organized according to a rational structure that promotes responsiveness and accountability.  To establish this structure, all municipalities in the region should adopt a municipal charter and revisit it periodically.  

A municipal charter is the written instrument that defines the government structure under which a city and town operates.  A charter creates local offices; distributes powers, duties and responsibilities among local offices; and defines the procedures to be followed by a city or town government.  Charters should account for the basic institutions of local government (the legislative body, the executive and school governance) and for meeting the responsibilities delegated by the state.  

Many municipalities lack formal modern charters; instead they rely on historical arrangements that represent vestiges of the Plymouth Charter and subsequent special acts, adopted piecemeal.  Creating or modifying a charter can be done in three ways: through an elected charter commission, through an appointed municipal committee, or (extremely rarely) by the Governor.  

There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to municipal charters.  However, there are principles and best practices to promote efficient governance.  Such principles include:

• strong executive authority capable of running the municipal government on behalf of the public, hiring and overseeing staff, and implementing modern management practices;
• a legislative authority clearly authorized to establish broad policy, to approve ordinances by-laws, and to adopt a budget; and
• a system of governing public education is a way that encourages excellence, efficiency, and accountability.

Effective charters also avoid fragmented organizational design, which plagues many cities and towns in Massachusetts, causes lengthy delays in decision-making, and makes is difficult for a community to speak with a single voice.  

The state should take a proactive role to foster the adoption of charters that support effective governance.  Much like the model for corporations, the state might establish a basic framework and alternative models appropriate to different circumstances, require periodic reporting, and establish a body of business practice parameters specific to local government.  The organizational options for cities identified in the Massachusetts General Laws (Plan A, Plan B, etc) are not specific enough to guide charter development, nor are they applicable to towns.  

After alternative models and best practices have been identified, municipalities still require technical assistance with drafting a municipal-specific charter and conducting a public process.  Staff at the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts at Boston are currently assisting cities and towns with these efforts.  Creation or modification of a municipal charter requires investment of time and money, but these investments are returned through a much more efficient form of government.  In particular, some towns such as Braintree and Weymouth have recently adopted a city form of government, which provides for more efficient governance.  Other populous towns should consider this option. 

1.a    MAPC will collaborate with the UMass Collins Center and other stakeholders to develop and disseminate best practices for municipal charters

1.b    The Commonwealth should require all cities and towns to adopt, and to periodically review, municipal charters

1.c    The region’s more populous towns should evaluate adoption of a city form of government

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