Princeton has begun its fifth attempt to try and move out of being ruled by general law.

Residents gathered at City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 2 for the first meeting of the new Home Rule Charter Commission, which will attempt to create a draft charter for the city.

City Attorney David Overcash described the basic functions of the charter commission to the residents serving on it, which is to design the city’s constitution and its government parameters. Commissioners can set things such as term limits, length of term for councilmembers and the mayor, and the number of places on council.

“I do want you to start thinking about some of the big picture questions about what you want your city government to look and work like,” Overcash said. “This process is not often a good place to start trying to invent new forms of government, but at the same time there are some moving parts.”

The plan is to have the commission meet every first and third Wednesday of each month until a draft charter is submitted to council. In order for the draft charter to be on the November ballot, it must be approved by council for election by mid-August. 

If that deadline is not met, a vote to approve the charter could not take place until next May because Princeton is currently ruled by general law and can only hold an election during Texas’ uniform election months: November and May.

Each provision of the charter is likely to be covered at least one charter commission meeting, said Overcash, and some may be covered at multiple meetings. Because the working charter for Princeton will be part of each meeting’s agenda, the document will also be available to the public at the time an agenda is posted.

Commissioner Jody Sutherland was elected as the chairperson of the home rule charter commission, and Nikki Krum will serve as the chairperson in the absence of Sutherland. Krum was nominated for chairperson, but declined.

For the full story, see the Feb. 10 issue of the Princeton Herald.