WATERVILLE — The city’s new Charter Commission will meet for the first time Friday to elect officers, discuss a timeline, set a date for a public meeting and determine future meeting dates.

The meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the IT Training Room on the first floor of City Hall.

In November, voters in each city ward elected a charter commission member to represent their wards. The city council last week appointed three additional members.

Voters are asked every seven years, as required by the charter, whether a Charter Commission shall be established for the purpose of revising the City Charter or establishing a new charter. Voters Nov. 5 decided 1,150 to 623 to establish the commission.

The commission is obligated to review the current charter, which serves as a local constitution that governs how the city operates. The commission receives input from the public as well.

The commission may recommend changes or additions to the charter, but may choose to make no changes at all.

On Friday, the panel will elect a chairman, vice chairman and secretary, and receive direction from City Solicitor William A. Lee III on how to proceed.

Members elected Nov. 5 are Cathy Weeks, Ward 1; Phil Bofia, Ward 2; Lutie Brown, Ward 3; Hilary Koch, Ward 4; Julian Payne, Ward 5; Rien Finch, Ward 6; and Ronald Merrill, Ward 7.

The council last week appointed Jim Laliberty, Tom Nale and Samantha Burdick to the commission.

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