NORTH YARMOUTH — The town is looking for six people to review its charter for what is believed to be the first time in the document’s 30-year history.

Nomination papers will be available Monday, March 19, for six seats on the Charter Commission, which residents established last November.

Selectman Rob Wood noted at the time that the size of North Yarmouth has doubled since the charter’s 1982 inception, and that the town still has an administrative assistant-selectmen form of government.

He pointed out that many people think that structure works, but some do not, and that “it’s a structure which requires major decisions to be made once a year, which has tied our hands.”

An alternative government structure would be the town manager-town council system; it would allow the council to make immediate decisions, and would eliminate Town Meeting.

The commission’s members will be elected at the June 12 municipal election. They will review the charter for about 18 months, and any recommendations for change will eventually go to Town Meeting.

Nomination papers – due back to the town clerk Thursday, April 26 – are also available for the Board of Selectman seat held by Paul Napolitano; Todd Nicholson’s seat on the School Administrative District 51 Board of Directors;  Clark Baston’s on the Cemetery Commission; Steve Gorden’s on the Yarmouth Water District, and the Budget Committee seats held by John Cornish, Mark Girard and Jeffrey Shorey.

The Board of Selectmen, SAD 51 board, Yarmouth Water District and Budget Committee have three-year terms, while the Cemetery Commission has a five-year term. The Charter Commission will have terms of up to two years.

Alex Lear can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 113 or alear@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @learics.

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