The Select Board on Tuesday received an update on issues discussed by the Charter Review Committee as it prepares revisions for Special Town Meeting in early October.

Town Clerk Connor Degan serves as the Charter Review Committee chair. He gave the board an overview of the issues that raised the most interest.

The Town Charter is reviewed once every decade. It needs to be approved at a Special Town Meeting (STM) in October. It then will be reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office before proceeding to Annual Town Meeting for approval in May.

Feedback was received from town staff and board and committee members, Degan explained. This information was consolidated into a public survey to get the feedback. Additionally, Degan said the town charters of other communities were reviewed.

Potential board changes explained

While charter revisions were “not set in stone” at this point, Degan discussed some changes that resonated with residents.

Seventy-two percent of survey respondents expressed a desire to trim the Planning Board’s membership from nine members to seven.

“Compared to every community of similar size, we have a very large Planning Board,” said Degan. “I know it can make it kind of unruly for town staff as well as for applicants.”

But 69% of survey respondents agreed that the Board of Health should increase its membership from three to five people.

Select Board members agreed on these numbers. Degan will bring them before the respective bodies for discussion next month.

The Appropriation Committee requested that its name be changed to the Finance Committee. This would make its role clearer to the public and be more consistent with other towns, Degan said. All members agreed with the name change except vice chair Matthew Kizner.

A major proposed shift was to move the authority for most town appointments solely to the Town Manager’s Office. This would remove the need for the Select Board to affirm decisions for filling vacancies in “average” staff roles, Degan said. Department heads and higher-level positions still would appear before the Select Board for final approval.

Member Joe Clark said he liked the shift in responsibility. Kizner added that department heads and their designees still should appear before the board.

Degan explained that the Housing Authority section of the charter is noncompliant with state law. The law had changed after the last charter review was conducted in 2017, he noted. The policy was allowed to stand because it was the same as the previous charter.

The Housing Authority’s new structure would keep four at-large community members. The governor’s appointee would change to an elected HHA tenant member, Degan said.

Recall provision teased out

The recall provision for elected officials also sparked discussion, Degan said.

There was a movement in 2024 by some residents to have the entire Select Board recalled over the termination of Hopkinton Police Sgt. Timothy Brennan for not promptly reporting allegations of child rape against then Deputy Chief John “Jay” Porter. Porter was convicted in June 2025 of three counts of child rape that had occurred two decades prior and is serving out a minimum sentence of seven years in prison.

Degan explained that the current town charter’s statement on recall movements “sets a nearly impossible threshold.” It would be “more realistic” to add a section to the town charter explaining “grounds for recall.” Reasons could include being convicted of a crime while in office or violating ethics laws. Poor attendance at board meetings was another potential reason for dismissal.

Clear grounds for recall would prevent residents from starting recall campaigns simply because they dislike a person’s personality or a particular vote, Degan added.

Member Amy Ritterbusch pointed out that attendance is an issue on some committees.

Chair Shahidul Mannan asked Degan to provide written feedback on what he told the board. This would help members “process it further.”

Degan added that “there are real limitations” to what the Charter Review Committee can consider. For example, if Hopkinton residents wanted to change to a representative Town Meeting format or a town or city council form of government, the town would need to elect a charter review commission. This could be considered in the future if there is public interest.

STM proposed for early October

Degan said the main purpose of the STM will be to approve the town charter. This has been the past protocol. It removes the need to hold more costly special elections.

Town Manager Elaine Lazarus added that if any articles related to the Finance Department were to be included, the STM would need to be held in the first or second week of October.

Clark and Mannan said passing the town charter was important, even if financial articles could not be included. The date might move to a weekday because of Saturday scheduling conflicts.