Mayor Steve Noble has put out a call for volunteers to serve as his representatives on the city’s newly formed Charter Commission. Noble’s three appointees will join three chosen by the Kingston Common Council and 12 selected through a “civic lottery” in the year-long process of studying and potentially amending Kingston’s governing document.

Last year, over Noble’s objections, the council voted to begin the city’s first charter review process since the mid-1990s (Noble has said he opposed an open-ended process but would be open to a more targeted approach to address specific issues). The 18-member commission will meet monthly starting in September to begin examining the charter and developing recommendations for potential changes. The amended charter would then go up for a public referendum in November 2027 when the mayor’s office and all 10 seats on the Common Council will be on the ballot.

The charter – effectively Kingston’s constitution – lays out the structure of city government, including the terms of city officials and the roles and responsibilities of different departments. It establishes standing advisory boards, commissions and elected and appointed officials. The review process could lead to significant changes in how Kingston functions including term limits for elected officials or even the replacement of the current “strong mayor” system with a city manager-council arrangement where day to day operations of government would be handled by a professional manager chosen by and accountable to an elected council. In a statement announcing the application process, Noble said that no particular credentials or qualifications are necessary for his appointees to the commission.

“The city’s consultants at National Civic League have administered a civic lottery, which randomly selected 12 members of the public to serve on the Charter Review Commission," Noble said. "The commission will be tasked with reviewing our City’s Charter to eventually recommend potential changes. For my three selections, I’m opening a quick application process so I encourage anyone interested in representing me and the future needs of Kingston residents on the Charter Commission, to fill out the form.”

Additional information about the commission and the application is available at www.kingston-ny.gov. The deadline to apply for Noble’s appointments is Friday, Sept. 11. The commission will convene its first meeting on Wednesday. Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. at City Hall.