By Bill Riccio, Jr.
Voice Editor

Very little is changed,. Much of the work done comes under the heading “editorial,” but voters will be asked to grant the city the authority to do something it has never had been able to do: move toward consolidation. When voters go to the polls Tuesday, the recommendations of the Charter Revision Commission are on the ballot.

The committee finished its work over the summer, publishing its recommendations in August.

Asst. Corporation Counsel Mark Bergamo, who acted as the commission’s legal expert, acknowledged in an interview 10 weeks ago, most of the work done by the group has been editorial.

“Basically, the commission looked through the document and made changes that are grammatical, and tried to clean up some of the inconsistencies,” he said.

In fact, a quick look at the document filed by the commission shows a few changes in verbiage, some revisions in numbering and changes in dollar amount requirements for department heads.

“Many of the changes, including the dollar amounts, reflect modern realities,” Bergamo said when the recommendations were published.

The biggest change put into the revision is a section that would allow the city to move toward a consolidation of the city’s three fire districts. The charter from its inception specifically prohibited the city from getting involved in fire department affairs. But, the new language doesn’t mean consolidation is a done deal.

“The only thing the new section allows is the possibility of the city becoming involved in consolidation,” Bergamo said. “It isn’t forcing consolidation. It isn’t bringing about consolidation. If consolidation does occur, it grants the city authority that other municipalities have.”

This is not the first time voters have been asked to allow city intrusion into fire department affairs. Six years ago a charter revision would have put the fire districts under city auspices and was defeated by a 4-1 ratio.

“This is only the first step the city must take if consolidation ever does happen,” said Bergamo.

For that to happen, the city’s three fire districts would have to move toward dissolution, a process that would take many steps and (by some estimates) as much as five years. The West Shore and First Taxation (Center) districts have quasi-municipal status under the state’s Home Rule statutes. Allingtown was a district that was granted under different state statutes.

All three would have to move to dissolve. All three would have to pay off their accumulated debts, and all three would have to move toward establishing one department.

If voters pass the recommendations, the document will take effect and be the constitution of the city and its operating procedures. The last time voters revised the charter was in the mid-1990s.