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EAST PALESTINE -- The village is asking voters to approve two separate amendments to the East Palestine Charter on Nov. 3.
The local municipality is a Charter form of government and as such is required to complete a Charter Review every five years.
The review is conducted by the Charter Review Commission, a committee made up of five people selected by the Mayor.
This year the committee voted unanimously to put two amendments on the election ballot.
The committee's request to place the amendments on the general election ballot was also approved by council, which must give approval for matters to be placed on the ballot.
The first amendment calls for the correcting of various typographical errors in the Charter, in addition to changing the requirement of a unanimous vote of the remainder of the members of council to remove a council member.
This would result in a requirement of two-thirds of the remaining members of council approving the removal of a member of council.
Two-thirds would mean four council members must approve the removal.
Currently, unanimous approval must be given by the remaining members of council.
"This specific amendment is proposed to strengthen the legal objectivity of circumstances that would warrant removal of a council member," Village Manager Antonio Diaz-Guy said.
He added that removal will still require a reason specified in the Charter, such as habitual absences or tardiness, serious misconduct, failure to perform official duties, or willful violations of the Charter.
"The council member facing removal would continue to receive written notice of the allegations and an opportunity to respond personally or through an attorney," Diaz-Guy said.
The Charter Review Committee proposed the change to make the language more clear and preserve the accountability when removal is warranted, he added.
"Requiring a two-thirds vote would maintain a substantial level of agreement while preventing one remaining council member from blocking removal supported by all the others," he explained.
The second amendment requested by the village would replace newspaper publication requirements as listed in several sections of the Charter to publication on the village's official website.
Diaz-Guy said these include notices about zoning hearings, ordinances and resolutions, competitive bids, and recall elections. Ordinances and resolutions would also be posted in the Municipal Building for at least seven continuous days.
"The Charter Review Committee proposed this change because newspaper readership has changed and paid publication adds substantially to the cost of conducting public business. Website publication would allow residents to access notices directly, share them more easily, and do so at no charge, while helping the Village communicate promptly and use public funds efficiently," Diaz-Guy said.