BANGOR, Maine — A City Council committee is pushing for rule changes that could result in councilors being removed from office for missing too many meetings.
The proposed changes come in the wake of Councilor Patricia Blanchette’s departure from the city in July, three months before the end of her term.
Without objection, the council’s Government Operations Committee approved a motion Monday instructing city staff to prepare proposals for rule changes that would set limits on councilor absences and define excused and unexcused absences.
The measure calls for a two-pronged approach: a nonbinding change to council policy that the council could approve unilaterally and a binding change to the city’s charter that would require a public referendum.
City Solicitor Norman Heitmann said he anticipates returning to the committee with proposed policy changes in November and proposed charter changes in June.
That would enable the council to send any charter changes to the voters in the November 2016 election for possible enaction in 2017.
Rushing a change to the city’s charter onto the November 2015 ballot would not be practical, he said, as there would not be time to rally voters in order to surpass minimum voter turnout for charter changes.
In order to change the city’s charter, at least 30 percent of the number of voters who turned out in the last gubernatorial election must turn out for the referendum.
The committee made no decision Monday as to what would constitute an excused or unexcused absence, nor did it decide how many absences would be allowed.
The city charter allows for the removal of councilors only through a recall election. If the recall succeeds, the council must schedule a special election within 30 days to fill the vacancy, or the position can be filled during the next scheduled election if it falls within 90 days.
During Monday’s meeting, a majority of the committee voiced support for a charter change.
“I like the idea of having some consequences for missing meetings,” said Councilor Ben Sprague. “I think we’re all elected to serve by the people, and it does a disservice to the community and to one’s colleagues to not fulfill that obligation to serve.”
Other committee members voicing support for adding an attendance policy of some form to the city’s charter included councilors Pauline Civiello, Gibran Graham and David Nealley.
Meanwhile, Councilor Joe Baldacci said he has no problem with updating the city’s charter, but he preferred to move a nonbinding policy change forward first as a test in case there are problems with the new rules.
While not a voting member of the committee, Councilor Josh Plourde raised concerns about the proposal, saying a written policy that instructs councilors to let someone know when they’re going to miss a meeting makes sense but what the committee was discussing appeared to be legislating common courtesy.
In the event there is a councilor abusing absences, he said, it is already up to the council chairman to notify that person. If that doesn’t work, the council has the authority to censure that person.
A vote of censure expresses the council’s formal disapproval of one of its members. It does not remove that person from office.
Monday’s discussion comes after Blanchette left the council in July, saying at the time she was selling her local residence and moving to Florida before winter set in.
She did not resign her position though, calling the remainder of her term, which expires in November, an overdue vacation.
The city charter requires that councilors reside in the city for the duration of their terms. According to Heitmann, though, Blanchette is still a member of the council until an authority such as a judge responding to litigation declares she is not.
The charter does not grant the council authority to overturn election results by declaring Blanchette’s seat vacant.
Since her departure, the city has been mailing Blanchette’s council agendas and other materials to her new Florida home, though she has discontinued her City Council email account, according to city officials.
Heitmann said in August he expects Blanchette will receive her final $500 installment of the $2,000 councilors receive annually for their service.
First elected in 1987, Blanchette was elected to eight council terms and four state legislative terms before her departure.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.