## Background [[Charter Background#What Is a City Charter?|What Is a City Charter?]] [[Charter Background#How Does a City Charter Come to Be?|How Does a City Charter Come to Be?]] [[Charter Background#How Is a City Charter Revised?|How Is a City Charter Revised?]] ![[question.jpg]] ### What Is a City Charter? A city charter is an important legal document. A city charter establishes how all government decisions in a city must be made. All city charters are documents of the people. In a constitutional republic like the United States, city charters exist because all government—including local municipal government—is understood to be *of, by, and for the people.* ### How Does a City Charter Come to Be? A city charter comes to be when a group of citizens living in close proximity petitions the state government to incorporate as a city. To complete the process of incorporation, they need a city charter to establish how all government decisions in a city must be made. ### How Is a City Charter Revised? A city council can propose a new charter, but only the registered voters of a city can pass (or reject) that charter. In Oregon, residents of a city can also gather together, rewrite their city's charter, gather signatures from 15% of registered voters to get their rewrite on the ballot, and appeal directly to the people to pass a new charter. The proposed 2024 City of Oakridge Charter is a rewrite of the city's charter by an *independent* [[Charter Review Committee Members|committee of city residents]], who were convened because the city's existent charter: 1. Was written in what has become antiquated legalese, 2. Had sections which could be interpreted in different ways, and 3. Repeatedly required advice from our city attorney to interpret.