Residents of Cumberland County face a daunting slate of questions on the ballot this November, but few of those questions are as significant or as far-reaching as whether or not to adopt the county’s first-ever charter. Cumberland County government is now operating under governance determined 250 years ago, and based on the conditions and lifestyle of that time.

A charter is a template by which we organize and manage our government. It’s a flow chart of the specific powers and authorities we vest in our elected officials and the many administrative offices that serve us. Think of a charter as the proverbial pyramid you would diagram to illustrate who answers to whom in your office or organization. In this case, a charter also lays the legal foundation for what kinds of services the county will provide in the future, so adopting a charter impacts you and your community directly.

Legislation provides us with an orderly and lawful process to create a home rule form of government that allows us to address challenges that are specific to our region. Two counties – Aroostook and Knox – have already adopted charters, others are in the process.

In fact, citizens began a process to adopt a home rule charter two years ago when they elected people to serve on a charter commission, asking only that they return with a more responsive and efficient form of regional government. They did just that, and are now asking for you to decide if you want Cumberland County to adopt its first-ever charter.

A home rule charter empowers Cumberland County to incorporate a number of best practices in government, among them centralizing authority in a county manager’s office, eliminating some elected offices and professionalizing others, improving constituent representation, and broadening the scope of services our government now provides to more than one quarter-million people in 28 municipalities and townships.

The charter to be voted upon will allow the following elected officials, as listed in the state constitution, all other department head positions will be appointed: sheriff, judge of probate, register of probate and district attorney.

It will allow for the increase in the number of commissioners from the current three to five, allowing for more representation per capita. A charter will generally allow for a more modern structure of county government. A copy of the entire charter may be found in the town offices of any community in the county, or online at the county website, Cumberlandcounty.org/Charter Commission.

For more information, contact Whitten at Whitten@cumberlandcounty.org.

Election 2010