OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Proposed term limits and a seven-member town council would bring fresh ideas and prevent the formation of blocks on the council, according to a representative of the charter commission.

In November, residents will vote on four referendum questions addressing proposed changes to the town charter on the November ballot. The suggested changes are the culmination of work by the town-appointed charter commission.

The first question asks voters if they would like to have a seven-member town council. The proposed seven-member council would have six members serving three-year terms and one member serving a one-year term. Through this proposed system there would be three councilors voted in every year.

There are presently five town councilors serving two-year terms, with three councilors voted in on one year, and two voted in on the alternate year.

The second question would limit councilors from serving seven consecutive years.

The third question asks voters whether or not to delete references to the school board and Department of Education and update the charter to refer to the “Regional School Board.”

The fourth question addresses all other changes in the charter including setting the town clerk’s salary to no less than the average salary of the top eight department heads. It would also change the term of the town clerk, which is an elected position, from two to four years.

At a public hearing earlier this week, only a few people spoke out on the charter.

Local hotel owner Joe Mokarzel said he served on the town council in the 1970s, both on a three-member council as well as a seven-member council. Seven was too much, three not enough, and five was a good number for the council, he said. Mokarzel said he thought a three-year term was too long a commitment, and if the town gets a lemon for a councilor, it will be stuck with a lemon for three years.

He said the present system works for the town.

“If it works, don’t fix it,” said Mokarzel.

Kathy Smith, town resident and business licensing clerk for the planning department, said she wished she could vote separately on each of the items lumped in question four, as there were some items she wanted vote for, and some she wanted to vote against.

Charter commission member John Bird said he understood Smith’s position, but there “were an awful lot of changes,” many housekeeping and grammatical, and the charter commission, after review had decided on the four questions. Otherwise, there would be a long list of questions.

“It got to a practical point ”¦ after a while, we thought people would just give up and they wouldn’t bother reading through all of them,” he said. He said the ballot gives a summary of the changes proposed in question number four.

“Question four gives the town a much better charter,” said Bird.

Bird said the seven-year limit for councilors would allow for healthy turnover and fresh ideas. Bird said that after doing some research, the charter commission decided the proposed seven-member council was appropriate. He said under the proposed system, no majority would be elected at any given year. Under the present system, when a majority gets elected every other year, a block of three could get together and take over the council, he said.

Bird said the proposed change to make the town clerk’s salary an average of the eight top department heads would keep the town clerk’s salary from being influenced by the town council, and would keep the salary in line with that of other department heads, with whom the town clerk shares the same amount of responsibility. Should question number four pass, the town clerk’s annual salary would increase from $54,300 to about $63,000, said Bird.

The question of term limits and the number of council seats came up at a candidates’ forum this week.

Councilor Sharri MacDonald, who is up for reelection, said she is opposed to a seven-member council.

“Five, I think, is a good fit for Old Orchard,” she said. She said she was in favor of term limits.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.