A committee tasked with proposing changes to East Lansing’s city charter is struggling to get feedback from the public.
The charter is the city’s governing document, affecting every part of how local government operates. While the entire charter is up for review, the committee has spent recent meetings discussing changes to transparency, ethics and taxes.
Nobody attended a public hearing the committee held Thursday evening.
Vice Chair Jeffrey Hank says there has been a similar lack of public interest at previous meetings.
“With all the intelligent, engaged people we have in this community, there has to be more people out there with some good ideas about how East Lansing government could run better,” Hank said.
Committee members spent much of Thursday’s meeting discussing whether requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act should be presumed to be free of charge and whether relatives of city council members should be allowed to serve on volunteer boards and commissions.
The committee’s next meeting is March 20 at the Hannah Community Center. Members will submit their recommended changes to the East Lansing City Council this summer.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.