Borough of Leonia - Charter Study Committee

Background

In 2016 Mayor Zeigler, upon taking office, stated that one of his priorities was to have completed a study determining whether Leonia's current form of government most effectively serves all Leonia residents, and that there is the greatest possible opportunity for all Leonians to participate as members of their local government.

In August, 2021, he wrote a memorandum to the members of the Borough Council, in which he detailed his recommendations for how the study would be completed.  The Council approved these recommendations, with revisions to the section entitled "Committee Appointment Methodology" at the October 1, 2021 meeting of the Leonia Mayor and Council, as memorialized in resolution 2021-225.

You can view the Mayor's memorandum to the members of the Borough Council by clicking here.

You can view resolution 2021-225, establishing the Charter Study Committee, by clicking here.

Charter Study Committee Formation

 The Committee is comprised of seven members, selected by a committee consisting of the Mayor, the Council President, and another member of the Borough Council selected by its members. Any Leonia resident who is also a registered voter is eligible to serve on the committee, with the following exceptions:

• The Mayor
• Any member of the Leonia Borough Council
• Any member of the Leonia Board of Education
• Any member of a municipal, county or state Democratic or Republican Committee

The same committee (Mayor, Council President, and one other Council member) will also select the Chair of the Leonia Charter Study Committee.

Committee Responsibilities

The Leonia Charter Study Committee will conduct its review consistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:69A-1 et. seq., which is the state statute governing such initiatives. The Committee will review the various forms of government operating in New Jersey (there are many!), and will solicit input from Leonians (a minimum of two public hearings are required, as contained in the memo) as well as from other municipalities and government experts as the Committee deems appropriate. 

Once the Committee completes its work, it will issue a report to the Leonia Mayor and Council, in which the Committee will detail the review process it undertook, and make a recommendation either to:

• Keep Leonia's form of government as Borough (partisan); or;
• Change Leonia's form of government to a different form of government (one authorized in New Jersey)

The Committee has nine (9) months from the date they are appointed to complete their review.

Mayor and Council Responsibilities

 Once the Mayor and Council receive the recommendation of the Committee, they have 90 days either to accept the Committee's recommendation, or to modify it.

If the Mayor and Council decide to move forward with the process of changing Leonia's form of government, the ultimate decision will be made by Leonia voters, via a ballot question. This is the ONLY way that a change in the form of government can be approved.

Next Steps

Now...we need YOU! The Mayor and Council are currently seeking Leonia voters who might be interested in serving on the Committee. In order to indicate your interest, you will need to complete a short online application, which can be found here. 

NOTE: The application will only be open until 11:59 PM EST on Monday, December 20, 2021.

Make sure you check back frequently, as the Committee will be providing updates on its progress throughout its review period. Mayor Zeigler and the members of the Borough Council hope that all Leonia voters will strongly consider applying to serve as a member of this important Committee, so that the members represent the diversity of our community as a whole.