40-05.1-03. Charter commission - Membership - Preparation and submission of charter - Compensation and expenses - Publication or distribution

40-05.1-03. Charter commission - Membership - Preparation and submission of charter - Compensation and expenses - Publication or distribution. Within sixty days after proceedings have been initiated for a home rule charter, the governing body of the city shall appoint a charter commission, composed of at least five members, to frame the charter, unless a petition proposing a charter pursuant to section 40-05.1-02 prescribes the composition of the commission or the manner by which the composition of the commission is to be determined. The chairman of the charter commission shall be designated by the governing body and shall be a charter commission member. Compensation and expenses of commission members shall be as determined by the governing body. The governing body may furnish the charter commission with office space, clerical help, legal and other assistance, and supplies, and may appropriate and pay for same out of its general funds. The charter commission shall hold at least one public hearing on the proposed charter, and may use other suitable means to disseminate information, receive suggestions and comments, and encourage public discussion of the proposed charter. The commission shall prepare and submit the charter within one year after appointment, unless the governing body allows additional time for submission of the charter. The proposed charter shall then be published once in the city's official newspaper as provided in section 40-01-09. However, cities with a population of one thousand or less may, in lieu of publishing the charter in a newspaper, distribute copies of the charter door-to-door and have them posted and available at prominent locations in the city. In the event a city does not publish the charter in a newspaper, it must still publish a notice of the election.