A committee dedicated to bringing the Corporation of Hamilton into the 21st Century has begun work — and hopes to make concrete proposals for changing the law by this summer.

The Corporation of Hamilton, which has a budget of about $21 million, established a legislative committee last autumn to review the Municipalities Act — the law which governs both it and the Corporation of St. George.

Government has since announced in the Throne Speech that it plans to look at legislative changes to modernise both bodies to ensure they "reflect modern good governance".

Kathryn Gibbons, a common councillor and chairman of the Corporation of Hamilton's legislative committee, said she predicted that her three-man team could have an amended Act ready to show Government by the end of the summer.

"We are pleased that Government has pledged to consider updating the Act," she told The Royal Gazette. "We agree it must be modernised and brought into the 21st Century.

"Any amendments we think are appropriate must ultimately be approved by Cabinet and passed by the House of Assembly, so we're happy to partner with Government in this important review."

She added: "The way we hope it would work is that the Corporation of Hamilton would make the changes that it wanted. We would draft legislation and we would work hand in hand with the Corporation of St. George."

She said the two bodies would then liaise with a draftsman in the Attorney General's chambers on the amended Act, before it was passed to Cabinet for approval for it to be tabled in the House.

Mrs. Gibbons said a number of issues about the Corporation, its voters' register and the way it conducts elections had been raised in recent years. Having looked at the Municipalities Act, she said it was "pretty clear that it is cumbersome and that it really needs updating in order to prevent voters from being very unhappy".

Her committee is looking at a number of issues including:

• Whether the franchise — which gives building owners one vote each and residential owners one vote per household — is fair. "I think there is a potential for it not to be fair," said Coun. Gibbons. Voters currently have to be 21 — three years older than to vote in a general election.

• Governance and the structure of the Corporation. Coun. Gibbons said the committee would ask: "Is the structure of the Mayor, three aldermen and five councillors appropriate and adequate for 2008 and beyond?" At the moment, resolutions can be vetoed by the Mayor or by two aldermen if they both vote against it.

• Government's ability to limit the Corporation's borrowing power; it has been capped at $20 million since 1989.

• Archaic practices, such as the voters' register having to be kept on paper, which need updating to take into account modern technology.

• The need for the Deputy Mayor's Act, passed in 1935.

Mrs. Gibbons said she had spoken informally to St. George Mayor Mariea Caisey last year about reform and she indicated her support. The Royal Gazette was unable to reach Ms Caisey for comment.

Anyone wishing to propose changes to the Municipalities Act should email mayor@cityhall.bm