Commission staff (read by a staff presenter) and commission members reviewed several charter articles on Sept. 20, covering personnel rules, the city solicitor, financial procedures, boards and commissions, and citizen participation.

Article VII (personnel): the commission reviewed nondiscrimination language, separation of exempt and career services, merit personnel system requirements and required elements of a personnel code. The charter text requires a merit-based personnel code that includes job classifications, job descriptions, grievance procedures and promotion rules.

Article VIII (city solicitor): commissioners discussed the solicitor’s qualifications (a member of the bar and experienced in municipal law), the solicitor’s role as chief legal adviser and the provision allowing council to obtain its own solicitor in cases of conflict.

Article IX (finance and budget): the commission reviewed the fiscal-year calendar requirement; the mayor’s responsibility to submit a balanced budget and capital program; public-hearing and advertising requirements; the December 15 adoption deadline (after which the mayor’s proposed budget becomes the official budget if council fails to act); capital-budget procedures; procurement thresholds; and the independent-audit requirement (audit by a CPA firm with public presentation). Commission members asked to review the city’s most recent audits and management letters.

Article X (boards and commissions): the commission reviewed appointment and vacancy procedures, residency and representation rules, and noted that state-created authorities may have appointment rules that differ from the charter.

Article XI (citizens’ rights and participation): the commission reviewed initiative and referendum provisions, including exclusions (for example, certain tax, appropriation and eminent-domain matters) and the procedure for placing voter-initiated ordinances on the ballot. The commission noted a provision requiring citizen approval for selling or leasing city assets with market value in excess of $10 million.

Commission members did not adopt changes at the Sept. 20 meeting; they continued the article-by-article review and asked staff to provide reference materials (past audit reports, prior charter amendments and ordinances) at future sessions.