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Commissioners discuss proposed charter changes and possible regional municipal court
Summary
Members discussed proposed home‑rule charter amendments to remove prescriptive judge requirements and residency limits, a step city officials say would allow future consolidation with other municipal courts; commissioners asked to be involved in shaping any changes affecting court equity and judge selection.
Commission members discussed proposed amendments to Clayton’s home‑rule charter that would remove several prescriptive operational provisions, including a municipal judge residency requirement and a two‑year judge‑service specification. David (city manager) and Alderman Gary Fader said the changes are intended to shift technical details from the charter into the city's code of ordinances so future governance and organizational changes can be made by ordinance rather than by voter amendment.
Alderman Gary Fader and other officials said the residency and short‑term judge rules currently in the charter could prevent Clayton from joining a consolidated or regional municipal court unless the charter is amended. “If a court system ended up being more efficient…we would have this hindrance in the charter that says the judge has to be a resident,” Fader said, explaining the charter would override ordinances. David explained that amending the charter and then codifying selection criteria by ordinance would allow the city council to set judge qualifications if Clayton later joined a multi‑city court.
Commission members asked for a role in discussions about judge selection and any regional court proposals because equity considerations, selection procedures and residency requirements could affect access to justice. Stuart urged the commission to take a seat at the table for those conversations; David and other officials said they expect the equity commission to help review proposed ordinances if the charter amendment moves forward and voters approve it.
Officials described the charter change as primarily technical in nature but noted the municipal judge selection provision is substantive and is why the amendment is being considered. No final policy change was adopted at the meeting; the board of aldermen must place a charter amendment on the ballot and voters must approve it for changes to take effect.
