The Government Operations Committee discussed possible amendments to the county charter, including an option to set an odd number of legislators at the next reapportionment, and agreed to prepare a report and a resolution for committee and full-legislature consideration.

The committee chair (referred to in the record as the committee chair) said one proposed approach would amend the charter to allow the legislature to select among 11, 13 or 15 members after the next decennial reapportionment, which would ensure an odd number of seats. Committee members and staff debated whether the number-of-legislators question should be packaged with other charter changes or handled as a separate local law. "I think it might make sense to have at least that one separate," the committee chair said during discussion, noting some members might prefer a separate conversation about the number of legislators.

Members agreed to assemble background information and produce a report, then follow with a local law or resolution depending on committee support. Staff advised the group that while a current expression of preference could be adopted now, any final decision after reapportionment (expected in 2031 or 2032) could differ; the committee's action would be "an expression of preference," not an immutable decision for the future reapportionment.

The committee also discussed onboarding and training for newly elected legislators after the fall election. Members suggested a mix of options including in-person department briefings, recorded presentations or short online modules, and informal meet-and-greets with current legislators and staff. Several members urged coordinated department presentations to introduce new legislators to county operations over several months and suggested scheduling a welcome session shortly after the election so new members could meet returning legislators and staff.

Action/Next steps: Committee members asked staff to prepare a report on recommended charter changes and a timeline for local-law drafting; they also asked staff to draft a plan for onboarding new legislators with department presentations and other resources. No formal vote on a charter amendment was taken at this meeting.