Council hears charter commission report; first reading introduces proposed city charter

The Brookings City Council held a first reading of an ordinance accepting the report of the Brookings City Charter Commission and setting an election date for proposed charter amendments, Chair David Gilbertson and Vice Chair Dr. Lisa Hager told the council.

Gilbertson said the commission produced a general charter intended to avoid embedding detailed operational rules that would be difficult to change without a citywide election. The draft specifies that the city manager shall recommend appointments for the city clerk and city attorney, subject to the council’s advice and confirmation; both the city clerk and city attorney would be supervised by the city manager, with consultation with the council. The draft also restores a public records subsection (noted by the chair as section 5, page 14 of the draft) listing certain documents — the budget, capital improvement plan, independent audits and revenue-appropriation ordinances — as public records to be made available in suitable city locations including the city’s official website.

Councilmembers asked whether the charter should explicitly list protected classes. Gilbertson and Hager said the commission intentionally kept such specifics to ordinances so that the council can update protected-class lists by ordinance as state and federal standards evolve.

The item was presented as the ordinance’s first reading; councilmembers and commission chairs discussed outreach plans. Gilbertson and Hager agreed to help present the draft to civic groups in February and March before the election, the council was told.

The ordinance was introduced for first reading; the transcript does not record a final vote on adoption at this meeting.