Council advances six proposed charter amendments for voter consideration

During the June 9 study session Aurora staff presented six proposed amendments to the city charter and council agreed to move the items forward for voter consideration. The items were presented in sequence and staff said council could advance all, some or none of the proposals to the November ballot.

The six items described to council are:

• Replace gendered language in the charter with gender-neutral terms to promote clarity and consistency (presentation item 5a).

• Clarify vacancy-filling rules in Article 3.7 so timing determines whether council appoints, a special election is held or the seat remains vacant until the next regular election (5b).

• Remove the charter residency requirement that currently requires the city manager to reside within city limits (5c); staff noted there are legal precedents about residency rules and the change would allow council to set residency expectations at appointment rather than by charter.

• Remove the charter prohibition on elected city officials simultaneously holding another elected public office (5d); staff emphasized that this would allow voters to determine whether a candidate may serve in more than one part‑time elected position and that full‑time offices may be constrained by Colorado law.

• Establish the mayor’s salary at the level of the Arapahoe County commissioner’s salary and set councilmember pay at one-half that amount, so future adjustments would track the county benchmark rather than require council vote (5e).

• Clarify that ward and at‑large council seats are separate offices for the purposes of term limits, similar to how the charter treats the mayor’s office (5f).

Council discussion raised legal and practical questions. The city attorney noted a Colorado Supreme Court precedent that limited some residency requirements in another jurisdiction, which the attorney said informed the staff recommendation to defer residency to appointment decisions. Council members asked that staff provide clear voter-facing explanatory materials because several members of the public previously complained that prior charter questions lacked clear explanations. Several council members also discussed the equity and policy implications of allowing service in two elected posts and whether tying pay to a county benchmark would automatically increase local salaries; staff clarified any implementation would rely on charter text and that voters would first decide whether to adopt the changes.

Council approved moving the items forward to the regular meeting to place them on the ballot; final ballot language and explanatory materials will be prepared pursuant to standard legal processes.