Charlotte committee approves CRB training and response‑time changes and asks staff to review background‑check rules for all boards

The Housing, Safety & Community Committee voted Sept. 2 to recommend two administrative changes to the Citizens Review Board (CRB) ordinance and asked staff to return with a broader review of eligibility rules for city boards and commissions.

Committee action and votes

The committee unanimously approved staff recommendations to: (1) reduce the CRB’s annual training requirement from eight hours to four hours; and (2) change the ordinance’s response timeline so the police chief and then the city manager each have up to 14 days (rather than seven) to respond to CRB findings and recommendations after the board issues them. Clerk staff and the city manager’s office said both changes are administratively feasible and that CMPD and the city manager’s office are comfortable with the longer response window.

Why the changes were proposed

The CRB had requested a lower training minimum and asked for access to travel/training scholarships (two slots estimated at roughly $5,400 total) to attend the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement annual conference. Staff recommended handling the scholarship question through the FY‑2027 budget process rather than as a one‑off appropriation.

Committee members said they wanted to avoid creating an access barrier for volunteers who juggle jobs and personal obligations; several members also asked staff to provide examples of trainings that count for credit and said the clerk’s office will continue to track members’ reported training hours.

Background‑checks review requested

Separately, committee members asked staff to prepare a short memo and a broader catalogue of council‑appointed boards and commissions that require criminal‑background checks or have eligibility restrictions tied to convictions. Clerk staff said the requirement that individuals with certain felony or misdemeanor convictions be ineligible to serve on the CRB is a local policy choice (the language is codified in the CRB ordinance) rather than a state mandate. Committee members asked for a city‑wide inventory of eligibility rules for appointed bodies and a recommendation about whether the rules should be harmonized or reviewed with a focus on second‑chance and re‑entry goals. The clerk’s office agreed to provide a memo and the committee set an internal target for additional material and discussion in October/November.

Ending

The committee’s formal recommendations (training reduction and the 14‑day response window) will go forward to the full council for consideration; staff will provide a memo on boards’ eligibility rules and background check practices to the committee and the council in the coming weeks.