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Council hears update on charter review work by MTAS; members discuss forming local review items
Summary
The council received an update from staff and the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) on a pending review of the city charter and discussed options for a local committee or targeted items to send to MTAS for evaluation.
City staff told the council on Sept. 11 that MTAS is conducting a review of the East Ridge city charter and expects to finish its review in mid-October. The review focuses on identifying provisions that may conflict with new case law and on recommended language the city may want to consider.
City manager Miller and staff described MTAS’s standard process: MTAS will compare East Ridge’s charter to statutory requirements and peer municipalities and produce a work product that the city may adopt, adapt or use as the basis for charter amendments. Miller said MTAS’s initial review will be submitted to MTAS legal counsel Melissa Ashburn for further review.
Council members asked about next steps and whether to form a local charter review committee. Staff said the council can appoint a committee or proceed by council-driven ordinance; if the council prefers specific targeted items, staff and MTAS can include them in the review. Staff noted an open-ended or comprehensive charter review takes more staff and MTAS hours than a targeted review.
Council members identified specific local provisions they want examined (for example, the special-meeting quorum language and other wording they described as unclear). Staff said they would pull historical ordinances and the record of prior charter amendments to provide the council the background needed to determine whether to place proposed amendments on a referendum.
Why it matters: Changes to a city charter affect the fundamental governance rules of the municipality and, where proposed, must be placed on the ballot for voter approval. Council members said they want to collect specific items for review and rely on MTAS and legal counsel for statutory clarity.
Next steps: Staff will share MTAS’s written review when available, supply historical ordinances and amendment records to council members, and accept specific items the council wishes MTAS to review.
