Richardson reviews Charter Review Commission proposals; council flags per-diem, misconduct process and bonding questions

The Richardson City Council reviewed a batch of recommendations from the Charter Review Commission, hearing staff summaries and asking clarifying questions on several proposed charter edits that range from technical clarifications to policy-level changes.

The Charter Review Commission presented modifications across multiple articles of the city charter, and staff summarized several items that drew council attention: a recommended hybrid per‑diem schedule for council members, a statement of a formal misconduct-complaint process aligned with the city’s existing ethics ordinance, and revised language about bonds or insurance for the city manager and other officials.

Per-diem proposal Commission work led staff to recommend a hybrid per‑diem approach intended to balance an update to compensation without frequent amendments. Don Magner summarized a model prepared by a commission member (Strecker) that the staff built on: set a $150 maximum per‑diem for years one through five and $200 thereafter unless a future commission recommends otherwise. Council members discussed the proposal but did not vote on a change; Magner suggested final decisions could come after public hearing and further staff work.

Misconduct complaint process Council reviewed clarified language to codify a process for filing and investigating misconduct complaints against council members. The proposed text would require a written complaint filed with the city secretary, immediate notice to all council members (including the implicated member), review by the city attorney for sufficiency, and the ability for non-implicated council members to request an investigation; a public hearing could follow and an implicated member would not vote on any sanction. Pete Smith, the city attorney, said the draft aligns the proposed charter language with the city’s existing ethics ordinance and the processes the council has used previously in ethics matters.

Bonds, crime policy and insurance Staff recommended moving bonding language from the city manager section into a single charter section governing bonds or insurance for city officials. The proposed language would allow the city manager to have either a surety bond or, at the council’s discretion, city‑paid crime/omissions insurance. Council members asked for a written memo from the city’s insurance provider comparing the coverages and costs of a surety bond versus a crime policy; the city committed to provide that comparison in writing prior to final decisions.

Board and commission participation in incentive programs A raised issue: whether appointed board and commission members should be allowed to participate in city economic development incentive programs (for example, the Home Improvement Incentive program). The commission drafted language that would permit the council, by ordinance, to authorize certain programs to include board and commission members. Council discussion ranged from support for greater accessibility to skepticism about opening a broad permission that future councils could exploit. Several council members expressed concern about leaving broad discretion in the charter; a majority voiced preference to leave existing prohibitions in place rather than add a general allowance. No final change was adopted at the meeting.

Next steps and public hearing Staff said they will draft ballot propositions for council review and will present follow-up briefings in July; the council asked for one piece of homework — a short report comparing petition threshold percentages used by other cities for citizen initiatives (qualified-voter vs. turnout-based formulas). The council also indicated it would take public input at the scheduled public hearing before making final determinations about potentially placing charter amendments before voters.

Ending The council did not adopt any charter changes at this meeting. Staff will prepare draft propositions and additional materials for council review and will publish the proposed language in advance of the public hearing and any vote to place amendments on the ballot.