Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Charter And Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews rule and charter edits; members discuss oath of office enforcement
Summary
City attorney presented track-changes to council rules and a draft charter-review schedule; a council member asked whether refusal to take the oath of office could prevent a councilor from voting or serving, prompting legal clarification.
North Bend’s city attorney and staff presented edited council rules and a proposed schedule to begin charter review, and council members discussed enforcement of the oath-of-office requirement.
City Attorney Mark walked council members through an ordinance and an accompanying “Exhibit A” showing council-rule edits in track changes. Mark said the exhibit reflects prior work-session consensus and that he could “walk through the specific edits or field any questions.” He also noted the council could elect to have title-only readings tomorrow to streamline ordinance adoption.
A council member raised a question about enforcement if an elected member refused to take the oath of office, asking whether refusing the oath should carry restrictions such as removal of discussion or voting privileges. The city attorney and staff referred the council to the city charter. Mark said most city charters require an oath of office and that the charter provides the relevant authority. A staff member read aloud that the charter requires an oath: “Before entering upon the duties of the office, each officer shall take an oath or affirm to support the constitutions and laws, charter.” The city attorney added that, in practice, an elected official remains in office until replaced or declared vacant and that resolving a refusal to take the oath would likely require legal review and could involve discussions about declaring a vacancy.
Council members were also given a document outlining options for creating a Charter Review Committee and a condensed timeline to put charter revisions on the November 2025 ballot. Staff said the packet mirrors the League of Oregon Cities model charter and compares the current North Bend Charter to the model, to help the council decide which changes to pursue.
No ordinance was adopted at the work session; the edits and the charter-review options were presented for council consideration and scheduled for further action at the upcoming meeting.
