Commission greenlights second phase of charter review, seeks citizen committee appointments

The City Commission on Feb. 25 authorized a phase‑2 engagement with Weiss Serota (Weiserota in the packet) to continue the city’s charter review process and directed staff to advance recruitment of a five‑member Charter Review Board.

City Manager explained that Phase 1—interviews of elected officials and an initial assessment—has concluded and that Phase 2 will convene the citizen Charter Review Board to examine the charter in detail, guided by the consultant and city staff. The contract amendment presented to the commission authorizes Weiss Serota to run meetings of the citizen board and deliver a list of recommendations for charter amendments by December 2025. If the commission elects to pursue any proposed charter changes, they would then be placed on a future ballot for voters to approve or reject.

Weiss Serota’s representative told commissioners the charter is ‘‘not in bad condition’’ but needs updating and that the firm will assist the appointed citizen panel through a yearlong review. The commission asked for transparency; one commissioner requested inclusion of each commissioner’s interview content in a public summary. Weiss Serota and city staff said commissioner interviews had been conducted individually and would not be released verbatim, but the consultant will produce a summary of Phase 1 findings and subsequent Phase 2 materials.

Commissioners also discussed appointing five citizen members—one per commissioner’s district or as otherwise directed—and setting a timeline for the board’s meetings. The commission approved the phase‑2 contract amendment and unanimously voted to proceed; staff will return with final candidate names for each commissioner’s appointment and with a budget amendment if necessary.