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Charter Review Commission continues interviews plan after no‑quorum meeting
Summary
With only three members present and no quorum, the commission reviewed and revised interview questions for city council members, agreed to seek interviews with the mayor, city manager and auditor, and planned a public survey and outreach, including links to Spanish materials.
The Charter Review Commission met without a quorum and used the session to refine interview questions for city council members and to schedule further meetings with city officials, the panel said.
Commission leaders said they cannot take formal votes because only three members were present, but they agreed to press ahead with interviews, public outreach and drafting a survey to gather residents' input on the Home Rule Charter and related documents. Ed, a staff member coordinating scheduling, said Council President Reed indicated she would be available on Nov. 20; Councilman Ben Butler’s availability remained pending.
Commissioners said the interviews are intended to clarify the role and responsibilities of council members under the charter and to help commissioners craft voter-facing materials and a public survey. The commission discussed allotting 15–20 minutes per council member and agreed to provide the same question set to every council member to ensure comparable responses. Sheila, a commission member participating in the meeting, said the goal is to “get their overall understanding of their role and responsibility as per the charter.”
Beyond council interviews, commissioners identified the mayor, the managing director/city manager and the city auditor as the next officials to schedule for interviews. Staff were asked to send formal invitation letters to those offices. Commissioners also discussed logistical needs: hiring an interpreter or recording secretary to support bilingual outreach and ensuring meetings are held in spaces with reliable audio for public viewers.
The commission reviewed the format and substance of the interview questions, striking or merging items that were duplicative and flagging several questions that appeared outside the charter’s scope. Commissioners agreed to finalize a compact question set focused on governance, public engagement, appointment practices, and transparency. They also discussed a short “SWOT” survey asking about strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of city government, and planned to distribute it digitally and via community organizations to reach renters, youth, public-housing residents and limited-English speakers.
Next steps the commission outlined included sending scheduling letters to council and city officials, finalizing interview questions and engaging the city’s information-technology staff to host English and Spanish survey links on the city website for broader distribution. The commission emphasized that, although it lacked a quorum, continuing this preparatory work will allow interviews and public outreach to proceed as availability permits.
