The Charter Review Committee on Nov. 19 approved the minutes of its Oct. 22 meeting and heard staff report-outs from ad hoc subcommittees assigned to review sections of the city charter.

Chair Pat Nikolai opened the meeting and staff outlined the recommendation to "approve the minutes of the 10/22/2025 Charter Review Committee meeting in the form presented," after which members moved, seconded and recorded their votes. Multiple members answered "Yes" during the roll call vote.

Why it matters: The committee’s work will feed a comprehensive charter amendment package that, if approved by the City Council, would go before voters. Staff emphasized that many edits will be technical or organizational, but some proposals could affect the city’s structure and require careful public explanation.

What happened: Staff gave a sequence of report-outs from three ad hoc subcommittees. Group 1 (power and structure) reviewed early articles of the charter and recommended expanding defined terms, clarifying the 30-day residency rule for candidates and updating ordinance publication timing. Group 4 focused on boards and commissions, flagging an out-of-date closed-meeting provision and the question of whether appointed members must be 'qualified electors.' Group 5 reviewed civil service provisions and identified extensive outdated language and an out-of-date list of unclassified employee positions.

Committee actions and logistics: Group 1 confirmed chair and vice chair volunteers (chair volunteered; Kelly agreed to be vice chair) and tentatively scheduled its next meeting for Dec. 15, 2025. Group 5 identified meeting dates (Dec. 10, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2026) and appointed Beckman as chair and Peters as vice chair; the presenter agreed to serve as secretary. Staff announced that the Dec. 17 full-committee meeting will take place at Central Library (Redwood Room) rather than council chambers.

Public comment and next steps: Wanda Buck urged the committee to address ethics language in the charter; staff said the boards & commissions ad hoc subcommittee is likely to take up that question and encouraged public follow-up. Staff and subcommittees will produce draft strikeout language section-by-section and return proposed language to the full committee for consideration.

The committee adjourned after confirming the schedule and offering staff time after the meeting to help subcommittees book rooms and coordinate calendars.