Council asks staff to draft charter amendments for May ballot, including possible quorum change

City staff reviewed a set of proposed charter amendments and recommended timing and language options for a possible May 2026 charter election. The staff recommendation was to wait until after the Feb. 17, 2026, write-in filing deadline before calling a special charter election to ensure the council and staff can determine whether an additional special election is required.

Among the items staff recommended for possible ballot language were changing ordinance publication to a single publication after final adoption (rather than publishing both readings), permitting limited remote participation in line with state law, clarifying departmental responsibilities (public works vs. community development), and revisiting whether charter language should specifically reference volunteer firefighters.

The council discussed a proposed change to the quorum definition. Staff summarized one formulation under consideration: reduce the quorum from four council members to three while leaving the mayor’s role as it is (the mayor would continue to vote only to break ties under current charter phrasing). "The proposed amendment would be to reduce the number for a quorum to 3 made of council members," staff said while explaining options.

Fire-department leadership also briefed the council on staffing terminology and costs, noting per-position training and equipment costs that affect the practicality of volunteer firefighter staffing. Staff will draft ballot language and return to the council with specific wording at a January meeting before the filing deadline.