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Charter committee advances civil service modernization and eligibility changes, flags ballot timeline
Summary
Staff told the Charter Review Committee and attendees that the committee passed a civil service modernization amendment and a direction on initiative and referendum articles, clarified an eligibility change for council and mayor offices, and said the council must act by about Aug. 1 for proposals to reach the Nov. ballot.
Staff opened the hearing by summarizing committee work to date: the committee passed language to modernize the civil service chapter and align it with state law and passed a direction on initiative and referendum articles, though staff noted a request to reconsider that direction at an April 23 meeting.
Staff also said the committee passed a clarification to eligibility language for city council and mayor offices to bar simultaneous service in another outside elected office. Several proposals discussed previously — including term-limit language and a proposal to make council positions formally full-time — did not receive enough votes to be included in the committee’s recommendations. A motion to consider creating a chief administrative officer position (a city administrator) failed and no motion to change the form of government to a council-manager system was brought forward.
Staff outlined next steps: the committee’s report and proposed language will be presented to the city council; staff said council members and staff can modify the committee’s proposals and that council review will take place in June and July with an approximate August 1 deadline if measures are to be placed on the November ballot. The staff presentation will include a record of committee deliberations and at least the committee chair and vice chair were invited to attend the council presentation to answer questions.
Participants raised a procedural concern about archaic charter wording that requires public notices only in the newspaper and other paper-based requirements. A participant introduced in the meeting as Alice urged the committee to modernize notice language to permit electronic distribution, warning that leaving only paper-based methods in the charter could expose the city to legal risk.
Before adjourning, a motion to adjourn — a motion staff said had been moved earlier and seconded by Mason Frontledge — was carried by voice and the meeting closed; no roll-call vote was recorded on the transcript.
