Charter Review Committee recommends civil service changes; council divides on department-head authority, districts and compensation

City Attorney Garcia and staff presented the Charter Review Committee’s recommendations on several potential charter amendments, centering on civil service rules, department-head hiring and removal, and council compensation.

On civil service, the committee recommends replacing the strict top-3 interview rule with a "rule of 3 whole scores," which would permit hiring managers to interview all candidates who fall within the top three whole-number scores from civil service exams. The committee also proposed clarifying probationary-period rules to allow the Civil Service Commission to adopt policies for limited extensions (with public-safety sworn personnel retaining a 12-month standard) and a narrowly circumscribed promotional-reallocation process for incumbents who have developed uniquely qualifying experience in their roles.

Garcia summarized the committee's governance recommendations: a non-interference clause to prohibit council members from directing staff or subordinates of the city manager; continuing the council’s advice-and-consent role for department-head appointments while discussing whether department heads should become at-will employees going forward. Staff noted trade-offs between manager flexibility and civil-service protections, and proposed that any at-will change apply prospectively to new hires and be accompanied by standard executive employment agreements.

Council members and members of the public voiced divergent views. Some council members supported moving civil service amendments to the November ballot to allow voters to decide; others urged more public outreach and expressed concern about removing council oversight of department-head hiring and protecting checks and balances. Multiple commenters and council members urged keeping the city clerk and treasurer as elected offices; others supported tying council compensation to area median income as an equity measure. Public commenters also pressed for an independent audit commission and greater anti-corruption measures.

Council did not adopt final direction on all items but identified consensus around the rule-of-3 whole score and a longer probationary-period approach; council flagged council districts and a directly elected mayor for deferral and directed staff to return with more data and outreach results. The civil service items would need to go on the November general election ballot if council chooses to place them there, and staff gave a rough estimate of postage/ballot costs in the mid-six-figure range to put charter items before voters in November.