Charter commission approves omnibus amendment adding Public Works and CPED heads to council-confirmation list; several department additions fail

The Charter Commission voted 8–4 to pass an amended omnibus proposal that adds the heads of Public Works and CPED to the list of department leaders requiring City Council confirmation.

The roll call on the final, amended motion produced eight ayes and four nays, and Chair Gender announced the motion passes. Earlier in the meeting, a motion to add Regulatory Services failed on a 3–9 vote. A separate motion to add Emergency Management was introduced by Commissioner Fletcher but withdrawn after the City Attorney said state law may govern that position and further research was needed. Motions to add the Department of Civil Rights and the Health Department also failed by 4–8 and 4–8 margins, respectively.

Commissioner Cooper, who proposed several amendments during the session, argued for adding the health commissioner to council confirmation because of the department’s role “in protecting residents and being a source of information and education” over recent years. “I think that this has a lot of contact with residents,” Cooper said in support of the health-department amendment. That proposal, however, did not garner majority support.

A broader amendment from Commissioner Cooper that would have added the phrase "expressly by ordinance" to Charter sections 7.2 A1 and A2 — allowing future ordinances to require council confirmation for specified department heads — drew extended debate and was defeated 3–9. Opponents warned such language could politicize appointments and blur executive-legislative boundaries. Commissioner Kozak cited the 2021 charter work and said the amendment risked “blurring the line irretrievably.” Commissioner Prindle and others countered that ordinance-based flexibility could help future councils and mayors adapt government structure without frequent charter changes.

Another defeated amendment sought to change section 8.4C so that executive officers "may nominate and with the council's consent appoint one or more deputies." Supporters said that language would add flexibility; opponents said deputies must work closely with appointed executives and that council confirmation could complicate internal operations. That amendment failed 3–9.

After the votes, commissioners reviewed draft ballot language for the omnibus amendment. Commissioner Nye, who said he reads legislative language for a living, told the commission the draft was unclear and urged simpler explanatory text so voters could understand what would appear on the ballot. Chair Gender and the City Attorney were directed, by unanimous consent, to work on language that separates technical alignment changes from substantive questions about executive officers and department heads so the items could be presented as separate ballot questions if the commission chooses to put them before voters.

The commission set a public hearing for May 6 at 4:00 p.m. in the Public Service Center, room 350, and adjourned. Commissioners noted that written public comments are posted on the commission's website and encouraged submitters to share proposed language with the City Attorney ahead of the May meeting.

Votes at a glance - Failed: Add Regulatory Services — 3 ayes, 9 nays (motion failed). - Withdrawn: Add Emergency Management (motion withdrawn pending legal review). - Failed: Add Department of Civil Rights — 4 ayes, 8 nays (motion failed). - Failed: Add Health Department (retain title "commissioner") — 4 ayes, 8 nays (motion failed). - Failed: Add "expressly by ordinance" to sections 7.2 A1/A2 — 3 ayes, 9 nays (motion failed). - Failed: Change 8.4C (deputies require council consent) — 3 ayes, 9 nays (motion failed). - Passed: Main omnibus motion as amended (includes Public Works and CPED) — 8 ayes, 4 nays (motion passed).

What’s next The commission asked staff to prepare split ballot language and scheduled a public hearing for May 6 at 4:00 p.m. in the Public Service Center, room 350.