Charter committee prioritizes mayor’s role, outreach, term limits and governance review

The Charter Review Advisory Committee agreed to prioritize four topics for its next meeting: the role of the mayor, term limits, public outreach and education, and an evaluation of the council–manager form of government.

Members said the list was driven by the strong public turnout at a Feb. 2 special council meeting and by concerns that any ballot proposal requires extensive public engagement and staff research before being considered. Committee members took straw polls on a longer menu of prior recommendations and newer ideas — tabling ranked-choice voting, democracy dollars and an independent redistricting commission for later consideration.

"If we're going to study anything, let's be honest: we need facts, not just emotion," Ward 2 appointee Scott P. Olson said, urging the committee to request staff reports and comparative examples from similar charter cities. City Attorney Albert Maldonado and staff said members may request limited, targeted research that is feasible within staff time; larger research assignments will require city manager approval and budget consideration.

Committee members moved and passed a motion to formally agendaize the four priority items for the next committee meeting, with the understanding that any single meeting could continue an item to a subsequent session for fuller study.

What happens next: Staff will prepare background briefs and outline outreach options (including third-party community forums) for the committee to review at its next scheduled meeting. The committee asked staff to indicate what support is feasible under current budget and staffing constraints.