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Charter review commission advances draft setting 2028 start, mayor appointee timeline
Summary
The Vermilion Charter Review Commission advanced draft language for Article 11-9 to start charter review in 2028 and every four years thereafter, proposing the mayor submit five appointees by Sept. 1 with council given 30 days to confirm; commissioners debated wording ("appoint" vs. "submit"), removing 'promptly' and eliminating three-readings requirements.
The Charter Review Commission advanced a draft change so future charter review commissions would be appointed beginning in 2028 and every four years thereafter, with the mayor to submit five eligible electors by Sept. 1 and city council afforded 30 days to confirm them.
The Chair read proposed text placing the appointment/submission timing into Article 11-9 and said the change was intended to "squeeze more room out of the process so that the future commissions can fully and completely analyze" charter provisions. Commissioners pressed on several details: whether the mayor "appoints" or "submits" nominees, whether the word "promptly" should appear, and whether the council should retain a three-reading requirement or a two-thirds threshold for some actions.
Commission members raised calendar and election-cycle concerns, including whether a Sept. 1 start in 2028 would mean the outgoing mayor (Mayor Owens, referenced in discussion) would again name the commission and whether that timing is preferable to starting in 2029. The Chair and other members argued the 2028 start avoids coincidence with mayoral or council election cycles and preserves continuity, while others favored starting four years after the current cycle to ensure the incoming mayor can name appointees.
On procedural language, commissioners agreed to remove the word "promptly" and to specify that the mayor shall submit the names of appointees to council and that council shall have 30 days to confirm. The commission discussed—but did not formally adopt—a proposal to allow council to pass implementing ordinances without three separate readings if allowed by state case law; members noted recent Ohio Supreme Court decisions were cited in their legal research.
No formal charter amendment was adopted at the meeting; the commission agreed to finalize wording in a subsequent draft and to present that revised language to the law director for review. The commission scheduled further drafting and a follow-up meeting to confirm the final text.
The commission will circulate a final draft for review before any further votes or forwarding to city council and the law director.
