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Gahanna charter review commission approves minutes, hears public comment and begins drafting charter edits
Summary
The commission approved May 7 minutes, heard two public commenters, and spent the evening reviewing proposed charter amendments including ward‑drawing metrics, mayoral strategic‑planning duties, administrative reorganization, and nondiscrimination language; no final ballot measures were advanced.
The Gahanna Charter Review Commission approved the minutes of its May 7, 2026 meeting by roll call and then heard public comment before beginning substantive review of draft charter amendments.
The commission recorded unanimous "yes" votes from Lester, By, Maxwell, Mski, Reynolds and Barnhard to approve the minutes. Two members of the public addressed the commission: former mayor Jim McGregor and resident Michael Schnedzer. McGregor urged the commission to keep the charter focused on ‘‘our founding document’’ and to avoid inserting nonessential requirements such as a mandatory, charter‑prescribed annual "state of the city." McGregor said the charter should reserve space for truly consequential structural decisions and avoid clutter.
Michael Schnedzer, who works in municipal finance, urged caution on one specific amendment to change the ward metric from registered voters to residents, warning that the 2020 census data contains known coverage errors and could produce unintended mid‑cycle redraws. Schnedzer recommended three options for the commission, including keeping the current registered‑voter metric or, if changing to a resident population standard, defining the data source and tying any effective date to the 2030 census.
After public comment the commission began a line‑by‑line review of redlined amendments prepared by the city attorney, focusing on clarity for ballot presentation, legal and practical concerns, and whether certain policy ideas belong in the charter or in policy/code. No ballot referrals were adopted at tonight’s meeting; commissioners directed staff and the city attorney to prepare revised language and additional background on several items for future consideration.
