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Website subcommittee narrows drafting committee role, flags attorney-client limits
Summary
The Charter Commission website subcommittee edited its study-committee protocol to clarify the intake/reading process, require drafting committee work to be limited to formatting (no substantive policy changes), and add language to avoid waiving prosecuting-attorney privilege; the draft will be revised and circulated for further review.
The Charter Commission website subcommittee met to edit its study-committee protocol and work plan, clarifying how intake forms are read, how drafting work is handled, and how members should treat legal guidance. The group did not take formal votes; attendees said the changes will be incorporated into a revised draft for review at the next meeting.
Members moved to make the first reading language explicit: the intake form (including title and sponsor) is read into the record by the chair at a regular meeting. Committee member said the clarification will ensure the sponsor and title appear on the public record during the first reading, and the subcommittee agreed to reword the first-bullet language accordingly.
A principal focus was the role of the drafting committee. After extended discussion, the subcommittee agreed that drafting work should be limited to formatting and preparing "ballot-ready" language for submission (Scrivener work) and that the drafting committee "shall not make substantive policy changes" to a resolution approved by the commission. Chair said this preserves the study committee's work while making clear the drafting committee's limited remit.
Members also debated whether the study-committee protocol should be described as a "governing document" incorporated into the work plan or as guidance that "guides the work of the study committee." To preserve flexibility and avoid automatically triggering formal revision procedures for minor updates, the subcommittee favored wording that the protocol "guides" the study committee rather than declaring it a governing, freestanding document.
The group addressed legal-review language and attorney-client confidentiality. Concerned that referring directly to prosecuting-attorney opinions could risk waiving privilege, members proposed new wording requiring commissioners to avoid sharing the substance of legal opinions in public correspondence and to present only their impressions of guidance in public meetings. The subcommittee agreed to seek recommended language from the prosecuting attorney's office to ensure the phrasing protects privilege while remaining transparent.
Several smaller technical edits were agreed, including removing a stray deadline and rewording a sentence to use "submitted" rather than "presented" for materials due to county staff. The subcommittee asked staff to circulate a cleaned-up draft ahead of the next meeting so members (and the commission's legal team) can review the revised wording.
The subcommittee did not adopt final policy changes; members repeatedly emphasized the group's advisory status and that all final decisions rest with the full Charter Commission.
