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Commission signals desire to keep referendum requirement on city‑owned land sales; debate centers on dollar threshold
Summary
Commissioners discussed whether the charter’s requirement that certain city land sales go to referendum should be removed or modified. The dais expressed a preference to keep the referendum right in place and to revisit the dollar threshold (currently $750,000) as needed.
Commissioners returned to a longstanding charter provision that triggers voter referendum when the city sells certain public land. The proposal under item g would have removed the referendum requirement; instead commissioners signaled a desire to keep the right intact.
Several commissioners argued the public should have the opportunity to vote on how public land is disposed. Commissioner Preston said the $750,000 threshold allows residents to have a say and cautioned against removing it because it would strip neighborhoods of a voice. Vice Mayor Hudak proposed increasing the threshold to $1.5 million to reflect inflation since 2000, while others said any change in the monetary cut‑off should be carefully worded and would itself require ballot language.
Mayor Drozky summarized the discussion and said there was consensus to keep item g in the charter "as is" for now; any decision to change the dollar threshold would itself require clear direction and likely additional ballot language. No ordinance or ballot language was adopted on July 6; the commission will revisit the item at a future workshop so the city attorney can prepare any necessary text.
Context: The referendum rule has been part of the city’s charter for years and has been raised repeatedly when high‑value public parcels come under discussion. Commissioners said they want to balance resident input with the city’s ability to undertake timely transactions when strategically appropriate.
