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Council pares back several charter amendments, agrees to refine police chief and city clerk language
Summary
Council agreed to remove previously rejected or contentious charter items (judge-residency, gendered language, ranked-choice ban) and to advance drafted language clarifying that the city manager appoints/discharges the police chief and city clerk subject to council approval.
Council reviewed a slate of proposed charter amendments and trimmed several items from immediate consideration. Councilman Frank and others argued that the municipal judge residency requirement and gender-specific language had already been rejected by voters and should be withdrawn from the current ordinance package; council agreed to remove those two items for now.
On a separate, contested item about the relationship between the city manager and two senior positions (police chief and city clerk), Councilman Reid proposed language to restore pre-2014 wording requiring council approval of appointments and discharges while leaving day-to-day supervisory authority with the city manager. Reid’s draft reads in part: "The city manager shall be responsible for the appointment of discharge of the police chief subject to the approval of the city council." Several council members said the clarification reduces risk of council intrusion into operational supervision while preserving the council’s role in confirmation.
