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Charter Review Commission seeks voter approval to shorten ordinance readings, create districts
Summary
The Charter Review Commission presented two ballot propositions for May 2027: reduce required ordinance readings from three to two, and convert to six single-member districts once a population trigger is reached; the commission also recommended addressing meeting frequency by ordinance.
Beatriz Martinez, chair of the Charter Review Commission, presented the commission's recommendations to the council and explained the rationale for the ballot language and simplified voter explanations.
The commission proposed Proposition A to amend section 2.5 to reduce required ordinance readings from three to two while preserving legal safeguards (notice, reviews and public meetings). Proposition B would replace at-large places with six single-member districts when the city reaches the population trigger set in the draft language; the commission said the change would take effect only if the census trigger is met.
Martinez said the commission worked with the city attorney to keep the proposed language legally sound and to include a friendly-language explanation so voters can understand the effect of each proposition. Council members asked about examples in peer cities; Martinez said staff researched nearby cities with districts and consulted exemplars. The council offered feedback and directed staff to continue public outreach and return proposed ordinance language.
