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Charter Review Committee presents 17 proposed amendments; council schedules workshop
Summary
The committee presented an initial set of 17 charter amendments, including changes to appointment procedures, council‑staff relations, term‑limits, and housekeeping items; the committee recommended limiting the number of amendments on a single ballot and requested a joint work session for detailed review.
The Charter Review Committee reported to council with a package of proposed changes to modernize and clarify the city charter. Committee leadership said the list contains a mix of governance clarifications, operational cleanups and a handful of policy changes: examples include shifting appointment/management responsibility for certain judicial positions to the city manager (with council approval), removing a separate board of ethics in favor of code revisions, clarifying the city attorney and manager supervisory lines, and updating emergency fund and record‑keeping language.
Committee members also recommended procedural rules — including that each council member appoint commission members for one‑year terms and that council consider keeping the number of charter amendments on any single election ballot to a limited set (the committee suggested no more than six or seven at once) to maintain voter clarity. The council agreed to schedule a joint work session (special session) for deeper review and prioritization of the proposed items.
"We're coming to you with 17 amendments," the committee chair said, urging the council to prioritize which items to bring forward for detailed public consideration and potential ballot placement.
