Charter Study Task Force to Present Status Report on Charter Reform

The Charter Study Task Force will present a status report on the topics assigned to the group for potential placement on the ballot for charter reform.

The group could provide possible direction to the consultant team and City staff on the preparation of the final report.

The group’s work could lead to major changes to the City’s charter, which acts as its constitution and can only be changed by a vote of the people.

In the March election, the local electorate voted to make three minor changes to the charter. 

The group has met six times to discuss a list of assigned topics, including the vacancy appointment process used if an elected official cannot finish their term, the appointment process to select the vice mayor, term limits, timing of the mayoral election, contribution limits and City Council compensation.

The group so far is recommending:

• The Task Force voted to approve an appointment process that would be executed if two years or less remained on an unexpired term of a Councilmember that cannot finish a term. The recommendation also includes a residency requirement of at least six months for those seeking to be appointed to the City Council to fill a vacant unexpired term. Council member candidates running for office are not required to live in the district for six months.

• The group will also recommend to the City Council the selection of the Vice Mayor occur on an annual basis with a term of one year, the Council to consider seniority and rotational participation when making the selection, neither will serve as a requirement. The selection of the Vice Mayor will occur at the City’s annual organizational meeting on the fifth Monday following the statewide General Election in even years, and the fifth Monday following the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of odd years. The Task Force also voted to recommend the creation of a Mayor Pro Tempore, that would be chosen by the City Council if the mayor’s seat becomes vacant. The vacancy would be in the next election.

• The Task Force is also recommending term limits. The mayor and city council members would be limited to three consecutive four-year terms. A partial term of less than two years would not count towards a full term.

• On compensation, the Task Force is recommending that the City Council convene the Council Compensation Committee on a more regular basis. The committee would also discuss the issue of “family care” as a broader category than childcare or eldercare, consider CPI increases and other factors to support and promote diversity on the City Council, and revise reimbursement methods to increase efficiency and transparency.

• The group is scheduled to continue discussion on the timing of the mayoral elections. In March, the Chair of the Task Force said the group is struggling regarding a solution to the timing of the mayoral elections. The Task Force has considered two solutions, a six-year term that would allow the Mayor to run at the same time as Councilmembers in 1,2,4,6 and when the gavel comes up for re-election it would coincide with elections for seats in 3,5, and 7 bringing parity to the City Council and mayoral elections. The other solution would be moving the mayoral elections to its own cycle where all Councilmembers would be able to run without giving up seats. However, that would necessitate a special election that could cost at least $5 million to open vote centers, mail ballots to voters across the elections, and staff the election. The groups will hold further discussions on the matter on April 11. 

Although the group has voted to make recommendations on most of the items, they will only be placed on the ballot by a majority vote of the City Council.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. pm April 11 at the Robinson Park Recreation Center, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.