Charter review committee forwards four amendments to council; sets timeline for council readings and ballot

The charter review committee voted unanimously to forward four proposed charter amendments to the city council and outlined the schedule for council consideration and ballot preparation.

The committee’s recommendation packages four changes: a proposed revision to residency eligibility (Charter §2.02) that would require a 270-day domicile and add restrictions related to pending criminal matters or convictions; a compensation update (Charter §2.05) that increases mayoral pay from 450 to 750 and council member pay from 300 to 600 while adding a cost‑of‑living escalator; a change to vacancy and forfeiture language (Charter §2.08) to align council authority with state law on suspension and reinstatement; and removal of Article VI, an obsolete transition provision dating to the charter’s adoption.

"The mayor will go from 450 to 750 and the others will go from 300 to 600," the staff member explaining the proposals said, adding that the pay changes include an escalator so elected officials receive the same cost‑of‑living adjustments as general employees.

Committee member Sharon Herman asked who would draft the short ballot descriptions, noting the public sees only a brief statement. The staff member said statutory word limits apply and staff will prepare the legally required ballot language, arrange a certified Spanish translation and submit it to the supervisor of elections.

The committee made a motion to send the full package to council; Richard Gilmore moved the motion and Nick Shuskowski seconded it. The committee recorded affirmative votes from all members present and approved sending the four amendments to the council for consideration.

Staff said the recommendation will go to council on May 26 for discussion. If council advances the ordinance, the council will hold two readings with a public hearing on June 24 and July 8. If adopted by council, the ordinance and the finalized ballot language would be submitted to the supervisor of elections for inclusion on the November ballot.

No members of the public spoke at the hearing. The committee noted that council may accept, reject, alter or return parts of the recommendation to the committee; if council returns items or a reading fails, the committee could reconvene. The committee’s tentative final meeting to dissolve the review group is scheduled for July 28, 2026, if no further business is required.

The committee adjourned with no additional staff or member matters raised.