Glendale charter committee deadlocks over treasurer qualifications and tables further action

The Glendale Charter Review Committee spent more than two hours debating whether to add qualifications to the charter for the city treasurer, ultimately deciding on June 4 to table further action and send discussion notes to the City Council.

The dispute centered on whether the charter should specify minimum qualifications for an office the committee has already twice decided should remain elected. Denise, who drafted the proposed language for committee consideration, said the items were "for your consideration" and described three possible baseline requirements: residency and voter registration, a minimum bachelor's degree, and a qualifying professional credential such as a CPA or CFA. She told the committee the drafts were modeled on examples staff provided from counties and other cities.

Supporters of adding qualifications argued the role now manages a billion-dollar portfolio and that candidates should demonstrate professional credentials or relevant experience. One committee member said the treasurer's responsibilities are closer to investment management than bookkeeping, arguing a CFA or equivalent "would strongly benefit the city." Other members cautioned that strict credential requirements could unduly shrink the candidate pool for an elected office.

Public commenters pressed for stronger oversight and audit independence connected to the treasurer debate. Caller Anie Kosh urged the committee to "put [internal audit] in the charter," saying internal audit currently reports to the city manager, runs with vacancies and that "73% of its recommendations sit unimplemented." Herbert Milano also urged guardrails for public finances, saying the city has "a city with a expenditures of $1.2 billion" and warning that insufficient auditing invites corruption.

A motion to recommend no change to the charter language failed on a roll-call vote. Committee members then approved a motion to table the treasurer-qualifications item and move on to other agenda business; staff will record the range of viewpoints and return with next steps for the committee or for Council consideration.

The committee also voted to recommend no change to proposed qualifications for the elected city clerk by a separate roll call. The treasurer item will be revisited later in the review process.