Charter Review Committee finalizes package of amendments, emphasizes recall procedure and voter outreach

At a July 15 meeting, the Charter Review Committee approved minutes from its July 9 session and finalized a package of proposed charter amendments to present to the City Commission, directing the city attorney to move the proposals forward.

The package contains scores of single-subject propositions created to comply with legal limits on proposition content; committee members discussed whether to pare down non‑substantive wording changes but agreed to prioritize clarity and transparency while leaving lower‑priority deletions to the City Commission. “I sent you all two very long documents, and I apologize for the number of pages,” the city attorney, Richie, told the committee as she outlined a redline of the charter and a companion list of proposed propositions.

Why it matters: the committee’s work would change how voters interact with several fundamental processes. The proposals include a detailed, step‑by‑step recall procedure (Proposition Q and related single‑subject follow‑ups), clarified referendum and initiative procedures, limits on when a recall may be initiated, and other structural fixes intended to make the charter easier for residents and city staff to apply.

On recall, the committee agreed that the principal procedural proposition (Q) should survive even if related single‑subject proposals fail. Richie said she had removed the earlier concept of a formal “petitioners committee” from the current draft; if the committee wants that mechanism restored, she said she could add it back as a separate proposition. The committee discussed multiple timing provisions (proposals labeled JJ, KK, LL and MM) that would, for example, restrict recalls within certain months of an election or after an insufficient petition.

The committee also approved a clarification on vacancies: the charter language was revised to make explicit that an election must be ordered when the office of mayor is vacated. Members noted a separate change in section 12.04 that would extend the notice‑of‑claim period from 30 to 90 days; the city attorney agreed to add a proposition covering that change that had been missed in the draft.

Logistics and outreach: the committee agreed the proposed amendments will be emailed to commissioners ahead of the City Commission meeting rather than printed in the packet; the order of election is scheduled to be included in the commission packet for Aug. 4, and the statutory deadline to order the election is Aug. 17. The committee plans town‑hall style informational sessions (one suggested date was Aug. 20), one‑page summaries or slides for each proposition, and printed handouts with QR codes so members of the public can follow along.

Action taken: the committee voted to approve the minutes for the July 9 meeting (Item C1), and the chair stated the committee’s intent to direct the city attorney to proceed with the drafting and distribution described at the meeting. No final ballot order or ordinance was adopted at the July 15 meeting; those steps are set for the City Commission process.

The meeting adjourned at about 6:05 p.m.