REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Fred A. Wilson, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Antonia Graham, Assistant to the City Manager
Subject:
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City Charter Review Options
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Statement of Issue:
On January 22, 2019, City Council Member, Mike Posey, introduced a Council Member Item requesting that the City Manager convene a Charter Review Commission. This item provides City Council with options to move the item forward.
Financial Impact:
No fiscal impact anticipated.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council direct the City Manager to either:
1. Convene the Charter Review Commission with appointed members as outlined in the Council Member item; or
2. Convene an Ad Hoc Committee comprised of three Council Members, the City Manager, and the City Attorney to analyze and determine if any changes are needed to the City Charter.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not move forward with either aforementioned actions or direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
At the January 22, 2019, City Council Meeting, City Council Member, Mike Posey, introduced a Council Member Item that requested that the City Manager convene a Charter Review Commission and retain the services of a Charter Review Consultant. This would be similar to the last Charter review process in 2009 when a fifteen (15) member Commission met eleven (11) times from July 22, 2009, to March 25, 2010; each meeting focused on a different section of the Charter.
Dr. Raphe Sonenshein was hired to facilitate the review process and serve as a Charter expert. The City spent approximately $25,000 for his services, in addition to many hours of staff time that were spent on this review in support of the Commission. Dr. Sonenshein did not suggest Charter amendments, but simply facilitated a process whereby members and staff, in collaboration with the City Attorney, discussed suggested changes. On April 19, 2010, after almost one year of review and deliberation, the Commission presented their recommended adjustments to the Charter, which were then discussed by the City Council. Council action was subsequently taken to authorize placement on the November 2010 ballot.
Option
Recognizing current and future budgetary concerns and limited staff resources, another option to consider is to convene an Ad Hoc Committee to analyze and discuss any proposed changes to the City Charter. The Committee would review the current Charter and identify any potential sections that may need to be updated/reviewed to ensure that the Charter is up to date. It is estimated that this would take approximately 120 days and would have minimal costs and less staff time. As the last Charter review process was extensive and involved a year of deliberations, it is anticipated that a more streamlined review may be more appropriate for this review period. All recommendations would be brought to City Council for review and discussion.
Environmental Status:
There is no environmental impact.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Enhance and Maintain City Service Delivery
Attachment(s):
1. Council Member Posey Item 1/22/19 - Formation of a Charter Review Commission