REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Receive Polling Results and Provide Direction on Which Charter Amendments to Place on the November 2026 Ballot
Report
BACKGROUND
On November 28, 2023, a colleagues' memo was added to the Council agenda to "request that a meeting be agendized to empanel a Charter Review [Committee] (CRC) to conduct a full review of the Sunnyvale City Charter, with the goal of placing proposed amendments on the November 2024 ballot." Council directed staff to bring the item back for discussion. The colleagues' memo outlined nine potential Charter amendments for a committee to consider and indicated a desire that the CRC have the ability "to review all provisions in the Charter and to freely propose amendments."
On June 4, 2024, the City Council created a CRC to consider amendments proposed by the Council as well as additional amendments proposed by the CRC and City staff. After a recruitment and interview process, Council appointed the committee on December 3, 2024, with members being sworn in on December 10, 2024.
On June 3, 2025, City Council held a joint meeting with the CRC (RTC No. 25-0212). At that meeting, Council reviewed the CRC's list of potential amendments to the City Charter and directed the CRC to study the following five items:
1. Charter Section 605 (Compensation): Increase salaries and compensation for Councilmembers and the Mayor, without changing the Mayor's role.
2. Charter Section 606 (Vacancies): Change the current rule so that Councilmembers appointed to fill a vacancy serve until the next feasible November general election.
3. Charter Section 611 (Regular Meetings): Change the requirement from two meetings per month to at least 24 meetings per year.
4. Charter Article 8 (City Manager): Allow the City Manager to settle claims over $50,000.
5. Charter Section 1309 (Public Works Contracts): Allow other project delivery methods besides design-bid-build.
The CRC studied each item and developed proposed amendments for C...
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