REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Transmittal of Charter Review Committee Report and Discussion and Direction on Next Steps
Report
SUMMARY OF CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE (CRC) ACTION
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 potential amendments:
1. Charter Section 605 (Compensation): Increase City Council salaries and compensation, including for the mayor, without modifying the role of the mayor.
2. Charter Section 606 (Vacancies): Modify the current rule that councilmembers appointed to fill a vacancy serve until the next general municipal or consolidated statewide election to the next feasible November general election.
3. Charter Section 611 (Regular Meetings): Change the Charter provision that requires two Council meetings per month to instead require at least twenty-four meetings per year.
4. Charter Article 8 (City Manager): Add a provision to allow the City Manager to settle claims against the City in an amount greater than $50,000.
5. Charter Section 1309 (Contracts on Public Works): Amend the Charter to allow other project delivery methods besides design-bid-build (lowest responsible bidder after notice of publications for bids).
Following Council direction, the CRC researched and analyzed each topic and developed proposed amendments for the City Council to consider placing on the November 2026 ballot.
On December 4, 2025, after receiving and weighing public input, conducting a community survey, and completing its analysis of each potential amendment, the CRC adopted the following recommendations:
1. Charter Section 605 (Compensation): Increase monthly salaries to $6,000 for councilmembers, $9,000 for the mayor, and retain the existing annual increase based on Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CRC also recommended that Council conduct polling prior to placing a measu...
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