Committee Delays Charter Review Appointments to Avoid Lame-Duck Selections

The Governmental Processes Committee grappled Wednesday with timing concerns over appointing members to the Charter Review Committee, with Vice Chair Jim Perry raising objections to current Councilmembers making appointments that would extend well beyond their terms.

The committee, required by the City charter to convene every eight years, must submit recommendations by May 2027 for potential ballot measures in the March 2028 mayoral election. However, three of seven council seats face election in 2026, creating a dilemma about appointment timing.

"I'm not sure I should be making an appointment for somebody that's going to come after me because I know over the years we've had new Councilmembers who have shown up on the dais and were not happy that they had inherited someone else's appointment," Perry said.

Perry later confirmed his position: "There's two of us that are not coming back."

The committee discussed delaying appointments until after the June 2026 elections, though this would significantly compress the committee's working timeline from the originally planned 14 months.

Compressed timeline raises concerns

City Clerk Donesia Gause outlined the implications of waiting: "If we reduce it now to June of 2026, then they will have a little less than a year — I believe it's nine months — to vet those issues."

The shortened timeline particularly concerns staff given the complexity of issues likely to come before the committee. Gause specifically noted that one referred item regarding mayor and City Council salaries would require detailed analysis.

Despite the time constraints, Member Chuck Conder expressed confidence in a condensed schedule.

"This is not rocket science. These people know how to do stuff. They can do it in nine months," Conder said. "A year's a long time."

Looking ahead

Committee Chair Philip Falcone noted challenges ahead for the Charter Review Committee. "I have like four or five things alone that I think the Charter Review Committee should look at," Falcone said. He also suggested the committee should consider updating charter provisions to better align with the City's consolidation with state election cycles.

The committee agreed to recommend a nine-member Charter Review Committee — one appointment per Councilmember and two by the mayor — when the matter eventually comes forward.

Conder reflected on past frustrations with inherited appointments: "My predecessor filled everything in the last week. I mean, the election had already happened, but we weren't sworn in yet. I don't want to see anybody go through that."

The committee also discussed lessons from the previous Charter Review cycle, with Conder addressing past criticism that the council didn't follow all recommendations.

"Last time I heard some grumblings that, quote, we didn't listen to the Charter Review Committee. We did, we listened, we heard. We just didn't agree with some of it," Conder said. "People need to understand that we are asking the Charter Review Committee to look at things that maybe we've seen with a different eye."

City staff will return to the City Council in the new year with an adjusted timeline and appointment process that accounts for the 2026 election cycle.