The Mayor and City Council request that all cell phones be turned off or set to vibrate. Members of the audience are requested to step outside the Council Chambers to respond or to conduct a phone conversation.

BACKGROUND

The City Council called for and established a Charter Review Commission in March 2022. The Mayor and City Council appointed 15 residents to serve on the Commission. The Commission was supported by City staff including Amanda Chi, Assistant to the City Manager; Mike Pastor, Information Technology Manager; Leah Granger, City Secretary; Lauren Rose, Assistant City Manager; and Pete Smith, City Attorney. City staff provided updates on the web page dedicated to the Charter review process, including posting meeting agendas, minutes, and video recordings. 

The Commission met on March 31, April 7, June 2, and July 7 to review the City's Charter. The meeting scheduled for May 5 was ultimately cancelled due to a lack of quorum. 

OVERVIEW

Scott McMurdie, Chairperson of the Charter Review Commission, provided the summary report on behalf of the group at the July 18 Council meeting (presentation and appendix attached). The City Council will discuss the recommendations and determine if a Charter Amendment Election should be called. If the Council chooses to move forward with an election, staff will prepare an ordinance with the recommended propositions for a meeting prior to the August 22 statutory deadline for calling an election. 

POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

The requirements for the Charter Review Commission are set out in section 11.07 of the City's home rule Charter:

Sec. 11.07 - CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
(1) The city council may appoint a Charter Review Commission of at least fourteen (14) citizens of the city who shall:

(a) Inquire into the operation of the city government under the Charter and determine whether any provisions require revision. To this end, public hearings may be held. The commission may compel the attendance of any officer or employee of the city and require submission of any city records;

(b) Propose any recommendations it deems desirable to insure* compliance with the Charter of the city government;

(c) Report its findings and present its recommendations to the city council.

(2) The city council shall receive and have published in the official newspaper of the city a comprehensive summary of the report presented by the commission, shall consider any recommendations made, and may order any amendments suggested to be submitted to the voters of the city in the manner provided by state law as now written or hereafter amended.
(3) The term of office of the commission shall be for not more than six (6) months, at the end of which time a report shall be presented to the city council and all records of proceedings of the commission shall be filed with the city secretary and become a public record.

*Please note, this is a direct quote from the current Charter document. Staff recognizes that this is the wrong use of the word and has recommended changing "insure" to "ensure" as a part of the Charter review process.  

In addition, the City Council issued the following charge:

“Review the City of Sachse’s home rule Charter to determine if any revisions need to be made to the document and make a recommendation to the City Council regarding the Commission’s findings.”

RECOMMENDATION

Discuss and consider the recommendation from the Charter Review Commission.