1 Charter Project
Proposed Reorganization
DRAFT
February 18, 2026
Preamble
Article One
Essential Terms
Article Two
Elected Officials
Article Three
Conduct of Elections
Article Four
City Council Actions and Limitations
Article Five
Organization of City Government
Article Six
Appointed Boards and Commissions
Article Seven
City Workforce
Article Eight
Fiscal Administration [and Finance]
Article Nine
Public Contracting (Including Franchises)
Article Ten
General Provisions
2 Article One
Essential Terms
Existing Articles/Sections:
Article I - Name of City, Article II - Boundaries, Section 400 - General grant of power, Section 500 - Form of Government, [Section 706 – Powers, Section 1800 – Defined Terms]
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 100 Name
Section 101 Boundaries
Section 102 Powers
Section 103 Form of Government
Section 104 Relationship with Other Laws
Section 105 Defined Terms
Article Two
Elected Officials
Existing Articles/Sections:
Section 600 - City elected officers, Certain Sections in Article VII, 700.1 - Elections – City Council Districts, 701 - Term limits of mayor and council members, 701.1 - Qualifications for Chief of Police, 702 - Compensation, Parts of Section 703 - Vacancies, 704 – Presiding Officer – Mayor, 704.1 - Mayor – Limitation of terms, 704.2 - Mayor Political position, 704.3 - Mayor – Powers and duties, 704.4 - Mayor – Vacancy, 705 - Vice Mayor, [Section 706 - Powers], Section 912 – Oath of Office]
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 200 City Elected Officials
Section 201 Required Qualifications
a. A pplicable to All
b. Mayor and Council
c. Chief of Police
d. City Clerk
Section 202 Powers and Duties
a. Mayor
b. Councilmembers
c. Chief of Police
d. City Clerk
Section 203 Election and Appointment
a. Mayor, City Clerk and Chief of Police Elected City-wide b. City Councilmembers Elected By District
c. Term Limits
d. Vacancies
e. Commencement of Term; Oath of Office
Section 204 Compensation
3 Article Three
City Elections
Existing Articles/Sections:
600.01, Municipal Elections, 600.02, Consolidation of Elections, 700 - Term – Method of holding elections, 700.2 - Election Following Change of Boundaries, parts of Section 703 - Vacancies, 711 - Election and Qualification of Council Members
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 300 Regular Elections
Section 301 Special Elections
Section 302 Consolidation of Elections
Section 303 Councilmember District Elections
Section 304 Administration of Elections
Section 305 Applicable Law
Article Four
City Council Actions and Limitations
Existing Articles/Sections:
Section 401 - Disposal of Public Utility; Certain Sections in Article VII, including: Section 707- Regular meetings, 708 - Special meetings, 709 - Place of meeting, 710 - Quorum, 712 - Proceedings, 713 - Action by ordinance or resolution, 714 - Power to lease, sell or convey City Property, 714.1 - Protection of parkland and public open space; Certain Sections in Article VIII, including: Section 807 - Prohibitions against Councilmanic interference, 808 - Ordinances, 809 - Repeal or amendment of ordinances, 810 - Effective date of ordinances, 811 - Emergency Ordinances, 812 - Publication of ordinances, 813 - Codification of ordinances, 814 - Adoption of printed building codes, etc., 815 - Publication of legal notices, [910, Administrative Code]
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 401 City Council Authority
Section 402 City Council Meetings
a. Regular Meetings
b. Special Meetings
c. Rules for Conduct of Meetings
Section 403 Forms of Action
a. Ordinance
b. Resolution
Section 404 Limitations on Authority/Actions
a. Prohibitions on “Councilmanic Interference”
b. Sale of public utility
c. Certain sales of real property
d. Transfer or change of use of parkland and public open spaces e. Reserved powers of electorate (initiative/referendum)
4 Article Five
Organization of City Government
Existing Articles/Sections:
Certain Sections in Article VIII, including: Section 800 - Appointment, 801 - Compensation, 802- Powers and Duties, 803 - Rules and Regulations, 804 - Manager pro tempore, 805 - Participation in Council action, 806 - Removal by City Manager; Certain Sections in Article IX including: Section 900 - Officers to be appointed by the City Council and by the City Manager, 901 - Other appointive officers, 902 - Appointive officers; duties, 903 - City clerk; powers and duties, Section 904 - Director of Finance, 905 - City Engineer and Department of Public Works, 906 - Chief of the Police Department, 907 - Chief of the Fire Department, 908 - City Attorney, 909 - City Auditor, [910 - Administrative Code], 911 - Official Bonds, [Article XII – Retirement]
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 501 Organization of City Government
Section 502 Officers Appointed by Council
a. City Manager
b. City Attorney
c. City Auditor
Section 503 Officers Appointed by the City Manager
a. In General
b. Director of Finance
c. Director of Public Works
d. Chief of the Fire Department
Section 504 O ther Officers and Employees
Section 505 Retirement System
Article Six
Appointed Boards and Commissions
Existing Articles/Sections:
Article X, Sections 1000 – In general, 1001 – Appointments; terms, 1003 – Meetings; Chair, 1004 - Compensation, vacancies, 1005 – Oaths; affirmations, 1006 – Planning Commission – Generally, 1007 Planning Commission -Duties and powers, 1008 – Parks and Recreation Commission, 1009 – Parks and Recreation Commission – Powers and Duties, 1010 – Civil Service Commission, 1011 – Civil Service Commission – Powers and Duties, 1012 – Board of Library Trustees, 1013 – Board of Library Trustees – Powers and Duties
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 600 In General
a. Charter boards and commissions
b. Other boards and commissions to be created by ordinance/resolution c. City Council to provide funding
d. Appointment Process
e. Terms
f. Compensation
Section 601 Planning Commission
Section 602 Parks and Recreation Commission
Section 603 Civil Service Commission
Section 604 Board of Library Trustees
5 Article Seven
City Workforce
Existing Articles/Sections
Article XI – Civil Service, including Section 1100 – Civil Service; merit principle, 1101 – Classified Service, 1102 – Appointments from classified to the unclassified service, 1103 – Classification, 1104 – Pay Plan, 1105 – Civil Service rules and regulations, 1106 – Reserved, 1107 – Prohibitions, 1108 – Contract for administrative services
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 700 Classified and Unclassified Service
Section 701 Classified Service; Merit Principle
Section 702 Council Approval of Classification and Pay Plan Section 704 Rights Retained Upon Appointment from Classified to Unclassified Service Section 705 Civil Services Rules and Regulations
Section 706 Prohibitions; Violations
Section 707 City Authority to Contract for Administrative Services
Article Eight
Fiscal Administration [and Finance]
Existing Articles/Sections
Article XII – Retirement, Certain (most) Sections of Article XIII, including Section 1300 – Fiscal Year, 1301 – Annual budget, 1302 – Budget –Submission to City Council, 1303 – Budget – Public Hearing, 1304 – Budget – Further consideration and adoption, 1305 – Budget – Appropriations, Repealed Sections 1306 through 1308, 1309 – Bonded debt limit, 1311 – General Fund, 1312 – Capital project funds, 1313 – Department funds, 1314 – Petty cash funds, Repealed Sections 1315 and 1316, 1319 – Independent Audit, 1320 – Utilities Fund, 1321 – Revenue Bonds
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 801 Fiscal year
Section 802 Budget
a. Preparation
b. Adoption
c. Amendment
d. Carryforwards
Section 803 Required Budget Components
a. General Fund
b. Capital Fund
c. General Enterprise Funds
d. Utility fund
e. Reserves
Section 804 Finance Authority
Section 805 Finance Limitations
Section 806 Independent Audit
Section 807 Retirement
6 Article Nine
Public Contracting (Including Franchises)
Existing Articles/Sections
Section 1310, Contracts on public works, Section 1318 – Centralized purchasing, Article XIV - Franchises
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 900 Centralized Purchasing
Section 901 Public Works
Section 912 Use of City Forces
Section 913 Franchises
Article Ten
General Provisions
Existing Articles/Sections
Article III – Succession, Section 1317 – Actions Against City, Article XVIII – Miscellaneous, including Sections 1800 – Definitions, 1801 – Violation, 1802 – Validity, 1803 – Effective Date
Proposed Reconfigured Sections
Section 1000 Definitions
Section 1001 Effective Date
Section 1002 Actions Against City
Section 1003 Violations and Enforcement
7 Article One
Essential Terms
Section 100 Name
Section 101 Boundaries
Section 102 Powers
Section 103 Form of Government
Section 104 Relationship with Other Laws
Section 105 Defined Terms
Article Two
Elected Officials
Section 200 City Elected Officials
Section 201 Required Qualifications
a. Applicable to All
b. Mayor and Council
c. Chief of Police
d. City Clerk
Section 202 Powers and Duties
a. Mayor
b. Councilmembers
c. Chief of Police
d. City Clerk
Section 203 Election and Appointment
a. Mayor, City Clerk and Chief of Police Elected City-wide b. City Councilmembers Elected By District
c. Term Limits
d. Vacancies
e. Commencement of Term; Oath of Office
Section 204 Compensation
Article Three
Municipal Elections
Section 300 Regular Elections
Section 301 Special Elections
Section 302 Consolidation of Elections
Section 303 Councilmember District Elections
Section 304 Administration of Elections
Section 305 Applicable Law
8 Article Four
City Council Actions and Limitations
Section 401 City Council Authority
Section 402 City Council Meetings
a. Regular Meetings
b. Special Meetings
c. Rules for Conduct of Meetings
Section 403 Forms of Action
a. Ordinance
b. Resolution
Section 404 Limitations on Authority/Actions
a. Prohibitions on “Councilmanic Interference”
b. Sale of public utility
c. Certain sales of real property
d. Transfer or change of use of parkland and public open spaces e. Reserved powers of electorate (initiative/referendum)
Article Five
Organization of City Government
Section 501 Organization of City Government
Section 502 Officers Appointed by Council
a. City Manager
b. City Attorney
c. City Auditor
Section 503 Officers Appointed by the City Manager
a. In General
b. Director of Finance
c. Director of Public Works
d. Chief of the Fire Department
Section 504 Other Officers and Employees
Section 505 Retirement System
Article Six
Appointed Boards and Commissions
Section 600 In General
a. Charter boards and commissions
b. Other boards and commissions to be created by ordinance/resolution c. City Council to provide funding
d. Appointment Process
e. Terms
f. Compensation
Section 601 Planning Commission
Section 602 Parks and Recreation Commission
Section 603 Civil Service Commission
Section 604 Board of Library Trustees
9 Article Seven
Civil Service
Section 700 Classified and Unclassified Service
Section 701 Classified Service; Merit Principle
Section 702 Council Approval of Classification and Pay Plan Section 704 Rights Retained Upon Appointment from Classified to Unclassified Service Section 705 Civil Services Rules and Regulations
Section 706 Prohibitions; Violations
Section 707 City Authority to Contract for Administrative Services
Article Eight
Fiscal Administration [and Finance]
Section 801 Fiscal year
Section 802 Budget
a. Preparation
b. Adoption
c. Amendment
d. Carryforwards
Section 803 Required Budget Components
a. General Fund
b. Capital Fund
c. General Enterprise Funds
d. Utility fund
e. Reserves
Section 804 Finance Authority
Section 805 Finance Limitations
Section 806 Independent Audit
Section 807 Retirement
Article Nine
Public Contracting (Including Franchises)
Section 900 Centralized Purchasing
Section 901 Public Works
Section 912 Use of City Forces
Section 913 Franchises
Article Ten
General Provisions
Section 1000 Definitions
Section 1001 Effective Date
Section 1002 Actions Against City
Section 1003 Violations and Enforcement