Here’s What the Proposed Charter Amendments Would Do

On Monday, the City Council will vote on a resolution calling for a local election in November. At the election, local residents will have the chance to make meaningful changes to the City Charter.

The City Charter serves as the local constitution and can only be changed by local voters.

Here’s how each item could impact local elections:

Term Limits: Starting in 2026, Councilmembers and the Mayor would be limited to three consecutive terms, with a four-year hiatus required before serving additional terms. Term limits would not be retroactive so current Councilmembers could serve an additional three terms if before the mandate pause starting in 2026. Although it would take effect in 2026, it couldn’t be enforced for another 12 years until 2038.

Campaign Finance Limits: Campaign limits would be $1,000 for Councilmembers and $2,500 for mayoral candidates. A City Charter amendment. A City Charter amendment would prohibit changes to the ordinance for four years. The best part of this one would be the trigger. Limits would be canceled if a candidate passes an undecided upon limit. The trigger amount has yet to be decided.

Council and Mayoral Vacancies: Districts would elect Councilmembers to fill vacant seats if the unexpired term has two or more years remaining. Also, applicants vying to fill seats with less than two years remaining would need to have lived in the District for at least 30 days. The Council voted for a six month citywide residency requirement, but that was found to be illegal.

Electing the Vice Mayor: The Vice Mayor would be elected annually at the December Organizational Meeting, with a one-year term. Also this amendment would create an Acting Mayor position to temporarily fill the Mayor’s role in the event of a vacancy.