Charter Review Commission Regular Meeting - April 14, 2026

The Charter Review Commission met on April 14, 2026, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers. The meeting featured presentations from four City Council members and a review of approximately 25 proposed charter amendments. The Commission approved prior meeting minutes and set a framework for prioritizing proposals ahead of a July 1 submission deadline to Council.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the Charter Review Commission Minutes of March 26, 2026 (2026-0068) by a 6-0 vote (1 absent: Belisle).

Public Comments & Testimony

• None.

Discussion Items

• Trenton Weaver, Council President (Ward 4): Expressed full support for eliminating the Board of Zoning and Building Appeals and for proposed changes to the mayoral primary requirement. Supported a two-year term for Council President and Vice President (suggesting implementation in 2030 rather than 2028) or allowing Council to set the term via rules. Proposed changing ward boundary criteria from "registered voters" to "residents" to include children and non-citizens. Advocated standardizing qualifications for elected offices using Section 4.03 as a model and removing redundant conflict-of-office language (relying on state guidance). Opposed including a strategic plan requirement in the Charter, citing potential financial burden. Discussion included clarification about notary status, political party roles, and the distinction between full-time mayor and part-time council.
• Jamille Jones, Council Vice President (At-Large): Submitted written recommendations. Supported allowing Council to meet outside chambers with proper public notice to enable retreats, team-building, and enhanced community engagement. Encouraged maintaining the five-year charter review cycle for responsiveness. Supported consistent residency requirements for elected officials. Recommended aligning the Charter's non-discrimination clause (Section 23.07) with the City's internal equal employment opportunity statement, specifically adding "gender identity or expression" and expanding language on military service and religion/ethnic origin. Emphasized that precise language prevents misinterpretation in legal contexts.
• Merisa Bowers, Councilmember (At-Large): Presented largely technical or "cleanup" recommendations. Supported changing the organizational meeting date from January 2 to "on or before January 7" for scheduling flexibility. Favored a two-year term for Council President and Vice President, but acknowledged flexibility could be preserved by leaving the term to Council rules. Supported standardizing residency requirements at two years. Opposed adding a strategic plan requirement, citing rarity among Ohio municipalities and potential inflexibility. Recommended granting the City Attorney authority to call special meetings (Section 4.11) for legal briefings. Proposed removing outdated language in Section 4.12 and maintaining multimodal public notice in Section 4.13. Discussed technical aspects of ward composition and leadership term implications.
• Kaylee Padova, Councilmember (Ward 3): Requested the Commission conduct a full evaluation of the City's form of government (strong mayor vs. city manager), but stated she was not advocating for a specific change. Cited resident questions and comparisons with nearby suburbs (New Albany, Westerville, Dublin, etc.) that use a city manager model. Acknowledged the current system is not broken but argued that periodic evaluation is appropriate during charter review. Commission members raised concerns about time constraints and insufficient data; City Attorney Tamilarasan confirmed the topic falls within the Commission's purview. The Commission noted that without data, a deep dive may not be feasible, but discussion could be documented.
• Proposal Inventory Review: Chair Barnhardt reviewed the updated proposal log (25+ items) and outlined next steps. City Attorney Tamilarasan explained ballot packaging considerations: related changes should be grouped into single ballot measures to avoid voter rejection of unrelated items. Barnhardt assigned three "homework" tasks: 1) identify proposals not appropriate for the Charter (better left to ordinance/administrative action); 2) identify items needing additional expert input; 3) categorize proposals as structural vs. housekeeping. The Commission will prioritize using an established scoring matrix.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the March 26, 2026 meeting minutes (6-0).
• Received and discussed presentations from four Council members; no formal votes were taken on their recommendations.
• Agreed to incorporate new proposals from the meeting into the proposal log and prepare draft ballot groupings for the next meeting.
• Set priorities for upcoming meetings: refining proposal list, grouping into ballot measures, and focusing on high-impact items to avoid ballot fatigue.
• Adjourned at 8:42 PM (local time; meeting date per directive is April 14, 2026).