Gahanna Charter Review Commission Meeting - June 8, 2026
Gahanna Charter Review Commission Meeting - June 8, 2026
Note: The agenda and transcript indicate the meeting occurred on June 8, 2026, though the user instruction states June 10, 2026. This summary uses the date from the official agenda and transcript.
The Gahanna Charter Review Commission convened on June 8, 2026, at 6:30 PM in Council Chambers, City Hall, to vote on proposed charter amendments for recommendation to City Council. After a process overview and discussion, the commission voted on 12 proposed ballot measures, advancing 10 to City Council and failing 2. The meeting concluded with closing remarks and adjournment at 8:36 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (June 4, 2026): The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously with one abstention (Commissioner Wester).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public signed up to speak.
Discussion Items
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Process Overview: The city attorney explained the next steps: the commission's recommendations will be compiled into a report for City Council, which must consider the proposals and submit them to the electorate. A debate ensued about whether council can vote no or edit the language, with the city attorney noting that the charter says "shall" but state law may supersede. The commission agreed to vote on each amendment individually.
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Order of Voting: Commissioner Mularski moved to use the prioritization matrix to order items, but the motion failed (4-3). The commission proceeded in the order listed in the agenda.
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Proposed Amendments (Votes):
- Article 3, Section 3.01 (Mayor Election): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to eliminate an unnecessary primary election when few candidates file.
- Article 3, Section 3.04 (Strategic Planning): Failed (3-4). Opponents argued the language was too vague and restrictive, embedding a strategic plan requirement into the charter.
- Article 3, 4, 10 (Qualifications Alignment): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to align conflict-of-interest standards for mayor, council, and city attorney.
- Article 4, Section 4.02 (Ward Boundaries): Advanced (4-3) to change from registered voter basis to resident population basis using federal census data. Debate centered on inclusivity and data-driven criteria.
- Article 4, Section 4.12 (Legislative Procedure): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to replace automatic removal for improper abstention with a notice and hearing process.
- Article 4, Section 4.11 (Special Meetings): No motion to advance; the item died due to lack of support. Concerns were raised about giving the city attorney authority to call special meetings, with no known problem and no other city charter in Franklin County allowing it.
- Article 5 (Administrative Departments): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to remove the fixed enumeration of departments and resolve conflicts with the mayor's reorganization authority.
- Article 10 (City Attorney Duties): Advanced (4-1-1) after a motion to remove a substantive redline (striking council's authority to direct defense) failed. The amendment includes grammatical fixes and a change to the reporting deadline.
- Article 11, Section 11.02 (Planning Commission Attendance): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to allow the planning commission to set its own attendance requirements.
- Article 11, Section 11.03 & Repeal of Article 12 (BZBA): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to transfer zoning and building appeal functions from the Board of Zoning and Building Appeals to the Planning Commission.
- Article 12 (Charter Review Cycle): Advanced unanimously (7-0) to extend the mandatory review interval from 5 to 10 years.
- Article 22, Section 23.07 (Non-Discrimination): Advanced (5-2) to update protected categories and add a catch-all. Opponents cited potential litigation risk, while supporters noted alignment with existing codes.
Key Outcomes
- 10 ballot measures advanced to City Council for consideration and potential placement on the November 2026 ballot.
- 2 measures failed: Strategic Planning requirement (Article 3, Sec. 3.04) and the Special Meetings authority for the city attorney (Article 4, Sec. 4.11).
- Reconsideration motion: A motion to reconsider the qualifications alignment measure failed due to lack of a second.
- The commission will meet again after the election to certify any approved amendments.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the June 8th, 2026 of the City of Gehanna Charter Review Commission, which is hereby called to order. Very good. If you could please rise and join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. One nation. Under God. Liberty and Justice Roll. All right. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Could you please call the roll? Barnhardt. Here. The Lyle. Here. Hill. Here. Maxwell. Here. Reynolds? Here. Lester. Here. Wonderful. We do have a quorum. First item on the agenda is additions or corrections to the agenda tonight. Do we have any additions or corrections tonight for the good of the order? Would you like to discuss the order in which we handle these like I suggested in my email? Yeah, I think we'll uh once we get through approval of the minutes and public comment, we'll be able to have that discussion. Okay. So all right. Hearing none, the agenda will stand as presented. Uh we do next have approval of the meeting minutes, so approval of the minutes for the charter review commission regular meeting of June 4th, 2026. Are there any additions, corrections, or changes to the uh draft minutes? All right. Hearing none, can I have a motion to approve the minutes of the June 4th, 2026 regular meeting? So moved. All right, in a second. Second. Wonderful. Mr. Clerk, if you could please call the roll on the approval of the minutes. The Lyle. Yes. Bill? Yes. Maxwell stepped out. Molarski. Yes. Reynolds? Yes.
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