City of Green Charter Review Commission Meeting - January 28, 2026

The Charter Review Commission met on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 5:37 PM (agenda called for 5:30 PM) in Council Chambers to review Articles I, II, and III of the city charter. Commissioners discussed potential amendments related to mayoral term limits, judicial powers, competitive bidding waivers, and definitions of key terms. No public comments were received. The minutes from the January 14, 2026 organizational meeting were approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: Motion to approve the January 14, 2026 Charter Review Commission meeting minutes. Seconded. Roll call: Duffrin (yes), Knapp (yes), Konen (yes), Koral (yes). Motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public were present for comment.

Discussion Items

• Procedure Review: Chair outlined a review framework focusing on clarity, modern best practices, protecting public trust, and positioning the city for the next seven years. Guiding principles: clarity, governance, quality, accountability, flexibility, and public trust.
• Article I – Name and Boundaries: No changes proposed. Read for the record.
• Article II – Powers of the City: Sections 2.1 (general provisions), 2.2 (rules of construction), 2.3 (intergovernmental relations), and 2.4 (form of government) were reviewed. No comments or changes suggested.
• Article III – The Mayor: Extensive discussion on multiple subsections:
  • 3.1 Term of office: Commissioner noted ambiguity: the provision allows a mayor to serve two consecutive four-year terms, then sit out four years, then serve again, potentially indefinitely. Commission agreed to note this for possible revisiting.
  • 3.2 Qualifications: Raised need for a definitions section (e.g., "public office") and whether definitions from city code could be incorporated. Commission decided to create a running list of terms to define, with input from the law director.
  • 3.3 Powers of the mayor:
    • Section A (judicial): Questioned whether the mayor retains any practical judicial authority given recent state law changes. Commission will ask law director to clarify.
    • Section B (legislative): Noted a remaining pronoun issue from previous charter review; also suggested hyperlinking to state statutes and city ordinances for clarity.
    • Section C (executive): Commissioner proposed considering a waiver process for competitive bidding (citing Dublin, Ohio charter) to increase flexibility. Discussion on pros and cons, transparency, and potential abuse. Decided to gather input from city engineer and law director before proceeding.
    • Section D (appointment/confirmation): Raised concern that an appointed law director (by council) could not be removed by mayor without a provision; current charter allows removal of elected law director only by two-thirds council vote. Commission will consider clarifying language.
  • 3.4 Vacancy in office of mayor:
    • Temporarily absent/unavailable: Commissioner argued the term "temporary" is vague; suggested defining it or removing the word, considering modern remote work capabilities. Noted that past mayors have performed duties remotely.
    • Permanent vacancy: Commissioner flagged the term "disqualification" as unclear; suggested replacing with "qualified" before "elected."
    • Election procedures: Commissioners agreed to reformat subsections (use B1, B2 for clarity) and to number long paragraphs in Section 3.3C.

Key Outcomes

• Created a running list of items to revisit: including term limits clarification, definitions ("public office", "temporary", "disqualification"), competitive bidding waiver, removal of appointed law director, and formatting improvements (numbering paragraphs).
• Directed staff to:
  • Obtain Dublin, Ohio charter on competitive bidding waiver.
  • Ask law director (Lisa) to attend a future meeting or respond to questions on judicial authority, term definitions, and appointment removal.
  • Ask city engineer about practicality of competitive bidding waivers.
• Next steps: The commission will continue reviewing remaining charter articles at the next meeting, with a redlined draft incorporating changes discussed so far. The next agenda will include old business to revisit unresolved items from this meeting.
• Adjournment: Motion to adjourn made and seconded. Roll call: Duffrin (yes), Koral (yes), Knapp (yes), Konen (yes). Motion carried. Meeting adjourned approximately 6:42 PM.