Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Special Orders of the Day
SUBJECT:
Title
CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING OF THE PROPOSED ADOPTION OF A CITY CHARTER AND UPDATE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE PROPOSED CITY CHARTER (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
On May 1, 2018, the City Council appointed a Committee of the Proposed City Charter which has been meeting on Monday nights to discuss the content of and to formulate recommendations for submission to the City Council for the proposed city charter. Over ten Committee meetings have occurred. This report details the discussions and recommendations from the Committee’s meeting since the last public hearing held on July 3, 2018 and allows for further public comment. A draft of the proposed charter to date will be provided at the hearing. A summary table of the key issues and Committee recommendations to the City Council is also attached as Exhibit No. 1.
Under Govt. Code section 34458(b), the City Council is required to hold two public hearings on the matter of the proposal of a charter and on the content of the proposed charter. The two public hearings must be at least 30 days apart, with at least one of the public hearings held outside of normal business hours. The first and second statutory public hearings were held on May 29, 2018 and July 3, 2018. Beyond state law requirements, the City Council has decided to hold additional hearings to provide for further public input. This public hearing, on July 17, 2018, as well as the public hearing previously held on June 5, 2018, serve as additional hearings on the matter of the proposed city charter.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
CONTINUE the Public Hearing of July 3, 2018; TAKE public testimony then CLOSE the Public Hearing and discuss content of the proposed charter.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
None.
IV. BACKGROUND
Since the third hearing on the proposed city charter, the committee has discussed and voted on various topics including personnel issues, boards, committees and commissions, and the City’s power to regulate oil and gas.
A. Personnel Issues - Civil Service Commission:
On July 9, 2018, the Committee discussed the issue of authorizing the establishment of a civil service commission for the City. The Committee discussed the proposed powers and duties of a civil service commission, as well as the ability to coordinate such a commission with existing personnel rules and agreements. The Committee voted to refer to the potential public body as a civil service commission, should any such reference be included in the proposed charter, but decided not to make any recommendations on whether to include a civil service commission or the functionality of such commission in the proposed charter until more information is taken into consideration. The committee requested data on existing civil service commissions in other cities.
B. Appointive Boards, Committees and Commissions:
On July 9, 2018, the Committee discussed the topic of appointive boards, committees, and commissions in the City. The committee voted to recommend an appointment process by which each councilmember, including the mayor, is allowed to appoint one (1) member to the body, uncontested, with the remaining member positions being appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council. The committee also voted to recommend inclusion of the drafted appointive boards, committees and commissions provisions in the proposed city charter. A motion was made to remove the one (1) year domicile requirement as a qualification for appointment, but failed for lack of second.
C. Powers of the City - Oil & Gas Regulation:
On July 9, 2018 the Committee voted to recommend inclusion of the drafted oil and gas provision in the proposed city charter, with the additional inclusion of a provision on responsible planning in preparation for possible future contamination. The City’s historical association with the oil and gas industry allowed for the development of a comprehensive oil and gas code (CMC § 9500 et seq.), for the reasonable regulation of oil and gas facilities, equipment, and operations to protect health, safety, environmental quality and the general welfare, as well as for the development and redevelopment of oil and gas sites.
Informational Materials
A series of informational handouts are available to the Committee and the public concerning the various issues being discussed for the proposed city charter. All of these handouts are available on the City’s Website, http://ci.carson.ca.us/. The following are the handouts available to date:
Date Handout
5/7 Responses to Committee Questions from the Meetings
5/14 Benefits and Disadvantages to becoming a Charter City
5/21 Consideration of Proposed City Charter Provisions
6/4 City Council Compensation
6/4 City Clerk/ City Treasurer
6/4 Project Labor Agreements
6/4 Council Districts
6/11 Powers of the City - Sections 207, 208 and 210
6/18 City Attorney Information
6/18 Sample Language for Clerk and Treasurer Compensation
6/25 Civil Service Commission
6/25 Rent Control
6/25 Commissions, Committees. and Boards
6/25 Draft Charter to Date
7/9 List of Appointments for Commissions, Committees and Boards
7/9 Draft Charter to Date
Next Public Hearing
The next public hearing of the City Council on the proposed Charter is scheduled for July 31, 2018.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Key Issues and Recommendations from Committee of the Proposed City Charter (pages 5 and 6).
Prepared by: City Attorney