17 - City Charter Review Committee

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Item No. 17 t TO: Mayor & City Council Grayson Path, City Manager FROM: Janice Ellis, City Clerk SUBJECT: CITY CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE DATE: February 22, 2021 BACKGROUND: At the January 11, 2021 City Council meeting, Council Member Knox requested an agenda item to possibly appoint a Charter Review Committee to review the City Charter. The last time the Charter was amended was 2011 and prior to that was 2007. Pursuant to Article XI, Section 5, of the Texas Constitution, a Charter can only be amended every two years and pursuant to Section 149 of the Paris City Charter, should be reviewed every five years. STATUS OF ISSUE: At the January 25, 2021 City Council meeting, it was a consensus of the City Council to move forward with appointment of a City Charter Review Committee to study the Charter to determine if amendments are needed. City Council decided to use a process similar to the one used in November of 2006, whereby each Council Member selects one person from their district to serve on the Committee. In addition, each Council Member may provide a name to be placed in an envelope, names will be drawn from an envelope and voted upon. The goal is to have a Committee comprised of eleven members and one alternate, if desired. BUDGET: This is a budget neutral item. RECOMMENDATION: Appoint members to the Charter Review Committee to study the Charter in order to determine if amendments are needed.