RPVCCA_SR_2010_08_03_11_Appointment_Of_Charter_Committee_MembersCITY OF
MEMORANDUM
RANCHO PALOS VERDES
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
CAROLYN LEHR,CITY MANAGER ~
AUGUST 3,2010
APPOINTMENT OF CHARTER CITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
RECOMMENDATION
Appoint five (or up to seven)residents to the Charter City Committee,to serve with the
Council Subcommittee to facilitate a public outreach program that will educate our
residents on a ballot initiative to change Rancho Palos Verdes from a General Law City
to a Charter City.
DISCUSSION
On June 29,2010,the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council received an in-depth
presentation by our City Attorney,City Staff and the City's Financial Advisor on the
benefits of becoming a Charter City.Following a detailed explanation of the advantages
of becoming a Charter City,as well as the disadvantages and limitations,the City
Council voted at a subsequent meeting to pursue the Charter initiative,and indicated a
preference for the question to be brought before the voters at a March 8,2011
consolidated election.
The Council was presented with two options for drafting a charter:the City could elect a
charter commission through an election of fifteen resident voters of the City,or
alternatively,the Council could opt to draft its own charter,which is voted on at an
election date established by the Council.The City Council selected the latter process,
and appointed a Subcommittee,comprised of Mayor Steve Wolowicz and Mayor Pro
Tem Tom Long to lead the process of charter adoption.Council members further
determined to appoint five citizens to join the Subcommittee to form a Charter City
Committee.The Council directed staff to bring forward names of nominees for the
Council to approve at an upcoming Council meeting.
The Charter Subcommittee called its first meeting on July 23,2010,with the Mayor,
Mayor Pro Tem,City Attorney and City Manager present.Since the Subcommittee was
scheduled to consider nominees for the citizen committee,each Council member was
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asked to submit up to three names each of residents they would propose to serve on
the committee,in advance of the July 23 meeting.
During this first meeting,the Subcommittee approved the "Charter City Committee
Purpose and Objectives,"which is attached to this report.It is important to note that the
role of the citizen committee members is to educate and support the Charter City
proposal within the community,as opposed to the advisory role that other committees
and commissions of the City fill.
All combined,the five Council members offered 15 names (three duplicates)for
consideration.The Subcommittee reviewed all nominations and identified seven
persons on the list who were deemed best suited for the task ahead.The Mayor and
Mayor Pro Tem have personally called the seven proposed nominees to inform them of
this opportunity and to gauge their willingness to serve the community as an advocate
of the Charter City proposal.Of the seven,one nominee indicated that she would not
be available to serve due to current time constraints;therefore,the Subcommittee
selected an alternate.The Subcommittee suggests that the Council could appoint five,
six or all seven members to the committee.The Council could also choose to substitute
names for those proposed by the Subcommittee.
The seven nominees recommended by the Charter City Subcommittee are:
Ann Shaw
Bill Gerstner
Jon Cartwright
Jeffrey Lewis
Dave Emenhiser
Paul Tetreault
Bill James
FISCAL IMPACT
Staff anticipates no fiscal impact to the appointment of the committee.
ALTERNATIVES
1.The City Council could choose to appoint a different number of citizens to the
Charter City Committee,or no citizen members at all.
2.The City Council could appoint different persons than those recommended by
the Charter City Subcommittee.
Attachment:
"Charter City Committee Purpose and Objectives"
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Charter City Committee
Purpose and Objectives
The City Council will appoint a Committee comprised of two Council Members
(the Mayor and the Mayor Pro Tem)and five residents of the City to facilitate a
robust public outreach program to educate and create a clear understanding of
the issues surrounding General Law Cities vs.Charter Cities.The main
objectives of the Charter City Committee are as follows:
1.Review the materials that have been presented by the City Attorney's
Office and understand the advantages and disadvantages of the general
law versus the city charter forms of government;
2.Develop and execute a plan for educating and informing the public
regarding the proposed ballot measure to adopt a charter;and
3.Develop a report to the City Council summarizing the public outreach
program results and feedback received from the community.
4.Draft the ballot argument in support of adopting the charter and a rebuttal
argument,if necessary.
The Charter Committee and City Staff will make informational presentations and
hold question and answer forums with various community groups and service
organizations.In addition to these community presentations,the public outreach
program also will include the development and distribution of an informational
brochure,press releases to advise the public of the meetings and locations
where information about chartering can be obtained,information on the City's
website,and informational programming on RPV-TV.
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