Councilmembers used the April 24 workshop to revisit a suite of possible charter amendments, including changing council terms from two‑year to three‑year terms and staggering elections, modifying district/at‑large representation, adding a council stipend, and clarifying charter language about the library and hotel occupancy tax transfers.

City staff and council discussed scheduling: charter questions placed on a November ballot would appear alongside higher turnout national elections, while May elections draw a different voter mix. Council members noted tradeoffs: scheduling in November may broaden turnout but also shift election messaging; May timing could affect campaign dynamics and turnout in different ways.

Don, the city attorney, briefed council on a drafting question involving charter language and hotel occupancy tax distribution. He explained state statute governing hotel occupancy tax (Chapter 351) controls distribution when the city’s total hotel occupancy tax rate is 7 percent: the statute requires certain allocations for promotion/advertising and that statute preempts conflicting charter provisions. "If there is a conflict between the statute and the charter, the statute controls," Don said. Council asked staff to prepare draft charter language that would clean up conflicts and to provide model language for a potential ballot question about terms and staggered seats.

Council also discussed pairing a streets mill/overlay bond with a charter election. Finance staff said a ballpark estimate to issue roughly $25 million of general obligation bonds could amount to about 1.5 cents on the tax rate, but staff noted many variables and potential ways to mitigate that using the city’s infrastructure set‑aside. The council also discussed urgent capital needs such as Fire Station No. 2, where staff said replacement or a rebuilt facility could be a multi‑million dollar project and may need to be part of a bond package. Staff warned that rejected bond or charter measures carry statutory restrictions on how soon similar measures can be resubmitted and that recent legislative proposals could extend those waiting periods further.

Council asked the city attorney to circulate draft language on staggered three‑year terms, options for library oversight (including possible ex‑officio representation on the library board), and precise charter cleanup language tied to hotel occupancy tax distributions. Council indicated a preference to revisit the item at a future meeting and to coordinate possible bond language with the timing of any charter ballot items.

No charter amendments or bond issuances were adopted at the workshop; staff will return with draft language and fiscal impact scenarios for council consideration.