Nearly half of the volunteer board that reviews potential changes to the city's home-rule charter face the need to reapply for their seats while new applicants are also being sought.
The city’s home-rule charter, which guides many aspects of city government, calls for waiting until after the ordinance reflecting the pay change is published, which can be done shortly after final approval.
Commission members, however, noted the proposed change doesn’t necessarily achieve the anticipated goal, since council elections rotate with three or four members facing re-election in a typical city election.
“If we say after the next election, we are still only going to have part of the city council affected by this particular change,” commission member Kathy Meyerle said.
Fellow commission member Ray Schmitz pointed out that in years when the mayor, who doesn’t directly vote on a salary change, faces re-election, only three voting council members would be on the ballot. The remaining four members would be enough to support a pay increase without being the subject of an election for two years.
“It kind of matches up with other boards of the city,” Eckerman said.
Commission member Fred Suhler said the boards shouldn’t operate like others in the city.
Library operations, he said, should rise above the political discourse that can come into play with other city departments, and the park board has its own unique governance, which he pointed out city residents recently supported through a tax referendum.
“I guess I don’t see the reason why we need to make these changes,” he said, calling the proposal a “radical change.”
Larry Mortensen, who was recently appointed to the commission and had served eight years on the park board, said he believes the proposed changes reflect how that board operates, adding that he can’t comment on library operations.