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<br />Rationale: The Commission is concerned about the vagueness of the current residency requirements <br />for council members. Unless "residence" is defined in some way, state law provides for the <br />subjective intent of a person to be used to determine the person's residence. For example, a person <br />can move temporarily out of the City, but if the person has an intent to return to the City at some <br />time in the future, the person can remain a legal resident of the City under state law. This would <br />allow a person who does not physically reside in the City to serve as a council member. Another <br />shortcoming in the current Charter language is that the requirement to maintain residency in the City <br />while in office is not clearly stated. The proposed revisions clarify that "residence" requires <br />continuous physical residency in the City, and that once elected, a council member must remain a <br />physical resident of the City in order to hold office. <br /> <br />2. Amend Sections 3.04 ref!ardinf! compensation for citv council members as follows: <br /> <br />Sec. 3.04. Compensation. <br /> <br /> <br />Members of the city council shall serve without payor compensation: provided. <br />however. that they reeei'le compensation in the amount of $100 for each cOl:lBeil meeting <br />attended by them, 'lJith a maximum of tBr-ee meetiBgs per month for ....'moh com:pensatiofl is <br />provided. COllilcil members shall be entitled to all necessary expenses incurred in the <br />performance of their official duties. There shall be provided in each annual city budget an <br />amount not to e-xceed $5,000 for the expenses of the mayor and of each council member. The <br />mayor and the members of the city council shall be reimbursed for the amounts so provided <br />for in the annual city budget for their actual official city business expenses. The city council <br />by resolution or ordinance shall provide for a means of determining what expenses are <br />reimbursable and what requirements must be met for reimbursement. <br /> <br />********** <br /> <br />Rationale: The Charter was changed in May of 2000 to provide for per-meeting compensation for <br />council members, while limiting the amount of expenses for which council members are reimbursed. <br />The 1999-2000 Charter Review Commission recommended this change. However, the current <br />Commission is convinced that per-meeting compensation has not achieved its objectives of <br />increasing citizen interest in running for council, or encouraging attendance at council meetings by <br />council members. Moreover, the Commission believes that the "one size fits all" limitation on <br />council member expenses has the effect of limiting the participation of some council members in <br />municipal associations from which council members, and the City as a whole, derive substantial <br />benefits. The Commission thinks that the city council, in the course of the annual budget-setting <br />process, can make appropriate and responsible allowances for expenses of council members on an <br />individualized basis. The proposed changes will return this Charter section to the wording it had <br />prior to the 2000 change. <br /> <br />3. Amend Section 3.11 ref!ardinf! the number of readinf!s required for the adoption of <br /> <br />C:\TEMP\charter commission repon-2001.doc <br /> <br />2 <br />