The Charter Review Committee (CRC) has the power to put before voters fundamental changes to the county’s guiding document. This committee of citizens will hold one of its final public meetings on May 27.
This citizens’ committee convenes only every six years in what County Attorney Agnes Sowle calls a sort of “constitutional convention.” In past sessions, the CRC has asked voters to approve major changes to the county charter, including:
- Making the county chair both chair of the board of commissioners and chief executive officer of the county (in many other counties, the county chair is only chair of the board of commissioners; another person is the county’s executive officer)
- Making the position of county sheriff elected
- Permitting the county to join most other jurisdictions in employing a lobbyist
This session, the Charter Review Committee is considering sending to the ballot a number of big questions on subjects such as:
- Creating a special tax district for county library services
- Eliminating term limits for elected county officials
- Making county sheriff an appointed position and giving the county chair authority over jails and the Sheriff’s Office budget
The committee’s May 27 meeting will include discussions about the position of county sheriff as well as the rules about county elected officials running for another office mid-term. There will be opportunity for public comment.
The committee will continue to meet on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month until July, when it must choose which changes it will send to the voters and report to the board of commissioners.