Cedar Rapids Charter Review Commission looks to extend deadline

CEDAR RAPIDS — The citizen panel completing a once-a-decade review of Cedar Rapids’ charter anticipates extending the deadline to recommend changes to the city’s foundational document that outlines the form of government and scope of duties for its top officials, with a goal to leave time to weigh feedback and avoid a perception that it is a “rubber stamp” entity.

The Charter Review Commission on Monday began to review the first slate of recommended modifications to the preamble and Articles 1 and 2 of the charter, which center on the city’s powers and the City Council. So far, the nine-member group — appointed in November by the council — is not recommending a major upheaval of the council-manager form of government created when citizens adopted a “home rule” charter after a 2005 vote.

Citizens have had opportunities to provide feedback at an in-person forum and through online comments or email. Commission members discussed several of those suggested changes at their Monday meeting at City Hall.

Some have suggested the role of mayor be full-time. The mayor and eight council members now serve part-time. They appoint a city manager who oversees the day-to-day operations and makes sure those operations are in alignment with council policy.

One change recommended would provide more flexibility for the mayor to deliver the annual State of the City address. The charter sets a Feb. 28 deadline, but the commission is looking to establish more general language in part so new mayors have time to first get acquainted with city operations.

For the council’s composition, one suggestion was to increase the size to keep up with Cedar Rapids’ population. According to 2020 census data, Cedar Rapids’ population grew 9 percent in the last decade, bringing the city’s population to 137,710 people.

Others wanted to get rid of at-large seats on the council so that all of the officials would be elected by voters in certain geographic areas. The council is made up of five district representatives, three at-large seats and the mayor, who also is elected at-large.

“There’s no public outcry to make a change and it seems to work well,” commission member Amy Stevenson said of the question. Panel members ultimately recommended no changes to the part of the charter governing the council’s composition.

There was some discussion about the eligibility section governing the council. The charter states that those eligible to hold and retain elected office must remain eligible electors of Cedar Rapids, and district representatives must remain electors of that district. City employees may run for office, but must resign or take a leave of absence if elected.

Former council member Monica Vernon, a member of the commission, asked about county employees running for office. In the 2021 local races, Tamara Marcus, the Linn County sustainability manager, ran against council member Dale Todd. Todd was reelected in District 3.

City Attorney Vanessa Chavez said unless there is something specifically identified in state law that states there is no compatibility, then candidates are considered on a case-by-case basis. No changes were recommended to the section.

There was some conversation about setting term limits, but the panel opted to leave that for future commissions. Stevenson said voters already can decide at each election whether they want someone to keep serving. Vernon said it takes a couple of years to adjust to being a council member, and most officials seem to decide on their own after a couple terms it’s time to step aside.

No changes were recommended to the preamble or Article 1. In response to feedback about city transparency, the panel explored recommending the council review procedural rules and amend language to establish an aspiration to be accessible and responsive to citizens in a timely and respectable manner, and for staff and elected officials to treat one another with civility.

The commission currently has a May deadline to complete its review and recommend changes. Commission chair Gary Streit said extending the timeline would be worth it. Council would have to amend the resolution to extend the deadline.

In that time, the commission would take up the remaining six articles of the charter, where some potential changes it is exploring include elections. Several ranked-choice voting proponents have urged the council to adopt language to implement this electoral system — essentially an automatic runoff — if there’s a change allowing it under state law.

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