Cedar Rapids council accepts Charter Review Commission report

CEDAR RAPIDS - The City Council on Tuesday said it agreed with the council-appointed Charter Review Commission and would modify the city charter so that four council seats are up for a vote in one election cycle and five in the next cycle two years later.

Now it's three in one cycle, as it is this year, and six in the next.

The commission also suggested that two of the council's four at-large seats - one of which is the mayor's seat - be elected in each of the two election cycles so voters in the city's five election districts always have at least two election races in which to vote when individual district seats are not up for election.

The change likely will be simple: In 2013, one of two non-mayoral, at-large seats up for a vote - seats now held by Chuck Swore and Don Karr - would get a one-time, two-year term.

Former Mayors Paul Pate and Kay Halloran, who headed up the 12-member Charter Review Commission, issued the commission's report to the council on Tuesday, noting that the report recommended only a few minor modifications to the city charter. Voters approved the charter by a large majority in 2005.

Halloran told the council that the commission had no extensive research to make the case for its recommendation to change the city's election stagger from 6-3 to 5-4. Rather, it makes “common sense,” she said. Pate said the commission thought more people will pay attention to both election cycles if the stagger is changed.

The commission also has modified charter wording to align it with state law related to the position of mayor pro tem, which is chosen by the council. The charter now states that the mayor pro tem completes the mayor's term if the mayor can't serve, while state law calls for a special election in such an instance.

Halloran and Pate said the commission recommended that the council make the changes via a council-approved ordinance rather than a citizen referendum, which is required of major changes to the charter. Halloran said the recommended changes were “minuscule” and not significant as was the 2005 vote to approve the charter.

Mayor Ron Corbett surveyed the council and obtained approval to move ahead on an ordinance change in the weeks ahead.