From the Mayor’s office Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor

Tucson has been a charter city since 1883. Its current charter dates back to 1929. Tucson’s charter is like a constitution for the city. It establishes basic rules for city government – outlining the powers of the city and what roles mayor and council serve, among other provisions.

Throughout the years, amendments have been made to the city charter. As cities grow, needs change, and provisions in the charter must be updated. That’s why the City Council and Mayor’s Office created the Charter Review Committee in June 2014. Its purpose is to suggest changes to improve city operations.

There are 15 members on the Charter Review Committee, selected by City Council members, the interim city manager and the mayor. The committee generally meets bimonthly at City Hall and the public may attend. (Read more about the committee and meetings at tucsoncharterchange.org.) The committee will make recommendations to the mayor and council. Voters will approve or reject any proposed charter changes on the November 2015 ballot.

We are fortunate to have Rafael Sonenshein as a consultant to the Charter Review Committee. Mr. Sonenshein is the Executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at California State University in Los Angeles. He has served as a consultant to charter committees in several cities, including Los Angeles.

Tucson’s charter has many provisions to consider, and the committee has been hard at work reviewing them. No final decisions have been made, but committee members are in unanimous agreement that the provision that limits the city’s bonding capacity should be removed. The state sets its own limit on cities’ ability to bond. Unlike other Arizona cities, Tucson’s charter sets an even lower limit.

What does this lower limit mean for Tucson? Ultimately, it means less money available to replace or restore aging infrastructure, such as pipes or roads. By removing this limitation, Tucson would have roughly $600 million more in bonding capacity – six times what the current road bond is able to provide for road restoration.

Another general consensus item that the review committee supports is strengthening the executive functions of city government. Tucson’s charter gives little power to the city manager or to the mayor. According to the charter, the city manager can be removed at any time by a vote of four council members. The mayor has no vote in removing the city manager or any other appointed official. At council meetings, the mayor cannot make or second a motion. In fact, the mayor doesn’t count toward a quorum.

There has also been discussion about how council members are elected. Tucson has a unique method of combining ward-only primaries with citywide general elections. Consultant Raphael Sonenshein told the committee that 40 percent of cities with more than 200,000 residents have adopted a hybrid system, with some council members elected by ward and some elected citywide.

In the end, Tucson voters will make the final decision about changes to the city charter. An effective charter can give us an operating structure that will help us accomplish our goals. It’s an investment in Tucson, sure to yield positive results.