Elk Grove Charter Commission Holds Final Meeting

Will Present Draft Charter to City Council

After what has been a tumultuous and often controversial endeavor, The Elk Grove Charter Commission held its final meeting last night at city hall.

The purpose of last night’s meeting was to decide which of three charter versions the commission would submit to the Elk Grove City Council and if any last minute changes should be made to the draft.

Conducting the meeting was Vice Chair Jake Rambo who filled in for the absent Commission Chair, Jake Allen. No specific reason was cited for Allen’s absence.

The first item discussed was what version of the draft should be presented to the council at their January 13 meeting. While all three documents were essentially the same, one document had the finished draft, a second version had strikethroughs and the third version was annotated with commission comments.

While there was some discussion that all three should be presented, Commissioner Juanita Sendajas-Lopez urged the commission to unite around one single document. “Our final charter should be [submitted] with the thought we are all united.”

Agreeing with Sendajas-Lopez was Commissioner Jimmie Johnson who also acknowledged that their vision of the draft charter is different from the city council’s vision.

One of the major difference’s is the commission draft deleted the entire section addressing public works projects. The public works has been a rallying point for unions advocating prevailing wages.

“The city council is more than capable of taking what we gave them last time and making the few little changes they want,” Johnson said. “If you don’t like it, write it however you want.”

Johnson went on to say that the commission’s draft was in part based on public input. “If they decide not to listen to the public, that is their decision,” he said.

After several minutes of deliberation, the commission decided to submit a three part packet that would include a cover letter from Allen, the draft charter and a report showing comments on the various changes. It had not been determined if the comments would be a separate document or included in Allen’s letter.(The entire document will be available for public view this Friday afternoon.)

Rambo urges tax limiting language inclusion
Aside from a few minor changes, Rambo was the only commissioner seeking to substantially alter the draft document. As has been the case over the last several months, Rambo sought to include language limiting the city’s ability to levy tax.

Specifically Rambo sought language that would prohibit Elk Grove as charter city from assessing any tax that a general law city cannot collect. “It’s kind of a no-brainer,’ he said.

After a lengthy discussion of the matter, Johnson supported Rambo's idea and made a motion to adopt the language but it died because there was no second.

As the meeting ended and the commissioners made their closing comments, city attorney Susan Cochrane was universally praised for her guidance during the process.

Calling herself a “small-d democrat,” Cochran said she too had enjoyed participating in the process. “It has been something to watch this process,” she said.