In Our View: Approve five Vancouver charter amendments

Five charter amendments appear on the Nov. 5 ballot in the city of Vancouver. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends passage of each item to help smooth the functions of government.

As always, this is merely a recommendation, designed to provide information and foster discussion. The Columbian trusts that voters will study the issues before casting an informed ballot.

Six amendments were developed by a committee of 15 citizens and recommended to the city council. The council then forwarded five of them to the ballot:

• Proposed Charter Amendment No. 8 — the Editorial Board recommends approval. This item would adjust language regarding vacancies in elected or appointed positions, clarifying that an office is deemed vacant if the holder cannot “discharge their duty with or without a reasonable accommodation,” or if they are absent from the city for 60 consecutive days without permission from city council.
• Proposed Charter Amendment No. 9 — the Editorial Board recommends approval. This item clarifies that the city will use the Consumer Price Index to adjust city councilors’ salaries. In 2016, controversy ensued when the Salary Review Commission proposed doubling the salary for the mayor and increasing city council salaries by over 50 percent. After months of public complaints, the commission settled on much smaller pay increases. Codifying reasonable increases is a sensible approach.
• Proposed Charter Amendment No. 10 — the Editorial Board recommends approval. This item clarifies that the city manager must submit a two-year budget as required by state law and a complete report on the city’s finances at the end of each fiscal year. Bringing the city’s budgeting process into compliance with state law is a logical and necessary step.
• Proposed Charter Amendment No. 11 — the Editorial Board recommends approval. This item eliminates a procedural requirement that city contracts with a term of more than five years must be approved by an ordinance. The procedure isn’t required by statute, and no comparable cities include the provision.
• Proposed Charter Amendment No. 12 — the Editorial Board recommends approval. This item would allow the city council to accept electronic signatures on petitions, removing language referencing physical paper and signatures written in ink.

City Councilor Kim Harless said, “If we can eliminate any barriers for people to access their democracy, I’m all for that.”

The amendment also adjusts for problems that became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the “for” statement in the Voters’ Pamphlet states: “The current language’s specific references to physical paper and wet ink mean that participation in petition efforts must be done in-person, creating risks and challenges across diverse demographics including elderly, disabled, and immunocompromised residents. In times of public health crises, minimizing physical contact is essential.”

The amendments on the Vancouver ballot would implement changes that have been vetted by the Charter Review Committee and the city council. The Columbian’s Editorial Board recommends approval for each of them.