CHARTER PROPOSAL SPLITS DIFFERENCE ON COUNCIL SIZE.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

In an effort to come up with a single City Charter reform plan, the chairmen of two committees proposed on Wednesday to split their differences on expansion of the City Council.

George Kieffer and Erwin Chemerinsky, heads of the appointed and elected panels, respectively, proposed that voters be asked whether a new charter should limit the council to its present 15 members or increase it to 23 members.

``Basically, we are just splitting the difference,'' Chemerinsky said. ``The appointed panel wanted it increased to 21 members and our elected commission wanted 25 on the council. Having 23 isn't that different from either recommendation, and the number of council seats is somewhat arbitrary.''

The proposal will be presented to a conference committee of the two commissions today along with other recommendations.

Chemerinsky and Kieffer urged that the Proposition 5 power of the City Council be retained, allowing it to overturn decisions of various city commissions. A two-thirds vote allows the council to consider overturning a commission action, and then a simple majority is needed to reverse it.

But the chairmen also suggested giving the mayor more authority in hiring general managers by permitting the city's chief executive to bypass the Personnel Department to screen candidates.

They then recommended giving the Mayor's Office more authority on the budget, establishing a budget office as Mayor Richard Riordan has suggested.

They also urged creation of a research and administrative services office, which would report to the mayor and council. That office would apparently take some of the work of the City Administrative Office in providing financial information to city leaders.

On the politically sensitive issue of redistricting, the two recommended appointment of an independent panel to draw up political boundaries after the next census.

The panel would be composed of appointees of each City Council member, with the council president naming two people. The mayor would be allowed to appoint three members, and one each would be chosen by the city attorney and city controller.