City charter alterations head to voters.

Byline: JOE MOSLEY The Register-Guard

These are measures for the truly devoted. For the aficionado of the obtuse. For the voter with time on his or her hands and an unnatural capacity for the mundane.

There are eight of them in all, each a measure that would make one or more mostly unnoticeable changes to the Eugene city charter. The first measure would make about thirty minor language changes that the City Council and staff have agreed are too inconsequential to merit individual consideration. The last would allow citizens to use the initiative process to create "protected ordinances" that could be changed or repealed only through unanimous council action or another public vote.

In-between are measures to clarify conflicts of interest, hiring and firing of department heads, filling of council vacancies, liability for unauthorized purchases, timelines for adoption of ordinances and - the only real departure from current policy - hiring of in-house legal counsel to replace the private lawyers now under city contract.

"I can't say there's been an overwhelming interest in the items," says Mary Walston, the city's manager of council, public and government affairs. "I think we had two public hearings and at the second one, nobody showed up.

"It's not a hot topic."

The proposed amendments all are part of a periodic update of the 24-page city charter, which was last revised - by voters in a special election - in 1976.

The charter is essentially a statement of city authority, powers and policies, while the much more voluminous city code addresses specific situations with ordinances and regulations.

Most of the charter measures headed for the November ballot were proposed by an eight-member Citizen Charter Review Committee, which met 40 times last year to consider revisions. The council agreed in July to refer to voters eight of nine amendments recommended by the committee, declining only to pass along a proposal to hire a city auditor.

A majority of councilors were satisfied with the current practice of contracting with outside firms for independent audits of city departments or divisions.

The similar proposal to replace contracted legal services with an in-house staff of lawyers made it to the ballot, but not without debate.

"It's the only one that's had any significant opposition - but `significant opposition' is maybe overstating it," Walston says.

Of the eight measures, it is the only one to inspire a "statement in opposition" for the city's Voters' Pamphlet. Former city managers Jim Johnson and Hugh McKinley produced a joint statement urging voters to reject creation of a city legal department.

The city now contracts with the firm of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick, and critics have complained in the past that the arrangement could lead to conflicts of interest because the private firm also represents other individuals and entities that do business with the city.

Supporters of the current system have countered that ethical conflicts have thus far been avoided under the long-standing arrangement, and that the addition of an in-house legal department would bring added costs.

Another of the proposals would expand the definition of a financial conflict of interest for councilors or the mayor, and would require the council to adopt a related code of ethics.

Yet another would create the concept of a "protected ordinance" - adopted through the initiative petition process and untouchable thereafter, except by unanimous vote of the council or a subsequent public vote.

"All the other ones just tweak people's roles a little bit," Walston says.

EUGENE CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS

Measure 20-68, housekeeping: More than 30 minor language

changes.

Measure 20-69, conflicts of interest: Clarifies councilor and mayor conflicts of interest, requires code of ethics, allows removal of elected officials who violate code of ethics.

Measure 20-70, hiring authority: City manager must explain to council reasons for hiring, appointing or firing department heads.

Measure 20-71, city attorney: Directs city to hire in-house legal counsel to replace current contract with private firm for legal services.

Measure 20-72, council vacancies: Fast-tracks elections to fill vacated council or mayoral positions.

Measure 20-73, expenditure liability: Clarifies liability of city officers for unauthorized purchases, and allows removal from office and repayment for knowing or negligent participation in unlawful expenditures.

Measure 20-74, ordinances: Clarifies process for adopting ordinances, effective dates.

Measure 20-75, protected ordinance: Creates category of ordinance, adopted through initiative process, that can be amended or repealed only through unanimous City Council vote or subsequent public election.

- The Register-Guard