​​By Anne Aurand
 
The Bend City Council invites the public to offer feedback and suggestions related to proposed charter amendments that could change the City’s governance structure.
 
The Council is holding a public listening session starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday Dec. 20, 2017, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street.
 
Bend City Council 2017-19 Goals include proposing charter amendments to voters to modernize and professionalize how City government operates. The City of Bend Charter establishes the governmental structure and procedures for the city.
 
After months of analysis, a Council-appointed citizen Charter Review Committee recommended that the following charter changes be put to voters on the May 2018 ballot:
 

• A directly elected mayor
• Adoption of a ward system
  • Four councilors elected by wards and two councilors elected at large, or three at-large if an elected mayor is not approved
• Removing mayor and council pay language from the charter with compensation to be established by an independent committee and adopted by ordinance

 
For more information about the recommendation access the Committee’s presentation here.
 
The committee was established to consider charter language for a ballot measure regarding a directly elected major, whether a ward system should be put on the ballot and what that would look like, and to address council and mayor pay processes. Committee information can be found here.