Sunnyvale is planning to put three charter amendments on the November ballot.

At a meeting late last month, the Sunnyvale City Council approved amendments that, if approved, would address how the council handles vacancies, adjust the city manager’s settlement authority and allow for an alternate bid process for some development projects.

The city’s policy has appointed council members serving until the next statewide election, which in some cases could result in the city holding two elections in the same year. 

“This could avoid duplicate elections in the same election in the same calendar year or the cost of a special election,” said Connier Versales, assistant city manager.

The second proposed amendment allows the city to skip the bidding for certain public works projects. Instead, the city would be able to have a single contractor design and build the project, cutting down on costs and potentially accelerating timelines.

The last amendment would remove a dollar amount from the city manager’s settlement authority, giving the city more flexibility to establish it by ordinance.

Zack K. called for better constraints on the council’s ability to appoint council members, saying there is “sufficient room for opposition.”

“People need to be considering your measure not on how the present council behaves, but one 15 or 20 years out that doesn’t seem so warm and fuzzy,” he said.

Steve S. said the proposed change could lead to more frequent and longer council appointments. Further, he said the city manager’s settlement authority should be transparent in the ballot language.

He questioned why the council was “already trying to have opposition,” adding that holding an election is often money well-spent.

While several of the council members appreciated the concerns, they felt it imprudent to undercut the charter review committee’s work.

“To change the substance of the measure at this point, that would feel very contrary to public transparency,” she said. “As much as I would love something to be everything for everyone and be perfect and consider every possible thing … it’s just not possible.”

Vice Mayor Richard Mehlinger said it was unwise for the city to have two elections in a year. He said he worried maintaining the status quo would leave voters “scratching their heads” and wondering why the city is dumping money into a special election.

He added that he was excited about the design-build measure. The proposed changes, he said, “go a long way toward ensuring the continued smooth and efficient functioning of Sunnyvale city government.”

The council unanimously approved the motion. Mehlinger and Mayor Larry Klein will write the arguments for the measures, and the city attorney will write an impartial analysis.

Arguments for the charter amendments are due to the Registrar of Voters (RoV) by Aug. 11; rebuttals are due Aug. 18.

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com 

Previous Sunnyvale City Council Meetings:
Sunnyvale Increases Utility Rates, Addresses Water Management 
Sunnyvale Ramps up “Vanlording” Enforcement
Sunnyvale Stays its Hand on Increasing Eviction Payments
Sunnyvale Safe Parking Continues to Languish, Council’s Patience Wears Thin