Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: John C. Beiers, County Counsel
Subject: Ordinance Proposing an Amendment to the San Mateo County Charter
RECOMMENDATION:
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Introduce an ordinance, as recommended by the 2018 Charter Review Committee, proposing an amendment to Section 302 (Appointment and Removal) of the San Mateo County Charter to eliminate certain procedural requirements, streamlining the recruitment and appointment of the County Manager, and ordering the amendment to be submitted to the qualified electors at the November 6, 2018, election, and waive the reading of the ordinance in its entirety.
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BACKGROUND:
On June 26, 2018, the 2018 Charter Review Committee (the “Committee”) submitted its report to the Board of Supervisors (the “Board”), recommending an amendment to Section 302 of the San Mateo County Charter to streamline the hiring process, providing the Board of Supervisors with more flexibility and discretion, when selecting the County Manager. The Committee recommended the Charter be amended by eliminating the language in the following strike-through:
“302. Appointment and Removal.
The County Manager shall be appointed by the Board of Supervisors on the basis of executive and administrative qualifications and experience.
Applicants for the position of County Manager shall be solicited widely and shall be screened by the usual personnel procedure. The Board of Supervisors shall select a panel competent to evaluate the qualifications of the candidates. The panel shall interview the screened candidates and submit to the Board of Supervisors a list of from five to seven of the best qualified candidates. The Board shall make its selection from this list.
The County Manger is evaluated by the Board, serves at its pleasure and may be removed by an affirmative vote of three of its members.”
Following consideration of the Committee’s report, the Board directed this office to prepare an ordinance consistent with the Committee’s recommendation for introduction. Such ordinance would then come back to the Board for final adoption at the Board’s regularly scheduled meeting on July 24, 2018.
DISCUSSION:
As set forth in the Committee’s report to the Board, the measure to be placed on the November 6, 2018 election ballot, is an ordinance adopting a Charter amendment that will streamline the Board’s hiring process for the position of County Manager.
FISCAL IMPACT:
According to the Elections Department, the estimated cost of placing this County-wide measure on the November 6, 2018, election ballot is between $781,000 to $937,000. (These figures could change depending on the total number of registered voters, jurisdictions and measures placed on the ballot.)