Beaverton Charter of 2021

Beaverton Charter of 2021 - PDF

About the City Charter

The Beaverton City Council referred a proposed city charter that was approved by Beaverton voters during the May 19, 2020 election. The Beaverton Charter of 2021 went into effect June 18, 2020, and becomes operational on January 1, 2021.

During the next several months, a series of next steps will guide implementation including community engagement to support recruitment of a full-time city manager, and preparations for the November 2020 election to fill a new council position and elect the Mayor.

What is a Charter? A city charter is like a constitution that outlines the principles, structures and process of government. Beaverton’s prior Charter was approved by voters in November 1980, and subsequently amended once in 2008 when voters changed a section relating to urban renewal.

Overview

The approved city charter outlines specifications to the city’s form of government, term limits and languages preferences, such as:

• The mayor will no longer be the city’s administrative head. Instead, the city council will appoint a full-time city manager to oversee the city’s day-to-day operations.
• The council will expand from five members to seven members: six part-time city councilors and one full-time mayor with voting privileges. The council will serve as the city’s governing body and be responsible for the city’s legislative functions. In addition to serving on the council, the mayor will serve as the city’s chief elected official.
• All council positions remain nonpartisan and elected at-large by Beaverton voters. The councilors and the mayor will be limited to three consecutive four-year terms in office for their respective positions.
• The new charter will no longer use gender-exclusive references.

Gráfico en español | Versión de texto

Text version of Government Roles & Responsibilities

The following questions and responses were prepared to assist city employees and residents with the role and functions of the new City Manager position. The last section describes several other significant changes following voter approval of the 2021 City Charter. In several cases, hyperlinks are provided to related documents that provide additional information. While some of the dates and processes specifically pertain to the hiring of an Interim City Manager, most of the information pertains to both the Interim City Manager as well as the person who will hold a regular appointment.

Interim City Manager Appointed

The City Council has appointed Kurt Wilson as Beaverton’s first Interim City Manager and newest member of the city’s management team. Kurt Wilson most recently served the City of Stockton, California, first as the Deputy City Manager and then as the City Manager. His local government employment began in 2006 and he has also served as an elected city councilor, Mayor pro-tem and commissioner.

The appointment is the next step in implementation of the new voter-approved city charter. The appointment follows a rigorous recruitment process that included community input and was facilitated with support from an outside firm to ensure best practices. The Interim City Manager will support the transition to the new city charter and the recruitment, selection and early onboarding of a full-time City Manager, which is expected to be completed in the first half of next year after further community engagement.

Watch the December 1, 2020 Social Hour