Public hearing set on charter amendments in Patterson

The public will have a chance to comment on two proposed amendments to the Patterson City Charter at the City Council's regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Ordinances calling for the two amendments were introduced at the October council meeting. If the ordinances follow the normal course, they would come up for passage votes Tuesday.

If the ordinances get yes votes from four of five council members, as required for charter amendments, and if the council votes to call the election, the charter changes would be on the March 26 ballot.

One amendment would require the mayor to have a high school diploma or its equivalent.

The other would allow the police chief to receive a pay raise immediately after the raise is approved by the council. The charter currently says that a pay raise or pay cut for the police chief can't take effect until the end of the electoral term in which the council changes the pay scale. The prohibition against an immediate pay cut would remain in effect.

There is currently no formal proposal for a police chief pay raise before the council. Chief Garrett Grogan makes $60,000 a year.

Last month, the council rejected another proposed amendment that would have made the mayor's post a full-time job. Introduction died for lack of a second, largely because no one could come up with an acceptable definition of what "full time" would mean.

Also Tuesday, the council is scheduled to decide which streets will be improved using proceeds from a recent $570,000 bond issue.

The council has been considering a list of streets, most of them lightly used and unpaved, in need of work. But doing all the work on the list will cost more than the city receives from the bond issue. So the council will have to set priorities.

The meeting will be at Patterson City Hall.