The Hermiston City Council met on Monday, April 27, to discuss recommended changes to the city charter, with three major topics dominating the agenda: municipal court judge selection, council president election frequency, and a last-minute proposal for term limits on councilors and the mayor. A city charter functions as the municipality's constitution, establishing its government structure, powers, duties, and election processes. Hermiston's charter was first adopted on March 15, 1910, and has undergone 15 modifications since, with the most recent changes occurring in 2015.
Councilor Josh Roberts introduced the term limits proposal, arguing that such restrictions could encourage more candidates to seek office. He cited cases where potential candidates avoid running because incumbents have held positions for extended periods. Roberts suggested a model where term-limited officials could run again after a period of absence from office, potentially bringing fresh perspectives to council deliberations.
The proposal faced opposition from Councilor David McCarthy, who argued against imposing term limits due to concerns about candidate availability. McCarthy warned that the city might face situations requiring appointed candidates rather than elected ones if the pool of willing residents proved insufficient. Councilor Jeff Kelso expressed openness to the idea but wanted to research how similar-sized cities handle term limits. City Manager Byron Smith reported that only one comparable city in the area has implemented term limits for councilors and mayors.
Former Mayor Dave Drotzmann, who chaired the charter review committee that examined proposed changes, noted that term limits had not surfaced during the committee's deliberations. Councilor Maria Duron requested additional time to evaluate the proposal. The council voted unanimously to table the discussion for later consideration.
The meeting also addressed other charter modifications recommended by the ad hoc committee, which had met six times since October 2025. The committee recommended that the city council and city manager jointly appoint the municipal court judge, citing the scarcity of Hermiston attorneys willing to run for the position. The change would allow attorneys from outside the city to serve, broadening the candidate pool. Councilor Jackie Linton opposed this recommendation, preferring citizen voting on the judge. The council voted 6-1 to adopt the appointment recommendation. The council also voted 4-3 to select a new council president annually rather than every two years, with Linton, McCarthy, and Councilor Jackie Myers dissenting.
Additional recommendations include having ward residents elect only their respective ward councilors and redrawing ward boundaries to balance populations. Currently, the wards range from 4,241 to 7,423 residents. The council must approve any charter changes by late June or early July for them to appear on the November ballot.
