After eight months of work, a commission set up to review Richmond’s constitution or City Charter has stopped short of recommending a major overhaul of the city’s form of government.

The nine-member commission determined that more study would be needed for any proposal to return to the city council-city manager form of government in which the mayor would be directly elected and serve as council’s presiding officer.

The commission also tabled a recommendation for shrinking the council from nine to six members.

The final report includes discussion “of a more comprehensive reset for city government,” said Dr. Thad Williamson, the associate University of Richmond professor and former city official who led the commission.

However, he said the council would need to appoint another commission to delve into such issues to ensure they are fully considered and that any proposal would “fully comply with relevant state and federal voting rights laws.”

That decision dampens hopes of some council members who have privately advocated for a return to the council-manager government and pushed for creation of the commission in hopes of bringing an end to the separation of powers that the current mayor-council form created in 2005.

Council voted in March 2022 to set up the commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the Charter that mostly dates to 1948, but dawdled on appointing the members, keeping the commission from starting up until November.

Some significant changes are included in the commission report that was delivered to council last week.

The council could set them aside or send some or all to the General Assembly, which must pass any proposals before the Charter changes can become effective.

One key item: A recommendation of higher pay for the mayor and for council members.

That proposal calls for the mayor’s pay to jump from $125,000 a year to around $200,000 a year or whatever is equal to the average for the five highest paid administra- tion officials. Council members’ pay could rise from $25,000 to $55,000 a year or whatever amount is equal to the midpoint or median income for city residents.

The higher pay, if approved by the council and the legislature, could become effective for those who are elected in 2024.

The commission’s proposals would require the mayor to provide regular briefings to the council on the administration’s ongoing activities and allow the council to get a more thorough briefing on the next budget plan before it is publicly presented.

The recommendations also would provide new authority for the council to amend the budget during the fiscal year and to potentially fire the chief administrative officer (CAO), the No. 2 city official, with a super-majority of seven votes.

Currently, only the mayor can offer amendments once council passes the budget, which usually happens in May ahead of the July 1 start of a fiscal year.

The mayor also appoints the CAO, though council must confirm the nominee, and has sole authority to dismiss.

The commission also recommends language that would give the mayor direct authority to hire and fire directors. Currently, the charter vests that authority in the CAO.

Other recommendations include having the mayor appoint the city attorney, who would be confirmed by the council. The mayor, with a vote of five council members, could remove the city attorney or seven members of the council could vote for removal under the proposal.

Aseparate recommendation would allow seven members of the council to hire an outside attorney to provide legal advice on a specific matter if they are dissatisfied with the city attorney.

Currently, the council appoints the city attorney.

Other recommendations call for term limits for members of the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals and a requirement for the council to set up a charter review commission at least once every 10 years.