Proposed City Charter Amendment - City Administrator Residency Requirement

The City Council has referred a ballot measure that proposes an amendment to the City Charter to the voters to vote on at the November 3, 2026 election. If the ballot measure is approved, Chapter V Section 2 of the City Charter would be amended to allow City Council to waive or modify the requirement that the City Administrator live within the City. If the ballot measure is not approved, the City Charter would remain the same.

Background: Under the current charter, the City Administrator position is a City employee who serves as the administrative head of the City of Canby; the City Council has the authority to appoint and supervise the position. The current City Charter requires the City Administrator to reside within the City of Canby.

In December of 2025, the Canby City Council convened a Charter Review Subcommittee to review the City’s Charter for revisions to propose to the voters. In consultation with the City Council, the Subcommittee recommended that Chapter V Section 2 be amended as follows to remove the residency requirement to aid in the recruitment and retention of City Administrators. 

What are the ballot measure's proposed changes?

If approved, the ballot measure would amend Chapter V Section 2 of the City Charter to grant the City Council authority to waive or modify the requirement that the City Administrator reside within the City of Canby. It would require the City Council to adopt rules to guide any waiver or modification of the requirement.

If the ballot measure is approved by the voters, how would the changes affect the City of Canby?

If the ballot measure is approved by the voters, then the City Charter would be amended so that the City Council has authority to waive or modify Chapter V Sections 2's requirement that the City Administrator live within the City. As required by the amendment, the City Council would adopt a policy to govern its waiver or modification of the City Administrator residency requirement. The City Council would then be able to waive or modify the City Administrator residency requirement as may be needed when recruiting City Administrator candidates.  

Where can I find the full text of the changes? 

Amendments are posted on the City’s website here: https://www.canbyoregon.gov/city-recorder/page/ballot-titles

Contacts: If you have additional questions about the amendment, please contact:

City of Canby: 503-266-4021