TRACY — After questioning Charter Commission Chair Rosemary Martin about the proposal to add two more council seats, the Tracy City Council voted 4-1 to send two charter changes to the ballot in November.

Council member Tony Peterson was the lone ‘no’ vote. He said he was struggling to understand the need for adding two more seats.

Tracy City Administrator Kris Ambuehl presented a updated version of the proposal for two separate questions for the ballot in November. One clarified language for the term limitations not to include appointed term completions in the elected term limitations. The other proposed adding the two new council seats.

“If this one’s passed,” Ambuehl said, “it will go to the voters.”

Council member Jeri Schons spoke on behalf of the resolution to approve the changes with insight to the future. She said that if the council voted this resolution down, the charter commission is stubborn enough to run a petition and get it on the ballot anyway.

“I’m maybe being a little stubborn, myself,” Schons said, “but I don’t like these petitions. I want us to play in the sandbox together like adults.”

During the public comment section earlier in the meeting, former city administrator David Spence spoke against the charter changes claiming they were born out of character assassinations of council members and had no merit.

Peterson agreed, saying these changes have no basis. There was no justification for the larger council that he could see.

Martin responded saying there had been no such negativity when the commission considered the change.

“Let me make it crystal clear that nobody on the commission made character assassinations. The proof is in the minutes,” Martin said. “The nine members of the commission were in 100 percent agreement on this. The justification is the need for more diversity on the council to provide more diversity for the community and more representation from the people.”

Schons repeated, the council needed to put it to the voters.

“I don’t want to be responsible for this decision,” Schons said. “And, I don’t want this brought back every two to three years, or one year with having to pay out money for a special recall. I want it clear before hand, I want assurance it won’t come back again.”

“There is no assurance,” Martin said.

“I’m looking at the chair of the charter commission and asking what can we do to prevent it from coming back,” Schons said. “Will the Charter Commission members abide by what the voters say?”

“I would say, ‘yes,'” Martin said.