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Charlotte City Council discusses 4-year terms in office

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some Charlotte City Council members are pushing to serve four-year terms instead of two.

[Charlotte City Council has heated discussion over contract threshold]

Leaders debated the change Tuesday and voted to move forward.

Other cities in North Carolina have four-year terms like Asheville and Durham, but there are a lot of strong feelings over whether Charlotte should follow suit.

The city of Charlotte's budget and effectiveness committee voted 3 to 2 to recommend four-year terms for council members.

The committee also voted for the terms to be staggered and for voters to ultimately decide the issue by referendum in November.

The proposal will next be discussed to a full council.

People in favor of the idea said it will allow Charlotte City Council members to do more work and less campaigning

People against it said it makes council members less accountable.