This is the fifth of a series about proposed amendments to the city charter that will go before voters in the March 4 municipal election. Tuesday: Rank-choice voting. Wednesday: Public financing of campaigns. Thursday: Fewer signatures required for direct democracy measures. Friday: Municipal judges required to have law license. Today: Mayor to vote in more instances.

Instead of casting only tie-breaking votes during City Council proceedings, Santa Fe's mayor would be able to vote more often under a proposed change to the city charter.

The city still would maintain its so-called "weak mayor" structure if voters in the March 4 election approve the amendment, one of seven that will be on the ballot. But the change would give the mayor a few more opportunities to affect policy than he has now and could mean fewer tablings of legislation when all councilors do not attend a meeting.

Mayor David Coss said he favors the amendment, noting the power would have come in handy to deal with recent scheduled votes on short-term rental rules and pay raises for city management. "I think it's a great idea," he said. "It would have been great if the mayor could vote so we could proceed on with the business."

Under current rules, an ordinance requires five votes from the eight-member council to be enacted. When one councilor is not present, a measure supported 4-3 fails because the mayor cannot vote. The amendment to the charter would let the mayor vote "when his or her vote will provide the necessary number of votes required by law for taking action."

Former Mayor Debbie Jaramillo, who was in office from 1994 to 1998, said the amendment doesn't seem necessary to her. "Although I served during the system which is called the weak mayor system, one thing I wasn't was a weak mayor," she said. "It didn't hinder me at all because I had goals. ... I led. I didn't sit back and say, 'OK, well, the council are the ones with the power.' "

Jaramillo said such a change could help, however, in cases where the council and mayor are at odds, as was the situation in the last half of her term.

A city-appointed charter-review commission recommended the change after considering several other alterations to the mayor's powers that would have moved toward a strong-mayor system, a report noted. The commission rejected a broader proposal that would have let the mayor vote on all issues as well as ideas that would have given the mayor veto power and let him or her appoint members of all municipal boards, committees and commissions.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.