City Council

7/17/2020 EXHIBIT "A" CHARTER REVIEW COMMITTEE • DAVE COVINGTON, CHAIR • JANE DOMINGUEZ • ALTON MCCALLUM, VICE CHAIR • DAN KIRKLEY • BRETT BAGGERLY • DAVID K. LEIGH • BRANDON BOZON • CRAIG PEARSON • DANIEL BUCHER • JEANNIE PITTMAN 1  7/17/2020 PROPOSED AMENDMENTS • PROPOSITION A – 3 YEAR TERMS • PROPOSITION B – APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR BY CITY COUNCIL • PROPOSITION C – FILLING VACANCY BY APPOINTMENT • PROPOSITION D – FLEXIBILITY IN GENERAL ELECTION DATE • PROPOSITION E – FLEXIBILITY IN POLLING LOCATIONS PROPOSITION A – BALLOT LANGUAGE CITY COUNCIL THREE-YEAR TERM OF OFFICE SHALL SECTION 3.01 OF THE CITY CHARTER BE AMENDED TO PROVIDE FOR THREE–YEAR TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND TO CONFORM SECTIONS 3.03, 5.09 AND 5.10 TO BE CONSISTENT WITH STATE LAW FOR THREE-YEAR TERMS BY PROVIDING FOR ELECTION BY MAJORITY VOTE, PROVIDING FOR RUNOFF ELECTIONS IF NO CANDIDATE IS ELECTED BY MAJORITY VOTE, AND PROVIDING FOR SPECIAL ELECTIONS TO FILL VACANCIES ON COUNCIL? 2  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION A - EXPLAINED • CHANGING FROM 2-YEAR TO 3-YEAR TERMS (WITH A TRANSITION PLAN) • CHANGING FROM AT-LARGE POSITIONS TO PLACES • CHANGING FROM PLURALITY (TOP VOTE GETTERS) TO MAJORITY (MUST GET >50%) PROPOSITION A – PLACES ASSIGNED 3  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION A – TRANSITION PLAN PROPOSITION A – PROS • PROVIDES FOR LONGER TERMS • PROVIDES STABILITY OF THE COUNCIL BECAUSE THERE ISN’T A MAJORITY UP FOR ELECTION AT THE SAME TIME • “PLACES” ALLOWS A CANDIDATE TO SPECIFICALLY RUN AGAINST AN INCUMBENT WHO IS PERCEIVED TO NOT BE DOING A GOOD JOB 4  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION A – CONS • “PLACES” MAY LEAD TO NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING • MAJORITY VOTE CAN LEAD TO RUN-OFF ELECTIONS WHICH INCREASES ELECTION COSTS PROPOSITION B – BALLOT LANGUAGE APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR BY CITY COUNCIL SHALL SECTIONS 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 4.01, 5.04, 5.09 AND 5.10 OF THE CITY CHARTER BE AMENDED TO PROVIDE FOR THE MAYOR TO BE APPOINTED EACH YEAR BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM AMONG THE PERSONS ELECTED TO COUNCIL? 5  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION B - EXPLAINED • CHANGING FROM DIRECT ELECTION OF THE MAYOR TO APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR BY COUNCIL • 1 YEAR APPOINTMENT VS. 2-YEAR OR 3-YEAR TERMS PROPOSITION B – PROS AND CONS PROS: • PREVENTS AN INEXPERIENCED PERSON FROM BEING MAYOR • PERSON APPOINTED WILL BE MORE AWARE OF TIME COMMITMENT REQUIRED FOR THE POSITION OF MAYOR • MAY LEAD TO GREATER INVOLVEMENT BY COUNCIL SINCE IT IS ONLY A 1-YEAR COMMITMENT CONS: • PUBLIC MAY FEEL LESS IN CONTROL BECAUSE THEY CAN’T DIRECTLY ELECT THE MAYOR 6  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION C – BALLOT LANGUAGE FILLING VACANCIES ON CITY COUNCIL IF THREE-YEAR TERMS ARE ADOPTED, SHALL SECTION 3.03 OF THE CITY CHARTER BE AMENDED TO PROVIDE FOR A VACANCY IN A COUNCIL SEAT WITH AN UNEXPIRED TERM OF TWELVE MONTHS OR LESS TO BE FILLED BY APPOINTMENT BY THE CITY COUNCIL? PROPOSITION C - EXPLAINED • IF 3-YEAR TERMS (PROPOSITION A) PASSES, THEN THE CHARTER HAS TO OUTLINE HOW VACANCIES IN OFFICE ARE FILLED WHEN THERE IS 12 MONTHS OR LESS REMAINING ON AN UNEXPIRED TERM. PROPOSING TO FILL THEM BY APPOINTMENT RATHER THAN CALLING A SPECIAL ELECTION. 7  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION D – BALLOT LANGUAGE AUTHORIZING CITY COUNCIL TO CHANGE THE GENERAL CITY ELECTION DATE SHALL SECTION 5.03 OF THE CITY CHARTER BE AMENDED TO ALLOW THE CITY COUNCIL TO CHANGE THE DATE OF HOLDING THE GENERAL CITY ELECTION IF DOING SO IS ALLOWED BY STATE LAW AND THE GENERAL ELECTION DATE IS NOT CHANGED MORE OFTEN THAN EVERY FIVE YEARS? PROPOSITION D - EXPLAINED • ALLOWS COUNCIL THE FLEXIBILITY TO CHANGE THE CITY ELECTION TO NOVEMBER (OR ANOTHER UNIFORM ELECTION DATE) SHOULD STATE LAW ALLOW SUCH CHANGE IN THE FUTURE. • DATE CAN ONLY BE CHANGED ONCE EVERY 5 YEARS. 8  7/17/2020 PROPOSITION E – BALLOT LANGUAGE AUTHORIZING CITY COUNCIL TO CHANGE POLLING LOCATIONS SHALL SECTION 5.05 OF THE CITY CHARTER BE AMENDED TO ALLOW THE CITY COUNCIL TO CHANGE THE POLLING LOCATIONS OF THE GENERAL CITY ELECTION TO THOSE DESIGNATED IN THE ELECTION ORDER? PROPOSITION E - EXPLAINED • ALLOWS FLEXIBILITY IN THE CITY’S POLLING LOCATIONS. 9  7/17/2020 NEXT STEPS • HOLD THE PUBLIC HEARING. NO OTHER ACTION IS NEEDED AT THIS TIME. • A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING AND ACTION ON THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS IS SCHEDULED FOR JULY 28TH. • ADDITIONAL COUNCIL ACTION, SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 11TH, IS REQUIRED TO CALL FOR A CHARTER AMENDMENT ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 3, 2020. 10