Proposed Charter Amendment 1: Section 2-8. Vacancies on the November General Election ballot has to do with how City Council fills vacancies. The current section only addresses vacancies if a Councilmembers dies, resigns or is disqualified; it does not address a vacancy caused by having no candidates file for election. The new language will address unfilled seats for any reason and requires that the action take place within 45 days of the vacancy being created. The new language also states that if City Council has not filled the vacant seat within 45 days, then the mayor may appoint a qualified elector to the vacant seat.
The proposed changes also potentially modifies the number of votes required to fill the vacancy. Under the current language at least four affirmative votes are needed to select someone to fill the vacancy. The new language requires a majority vote of those members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. This change is important should there be a major city-wide catastrophe and less than four Councilmembers survived, allowing the government to continue functioning.
For the full ballot language, visit our Public Notices page.
Original source can be found here.
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