City Council Meeting - FINAL (AMENDED)
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12.N.
Meeting Date:
06/20/2023
From:
Stacy Saltzburg, City Clerk
Information
TITLE:
Consideration and Adoption of Resolution No. 2023-39:
A resolution of the Flagstaff City Council ordering and calling a Special Election of the City for November 7, 2023, to submit questions to the qualified electors of Flagstaff with respect to amendments to the Flagstaff City Charter and a potential question proposed by referendum related to Ordinance No. 2023-11
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
1) Read Resolution No. 2023-39 by title only
2) City Clerk reads Resolution No. 2023-39 by title only (if approved above)
3) Adopt Resolution No. 2023-39
Executive Summary:
The City Council gave direction at the May 9, 2023 Work Session to advance 20 City Charter amendments to the voters in November 2023. Many of the amendments are administrative or technical and seek to update the Charter to align with current practices and changes in state law and remove antiquated provisions that are no longer relevant.
Staff has worked to verify and refine the ballot language for each amendment. During the verification process, one question was eliminated which leaves a total of 19 amendments for voters to consider.
In addition to the Charter amendments, a referendum is currently being circulated with regards to Ordinance No. 2023-11. The filing period for the referendum ends on July 6, 2023. We will not know if the referendum will qualify for placement on the ballot within a timeframe sufficient to provide proper notice and solicitation for pro/con statements from the public. As such, we are including the referendum in this resolution, contingent upon the qualification of signatures. If the referendum is timely with a sufficient number of qualifying signatures, this resolution will allow us to publish a call for pro/con statements within the requirements of state statute and provide an opportunity for the public to submit such statements/arguments for inclusion in the publicity pamphlet.
In the event the petition for referendum is unsuccessful due to lack of timelines, lack of qualifying signatures or otherwise, the City Charter amendments alone will proceed to the ballot but the potential referendum question will not. Accordingly, all pro/con arguments from the public will be accepted for both the City Charter amendments and the potential referendum, with the understanding that the referendum question may not eventually be placed on the November 7, 2023, ballot, in which event, the pro/con arguments regarding the referendum also would not be placed in the publicity pamphlet.
Financial Impact:
The financial impacts include costs associated with the contract with Coconino County Elections to conduct the election as well as costs associated with the development, printing, and distribution of the publicity pamphlet. These costs have been budgeted in account number 001-01-017-0016-1-4290.
Policy Impact:
N/A
Connection to PBB Priorities/Objectives, Carbon Neutrality Plan & Regional Plan:
Priority Based Budget Key Community Priorities and Objectives
High Performing Governance
Inclusive & Engaged Community
Has There Been Previous Council Decision on This:
Council directed the City Clerk to form an Internal Charter Review Committee to evaluate potential Charter amendments and provide a recommendation to Council.
May 9, 2023 - Staff presented the recommendations of the Committee and Council gave direction to advance Charter Amendment questions to the voters at the November 7, 2023 election.
Attachments
Res. 2023-39
Res. 2023-39 - Exhibits
Full Text of the Ballot
Referendum 01-2023