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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2019 1002 REG CCSA ITEM 09ECITY OF MOORPARK, 
CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of October 2, 2019 ACTION Directed staff to return to Council to discuss the number of Council Districts and term limits following the November 2020 Election. BY B.Garza. E. Consider Direction to Staff Regarding the Placement of Potential Ballot Measures on a Future Election to Consider Reaffirming or Repealing a Directly-Elected Mayoral Position, and Establishing Councilmember Term Limits. Staff Recommendation: Consider the report and provide direction to staff. (Staff: Ky Spangler) Item: 9.E. MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Ky Spangler, City Clerk DATE: 10/02/19 Regular Meeting SUBJECT: Consider Direction to Staff Regarding the Placement of Potential Ballot Measures on a Future Election to Consider Reaffirming or Repealing a Directly-Elected Mayoral Position, and Establishing Councilmember Term Limits BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION In April 2019, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 467 transitioning the City’s method of election from an “at-large” system to a “by-district” format. As part of the transition to a District-based election system, it was requested that staff return with a report to consider a potential measure on a future ballot asking citizens to re-visit their desire to directly elect their Mayor. Additionally there was interest expressed in exploring a potential measure instituting term limits for members of the Moorpark City Council. DISCUSSION In June 1988, the City Council adopted a Resolution placing a Council-initiated measure on the ballot for voter consideration during the November 8, 1988 election. The measure (Measure D) asked Moorpark voters two questions: • Shall the electors elect a Mayor and four City Councilmen?; and • Shall the term of office of Mayor be two years or four years? Of the 8,254 ballots cast in response to the question of directly electing a Mayor, 6,045 voted yes (73.2%) while 2,209 voted no (26.8%). Of the 8,066 ballots cast in response to term length, 6,418 or 79.6% voted for a two-year term while 1,648 or 20.4% voted for a four-year term. It should be noted that not all voters cast a ballot with respect to the question of term length. Item: 9.E. 117 Honorable City Council 10/02/2019 Regular Meeting Page 2 Measure D went into effect for the 1990 General Municipal Election, resulting in Paul Lawrason, Jr. becoming Moorpark’s first directly-elected Mayor. Mr. Lawrason, Jr. served three two-year terms (1990-1996) as Mayor. Elected Mayors in the County of Ventura Of the 10 cities in Ventura County, four have directly-elected Mayors, all serving two- year terms (Ojai, Oxnard, Moorpark, and Simi Valley). Ojai was the most recent city to make this transition, doing so in 2014, with the voters also selecting a two-year term for its directly-elected position. The six remaining cities in the County elect their Councilmembers “at-large,” and these City Councils annually or biennially consider nomination and appointment of a Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem from their sitting members. It should be noted that, in 2018, the City of Ojai placed a Council-initiated measure (Measure J) on the November ballot asking voters if they wished to repeal the previous measure that established the directly-elect mayoral position. By a margin of 65.4% to 34.5%, voters reaffirmed their prior decision to elect their Mayor directly and maintain the two-year term. Staff is seeking direction on whether the Council wishes to consider a measure regarding the manner of mayoral election at this time. Term Limits Of the 10 cities in Ventura County, three cities (Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura) have established terms limits through voter-approved measures. Camarillo is the most recent city to approve term limits, in 2018, while Thousand Oaks approved term limits in 2012, and Ventura approved limits in 2016. The Simi Valley City Council has previously considered staff presentations in 2011, 2015, and 2018 regarding Councilmember term limits; however, to date, a ballot measure has not been placed before the voters. Additionally, in the City of Oxnard, a citizen-initiated term limits measure has been submitted to the City Clerk’s Office, and proponents are currently collecting signatures in an effort to qualify the measure for the ballot. Staff is seeking direction on whether the Council wishes to consider a term limits measure at this time. 118 Honorable City Council 10/02/2019 Regular Meeting Page 3 Timing of a proposed Ballot Measure(s) The County of Ventura Elections Division will conduct two consolidated elections in 2020; the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary, and the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election. Ventura County cities will consolidate their General Municipal Elections with other elections conducted by the Elections Division on these dates. Each election has a prescribed calendar of activities developed by the County to comply with various provisions of the California Elections Code (E.C.) including such milestones as deadlines for candidate nomination filings, submittal of ballot measures, and periods for the filing of arguments and rebuttals to proposed measures. The table below highlights key dates associated with ballot measures proposed for the March and November elections: Last day to request consolidation (Election minus 88 days) (E.C. 9241, 10403) December 6, 2019 August 7, 2020 Measure(s) to City Attorney to prepare Impartial Analysis (Election minus 87) (E.C. 9280) December 7, 2019 August 8, 2020 Arguments filing period. (E.C. 9282, 9295) Not available Not available Rebuttals filing period. (E.C. 9285, 9295) Not available Not available Pursuant to the Elections Code, should the City Council wish to place a measure on the March 3, 2020 Primary election, the deadline to submit a resolution requesting consolidation and providing ballot text of measure(s) is December 6, 2019 (88 days prior to the date of election). It should be noted that the Ventura County Elections Division has confirmed it would be unable to accommodate the filing of Arguments or Rebuttals to a measure(s) in the event resolutions are received on December 6 due to the timing required for printing of the Countywide Voter Information Guide. Should the City Council wish to place a measure on the November 3, 2020 General election, pursuant to the Elections Code the deadline to submit a resolution requesting consolidation and providing the ballot text of measure(s) is August 7, 2020. This date would also result in inadequate time for the filing of Arguments or Rebuttals based on the deadline for printing of the Voter Information Guide. However, in the event that the City Council adopts consolidation and measure language resolutions prior August 7, the ability to file Arguments and Rebuttals may exist, and timing can be re-evaluated. 119 Honorable City Council 10/02/2019 Regular Meeting Page 4 FISCAL IMPACT The City Clerk’s Office requested a rough cost estimate from the County of Ventura Elections Division for potential measures on both the March and November ballots. It should be noted that election costs can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors including the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction and length of the measure. The Elections Division’s estimate for a three-page ballot measure on the March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election is $27,000 plus legal publication costs. Legal publication costs vary based on the length of the measure and therefore can vary greatly; a rough estimate of $2,000 would be a reasonable amount to apply for a measure that would be relatively short. Should the Council wish to place a second measure on the same ballot, the cost would increase by approximately $7,000. The Election’s Division’s estimate for a two-page ballot measure on the November 3, 2020 General Municipal Election is $4,500 plus legal publication costs. Should the Council wish to place a second measure (estimated at seven pages) on the same ballot, the cost would increase by approximately $8,500 plus legal publication costs. The Fiscal Year 2019/20 adopted Budget does not include an allocation for election expenses, as no election expenses were anticipated prior to November 2020. Costs associated with the November 2020 General Municipal Election will be included in the Fiscal Year 2020/21 Budget. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Consider the report and provide direction to staff. Attachment 1: County of Ventura Elections Division, Election Measure Cost Estimate dated September 19, 2019 Attachment 2: County of Ventura Elections Division, Election Measure Cost Estimate dated September 26, 2019 120 County of Ventura COUNTY CLERK-RECORDER, REGISTRAR OF VOTERS September 19, 2019 Ky Spangler, City Clerk City of Moorpark 799 Moorpark Avenue Moorpark, CA 93021 Re: City of Moorpark -Measure Cost Estimate Dear Ms. Spangler: MARK A. LUNN County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters JAMES B. BECKER Assistant County Clerk and Recorder TRACY D. SAUCEDO Assistant Registrar of Voters MARTIN E. COBOS Operations Manager MIRANDA L. NOBRIGA Public Information Officer The estimated election cost for the City of Moorpark for a 3-page measure consolidated with the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election is $27,000 plus Legal Publication cost. The estimated cost for each additional measure is an additional $7,000 plus Legal Publication cost. This information should be used for informational purposes only and not an actual cost. The total amount is subject to change and could increase or decrease the cost, once the election has been completed. Please call me at 654-2700 if you have questions. MARTIN E. COBOS Operations Manager Preserving History • Protecting Democracy Elections Division • 800 South Victoria Avenue Ventura , CA 93009-1200 • (805) 654-2664 • Fax : (805) 654-9200 • www.VenturaVote .org ATTACHMENT 1 121 County of Ventura COUNTY CLERK-RECORDER, REGISTRAR OF VOTERS September 26, 2019 Ky Spangler, City Clerk City of Moorpark 799 Moorpark Avenue Moorpark, CA 93021 Re: City of Moorpark -Election Measure Cost Estimate Dear Ms. Spangler: MARK A. LUNN County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters JAMES B. BECKER Assistant County Clerk and Recorder TRACY D. SAUCEDO Assistant Registrar of Voters MARTIN E. COBOS Operations Manager MIRANDA L. NOBRIGA Public Information Officer The estimated election cost for the City of Moorpark for a 2-page measure regarding a directly-elected mayor position to be consolidated with the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election, is $4,500 plus legal publication costs. The estimated cost for a 7-page measure for consideration of term limits for elected officials, consolidated with the November 3, 2020 Presidential General Election is $8,500 plus legal publication costs . This information is intended for informational purposes only and not an actual cost. The total cost is subject to change and could increase or decrease, once the election has been completed. Please call me at (805) 654-2700 if you have questions . TRACY D. SAUCEDO, CERA, REO Assistant Registrar of Voters Preserving History • Protecting Democracy Elections Division • 800 South Victoria Avenue Ventura , CA 93009-1200 • (805) 654-2664 • Fax : (805) 654-9200 • www.VenturaVote.org ATTACHMENT 2 122