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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 DIRECTION TO RETURN WITH OPTIONS FOR UPDATING TERM LIMIT ORDINANCEDocuSign Envelope ID: 3E17C9E8-4066-4ABC-AE38-EFDDAFBA8920 MEETING DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: SUMMARY AGENDA REPORT JULY 18, 2023 MATTHEW S. WEST, CITY MANAGER DAVID E. KENDIG, CITY ATTORNEY Agenda Item 5 Reviewed: os City Manager Finance Director DIRECTION TO RETURN WITH OPTIONS FOR UPDATING TERM LIMIT ORDINANCE Provide direction regarding when staff should return to the City Council with options for revisions to the existing limitations on City Council terms in office in light of the City's transition to by -district elections of four Council Members and the separate, directly elected office of the Mayor. RECOMMENDATION Direct staff to return to the City Council with a staff report presenting options for potential amendments to City Council term limits such that the proposed amendments could be presented to Tustin voters at the General Election on November 5, 2024. FISCAL IMPACT None. BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION Tustin City Code (TCC) section 1307 established Tustin's existing term limits as approved by the voters at the November 8, 1994, municipal election. Because the term limits were approved by the voters, any change in the term limits must also be approved by the voters. The primary substantive term limit in section 1307 reads as follows: "No person shall be elected as a member of the City Council for more than two (2) full consecutive terms. Any member of the City Council who has served two (2) consecutive terms shall not be reelected as a member of the City Council for at least two (2) years from the last date of the second consecutive term." On November 1, 2021, the City Council adopted Ordinance 1518 and in doing so established by -district elections of four Council Members and established the separate office of the Mayor to be elected at -large. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3E17C9E8-4066-4ABC-AE38-EFDDAFBA8920 City Council July 18, 2023 Schedule for Updates to the City Term Limits Ordinance Page 2 Potential future amendments to TCC section 1307 would clarify how the City's term limits apply to by -district elections of council members and to the separate at -large election of the Mayor. Any proposed amendments to TCC section 1307 would require voter approval of a ballot measure during one of the following upcoming elections: • A standalone election on November 7, 2023, • The Presidential Primary Election on March 5, 2024, or • The General Election: November 5, 2024. Estimated Election Costs. One consideration in deciding which election to plan for is the election costs associated with adding a measure to the election. Each of the elections has different election costs associated with it, estimated by the County Registrar of Voters as follows: Election Date: Estimated Added Cost of Election: • Standalone election (November 7, 2023): $559,282 - $652,496 • Presidential Primary Election (March 5, 2024): $108,555 - $128,661 • General Election (November 5, 2024): $8,5001 Election Deadlines. Another consideration is the corresponding deadline by which the City must file the resolution proposing the voter measure, the direct arguments, and City Attorney's impartial analysis with the Registrar of Voters. For each of the elections identified above, the corresponding deadline is as follows: 1 The City will be incurring costs for the November 5, 2024 General Election in any case because council members will be elected from three districts at that election. The total estimated cost of the election is $94,847 - $110,383. The additional cost to add a measure addressing term limits would be $8,500. DocuSign Envelope ID: 3E17C9E8-4066-4ABC-AE38-EFDDAFBA8920 City Council July 18, 2023 Schedule for Updates to the City Term Limits Ordinance Page 3 Election Date: Deadline for Election Materials: • Standalone election (November 7, 2023): Friday, August 11, 2023 • Presidential Primary Election (March 5, 2024): Friday, December 8, 2023 • General Election (November 5, 2024): Friday, August 9, 2024. Staff is requesting the Council's direction whether to prepare a staff report for the Council to consider options to amend the term limits, and if so, the timing of the election at which the amendments would be considered. Determining the timing of the election will enable staff to determine a schedule for the policy related code amendment discussion by the Council, and for subsequent adoption of the resolution and other materials required to be submitted to the Registrar of Voters by the corresponding deadlines identified above.