Title
Agenda Item:
Consider Appointing Pro and Con Committees for the .01% Public Safety Ballot Issue
Body
Issue:
What process should the City Council use to appoint committees to prepare Voters' Pamphlet statements for and against the Criminal Justice Sales and Use Tax Proposition?
City Manager's Recommendation:
Provide direction to staff on the process to be used to identify and appoint individuals for committees to prepare Voters' Pamphlet statements for and against a ballot proposition authorizing a 0.1% increase in sales and use tax for public safety and criminal justice purposes.
Staff Contact:
Tom Morrill, City Attorney, 360.753.8338
Background and Analysis:
The City Council at its July 10, 2012 regular open meeting approved a resolution directing that a proposition be submitted to the voters authorizing a 0.1% increase in sales and use tax for public safety and criminal justice purposes.
RCW 29A.32.280 provides for the appointment of committees to prepare Voters' Pamphlet statements for and against such a proposition. Each committee is to be comprised of not more than three persons known to favor or oppose (as appropriate) the ballot proposition. The names of committee members are due to the Thurston County Auditor's office by August 7, 2012, in order to timely prepare the Voters' Pamphlet for the November 6, 2012, General Election. If the City cannot find individuals to be on the pro and con committees, the Thurston County Auditor will issue a media release to the public asking for committee members.
Process Options:
1. Council directs the City Manager to seek volunteers for the committees up to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 23, 2012. The names of the individuals who have volunteered for the committees will be brought to Council at its July 24, 2012 Council meeting. At the July 24th meeting, Council decides on the makeup of the committees and those names are added to a resolution such as the attached draft resolution, and the resolution is passed by Council that night.
2. If Council is unable to identify individuals for the committees by its July 24th meeting, Council can direct the City Manager to seek volunteers for the committees up to the time required for the City to submit the committee appointments to the County. If there are more than three volunteers for either of the committees, the City Manager would be directed to use a random process and choose the committee members by lot. Information concerning the selected committee members would then be transmitted to the County in a letter from the City Clerk. The letter would be accompanied by a resolution similar to the attached draft resolution. The resolution for Process 2 would need to have an additional "Section 3" that would direct the City Manager to use the random selection process to determine the committee members. Council would adopt this modified resolution at its July 24th meeting.
Provide direction to staff on the process to be used to appoint committees to prepare Voters' Pamphlet statements for and against the Criminal Justice Sales and Use Tax Proposition.
Financial Impact:
N/A