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Chair Jeff Cogen

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Residents will vote on six charter revisions this November

July 19, 2010

The measures, which cover issues from library funding to election restrictions, were drafted by the Charter Review Committee. The 12-citizen committee spent the past nine months poring over the county’s governing document and collecting input from fellow county residents. The Charter requires this citizen review process every six years.

The committee’s recommended amendments, summarized below, must be approved by a majority of voters before they become official amendments to the county charter.

  • Creation of a library tax district- Allows commissioners to refer the formation of a special library tax district with permanent funding to the voters. Currently, the library receives over 60 percent of its funding from a serial levy that must be approved by county voters every five years. 
  • Allow elected officials to file for another elected post- Allows elected officials to run for another office without resigning from their current post at any time during the current term, thus preventing unnecessary vacancies and the cost of special elections.
  • Remove county term limits- Current limits prevent elected officials from serving more than two four-year terms in a row, in any single county position, within a 12-year period.
  • Sheriff and DA salaries- Requires the salary commission (appointed by the auditor) to set the salary for the sheriff and the supplemental salary for the district attorney.  The salary commission already performs these tasks, by request of the commissioners.
  • Residency requirements- Requires commissioners to remain residents of the district they represent while in office. Commissioners are currently required to live in the district they represent for 18 months before taking office. Under this proposal, moving out of one’s district is equated with resigning
  • Elections for vacant posts- Limits elections to fill vacancies to elections in May and November elections. A cost-saving measure that would eliminate special elections.

During this session, the Charter Review Committee addressed other issues which they decided did not, ultimately, warrant revision. Namely, they did not recommend changing the sheriff from an elected to an appointed position or expanding the required qualifications for the office.