To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Robert J. Slentz, Town Attorney
Title
Ordinance Proposing Amendments to the Town of Castle Rock Home Rule Charter by Adding a New Section 17-14, Transition to At-Large Mayor and Six Council Districts and Establishing Qualifications for the Office of Mayor, and Referring to the Electorate the Questions of Approving These Charter Amendments at the Special Municipal Election on May 15, 2018 (Second Reading)
Body
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Executive Summary
Ordinance No. 2018-002 was approved on first reading February 6, 2018 by a vote of 6-0. Minor edits were made to the ordinance between first and second reading. In addition, Charter Amendment B was changed to add the employment prohibition.
The Ordinance proposes amendments to the Town of Castle Rock Home Rule Charter and establishes the ballot titles (questions). The nature and rationale for the Charter amendments were reviewed in detail by the Town Council at the January 16, 2018 regular Town Council meeting. The Charter amendment ordinance refers two measures to the voters - a plan to transition to elected Mayor and six Councilmember, and qualifications for Mayor.
If voters are to be given the opportunity to elect a Mayor at the November 2018 regular election, it is necessary for these clarifying amendments to be considered by the voters at the May 15, 2018 Special Municipal Election. The Citizen Advisory Committee recommended unanimously that the transition plan be referred to the voters at a special election.
The ballot title for the Mayor qualifications remains unchanged from the January 16th discussion. In answer to a question raised in the discussion, a candidate with a prior felony conviction who has been reinstated as a registered elector will be eligible to run for Mayor or Councilmember as applicable. Edits to the ballot title for the transition plan were made as directed by Town Council. The ballot titles read as follows:
Home Rule Charter Amendment A:
In order to implement the November 7, 2017 voter-approved amendment to the Town of Castle Rock Home Rule Charter providing for a Town Council consisting of a Mayor elected at-large and six Councilmembers elected from districts, shall the Town Charter be further amended to add a transition plan specifying the November 6, 2018 regular election as the date for election of the Mayor and two Councilmembers and the following regular election as the date for election of four Councilmembers, authorize the Election Commission to timely establish the boundaries of the six Town Council districts in 2018, and make certain other conforming amendments to the Town Charter in accordance with Town Council Ordinance No. 2018-002?
____ Yes
____ No
Home Rule Charter Amendment B:
Shall Section 2-4 of the Town of Castle Rock Home Rule Charter be amended to establish qualifications for the office of Mayor such that the Mayor at the time of nomination, election or appointment is a registered elector of the Town of Castle Rock, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the Town of Castle Rock for twelve consecutive months preceding election or appointment, and prohibit the Mayor from being a paid employee of the Town, in accordance with Town Council Ordinance No. 2018-002?
____ Yes
____ No
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the Ordinance a presented on second reading.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the Ordinance as introduced by title on second reading.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Ordinance