HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2b - Resolutions relating to the April 10, 2018, General Municipal ElectionDATE: December 5, 2017
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dominic Lazzaretto, City Manager Prepared by: Lisa Mussenden, Chief Deputy City Clerk/Records Manager
SUBJECT: RESOLUTIONS RELATING TO THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL ELECTION
TO BE HELD ON TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018
Resolution No. 7190 calling for the holding of an All-Mail Ballot General Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, for the election of Members
of the City Council in Electoral Districts 2, 3, and 5 as required by the City
Charter and Ordinance No. 2350
Recommendation: Adopt Resolution No. 7191 requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of
Los Angeles to render specified services to the City relating to the conduct
of an All Mail Ballot General Municipal Election to be held on Tuesday,
April 10, 2018 Recommendation: Adopt
Resolution No. 7192 adopting regulations for candidate statements
submitted to the voters at an All-Mail Ballot General Municipal Election to
be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
Pursuant to the provisions of the City Charter, the City of Arcadia will hold a General Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, for the election of three (3) Members of the City Council in the newly-established Electoral Districts 2, 3, and 5 for a full term of
four (4) years pursuant to Ordinance No. 2350. Should the City Council adopt Ordinance,
2352, the term would be automatically extended to November 2022. In order to
commence the election process for the purpose of electing municipal officials, the California Elections Code requires the City Council adopt certain resolutions.
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December 5, 2017
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BACKGROUND
Ordinance No. 2293, adopted in 2011, authorized the conduction of all-mail ballot elections for any City election including general municipal elections for the purpose of electing municipal officials. Ordinance No. 2293 does not call an election for any specific
date but merely gives the City Council the option to conduct all-mail ballot elections on
any established election date. Since then, the 2012, 2014, and 2016 general municipal
elections were all conducted as all-mail ballot elections because they are less expensive, more convenient for the voters, and tend to increase voter turnout. In addition, the majority of Arcadia voters have Permanent Vote-by-Mail status.
Pursuant to Arcadia Municipal Code Section 1704 (Ordinance No. 2350, adopted October
17, 2017), members of the City Council shall be elected from electoral districts, commencing with the upcoming April 2018 election. The districts to be elected in this cycle are Districts 2, 3, and 5, and their seats will be up for election every four years
thereafter (2022, 2026). In April, 2020, the districts to be elected will be Districts 1 and 4,
and their seats will be up for election every four years thereafter (2024, 2028).
DISCUSSION
The attached resolutions for City Council adoption pertain to the electing of municipal
officials and regulations for candidate statements. As proposed, the election would be an
all-mail ballot election and the terms would be for four years. Should the City Council adopt Ordinance No. 2352 (proposed for introduction on this City
Council Agenda under separate item), the Council terms would be extended until
November 2022, providing an additional seven months to have future elections coincide
with the statewide general election cycle. Council terms voted upon at the April 2020 election would be extended similarly (expiring in November 2024). This change is required in order to comply with Senate Bill 415, a new law intended to increase voter
turnout. For all elections commencing with November 2022, Council terms will resume to
the standard four years.
In accordance with State law, vote by mail ballots may be received and counted up to 3 days after the date of the election if one of the following conditions are met:
(a) the ballot/envelope is postmarked, date stamped, or time stamped by the United
States Postal Service or a private company (such as FedEx) on or before election day, or
Resolutions relating to the April 10, 2018 General Municipal Election
December 5, 2017
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(b) if the election official receives the ballot/envelope back without a timestamp or
an illegible one, then it may be counted if the election official’s office timestamps it
as having received it from either the United States Postal Service or a private
company and it is signed and dated on or before election day in accordance with Elections Code.
Ballots personally delivered at the office of the City Clerk after 8:00 p.m. on the date of
election will not be counted.
To allow for this extended collection of ballots, the City’s manual tally of votes will take place on Monday, April 16. In all likelihood, the official results will be presented at the
May 1, City Council Meeting. In this case, unofficial results would be posted until final
results are certified by the Elections Official and then the City Council.
It is recommended that the April 10, 2018, General Municipal Election in Electoral Districts 2, 3, and 5 be conducted as an all-mail ballot election. If the City Council
chooses to conduct the April 10, 2018, General Municipal Election as a traditional polling
site election, resolutions would need to be prepared and adopted at a special meeting no
later than Monday, December 18, 2017. ENVIRIONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental
Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the
environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
The impact to the General Fund is approximately $150,000 for an all-mail ballot election,
which has already been included in the adopted Fiscal Year 2017-18 Budget.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council direct staff to conduct the April 10, 2018, General
Municipal Election by all-mail ballot; and adopt the following Resolutions relating to the
conduction of an All-Mail Ballot General Municipal Election in Districts 2, 3, and 5 to be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2018:
a. Resolution No. 7190 calling for the holding of an All-Mail Ballot General
Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, for the election of Members of
the City Council in Electoral Districts 2, 3, and 5 as required by the City Charter and Ordinance No. 2350.
Resolutions relating to the April 10, 2018 General Municipal Election
December 5, 2017
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b. Resolution No. 7191 requesting the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los
Angeles to render specified services to the City relating to the conduct of an All
Mail Ballot General Municipal Election to be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
c. Resolution No. 7192 adopting regulations for candidate statements submitted to the voters at an All-Mail Ballot General Municipal Election to be held on
Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
Attachments: Resolution No. 7190 Resolution No. 7191
Resolution No. 7192