Title
Chief Administrative Office and County Counsel recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign the following Resolutions to place ballot measure language on the November 2018 election ballot for the proposed amendments to the following two sections of the County Charter:
1) Resolution 154-2018 Charter Article II, Board of Supervisors, Section 202, "Term of Offices"; and
2) Resolution 155-2018 Charter Article V, Personnel, Section 502.1, “Classified and Unclassified Employees.” (Est. Time: 30 Min.)
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Chief Administrative Office and County Counsel recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 154-2018 and Resolution 155-2018 to place ballot measure language on the November 2018 election ballot for the proposed amendments to the following two sections of the County Charter: Charter Article II, Board of Supervisors, Section 202, "Term of Offices" and Charter Article V, Personnel, Section 502.1, “Classified and Unclassified Employees.”
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The 2015-16 Grand Jury issued a final report titled “21st Century County Charter” in June of 2016, identifying several amendments to the County Charter and recommending that the Board of Supervisors place the identified amendments on the ballot for voters to consider/approve. In its response to the Grand Jury Report, in August of 2016, the Board refered the consideration of those recommendations to a Charter Review Committee.
The 2017-18 Charter Review Committee held 10 meetings between June 26, 2017, and January 8, 2018, and issued recommendations and responses on 15 subject areas of the Charter, including the nine Findings from the Grand Jury as well as six additional areas/items.
At the February 6, 2018, meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the Charter Review Committee presented their recommendations for Charter revisions, which would go to the voters for decision, for discussion with the Board (Legistar Item 18-0143, February 6, 2018). At the conclusion of the February 6, 2018 item, the Board directed that the Chief Administrative Office and County Counsel prepare a summary report addressing six possible amendments to the Charter. Specifically, the Board requested a review of the six identified Charter sections, including a comparison to what other jurisdictions may have in their charter, and the pros and cons of each recommendation.
At its June 26, 2018 meeting, the Board of Supervisors considered the report on the six Charter areas identified for possible amendment and directed staff to return to the Board on July 17, 2018, with recommended ballot language for the two of the items presented here:
(1) Term Limits. Amending Charter Article II, Board of Supervisors, Section 202, "Term of Offices." The Board approved moving forward with draft language to place a measure on the November 2018 ballot asking the voters to approve the addition of one more four-year term, allowing for three consecutive four-year terms. This action would keep all other Charter language the same for this section.
(2) Additional At-Will Classifications. Amending Charter Article V, Personnel, Section 502.1, “Classified and Unclassified Employees.” The Board approved moving forward with draft language to place a measure on the November 2018 ballot asking the voters to approve modifications to this Section to provide that the Board may determine, by Resolution, additional positions to be of the “unclassified service.”
The attached ballot language is provided for the Board's consideration. If approved, the language will be placed before the voters for consideration at the November 2018 election.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board may direct staff to revise the presented language, as long as the total word count for each question remains within the 75-word limit.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
Chief Administrative Office and County Counsel
FINANCIAL IMPACT
As previously reported, the cost of placing a measure on the ballot for the upcoming November election will be “shared” by the other items placed on the ballot, including County and State propositions and special district elections. The Elections Department cannot provide a specific cost estimate until all ballot requests have been submitted; an estimate of the County’s share of placing a Charter Amendment measure on the ballot would be available at the close of the filing period in mid-August. It should be noted that each amended section will be a separate question for the voters, and there will be a cost for each question placed on the ballot.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
None at this time.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Good Governance
CONTACT
Don Ashton, Chief Administrative Officer
Shawne Corley, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer