Council mulling charter changes

An already crowded November ballot could become more complicated as the Spokane City Council considers more than a dozen ballot proposals.

On Monday, the council will debate the proposed changes to the City Charter. If the council decides to ask voters for the amendments – many of them minor clarifications – it could make the November ballot two pages and make the ballot packet more expensive to mail, thus requiring voters to add more postage.

An extra page also would cost about $50,000 in printing and add complications “not just administratively, but also for the voter,” said Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton.

Dalton said it’s too early to tell if a second page is needed. She said her office is considering lengthening the ballot from 14 to 17 inches to prevent the extra headaches of a second page. If a second page is needed, she said, her office could decide to cover the cost of excess postage when voters forget to use the proper stamp, or those ballots could be rejected.

Council President Joe Shogan said he leans in favor of delaying charter amendments until November 2011.

“I’d just as soon wait for the municipal elections next year,” Shogan said. “I don’t think it’s the right time to be spending money on elections that aren’t critical.”

Assistant City Attorney Mike Piccolo estimated that it will cost about $5,000 for each charter amendment the city places on the ballot. The city also may be responsible for any cost to add a second sheet.

One of the most debated of the charter proposals would change term limit rules to allow someone to serve as City Council president for up to two terms even after serving two consecutive terms in a regular City Council seat. It also would allow someone who has served two terms as City Council president to serve as a regular council member for up to two terms. Currently, rules could be interpreted to bar anyone who has served two consecutive terms as president or as a regular member from serving on the council again.

Other changes would:

• Stipulate that recall elections of council members elected by district would be held only in the member’s district. Currently, those elections would be held citywide.

• Require the City Council president to cease being council president in the event that the president takes over for the mayor if the mayor cannot perform his or her duties. The council president already is the next-in-line to the mayor.

• Remove a salary cap on the city’s chief administrative officer. Currently that official’s maximum pay is 110 percent of the next highest paid employee.

• Remove a requirement that the City Council sign off on the hiring of outside attorneys.

• Allow the city to hold more than one special election within a six-month period.

Councilman Jon Snyder said he generally favors putting the amendments before voters, but he’s open to waiting depending on election complications. “I thought all of them were worthy of passing, but I was looking forward to a dialogue on them,” he said.