Charter Amendment Attendance Qualifications for City Council

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that a ballot title for an initiative petition was filed with the City Elections Office for the City of Gladstone on May 21, 2020. The ballot title is as follows: CAPTION: Charter Amendment Attendance Qualifications for City Council QUESTION: Should the Charter require the removal of Council members who miss more than three regular meetings in a calendar year? SUMMARY: The City Council consists of the mayor and six councilors. The Charter requires the Council to hold a regular meeting at least once each month. Currently, this regular monthly meeting is held on the second Tuesday of each month. There are no requirements in the Charter mandating attendance at regular Council meetings. The Council rules state that council member attendance is expected, and members should use best efforts to attend all meetings. The Council rules provide a list of excused absences including illness, family emergencies and other absences excused by the Mayor. If approved, this measure would require removal of any Council member who misses more than three regular meetings during any calendar year. The measure does not clarify whether excused absences as defined by the Council rules would count towards the limit of three absences. The measure also does not clarify whether removal is automatic or requires further Council action as mandated by Section 32 of the Charter. The Council may clarify these ambiguities if the measure is approved. The City Elections Official has determined this measure the requirements of Article IV, Section 1(2)(d) and (5) of the Oregon Constitution. An elector may file a petition for review of this ballot title in the Clackamas County Circuit Court no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 2, 2020. Any elector who files a petition to review the ballot title must notify the City Elections Official in writing that the petition has been filed no later than 5:00 p.m. on the next business day following the day the petition is filed. Publish May 27, 2020 CLK165918

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