City Council
MEETING DATE: 2/8/2017
TITLE:
Title
Council Policy on Mayoral Rotation under the City Charter
End
FROM:
Charlie McClendon, City Manager
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council introduce for first reading, waive reading beyond the title and approve an ordinance establishing the policy for Mayoral Rotation under the City Charter.
Body
BACKGROUND:
On November 8, 2016 Cathedral City voters passed Measure HH, which adopted Charter government for the City. Under the Charter the current Mayor and Council will complete the terms to which they have been elected. Then the Charter provides in Section 601 that "The City Council members shall be elected at a general municipal election on even numbered years, three (3) City Council members beginning in 2018 and two (2) City Council members beginning in 2020, each for a four (4) year term." The Charter goes on to state in Section 603 that "Effective at the end of the current term of the elected Mayor, the position of Mayor shall become an appointed, rotating position. The City Council at the first meeting in December each year, shall appoint a Council Member to serve as Mayor for a one-year period on a rotating basis. After the City Council appoints the Mayor, at the first meeting in December each year, the Council shall appoint a Council Member to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for a one-year period on a rotating basis. The process for appointment of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem shall be implemented by ordinance of the City Council in accordance with this Section." Council discussed the policy in study session on January 25, 2017. Revisions suggested at that time are incorporated in the proposed ordinance.
DISCUSSION:
The proposal before the Council is to establish a procedure to guide the selection of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem each year, beginning at the first meeting in December of 2018. At that time the Council will consist of five Councilmembers with three having been elected in November of 2018 and two serving terms to which they were elected in November of 2016 (assuming there has been no turnover in the interim).
Included in the Council agenda packet for the first meeting in December of 2018, staff will provide a ranking of the five Councilmembers based on seniority. The Councilmembers will be ranked from 1 to 5, with 1 being the most senior member of the Council and 5 being the least senior. In cases where two or more Councilmembers have equal seniority, the highest voter getter among those with equal seniority, from the election at which they were most recently elected, will be ranked highest and the second highest vote getter will be ranked next, and so on. Seniority will be calculated based on uninterrupted service on the Council as either Mayor or Councilmember.
Council will then vote to appoint the number one ranked Councilmember as Mayor to serve a one-year term through the first meeting in December of 2019. Then Council will vote to appoint the number two ranked Councilmember to serve as Mayor Pro Tem for the same one-year term. The Councilmembers who were ranked 3, 4, and 5 on the seniority list will then move up to become numbers 2, 3 and 4 respectively on the list and the Councilmember appointed to be Mayor (previously ranked number 1) will become number 5 on the new list and the Councilmember appointed to be Mayor Pro Tem will move up to number 1 on the new list. Any Councilmember, at their time to be appointed Mayor, may decline the appointment and the rotation will move on to the next Councilmember on the list. If a Mayor, for whatever reason, does not complete their full on-year term, the Mayor Pro Tem will complete the term. Such time completing an unexpired term will not prevent that Councilmember from serving their full one-term as Mayor according to the rotation.
The process described above will then be repeated at the first meeting in December of 2019 and each year thereafter. At such time as the Council elections convert to district elections as outlined in the Charter, Council will likely have to amend the ordinance to make changes necessary to reflect the change to districts as using total votes to break ties in seniority may no longer be the best way to break ties.
Council discussed this proposal during the study session on January 25, 2017 and provided direction to staff regarding an ordinance to implement the rotational process. The ordinance incorporates the suggestions made by Council at study session. The ordinance will receive first reading on February 8, 2017, to be followed by second reading on February 22, 2017. The ordinance would then become effective thirty days after second reading assuming it is approved.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
Ordinance