Consideration and Approval of Contract:  Intergovernmental Agreement between City of Flagstaff and Coconino County for election services for the May 20, 2014, Special Election.

Approve the Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Flagstaff and Coconino County for election services for the May 20, 2014, Special Election.

The attached Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) outlines the roles of the City and County in the May 20, 2014, Special Mail Ballot Election for ratification of the Regional Plan.  Changes to this IGA from agreements approved in the past are:  1) a new Dispute Resolution (Section 11) to address what process will be followed should questions arise about the conduct of the election; and 2) additional language regarding compliance with laws that allows for consultation with the Secretary of State to determine what procedures are appropriate and lawful for conducting elections. 

This election has been budgeted in the FY2014 Budget for $125,000. The services provided by the County are charged at $2.50 per registered voter. With approximately 31,000 registered voters, the County charges should be around $77,500. Additional expenses will be incurred with Election Operation Services for compilation, translation, and mailing of the associated Publicity Pamphlet.

  11. Effective governance.

While the City Council has discussed the Regional Plan much of last year, it was on January 14, 2014, that the Flagstaff Area Regional Plan 2030: Place Matters was adopted and the Council called for the May 20, 2014, Special Election to ratify that action as required by State law.

1) Approve the IGA as presented or  2) amend the IGA and return to Coconino County for further consideration.

On January 14, 2014, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2014-02 calling for a Special Election on May 20, 2014, to ratify the action taken by the Council in adopting the Flagstaff Area Regional Plan 2030: Place Matters on that same date. This IGA outlines the responsibilities of the City and County with respect to this election. It also includes a new section (Section 11) to address dispute resolution, should the City receive complaints on the operation of the election.

As you know, questions were raised about election procedures during the 2012 election, which were forwarded to the County. Some of those issues were addressed by the then-current County Recorder.  After consultation with the Secretary of State's Office, the City Clerk, the current County Recorder, and the City Attorney believe that many of the remaining concerns raised have been addressed.  We are confident that this election will proceed in accordance with State law.  We have also set forth new provisions in the IGA to provide a process for resolving any future disputes.

Inform
Consult
Involve
Collaborate
Empower

An election of this type provides the ultimate power to the voters of the City, in allowing them to ratify, or not, action taken by the Council in adopting the Flagstaff Area Regional Plan 2030: Place Matters in January of this year.