13.A.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 03/19/2019
- From:
- Stacy Saltzburg, City Clerk
Information
TITLE:
Discussion and Possible Direction: 2019/2020 Election Overview and Timeline Review
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Discussion and possible direction.
Executive Summary:
In 2015, Flagstaff voters amended the City Charter to hold City elections on the days provided for by Arizona statutes. Arizona Revised Statutes § 16-204 prescribes the following election dates:
Primary Elections - fall of even numbered years
General Elections - fall of even numbered years
Special Elections - odd or even years
Some election issues can only be decided at general elections while others can be decided on any of the four dates. Below is a list of the various types of elections and the dates that they may be held.
Primary Elections - Fall of Even Years Only (August)
Primary elections are held only when there are more than two candidates for each seat.
Regular Candidate Elections
Primary Elections - fall of even numbered years
• the tenth Tuesday before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
General Elections - fall of even numbered years
• the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
Special Elections - odd or even years
• the second Tuesday in March.
• the third Tuesday in May.
• the tenth Tuesday before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
• the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Some election issues can only be decided at general elections while others can be decided on any of the four dates. Below is a list of the various types of elections and the dates that they may be held.
Primary Elections - Fall of Even Years Only (August)
Primary elections are held only when there are more than two candidates for each seat.
General Election Only - Fall of Even Years (November)
Regular Candidate Elections
General Obligation Bonds
Sales Tax
Permanent Adjustment of Expenditure Base Limitation
Special Elections - Odd or Even Years
Initiative, Referendum, or Recall
Regional Plan Adoption
Franchise
Charter Amendments
Upcoming Election Dates:
August 27, 2019 (Special Election)
November 5, 2019 (Special Election)
March 10, 2020 (Special Election)
May 19, 2020 (Special Election)
August 25, 2020 (Primary Election)
November 3, 2020 (General Election)
Council reserves the right to call a special election. If it is not the Council's desire to have a special election, ballot measures will be included with the November general election.
Special Election Petition Submittal Deadlines
If an initiative/referendum petition is submitted with the requisite number of signatures the petition will be brought to the Council for consideration of a special election. If a special election is not called, the initiative/referendum issue will be placed on the next General Election which is November 2020.
The deadlines for petition submittal are as follows to be considered for a special or general election:
Should the Council be considering placing any questions on the November 2020 general election, it is not too early to begin the information gathering and education and outreach planning process now. Excise tax (property tax and sales tax) questions and Charter amendments generally have a citizen committee component and the more time that is available for creating the committee and developing recommendations for the Council to consider is extremely helpful. Having time to develop the education and outreach program in advance of the election being called allows the process to begin immediately following the call of the election. The November 3, 2020 general election should be called on or before July 7, 2020 which means recommendations to the Council regarding possible ballot measures need to be discussed and decided upon prior to that date.
For example, if the Council would want to convene a committee to look at recommending capital projects that would be funded through a secondary property tax (which can only be used to pay for general obligation bonds) a schedule could be:
Sales Tax
Permanent Adjustment of Expenditure Base Limitation
Special Elections - Odd or Even Years
Initiative, Referendum, or Recall
Regional Plan Adoption
Franchise
Charter Amendments
Upcoming Election Dates:
August 27, 2019 (Special Election)
November 5, 2019 (Special Election)
March 10, 2020 (Special Election)
May 19, 2020 (Special Election)
August 25, 2020 (Primary Election)
November 3, 2020 (General Election)
Council reserves the right to call a special election. If it is not the Council's desire to have a special election, ballot measures will be included with the November general election.
Special Election Petition Submittal Deadlines
If an initiative/referendum petition is submitted with the requisite number of signatures the petition will be brought to the Council for consideration of a special election. If a special election is not called, the initiative/referendum issue will be placed on the next General Election which is November 2020.
The deadlines for petition submittal are as follows to be considered for a special or general election:
- August 2019 Election - 04/26/2019
- November 2019 Election - 07/05/2019
- March 2020 Election - 11/08/2019
- May 2020 Election - 01/17/2020
- August 2020 Election - 04/24/2020
- November 2020 Election - 07/03/2020
Should the Council be considering placing any questions on the November 2020 general election, it is not too early to begin the information gathering and education and outreach planning process now. Excise tax (property tax and sales tax) questions and Charter amendments generally have a citizen committee component and the more time that is available for creating the committee and developing recommendations for the Council to consider is extremely helpful. Having time to develop the education and outreach program in advance of the election being called allows the process to begin immediately following the call of the election. The November 3, 2020 general election should be called on or before July 7, 2020 which means recommendations to the Council regarding possible ballot measures need to be discussed and decided upon prior to that date.
For example, if the Council would want to convene a committee to look at recommending capital projects that would be funded through a secondary property tax (which can only be used to pay for general obligation bonds) a schedule could be:
| Advertise for Committee Members | Deadline to apply July 2019 |
| Applicants to Council for Consideration | September 2019 |
| Convene Committee | September through December 2019 |
| Committee Recommendations to Council | January 2020 |
| Prepare Preliminary Public Outreach, Surveys, etc. | February through April 2020 |
| Final Council Approval | May/June 2020 |
| Prepare Final Public Outreach Materials Present to service groups |
July through October 2020 |
| Election | November 2020 |
Financial Impact:
Public education and outreach efforts take financial resources that should be planned for accordingly. Expenses related to outreach efforts should be included in the FY20 budget; funding in the upcoming budget would allow for contracts to be awarded and educational materials to be developed well in advance of the election.
Additionally, if the Council should want to hold a special election in the fall of 2019 there will also be expenses related to preparing for and conducting the election. Election costs are based on the number of registered voters; at the last election the City of Flagstaff had just over 40,000 registered voters. Coconino County Elections charges $2.50 per registered voter for an all mail ballot special election and $5.00 per registered voter for a polling place election. If a polling place election is held in conjunction with state, federal, or other county measures the cost is $2.00 per registered voter. There are also costs associated with the development and distribution of the publicity pamphlet.
Additionally, if the Council should want to hold a special election in the fall of 2019 there will also be expenses related to preparing for and conducting the election. Election costs are based on the number of registered voters; at the last election the City of Flagstaff had just over 40,000 registered voters. Coconino County Elections charges $2.50 per registered voter for an all mail ballot special election and $5.00 per registered voter for a polling place election. If a polling place election is held in conjunction with state, federal, or other county measures the cost is $2.00 per registered voter. There are also costs associated with the development and distribution of the publicity pamphlet.
Policy Impact:
None.
Connection to Council Goal, Regional Plan and/or Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan:
There is no Council goal that specifically addresses elections; however, City ballot measures are often based on Council goals.
Previous Council Decision on This:
None.