Ordinance No. 1655 (Word Version)

ORDINANCE NO. 1655

AN ORDINANCE SUBMITTING TO THE ELECTORATE OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION AT THE REGULAR ELECTION TO BE HELD WITHIN THE CITY ON THE 5TH DAY OF APRIL, 1977, CERTAIN CHARTER AMENDMENTS TO ALTER THE MANNER OF ELECTING CERTAIN OF THE COUNCILMEN AND OF THEIR RECALL; TO CHANGE THE SALARIES OF COUNCILMEN; TO PROVIDE FOR RUNOFF ELECTIONS; AND TO ALTER THE TIME OF REORGANIZATION OF THE COUNCIL AFTER ELECTIONS.

BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION: That there be submitted to the registered electors of the City of Grand Junction at the General Election to be held at the various districts within the City on the 5th day of April, 1977, the following proposed charter amendments:

1. That Sections 35, 36 and 28 of the Charter of the City of Grand Junction be amended to read as follows:

DISTRICTING

35. Officers - Terms. That the elective officers under the Charter of Grand Junction shall be members of the council as hereinafter provided, WHO shall be nominated and elected by the qualified electors of the city AND THE DISTRICTS as herein provided. The terms of all elective officers shall commence at ten o'clock a.m. on the first Monday in May following the election and shall be for a term of four years each and until ten o'clock a.m. on the first Monday following the election and qualification of their successors.

36. Membership. The council shall consist of seven members to be designated as councilmen, two members to be elected from the city at large BY THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS THEREOF, and five members to be elected from the districts established within the city BY THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS THEREOF. SUCH PROCESS SHALL BEGIN WITH THE ELECTION OF APRIL 1979, WITH THOSE DISTRICTS AND AT LARGE SEAT UP FOR ELECTION AT THAT TIME. The council shall be the judge of the election and qualification of its own members; shall determine its own rules; shall punish its own members for disorderly conduct, and may compel the attendance of its members. The council may from time to time, by A RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY A two-thirds vote of all its members, change the boundaries of the ELECTION districts OF THE CITY, and said districts, until so changed by the council, shall be AS THEY ARE PRESENTLY designated BY THE COUNCIL.

28. Petition for Recall. Any qualified elector of the city, IF THE HOLDER OF THE OFFICE SOUGHT TO BE RECALLED IS ELECTED AT LARGE, AND OF A DISTRICT, IF SUCH HOLDER SOUGHT TO BE RECALLED IS ELECTED FROM THAT DISTRICT, may make and file with the city clerk an affidavit containing the name of the officer sought to be removed, and a specific statement of the grounds of removal. The clerk shall thereupon deliver to the elector making such affidavit a sufficient number of copies of petitions for such recall and removal, printed forms of which he shall keep on hand. Such petitions shall be issued by the clerk with his signature and official seal thereto attached; they shall be dated and addressed to the city council, shall contain the name of the person to whom issued, the number of forms so issued, the name of the person sought to be removed, the office from which such removal is sought, the grounds of such removal as stated in said affidavit, and shall demand the election of the successor to such office, a copy of which petition shall be entered in a record book to be kept in the office of said clerk. Any defect in said form or record shall not invalidate the same. Said recall petition must be returned and filed with said clerk within thirty days of its issuance. Said petitions before being returned and filed, shall be signed by qualified electors equal in number to at least twenty per centum of the last preceding vote cast for all the candidates for Governor of the State of Colorado by the electors of the city, IF THE HOLDER SOUGHT TO BE RECALLED IS ELECTED AT LARGE, AND OF THE DISTRICT, IF THE HOLDER SOUGHT TO BE RECALLED IS ELECTED FROM THAT DISTRICT, and to each signature shall be attached his place of residence, giving the street and number. Such signatures need not all be on one paper. One of the signers of each such paper shall make an affidavit thereto that the statements therein contained are true, and that each signature appended to the paper is the genuine signature of the person whose name it purports to be. All such papers for the recall of any one officer shall be fastened together and filed as one instrument, with the indorsements thereon of the names and addresses of their persons designated as filing the same.

TO SECTIONS 35, 36 AND 28 OF

FOR THE AMENDMENTS TO/THE CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR THE ELECTION OF DISTRICT COUNCILMEN BY THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT ONLY AND AMENDMENT OF THE RECALL SECTION TO PROVIDE RECALL IN THE SAME MANNER . . .

SECTIONS 35, 36 AND 28 OF

AGAINST THE AMENDMENTS TO/THE CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR THE ELECTION OF DISTRICT COUNCILMEN BY THE REGISTERED ELECTORS OF THE DISTRICT ONLY AND AMENDMENT OF THE RECALL SECTION TO PROVIDE RECALL IN THE SAME MANNER . . .

2. That Section 38 of the Charter of the City of Grand Junction be amended to read as follows:

SALARIES

38. Salaries. At least two meetings of the city council shall be held monthly at such times as may be fixed by the Council, such two meetings to be known as the regular meetings. All other meetings of the city council shall be known as special meetings or adjournments. The president of the council shall be paid a salary of $6,000.00 PER YEAR and all other councilmen shall each be paid a salary of $5,000.00 PER YEAR COMMENCING JUNE 1, 1979.

TO SECTION 38 OF THE CITY CHARTER

FOR THE AMENDMENT/INCREASING THE SALARY FOR CITY COUNCILMEN TO $5,000.00 PER ANNUM, WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL TO RECEIVE $6,000.00 PER ANNUM . . .

TO SECTION 38 OF THE CITY CHARTER

AGAINST THE AMENDMENT/INCREASING THE SALARY FOR CITY COUNCILMEN TO $5,000.00 PER ANNUM, WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL TO RECEIVE $6,000.00 PER ANNUM . . .

4. That Section 22 of the Charter of the City of Grand Junction be amended to read as follows:

RUNOFF

22. Canvass and Election. As soon as the polls are closed, the election judges shall immediately DETERMINE THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION IN THEIR DISTRICTS IN THE MANNER REQUIRED BY THE METHOD OF VOTING AS DETERMINED BY THE COUNCIL. They shall then make return to the city clerk as provided by law. No vote shall be counted for any candidate more than once on any ballot. The person receiving the highest number of votes cast at such election for any office shall be elected to that office; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT SUCH NUMBER OF VOTES MUST ALSO CONSTITUTE A MAJORITY OF THE TOTAL VOTES CAST FOR THE OFFICE. IN THE EVENT NO CANDIDATE FOR AN OFFICE RECEIVES A MAJORITY OF THE VOTES CAST FOR SUCH OFFICE, A RUN OFF ELECTION SHALL BE HELD ON THE LAST TUESDAY IN APRIL FOLLOWING THE GENERAL ELECTION BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES RECEIVING THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. A tie between THE candidates WHERE THERE ARE ONLY TWO IN THE GENERAL ELECTION OR BETWEEN THE CANDIDATES IN A RUNOFF ELECTION shall be decided by lot, under direction of the canvassing board.

TO SECTION 22

FOR THE AMENDMENT/TO THE CITY CHARTER TO PROVIDE RUNOFF ELECTIONS IN THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION . . .

TO SECTION 22

AGAINST THE AMENDMENT/TO THE CITY CHARTER TO PROVIDE RUNOFF ELECTIONS IN THE CITY OF GRAND JUNCTION . . .

5. That Section 39 of the Charter of the City of Grand Junction be amended to read as follows:

REORGANIZATION

39. Terms - Duties. Each council, at its first regular meeting and thereafter when a vacancy occurs, shall elect from its membership a president of the council. He shall serve for a term of ONE YEAR and until his successor is elected and qualified. During such term he shall be a member of the council with the same right to speak and vote therein as any other member, but without the right of veto. He shall be recognized as the official head of the city for all ceremonial purposes, by the courts for the purpose of serving civil process, and by the governor for military purposes. In case of his absence or disability, his duties shall be performed by a president pro tempore, chosen by the council from among its own members.

TO SECTION 39

FOR THE AMENDMENT/TO THE CITY CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR ANNUAL REORGANIZATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL . . .

TO SECTION 39

AGAINST THE AMENDMENT/TO THE CITY CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR ANNUAL REORGANIZATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL . . .

PASSED and ADOPTED this 2nd day of February, 1977.

Lawrence L. Kozisek

____________________

President of the City Council

Attest:

Neva B. Lockhart

____________________

City Clerk

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance, being Ordinance No. 1655, was introduced, read, and ordered published by the City Council of the City of Grand Junction, Colorado, at a regular meeting of said body held on the 5th day of January, 1977, and that the same was published in The Daily Sentinel, a newspaper published and in general circulation in said City, at least ten days before its final passage.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of said City this 3rd day of February, 1977.

Neva B. Lockhart

____________________

Neva B. Lockhart

City Clerk

Published:

Published: February 4, 1977