HomeMy WebLinkAbout102-Attachment A: Proposed ordinance regarding terms for City Commissions.pdf
Ordinance No. _____ 1
ORDINANCE _______
AN ORDINANCE REGARDING TERMS FOR
CITY COMMISSIONS
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Findings.
A. The City of Saratoga has established a number of commissions to advise the City
Council in reviewing, establishing, and implementing City policy in a number of
areas. Commissioners provide an invaluable service to the City and their
participation in these civic affairs goes to the very heart of representative
democracy at the local level.
B. The City Council has established common requirements regarding qualifications,
attendance, removal, vacancies, meetings, and rules of procedure for all City
Commissions including provisions to promote even staggering of Commission
terms.
C. In order to allow flexibility in providing for even staggering of Commission terms
the City Council may, from time to time, find it necessary to establish terms that
are shorter or longer than the standard term. Therefore, this ordinance amends the
Saratoga City Code to allow a Commissioner to be appointed to a term of greater
or less than four years in order to facilitate compliance with the term staggering
rules of the City Code.
Section 2. Adoption.
Section 2-12.030 of the Saratoga City Code regarding Commissioner terms is hereby amended as
set forth below. Text to be inserted is shown in bold italics (example) and text to be deleted is
shown in strikeout (example).
2-12.030 Term.
(a) Each Commissioner shall serve a term of four years unless an alternate term is
specified by the resolution or ordinance establishing the Commission.
(b) No Commissioner shall serve more than two full consecutive terms on a single
Commission. A partial term served as a result of an appointment to fill an unexpired term
is not considered a full term. A Commissioner who has served two full consecutive terms
on a Commission may not be reappointed to that Commission for at least one year
Ordinance No. _____ 2
following the expiration of his or her term. The limitations set forth in this Subsection(b)
shall not apply to the Youth Commission.
(c) For each Commission, the terms of the Commissioners shall be staggered such that
each year the four year terms of approximately an equal number of the Commissioners
shall expire. Where a Commission has seven Commissioners, the terms of two
Commissioners shall expire each year except that in the year after the first six Commission
terms have expired, only one term shall expire. The limitations set forth in this subsection
(c) shall not apply to the Youth Commission.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and section 2-15.020 regarding
Planning Commissioner terms, where the terms of Commissioners on a Commission do
not comply with subsection (c) of this section, a Commissioner may be appointed to a
term of greater or less than four years for the purpose of making the terms of the
Commissioners on the Commission comply with subsection (c). No term shall be reduced
after a Commissioner is appointed to serve the term, except as otherwise provided by this
Code. For purposes of subsection (b) of this section, a term of less than four years
established pursuant to this paragraph is not a full term and a term that is more than four
years at the time of appointment pursuant to this subsection (d) is a single term. This
paragraph shall be of no further force and effect after December 31, 2006.
Section 3. Publication.
This Ordinance shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation of the City of
Saratoga within fifteen days after its adoption.
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Ordinance No. _____ 3
The foregoing Ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the
City of Saratoga held on the ___ day of ___ 2009 and adopted by the following vote following a
second reading on the ___ day of ___ 2009:
AYES: __________________________________________
NOES: __________________________________________
ABSENT:________________________________________
__________________________________________
CHUCK PAGE
MAYOR, CITY OF SARATOGA, CALIFORNIA
ATTEST:
___________________________
ANN SULLIVAN
CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
___________________________
RICHARD TAYLOR
CITY ATTORNEY