CHARTER MAY BE AMENDED VOTERS TO DECIDE IF THEY WANT SAY ON LAND SALES.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE - Residents will have the opportunity April 5 to vote on 21 proposed amendments that officials say are an effort to ``clean up'' outdated elements of the City Charter. The Glendale City Charter was adopted in 1921 and last amended in 1982. City officials said some provisions have become outdated, and the City Council formed a committee in 2002 to identify provisions that need updating. ``It's important to have the City Charter reflect current practice. You don't want an outdated document,'' said Assistant City Attorney Lucy Varpetian. ``If you have a charter section that is so convoluted convoluted /con·vo·lut·ed/ (kon?vo-lldbomact´ed) rolled together or coiled. you need a road map to understand it, it really should be changed.'' In addition to the cleanup items, some important changes are proposed. For example, Amendment 21 would require the approval of Glendale voters to sell city-owned open space, recreation land or parkland of 5 acres or more. Currently, the sale of that property requires only a four-fifths vote by the City Council. While the City Council has already backed the 21 recommended changes, all charter amendments have to be approved by voters to take effect. The following are brief explanations of the proposed charter amendments: --No. 1: Gender neutrality clause: Allows references to ``he'' in the charter to refer to females, as well. Additionally, ``shall'' would mean mandatory and ``may'' would mean permissive permissive adj. 1) referring to any act which is allowed by court order, legal procedure, or agreement. 2) tolerant or allowing of others' behavior, suggesting contrary to others' standards. PERMISSIVE. . --No. 2: Change of official titles: Allows the change of official titles to reflect titles currently in use. For example, ``city controller'' would be changed to ``director of administrative services.'' --No. 3: Vote canvassing: Provides an additional week to canvass election returns. Currently, the returns must be canvassed at the first regularly scheduled City Council meeting after an election. --No. 4: City Council candidates should be qualified electors electors, in the history of the Holy Roman Empire, the princes who had the right to elect the German kings or, more exactly, the kings of the Romans (Holy Roman emperors). : Brings the residency A duration of stay required by state and local laws that entitles a person to the legal protection and benefits provided by applicable statutes. States have required state residency for a variety of rights, including the right to vote, the right to run for public office, the requirement for council eligibility in line with state law. The charter currently requires candidates to be residents of the city for at least one year. --No. 5: Mayor pro tem [Latin, For the time being.] An abbreviation used for pro tempore, Latin for "temporary or provisional." A person who acts as a temporary substitute serves pro tem. rotation: Directs that the mayor pro tem be selected monthly by alphabetical rotation if the mayor is absent from a meeting. The amendment would codify codify to arrange and label a system of laws. what is already in practice. The charter currently allows the council to choose a colleague at random to act as mayor. --No. 6: Contracts and competitive bidding Competitive bidding A securities offering process in which securities firms submit competing bids to the issuer for the securities the issuer wishes to sell. competitive bidding 1. procedures: The charter now states that any contract for $15,000 or more must be awarded by competitive bidding. The amendment would allow the council to raise or lower that amount and would also require the council to adopt an ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been detailing the procedures for awarding contracts. --No. 7: Filling city vacancies: Requires the City Council to fill a vacancy on the council or for city clerk In the United States, a City Clerk is an elected or appointed official who is responsible as the official keeper of the municipal records. In some places, the Clerk may be known as the "Village Clerk" or "Town Clerk". or city treasurer within 30 days. If council members are unable to make an appointment, they must call a special election within 120 days. The charter currently provides that a vacancy must be filled by a majority vote of the council, without any time requirements. --No. 8: City manager replacement: Allows the assistant city manager to serve as city manager for 30 days, after which the council could appoint an interim city manager. The change would reflect current practice. --No. 9: Changes ``division'' to ``department'': Cleans up outdated language and replaces all references to ``division'' with ``department.'' --No. 10: Changes ``Department of Public Service'' title: Changes the obsolete title to the one now used, Department of Glendale Water and Power. --No. 11: Change title of official newspaper: Changes references to ``official newspaper'' to ``newspaper of general circulation.'' --No. 12: Repeal The Annulment or abrogation of a previously existing statute by the enactment of a later law that revokes the former law. The revocation of the law can either be done through an express repeal language on subordinate officers A subordinate officer, in many navies (and sometimes other services) in the English-speaking world, is an officer who has not finished their initial training. Such officers are not commissioned, but are treated for most intents and purposes as commissioned officers. : Removes duplicate charter language. --No. 13: Library fines: Requires library fines to be paid into the general fund, which provides money for the city libraries. The charter now states that fines be paid into the library fund, which does not exist. Also removes obsolete language referring to ``reading rooms.'' --No. 14: Titles of ``health officer'' and ``city physician'': Removes obsolete references. --No. 15: Council member compensation: Makes council compensation consistent with state law. The measure does not provide for an increase in current council compensation. --No. 16: Citizenship requirements for certain city employees: Makes the charter consistent with state law. The current charter requires city employees to be U.S. citizens. --No. 17: Office hours office hours, n.pl See business hours. for city officers: Allows city office hours to be set by ordinance and to reflect current practice. The charter now states that city offices shall be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. --No. 18: Violation of the charter or ordinances: Changes the maximum fine for violating the charter or a city ordinance from $500 to $1,000. Also allows the city attorney to reduce any violation from a misdemeanor misdemeanor, in law, a minor crime, in contrast to a felony. At common law a misdemeanor was a crime other than treason or a felony. Although it might be a grave offense, it did not affect the feudal bond or take away the offender's property. By the 19th cent. to an infraction Violation or infringement; breach of a statute, contract, or obligation. The term infraction is frequently used in reference to the violation of a particular statute for which the penalty is minor, such as a parking infraction. INFRACTION. . --No. 19: Employees since 1937: Removes obsolete language regarding officers and employees employed as of Jan. 1, 1937, since there are none. --No. 20: Creation of boards and commissions: Allows the City Council to create boards and commissions by ordinance. --No. 21: Sale of city-owned property: Requires a vote of the people, rather than just a four-fifths vote by the City Council, to sell city-owned open space, recreational land or parkland of 5 acres or more. Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com |
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