City of Gresham
Measure No. 26-70
BALLOT TITLE
CHARTER AMENDMENT TO CORRECT DOUBLE NUMBERING ERROR
QUESTION: Shall the City Charter be amended to correct a numbering error caused by double numbering at Section 43?
SUMMARY: The current city charter contains two sections 43. The first Section 43 relates to formation of the city Budget Committee, and is found in Chapter X, Miscellaneous Provisions. The second Section 43 is titled Ordinance Power, and is found in Chapter XI. The measure proposed corrects the double numbering problem and renumbers the first section 43 to “Section 42B. Budget Committee.” The measure would take effect on January 1, 2005.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
The current Gresham City Charter was adopted May 2, 1978. It was last revised by the voters on November 3, 1998. Pursuant to the terms of the charter, the city council convened a Charter Review Committee comprised of local citizens to complete a periodic review of the charter and address a variety of issues and concerns that had been raised regarding the document. On January 20, 2004, the 2003 Charter Review Committee recommended to council that a number of charter changes be referred to the voters for consideration. Among them was a change in the numbering of a charter section to correct a scrivener’s error. On August 3, 2004, council approved sending this scrivener’s change measure to the voters at the November 2004 election.
The current city charter contains two sections 43. The first Section 43 relates to formation of the city Budget Committee, and is found in Chapter X, Miscellaneous Provisions. The second Section 43 is titled Ordinance Power, and is found in Chapter XI. Duplication of section numbers in a municipal charter can cause confusion when referring to the affected provisions and in maintaining the history of charter changes. The measure is entirely technical in nature and has no substantive effect on either of the two provisions involved. The measure corrects the double numbering problem and renumbers the first section 43 to “Section 42B. Budget Committee.”
If approved by voters, the measure would take effect on January 1, 2005.
Submitted by:
Debbie Jermann,
Gresham City Clerk
No arguments FOR or AGAINST this measure were filed