During this week’s regular council meeting, the Milton City Council took the first step in changing the election date concerning both council members and the mayor from the regular primary election in August to the general election in November. With the exception of one nay vote from Council Member Marilyn Jones, the council passed a motion allowing city staff to prepare a city ordinance in order to change the election date.
The motion was made by Council Member Alan Lowery with a second from fellow Council Member Ashley Lay to have the election change take place this year.
One initial concern facing council was whether a referendum was needed in order to change the city’s charter. However, both City Attorney Heather Lindsay and City Manager Brian Watkins said no referendum would be needed in this situation, according to the state’s attorney general.
“From what I have always understood, in order to make a charter change it had to be done by referendum,” Watkins said. “They found with the (attorney general’s) opinion, which says that as long as it does not change the way that people serve…then you can do it by ordinance.”
At the meeting, Watkins informed the council the ordinance can be passed in two readings in the upcoming council meetings held in February and March. Watkins anticipates having the first ordinance prepared for council at next month’s executive committee meeting
Should the ordinance be passed, Watkins said there are two components of the city charter which would need to be changed. The first being the date of the election and second component entails changing the term of office date, which currently states as beginning on the second Tuesday in October.
The council has previously discussed initiating the election change in order to propose a greater turnout upon voters, according to Watkins. Council Member Jimmy Messick previously said the change would also allow for better outdoor campaigning weather conditions.
At the meeting, Lindsay said she would work to have a ordinance draft prepared for the council at the upcoming committee as a whole meeting, scheduled for Thursday, January 21 at 8 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton: Council favors changing election date