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less affluent circles. She expressed hesitancy to put undue stress on the Law Department or anyone else, noting that the Board of Elections provides a sound system of reporting. She also pointed out that the ordinance does not contain any limits on donations from PACs. Councilmember Shachner suggested that the ordinance speaks to the issue of people not trusting their government. He suggested that a more straightforward solution would be to require candidates to file campaign finance reports earlier and more often so that the public is aware of a candidate's donors before the end of the election. He stated that this will achieve accountability and provide knowledge to voters. He also pointed out that the proposed ordinance does not permit a candidate to self-fund a campaign. He stated that the ordinance as written has a burden of compliance that is high. Chairman Bullock expressed agreement with a donation limit schedule that mirrors the federal code and to use the Board of Elections to enforce the ordinance. He acknowledged that transparency has improved since the Board of Elections started posting campaign finance reports online but that because of the deadlines, the public is unaware of some donors until after the election. Councilmember Rader stated that the donation limits should not be higher than the federal limits. Councilmember Kepple expressed support for Councilmember Shachner's idea of changing the deadlines of the campaign finance reports. Chairman Bullock did as well. Law Direction Corrigan expressed doubt that the ordinance will achieve its intended results, noting that large donors are the exception in Lakewood politics. He expressed concern that an unintended consequence may be that it provides advantages to incumbents with large campaign "war chests." He noted that Cleveland restricts campaign donations from employees to $100. Acting Finance Director Shuster expressed concerns about how the proposed tax credit would be audited. It would also require changes to the tax software. Councilmember Kepple noted that the state tax credit for political donations is repealed starting in 2020. Director Corrigan expressed additional concerns about the Law Department's role in enforcing the ordinance. He stated that because he works for Council and the Mayor that fining them would be a conflict of interest. In response to a question, he clarified that the state cannot enforce the ordinance because it only enforces state law. In conclusion, Councilmember Rader stated that the ordinance is an attempt to make sure that all candidates have a fair shot and to limit the impact of large last-minute donations. Chairman Bullock summarized that today's discussion included a range of philosophical views on the issue and its mechanics. He stated that the committee will reconvene after several weeks or months once revisions are made. 2