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08/16/2005 Meeting Minutes
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08/16/2005 Meeting Minutes
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North Olmsted Legislation
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8/16/2005
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2005
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Council Minutes of 8/16/2005 <br />Charter Review Commission to review the Charter and recommend to City Council charter <br />amendment proposals that improve the government of the City. While City Council retains the <br />ultimate authority to recommend Charter amendment proposals at any time to the people, he <br />believes City Council, during the year that Charter Review conducts its comprehensive review of <br />the Charter, should pay respect and deference to the work of the Commission to insure that it <br />remains a viable part of the City government. The Charter Review Commission, consisting of <br />four Council appointees and three Mayoral appointees, met twice each month from January to <br />June of this year, and, after completing awell-planned and comprehensive review of the Charter, <br />recommended 13 charter amendment proposals to the Council The proposal contained in <br />Ordinance 2005-27 was not among those recommended proposals. This fact, in his judgment, is <br />a significant factor that Council should carefully consider, particularly where the Commission is <br />the body expressly charged by the City Charter with the responsibility to review and make <br />comprehensive recommendations for Charter changes every five years. <br />Second. This proposal would take away the people's right to vote for an elected office in the <br />City of North Olmsted. This proposal is not to eliminate a position or the duties of a position; <br />the gist of the proposal is simply whether the people should continue to have the right to vote <br />separately for the President of Council. To the best of his knowledge, there is no initiative <br />movement afoot among North Olmsted voters to cede to Council their right to vote for this <br />office. Given that neither the Charter Review Commission nor the people have proposed to <br />eliminate this elected office, Council should have compelling reasons, in his judgment, to <br />recommend the proposal to the people in a manner that transcends the political considerations <br />that he earlier alluded to. <br />Third. The elimination of the elected President of Council position, from a fiscal perspective, <br />saves no significant dollars for the City, given that the office is part-time, pays only $12,000 per <br />year with no benefits, and the City's total operating budget in all funds exceeds sixty-five million <br />dollars. From acost/benefit perspective, eliminating the office results in cost savings that are, <br />figuratively speaking, a mere drop in the bucket. <br />Fourth. An elected President of Council, much like an elected Director of Law in the City <br />Administration, is an independent force in the City Council. He or she is charged by the people <br />to take no sides on issues that come before the City Council; and, given that neutral and <br />independent status, he or she works primarily to facilitate open and robust discussion on the <br />many issues that come before City Council. The President of Council, as a neutral and <br />independent presiding officer, thus insures all members of Council, both members on the <br />majority side of an issue, as well as members on the minority side, get a full and fair opportunity <br />to test the merits of their positions in full and open debate. If any person elected by the people to <br />the office of President of Council doesn't perform this primary duty of the office as it was <br />intended by the people to be performed, then the appropriate political remedy is for the people to <br />elect a new President of Council-not to eliminate the elected position. <br />Fifth. The other important function or duty of the President of Council is to serve as Mayor in <br />the absence of the Mayor and to fill vacancies in the office of Mayor in the event the Mayor <br />resigns or otherwise leaves office. Once again, in currently exercising their right to vote directly <br />for their President of Council, the people have the opportunity to review the qualifications of the <br />6 <br />
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