01-16-2001 - Conflicting Council Meeting Date in March 2001i
TO: Daniel Hobbs, City Manager and
City Council
FROM: Janet Berry, City Clerk
SUBJECT: CONFLICTING COUNCIL MEETING
DATE IN MARCH, 2001
City of West Carina
Memorandum
AGENDA
ITEM NO. J ��
DATE 1-16-01
SUMMARY: The first regular City Council meeting in March will compete with the general
municipal election activities being conducted in the Council Chambers that same
evening, March 6. The City Council may wish to address that conflict.
BACKGROUND:
From at least January 1960 through December 1991, the City Council met on the first and third
Mondays of the month. For obvious reasons, these dates did not conflict with general municipal
elections held on Tuesdays.
The City Council changed meeting dates to the first and third Tuesdays of the month, effective
January 1992. Interestingly, these dates did not conflict either because general municipal
elections are held on the second Tuesday of April in the even -numbered ,years.
Then, in October 1994 the City Council complied with the Los Angeles County
Registrar/Recorder's request to change the City's general municipal election to March of the
odd -numbered ,years. Most of the cities in L. A. County compiled with that request as the
County was struggling itself to comply with a new state law mandating that the presidential
primary would be conducted in March rather than June, 1996. The County Registrar/Recorder
was very concerned that their organization was not going to be able to serve the cities at the same
time they were preparing and conducting a larger countywide election. In any event, that
particular change created a conflict with West Covina's regularly scheduled Council meetings
because the elections code specifies that general municipal elections set for March of the odd -
numbered years shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday. West Covina's first
such election was held in March 1997.
DISCUSSION:
The March 4, 1997 regular City Council meeting was cancelled due to election activities
scheduled for the Council Chambers. In its place, a special meeting was called for 6:00 pm that
Al same evening, March, in the Management Resource Center, with a very short agenda.
The March 2, 1999 regular Council meeting was also held in the MRC, but at the regular time of
7:30 pm. The agenda was very short (minutes, consent calendar, and demands).
The official results of the March 6, 2001 election will be presented to the City Council at the
second regularly scheduled Council meeting of March 20, 2001. Election matters (acceptance of
official results, oaths of office, and reorganization) are handled at the end of the Agenda.
The City Council may want to consider canceling or rescheduling the March 6 Council meeting.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation is to provide direction, if any, and receive and file the report.
V
7Jane—t'B'erry
City Clerk