Pass: 26,170 / 63.68% Yes votes ...... 14,928 / 36.32% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Official Sources of Information

• Official Election Web Site

Background. This measure is the second of three on the ballot proposing a directly elected Mayor and changing the composition of the City Council of the City of Elk Grove ("Council").

Since incorporation, the City of Elk Grove has been governed by a five-member Council. Each year, the Council selects one of its members to be the Mayor for the next twelve months. The Mayor is the presiding officer of Council meetings. The Mayor also performs certain ceremonial functions and has a few administrative duties, such as signing all minutes, resolutions, and ordinances adopted by the Council.

When general law cities seek to designate the office of elected Mayor, state law requires that voters be asked three separate but related questions. Measures K, L, and M are the proposals by the City of Elk Grove to designate the office of elected Mayor and to determine the term of office (two years or four years) for that position.

Effect.

Measure L is a companion measure to Measures K and M. The passage of Measure L would set the term for an elected Mayor at two (2) years only if both of the following occur:

1. A majority of voters approve Measure K, to establish the office of elected Mayor in the City of Elk Grove; and

2. This Measure L (the two-year term of office measure) receives more votes than Measure M (the four-year term of office measure).

If passed, the first opportunity to elect the Mayor would be in November 2012, when the next general election for the City of Elk Grove is scheduled.

A "YES" vote is a vote to create a term of two (2) years for the office of elected Mayor for the City of Elk Grove if Measure K passes.

A "NO" vote is a vote to not create a two (2) year term if the office of elected Mayor passes.

FISCAL IMPACT

Designating the office of elective Mayor would increase election costs if the two-year term of office, Measure L, is selected, as there would be an additional election contest cost (approximately $9,000) every fourth year beyond the election contests currently conducted by the City.

Respectfully submitted,
Susan Burns Cochran, City Attorney