Three propositions that attempt to clean up the city's primary, but obsolete, governing document will be placed on an increasingly crowded June primary election ballot, the San Diego City Council decided Monday.
With measures on raising the minimum wage and revisions to the city's redistricting process already up for voter consideration, the three City Charter amendments bring the total number of June ballot measures to five.
On Tuesday, the City Council will consider a sixth — a measure that would establish a dedicated funding stream for infrastructure.
If passed by voters, the three charter clean-up items would:
— update bond authorization procedures to conform to state law;
— replace a provision on the way the city levies, assesses and collects property taxes to conform with state law; and
— clarify the authority to fix salaries of elected officials and employee.
Three other proposed measures were postponed for one week so the City Attorney's Office can replace the term "city manager," to "mayor," and references to "auditor" and "comptroller" to "chief financial officer."
If those are approved for the ballot at the March 8 meeting, the total number of ballot measures would grow to nine.
One other proposed item, repealing a never-used City Council power to establish an office of information and publicity, was returned to staff.
For the past year or so, several members of the City Council and city staff have met to review the 85-year-old City Charter and recommend changes that would go before voters.
Many of the revisions have to do with clarifying language, conforming to state law and consolidating scattered topic matters. Bigger-ticket items, such as powers to remove an elected office-holder, could go on the ballot in November.
The actions were approved by the City Council on a series of 7-1 votes. Councilman Todd Gloria dissented, citing costs, and suggested they could wait for the fall.
City Clerk Elizabeth Maland told the council members that they might have to come up with as much as $1 million extra for the city's election budget if all the items go on the June ballot.
