Oviedo in the News

residents will decide four charter amendment questions this election

The below is a City-drafted synopsis of each of the four (4) Charter Question/Amendments residents will have the option to vote on this election cycle. To learn more, including the purpose of the City Charter and details about the process to update the City Charter, visit youroviedocharter.com.

Read the questions/amendments in their entirety, exactly as they will appear on the ballot, at youroviedocharter.com.

Question/Amendment 1 – Term Length
 Oviedo City Council Members, including the Mayor, each presently serve a two-year term, with elections occurring annually. Oviedo voter turnout in an off-year election, on average, is 5,036. Oviedo voter turnout in a statewide election year, on average, is 17,957. The cost the City incurs per voter is $5 in City-run elections (non-statewide) while the average cost the City incurs per vote is $0.18 in years in which statewide elections occur.

• Amendment 1 would increase the Oviedo City Council and Mayoral terms to four years in a phased implementation.
• Amendment 1 would move City elections to coincide with presidential and gubernatorial (statewide) elections, saving the City of Oviedo an estimated $22,408.33 in election costs per election based on voter turnout averages.

Question/Amendment 2 – Debt Financing
 In the 15 years since the City last raised its debt issuance limit, the consumer price index has risen 28.54% so- what cost $5,000,000 in 2006 now costs $6,427,076.

• Amendment 2 would increase the total amount of debt allowed per calendar year from $5 million to $10 million (the current Charter provision that requires an affirmative vote of four (4) City Councilmembers at a public hearing for debt issues would remain unchanged).
• The $10 million limit would not apply to debt secured by water, wastewater, stormwater utility funds or debt associated with operational leases.
• Amendment 2 would remove an obsolete sentence pertaining to the past purchase of Alafaya Utilities, Inc.

Question/Amendment 3 – Election Provisions
 The increase in the number of signatures required on a nominating petition reflects the City’s population growth and requires candidates to have “sweat” equity in qualifying to seek election for City Council or Mayor. Other changes reflect the current state election process governed by state statute, includes clean-up language and reflects the current standardized state form.

• Amendment 3 would increase the thirty (30) and sixty (60) day timeframes to sixty (60) and ninety (90) days, respectively, to reflect the current election process.
• Amendment 3 would increase the number of signatures required to be obtained on a nominating petition from twenty-five (25) to one hundred fifty (150).
• Amendment 3 would correct a scrivener’s error by replacing the word “ref” with the word “recall” [Sec. 3.03.04].
• Amendment 3 would delete a sentence and revise a sentence because the nominating petition is a standardized state form. [Sec. 3.03.10 & 3.03.11].

Question/Amendment 4 – City Clerk/Public Depositories
 Various parts of the current Charter require updates to correct outdated provisions, inconsistencies, and a typographical error.

• Amendment 4 would delete the provision that requires the City Manager to furnish a bond (City Councils historically have not required City Mangers to furnish a bond).
• Amendment 4 would delete a sentence to eliminate an inconsistency that states that the City Manager shall appoint, suspend, demote and/or remove any subordinate officers and employees under the city manager’s jurisdiction, including the City Clerk.
• Amendment 4 would delete the word “in” from a sentence to correct a typographical error. [Sec. 4.07].

Visit youroviedocharter.com for more information.