Steubenville charter changes on ballot
STEUBENVILLE — The city’s 10,806 registered voters will have the final say on proposed charter changes when they cast their ballots in the Nov. 4 general election.
The charter, in effect since 1984, is the framework for city government: It spells out everything from council’s makeup to how and in what circumstances an elected official can be booted from office.
Some of the changes requested are relatively minor: In the preamble, one proposed change would recognize that 41 years in under self-rule, the city no longer should be looking for “increased independence for city government and more power over local matters” but, rather, “to secure the benefits of local self-government under the Ohio Constitution and gain oversight of local matters.”
Others reflect the current political climate: Another proposed change, also in the preamble, would make it clear the administration “envisions a welcoming inclusive community,” though not for illegal immigrants. If the change is approved, the revised charter would stipulate that “no ordinance, resolution motion or decree” designating Steubenville as a sanctuary city could be enacted “without formal amendment of this charter by the electors of the city of Steubenville.”
Some voters attending a recent council meeting had voiced concern they weren’t getting a complete picture of the proposed changes, citing as example a proposal in Article II, Section 4 that would allow any four council representatives to vote to remove a member or mayor who “misses four consecutive regular meetings for reasons other than health, or for misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance in office …” and complained it would fall short of the two-thirds majority (five votes) required under the Ohio Revised Code.
Another proposal raising questions, given City Manager Jim Mavromatis’s plans to retire in the spring, would eliminate a requirement that the city manager have an undergraduate degree in public administration, business administration, accounting or a related field and at least two years of experience as a city manager or county administrator or comparable position, or at least five years of experience as an executive officer or chief fiscal officer of any business or governmental entity, which would allow future council members to consider candidates who may not have a degree in public administration but do have strong managerial skills.
Due to the sheer number of charter changes that have been proposed, they won’t be voted on individually. Instead, voters will get to say yes or no eight times — once for each article in the charter.
The proposals are lengthy and were included in a mailing city residents recently received. The proposed amendments were published as part of a legal advertisement that appeared on Page 5D of Sunday’s edition of the Herald-Star; can be found at the city’s website, cityofsteubenville.us; or viewed at the city building.
Here’s a brief breakdown of what voters will see:
• Ballot Issue 2: Article 10 (General provisions): The proposal says a majority of city voters would have to vote “yes” on any of the eight charter ballot issues for the changes to be implemented; any changes approved by voters would take effect Nov. 24.
• Ballot Issue 3: Article 1 (Preamble): The proposed amendment says Steubenville could not become a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants without voter consent; the charter also would state that city administrators envision Steubenville as “a welcoming inclusive community which provides equal protection of the law for all citizens, where no one is denied the enjoyment of civil, economic or political rights and provides adherence to non-discrimination practices as defined by state and national laws.”
• Ballot Issue 4: Article 3 (Ordinances and resolutions): If the proposed changes are approved, five votes would be required to suspend the rules and declare a pending ordinance or resolution to be an emergency so council can dispose of it after just one vote. Also, after their first reading on council floor, all ordinances and resolutions would have to be listed on the city’s website and in a newspaper of general circulation in Steubenville.
• Ballot Issue 5: Article 4 (City manager): If the proposed changes are approved, experience would carry more weight during the city manager search process. The revisions would require at least five council members to vote in favor of a candidate to fill the position. The city manager’s contract would have to include the salary to be paid and would be in effect no more than four years.
• Ballot Issue 6: Article 5 (Administrative departments): The proposed changes would clarify that emergency medical technicians must have firefighter qualifications as well as their EMT qualifications; would say candidates for fire chief will only need seven years of experience as assistant chief or captain-inspector to qualify for consideration, lowering the benchmark from 10 years; would change qualifications for police chief, including time spent as captain or higher depending on educational background; and would give City Council more of a voice in selecting department heads.
• Ballot Issue 7: Article 6 (Boards and commissions): The proposed changes would require the planning commission to publish notice of zoning change requests on the city’s website as well as in the newspaper; eliminate all mention of the Steubenville Board of Health (which was terminated in 2018); and would call for the charter to be reviewed at least every 10 years, with the next review in 2035.
• Ballot Issue 8: Article 7 (Finance, taxation and debt): The proposed changes would require qualifying expenditures or contracts could be posted on the city’s website once a week for two weeks as well as in the newspaper providing at least five members of council signed off on legislation authorizing them to be approved without the competitive bidding process; and, when seeking competitive bids, the city manager could advertise contracts on the city website as well as in the newspaper once a week for two weeks.
• Ballot Issue 9: Article 2 (Council and mayor): The proposed changes would require annual disclosures by council of all potential conflicts of interest and would prohibit council members from proposing or voting on legislation that might benefit their personal interests; would clarify the process needed to remove the mayor or a member or council from office; would clarify how vacant council seats would be filled; would specify that only qualified electors of the city could vote for mayor; uses the more gender-neutral term council person at large to denote who will act as mayor in the event the mayor is unable to attend a meeting, and in the event the office is vacated would complete the unexpired term: make copies of the city’s codified ordinances available for inspection in public libraries; clarify the actual number that makes up a majority; and set pay for members of council at $250 per meeting, with maximum compensation capped at $12,500 per year; the mayor would receive $300 per meeting, with a $15,000 cap.