HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 23_Notice of Election_2015.12.01i"'".
CITY OF OWASSO, OKLAHOMA
RESOLUTION 2015 -23
2015 ME -fs AN 10t 17
NOTICE OF ELECTION AND CERTIFICATION
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TULSA COUNTY
WHEREAS, a Primary Election shall be held on the 1'' day of March, 2016 for thrKruV on
FSt pose of
electing an Owasso City Council Member for the ward and term as follows:
WARD NO. TERM
5 3 years
WHEREAS, a General Election, if necessary, shall thereafter be held on April 5, 2016 to elect
said Council Member.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OWASSO, OKLAHOMA:
1. That a non - partisan Primary Election for City Council Members, as set out, be held on
March 1, 2016.
2. That the General Election thereafter, if necessary, be held on April 5, 2016.
3. Only qualified electors of the City of Owasso who reside in the respective ward shall
be qualified to hold the office of Council Member.
4. The filing period will begin at 8:00am on Monday, December 21, 2015 and end at
5:00pm on Wednesday, December 23, 2015.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Owasso, Oklahoma hereby
certifies to the Tulsa County Election Board that Tulsa County precincts #750, 751, 752, 753, 754,
755, 756, 757, 758; 759, 760 and Rogers County precincts #31 and 130 are to be opened; and
Tulsa County precinct #21 and Rogers County precincts #6, 21, 29, and 30 are to remain closed
as there are no residents within city limits of Owasso in those precincts.
PASSED AND APPROVED this Is' day of December, 2015 by the City Council of the City of Owasso,
Oklahoma.
J ri oberly, Mayor
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Sherry BishoVCity Clerk
APPRO AS TO FORM:
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Julie Pmbardi, City Attorney
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TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council APPROVED By COUNCIL
City of Owasso DEC o
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FROM: Juliann M. Stevens
Deputy City Clerk
SUBJECT: Resolution 2015 -23, City Council Election
DATE: November 24, 2015
BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to the provisions of the Owasso City Charter governing the election of City Council
members, "the Council shall take action by Resolution to call any necessary Ward Elections." In
2016, such election is required for Ward 5 for a three -year term.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed and Governor Fallin signed two bills affecting
elections conducted by the County Election Boards. The City of Owasso utilizes the Tulsa County
Election Board to facilitate our city elections, therefore Owasso election dates and candidate
filing periods will be affected by these new laws. Resolutions for elections not conforming to the
new requirements will not be accepted and will not be conducted by the County Election
Board.
The City Charter identifies the primary election to take place on the first Tuesday in March and if
needed, the general election to take place on the first Tuesday in April. In addition, the Charter
sets the candidate filing period as the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in February. As a
result of the changes within the law governing elections conducted by the election board, the
dates in which elections will be held and the beginning of the candidate filing period will no
longer match the Charter language and will vary depending on an even - numbered or odd -
numbered year.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Staff is requesting Council action to approve a resolution calling for an election to be
conducted for City Council Ward 5 on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. In addition, the proposed
resolution identifies the process to be followed in order to meet all legal requirements and allows
for proper notification to the Tulsa County and Rogers County Election Boards.
ELECTION DETAILS:
The election date and filing periods are set in accordance with new state laws governing
elections conducted by the County Election Board.
The filing period for interested candidates will be December 21, 22, and 23, 2015. All candidates
must file a Declaration of Candidacy form with the Tulsa County Election Board between the
hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM on any of these dates.
The primary election will be held on March 1, 2016. The general election, if necessary, will be
held on April 5, 2016.
Only qualified electors who reside within the ward shall be qualified to hold the office of City
Council Member for that ward. However, all registered voters residing within the Owasso city
limits may vote in the election. Should one of the candidates not receive the majority of all votes
cast for the particular ward, a general election will be held.
NEW LAWS AFFECTING CITY ELECTIONS:
Senate Bill 312 limits regular or special elections to fill elective offices and proposition /question
elections to certain election dates during even and odd numbered years. This bill is effective on
January 1, 2016 and applies to all elections after that date.
During even - numbered years, March elections are only allowed when the Presidential
Preferential Primary Election is held. Thus, the City of Owasso will be able to conduct the 2016
candidate election on the first Tuesday in March (3/l/2016).
During odd - numbered years, candidate elections are only allowed in February, April,
September, and November. For the 2017 Council election, a determination will need to be
made regarding which month to hold the candidate election.
Senate Bill 399 standardizes the timefrome for the three -day filing period for interested
candidates. In order for the Election Board to facilitate the city's election, the candidate filing
period must begin no later than twenty days after the date the Resolution is required to be
submitted. However, when the State of Oklahoma calls a special election for the same date as
the municipal election, the deadline changes to ten days after the resolution is due. This is the
case for the 2016 Ward 5 Council election.
The resolution calling the Ward 5 election is due by December 16, 2015; therefore the filing
period must begin no later than ten days following. This makes the filing period for the 2016
election in December, significantly different from the Owasso Charter setting the filing period for
the first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of February.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of Resolution 2015 -23 calling an election for the purpose of electing
City Council representation for Ward 5.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution 2015 -23
Council Ward Map