On July 2, 2012 the Kalamazoo City Commission adopted resolutions to present the following charter amendment questions to voters at the General Election on November 6, 2012. The language below is taken directly from the ballots City of Kalamazoo voters will use. These questions appear on the second page of the ballot (i.e., the second sheet of paper).
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #1
Statement of Purpose:
Section 8(a) of the City Charter requires the City Commission to meet at least once every two weeks. The proposed amendment would require regular meetings of the City Commission to occur twice each month.
Question:
Shall Section 8(a) of the City Charter be amended to provide that the City Commission meet in regular session not less than twice each month?
___Yes
___No
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #2
Statement of Purpose:
Section 8(a) of the Charter requires the City Commission to meet at 8 P.M. the first Monday after the November regular municipal election at the usual place for holding meetings. The proposed amendment would require the City Commission meet at 7 P.M. the first Monday following the odd-year November election at a place open to the public and sworn into office.
Question:
Shall Section 8(a) of the Charter be amended to provide that the City Commission meet at 7 P.M. the first Monday following the odd-year November election and sworn into office at a place open to the public?
___Yes
___No
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #3
Statement of Purpose:
Section 14(b) of the City Charter requires publication of an ordinance after adoption in a newspaper printed and published in the City or posted in two public places. State law requires that a summary of the ordinance be published; publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the City or by other means prescribed by the City Commission satisfies this requirement.
Question:
Shall Section 14(b) of the City Charter be amended to provide for publication of a summary of an adopted ordinance in a newspaper of general circulation and authorize the City Commission to prescribe additional methods of publication?
___Yes
___No
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #4
Statement of Purpose:
Section 32(c) of the City Charter which provides that City Commissioner nomination petitions be circulated no earlier than sixty days, and filed no later than thirty days, prior to the election was abrogated by changes in state law. The proposed amendment would limit the circulation of nomination petitions to sixty days prior to the required state law filing deadline.
Question:
Shall Section 32(c) of the City Charter be amended to limit the gathering of nomination signatures for the office of City Commissioner to the sixty day period prior to the state imposed filing deadline for nomination petitions?
___Yes
___No
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #5
Statement of Purpose:
Section 37 of the Charter requires the City Commission to appoint a Board of Elections for each precinct comprised of City residents. State election law requires that the City Election Commission appoint for each precinct a Board of Election Inspectors; requires appointees to be county electors; and permits under certain conditions, the appointment of sixteen and seventeen year old persons as election inspectors.
Question:
Shall Section 37 of the Charter be amended to acknowledge the State law requirement for the appointment in each precinct of a Board of Election Inspectors be by the City Election Commission?
___Yes
___No
City of Kalamazoo Charter Amendment Proposal #6
Statement of Purpose:
Sections 54 and 187 of the City Charter refer to the office of Health Officer. This position has not been filled for many years because those duties have been largely taken over by State and County agencies and officials.
Question:
Shall Section 54 of the City Charter be deleted and Section 187 amended to eliminate references to a Health Officer?
___Yes
___No
