HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 2021-56 - Nov 2nd Charter ElectionORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, ORDERING AN ELECTION TO BE HELD ON
THE NEXT UNIFORM ELECTION DATE, NOVEMBER 2, 2021, FOR THE
PURPOSE OF SUBMITTING TO THE VOTERS OF THE CITY OF
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, CERTAIN PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO
THE EXISTING CITY CHARTER; DESIGNATING THE PLACE AT
WHICH SAID ELECTION IS TO BE HELD; MAKING PROVISIONS FOR
THE CONDUCT OF THAT ELECTION AND OTHER PROVISIONS AND
RELATING TO THE PURPOSE OF THIS ORDINANCE; AND
PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City Georgetown, Texas ("City") has determined
to submit to the voters of said City for their adoption or rejection thereof certain proposed
amendments to the existing Home Rule Charter of said City ("City Charter"), pursuant to the
provisions of Section 9.004 of the Texas Local Government Code; and
WHEREAS, the meeting at which this Ordinance is considered is open to the public as
required by law, and public notice of the time, place and purpose of said meeting was given as
required by Section 551.043 of the Texas Government Code;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS, THAT:
SECTION 1. VERIFICATION OF FACTS
The facts and recitations contained in the preamble of this resolution are hereby found and declared
to be true and correct, and are incorporated by reference herein and expressly made a part hereof,
as if copied verbatim.
SECTION 2. CHARTER AMENDMENT ELECTION
At the election held on Tuesday November 2, 2021, the voters will be asked to vote on the
following amendments to the City Charter:
Proposed Amendment No. 1
(Term Limits)
Article II (the Council) is amended by revising Section 2.01 (Number, selection, and term of office)
to read as follows:
Ordinance Number: Page 1 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved: A' QaOD
Sec. 2.01. - Number, selection, and term of office.
The Council shall be composed of seven (7) Councilmembers elected from single -member districts
and a Mayor elected at -large, each of whom unless sooner removed under the provisions of the
Charter, shall serve for three-year terms, from the first meeting of the Council following the
Councilmember's election until the first meeting of the Council following the election two (2) years
later, or until the councilmember's successor has been elected and duly qualified.
No Councilmember elected at the May 2022 city officer election or thereafter shall serve for more
than three 3 consecutive terms as a Councilmember until at least two years has elapsed from the
expiration of their ]as[ term of office as a Councilmember.
Likewise, a Mayor elected at the May 2022 city officer election or thereafter stay only serve up to
three (3) consecutive terms _and before seeking election as a Mayor or Co_ unci hnember after such
three 3 consecutive tel"ms must wait until at least two 2 vears has elapsed from the ex iration
of their last term of office as Mavor.
Notwithstanding the foregoing two sentences, _ii' a Cottiwilmember serves far any length of time.
up to three (3) consecutive terms. he or she may serve as Mayor immediately thereafter without
waiting for two (2) years to elapse from the expiration of their last tern as a Councilmember.
'The first lean under this provision shall not begrin unlit May 2022.
Councilmembers must reside in the districts from which they are elected except that
Councilmembers may complete the terms to which they were elected if district boundaries are
changed during their terms causing their residences no longer to be within the districts from which
they were elected.
The authority to adopt council district boundaries shall reside i-n-with the Coouncil. The Ceouncil
may revise district boundaries from time to time and shall adopt district boundaries within one year
after the publication of each United States decennial census.
Councilmembers and the Mayor shall be elected for three-year terms, which shall begin with the
general election to be held in 1995, and the terms shall be staggered such that three Council
members are elected in one year, the Mayor and two Council members are elected in the following
year and two Councilmembers are elected the last year. POP the 148t-geFiRg 01 11.0 11) 1i8' yea+
.. ■ ]r�rrssres�
r27-1r^996,4w-" ��if
16 Di S,.. cis 2' � .1 ..? Pei 1a .:��C0. 4+e—"ii., 1I., ... 4.a til,hll Elmsy. 1ats !@ _ fiei-N,e eg;l_ie
Ordinance Number: Page 2 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
E3� IH9? tkc� t,„arf;ts .etc+lntetNk7er-serve--t�veryear—ttv�r�s-shill elec!
ieFjnfffl4c y�N-- hiS CI3&r�+
#u�-fH +-�z,�s :,-:r;-ern
Proposed Amendment No. 2
(Qualifications)
Article II (The Council) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 2.02
(Qualifications) to read as follows:
Sec. 2.02. - Qualifications,
"! the 4ime et' ele(aioii io E414ee eln addition to other Qualifications prescribed by law, each
Councilmember and the Mayor shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age on the first day of the
term to be filled at the election or on the date of appointment, as applicable. For Period of twelve
(12) months preceding election day, each CouncElmember shall reside iLit lte, cka� i
" ied--vote}-44he Siat, „r-re)ia- and flie Chy ofGeergetow.s_8.,El . ,.leek 0 counei{
council District district the member would be representing and the Mayor shall reside within the
City of Georgetown. No member of the Council or the Marshall hold any other office or
employment use+ the City Cesvmmemwilh the City while a-MeMbO 01"d GR ,^4servirzg as a
member of the Council or the Mayor, nor hold any paid employment underthe Gity
del- ime }with the City within !we (2) yea rsone (1) year thereafter. A member of the Council
ceasing to reside in the City shall immediately forfeit that office.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO.3
(Vacancies)
Article II (The Council) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 2.03 (Vacancies) to read as
follows:
Sec. 2.03. - Vacancies.
t�Whell a ,W.•RE, ' Be6UM ;.. the Q31" .^'E, When the off ice of Mayor becomes vacant the
vacancy shall be filled at a special election called for this purpose within one hundred and twenty
(120) days after the vacancy or vacancies occur in compliance with Article XI, Section 11 of the
Texas Constitution and other applicable State laws.
(2 ) When the office of a Councilinernber becomes vacant, (lie followingprovisions apply:
a. If at the time of the vacancy more than twelve 12 months remain on the term the
Council shall within one hundred and twenty (120) days of the vacancy call a special
election in compliance with Article XI. Section 11 of the Texas_ Constitution and other
applicable State laws.
b. If. at the time of the vacancv. less than twelve (12) months rernain on the term, the Mayor
shall recommend an appointment and the Council shall approve the appointment within
thirty (30) days of the vacancy a qualified person to fill the vacancy. If the City Council
does not till the vacancy, then the Council shall call a special election -to fill 5LICII vacancy
in accordance with Article Xi Section l 1 of the Texas Constitution and other a licable
Ordinance Number: Page 3 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
State laws.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 4
(Rules of Procedure)
Article II (the Council) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 2.09 (Rules of
Procedure) to read as follows:
Sec. 2.09. - Rules of procedure.
The Council shall by ordinance determine its own rules and order of business. The Mayor
and a majority of the members of Council shall constitute a quorum. In the Mayor's
absence, a majority of the Council nlcnzbGrti plus one t+f-flie �AC ('Amw+l-shall
constitute a quorum. No action of the Council except as otherwise provided in this 014-11-tel..
shall be valid or binding; iutltss adopted by the aff rinative vote of niaao6ty ol'tIle COL11161
members present and voting. I7egisla rri,, ,.not he t r#-E s+ '.adopied by a vote
00fl Msidef eLQ�VTall), oflie1"easo7Tthe 1CTTir n bGT's of Elie ZC��
^list : }i+o #� i- the pug4ase of fi 11 g V aea!%. S. Should the Council be reduced to
less than a majority plus one of the members of Council by death, resignation,
nonresidence, or for any other reason, the remaining members of the Council shall
constitute a quorum for the purpose of filling vacancies and for the purpose of taking an
emergency action to protect the life, health, safety, property and welfare of the public. Such
emergency action shall take effect only upon the unanimous approval of the then remaining
members of the Council. The Council may adopt such rules, and prescribe such penalties
as it may see fit to enforce the attendance of its members at all regular and called meetings
of the Council or its committees. Minutes of all meetings of the Council shall be taken and
recorded in the form and manner required by state law, and such minutes shall constitute a
public record.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 5
(Procedure to Enact Legislation)
Article II (the Council) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 2.10 (Procedure to
Enact Legislation) to read as follows:
Sec. 2.10. - Procedure to enact legislation.
The Council shall legislate by ordinance, and the enacting clause of every ordinance
shall be: "Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Georgetown." The City Attorney
shall approve all ordinances adopted by the Council, as to the legality thereof, or shall file
with the City Secretary written legal objections thereto. Evidence of approval of an
ordinance by the City Attorney may be by notation on the ordinance itself, or by separate
paper or instrument. Every ordinance enacted by the Council shall be signed by the Mayor,
Mayor Pro Tem, or by two (2) Councilmembers and shall be filed with and recorded by
Ordinance Number:. Page 4 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
the City Secretary. -All Wdi�61 he-rea e GEMiwil a
Open meet ings-�he Ce mi e i 1 041 two (2) sepa raie days; the second sue 1i i-ead i fig sha 11 oerau
nar-rcr�rmat f'4-St v-itlev-,-- that -P-eesvevrreW
read :.,.r4lie , ...1iwia ee , ed by t'ie read ;n of�!he eapi ion i1
b ..
gt�nom 1 alai : "v-w-k4i"e t+rs-pFiej- to
the nieeiing; and
2.- i#�e pr�prasl t�rtiioatice-lilcl w€tl, {�,,�,Seefeiai-yat-
pi days -
to th- r�rreeti
An ordinance shall not be adopted until it has been considered and favorably acted on
by the Council at two 2) separate council meetings. Tlie caption e)i'a proposed ordinance
shall be read once in full at a council meet in = prior to its adopt ion by the Council and shall
be posted on the City ol' Georgetown's primary Internet webpage or the City of
Georgetown's primary contemporary means of information sharing systern that is
maintained as Dart of the Citv of Georizetown official records for a minimtrtti of seventy
two (72) hours prior to the council meeting
The City Council may require a full reading of the proposed ordinance prior to
adoption by a vote of -_the majority of --,the Councilmembers present at the meeting. All
ordinances, unless otherwise provided by law or by the terms of such ordinance, shall take
effect immediately upon final passage thereof. The requirements for reading ordinances on
two separate days may be dispensed with where an ordinance relating to the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, safety or welfare is adopted by the favorable vote
of not less than -a majority, plus one or more, of all the Councilmembers qualified and
serving, and contains a statement of the nature of the emergency. _
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO.6
(Initiative, Referendum and Recall)
Article IV (Initiative, Referendum, and Recall) of the City Charter is amended by revising
Section 4.01 (Power of initiative), Section 4.0 2(Power of referendum) and Section 4.07 (Power
of Recall) to read as follows:
Sec. 4.01. - Power of initiative.
The people of the City reserve the power of direct legislation by initiative, and in the exercise of
such power may propose any ordinance, except ordinances appropriating money or levying taxes,
or ordinances repealing ordinances appropriating money or levying taxes, not in conflict with this
Charter, the State Constitution, or the State laws. Any initiated ordinance may be submitted to the
Council by a petition signed by registeredqua4fied voters of the City, equal in number to at least
fifteen (15) per -cent of the quali i4 ad"re isg tered voters of the City on the date oriwthe last municipal
election, _ e—Gity.
Ordinance Number: Page 5 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
Sec. 4.02. - Power of referendum.
The people reserve the power to approve or reject at the polls any legislation enacted by the Council
which is subject to the initiative process under this Charter, except that ordinances authorizing the
issuance of bonds (either tax bonds or revenue bonds), whether original or refunding bonds, shall
not be subject to such referendum. Prior to or within thirty (30) days after the effective date of any
ordinance which is subject to referendum, a petition signed by gw!ifre&re istered voters of the
City equal in number to at least fifteen (15) per -cent of the = "roistered voters of the City
on the date of i*-the last municipal election adi�l',
€45tef4V016FS 91 tl e 0I)-may be filed with the City Secretary requesting that any such ordinance
be either repealed or submitted to the vote of the people. When such a petition has been certified
as sufficient by the City Secretary, the ordinance specified in the petition shall not go into effect,
or if it shall have gone into effect, then further action thereunder shall be suspended until and unless
it is approved by the voters as herein provided.
Sec. 4.07. - Recall of City Officials.
The people of the City reserve the power to recall any elected officer of the City of Georgetown,
on the grounds of incompetence, misconduct, or malfeasance in office, and may exercise such
power by filing a petition, as described herein, with the City Secretary.
A petition to recall the Mayor only shall be; signed by registered voters of the City equal in number
to at least fifteen (15) percent of the rwnnbei, a ki4-oLdw-registered voters iwof the City on the dare
of the--aEt-d e-t-inie-atl4ie-last regtrl -municipal election, demanding the removal of the Mayor. The
petition shall be signed and verified as required by this Charter's provisions and State law.
A petition to recall a Council member shall be signed only by the registered voters of the single
member council district that the Council member represents, and the signatures must be equal in
number to at least fifteen (15) percent of the „umbef of registered voters residing in that council
district on the date of a4 the *:.re of the last fegular municipal election, demanding the removal
of their specific Councilmember. The petition shall be signed and verified as required by this
Charter's provisions and State law.
In the case of an election to recall the Mayor, any registered voter residing within the City may cast
a ballot on the issue of the Mayor's recall.
In the case of an election to recall a Council member, only registered voters residing within the
single member council district represented by the Council member sought to be recalled may cast
a ballot on the issue of their Council member's recall.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 7
(Administrative Organization)
Article V (Administrative Organization) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 5.03
(Administrative Divisions and Departments), Section 5.04 (Directors of divisions) and Section
5.05 (Divisional and departmental organization) to read as follows:
Ordinance Number: Page 6 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
Sec. 5.03. - Administrative 4i*�x ,fdepartments.
There shall be such divisions afld departments as are established by this Charter and as may be
established by ordinance, all of which shall be under the control and direction of the City
Manager. The Council may abolish or combine one (1) or more diet departments created
by--4, and may assign or transfer duties of any divisions or departments of the City from one
division or department to another by ordinance.
Sec. 5.04. - Directors of Eli r-isier6mic artments.
At the head of each division -department there shall be a director who shall be appointed, and who
may be removed, by the City Manager. Such directors shall have supervision and control over
their respective d iv i si o Fi4LIepartmews. a lid iiiny lie "- ny de1)a++n e _!'• n a di N, i si Eli). Two (2)
or more departments may be headed by the same individual, and the City Manager may
temporarily head one (1) or more divisi-ef+idepartments.
Sec. 5.05. - Div+sitmai �ental efga+vi-Aag-on-Reserved
est�a �rk�eei-dry-er�i i;��.--�+id+�3g-�_sage-f�t�t{1 i��ee�t a�Eifi#+Ht�t+t�e Ekts-c� r
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 8
(Appropriations and Budget Amendments)
Article VI (Finance) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section 6.03 (Appropriations),
and Section 6.04 (Budget Amendments) to read as follows:
Sec. 6.03. - Appropriations.
From the effective date of the budget, the several amounts stated therein as proposed expenditures
shall be and become appropriated to the several objects and purposes named therein. Except as
provided in this Article no funds of the City shall be expended nor shall any obligation for the
expenditure of money be incurred, except pursuant to the annual budget as adopted and as
provided by this Article. At the close of each fiscal year, any unencumbered balance of an
appropriation shall revert to the fund from which appropriated and become available for
reappropriation for the next fiscal year. The Council may transfer any unencumbered
appropriation balance or portion thereof from one division, office, department, or agency to
another at any time. The City Manager shall have authority, without Council approval, to transfer
appropriation balances from one expenditure account to another within a single anion, office,
department, or agency of the City.
Sec. 6.04. - Budget amendments and emergency appropriations.
Ordinance Number: Page 7 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
The Council may authorize a vote by a majority plus one exper an
amendment to the original budget in cases of einerp
gencyor for municipal pu poses as allowable
under State law only iii a —case of grave—pkibFiejieeesRt=—to meet an unusual and
tkliIwseewLin foreseen condition that could not have been included in the original budget through
the use of reasonable diligent thought and attention. Such amendments shall be made by the
Council after giving legal notice as specified in Texas State law. If the Council amends the
original budget to meet an emergency, the Council shall file a copy of its order or resolution
amendingthe budget,u.,h Wie City car_.RF . Raid fie s.,,...etal...';hall a ttaell,t,e..opy to die eligi"al
budge i. A 14eF 1lie RdOp! 0l.., 1,1•_0 ,..,a,.or_n.• a_1,,,dge!_„u.,ndli..,.,._ ,l e 1- et oft;..e,. 514ati_provide
4;91. the IiiH "131.oveEl h > aiiiendkiiem iii!lie offi. fli of e c z,i',i).
n-n-r�
C-le l• oi' Willia.t,.-,,.z_r�...w..as required by State law.
Should the unappropriated and unencumbered revenues, income and available funds of the City
for such fiscal year not be sufficient to meet the expenditures under the appropriations
authorized by this section, thereby creating a deficit, it shall be the duty of the Council
to include the amount of such deficit in its budget for the following fiscal year, and said
deficit shall be paid off and discharged during the said following fiscal year.
PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 9
(Franchise)
Article VIII (Franchise and Public Utility) of the City Charter is amended by revising Section
8.03 (Franchise; power of the City Council) to read as follows:
Sec. 8.03. - Franchise; power of the City Council.
The City Council shall have the power by ordinance to grant, amend, renew and extend, all
franchises of all public utilities of every character operating within the City of Georgetown.
All ordinances granting, amending, renewing, or extending franchises for public utilities
shall be read at two (2) separate regular meetings of the City Council, and shall not be
finally passed until thirty (30) days after the first reading; and no such ordinance shall take
effect until thirty (30) days after its final passage; and pending such time, the full text of
such ordinances shall be posted on the City of Georgetown's r•imar interne[ web are or
the City of GeorgrrtowWs primarycontemppiai-y means of information sharing systems
that is maintained as -part of the City_ of Georgetown's official t•ecordsp+&A,she e,,.,., e
le propenen
of the f neh o. No public utility franchise shall be granted for a term of more than twenty
(20) years; no public utility franchise shall be transferable except with the approval of the
City Council expressed by ordinance.
SECTION 4. CHARTER ELECTION BALLOT
The ballot for the election on the proposed Charter amendments shall conform to the
requirements of Chapter 52 of the Texas Election Code, as amended. The propositions on
the ballot corresponding to each of the proposed Charter amendments set forth in Section
2 above, shall be printed on the ballot after the listing of officers to be elected permitting
Ordinance Number: Page 8 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
voters to vote "Yes" or "No" on each proposition, as follows:
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION A
Shall Section 2.01 of the City Charter be amended to add term limits of no more
than three consecutive terms for City Council members and the Mayor until at least
two years has elapsed since their last term of office with an exception allowing for
a councilmember to serve as mayor without waiting for two years to elapse?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION B
Shall Section 2.02 of the City Charter be amended to provide that a Councilmember
and Mayor must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age on the first day of the term
to be filled; to provide that a Councilmember must reside in the council district the
member would be representing for at least twelve (12) months preceding the
election date; to provide that the Mayor must reside in the city limits for at least
twelve (12) months preceding election day; and to reduce the time that a former
councilmember or mayor may not be employed by the City from two years to one
year after leaving office ?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION C
Shall Section 2.03 of the City Charter be amended to provide that the City Council
shall fill a councilmember vacancy with less than twelve months left of a term by
appointment within thirty (30) days of the vacancy?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION D
Shall Section 2.09 of the City Charter be amended to clarify that City Council
actions require an affirmative vote of a majority of council members present and
voting?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION E
Shall Section 2.10 of the City Charter be amended to remove the ordinance caption
publication requirement; to remove the requirement to file an ordinance with the
City Secretary seven days prior to its consideration; to provide that an ordinance
must be approved at two separate meetings; and to provide that an ordinance
caption must be read at one of the two meetings?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION F
Shall Sections 4.01,4.02 and 4.07 of the City Charter be amended to provide that a
Ordinance Number: Page 9 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
petition for an initiative, referendum or recall of city officials must be signed by
fifteen (15) percent of the registered voters of the City on the date of the last
municipal election?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION G
Shall Sections 5.03, 5.04, and 5.05 of the City Charter be amended to remove all
references to divisions with the City's administrative organization?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION H
Shall Sections 6.03 and 6.04 of the City Charter be amended to remove references
to divisions with the City's administrative organization and to provide for budget
amendments in cases of emergency and for municipal purposes as allowed under
State law?
CITY OF GEORGETOWN PROPOSITION I
Shall Section 8.03 of the City Charter be amended to remove the requirement to publish
a proposed ordinance granting a franchise and to provide that a proposed ordinance
granting a franchise shall be posted on the City's webpage for thirty (30) days prior
to final passage?
SECTION 5. OPTICAL SCAN BALLOTS
Voting shall be conducted with optical scan ballots prepared in conformity with the Texas Election
Code, and there shall be at least one disabled -access voting device, such as a Direct Recording
Electronic (DRE) machine at each polling place.
SECTION 6. CONDUCT OF ELECTION
Pursuant to Subchapter D of Chapter 31 of the Texas Election Code, the City Council is further
ordering that this Charter Amendment Election be conducted under the terms and conditions of a
Joint Election Agreement and Contract for Election Services ("Joint Election Agreement")
between the City of Georgetown and Williamson County. Chapter 31, Subchapter D of the Texas
Election Code provides that a city may contract with the County Elections Officer for election
services if the city is located in whole or in part in the county. In addition, this will be a joint
election conducted with other entities that will also hold an election on November 2, 2021 pursuant
to the Joint Election Agreement.
As authorized by Chapter 31, Subchapter D of the Texas Election Code, the Georgetown City
Council hereby appoints the Williamson County Elections Administrator, Christopher J. Davis,
301 Inner Loop, Suite 104, Georgetown, Texas 78626, as the election officer for the purpose of
conducting the November 2, 2021 Charter Amendment Election. This appointment includes
Ordinance Number: Page 10 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
services as Early Voting Clerk for the Election, Counting Station Manager, Presiding Judge of the
Central Counting Station, Alternate Judge and Tabulation Supervisor.
In addition and in accordance with Chapter 66 and Chapter 31 of the Texas Election Code, the
City Council hereby appoints Williamson County Elections Administrator, Christopher J. Davis,
as agent for the Custodian of Records ("Agent') for the November 2, 2021 General Election for
the purpose of preserving voted ballots and other election records as required by the Texas Election
Code.
SECTION 7. EARLY VOTING
Early Voting by Personal Appearance shall take place at the locations and times delineated by the
Williamson County Election Administrator per the Joint Election Agreement beginning on the
12th day preceding the date of the election, which is Monday, October 18, 2021, and ending on
the fourth day before Election Day, which is Friday, October 29, 2021.
If the Elections Administrator plans to change any of the polling locations or the dates and times,
he shall timely notify the City of Georgetown so that the City Council can be made aware thereof
and be given the opportunity to comment thereon.
SECTION 8. ELECTION DAY VOTING
Election Day Voting shall take place from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the locations delineated by the
Williamson County Election Administrator per the Joint Election Agreement. If the Elections
Administrator plans to change any of the polling locations or the times, he/she shall timely notify
the City of Georgetown so that the appropriate Justice Department Submission can be made by the
City Attorney and the City Council can be made aware thereof and be given the opportunity to
comment thereon.
In the event of a Runoff Election, the Georgetown Election Day voting locations will be as
delineated by the Williamson County Elections Administrator per the Joint Election Agreement.
If the Elections Administrator plans to change any of the polling locations or times, he/she shall
timely notify the City of Georgetown so that the appropriate Justice Department Submission can
be made by the City Attorney and the City Council can be made aware thereof and be given the
opportunity to comment thereon.
SECTION 9. ELECTION INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED IN SPANISH
The Mayor and all other election officers appointed by the City Council as being responsible for
the preparation of notices, instructions, orders, ballots, and other written material pertaining to the
Charter Amendment Election and shall cause each such document to be translated into and
furnished to voters in both the English language and the Spanish language in order to aid and assist
voters speaking Spanish as a primary or an alternative language to properly participate in the
election process. In addition, the Mayor and other responsible election officers are hereby
Ordinance Number: Page 11 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
authorized and directed to make available to the voters having the need of an individual capable
of acting as a translator and speaking both English and Spanish languages who will assist Spanish
speaking voters in understanding and participating in the election process.
SECTION 10. CANVASSING OF RETURNS; DECLARING RESULTS
The Williamson County Elections Administrator, as Georgetown's designated election officer,
shall provide the written return of the Election results to the City of Georgetown in accordance
with the Texas Election Code. The City Council shall canvass the returns on a date and time set
by the Mayor between the dates of November 5, 2021 and November 13, 2021 and declare the
results of the Charter Amendment Election in accordance with the Texas Election Code Section
67.003(b), which provides that for elections held on the uniform election date in November, the
following provisions apply:
For an election held on the uniform election date in November, the local canvass
must occur not later than the 1 lth day after Election Day and not earlier than:
(1) the third day after election day;
(2) the date on which the early voting ballot board has verified and counted all
provisional ballots, if a provisional ballot has been cast in the election; or
(3) the date on which all timely received ballots cast from addresses outside of the
United States are counted, if a ballot to be voted by mail in the election was
provided to a person outside of the United States.
SECTION 11. NOTICE OF ELECTION
Notice of the Charter Amendment Election shall be published at least one time in the English and
Spanish languages, in a newspaper published within Georgetown's territory at least 10 days and
no more than 30 days before the Charter Amendment Election and as otherwise may be required
by the Texas Election Code. Notice of the Charter Amendment Election shall also be posted on
the bulletin board used by the City Council to post notices of its City Council meetings no later
than the 21St day before the Charter Amendment Election.
SECTION 12. AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE
The Mayor of the City of Georgetown is authorized to execute and the City Secretary is authorized
to attest to the Order on behalf of the City Council; and the Mayor is further authorized to do all
other things legal and necessary in connection with the holding and consummation of the General
Election which includes the giving of and the publication of the Notice of Election to be in a form
as to be approved by the City Attorney.
SECTION 13. PREAMBLE TRUE AND CORRECT
The facts and recitations contained in the preamble of this resolution are hereby found to be true
Ordinance Number: Page 12 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved:
and correct, and are incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof, as if copied verbatim.
PASSED AND APPROVED ON FIRST READING on the 2, 7"k day of , 2021.
PASSED AND APPROVED ON SECOND READING on the 0'*"'day of
2021.
ATTEST: THE C'1MOF GEORGETOWN:
Robyn Dens re, Josh chroeder,
City Secretary Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
u�--
Skye Masn, City Attorney
Ordinance Number: &Lin Page 13 of 13
Description: Charter Amendment Election Ordinance
Date Approved: -� -70Z