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Staff Report to the Mayor and City Council <br />Discussion - Term Limits <br />October 3, 2023 <br />Page 2 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />principal rules: A local term limits ordinance must be “prospective” rather than “retroactive”, <br />and it must be approved by a majority of Colton voters as a ballot measure. Under applicable <br />law, two dates are available for placing such a measure on the ballot: The next Statewide <br />Primary Election on March 5, 2024 and the next Statewide/Municipal General Election on <br />November 5, 2024. <br /> <br />Such a measure may be placed on the ballot by City Council majority action to call the election. <br />The legal deadline for the Council to place a local measure on the ballot is 88 days prior to the <br />election. (Elections Code §9222) For a March 5, 2024 election, the deadline is December 8, <br />2023. For a November 5, 2024 election, the deadline is August 9, 2024. <br /> <br />Beyond these two principal rules, how a term limits measure is ultimately written is left to local <br />policy. To help frame the discussion, staff is presenting the potential policy issues as a series of <br />questions for the Council to consider. For more details on each of these questions/policy issues, <br />please refer to the September 5, 2023 report, which is attached. <br /> <br />• Should there be Mayoral or Council term limits? <br />If the Council’s answer is “no”, then the discussion is concluded. <br />If the Council’s answer is “yes”, there is the next set of questions: <br /> <br />• How long should term limits be? <br />Two terms? Three terms? <br /> <br />• Lifetime or Consecutive Term Limits? <br /> ⸰ If consecutive, what is the “cooling off” period? <br /> Two years? Four years? <br /> <br />• Apply separate term limits for Mayor and Council or Combined Term Limits for Both <br />Offices? <br /> <br />Just with these three policy issues, many variations are possible. Once these issues are resolved, <br />other questions can (and Staff believes should) be addressed: <br /> <br />• How to Count Partial Terms: <br /> Partial terms of any length do not count against the limit? <br /> Partial terms of any length do count against the limit? <br /> Limit applies if one has served at least 2 years of a term and resigns or leaves due to <br />health? <br /> Limit applies if one has served at least 3 years of a term and resigns or leaves due to <br />health? <br /> Some other measurement? <br /> <br />• How to Treat “Special Situations” that Cut Terms Short: <br />Packet Pg. 8