Title
Adopt City Council Resolution Adopting the Recommendations of the Elections Review Committee
Summary
As part of the settlement executed on October 10, 2018, the City of Fort Bragg agreed to establish a Elections Review Committee (ERC) to:
1) Research and evaluate electoral systems
2) Evaluate options available to general law and charter cities; opportunities and limitations
3) Recommend a preferred electoral system
4) Recommend the benefits and limitations of a charter city, and (if appropriate)
5) Suggest a draft charter city ordinance in time for the November 2020 City Council election ballot.
After disbanding and restructuring the ERC in May 2019, the ERC presented their final report to the City Council on December 9, 2019. The ERC recommended:
1) Maintaining the current "At Large" voting system
2) Maintaining the "Plurality" vote counting method unless voters elect to change
3) Periodically contract with a demographer to review post elections for signs of racially polarized voting
4) Advertise the new policy of no candidate statement fees for city council candidates
5) Commit to more public outreach for inclusion of all voters.
The attached resolution adopts and endorses the ERC's final recommendations.