Politics & Government
Council Wants More Time With Old Ballot Issues
Twinsburg City Council chose to table four ballot measures Tuesday night to examine all passed and failed issues in 2009 and 2011. The issues were all questioned because of improper advertising.
Twinsburg wants more time to look at what will go on the ballot in November.
On Tuesday council chose not to vote on four issues that were actually approved during the November 2009 election. However, because the council wanted to do them again correctly.
that included standards for hiring the law director, zoning classification of annexed land, combining two commissions and a mandate that council must approve any changes by the charter review commission go to the ballot.
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The idea was to only reconsider the issues that passed, however, Council President Ted Yates thinks that pass or fail, all issues should be re-examined.
“If we’re going to go back and do it, we’re going to do it right,” Yates said.
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This would also include the issues that were . Those ballots were not advertised properly.
All three issues in 2011 failed, including charter amendments that would make emergency chiefs unclassified positions and appointing positions through the Civil Service. The issue which would have banned outdoor furnaces failed as well.
At-Large Councilman Gary Sorace said he wants to look at all the ballot issues from both elections.
“Probably all of them will be reconsidered,” Sorace said.
“We need to take time and review the three that didn’t pass as well," Yates said.
Council will likely hold a special meeting in the next month to discuss what to do. Council needs to vote and approve any ballot issues by the August 23 meeting in order to get them on the ballot.
“I don’t think we can handpick which ones to send back to the ballot," Yates said. "If they’re invalid they’re all invalid."
Yates mentioned possibly sending charter amendments to the Charter Review Commission to make sure they are OK and if it recommends them as written.
“We have to do it right and look at everything out there,” Yates said.
Mayor Katherine Procop said the 2009 ballot issues were advertised but the proper length of time was incorrect.
Council did approve sending regulations on rain barrels and wind turbines to the ballot.
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