 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||
 | |||||
| | ||||
| |||||
 | |||||
| | ||||
| |||||
Request to amend code to remove officials falls short Posted: Sunday, Feb 26, 2006 - 10:32:43 am PST By R.J. COHN Staff writer
SANDPOINT -- A request by a Sandpoint city councilwoman to amend a city code that would allow voters to remove an elected official for not attending 75 percent of council meetings or missing three consecutive meetings failed to receive a recommendation from the Administration Committee earlier this month. "I thought the request was fairly self-explanatory," said Helen Newton. "Since no vote was taken, I am wondering if the committee is waiting for me to present something more, or is the ordinance to amend being written by staff."If it is in my court, I will prepare something to present to the Administration Committee in March." Currently, Sandpoint city code regarding council member attendance states those who fail to attend regular and special City Council meetings may be censured and/or fined. Additionally, they can be removed from office by a majority vote of City Council.
"I believe that only the voters of the city have the authority to remove an elected official of the city by either a special recall election or by not re-electing the city council person at the next regular election at which the council member may be running for re-election," she said. But committee members -- which took no action on her request-- raised concerns with codification costs of the proposed amendment and that a more fully developed proposal be presented. Newton said she's perplexed by the committee's stance. "Codification costs for an ordinance this simple that would only remove one sentence would, of course, be minimal compared to the lengthy ordinances the council generally considers and approves," she said. Newton also suggested that there would be a considerable negative cost if the current ordinance is not amended, especially if the council attempted to enforce the ordinance and litigation resulted. POST YOUR OPINION
* All comment posts will encounter a possible delay of up to 24 hours.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Bonner County Daily Bee
P.O. Box 159 / Sandpoint, Idaho 83864 / 208-263-9534
Bonner County Daily Bee Online is updated at 10am PST.
Voter wrote on Feb 27, 2006 8:23 AM: