PRESENT
Mayor Barrie P. Tilghman
Council President Robert Cannon
Council Vice President Frank Himelright
Councilwoman Lavonzella Siggers
Councilman Palmer Gillis
Councilman William Stacey
Mr. Stacey moved and Mr. Gillis seconded to approve Resolution No. 699 to bring it on the floor for discussion. City Solicitor Paul Wilber presented Resolution No. 699 establishing the day and time for a referendum election on Charter Resolution Nos. 682, 683, 685 and 686, and specifying the exact language to be contained on the ballot for the Council/Manager Charter Amendments. The referendum election for the above Charter Resolutions will be held on May 2, 2000 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The proposed wording on the ballot is as follows:
"Resolution Nos. 682, 683, 685 and 686
BINDING BALLOT QUESTION
Do you approve of the Charter Amendments adopting the Council/Manager form of government?
Yes ___ No ___"
Mr. Himelright moved and Mr. Gillis seconded to amend Resolution No. 699 by changing the question to read:
"Do you favor Resolution Nos. 682, 683, 685 and 686, which amends the City Charter,
effective May 20, 2002, to provide for a City Council composed of an elected Mayor and six
Council members having the Mayor as its presiding officer with veto power, to provide for the
Council/Manager form of government and to make related amendments of the Charter?"
Mr. Cannon commented that the wording "making related amendments of the Charter" was confusing. He preferred using the language as proposed in the Resolution since the Charter Amendments speak for themselves. Mr. Wilber reported that a fair summary of the four Charter Amendments was published six times in The Daily Times. Ms. Siggers felt the language was very congested and preferred the concise wording as proposed in the Resolution. Mr. Himelright moved to amend his previous motion by ending the question after Council/Manager form of government. Mr. Stacey seconded the motion. Mr. Stacey believed there was still confusion on what the terms mean (i.e., Council/ Manager, City Manager), so this language made it self-explanatory.
Mr. Gillis voiced his concern that making a drastic wording change would promote further mischaracterization of what is being proposed even though Mr. Himelright's amendment was clearer. Mayor Tilghman thought the language should be as generic as possible and, in her opinion, it would be a disservice to the people of Salisbury with language that slants the issue.
After further discussion on the proposed amendment, Messrs. Himelright and Stacey voted aye; Ms. Siggers, Mr. Gillis and Mr. Cannon voted nay.
Mr. Gillis moved and Mr. Stacey seconded to amend Resolution No. 699 by adding the effective date of May 20, 2002 to the wording. All voted in favor with the exception of Ms. Siggers who voted nay.
A discussion ensued on changing the heading on the ballot question to referendum question, including the resolution numbers in the text of the question, and changing approve to favor in the text. Mayor Tilghman and Ms. Siggers felt it was crucial to include binding because of the non-binding question on the ballot.
Mr. Gillis moved and Mr. Himelright seconded to amend Resolution No. 699 by changing the wording for the question to read:
"BINDING REFERENDUM QUESTION
Do you favor Charter Resolution Nos. 682, 683, 685 and 686, adopting the Council/Manager form of government, effective May 20, 2002?
Yes ___ No ___"
All voted in favor of the amendment with the exception of Ms. Siggers who voted nay. Resolution No. 699, as amended, passed on a 4-1 vote (Ms. Siggers voting nay).
With no further business on the agenda, Council adjourned the Special Meeting at 10:15 a.m.
City Clerk
Council President