Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Authorizing a change in formatting to one of the advisory referendum questions authorized by RES-21-00025.
Body
RESOLUTION authorizing a change in formatting to one of the advisory referendum questions authorized by RES-21-00025.
WHEREAS, on January 5, 2021 the Madison Common Council enacted a resolution (RES-21-00025) (“Resolution”) authorizing an advisory referendum be placed on the Spring 2021 election ballot asking a series of questions related to the structure of Madison’s government; and
WHEREAS, on the Resolution, one of the questions was worded as follows with the assumption that each option would be followed with a “Yes” or “No” option.
“Madison currently has a part-time Common Council comprised of twenty (20) alderpersons, one from each alderperson district.
Beginning with the 2023 Spring Election, SHOULD the size of the City of Madison Common Council be reduced?
Beginning with the 2023 Spring Election, SHOULD the size of the City of Madison Common Council be increased?
SHOULD the size of the City of Madison Common Council remain the same?”; and
WHEREAS, the Resolution also instructed staff to take the necessary steps to place the questions contained in the Resolution on the Spring 2021 election ballot; and
WHEREAS, following the enactment of the Resolution, staff worked with the City Clerk and in communication with the County Clerk to begin the process of placing the questions listed in the Resolution on the Spring ballot; and
WHEREAS, staff was informed that the election equipment could not be programmed to include question 2 (above) exactly as it appears in the Resolution but that the question could be programmed as a traditional multiple choice question, like this:
“Madison currently has a part time Common Council comprised of twenty (20) alderpersons, one from each alderperson district. Beginning with the 2023 Spring Election, SHOULD the size of the City of Madison Common Council:
_____ be reduced?
_____ be increased?
_____ remain the same?” and
WHEREAS, while multiple choice questions are not allowed in a binding referendum, they are allowed in an advisory referendum; and
WHEREAS, listing the question as a traditional multiple choice question will allow it to be accurately programmed by the election equipment in as near a manner as possible to the original question formatting.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the above question be placed on the Spring 2021 election ballot in the following traditional multiple choice format instead of how originally formatted in RES-21-00025:
“Madison currently has a part time Common Council comprised of twenty (20) alderpersons, one from each alderperson district. Beginning with the 2023 Spring Election, SHOULD the size of the City of Madison Common Council:
_____ be reduced?
_____ be increased?
_____ remain the same?