City of Reading – Ballot Questions 1-7 1. Shall Section 502 of the Reading City Charter be amended to delete the requirement that the City Auditor be a CPA with a minimum of 5 years experience in business administration, accounting, management or municipal government? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would be amended to delete the requirement that the City Auditor be a CPA with at least 5 years experience in business administration, accounting, management or municipal government. A “No” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter’s current language requiring the City Auditor to be a CPA with a minimum of 5 years experience in business administration, municipal government, accounting or management will remain. 2. Shall Section 1203 of the Reading City Charter be amended to: (1) require a Charter Review Commission be appointed at least every 5 years but no sooner than every 3 years; (2) prohibit City officials and employees from serving on the Commission in order to avoid a conflict of interest; and (3) require City Council and the Mayor, by ordinance, to place all proposed amendments on the ballot no later than the next municipal election? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would be amended to 1) require charter review at least every 5 years, but no sooner than 3 years by a Charter Review Commission 2) mandate that no members of the Charter Review Commission be City officials or employees and 3) require that City Council and the Mayor place all proposed amendments on the ballot no later than the next municipal election. A “No” vote means the current language requiring charter review at least every ten (10) years with the majority of the eleven (11) member Charter Review Commission not being City officials or employees will remain the same. 3. Shall Sections 215, 601, 602, and 908 (c) of the Reading City Charter be amended to clarify the separation of powers between the Mayor and City Council by restricting legislative encroachment into executive authority through use of ordinances or resolutions, and formally defining all acts that City Council may pass by ordinance? Explanation A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would re-define the powers of the Mayor and City Council by limiting City Council’s power to make legislative changes to the Administrative Code and provide the Mayor with the sole power to issue administrative regulation and procedure. A “No” vote means the language of the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would remain in place, allowing City Council and the Mayor to propose changes to the administrative code through the current legislative process. 4. Shall Section 1002 (c) of the Reading City Charter be amended to allow one person to serve on two boards or commissions concurrently, and to remove the present restriction allowing one person to serve on only one board or commission at a time? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would be amended to allow a person to serve on two boards or commissions at the same time and will remove the current language that limits a person’s ability to only serve on one board or commission at a time. A “No” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter’s current language prohibiting a person from serving on more than one board or commission at a time will remain. 5. Shall Sections 308 and 406 of the Reading City Charter be amended to remove duplicative language and to clarify the relationship between the Mayor, as Chief Executive Officer, and the Managing Director, as Chief Administrative Officer? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would be amended to eliminate the Managing Director’s power to “Direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City, except as provided by this Charter or by law” and provide that power solely to the Mayor. A “No” vote would retain the current language, empowering both the Mayor and Managing Director to “Direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the City, except as provided by this Charter or by law”. 6. Shall Section 904 (d) of the Reading City Charter be amended to make clear that the Annual Position Ordinance must be amended by Council prior to any hiring of City personnel by the Administration which exceeds the current Annual Position Ordinance? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the Charter would be amended to require the Annual Position ordinance to be amended before the Administration can hire more personnel than the Position ordinance allows. The City of Reading Home Rule Charter Section 904 requires the number of proposed employees in every job classification to be included in the budget. A “No” vote will retain the current Charter language which requires the number of proposed employees in every job classification to be included in the budget. 7. Should the City of Reading Home Rule Charter be amended to require whenever there is a proposal to sell, lease or enter into a concession agreement, for a period longer than 10 years, other than to or with a municipal authority created by the City, with respect to any City asset or combination of assets with a market value that is, or may be, in excess of $10,000,000, Council shall submit the proposal to citizen initiative at the next election legally possible? Explanation: A “Yes” vote means the City of Reading Home Rule Charter would be amended to require Council place a question on the ballot to gain voter approval prior to selling, leasing or entering into an agreement, with any entity other than a City created municipal authority, lasting longer than 10 years or with a market value that is, or maybe, in excess of $10,000,000, for any City asset or combination of assets. A “No” vote means the above language would not be added to the City of Reading Home Rule Charter.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 21:13:42 +0000
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