How a City Council Takes Over A City
This past Tuesday Aug.12th, 2008 Our City Council voted to override our Mayors veto of Ordinance NO. 4270 which places a limit on the Administration of $ 2500 dollars on “Personal Service Contracts”. In spite of our own Law Directors letter warning them of what their action would mean.
"City Charters" are like constitutions for cities and are based on the State Constitution, Ohio Revised Code and approved by voters. The City of Urbana is less than two years away from “Charter Review” in 2010. Not only was this ordinance “not supported” by our Law Dir. but was not supported by the Ohio Municipal League as well so I've been told.
It may seem like a small thing ... but this one small thing has huge ramifications for the city and the citizens and voters of Urbana. City Council has changed our Charter form of government approved by the voters of Urbana. To their credit Al Evans and Larry Lokai voted NO on the limit.
I oppose this ordinance in the strongest terms…it changes the nature of our Charter Form of government and circumvents the will of the Urbana Voter who passed the City Charter.
The Citizens of Urbana may...want to consider [if possible], a pre-Charter Review referendum on CHAPTER 145, CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF URBANA PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 145.01 (d) and return the right (in my opinion) the explicit and implied right of the Executive Branch of [City] Government under the ORC and The Charter of the City of Urbana to hire and fire personal, service contractors and to purchase services from professional people or firms including consultants, engineers and architects as well as consulting firms to negotiate union contracts and other needs that come up in the course of running a city to provide the best services for its citizens.
"City Charters" are like constitutions for cities and are based on the State Constitution, Ohio Revised Code and approved by voters. The City of Urbana is less than two years away from “Charter Review” in 2010. Not only was this ordinance “not supported” by our Law Dir. but was not supported by the Ohio Municipal League as well so I've been told.
It may seem like a small thing ... but this one small thing has huge ramifications for the city and the citizens and voters of Urbana. City Council has changed our Charter form of government approved by the voters of Urbana. To their credit Al Evans and Larry Lokai voted NO on the limit.
I oppose this ordinance in the strongest terms…it changes the nature of our Charter Form of government and circumvents the will of the Urbana Voter who passed the City Charter.
The Citizens of Urbana may...want to consider [if possible], a pre-Charter Review referendum on CHAPTER 145, CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF URBANA PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 145.01 (d) and return the right (in my opinion) the explicit and implied right of the Executive Branch of [City] Government under the ORC and The Charter of the City of Urbana to hire and fire personal, service contractors and to purchase services from professional people or firms including consultants, engineers and architects as well as consulting firms to negotiate union contracts and other needs that come up in the course of running a city to provide the best services for its citizens.
