On this agenda the Council considered two items relating to adding advisory elections relative to smoking and Recreational Vehicle (RV) parking to the April 10, 2007 General Municipal Election.  The cost of these two special elections was not included in the City Clerk�s budget.  Therefore, in order to conduct these special elections additional funds need to be appropriated.

Previously the Council has ordered two special elections to be consolidated with the 2007 General Election, for the purpose of submitting ballot measures to the voters.  These include the Transient Occupancy Tax and six Charter Amendments, for a total of seven ballot measures.  This is in addition to the anticipated four candidates for the Office of Member of the City Council and six candidates for the Board of Education Office.  Compliance with the Department of Justice�s requirements for a bi-lingual ballot has already necessitated a second ballot card for the General Election.  Staff anticipates that the additional ballot measures approved on this agenda will require a third ballot card, and the associated costs include $12,916 for ballot card and programming fees, and approximately $8,000 for each ballot measure for printing, translation and mailing costs.  Since these costs were not anticipated in the Elections budget, direction to place these measures on the ballot will require a budget appropriation.  The recommended appropriations are $20,000 for one ballot measure or $30,000 for both ballot measures.

It is recommended that if the Council has approved both advisory measures to be included on the April 10, 2007 election that the resolution be adopted appropriating $30,000.  If only one has been approved then the resolution should be adopted appropriating $20,000.

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