Form revised April 10, 2006

FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS

Department:	Contact Person/Phone:	DOF Analyst/Phone:
Legislative	Martha Lester / 4-8149	NA

Legislation Title:

A RESOLUTION submitting a proposition to the qualified electors of the City, at an election to be held on November 7, 2006, to amend Section 3 of Article XVIII of the Charter of the City of Seattle to bring this section of the Charter into conformity with the other sections of the Charter dealing with publication of ballot measures; calling on the City Clerk to certify the proposed amendment to the Director of the Department of Records and Elections of King County and requesting and directing such Director to call a special election and submit the proposition to City voters; and providing for the publication of such proposed amendment.

· Summary of the Legislation:

This resolution would submit a proposition to Seattle voters to amend Section 3 of Article XVIII of the City Charter to bring this section of the Charter into conformity with the other sections of the Charter dealing with publication of ballot measures.

· Background: (Include brief description of the purpose and context of legislation and include record of previous legislation and funding history, if applicable):

The City Charter currently directs that certain ballot measures be "posted" and published for thirty days prior to the election at which the measures will appear on the ballot.  Since 1946, when the current version of the City Charter was adopted, other methods of notifying the public about ballot measures have become the norm – methods such as voters' pamphlets and wide-spread and widely accessible media coverage.  In November 2002, City of Seattle voters approved a Charter amendment that allowed the City to modify the pre-1946 publication provision and publish certain future ballot measures in accordance with state law.

Section 3 of Article XVIII of the Charter contains the same publication requirement that was changed in November 2002, and should have been included on the ballot at that time.  Amending Section 3 of Article XVIII, as is proposed in this resolution, would allow the City to publish other future ballot measures in accordance with publishing requirements set forth in state law, reduce publication costs, and bring Section 3 of Article XVIII into conformity with the Charter provisions likewise amended in 2002.

· Please check one of the following:

__X_ This legislation does not have any financial implications. (Stop here and delete the remainder of this document prior to saving and printing.)