Sweet Home council moves to advance petition to put elected mayor question before voters

The Sweet Home City Council agreed during a Feb. 11 work session to advance a proposed charter amendment to its Feb. 25 regular meeting for a resolution that could send a question to voters on whether the mayor should be elected directly by residents.

City staff summarized three parallel paths to amend the city charter — a direct council referral, a citizen petition and review by the citys Charter Review Committee — and told councilors the petition already on file cannot meet the deadlines to reach the May ballot.

Cecily (staff member) explained the timeline: a petition was filed Feb. 4 and now is in a seven-day challenge period; petitioners may submit signature sheets after Feb. 14, but Linn County elections requires about 30 days to verify signatures, and that delay makes the petition too late for the upcoming May ballot. Cecily said, "based on the timeline... it's not possible for the petition to make it to the May ballot." She also told councilors that Oregon law requires signature thresholds equal to 15% of registered voters at the time the petition is filed and that county officials will verify signatures.

Councilors debated whether to seek referral to the May ballot, defer to the Charter Review Committee (a longer public process) or wait until the November election to allow more time for community discussion. Councilor Sanchez said, "I think that the people of the community deserve to choose for themselves," and Councilor Richards said putting the question on a ballot gives residents the final say.

City Attorney Larson described removal options for an elected official, saying removal would generally require a recall and that some charter provisions about removal are largely untested in local practice.

On election costs, staff said if a measure is placed on a May or November ballot in an even-numbered year the county typically covers election administration costs; measures placed at other times require the city to pay. Cecily noted an out-of-cycle election in 2015 cost the city more than $10,000 but cautioned costs have risen and are not predictable; she explained Linn County allocates the total administration cost across jurisdictions based on ballot space and number of measures.

Councilors also discussed how the petition language would change council and mayoral terms. The petition text before the council would eliminate the separate two-year council seat and move to six councilors serving four-year terms, with a separately elected mayor serving a two-year term. Cecily clarified the petitions draft "eliminates that 2 year term among the counselors; all counselors would each have a 4 year term... and then the mayor would be elected separately to a 2 year term," as written in the petition language currently under consideration.

Councilors who spoke in favor of moving the item forward said the community has repeatedly raised the issue and that a direct referral lets voters decide; those urging delay cited the benefit of broader public review through the Charter Review Committee and more time for community input. Several councilors said language adjustments could still be made before a final resolution is drafted.

Councilors Richards, Augsberger, President Pro Tem Thorstad and Sanchez indicated they would move the item forward to the Feb. 25 agenda for a resolution and public comment. Staff said if council directs it at that meeting, staff will prepare a resolution with the exact text to be referred and will draft the ballot title for filing and the seven-day challenge period.

Next steps identified at the meeting: staff will prepare a resolution and draft ballot title based on the text the council wants referred to voters; the matter will be on the Feb. 25 regular meeting agenda for public comment and a formal vote to refer language to the ballot. If the council votes to refer language after that public meeting and the administrative timelines are met, the measure could be placed on an appropriate future ballot according to statutory timelines and Linn Countys verification and filing procedures.

The work session closed with staff and councilors acknowledging the council could still edit the petition language at the Feb. 25 meeting before passing any resolution to refer the matter to voters.