Orem adopts revised campaign disclosure rule: June filing kept, adds Dec. 31 and aligns incumbents with primary filings

The Orem City Council voted to amend the municipal campaign finance disclosure ordinance (section 2‑3‑4), approving an option that retains the current June 30 filing for most elected officials, adds a second annual filing on December 31, and permits incumbents who are running for reelection to file on the same pre‑primary schedule as other candidates (7 days before the primary).

City staff presented two options: a simpler approach that would move the single annual filing from June 30 to December 31, and a more complex approach that keeps June 30 for most officeholders, adds a December 31 reporting date, and treats incumbents running for reelection the same as other candidates by requiring their pre‑primary filing seven days before the primary election. The council chose the latter.

"As you can see there, it's just basically changing the date that the reporting happens, from June 30 to December 31," said the presenter during the overview of options. Staff also explained the second option would create two filing deadlines and add a January 15 filing for officials whose term expires in January so outgoing officials disclose all contributions and expenditures through the end of their term.

Supporters said the chosen approach balances transparency with fairness for incumbents facing primary elections. Council members who were running for reelection during the current cycle said aligning reporting deadlines with challengers would put candidates on an even footing and avoid duplicative filings.

Several council members and the city attorney asked staff to investigate an additional transparency issue discussed at the meeting: the role of 501(c)(4) organizations (sometimes called "dark‑money" groups) that can donate to candidates but are not required to disclose their donors at the federal/IRS level. A council member said municipalities could explore code‑level ways to make such contributions clearer on city filings or add explanatory text to local reporting forms; staff said they would research how other jurisdictions handle the issue and report back.

Motion and vote: A council member moved to adopt the second option and another council member seconded. The council approved the ordinance (option 2) by voice vote; individual roll‑call votes were not recorded in the public verbal record shown during the meeting.

The ordinance will require the city recorder's office to implement the revised filing dates and update forms and notices; staff said the recorder's office already sends email reminders to filers.