Marietta council approves ordinance setting Aug. 18–20 qualifying dates for November election

The Marietta City Council on Monday approved an ordinance setting the qualifying dates and fees for the city’s upcoming November general election and waived the ordinance’s second reading.

City staff described the ordinance as establishing the qualifying window and fee schedule. “The motion would be to approve an ordinance establishing the dates and the qualifying fees for the Marietta general elections to be held in November of this year,” a staff member identified in the meeting as Doug said during the discussion.

Councilmembers moved to add the ordinance to the consent agenda during the meeting. Council staff noted asterisks on several agenda items indicate they were placed on the consent agenda for a single combined vote to save time; meeting minutes show the consent agenda was approved 7–0. After the ordinance was introduced, the council also voted to waive a second reading, allowing the ordinance to take effect sooner.

Council members asked procedural questions about whether waiving the second reading should be handled as a separate motion; staff advised a separate motion may be required for waivers. The council followed the process used at the meeting to add late items and to approve consent items in bulk.

The ordinance sets the qualifying dates for candidates at Aug. 18–20 of the calendar year. The council did not discuss changes to the qualifying fee amounts during the recorded discussion; the ordinance text was said to be “as distributed.”

The council approved the consent agenda and the ordinance as part of that action. The meeting record shows the council then moved forward with the remainder of the agenda.