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City to pursue election-code housekeeping and add policy curbing staff campaign activity
Summary
City staff presented an ordinance to align municipal election notice and filing language with recent state rules and proposed handbook language to prevent staff from performing campaign tasks; the ordinance is scheduled for council consideration June 3.
Two separate election‑related items were presented to the council on May 13. Brooke Smith outlined an ordinance to bring Murray’s municipal election code into alignment with recent state standards for notice and candidate filings. Key changes would standardize the “class A” public‑notice requirement (posting to the city website, the lobby bulletin board and the Utah Public Notice website), eliminate redundant newspaper and utility‑bill publication requirements, add language to require the state’s conflict‑of‑interest disclosure with candidate declarations, and correct a clerical numbering error. Smith said the change is primarily housekeeping and could save the city roughly $200–$1,200 per election cycle in publication costs.
Separately, Jennifer Kennedy presented proposed language to add to the council policy and procedures handbook clarifying what city staff may not do during campaigns: staff would not research for candidates, set campaign appointments, hold campaign events, or otherwise perform campaign tasks. Kennedy said the redlined language is intended to keep staff neutral and to be added to the handbook in coming weeks.
Brooke Smith asked the council to consider the ordinance at the June 3 council meeting. The policy language was presented for feedback; no final action was taken on the handbook changes at this meeting.
