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Santa Barbara council approves placing charter amendment on June ballot to let council approve longer contracts and leases
Summary
Council adopted a resolution to place a charter amendment before voters that would let the City Council approve contracts exceeding five years by ordinance or resolution and remove an explicit 50‑year lease cap; council members debated timing and cost before voting to move the item to the June 2, 2026 special election.
The City of Santa Barbara City Council voted to place a proposed amendment to the city charter on the June 2, 2026 special election ballot that would modernize how the city approves contracts and leases.
City staff presented the proposed language and a draft resolution at the Feb. 3 meeting, recommending a June special election consolidated with the state primary. The staff presentation said the measure would amend Section 500.21 of the Charter to allow the Council to approve contracts for a period greater than five years either by ordinance or by resolution and would remove the Charterexplicit 50‑year lease limitation for city property. According to staff, the resolution would also authorize the mayor to file an argument in favor of the measure, direct the city attorney to prepare an impartial analysis, and ask the county to consolidate the election with the…
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