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Sandusky committee simplifies recall-petition wording, keeps 10% signature threshold
Summary
The Charter Review Committee voted to replace a cluttered recall-petition paragraph with Ohio Revised Code'style procedural language while explicitly preserving the city's 10% signature threshold and shifting verification toward the board of elections.
The Sandusky Charter Review Committee voted to substitute clearer Ohio Revised Code'style language into the city charter's recall-petition section while keeping the local 10% signature threshold.
Committee members said the change is intended to remove procedural confusion in how petitions are collected and certified. Tim Schwanger, who proposed using the ORC text for the petition-collection mechanics, said the ORC language "makes it simpler to understand" and would remove the current requirement that petitions be posted at fire stations and handled administratively by a finance director.
Law adviser Mister Hastings cautioned members that the two ways of expressing a signature requirement are not identical: "Under the Ohio Revised Code, it's 15%. Under our charter, it's 10%. I mean, both are legal," he said, adding the two approaches can produce different litigation risks and different practical outcomes for who is eligible to sign.
After discussion the committee amended the motion so the replacement ORC-paragraphs would be used for procedural clarity but the numeric threshold would remain the current 10% figure. Members also directed that signature sufficiency and verification be referred to the board of elections rather than kept in the city's finance officer's responsibilities.
The motion to substitute the ORC-based procedural language while retaining 10% and referring verification to the board of elections carried by voice/roll-call vote. The committee also asked the law department to bring back consistent draft language for related charter sections (sections 66'69 and 68) at the next meeting so final text can be sent to the City Commission.
The change affects how recall petitions are to be collected and verified but does not change the city's 10% policy choice; that numeric policy decision was explicitly retained by the committee.
