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ULCT outlines SB321 requirement for annual municipal campaign finance reports
Summary
ULCT members discussed SB321, which would require municipal candidates to file campaign finance reports annually by Jan. 10 until their accounts are zero; staff noted a $250 fine in the bill, the administrative burden for clerks, and that the rule is not retroactive.
Cameron introduced SB321 to the Legislative Policy Committee, describing the bill’s core change: municipal candidates would be required to file a campaign finance report every Jan. 10 until their campaign account balance is zero. Under current municipal practice, candidates file a report 30 days after an election and have no regular annual obligation thereafter.
Staff emphasized the bill’s transparency objective but warned of administrative impacts. A question from the room prompted staff to confirm a $250 fine in the draft substitute for failure to file; Cameron acknowledged the omission from the slide and said he’d intended to include the fine on the presentation.
Members and former state officials in the room said annual reporting is manageable — one veteran said it takes “30 seconds, maybe 90” to complete — while clerks raised concerns about added workload. Staff noted the measure is not retroactive and applies to any municipal candidate, whether elected or not.
ULCT staff said the group had not yet adopted a formal position and asked for member feedback; several members argued that aligning municipal reporting with state candidate requirements will improve transparency without imposing unreasonable burden. Staff will continue to track amendments and clerks’ operational impacts.
