4082456 Resolution 19-694, "Sense of the Council on Scheduling a Special Election and the Ballot Initiative for Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012"

A RESOLUTION

 

19-694 

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

November 15, 2012

 

 

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to declare the sense of the Council  regarding scheduling the Special Election to fill the vacancy of former at-large Councilmember Phil Mendelson and the initiative to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act pursuant to the Local Budget Autonomy Act of 2012 to take place on the same ballot.

 

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sense of the Council on Scheduling a Special Election and the Ballot Initiative for Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012”.

 

Sec. 2. (a). An emergency resolution is necessary to declare the sense of the Council that the District of Columbia Board of Elections, in keeping with its mission and within the bounds of its statutory mandates, should place the initiative to amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 774; D.C. Official Code § 1-201.01 et seq.), pursuant to the Local Budget Autonomy Act of 2012, as introduced on October 2, 2012 (D.C. Bill 19-993), on the ballot used during the upcoming Special Election to fill an at-large Council seat to save resources and time and  to  take advantage of the occurrence of a District-wide election.

(b) The Council will not meet again until December 4, 2012.  The Board of Elections is expected to certify the November 6, 2012 election on November 27, 2012. As a result, it is critical that the Board of Elections is made aware of the Sense of the Council as soon as possible before it begins scheduling the Special Election to fill the at-large vacancy.

 

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Sense of the Council on Scheduling a Special Election and the Ballot Initiative for Local Budget Autonomy Emergency Resolution of 2012 be adopted on an emergency basis.

 

Sec. 4.  This resolution shall take effect immediately.