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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Mail Packet - 01/28/2025 - Election Code Committee Agenda – January 27, 20251/27/2025 – Agenda Page 1 Agenda Election Code Committee January 27, 2025 – 4:00 PM CIC Conference Room, City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave and via Zoom https://fcgov.zoom.us/j/98639152564 Remote Participation Available A) Call Meeting to Order B) Roll Call C) Public Participation D) Public Participation Follow-up E) Approval of Minutes 1. Approval of Minutes. The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2024, Election Code Committee meeting. F) Discussion / Informational Items 2. Proposed Code Changes and Election and Ranked Choice Voting Updates The purpose of this item is to present proposed election-related code changes and to provide updates on the 2025 Election and ranked choice voting efforts. At its December 10, 2024, meeting, the Committee reviewed revised code amendments r elated to campaign finance enforcement and contribution limits. The Committee also discussed possible options related to additional campaign oversight and will receive follow up information based on that discussion. Proposed code amendments related to eliminating write-in candidates, adding ranked voting provisions in case of a special election administered by the City, eliminating the requirement that circulators read petitions when requested but providing an accessible way to access the information, updating the definition for ballot issue, ballot question or issue, and aligning campaign finance reporting with state provisions, as well as adding additional ones for committees that have been established more than 90 days ahead of an election, will be presented. The Committee will provide direction on which code amendments should be moved forward for consideration by the full Council. G) Other Business - Page 1 - 1/27/2025 – Agenda Page 2 H) Adjournment Upon request, the City of Fort Collins will provide language access services for individuals who have limited English proficiency, or auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities, to access City services, programs and activities. Contact 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Dial 711 for Relay Colorado) for assistance. Please provide advance notice. Requests for interpretation at a meeting should be made by noon the day before. A solicitud, la Ciudad de Fort Collins proporcionará servicios de acceso a idiomas para personas que no dominan el idioma inglés, o ayudas y servicios auxiliares para personas con discapacidad, para que puedan acceder a los servicios, programas y actividades de la Ciudad. Para asistencia, llame al 970.221.6515 (V/TDD: Marque 711 para Relay Colorado). Por favor proporcione aviso previo cuando sea posible. Las solicitudes de interpretación en una reunión deben realizarse antes del mediodía del día anterior. - Page 2 - Council Committee Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 1 January 27, 2025 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Election Code Committee STAFF Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk SUBJECT Approval of Minutes. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes of the December 10, 2024, Election Code Committee meeting. ATTACHMENTS 1. Draft Minutes, December 10, 2024 - Page 3 - Section E, Item 1. City of Fort Collins Page 1 December 10, 2024 ELECTION CODE COMMITTEE MEETING 4:00 PM COMMITTEEMEMBERS PRESENT Chair/Councilmember Tricia Canonico Mayor Jeni Arndt Councilmember Julie Pignataro STAFF PRESENT Delynn Coldiron Cecilia Good Sara Arfman Carrie Daggett Rupa Venkatesh Heather Walls A. CALL MEETING TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL C. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION None. D. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOLLOW-UP None. E. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – October 21, 2024 1. Approval of Minutes The purpose of this item is to approve the minutes of the October 21, 2024, Election Code Committee meeting. Councilmember Pignataro made a motion, seconded by Mayor Arndt, to approve the minutes of the October 21, 2024 meeting. Yeas: Councilmember Pignataro and Mayor Arndt. Nays: none. Abstain: Chair Canonico. F. DISCUSSION/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 2. Revised Potential Code Changes Regarding the Campaign Complaint Process and the Campaign Contribution Limits. Sara Arfmann, Assistant City Attorney II, provided a summary of the changes that have been made since the October 21st meeting. Councilmember Pignataro commended the changes and suggested showing the draft to someone who has yet to see the language. Mayor Arndt concurred. Arfmann stated the campaign contribution limits have been increased per the discussion at the last meeting and clarifications regarding electronic donations and payments and third-party transaction fees were added. Councilmember Pignataro noted transaction fees would come out of the donation amount making a $100 donation actually less. Members discussed whether it would be easier to ask - Page 4 - Section E, Item 1. City of Fort Collins Page 2 donors to cover the fee and opted to allow those campaigning to make the decision. The language was left as presented. Arfmann discussed the subsection regarding cryptocurrency and stated many other communities do not allow it as it is too difficult to determine the value, which is how the language was written for this section. Members concurred and noted it could be revisited if something changes. Councilmember Canonico suggested including language that would prevent campaigns from purchasing things with cryptocurrency as well. Members concurred. Mayor Arndt asked if that would be illegal and the City Attorney’s Office will do additional research. Arfmann asked if the inflation adjustment should be rounded to the nearest ten dollars. Members concurred. Councilmember Pignataro asked when the inflation adjustment is analyzed. Arfmann replied it would be analyzed every two years with the first being the first quarter of 2027. Councilmember Canonico questioned whether that would be an adequate timeframe given people have already declared candidacy and suggested it should be analyzed the fourth quarter of the previous year or first quarter of even years. Members opted to adjust in 2026 and even years thereafter. 3. Enforcement of Local Campaign Regulations. Cecelia Good, Senior Deputy City Clerk, discussed research done by staff related to campaign compliance oversight in other municipalities and stated the recommendation is for a contract with an outside entity to provide monitoring oversight and investigation and enforcement of campaign compliance. Good noted there are currently no funds allocated to this option, however, and staff does not yet have an established cost. Councilmember Pignataro concurred with the recommendation to contract with an outside entity. Mayor Arndt also concurred and noted there has been a reliance on community members to date. She stated that system provides for the opportunity for an individual to thwart a candidate’s campaign by becoming a self -appointed auditor. City Clerk Coldiron concurred with the idea of taking complaints out of the hands of the City Clerk’s Office given the possible perceived conflict of interest. Councilmember Pignataro concurred with the previous comments and noted the oversight would apply to all campaign violations, not just those related to finance. She stated that while the idea of having a technology solution for campaign finance reporting is good, the math is fairly basic; therefore, the current Excel spreadsheets work. Councilmember Canonico noted some individuals do not have Microsoft and Google Forms would be a more uniform, free option. City Clerk Coldiron replied the Clerk’s Office is currently looking at revising the forms or perhaps offering two options. Mayor Arndt commented on making the formulas additive. Good noted there were no other municipalities in Colorado who have an additional oversight contractor. Mayor Arndt suggested there are likely other cities having similar issues and stated the information may be worth sharing with CML. Councilmember Pignataro suggested CML may also be a source for a contractor. City Clerk Coldiron noted former clerks could be consulted as well. Good stated she would research costs and availability of resources. - Page 5 - Section E, Item 1. City of Fort Collins Page 3 4. 2024 Work Plan Check-in and Election and Ranked Choice Voting Updates. City Clerk Coldiron outlined upcoming Work Plan items, including potential Code changes related to write-in candidates and ranked choice voting, the necessary Charter change related to the circulation period, education efforts around ranked choice voting, redistricting, and public financing of campaigns, though they may not all be ready to be addressed in the first quarter of the year. City Attorney Daggett outlined additional items that will be coming before the Committee in January, including adding filing requirements for committees. City Clerk Coldiron noted items will come before the Committee in January and will go before the full Council in February. Regarding write-in candidates, she noted they are currently allowed in the Code, but there may be some desire to eliminate that due to ranked choice voting. She noted Boulder does allow up to two write-in candidates in its ranked choice voting regulations. City Attorney Daggett noted there would be other Code clean-up items that would need to occur if write-in candidates are still allowed. Councilmember Pignataro expressed support for eliminating write-in candidates and reviewing the issue at a later time. Mayor Arndt stated it seems unfair for write-in candidates to have the same benefits as a nominated candidate who has collected signatures for placement on the ballot. She suggested the signature requirement could be eliminated for all candidates. Councilmember Canonico asked if other peer cities allow for write-in candidates. City Clerk Coldiron replied many likely do as it is allowed in state statute. City Attorney Daggett suggested staff could return at the next meeting with some alternative scenarios and additional comparative information. Councilmember Pignataro stated she is more comfortable going back to the original question of eliminating write-in candidates or not and posing that to the full Council. City Clerk Coldiron discussed the changes related to petition circulation to eliminate the provision that circulators had to read the entire petition if asked to do so and including ranked choice voting language aligning with state statute in the Code in case a special election is needed. Mayor Arndt questioned the petition circulation item asking if a visually impaired person would then not be able to sign a petition if the petitioner is not required to read the language. She suggested language related to appropriate accommodations should be added. City Clerk Coldiron asked if the petition language must be read by the circulator or if it could be made available in another way. City Attorney Daggett suggested staff could come forward with language related to providing accommodations for various situations. City Clerk Coldiron stated redistricting and public financing of campaigns will be kept on the list for later consideration. Members discussed having the last Committee meeting occur in February. City Clerk Coldiron noted the November election has been certified by the County and there was a return rate of over 83%. She stated the election cost estimate was $164,337, though she has yet to receive the final statement, and noted that will be higher for the ranked choice elections, though there is a hope that some funding could come from the state. - Page 6 - Section E, Item 1. City of Fort Collins Page 4 City Clerk Coldiron stated the website is being updated to include a ranked choice voting webpage and noted there have already been candidates asking for information. Members discussed Council term limitations. City Clerk Coldiron noted a core team has been meeting regarding ranked choice voting and stated there is collaboration with CSU and the County to ensure messaging remains consistent. She stated a communication plan is being developed and she provided some detail around that timeline and plan for utilizing volunteers. G. OTHER BUSINESS None. H. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned by unanimous consent at 5:12 p.m. - Page 7 - Section E, Item 1. City of Fort Collins Page 5 I. INITIAL DISCUSSION OF VOTER AND CANDIDATE EDUCATION PRIORITIES J. REVIEW OF TIMELINE FOR PRIORITIES K. OTHER BUSINESS L. ADJOURNMENT M. The meeting adjourned by unanimous consent at 5:59 P.M. - Page 8 - Section E, Item 1. Council Committee Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 3 January 27, 2025 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Election Code Committee STAFF Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk Carrie Daggett, City Attorney Sara Arfmann, Assistant City Attorney II SUBJECT Proposed Code Changes and Election and Ranked Choice Voting Updates EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to present proposed election-related code changes and to provide updates on the 2025 Election and ranked choice voting efforts. At its December 10, 2024, meeting, the Committee reviewed revised code amendments related to campaign finance enforcement and contribution limits. The Committee also discussed possible options related to additional campaign oversight and will receive follow up information based on that discussion. Proposed code amendments related to eliminating write-in candidates, adding ranked voting provisions in case of a special election administered by the City, eliminating the requirement that circulators read petitions when requested but providing an accessible way to access the information, updating the definition for ballot issue, ballot question or issue, and aligning campaign finance reporting with state provisions, as well as adding additional ones for committees that have been established more than 90 days ahead of an election, will be presented. The Committee will provide direction on which code amendments should be moved forward for consideration by the full Council. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. Does this meet the Committee’s expectations regarding these items? 2. Are there any additional items the Committee is interested in pursuing for this election term? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Code changes agreed to at the January meeting will be prepared for Council consideration on February 18 (or March 4), followed by second reading on March 4 (or March 18), 2025. Staff will be looking for guidance on whether this should be placed on the Consent Agenda or as a discussion item on the chosen agenda. Staff will also be looking for guidance related to campaign oversight and whether the Committee intends for staff to move forward with one of the options. If the Committee wants staff to move forward with an outside contract, an additional appropriation ordinance will be needed. This could be done as part of the - Page 9 - Section F, Item 2. Council Committee Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 3 upcoming items or in July when we anticipate we will have estimated costs from the County that may require additional funding to be appropriated. Additional items that remain outstanding include: 1. Code amendments related to Redistricting. 2. Other Topics: “Bike Rack” Items: b. Public Financing of Campaigns Staff will be looking for guidance on whether the Committee would like to continue meeting to review proposed code amendments related to Item 1 above or to hold these items for when the Committee reconvenes in the fall. Election Update: Candidate information for the 2025 election is being received. Here is what we have so far: Mayor: No Candidates District 1: Christopher Bramhall-Conway. Nick Armstrong withdrew. District 3: No Candidates District 5: Amy Hoeven Candidate Guidelines and other materials for the 2025 election have been finalized and the website has been updated. A Candidate Information Session has been scheduled for April 2 which will include some information about the new ranked choice voting process. The session will be promoted during the State of the City address. It has been placed on this date to ensure that all code amendments have been approved, materials have been updated, and preliminary ranked choice voting information, including our video, are available. The Candidate Information Session in 2023 was held in July, so we are starting this outreach much earlier this round. Ranked Choice Voting Efforts: A core staff team has been established that includes members from the City Clerk, City Attorney and Communications teams. Many efforts are underway including developing a communications/outreach plan and associated timelines, working on branding, website and material development, event planning, etc. Collaboration with CSU (ASCSU and Strayer Center) is already underway. The team plans to reach out to Poudre School District and Front Range Community College as well to determine how best to reach their students. An initial meeting was held with Larimer County on January 8, 2025. There is some additional work and collaboration that needs to be done to ensure alignment, especially on the name (ranked voting versus ranked choice voting). Staff will be meeting with the County on a monthly basis and plan to partner with them when possible, on events and outreach. Collaboration with the League of Women voters is planned. Our first meeting with them is scheduled on January 24th. We will be able to provide a related update and the Committee’s meeting on the 27th. - Page 10 - Section F, Item 2. Council Committee Agenda Item Summary – City of Fort Collins Page 3 of 3 Outreach is expected to start during Q1 2025. We continue to expect a “bite, snack, meal” approach to this, similar to what the City of Boulder did.  Bite – social media posts, early website development, postcard creation, Coloradoan information;  Snack – Candidate Information Session, postcard mailing, utility bill stuffer, continued social media posts, added information on the website, development of slides and a video;  Meal – Full flyer mailing, cable TV information, QR code that links to a ballot for practice, fully built out website, events, mock elections, elections blue book. We expect to have all items except for the elections blue book developed and ready to go by the Summer of 2025, prior to attending events. We are planning a staff report to City Council on June 3, 2025 to share materials, the video, the website, and answer questions Council may have. Events we have identified include:  State of the City (postcard developed and available)  Candidate Information and Orientation Sessions (postcard and video developed and available)  Open Streets  Lagoon Series  Larimer County Fair and Farmer’s Markets  Library (when they have other events planned)  Super-Issue meetings  CSU events  Senior Center Outreach  Town Hall and/or similar meetings  League of Women Voter and County events Other events will be added as wanted/needed. The election blue book is expected to be developed in the August/September timeframe. It is unknown at this time whether this will solely be an online resource or mailed to registered households. It is expected that a full mailing for something like this would cost approximately $85K. Alternatively, a link to the online version could be included on the last flyer that is mailed and perhaps on the voter instructions that go out with ballots. We plan to collaborate with the City’s Equity Office and the League of Women Voters to ensure effective outreach and training to underserved populations within the community. There are a lot of great ideas being generated in this space that we plan to explore. All ranked choice voting materials will be available in English and Spanish. Staff will continue to keep the Committee and Council apprised of related efforts. ATTACHMENTS 1. Proposed code amendments 2. Letter from League of Women Voters 3. Presentation - Page 11 - Section F, Item 2. Proposed Code Changes – Election Code Committee Meeting January 27, 2025 Sec. 7-103. - Write-in candidates. No write-in vote for a candidate for City Council office shall be counted. unless the person whose name appears as the write-in vote has filed an affidavit of intent with the City Clerk, no later than the close of business sixty-four (64) days before the election, indicating that such person desires and is qualified for the office. Sec. 7-21. - Administration of City-administered elections. The provisions of this article apply to the administration of City-administered elections. Any election conducted as a coordinated election with the County is subject to the provisions of applicable state law. Any ranked voting election conducted by the City Clerk will be in compliance with the rules adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to the Colorado Code of Regulations 8 C.C.R. 1505-1:26. Sec. 7-165. - Obligation of petition circulators. Any person circulating a petition approved for circulation by the City Clerk shall will, upon the request of any person to whom the petition is presented, read aloud to such person make the entire text of the initiated or referred measure that is the subject of the petition or, in the case of a recall petition, the statement of charges and statement of defenses, accessible by any reasonable method. Sec. 7-132. – Definitions Ballot issue, ballot question or issue shall mean any measure put to a vote, or any measure for which contributions are collected with the intent to put to a vote, of the registered electors of the City by the City Council at any election held under the provisions of the Charter. For purposes of this Article V, ballot issue, ballot question or issue shall also mean any measure for which recall, initiative or referendum proceedings have been commenced, or for which contributions are collected with the intent to commence such proceedings, pursuant to Article IX, Section 1(b), Article X, Section 1(b), and Article X, Section 2(b), respectively, of the Charter. Sec. 7-136. - Disclosure; filing of reports. (c) Reports shall be filed with the City Clerk as follows: 1) When an election is more than ninety-one (91) days away, all committees must file a report within two (2) weeks of receipt of the first contribution or contribution in kind and then the first of the calendar quarter thereafter until the election is sixty-three (63) days away and the requirements of subsection (2) control. 2) All committees must file reports on the following dates: a. the thirty-fifth sixty-third (3563rd ) day before the election; b. the twenty-first thirty-fifth (21st 35th ) day before the election; c. the fourteenth twenty-first (21st ) day before the election; d. no later than noon on the Friday before the election; e. the thirty-fifth twenty-eighth (30 28 th ) day after the election; and f. the seventieth (70 th ) day after the election. - Page 12 - Section F, Item 2. 3) Candidate committees that continue in operation must file a report annually on the first day of the month in which the anniversary of the election occurs until such time as a termination report is filed. 4) If the reporting day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the report shall be filed by the close of the next business day. - Page 13 - Section F, Item 2. January 17, 2025 To Members of the Fort Collins City Council: The League of Women Voters of Larimer County supports the call for an independent authority with quasi-judicial powers to oversee elections in the City of Fort Collins and conduct other important election-related duties. An oversight authority could help our community in these ways:  Train potential candidates about compliance with election codes and keep training materials up to date (with the assistance of the City Clerk's office staff);  Conduct audits of all campaign finance reports as they are submitted;  Adjudicate complaints as they come in, including completing closure of the complaint;  Recommend changes to the City's Election Code as referenced in the City Charter and Ordinances;  Answer questions from the public and candidates during the election season. This authority would also alleviate work overload in the Clerk’s office during election season, eliminate the conflict of interest with the City Attorney and City Clerk, and stand ready to help City Council fix loopholes while adopting best practices for independent oversight. It would replace the current mechanism of oversight, which is through citizen or candidate complaint submissions. Oversight is essential to maintaining the health of democratic processes, ensuring fair elections, and promoting accountability in political campaigns. When candidates are given money for a campaign, the public needs confidence that the funds are being used legally and as intended. The establishment of a fair and independent election oversight authority with quasi-judicial powers could serve to enhance public trust in our elections. We encourage the City Council to work toward establishing an election oversight authority. Sincerely, Pat Burger, President League of Women Voters of Larimer County info@lwv-larimercounty.org Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. - Page 14 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here Election and Ranked Choice Voting Updates Jan 2025 Delynn Coldiron, City Clerk Sara Arfmann, Assistant City Attorney II - Page 15 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 2 Today’s Topics Code Changes Eliminate write-in candidates Add RCV provisions (SOS) Eliminate requirement to read petitions but requiring accessibility Revising election-related reporting to conform to statute and adds Charter Changes Circulation Period Correction Other items resulting from the Charter Review Process January 28 –Work Session April 1 –First Reading Election Oversight Outside Contractor? Oversight board? Status Quo? Ranked Choice Voting Update Additional Code Amendments Redistricting Other? Other Topics –“Bike Rack” Public Financing of Campaigns - Page 16 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 3 Code Changes Proposed for Council Consideration Write-In Candidates Proposal to eliminate write-in candidates. •Sec. 7-103. -Write-in candidates. •No write-in vote for a candidate for City Council office shall be counted. unless the person whose name appears as the write-in vote has filed an affidavit of intent with the City Clerk, no later than the close of business sixty-four (64) days before the election, indicating that such person desires and is qualified for the office. - Page 17 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 4 Code Changes Proposed for Council Consideration Ranked Voting Provisions Proposal to add provisions that enable the City Clerk to run special elections that are not coordinated with the County in compliance with the rules adopted by the Secretary of State. Sec. 7-21. -Administration of City-administered elections. The provisions of this article apply to the administration of City-administered elections. Any election conducted as a coordinated election with the County is subject to the provisions of applicable state law. Any ranked voting election conducted by the City Clerk will be in compliance with the rules adopted by the Secretary of State pursuant to the Colorado Code of Regulations 8 C.C.R. 1505-1:26. New Jersey State Bar - Page 18 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes HereCode Changes Proposed for Council Consideration 5 Petition Circulation Proposal to eliminate the requirement that a petition must be read aloud upon request but ensuring the information is accessible by any reasonable method requested. Sec. 7-165. –Obligation of petition circulators. Any person circulating a petition approved for circulation by the City Clerk shall will, upon the request of any person to whom the petition is presented,read aloud to such person make the entire text of the initiated or referred measure that is the subject of the petition or, in the case of a recall petition, the statement of charges and statement of defenses, accessible by any reasonable method. - Page 19 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes HereCode Changes Proposed for Council Consideration 6 Definitions Proposal to update the definition for ballot issue, ballot question or issue to include any measure intended to be put to a vote for which contributions are collected. Sec. 7-132. –Definitions Ballot issue,ballot question or issue shall mean any measure put to a vote, or any measure for which contributions are collected with the intent to put to a vote, of the registered electors of the City by the City Council at any election held under the provisions of the Charter. For purposes of this Article V,ballot issue, ballot question or issue shall also mean any measure for which recall, initiative or referendum proceedings have been commenced, or for which contributions are collected with the intent to commence such proceedings, pursuant to Article IX, Section 1(b), Article X, Section 1(b), and Article X, Section 2(b), respectively, of the Charter. - Page 20 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes HereCode Changes Proposed for Council Consideration 7 Campaign Finance Reports Proposal to align with state requirements and add additional reports. Sec. 7-136. -Disclosure; filing of reports. (c) Reports shall be filed with the City Clerk as follows: 1)When an election is more than ninety-one (91) days away, all committees must file a report within two (2) weeks of receipt of the first contribution or contribution in kind and then the first of the calendar quarter thereafter until the election is fifty-six (56) days away and the requirements of subsection (2) control. 2)All committees must file reports on the following dates: a.the thirty-fifth sixty-third (3563rd ) day before the election; b.the twenty-first thirty-fifth (21st 35th ) day before the election; c.the fourteenth twenty-first (21st ) day before the election; d.no later than noon on the Friday before the election; e.the thirty-fifth twenty-eighth (30 28 th ) day after the election; and f.the seventieth (70 th ) day after the election. State law now states that disclosures “must be filed no later than” •60 days; •30 days; •15 days before; and •30 days after CRS 1-45-108(F)(2)(II.5) •Dates updated to be consistent with use of 7 day increments - Page 21 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes HereCode Changes Proposed for Council Consideration 8 Campaign Finance Reports Proposal is to align with state requirements and add additional reports. Sec. 7-136. -Disclosure; filing of reports. 3)Candidate committees that continue in operation must file a report annually on the first day of the month in which the anniversary of the election occurs until such time as a termination report is filed. 4)If the reporting day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the report shall be filed by the close of the next business day. - Page 22 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes HereCode Changes Proposed for Council Consideration 9 1.Campaign Enforcement •Changes to streamline process/clarify roles •Requires factual evidence and creates clear process stages •Provides notification of presumptive fine and ability to pay •Provides information and evidence of cure to complainants 2.Contribution Limits: •Increase to $200/Mayor; $150/Councilmember •Includes a provision for inflation (based on CPI/Denver area) Rounds to nearest $10 starting Q4 2026 then every 2 years after •Clarifies 3rd party transaction fees; joint contributions •Prohibits cryptocurrency 3.Write-In Candidates: •Eliminate 4.Ranked Voting Provisions •Add provisions for ranked voting based off Secretary of State provisions 5.Petition Circulation •Eliminates requirement that circulators read the entire petition if requested, but ensures a reasonable accessible way to get voters the full information upon request 6.Definitions •Ballot issue, ballot question or issue –adds provisions to ensure any measure for which contributions are collected with intent to put to a vote are included 7.Campaign Finance Reports •Changes to align with state requirements and adds provisions for quarterly reports when committees have started accepting contributions and an election is more than 90 days away. 1st report is due within two weeks after the first contribution; quarterly after. First Reading –Feb. 18? March 4? Second Reading –March 4 or 18? Consent? - Page 23 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 10 Campaign Oversight Outside Service Provider: •Contracted to provide increased proactive review •Regular review of campaign finance submissions •Investigation of potential violations •Response to public inquiries •Documentation of complaint resolutions •Purchasing guidelines; anything over $60K requires an RFP process •Quotes based on outreach are $100/hour (Clerk) or more (Attorney) Independent Body: •There continues to be interest by others for this •League of Women Voters Letter Status Quo?: •Lots going on with Ranked Choice Voting and proposed code changes •Wait for next election with this one?- Page 24 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 11 Additional Charter Amendments and Other Topics •Redistricting •Other? Additional Code Amendments •Public Financing of Campaigns Other Topics “Bike Rack” - Page 25 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 12 Election Update Website and forms updated for 2025 Effort Mayor Candidates –None District 1 Candidates –1 (one candidate withdrew) District 3 Candidates -None District 5 Candidates -1 Recall inquiry –1 –No details given Candidate Information Session –April 2, 6:00 p.m. Staff Report at Council Meeting –June 3rd- Page 26 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 13 Ranked Choice Voting Update •Met with County •There is a need for more work/alignment •Will be meeting monthly •Collaboration with League of Women Voters planned •Want to wait until we have another meeting with County •Communication Plan is being developed •CPIO staff is ready to move forward once we have agreement on title (RCV versus RV) •Q1 –will start outreach (Bite, Snack, Meal approach) •Bite –social media, website, postcard, Coloradoan information •Snack –Candidate Information Session, postcard mailing, utility bill stuffer, continued social media posts, added information on website, slides, video •Meal –Full flyer mailing, cable tv information, QR code that links to a ballot for practice, fully built out website, events, mock elections, elections blue book League of Women Voters - Page 27 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 14 Ranked Choice Voting Update •Video and postcard will be available at Candidate Information Session •Events •State of the City •Candidate Information and Orientation Sessions •Open Streets •Lagoon Series •Larimer County Fair and Farmer’s markets •Library (when they have events planned) •Super-Issue meetings •Collaboration with League of Women Voters •CSU events (ASCSU, Strayer Center) •Senior Center Outreach •Collaboration with the Equity Office and related events Better Ballot North Carolina - Page 28 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 15 Ranked Choice Voting Update -Volunteers •Developed a volunteer description to post -plan to do this just prior to the State of the City address •Will work through the City’s Volunteer Coordinator with help of Davina in the Clerk’s Office •Will ensure all volunteers are identified and go through the same process •Will include volunteer training, as well as RCV training East Idaho News - Page 29 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here 16 Next Meeting –March 3, 2025 –CIC Room –4:00 p.m. •Debrief on Council first reading of election code changes (if on February 18th) •Review of RCV Communication Plan •Review of Candidate Information Session •Break until after the election? - Page 30 - Section F, Item 2. Headline Copy Goes Here Questions? 17 - Page 31 - Section F, Item 2.