What this Measure Proposes
This measure proposes amendments to the City Charter of Stayton. City voters last amended the City Charter in 2018.
Over several months, the City of Stayton City Council considered various amendments and updates to the City Charter. This measure is the culmination of the City Council’s work.
Approving this measure would adopt the following amendments to the City Charter with the intent to:
- Clarify that annexation proposals covering more than three acres will be put to a popular vote unless state law provides otherwise. This update has the effect of conforming the City Charter to existing state law.
- Establish the Mayor as a voting member of the City Council. This amendment would allow the Mayor to vote on all questions before the City Council; currently, the Mayor does not have the authority to vote on City Council matters, except in the event of a tie.
- Remove the Mayor’s authority to require that the City Council reconsider ordinance adoptions. This change equalizes the authority between the Mayor and City Councilors for ordinance adoptions.
- Modernize the process to fill vacancies on the City Council. This change adopts text proposed by the League of Oregon Cities model charter document.
- Add job duties for the City Manager. This amendment creates duties for the City Manager in the City Charter, rather than in the City Code.
- Clarify authority of the City’s municipal judge to issue non-criminal administrative warrants. This update clarifies the judge’s authority to assist the City with non-criminal code enforcement matters.
- Update various provisions to harmonize the above changes with the rest of the City Charter. These updates revise terminology used in the City Charter to implement the other proposed changes.
Many of these proposed changes follow guidance from the model city charter produced by the League of Oregon Cities. The model city charter, in some fashion, is used in many cities of all sizes throughout Oregon. The City Council’s intent in proposing these amendments is to modernize the City’s Charter and ensure that the City’s operations follow the latest Oregon laws.
A complete copy of the proposed City Charter amendments can be accessed here and is also available at Stayton City Hall.
Effect of Vote
A “yes” vote adopts the proposed amendments to the City Charter. A “no” vote keeps the current City Charter unchanged.
If approved, the amendments to the City Charter of Stayton would become effective July 1, 2026.