Proposition 12
(Mayor's Favorable Action on Bills)
Ballot Title
Shall the Seattle City Charter be amended to specify that the Mayor is deemed to have taken favorable action on a bill (commencing the period, if any, for filing referendum signatures) when the Mayor signs it, or returns it to the City Council unsigned but without the Mayor's disapproval, or when the ten days for returning the bill have elapsed without its return; and shall Article IV, Section 12 of said charter be amended accordingly?
Voter-Pamphlet Explanation
The Charter as it Exists Now
Section 12 of Article 4 of the Charter concerns bills presented to the Mayor after passage by the City Council, the Mayor's action on those bills, and City Council reconsideration of bills vetoed by the Mayor.
Among other things, Section 12 requires that a bill be presented to the Mayor within five days after its passage by the City Council. The Mayor then is to return such a bill to the Council within ten days of having received it. If the Mayor "does not disapprove" the bill, it then becomes an ordinance.
Subdivision J of Section 1 of Article 4 concerns citizens' referendums and the effective dates of ordinances. Among other things, Subdivision J sets out the time within which referendum petitions are to be filed with the City. Specifically, a referendum petition is to be filed before the effective date of the ordinance in question, "which shall in no case be less than thirty (30) days after the final favorable action thereon by the Mayor and City Council…"
However, the present language in Section 12 of Article 4 concerning the Mayor's action on bills presented by the City Council leaves ambiguous when "favorable action" has occurred in situations where the Mayor has neither signed nor "disapproved" (vetoed) a bill presented by the Council. This in turn creates an ambiguity concerning the deadline for filing referendum petitions in such cases.
The Effect of the Proposition if Adopted
Section 12 of Article 4 would be amended to specify when the Mayor is deemed to have taken favorable action on a bill, thus clarifying the deadline for filing a referendum petition.
Specifically, Section 12 would be amended to specify that the Mayor is deemed to have taken favorable action on a bill if he or she signs the bill, or returns it to the City Council unsigned but without disapproval, or if the ten-day time period for returning the bill has elapsed without its return.