SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Besides contested races for City Council and School Board–as well as Republican primaries for U.S. Senate and House–Sioux Falls voters will also consider two amendments to the City Charter.
The City Charter is akin to the state or U.S. constitutions as its foundational law.
Amendment A would require a City Councilor to have to live in their district for six months prior to their election. From the Charter Revision Commission’s explanation:
- The first proposal would add an eligibility requirement to Section 2.02(b) of the City Charter requiring candidates for district-specific Council seats to be a resident of the District for a period of six months immediately prior to the election.
Amendment B would increase the number of signatures needed for petitioned measures to get on the City ballot and comply with South Dakota law. From the Charter Revision Commission’s explanation:
- The second proposal would ensure that the requirements set forth in Section 8.01(d) of the City Charter regarding voter initiation of proposed Charter amendments are, at all times, at least as stringent as those set forth in the State Constitution. This would satisfy State law, which requires that the requirements of City Charter and ordinance be at least as stringent as those imposed by State law.
This would increase the percentage of registered voters needing to sign the petition from the current five percent to ten percent as required by the state for amending the state constitution.
Click here to read the Charter Revision Commission’s Summary Report on the Amendments
Click here to read the Amendments to the charter that will be on April 14, 2020 election.
