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ITEM 2. CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT — RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AND
DIRECTING THE JOHNSON COUNTY AUDITOR TO PLACE A
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CITY'S HOME RULE CHARTER
TO AMEND SECTION 7.03(A) (NUMBER OF SIGNATURES) OF
ARTICLE VII (INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM) TO CHANGE THE
NUMBER OF SIGNATURES REQUIRED ON INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM PETITIONS BEFORE THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS OF
THE CITY OF IOWA CITY, IOWA AT A SPECIAL CITY ELECTION
ON NOVEMBER 8, 2016.
Botchway: Move resolution.
Thomas: Second.
Throgmorton: Moved by Botchway, seconded by Thomas. Uh, does anybody want to speak to
this topic?
Dieterle: Well, I'd only like to say that it's regrettable that this caused so much trouble.
Um, we had absolutely no clue, um, that putting in strike -through in the text of the
petition would not fly with the Auditor's, uh, ADA compliance. Um ... and I guess
that the best resolution to the problem is .... has been arrived at. Um, the only
regret that I have is that, um, the relevant portions, or the portions that are the
most important for people to understand, uh, are not in any way emphasized by
bolding or italicizing or, you know, anything. Um ... and I wish that that could be
done. But I suppose, um, that they have the same trouble with the ADA machines
with that as they had with the strike -outs, so that's simply not feasible either.
Um ... the Auditor's office told me that they went back in the history of their
ballots that they have down there and never found another instance when this had
occurred, even prior to the existence of ADA compliant machines. But, I think if
there's any good thing to come out of it, it should be that something is, uh... you
know, said to the State or whatever level it has to go to, warning people that, uh,
you cannot use strike-throughs, uh, because I can't believe that this is the one and
only time in the history of our state that anybody will attempt to try to use those
and ... it would be too bad to have them go through the same, uh, contortions that
had to be done here. Thanks.
Throgmorton: Thank you, Caroline. Okay, uh.... uh, no one else wants to speak so, uh,
discussion among the Council? Seeing none, uh, roll call. Motion carries 7-0.
This represents only a reasonably accurate transcription of the Iowa City City Council
special formal meeting of August 29, 2016.