City of Beavercreek residents will vote on proposed amendments to the city’s charter on the November 5, 2024 ballot. The two ballot measures stem from Ordinances 24-14 and 24-15, passed by the Beavercreek City Council during their meeting on July 22, 2024.
All of the changes were recommended by the city’s Charter Review Commission, which is a committee of seven citizens who are appointed every five years to review and recommend updates to the City of Beavercreek’s charter.
The first ballot measure is regarding revisions to term limits for city council members and the mayor. Currently, the city’s charter states the mayor and members of city council are permitted to serve two four-year consecutive terms in office, regardless of whether the office is held by the mayor, city council member, or a combination of the two. If passed, the charter amendment would increase from two to three consecutive terms in office. After serving three consecutive terms as a council member, mayor, or both, a person must wait four years before they can run for either position again.
Several cities in the Miami Valley do not have term limits, including Centerville, Dayton, Englewood, Huber Heights, Miamisburg, Moraine, Oakwood, Riverside, Springboro, Springfield, Troy, Trotwood, Vandalia, West Carrollton, and Xenia. Kettering and Fairborn have a limit of two consecutive terms of four years.
The second ballot measure consolidates various amendments aimed at enhancing transparency and efficiency, as well as reducing the city’s expenses. These amendments include adjustments to public meeting notifications, publication requirements for city documents, and updates to administrative procedures.
A complete list of amendments within this measure include:
- Revising Section 4.08 ("Procedures”) to require notice of special meetings to be given to all council members no less than 24 hours in advance, instead of the current 12 hours.
- Revising Section 5.03 ("Introduction and Adoption of Ordinances"), Subsection A ("First Reading and Public Hearing") to allow printed or electronic copies of proposed ordinances to be given to council members and the city manager when an ordinance is first introduced. Additionally, it requires the clerk of council to file a copy of the proposed ordinance in their office at least ten days before the first reading, display the full proposed ordinance in the city’s offices and publish the proposed ordinance in a widely circulated printed publication within the city, or in other media as allowed by law.
- Revising Section 5.03 ("Introduction and Adoption of Ordinances"), Subsection C ("Notice of Adoption") to allow the clerk of council to provide notice of ordinance adoption within 10 days via public media channels, rather than solely through printed publications, when permitted by law.
- Revising Section 5.09 ("Authentication and Recording; Review; Codification; Reproduction"), Subsection B ("Review") to allow, but not require City Council to appoint an Ordinance Review Commission to review existing ordinances and make recommendations.
- Revising Section 5.09 ("Authentication and Recording; Review; Codification; Reproduction"), Subsection C ("Codification") to authorize the publication of the city’s ordinances and resolutions in electronic form, removing the requirement for printed copies to be given to city officials, placed in public city offices, and available at the local public library.
- Revising Section 8.01 ("Merit Principle") to authorize appointments and promotions in the city based on merit and fitness as far as practicable by competitive examination, except as otherwise provided by council.
- Revising Section 9.03 ("Planning Commission") to allow publication of notice of public hearings on public media forums such as the city’s website, instead of printed publications, when allowed by law.
- Revising Section 10.09 ("Public Access") to authorize the city to make copies of the city’s budget and capital program available for public inspection through media forums.
- Revising Section 11.03 ("Nominations"): Clarifies that no primary elections shall be held for nominations of council members or the mayor.
Regarding the publication of notices in newspapers, the City of Beavercreek's charter was written to align with the Ohio Revised Code, which mandated the city to publish most of its notices in a newspaper with a paid circulation. However, in July 2023, Ohio House Bill 33 was signed by Governor DeWine, allowing municipalities to publish many or most of their notices on their own websites and social media instead of in local newspapers.
"While newspapers are a great way to get information about your local community, paying to advertise public notices for cities can be very costly," said City Manager Pete Landrum. "In 2023 alone, the City of Beavercreek spent approximately $25,000 on newspaper publications for public notices. Newspapers do not reach the number of people as they did in the past. Utilizing the city’s public media forums, including its website, is a more cost-effective method for the city to reach its residents."
To view the city’s current charter and the recommended changes in more detail, click here.