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The City of Portland, Oregon

Auditor Simone Rede

Promoting open and accountable government

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1996 Term Limits Initiative

BALLOT TITLE:
 
CAPTION: Amends Charter. Establishes term limits for City's elective offices.
 
QUESTION: Shall City Charter be amended, limiting number of terms served in elective offices and changing length of terms for Commissioners?
 
SUMMARY: Presently, Portland's City Charter provides that terms of office for Mayor, Auditor and Commissioners each shall be four years with no limit on the number of terms a person may serve. This amendment provides that no person shall serve more than two four-year terms in the office of Mayor or Auditor. Commissioner terms are limited to three two-year terms or six years in office. Time already served in office counts, except terms presently being served may be completed.
 
AN ACT:
 
Be it enacted by the People of the City of Portland:
 
Section 2-201 of Chapter 2 of Article 2 of the Charter of the City of Portland, Oregon is amended to read:
 
Elective Officers. There shall be no elective officers of the City of Portland other than the Mayor, four (4) Commissioners and the Auditor. All said officers shall be elected at large by the legal voters of the City of Portland. The Mayor and Auditor each shall be elected for a term of four (4) years. Commissioners shall be elected for a term of two (2) years. No person shall be eligible to be elected to or serve a term that would cause the person to serve more than two terms or eight years in the office of the Mayor or Auditor, or three terms or six years in the office of Commissioner. A term shall be counted as served if any part of the term has been served. Service prior to passage of this law shall count in determining length of service, except no person shall be prohibited from completing the term being served at the time this Amendment was approved by the voters. The provisions of this section shall be supreme, notwithstanding any other provisions of this Charter or ordinances of the City in conflict therewith.
 
Section 2-201 of Chapter 2 of Article 2 of the Charter of the City of Portland, Oregon currently reads:
 
Elective Officers. Each elected official shall be a citizen of the United States and of the State of Oregon, and a registered voter who shall have been a resident of the City of Portland or of an area which has become part of the City prior to filing the declaration of candidacy or petition for nomination, for a period of not less than one (1) year immediately preceding the nominating election. If any officer shall be elected without such qualifications or shall cease to have the same, the office shall immediately become vacant.