Arlington City Council Calls Special Election on Charter Amendment for Nov. 8, 2022

By Office of Communication

Posted on August 17, 2022, August 17, 2022

Arlington voters can choose whether or not to amend the City’s Charter relative to City Council term lengths during a special election set for this November.

The City Council approved an ordinance at its Tuesday evening meeting to hold the Nov. 8 special election, which will allow Arlington voters to vote “for” or “against” amendments to Sections 4 and 9 of Article IV and Section 2 of Article V of the City Charter to lengthen City Council terms from two years to three years. These sections would be amended to read as follows:

 Section 4. Terms of Office and Limitation of Terms: All elective officers under this Charter shall serve, commencing with the first general election held following the adoption of this amendment, the term of three years, and until their successors have been elected and qualified.

 Section 9. Term Limits: No person shall serve as Mayor for more than three (3) elected terms, and no person shall serve as a Council Member for more than three (3) elected terms. Under no circumstances may any person ever serve for more than nine (9) years as a Council Member and for more than nine (9) years as Mayor. For purposes of this section and computing the limitations on terms:

 (1) a Mayor or Council Member who vacates, for any reason the office before the end of the term for which he was elected shall be considered to have completed that term.

 (2) an appointment or election to fill an unexpired Council Member term, or unexpired Mayor term if applicable, shall be computed as follows:

•  a. if fifty percent (50%) or more of the term is remaining, it shall be included in the computation of term limits; or
•  b. if less than fifty percent (50%) of the term is remaining, it shall not be included in the computation of term limits.

 (3) Council Member terms are counted by including together terms served as both single-member and at-large districts.

 The term that each person as Mayor or as a Council Member is currently filling, and all terms served prior to that current term, shall be counted for purposes of determining whether three (3) terms have been served.

 This amendment shall become effective immediately upon adoption at the next municipal election, shall apply to all persons currently occupying the Office of Mayor or Council Member, and shall apply to all municipal elections conducted after the date of adoption. Any resident of the city may seek injunctive relief to enforce this prohibition.

 Section 2. Mayor and City Council Members, Date of Election, Filing Fees: All regular elections for Mayor and City Council members shall be held on such date as is prescribed by State law or City ordinance not in conflict therewith. Commencing with the general election for City offices held in May 2023, the persons elected to the offices of Mayor and Council members for Districts 3, 4, 5, and 8 shall serve for a term of three years. Commencing with the general election for City offices held in May 2024, the persons elected to the offices of Council members for Districts 1, 2, 6 and 7 shall serve for a term of three years. The City Council shall have the power to call such special elections as they shall deem proper. Candidates for such offices shall pay such filing fee as may be set by appropriate ordinance of the City Council.