The City of Sebastian is proposing a significant change that has the potential to save taxpayers money and extend the term of Council Members from 2 to 4 years.
Last week, the Sebastian City Council unanimously voted to present a proposal on the upcoming election ballot for extending term lengths, including extending the mayor’s tenure.
Should the citizens vote for this change in November, it would result in City Council elections occurring in even-numbered years, with members serving four-year terms instead of the current two. Mayor Ed Dodd emphasized the steadily escalating financial costs of off-year elections, estimated at approximately $70,000. Increasing them to four-year term durations will eliminate the need for off-year elections.
However, those who oppose extending term lengths, particularly in light of the 2020 Sebastian recall, share concerns. They say four-year terms could significantly prolong a recall process should citizens want to remove them from public office. Others argue that two years is enough.
However, during previous council meetings, Mayor Dodd and others discussed whether two-year durations give a new council member enough time to get up to speed. In past meetings, Mayor Dodd and fellow council members have deliberated on whether two-year terms afford sufficient time to get up to speed. There’s concern that newly elected members spend their initial year learning the role, only to shift focus to reelection campaigning in the second year.
According to City Attorney Jennifer Cockcroft, council members appoint a new mayor annually, coinciding with an election. However, extending the term from two to four years would change this practice to every two years when appointing a new mayor.
Councilman Chris Nunn said this only affects placing an item on the referendum for this year’s November election.
“I do remind everybody that we are not making a decision to change anything; we’re giving the citizens an option to elect whether or not they wish to make the changes,” Nunn said.
If voters approve the change in November, the city council will serve a two-year term in 2024, followed by a three-year term in 2025, before starting the regular four-year terms in 2026. Elections would be held on even years after that.
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