NORTH CANTON NEEDS A FULL-TIME MAYOR AT CITY HALL

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO NORTH CANTON CITY CHARTER TO MAKE THE OFFICE OF MAYOR A FULL-TIME POSITION REQUIRING THE MAYOR TO DEVOTE HIS/HER ENTIRE TIME AND EFFORT DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS AND ALL OTHER TIMES AS ARE NECESSARY TO PROPERLY CONDUCT THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY

     Presently, the Office of Mayor is a part-time position with no requirement that the Mayor maintain business hours at City Hall. Residents and business owners alike cannot count on finding the Mayor at City Hall. Citizens of North Canton are unable to meet with the city’s highest elected official as Mayors past and present, have held full-time jobs elsewhere and tended to city business when and if they had free time to do so.

     The Mayor of North Canton presently receives over $30,000 annually in salary and benefits. Currently, the city charter only requires the Mayor to attend Council meetings which are held four evenings per month and last generally one to two hours per meeting. 

     With the Mayor unavailable to assist the City Administrator during regular business hours, the City has twice in the last five years filled a position titled Director of Administrative Services to assist the City Administrator with daily operation of City business. Salary and benefits for that position were approximately $75,000 annually.

     With a portion of the costs paid to the former Director of Administrative Services in combination with the current salary paid to the Mayor, North Canton could have a full-time working Mayor and reduce personnel costs in the Mayor’s office, saving money for taxpayers.

     The City’s current part-time position of Mayor does not allow the Mayor to be engaged in city business on a daily basis. Prospective business owners are unable to speak with the highest elected representative who has decision-making authority concerning municipal affairs.

     The Mayor is required by City Charter to present an annual budget to City Council and oversee those expenditures. The 2013 North Canton budget is nearly $43.0 million. In the business world it would be inconceivable to appoint a Chief Executive Officer who would perform those duties on a part-time basis.

     Currently, the citizens of North Canton have no elected representative who devotes his entire time and effort to conduct city business. All elected officials in North Canton (seven members of City Council and the Mayor) are part-time. Shouldn’t at least one elected official be working full-time at City Hall on behalf of its citizens?

     The daily conduct of City business has grown more demanding and complicated. This is demonstrated in the fact that the City has staffed an assistant to the City Administrator in recent years. The elimination of the Director of Administrative Services position  would allow a full-time Mayor to work with his chosen City Administrator to conduct City business in a more efficient and expeditious manner while giving citizens full-time representation at City Hall. 

     In 2010 North Canton City Council discussed the possibility of making the Mayor’s job full- time but took no action to put the issue on the ballot. Then and now, it is a politically difficult course of action for City Council to take since Council would not want to raise the ire of a part-time Mayor who desires to keep the title of Mayor but does not want to devote full-time hours to the position.

     North Canton’s Charter is typically reviewed every 10 years by a Charter Review Commission made up of citizens. In 2007 when the Commission last met, 12 amendments were suggested and council took action to place seven amendments on the ballot for voters to approve. 

     North Canton’s City Charter also allows for amendments through a “Citizen-Initiated Charter Amendment Petition.” That is the process being used here. The petition is directed to North Canton City Council and as long as there are enough valid signatures of the voters, North Canton City Council must put the proposed CharterAmendment on the ballot. 

     For this issue, members of City Council are not put in a tenuous position with the city’s current part-time Mayor. 

     A full-time Mayor for the City of North Canton will offer great benefits for its
citizens. 

• Citizens will have a Mayor working full-time on their behalf. 

• There will be a reduction in personnel costs in the Mayor’s office with the elimination of the Director of Administrative Services position.

• Citizens and business owners will have a Mayor available to meet with them during normal business hours, which will strengthen economic development efforts. 

• A full-time Mayor will bring added prestige to the community. 

• A full-time Mayor will be much more informed on all aspects of city business.

• A full-time Mayor will team with the City Administrator to conduct the business of the city in a more efficient and expeditious manner eliminating the need for hiring assistants. 

• A full-time Mayor will not have to be distracted with the burdens of private employment and not have to put city business secondary to another full-time job. 

• A full-time Mayor who is engaged full-time at City Hall on behalf of its citizens will be able to provide stronger leadership to City Council. 

     The proposed amendment to the North Canton City Charter, if approved by voters, would have no effect on the 2013 election for North Canton Mayor. Passage of this charter amendment would take affect for the 2015 election for Mayor. 

     To have the opportunity to consider the proposed legislation this fall in the
voting booth, North Canton Voters must sign the petition in sufficient numbers
to give authority to City Council to put this proposed amendment on the ballot on
November 5, 2013. 

     Signing the petition merely authorizes North Canton City Council to put the Charter Amendment on the ballot. It is not a vote for or against the proposed charter amendment nor is it a pledge to vote for or against the legislation. 

     If this flyer has been left at your house and you did not have an opportunity to
sign the petition, please call (330) 268-5730. 

Thank
you from the Petition Committee,

Chuck Osborne, George Daniluk, Larry Tripp, Hilary Mueller, Rita Palmer