[00:00:01]
WE GOT TWO MINUTES, A FEW.[CALL TO ORDER]
I CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER.[CITIZEN COMMENTS]
ONE SPEAKER, MR. GARZA, COME FORWARD FOR THIS ONE AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN HELP FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOU.UH, SEVERAL CONCERNS IN TERMS OF THE ORDINANCE CALLING FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL A VACANCY FOR COUNCIL.
UH, SPECIFICALLY MY QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS.
ONE, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ELECTION CANNOT BE HELD THAT IN ANY WAY CONFLICTS WITH EXISTING ELECTIONS CURRENTLY ON THE CALENDAR.
OR IT IS WITHIN 30 DAYS OR SO.
SO THAT'S A CONSIDERATION THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE, THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING TONIGHT.
'CAUSE MEL HAD TO FIT IT IN ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL.
CAN I DO THIS, SIR? CAN I THEN, UH, RESPOND AFTER I HEAR WITH THE INFORMATION? IS THAT WAY? SURE.
THAT WAY I'M MORE INFORMED NOW.
WHAT THE, YOU EXPLAINED IT TO ME.
[1. Ordinance Calling a Special Election to Fill a Vacancy for Council Member Place 8 At Large, for the remainder of the unexpired term]
OKAY.MAYOR, COUNSEL, ON YOUR AGENDA IS AN ITEM TO APPROVE, UH, TO CALL A SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL VACANCY FOR MEMBER AT LARGE PLACE.
UM, AS THE STATE LAW REQUIRES SPECIAL, THIS IS A SPECIAL ELECTION.
SPECIAL SPECIAL ELECTIONS CANNOT BE HELD, UM, WITHIN 30 DAYS BEFORE OR AFTER EITHER THE GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION.
SO THE REQUEST IS TO CALL THIS SPECIAL ELECTION FOR JANUARY 31ST TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW AND, UM, CITY CHARTER, WHICH REQUIRES THE PLACE TO BE FILLED WITHIN 120 DAYS AFTER IT'S BECAME VACANT.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? NO, SIR.
COME ON AND ASK MEL ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING IT.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE CALLING THIS SPECIAL ELECTION FOR JANUARY 31ST.
GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A SPECIAL ELECTION WITH SENATE DISTRICT, UH, NINE, DOES THAT NOT CONFLICT OR IS IT ONLY UNIQUE TO SPECIAL ELECTION FOR DISTRICT NINE? WE DON'T HAVE A DISTRICT NINE.
I MEAN, THERE'S A ELECTION GOING ON OR IN ARLINGTON AREA.
DOES THAT NOT CONFLICT WITH THIS ONE OR JUST THE ELECTION UNIQUE TO GRAND PRAIRIE? THIS IS JUST UNIQUE TO GRAND PRAIRIE.
IF WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT OTHER, ALL THE OTHER ELECTIONS IN THE STATE, WE'D HAVE TROUBLE EVEN GETTING ONE IN I WAS TALKING REGION THEN, LET ALONE NOT EVEN IF WE DID REGION.
AND IT HAS TO BE SOLELY A PRIMARY OR GENERAL, A PRIMARY OR GENERAL ELECTION.
SPECIAL ELECTIONS DON'T, IT DOESN'T MATTER ABOUT THE SPECIAL ELECTION.
IF THE SENATE DISTRICT NINE ELECTION WAS A GENERAL ELECTION THAT WAS A UNIFORM GENERAL ELECTION, THEN THIS COULD OVERLAP.
BUT SINCE IT'S A SPECIAL IN ITS OWN RIGHT, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
SO THERE'S NO CONFLICT BECAUSE OF THAT.
BECAUSE THE STATUTE SAYS YOU CAN'T HAVE THE ELECTION 30 DAYS BEFORE OR AFTER A UNIFORM PRIMARY OR UNIFORM GENERAL ELECTION.
SO WE WENT TO THE BY THE MARCH 3RD PRIMARY DATE IN THE MAY.
HEY, THEY DID THE MATH AND THE STUDYING.
AND, UH, WHEN, FROM THE TIME YOU MAKE YOUR OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DATE BEING A, IT'S APPROVED FROM WHEN CAN YOU START ADVERTISING, UH, PUTTING INFORMATION OUT, ET THE CANDIDATES? AND WHEN ARE, WHEN IS THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR CANDIDATES TO PICK THAT MATERIAL UP? SURE.
LET'S JUST GO OVER THE WHOLE TIMELINE.
LET'S NO, GIVE US THE TIMELINE.
MONA'S GONNA GIVE THE TIMELINE.
MONA, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SIR, THAT'S TOMORROW.
YOU CAN PICK UP A PACKET, A CANDIDATE PACKET AFTER THIS MEETING AT THE MARSHALL'S DESK, AND WE'LL HAVE IT DEADLINE LATER TODAY.
WHEN, WHEN CAN, WHEN'S THE FILING DEADLINE? YOU'LL HAVE, UH, SEVEN DAYS TO FILE THE FILING DEADLINE IS A WEEK FROM TODAY, A WEEK FROM TOMORROW.
THE FILING DEADLINE WOULD BE THE 17TH THEN? NO, THE 16TH.
FILING OPENS UP THE 10TH AND CLOSES 16TH.
SO THE 16TH THE WEEK FROM TODAY'S THE FILING DEADLINE TOMORROW.
ON THE 16TH, FILING DEADLINES THE 16TH, ALL 150 OF YOU RUSHED DOWN HERE
AND THE TIME IS FOR THE VISITORS.
UH, WHAT, WHAT'S TIME? FIVE? YES SIR.
IT'LL BE 5:00 PM AND WHEN YOU PICK UP THE PACKET, THERE IS A TIMELINE, UH, LISTED ON THERE AS WELL.
AND MY PHONE NUMBER IS LISTED AS WELL AS EMAIL ADDRESS IF I CAN HELP IN ANY WAY.
AND IN TERMS OF CAMPAIGN LITERATURE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, DOES IT BEGIN FROM THE TIME YOU FILE OR, HEY, THAT'S, THAT'S STATE LAW THAT IT, IT, UM, YOU CAN DO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT STATE ALLOWS THEM THAT.
THAT'S SOMETHING YOU NEED TO GET THE STATE LAW.
YOU CAN START ADVERTISING FOR A CAMPAIGN PRIOR TO EVEN FILING.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FILE TO ADVERTISE FOR A CAMPAIGN.
[00:05:01]
WE'VE HAD PEOPLE ADVERTISE THAT ARE RUNNING IN MAIL ALREADY, SO.UM, ARE WE READY FOR A MOTION? I'D ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
SAY AGAIN? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER CLEMSON.
SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER DOKY.