Local News in Brief : Rift Over Ballot Wording Settled
The Lawndale City Council on Thursday announced that an out-of-court settlement has been reached on the wording of a ballot measure that would require voter approval for public projects costing more than $1 million.
The ballot language, adopted unanimously by the council Thursday, resolves a lawsuit filed in December by resident Nancy J. Marthens, according to City Atty. David J. Aleshire.
In the suit, Marthens asked the court to order the council to adopt the exact language contained in an initiative petition that qualified for the April 12 ballot with 841 signatures.
Aleshire said Thursday that the settlement resolves legal questions he had about the petition’s language while retaining the wording that Marthens sought. The agreed-upon language specifies that the $1-million amount that would trigger the need for voter approval refers only to money controlled or administered by the city, not by other public funding sources.
It also states that such projects would need to obtain a majority of votes cast in an election.
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