OKLAHOMA CITY – The 23 proposed City Charter amendments that will be submitted to Altus residents at the June 30 primary election may be some kind of record.
The proposed changes will appear on the ballot individually. The existing charter, which was adopted seven years ago, mandates in Article VIII, Section 1, that if more than one amendment is proposed, “all of them except those which are so interrelated that they should be ratified or rejected together, shall be submitted in such manner that the electors may vote on them separately.”
However, the same section goes on to declare that a proposition to amend the charter “may either be in the form of a proposed amendment to a part or parts of the Charter or of a proposed new Charter.”
Including signatures, the current charter is 26 pages long. Any charter changes that are approved by Altus voters, certified by the Secretary of the Jackson County Election Board and authenticated by the mayor, must then be submitted to Gov. Kevin Stitt for his approval, in accordance with Title 11, Section 13.111.2 of state statutes.
“The Governor shall approve the charter amendments if they are not in conflict with the Constitution and laws of Oklahoma,” the statute decrees.
“Upon approval, the charter as amended shall become the organic law of the municipality and supersede any existing charter and all ordinances in conflict with it.”