CINCINNATI — Cincinnati voters will see two charter amendments on their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Issue 2 is related to public safety hiring, while Issue 3 is focused on campaign finance reporting.
Here's a breakdown of the two amendments ahead of Election Day:
Issue 2
Issue 2 focuses on public safety and aims to incentivize young people to join the Cincinnati Police Department and the Cincinnati Fire Department.
Cincinnati's police department has been dealing with staffing issues for years. According to WVXU, the department has 946 sworn officers, while the city has budgeted for 1,059 officers.
Any recruits for the police or fire departments must pass an entry exam, and the passing of Issue 2 would give some people extra points toward those exams.
Those available to receive extra points, per Issue 2, include:
- Those who have completed the Police Understudy Program or the Summer Cadet Program
- Those who have completed at least two years in the Cincinnati Police Public Safety Cadet Program
- Those who have completed the Fire Cadet Program or the Fire Summer Cadet Program
Here's the specific language voters can expect to see for Issue 2 on their ballots:
"Shall the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to provide that graduates of a public safety internship program established by the City of Cincinnati be provided an incentive to serve the City in the fire and police departments through an award of five (5) points in an examination credit on departmental entry level examinations, by amending Section 3 of Article V, 'Civil Service,' of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati?"
Issue 3
Issue 3 concerns campaign finances and, if passed, would change requirements for those running for Cincinnati mayor or city council.
Introduced by current councilmember Evan Nolan, who is running for reelection this year as well, Issue 3 would better align Cincinnati reporting rules with Ohio standards in an effort to simplify it for candidates. It would also hopefully clear up any possible confusion for voters.
Nolan told WVXU that rules in Cincinnati are more complex than other parts of Ohio, and the reasoning for this is no longer valid.
"It had to do with easier ways to track compliance with contribution limits, but because of the technology that we have today, particularly in the Office of Ethics and Good Governance, they are able to do that work without these separate reports," Nolan told WVXU.
Ohio candidates for public office must file several campaign finance reports, including annual, semi-annual, pre-general election and post-election reports. Cincinnati City Council and mayoral candidates also have to file pre-election and post-election reports, and mayoral candidates also file an additional report if a primary election occurs that year.
City-required reports may be due at the same time as state-required reports, but the reports themselves may cover different time periods. Issue 3 would change that.
If the charter is amended, the Cincinnati Elections Commission would receive campaign finance information from local candidates much more frequently.
Nolan told WVXU that he hopes the passage of the amendment would also make it easier for new candidates who find the current finance reporting system to be complicated and confusing.
Here's the specific language voters can expect to see for Issue 3 on their ballots:
"Shall the Charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to (1) align the City's campaign finance reporting deadlines with those required by the State of Ohio, (2) adjust reporting periods to correspond with the timing of local elections, and (3) provide additional time to fill vacancies on the Cincinnati Elections Commission, by amending Sections 1, 2, and 4 of Article XIII, "Campaign Finance," of the Charter of the City of Cincinnati?"
You can click here to view your full sample ballot.
