By City Manager Dominick Casey
Good Afternoon City Team,
At the August 21 City Council meeting, the Council voted unanimously to move from an “at-large” voting system to a “district-based” voting system. This may come as a surprise to many of you, so I wanted to give you some background and encourage you to read this FAQ.
Roseville has a long history of addressing issues before they become problems. This is another prime example of that proactive approach that has made us so successful. The change was motivated from recent activity throughout the state related to lawsuits involving the California Voter Rights Act.
To be frank, this was not a philosophical decision as much as it was a financial one. No public agency that has fought to remain in an at-large voting system has won the legal challenge, costing millions in legal fees. That is not how we want to spend our funds, given the priorities we’ve heard from our community.
Particularly given the lack of viable alternatives, I’m viewing the path forward as one that provides opportunities to become an even better City and organization in this new model. In fact I believe we can and will.
This morning I’ve heard a few concerns from staff and from some in the community. I’d like to share some thoughts and assurances about the future.
We will—as an organization and as a community—continue to:
- Make decisions that are best for the entire City.
- Follow good governance principles, including respect for the council-manager form of government, and honor our current roles.
- Involve all council members in any/all city issues regardless of district.
- Allocate resources, including staffing and funding, based on citywide needs and City Council consensus.
- Consider the needs and concerns of all Roseville residents when making recommendations to Council, not solely from residents in the district that might be most affected.
- Focus on communications and customer service, two of our core competencies
We are at the very beginning of this process. Much public input will occur from now until the end of the year. The City Council will discuss many topics, ranging from mapping districts, selecting a mayor, and appointing people to boards and committees, along with policy impacts from those decisions, to name a few.
This is all a natural part of the transition process. We will face this change with a confidence knowing we have a great community, Council, and staff who will not only survive this change but thrive through it.
As always if you have any questions about this please feel free to email or call me directly.
Thank you for all you do to make Roseville the very best! You and your efforts are appreciated very much!