HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 1890 Calling 2009 General ElectionCity of West University Place
Harris County, Texas
Ordinance No. 1890
AN ORDINANCE CALLING AN ELECTION WITHIN THE CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY
PLACE, TEXAS FOR THE NINTH (9th) DAY OF MAY, 2009, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
ELECTING A MAYOR AND FOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS; DESIGNATING PRECINCTS AND
POLLING PLACES; APPOINTING ELECTION OFFICIALS; CONTAINING FINDINGS AND
PROVISIONS RELATING TO SAID ELECTION; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WEST UNIVERSITY
PLACE, TEXAS:
SECTION 1. A general election is hereby ordered and shall be held in the City of West
University Place, Texas ("City') on May 9, 2009 ("Election Day"), for the purpose of electing a
Mayor and four Council Members of the City.
SECTION 2. (a) The eSlate Direct Recording Electronic Voting System (the "DRE")
shall be used for early voting by personal appearance and for regular voting on Election Day.
(b) Paper ballots shall be used for voting by mail and such ballots shall be manually
counted.
All ballots shall be prepared in accordance with the applicable provisions of the TEXAS
ELECTION CODE (in English, in Spanish and in Vietnamese) so that the voters may cast their
ballots for the candidates of their choice.
(c) The City Council hereby appoints Ramsey Elder to be Presiding Judge for the
Central Counting Station, which shall be located at the West University Place Municipal
Building, 3800 University Boulevard, West University Place, Texas 77005 (Council Chambers).
Thelma Lenz shall serve as the Manager and Tabulation Supervisor of the Central Counting
Station.
SECTION 3. (a) The City shall be divided into four (4) election precincts, and the polling
place designated for each election precinct and the persons hereby appointed to serve, for
these elections only, as Presiding Judge and Alternate Presiding Judge for each polling place,
are as follows:
Voting Precinct #183
West University Community Building/Senior Wing
6104 Auden
Stan McCandless, Presiding Judge
Aggie Foster, Alternate Presiding Judge
Voting Precinct #133
Colonial Park
4130 Byron
Marie Monroe, Presiding Judge
Mary Lee Gray, Alternate Presiding Judge
Voting Precinct #87
West University Scout House
6108 Edloe
Craft Hughes, Presiding Judge
Len Slusser, Alternate Presiding Judge
Voting Precinct #15
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
5308 Buffalo Speedway
Ramsay Elder, Presiding Judge
Carl Lord, Alternate Presiding Judge
(b) Said precincts shall be the same as the Harris County voter precincts bearing the
same numbers indicated above as such precincts were most recently established by the
Commissioners Court of Harris County, Texas. The City Council hereby finds that the polling
place for Precinct #15 is a proper place for conducting the elections because a suitable public
building within said precinct is unavailable.
(c) Each Presiding Judge shall appoint not fewer than two (2) and not more than six
(6) qualified clerks to serve and assist at the polling place under his/her jurisdiction in holding
said election; provided that, if any Presiding Judge herein appointed actually serves in holding
said election, the Alternate Presiding Judge for the precinct in question shall be one of the
clerks.
(d) Each election judge and clerk will be entitled to compensation at an hourly rate
not to exceed $8.00.
(e) On Election Day, the polls shall be open from 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.
(f) The early voting clerk shall be the City Secretary of the City. Early voting by
personal appearance shall be conducted at the City Hall Council Chambers, Municipal Building,
3800 University Blvd., West University Place, Texas 77005, on weekdays during the early voting
period (April 27, 2009 through May 5, 2009) during the hours the City Secretary's main business
office is regularly open for business (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) on each day which is not a
Saturday, Sunday, or official state or federal holiday, in accordance with the provisions of the
TEXAS ELECTION CODE. Extended hours for early voting will held on May 4 and May 5 from
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The early voting clerk's mailing address to which ballot applications and
ballots voted by mail may be sent, shall be: City Secretary, Municipal Building, 3800 University
Blvd., West University Place, Texas 77005. Applications for ballots by mail must be received by
the early voting clerk no later than the close of business on May 1, 2009. The precinct election
officer serving Precinct #15 shall serve as the Early Voting Ballot Board for this election.
SECTION 4. All qualified electors of the City shall be permitted to vote at said election.
Not withstanding any provisions to the contrary in this ordinance, the election shall be held and
conducted in accordance with the TEXAS ELECTION CODE and the FEDERAL VOTING
RIGHTS ACT OF 1965, as amended, and, as may be required by law, all election materials and
proceedings shall be printed in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. In addition, standard voting
information booklets shall be provided in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and the City
Secretary shall make arrangements with the election officials for the use of Spanish and
Vietnamese interpreters, if needed. It is found and determined that these measures will
adequately serve any Spanish or Vietnamese-only speakers eligible to vote in the elections.
SECTION 5. The form of the notice prescribed by the Secretary of State's Office of the
State of Texas shall serve as proper notice of said election. Said notice, including a Spanish
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translation and a Vietnamese translation thereof, shall be given by publishing it and posting it in
accordance with Section 4.003, of the TEXAS ELECTION CODE.
SECTION 6. The Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem, the City Manager, the City Secretary and
the Assistant City Secretary, or any one of them, are authorized on behalf of the City Council to
evidence adoption of this Ordinance and to do any and all other things legal and necessary in
connection with the holding and consummation of such election and to give effect to the intent of
this Ordinance. Appointments of election officials in this Ordinance are made for this election
only.
SECTION 7. If any word, phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, section or other part of
this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall ever be held to be
invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, neither the remainder of this
ordinance, nor the application of such word, phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph, section or
other part of this ordinance to any other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 8. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby
repealed to the extent of the conflict only.
SECTION 9. The City Council officially finds, determines and declares that a sufficient
written notice of the date, hour, place and subject of each meeting at which this ordinance was
discussed, considered or acted upon was given in the manner required by the Open Meetings
Law, as amended, and that each such meeting has been open to the public as required by law
at all times during such discussion, consideration and action. The City Council ratifies,
approves and confirms such notices and the contents and posting thereof.
SECTION 10. The public importance of this measure and the requirements of the law
create an emergency and an urgent public necessity requiring that this Ordinance be passed
and take effect as an emergency measure, and a state of emergency is hereby declared and
this Ordinance is accordingly passed as an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in
force immediately from and after its passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED ON FIRST AND FINAL READING, this the 23rd day
of February -72009.
Signed:
Bob Kel y
Mayor