Santa Barbara is the only jurisdiction in the county that holds elections in odd-numbered years. This year's ballot includes three council seats, and at least one charter amendment will be on the ballot. 

The county contends that the cost of elections has risen partly because of new requirements for the disabled and for Spanish speakers. But Santa Barbara officials aren’t buying that explanation, saying they could run the election themselves for half of what the county wants to charge.

After negotiations with the county failed, they sued the county over the cost of elections for the last four years and decided this year to do it themselves by hiring an outside consulting firm.

Describing the county’s actions as “pathetic,” Council member Helene Schneider said, "It’s extremely frustrating that we’re in the situation that we are.”

The council on Tuesday also decided against holding a mail-in only election, in which voters would receive ballots only in the mail instead of going to the polls. Leaders reasoned that too much change in one year might be disorienting for voters.

“To make this drastic of a change is a big enough step to take in 2007,” said Council member Iya Falcone, referring to the decision to run the election themselves.

Leaders also decided against the mail-in election because this may be the only year Santa Barbara is faced with the bureaucratic task — or so they hope.

They will ask voters this fall to pass a charter amendment that would change city elections to even-numbered years to coordinate with other municipalities. If voters approve of the measure, the city’s share of the cost of county-run elections would be greatly reduced in the future.

Council members favored a charter amendment that would extend the four-year terms of the three council members up for reelection -- Das Williams, Schneider and Brian Barnwell -- to five years to catch up with the new cycle.

The terms of four other council members, including Mayor Marty Blum, would be extended to end in 2010 instead of 2009. 

In researching these options, Santa Barbara staff members consulted with other cities including Burbank that run mail-in elections themselves.

If voters do not approve of the charter amendment to move the election, leaders say they would consider following in Burbank’s footsteps. 
 
The city held a well-attended community meeting in January to discuss this issue, but only a few people spoke during Tuesday's meeting. David Pritchett, a community activist, said he favored the charter amendment and mail-in election, but he expressed some concern over whether the city should handle the election itself.

The city's overseeing its own results might be construed as a conflict of interest, Pritchett said. 

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