Denver City Council members on Monday night said an overhaul of the city’s ballot-initiative process is long overdue, and they forwarded on a controversial ballot measure that some say targets illegal immigrants by impounding cars of unlicensed drivers.
The proposed ordinance on impounding cars is the latest example of flaws in the city’s laws governing how residents can get matters on the ballot, council members said.
Currently, residents must gather enough signatures to exceed 5 percent of the votes cast in the previous mayoral election to force the council to take up a measure.
Once that threshold is passed, which is currently about 4,000 signatures, then the council is required to either pass the proposal into law or put it to voters.
Council members have had to put items on the ballot they clearly are against, including one making marijuana possession the city’s lowest law enforcement priority.
Last week, another proposal came forth that would create a commission to deal with space aliens.
Three council members — Chris Nevitt, Judy Montero and Rick Garcia — refused to vote on the impoundment issue on first reading, even though enough signatures had been gathered to get it on the August ballot. The other nine council members present forwarded the measure on for final consideration next Monday.
Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz, who said some portions of the impoundment proposal are valid, said she will soon propose an amendment to the ballot-initiative process.
Faatz said she will ask the council to refer an amendment to the city charter to voters in August. Her amendment would allow ballot initiatives to bypass the council entirely, similar to the way residents can bring forth statewide initiatives.
“We’re getting more and more of these that the council is fundamentally opposed to,” Faatz said.
Christopher N. Osher: 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com
