Filing Snafu May Jeopardize Grosch's Term Limits Effort

The effort to place term limits on a 2012 ballot may be in jeopardy due to a possible error in the filing, Councilman Dave Grosch said at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Grosch, who led the Term Limits Committee, told Powegians that he resubmitted the petition on Tuesday after certain required papers were not included in the original filing.

"If there was an error in this, it was an error made by me," he said during council-initiated items. 

According to city laws, the petition required a "Notice of Intent to Circulate Petition" and an "Initiative Measure to be Submitted Directly to the Voters" on each page of the petition. When the committee failed to attach the papers to each page on Monday, the City Clerk notified Grosch that the petition was rejected.

Grosch then resubmitted the petition with the attached pages on Tuesday. Grosch also said other "minor" errors were made when filing the petition, including font sizes and margins on the pages. 

Grosch said he is uncertain whether the petition will be approved and will know in the coming days. 

If the petition is approved, it will be further vetted by the City Clerk's office, which will validate 10 percent of the estimated 3,400 signatures, according to Grosch.

Grosch has been vocal about his support of term limits since his council run in 2010. After the the idea to conduct a study on term limits in February, he formed a to petition for it.

In other council business: 

• Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to reduce the speed limit on Stowe Drive by 10 mph. 
• Council approved a tentative parcel map to lower the site development pad elevation on Lot 3 of Parkway Summit in the Poway Business Park.
• Council authorized City Manager Penny Riley to execute an agreement with Gary F. Hoyt Landscape Architecture Inc. for landscaping and inspection services, and a resolution to amend the master fee schedule, landscape plan check and inspection services fee.
• Council discussed an ordinance that repeals the Poway Municipal Code Chapter 10.36 “crosswalks” to allow for the city to preserve an existing midblock crosswalk on Tierra Bonita Road between Poway Valley Road and Donart Drive. According to the staff report, repealing the municipal code will allow for the city to eliminate the need to amend it each time a midblock crosswalk is approved.
• Mayor Don Higginson was recognized for his 25 years on the City Council. 
• Deputy Mayor Jim Cunningham briefly spoke about the WinterFest held this past weekend and noted that about 4,500 people attended.