Bill: Rejected Oakridge Constitutional Convention Act

[lcn]

A
BILL
To
Amend and Establish the Constitution of Oakridge​

The citizens of Oakridge, through their elected Representatives in the Town-Council and the force of law ordained to that Town-Council by the people through the Constitution of Oakridge, do hereby enact the following provisions into the by-laws:

1 - Short Title and Enactment
(1) This Act may be cited as the 'Oakridge Constitutional Convention Act'.
(2) This Act shall be enacted immediately upon its passage.
(3) This Act has been authored by Mayor lcn.

2 - Reasons
(1) The current Constitution of Oakridge is outdated, unorganized, and vague.
(2) This Constitution is clear and functional, and will allow Oakridge to function better as a Town.

3 - Amendment
(1) The following Constitution will replace the current Constitution of Oakridge:

PREAMBLE
We the Citizens of the Town of Oakridge, in order to form a more perfect country, establish this Constitution to guarantee the preservation and protection of Justice, promote the general welfare of our Citizens, and secure the liberty of our participation in the governance of this Town. All the Citizens and the Government of the Town of Oakridge will abide by these set principles to play and unite as a Town, the Town of Oakridge, hereinafter called Oakridge.

The Oakridge Town Government consists of 2 Branches, the Executive and the Legislative. All laws passed by the Federal Government of the Commonwealth of Redmont are to be binding and enforceable within the bounds of the Town of Oakridge.

Federal Government Departments shall not conduct business within the Town of Oakridge without approval from the Mayor, excluding the Department of State to facilitate elections, the Department of Health to maintain the town clinic, the Department of Construction and Transportation to action evictions, and the Department of the Interior to maintain the town animal shelter.

ARTICLE I. THE COUNCIL
Section I - The Legislature of Oakridge shall consist of a single, unicameral Town Council which shall consist of Councilors, also known as Council Members. The Town Council shall have the power to author, propose, and pass Legislation on any topic through a majority vote of approval of its Members. In the event of a tie, the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge shall decide.

Section II - All Legislation passed by the Town Council, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the Mayor of Oakridge; If the Mayor approves it shall be signed into Law, but if not, it shall be returned to the Council, with the Mayor's objections. The Council may, with a supermajority vote of approval among its members, override the Mayor's objections and have the Legislation made into Law.

Section III - A Council Member may be removed from their position following a supermajority vote of approval for their removal among the Town Council, excluding the Council Member the vote is to remove.

ARTICLE II. DEPARTMENTS
Section I - Oakridge shall have Departments which shall be established in this Constitution. Each Department shall have specific duties, responsibilities, and powers which shall be listed in this Article. The Head of a Department shall be a Council Member who is elected to that Department, unless stated otherwise. The Head of a Department shall retain the power to decide the rank structure of their respective Department. The following are the Departments of Oakridge:

a) Department of Commerce
The Department of Commerce is charged with the following responsibilities:
(1) Administration of town grants and the registration of local businesses.

(a) Department of Commerce leadership shall not accept their own grants.​

(2) Approval of commercial structures or spaces.
(3) Creation of economic regulations, if approved by the Town Council and not overridden by an Act of Council.
(4) Protection of the Town's economic interests.
Leadership:
(1) Head of Commerce

b) Department of Urban Development
The Department of Urban Development is charged with the following responsibilities:
(1) Creation of Government infrastructure, including commercial and residential structures.
(2) Management of public transport within Oakridge.
Leadership:
(1) Head of Urban Development

c) Department of Community Affairs
The Department of Community Affairs is charged with the following responsibilities:
(1) Maintaining an active and satisfied Oakridge community.
(2) Holding regular Press Conferences with the public.
(3) Hosting events within the Town of Oakridge.
(4) Managing any social media accounts owned by the Town of Oakridge.
(5) Providing aid to residents seeking to host their own events within the Town of Oakridge.
(6) Creating monthly approval ratings surveys for elected officials and major changes within the Town of Oakridge.
(7) Facilitation of guided tours throughout the Town of Oakridge.
Leadership:
(1) Head of Event Coordination

d) Oakridge Police Department
The Oakridge Police Department is charged with the following responsibilities:
(1) Maintaining the peace and good order of the Town of Oakridge, through lawfully exercising its power equally to enforce the laws of the Town of Oakridge
(2) Providing security to Oakridge government officials and events
(3) Maintaining criminal records for local crimes within Oakridge
(4) Providing criminal records upon request (the requesting individual must be party to the record requested, or be a court ordered request) within 7 days.
Leadership:
(1) Sheriff

e) Department of Residence
The Department of Residence is charged with the following responsibilities:
(1) Approving of residential structures or spaces built by the Department of Urban Development.
(2) Creation of building regulations, if approved by the Town Council and not overridden by an Act of Council.
(3) Maintenance and enforcement of building regulations.
(4) Management of evicted plot auctions within Oakridge.
Leadership:
(1) Head of Residence

f) Oakridge Postal Service
The Oakridge Postal Service is charged with the following powers and responsibilities:
(1) Responsible for the establishment and management of rented P.O (Post Office) deposit boxes.
(2) Responsible for the establishment and management of a Post Office building.
(3) Responsible for the regulation of the movement of packages from one place to another.
(4) The power to search any package(s) for items that are illegal under federal or local law.
(5) The power to refuse the shipment of items, excluding legal firearms and their accessories that have been shipped by an armorer, that may cause harm to the receiver or others around them.
Leadership:
(1) Postmaster General

(a) The Postmaster General shall be appointed by the Mayor of Oakridge, and shall not be a member of the Town Council.​

ARTICLE III. THE EXECUTIVE
Section I - The Executive Power shall be vested in a Mayor of Oakridge, who shall be elected with a Deputy Mayor of Oakridge.

The Mayor of Oakridge shall represent the Town in court, or may appoint another player to do so.

Section II - In the event that the Mayor of Oakridge is absent or unable to perform their duties, the Deputy Mayor shall assume the Office of the Mayor until the Mayor of Oakridge is present and able to perform their duties.

In the event that the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge is absent or unable to perform their duties, the Mayor shall assume the Office of the Deputy Mayor until the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge is present and able to perform their duties.

Section III - In case of a removal of the Mayor of Oakridge from Office, or of resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers of said Office, the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge shall assume Office of the Mayor of Oakridge. The new Mayor of Oakridge shall then nominate a new Deputy Mayor of Oakridge, which shall assume Office only when approved with a majority vote from the Town Council.

In case of a removal of the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge from Office, or of resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers of said Office, the Mayor of Oakridge shall nominate a new Deputy Mayor of Oakridge, which shall assume Office only when approved with a majority vote from the Town Council.

Section IV - The Mayor of Oakridge or the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge shall be removed from their position following a supermajority vote of approval for their removal among the Town Council. All Council Members must vote on the removal, excluding the player the vote is to remove, should they be both on the Town Council and Mayor of Oakridge or the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTIONS
Section I - Council Members serve a two-month term; Elections for Councilor shall begin in February, April, June, August, October, and December, on the 1st day of each assigned month.

In order to run for and maintain a seat as a Council Member, the player needs to meet these requirements:

• Has been 1 week since the player's initial join date;
• Has accrued 24 hours of total playtime;
• Has accrued 12 hours of active playtime within the last 30 days;
• Is an Oakridge Resident.

Each Council Member shall be elected to be the Head of a Department. There shall be as many Councilors as there are Departments that have Councilor Leadership.

Section II - The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Oakridge both serve a four-month term; Mayoral Elections shall begin in January, May, and September, on the 21st day of each assigned month.

A Mayoral candidate will choose a running mate prior to the electoral ballot, to serve as Deputy Mayor.

In order to run for and maintain Office of the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor of Oakridge, the player needs to meet these requirements:

• Has been 1 month since the player's initial join date;
• Has accrued 48 hours of total playtime;
• Has accrued 12 hours of active playtime within the last 30 days;
• Is an Oakridge Resident;
• Has not served as Mayor during both the previous two Mayoral terms;
• Has not served as Deputy Mayor during both the previous two Mayoral terms (required for Deputy Mayor only);
• Has not served as Mayor during the last Mayoral term (required for Deputy Mayor only).

Section III - Elections shall be facilitated by the Department of State.

Section IV - All elected positions shall be elected by a majority of votes, that being 50%+1 or more.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in an Election, a Run-Off Election shall be held between the two candidates with the most votes; or, in the instance that there is a three-or-more-way tie among the highest voted candidates, a Run-Off Election shall be held with all those candidates. This process of Run-Off Elections shall be repeated until a winner by majority is chosen.

If there is only one candidate for any position, a Vote of Confidence shall be held for that candidate. The candidate must receive a majority of votes in favor to be elected. If the candidate fails to receive a majority of votes in favor in the Vote of Confidence, a Special Election shall be held for that position.

In the case that no Resident of Oakridge nominates themself for an Office, the nomination period shall be extended until someone nominates themself for that Office, after which, a Vote of Confidence shall be held for that candidate. The candidate must receive a majority of votes in favor to be elected. If the candidate fails to receive a majority of votes in favor in the Vote of Confidence, a Special Election shall be held for that position.

Section V - All Elections, except for Special Elections and Run-Off Elections, shall have a nomination period of 72 hours, followed by voting, which shall be open for 72 hours.

All Special Elections shall have a nomination period of 24 hours, followed by voting, which shall be open for 24 hours.

All Run-Off Elections shall be open for voting for 24 hours.

A Vote of Confidence shall be open for 72 hours.

Section VI - In case of a removal of both the Mayor of Oakridge and Deputy Mayor of Oakridge from Office, or of resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers of said Offices, a Special Election for the Office of the Mayor of Oakridge shall be facilitated within 24 hours, given there is no Mayoral Election scheduled in the following 7 days.

In case of a removal of a Council Member from Office, or of resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers of said Office, a Special Election for their Office shall be facilitated within 24 hours, given there are no Town Council Elections scheduled in the following 7 days, excluding Special Elections and Run-Off Elections.

Section VII - No Legislation shall be made into Law that amends the Electoral process during an Election period.

ARTICLE V. RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Section I - No Legislation shall be made into Law that prohibits or in any way restricts the Resident of Oakridge from voting for the Office of the Mayor or for the Town Council.

Section II - The Right to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. All weapons, excluding weapons deemed to be Weapons of Mass Destruction by the Federal Government, are able to be held in possession by the Resident of Oakridge, and no Legislation shall be made into Law that prohibits or in any way restricts this Right.

ARTICLE VII. CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
Section I - A Bill that amends the Constitution of Oakridge must receive a supermajority vote of approval from the Town Council in order to be made into Law.