A. No person shall make contributions in coin or currency during any election cycle, as set forth in this chapter, to any candidate or such candidate's personal campaign committee, or to any political committee with respect to any election for city office, that exceed, in the aggregate, fifty dollars ($50.00).
B. No person shall make contributions during any election cycle, as set forth in this chapter, to any candidate or his or her personal campaign committee, or to any political committee with respect to any election for city office, that, in the aggregate, exceed the following amounts:
Office
| Amount
|
Mayor | $3,500.00 |
City council | 750.00 |
At the beginning of each election cycle, the city recorder shall adjust to the nearest ten dollars ($10.00) the amounts in this subsection B by the percentage change in the consumer price index since the beginning of the previous election cycle and post the new amounts on the city's website. For purposes of this subsection, "consumer price index" means the consumer price index for all urban consumers, United States city average, that is published by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics.
C. The acceptance of anonymous contributions is prohibited. Any anonymous contributions received by a candidate or a personal campaign committee or a political committee shall be transmitted to the city treasurer for deposit in the general fund of the city. Each contributor of a contribution shall disclose to the personal campaign committee or political committee the name and address of such contributor.
D. The limitations imposed by subsections A through C of this section shall not apply to contributions by a candidate of the candidate's own resources to the candidate's own campaign.
E. Each candidate or the candidate's personal campaign committee shall deposit each contribution received in one or more separate campaign accounts in a financial institution and may not deposit or mingle any contributions received into a personal or business account.
F. The candidate or the candidate's personal campaign committee may use the monies in campaign accounts only as follows:
1. For political purposes;
2. For expenses incurred in connection with duties of the individual as a holder of a city office;
3. For contributions to an organization described in section 170(c) of the internal revenue code of 1986 (26 USCS section 170(c));
4. For transfers to a national, state, or local committee of a political party;
5. For donations to federal, state, or local candidates; or
6. For any other lawful purpose unless prohibited by subsection G of this section.
G. A contribution shall not be converted by any person to personal use. For purposes of this subsection, a contribution or donation shall be considered to be converted to personal use if the contribution or donation is used to fulfill any commitment, obligation, or expense of a person that would exist irrespective of the candidate's election campaign or the individual's duties as an elected official of the city. For purposes of this subsection, it shall not be considered a conversion to personal use for a candidate or elected official of the city to use a contribution or donation to pay for the attendance of one guest at a social, entertainment, or other event related to political purposes or to the duties of the person as an elected official of the city.
H. It shall be unlawful for any person:
1. Who enters into any contract or seeks to enter into any contract with the city either for the rendition of personal services or furnishing any material, supplies, or equipment to the city or for selling any land or building to the city, if payment for the performance of the contract is to be made in whole or in part from city funds, at any time between the commencement of negotiations for the contract and the later of: a) the completion of performance under the contract, or b) the termination of negotiations for the contract, directly or indirectly to make any contribution to a candidate or personal campaign committee; or
2. Knowingly to solicit a contribution from any such person during any such period. (Ord. 68-15, 2015)