FAQs

Day-to-day city services, like police, streets, permits and utilities, don't change because of this vote. What changes is who's in charge of running those departments and who that person answers to.

Yes. Under both options being considered, Camas residents directly elect the Mayor. That will not change.

Not right away. State law requires a city to operate under a newly adopted system for at least six years before voters can hold another election to change it again. If voters instead choose to keep the current system, there's no waiting period before it could be placed on another ballot. 

State law lays out the transition step by step, and current officials keep serving throughout, so there's no gap where nobody is in charge. The February 2027 date was chosen specifically because it falls before candidate filing opens in April 2027. That gives anyone considering a run for Mayor time to know which system they'd be running under, and it means the change would take effect at the natural end of the current Mayor's term, not in the middle of it.

Yes, there was a cost associated with placing this item on a ballot. Both types of governments have similar costs. If voters approved the change, the city would need to hire a City Manager and would not have the salary cost of the elected full-time Mayor and City Administrator. The salaries are comparable according to city staff for the Administrator and Manager positions.