The Oviedo City Council agreed this week to let voters decide in November whether to extend council terms from two years to four and align city races with even-year presidential and gubernatorial elections.
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The goal would be to improve voter turnout as odd-year city elections draw limited interest and to reduce costs as the city foots the bill for those races while even-year ones are covered by the county at no extra cost to Oviedo.
But the ballot referendum will ask Oviedo residents to reconsider a charter amendment they rejected five years ago with 57% of the vote.
If voters approve the measure Nov. 3, some council members would serve a three-year transition term before the four-year cycles begin in 2028.
The proposals were made by the Charter Review Committee, which reviews the key city document every five years. The committee’s 15 members are appointed by the city council.
Mayor Megan Sladek said she thought it was right to let voters decide again on the committee’s proposal.
“If the people think it makes sense to ask the question every five years then, you know, more power to them. Maybe they’ll change their mind.”
Odd-year city elections cost Oviedo about $45,000, she said.
Voter turnout is also an issue. The 2023 municipal election drew 9,199 voters — only about 22% of registered voters, according to results from the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections. In 2025, the races for both mayor and an open council seat were uncontested, so no election was held.
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Council member Alan Ott, the lone dissenter in Monday’s 4 to 1 vote, said he opposes the shift because two-year terms keep council members directly accountable to residents.
“If stuff isn’t going well, the residents have an opportunity every year to kick people off the council,” he said. “I like that there is a contact point with local government at least every year. I think it keeps us all connected to what the residents want.”
Ott also questioned the voter turnout rationale, though his 2024 election drew more than double the total number of votes cast in the entire 2021 odd-year city election — 19,501 compared to 9,104.
While even-year elections draw larger crowds, Ott said the people who show up to odd-year municipal elections care about the city. He also wasn’t worried about the expense of those elections.
“That’s a worthwhile cost,” he said. “That’s the price of representative government.”
Under the proposed transition, three council seats up for election this year — held by Ott, Keith Britton and Jeff Boddiford — would continue under two-year terms. Two seats up in 2027, held by Sladek and Natalie Teuchert, would shift to three-year terms under the plan.
At least four of the 15 charter review committee members had prior involvement in Oviedo city government. Stephen Schenck, a former city council member, also served on the 2021 Charter Review Committee that recommended the failed term-length amendment. Dominic Persampiere served as Oviedo’s mayor from 2010 to 2019. Kevin Hipes ran for mayor in 2021, finishing last in the three-way race against Sladek. Barbara Barbour served as city clerk for at least 20 years.
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