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Ballot Goes to Printer Without Sick Time Question

[Photo: Circuit Judge Frederick J. Lauten]
[Photo: Circuit Judge Frederick J. Lauten]

Sept 19, 2012 | WMFE - A last minute bid to get a question about mandatory earned sick time for workers in Orange County on the November ballot has failed. In a hearing Tuesday afternoon, Orange County Circuit Judge Frederick Lauten declined to grant an injunction to force county commissioners to put the measure on the ballot. The deadline to get ballots to the printer was Tuesday.

In his ruling Judge Lauten said the group asking for the temporary injunction- Citizens for a Greater Orange County- failed to prove the likelihood of irreparable harm or that there was no other legal remedy if the question wasn't put to voters in November.

"The court is able to mandate that the matter be placed on the next special, general or primary election ballot," the ruling said. 

You can read the full text of the ruling here

Last week the Board of County Commissioners voted to delay putting the question on the ballot, saying more time was needed to work on the wording of the ordinance.

Supporters of the earned sick time ordinance argued the commissioners were ignoring the rules of their charter by not voting to put it on the ballot, after supporters gathered more than 50 thousand signatures to back the measure.

In a statement, Orange County attorney Jeffrey Newton said the county will "move forward with a transparent process to ensure voters have clear and unambiguous ballot language to consider at a future election.”

If it were adopted, the earned sick time ordinance would require many businesses in the county to provide sick time for their workers. A number of business groups oppose the measure, saying it would be costly to implement and could damage the local economy.

 

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